And There’s Always Laundry

I decided that this week I have to tell you about doing laundry here. There is always so much to share - the everyday routine of laundry seems so mundane compared to all the other topics that excite me and beg to be shared. But I do remember that months ago, when I first arrived, even doing the laundry was a revelation.

To start, my washing machine is outside- on the terrace. It is now housed in a smart new cabinet, but in my early days only a tile slab and two walls of concrete stood between the “lavatrice” and the elements.

In the balmy days of summer I didn’t think twice about heading outside to do a load of laundry. Now I rethink laundry day on the dreariest, rainiest days.

My washing machine

The next grand awakening had to do with the capacity of this little machine. So many things in Italy seem to be minimalist, my washer is no exception. When you’re used to the big, almost commercial sized washers most of us have in the US, it’s quite an adjustment to divvy your wash into very small piles of just a few items.

After a few months of struggling to dry oversized sheets (one of the few non- minimalist sized items in my apartment) on the drying rack that was not up to the task, I now head to the 24 hour laundromat in Panzano every few weeks with all my sheets ...and towels too- towels that dry stiff as boards despite a healthy dose of fabric softerner offer no cosy embrce when you climb out of the shower.

And that brings me to the last of this “laundry” list… no dryer. Though there are many things I prefer to air dry, the absence of a dryer was an adjustment. So I take advantage of the large capacity dryers of the laundromet when I’m there. Most laundry dries on the folding rack that I store in my downstairs bathroom. Truth be told, I rather like hanging clothes to dry. Like ironing, it can be an almost meditative exercise. And the slight, obsessive compulsive perfectionist in me finds a simple joy in puzzling together an orderly, organized array of socks and shirts and underwear.

A simple pleasure - my weekly laundry “puzzle’