Sunday in Panzano

Today when I opened my bedroom shutters, a stanger, the sun, was there to greet me. For the first time in what seeed like weeks, the heavy clouds that set up a permanent encampment on every hilltop, spilling cold bursts of rain every few minutes., were gone! What a glorious day!

“That beautiful sun will surely dry clothes in a few hours- not days",” I thought. So I put a load of laundry in the doll house sized washer ( the“lavatrice” ). I’m so proud I finally figured out how to start it without having to call Romina, my kind neighbor across the hall.

During the 2 or 3 hour wash cycle I had plenty of time to go out and wander. Fisrt stop, the Sunday market.

I chose a roasted chicken and an assortment of fresh vegetables and fruits. Oh, and I added a small scoop of the fried mozzeralla balls that the chicken vendor sells. In one bite you get a pop of melted cheese and the crunchy fried coating. Yum! At Compana I stopped to add a slice of the traditional Tuscan flatbread- schiacciata- to my shopping bag.

Groceries stowed way, I headed out of town for a long, aerobic walk, up and down the hills that wind through the vineyards and olive growes nestled along every side of Panzano. past the hilltop castle/church, I chose a dirt path up toward two vineyards I’d never seen.

Doves cooed in time to the hum of a distant lawnmower. Songbirds dipped an d soared across the road. The crunch of tires of an occasional passing car spurred me to jump into the grass. Wildflowers sprinkled punches of vibrant color among the fresh grasses. The sun illuminated the landscape and a breeze, just enough to cool me,brushed my back as I trudged up the toughest stretches. It was a perfect day!