Rainy days

This post is dedicated to my running buddy, Barb Kempeny. I wish she’d been here running with me.

It’s been majorly windy and rainy. Venice marathon run through high water, yachts tossed onto Rapallo streets, Sanborn drenched…

The skies are clear now but it was wild and crazy for a couple days! I confess I sort of enjoyed being snug in bed listening to the hurricanes outside. And it was fun to run in the rain… As I ran back up a short hill that his through olive groves, a few olives started rolling down towards me and I stopped running to pick them up. Made me laugh with joy to catch them…

Today was low key. Trying to organize a budget so I can figure out what I can spend on the apartment remodel.

Went to Viareggio to buy some drawing paper. Ended up wandering the town. Came across a delightful home made fresh pasta shop, Franceshi. The owner told me she’d been making pasta for 58 years. Each one formed by hand. Another confession: I’m addicted to tortellini. I never have “normal” pasta at home but always some sort of tortellini. Almost always with wild boar sauce (“cinghiale”).

Tomorrow is All Saints Day, a big holiday, and a few people are doing Halloween today.

I kept walking until I got the beach front. This town has been a major destination for a couple hundred years, so some buildings are quite old. Here are some that I liked, sort of art deco.

The summer is completely done now. Most hotels are closed. Some are getting started with their renovations. Only in Italy: the scaffold covers are architectural beauties as well.

Finally, I headed back to the car. But wait…a pastry shop. A quick look in the window. OMG! I must go in. They had cakes like I’ve never seen before. I must have a big dinner party some day so I can bring this.

And I finish, with that happiest of sights: a caffe and a pastry (sfogliatelle napoletana, my favorite).

Ciao a tutti!