Departure.

Yesterday the skies brightened up, and I felt well enough to take other long walk around Lucca for a last round of photo-taking, while Nancy did some solo shopping. Late in the afternoon Gabriella came into town and we walked the Fillungo area again and stopped at Caffè Di Simo for coffee. After dinner out, we went to Luanna's house later in the evening for our last goodbyes. The conversation is about many things, including health care and politics in Italy (although surely the Italian is slower than normal for our benefit, it is assumed now that we will be able understand what is said, which usually we do).

Today we had just to tidy up the apartment a bit and stuff ourselves back into the luggage. Naturally Lucca is especially beautiful today, just as we must leave. We stop by Lidia's flat (Lidia is Roland's mother, who lives outside the walls) to visit for a bit; she has also just returned from Australia. Giacomo is there as well, having stopped by after school to have lunch with his nonna, as part of his normal routine. Lidia can speak English but seems much happier not to bother with it -- in Italian the conversation is more lively.

We're on the autostrada by about 1 p.m., and driving south through southern Tuscany on our way to Roma, listening to the radio playing a long set of Giuseppe Di Stefano singing Neapolitan songs (okay, we're pretty far from Napoli, but it did seem to fit our mood). It's sad to be leaving: it always seem as though we spend most of our time here learning and adapting, only to leave just as we begin to feel settled.

Stopping at a rest stop, we receive a text message from our landlady with thanks and a Buon Viaggio.

We've had many small victories. Just today Nancy successfully negotiated a refund on a overpaid parking fee in Italian and on a cell phone while walking in the street between cashier posts. Wow. I myself can say that every time that I have been out on the streets of Lucca alone, I have had people approach me speaking Italian (usually to ask directions). Perhaps the new moustache and the locally-bought vest give me the right look. I always manage a coherent reply -- but even better would be to actually know the answers!