After sleeping a bit late (with grey skies, and the bedroom shutters closed, we lose some sense of time), we are out to run a few errands. First stop, a little shopping in the Piazza Anfiteatro, which is still sporting it's large "starburst" decoration from the holidays. Some of the stores in this piazza, a big tourist destination during the fair-weather seasons, are closed for the winter. Nancy visits a store which is only keeping hours during Saturday afternoons: the Dutch woman who owns the place has apparently hired a local girl to stand in for her these days.
Nancy also braves a local salumeria to jostle for service at the counter (that's part of her face at the far right among the customers). Apart for some confusion over procedure, she is again successful in having an all-Italian transaction.
Here's our new place. The entrance is a couple of doors past the intersection, and our corner flat is one flight up.
This afternoon I've telephoned my mother's first cousin Franchesca who lives nearby, to see if we can meet sometime this week. She is a very sweet lady who radiates warmth and sympathy -- but she always gives to0 much credit to my Italian-language skills, which makes the first phone call a real test! This time it goes well, and we make loose plans to meet tomorrow for coffee.
Tonight we go to Gabriella's house in Guamo (a little south of Lucca) for dinner.
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