Monthly Archives: November 2022

Monday morning walk about

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It was socked in with fog this morning, as is usual for this time of year. It was also the coldest it has been, 4C or 39F.

We tried to buy pellets for the stufa last week where we usually buy and they had none, and no idea when, or if, they would get any 🫤. So we bought two small bags at the grocery store when shopping. Those went into the hopper on the stove and I lit it up this morning. Nice and cozy. We need to do a recon to see if we can find any pellets anywhere. They seem to be a casualty of the Ukrainian war.

I busied myself making soup this morning for my lunches this week. Then I decided to go for a walk. It had warmed up and was sunny by 11:30. Beautiful day. Brilliant blue skies will get up into the 60s today. I had wanted to combine errands with my walk but forgot to bring my purse into which I had put everything I needed to get them done! Oh well, I made the most of the day and took a few photos. I will do captions.

This was near our trash receptacles. Inside a gate. There is a large bush loaded with these pristine white berries. I don’t know what it is.
The pretty red tree in the sunlight caught my eye, but then I noticed the phone booth. Ya don’t see one of these every day! But we still do here 🙂
Complete with functioning telephone…
This is Piazza Carlo Marx. Really. It is. And it is the street in front of our new apartment.
This will be our new place. Not the prettiest building. We will be the top two floors. You can see the terrazza on the top floor. It is a convenient location and only a 7 minute walk from the main Piazza in Centro.
For a small town like Umbertide, we have a very nice Cinema. This is just next to our new place.
I was on the way back and saw the pretty red vine on the bridge. It’s not a very good picture.
In Piazza 25 Aprile. It is laundry day. Some say these are the Italian flag 😁

Tomorrow we, and the buyers of our Casa in Centro will go to the Notaio to sign Powers of Attorney for the sale. It is a notable, if bittersweet for us, occasion.

Dolcetto o scherzetto 

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Sadly I had no candy. I have never had a trick or treater here. In past years the kids dressed up and went to the nearby stores to get treats. I watch them in the Piazza. Over our eight years here it is noticeable that there are many more kids participating now. When my doorbell buzzed tonight and I went and asked who it was, I heard a little voice say “dolcetto o scherzetto”. So sorry I had no candy. Next year I will buy some. Also our new neighborhood probably will have more kids so I will prepare! I have always loved Halloween.

Today is All Saints Day or Giorno di Tutti Santi and it’s a holiday. Everyone attends mass for the dead. Then they visit the cemetery and their lost loved ones. We had our Italian lessons today via Skype as usual.

Yesterday I saw someone advertising a dutch oven and smaller cast iron pot. I told them I wanted them. So, after my lesson I went up to their home in the hills above Umbertide. They are Americans who used to live here full time and now live here half the year. I only wish I had taken a picture from their house. What a view! The entire city of Umbertide was there below, and above it, and across the valley was Monte Acuto, our big mountain near here. And they are only around 5-10 minutes from Umbertide but are up in the hills with a property from which they were harvesting the olives today. Here is what I bought. I will save the pots for our new house and the fireplaces.

Someday, after we move, I am sure I will post when I use them!