Sono raffreddata. I have a cold! How could that be? I always wear a mask. Except when I’m eating or drinking of course, which means I got it either when I went out to lunch, or had a coffee or drink with friends. All of which I have done recently. I haven’t been sick since before Covid. I had planned to go to lunch at a favorite place tomorrow with friends. But in these times I figured I would scare everyone with my coughing, which I cannot control.
My friend encouraged me to take the home Covid test. I went over to our pharmacy and bought a test. €9.90 or about $12. Came home and read the, not clear at all (!) instructions. End of the story…I tested negative. I have a classic cold with no fever so I wasn’t worried. At least now I know how to do the test.
Numbers of Covid infections are going up all over Europe. Italy and Spain are going up the least because we have higher rates of vaccinations. Close to 90% for each. But still, the numbers are ticking up here too. Among the unvaccinated for the most part. I am reading this won’t mean restrictions for the holiday season but the color coded risk system is still in affect and there are three regions in danger of going to Yellow Zones.
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Big news in Umbertide! I had heard from our friends, who have an apartment in this building, that the building is getting a badly needed paint job. Italy got a tremendous amount of stimulus money from the EU because we were so hard hit by the pandemic. And it seems, it is now just going out to towns and cities all over. Umbertide is doing a LOT of refurbishing and renewal. The owners in this building applied for a grant to have it painted. It is right on our main piazza and is kind of an eye sore so this is very welcome and will really make a big difference in how the town looks. The owners have to pay part of the cost but it is a very small, and reasonable, amount per apartment depending on size. I snapped a photo of the scaffolding today. You can see how grungy the paint is now. Can’t wait to see the results! I heard it will be a darker color. Brick, or peach, or reddish.
They are painting the smaller building to the left too. This will make our house look kind of dingy. Maybe we should look into a grant.
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The blog wouldn’t be complete without food pictures would it? 😁 This was the Spanish lunch at Calagrana last week. Really yummy paella, there were tapas before. And the dessert pictures are here too.
Stay safe everyone. 🌈
Hi Matt, happily, that building is getting much more occupied. The top floor now has a brand new office space,for a start up plus our friends small apartment. The next floor down has our ex mayor who bought that and renovated it a few years ago. There are several apartments on the back side facing the river that are occupied. And the first floor is a lawyer who just moved in and is fixing it up. That space is interesting as it used to have a men’s club with enormous ballroom complete with frescoes. An amazing space.
Thanks Liz. I am feeling better. Still have the nagging cough. As I said in my post, it must’ve been in a restaurant or coffee bar when I’m unmasked!
Hi Nancy – Newsy indeed! When I’ve looked at properties online I always thought that building was unoccupied. There was a completely bare loft-like space with a large patio terrace for sale at a ridiculous price. I’m pretty sure it was in that building, even though the listing said it was in P. Carlo Marx. Feel better soon!
Hi Nancy. Sorry to hear about your cold. It is crazy how many people I know that have a cold. All of them are maskers and self isolating hand washers…so, it does seem very strange. I hope you feel better soon.
Oh my gosh. Thank you Carey, for these tips! That darn tickle drives me crazy. I’ll give them a try.
Hi Nancy, so sorry to hear you have a cold. In the past I’ve found that Coco Cola or Chewies help with the tickle in the throat that tends to make you cough. For something a bit healthier, Ginger Tea can help too. hope you’re better soon.