I awoke on this Monday, Labor Day in the U.S., but just a normal day in Italy. My plans included just staying in town, taking care of a few things and simply relaxing a bit at Villa D’Amore.

As always, my morning ritual begins with taking in the view of Monte Stella. It’s truly so beautiful that I don’t think I will ever tire of seeing it. I also do not believe that I will ever take it for granted. It’s never, ever the same view twice.

On this particular morning, Monte Stella was MISSING!!! Who stole her? Dove è Monte Stella? Little did I know this was a clue that today would be a very interesting weather day.

My plans for the day included stopping by Bar Pasticceria Franco, owned by Sandra’s (who I met at the beach two days prior) friend, Gaetano. As I walked into the shop to get some breakfast, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a full case of pastries spanning almost the length of the shop! What to choose?? I finally decided on three small pastries.

Then, as I was eating, I saw Sandra and Gaetano leaving the bar. It was great to meet Gaetano and see Sandra again. I thanked her once again for the interpretation assistance on the beach a couple of days before. I made plans to have them come to my house for apertivi and then go out to dinner together later in the week.

They sent me home with some delicious cookies, wrapped beautifully like a present, just like everything else you buy in Italy, even pasta.

So, on to my next activity, which was paying for a parking ticket I had received when at the beach.  I forget that all times are noted in military time and the meters said you had to pay until 1:00, so due to our orientation, I took that to mean 1:00 pm as in the afternoon. But that would have been 13:00, so that is why I found the ticket on my car when I returned from the beach. The next day, I had tried to pay the ticket in the police station. There was a lot of chatter between the two officers and some laughing, none of which I understood. They reduced the fine from 25 euros to 18 euros, but told me I couldn’t pay them.

Instead, I would have to go to PosteItaliane to pay the fine, but they were closed on Sunday, so here I go on another new experience in Italy. I could walk there from the bar. I chuckled to myself all the way there – I heard you can do anything at PosteItaliane except buy postage stamps!! People pick up and cash their pension checks, pay their utility bills, anything except  buy a stamp. As I approached the doorway, I could see I was in for another lesson in “Italian lines”. There were a couple of women sitting on a bench by the door, both windows were occupied, and there were several people scattered all around. This was not dissimilar to an earlier experience I had at a bank in Rome a few years ago. Really, all you need to do is remember who was inside before you got there, then once they were all taken care of (no matter where they may be standing), you will know it is your turn.

The “PosteItaliane Experience” took some time, and after that I required some liquid refreshment, not to mention a wifi fix, so off to Isola Verde I went to grab a prosecco. This bar is right across from the beach. I went inside to order and let them know I would sit outside at a table. While I was waiting, a man at the next table began speaking to me in Italian, but I did not understand him. So, in Italian, I told him, I could only speak a little Italian. He immediately began speaking to me in perfect English (he was actually German).  He wanted to let me know that there was something of interest out over the water. I looked up and saw it.

At first, there was just one very skinny waterspout and then a thicker one also dropped down. I always wondered what I would do if confronted by a tornado – and, now I know! I would stay put and photograph it. A moment of fear swept over me as the thought crossed my mind about what if it got too close, but before it could take hold, the waterspout dissipated.

Wow, all this excitement for one morning! It was now time to stop by the local wine store and pick up some wine and go home for lunch. I tried a few different wines and selected my favorite. I didn’t have my own container, so he filled an empty water bottle for me. This set me back a whopping 2 euros!!

Once back home from my local but eventful morning, I prepared lunch. I had some fresh tomatoes and white figs that were absolutely delicious and so fresh. Fig season is the end of August/early September. They are the best. Eating in Italy has really ruined me – the bar is really high now.

I relaxed a bit after lunch and then decided to take a local drive on a road I had not been on before. As I drove, the skies became very dark suddenly and a severe thunderstorm skirted around us and the sun soon appeared.

As I rounded a bend, I almost drove off the edge of the road as I let out a scream (of delight)!! I parked the car as soon as I found a spot where I could safely pull off the road.

It was the most unusual rainbow I had ever seen and it was a double, although the top one was faint. The darkness of the sky was the perfect backdrop for this magnifico arcobaleno!! As I zoomed in you could see it was framing Salento, one of my favorite little hill towns.

Wow, what a day with such beautiful and dramatic skies!! How beautiful is God’s canvas? I could watch it always. Rainbows are God’s checkpoints for me letting me know I am exactly where I am supposed to be at that moment.

Ciao,

Giovanna