My First Week of Spring in Italy

Signs of Spring in Umbertide
 

One week has passed, and I am filled with observations and reflections. 

My "pidgin" Italian is pretty good. I have spoken with local shopkeepers as well as mall personnel and was able to understand and be understood. My confidence has increased; I can learn new words and phrases.

Re: the Italian language, we learned that one letter can make all the difference. Dark chocolate is abundant in many forms and is denoted by the word fondente cioccolato or simply fondente. Mike found a new pastel-coated candy that he thought housed fondente but actually said fondenti. The change from "e" to "i" at the end of the word was significant as fondenti means "melting" which the candy did with quite an unpleasant texture and no chocolate of any kind.

The beginning of Spring holds hints of what's to come. Market day was a bit of a disappointment yielding little choice in produce. Root vegetables, tomatoes, apples, and oranges highlighted the stalls, but I was looking for strawberries and fresh, delicate asparagus. Eventually we found a stall from Sicily, an island in the south, covered in oranges with a few containers of strawberries. Yum!

After fourteen years, we are recognized by our neighbors. Mike has been disappointed that Italians are not as outgoing as Southerners. On this trip, I found that some were trying, and Mike enjoyed "buongiornos," big smiles, and even air kisses from the people we see each day. They speak to us only in Italian. We carry on a simple conversation with every fourth or fifth word being recognized.

Despite the days of consistent warm weather, the trees are still trying to green up. Last fall, it seemed that it was November before some trees changed to autumn colors. Perhaps the seasons come unwillingly to change.

Finally, the empty Galleria Littlewood. The artist in residence, John Littlewood, passed away in March, leaving a hole in the piazza and our hearts. His take on life in general and stories of his vibrant journeys were a treat to look forward to but have now been silenced, 



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