In the Tuscan Rain
If Florence dominated our first week here, then the rain has thoroughly permeated our second. I am writing this on Saturday morning, and for the third morning in a row we are being greeted by a downpour.
It is hard, sometimes, to remember that this was not always so. Wednesday was particularly idyllic, with warm sun and puffy white clouds. I took the advantage of the other family being Out to explore the house without fear of interruption.
The house has four levels. A basement; dark, damp and smelling of mold. Two living floors; kitchen and living rooms on the first, bath and bed on the second. And then there is the attic.
This is the proper sort of attic, with a real tile floor and slanting roof beams. The great ridge beam that anchors the entire roof looks like a tree laid sideways, not at all like the anonymous planks of wood so prevalent in today's houses. It has a dusty floor and dark corners, and though there are electric lights placed in strategic positions, in the middle of a sunny day they are rendered unnecessary by the thick-paned skylight set into the west face of the roof. This lets fall a torrent of sunlight, all the more intense because of the shadowy surroundings, which splashes a square of incredible brightness on the dusty floor.
In the dark and dim browns of the attic, this looks less like a patch of sunlight, and more like a door into some other world.
Yet try as I might, I could not get through. Perhaps I am too old after all.
But I am not too old for some climbing, and the author of this magic door-the skylight-was fitted with a hatch to open it and a ladder to reach it.
I had to navigate through several occupied spider webs to get through it, but after some careful wiggling and squirming, I managed to get it open, and poked my head and shoulders through it.
Sound hit me. Attics are silent places, I realize. Far above and away from the workings of the house, and sequestered beneath a heavy tile roof, I had been living for the past few minutes in a world of quiet dustiness. But the moment I cracked that door open it all flooded back: rustling trees in the wind, birdsong and the humming of bees and other insects. And even though I had done nothing supernatural, it certainly felt like stepping into another world.
That afternoon aunt and I went for a walk in the last bit of sun we would enjoy for many days.
Then, on Thursday, rain. We had planed a seventy-five mile one-way ride to the Cinque Terre, but what with the contents of a few rivers being dropped on our heads we decided to call it off. Instead we went for a wet, muddy trek through the very same woods we had enjoyed yesterday in the sun, though this time we found it to be a very different world indeed.
We discovered several friendly Italians who steered us cheerfully out of their backyards and onto the right path, where my aunt failed and photographing a bridge troll, and I made some new friends.
Yesterday we treated ourselves to a butt-kicker of a ride, up through the rain and mist and trees to a town called Castelnuovo, which didn't have a castle, nor did it look particularly new. We did find a nice little coffee shop with some fun chocolateering going on inside:
And that afternoon my aunt played Fairy God-mother to three-year-old Mataya, and I (who had done battle with my flatland-geared bicycle up all the hills) (and won, I might add) played the "lie very, very still and hope the pain goes away" waiting game.
Today (Saturday) we pack our bags, return our bicycles, and head to Pisa for the afternoon and one more night on Italian soil. We catch an early flight out on Sunday, with a tight connection in Charles de Gaulle before flying back to SFO and regular internet service.
And as sad as I am to say good-bye to my friends in and of Italy, I look forward to going home. I can say without a doubt that bicycling is the way to see Europe, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to travel abroad. Just make sure you get a bike with decent gears.
The rain has stopped. Time to pack.
Addendum
Posting this from Aunt's house, where we arrived safe and sound earlier this afternoon. Very tired now, but posts concerning our afternoon in Pisa and The Flight will be forthcoming in the next day or so.
Ciao!