I love Italy. It holds a special place in my heart. I’ve been twice and I’d go again in a heartbeat. As that simply isn’t on my horizon, today I’m taking a moment to visit in my mind.
I don’t remember the name of the town in the above photo. Mister was messing around with the light settings on the camera and ended up with these crazy-cool shots. We kept joking about the place being yet “another precious f*&%@$! hill town.” We didn’t come up with the saying – that credit goes to the same gal who curses the sun and inspired the song “You’re Not the One.” But it’s an apt expression for the varied and multiple hill towns populating Tuscany. They are all spectacular. They are all interesting. They are all precious.
Anyhoo, just after Mister finished taking the series of photos sampled above, we decided it was late and were ready to get back to the olive grove where we were staying. I had held back on the vino, so I was the designated driver. And that was great. But friends, one of the features of many a precious f*&%@$! hill town is the closing of the town squares to vehicle traffic. This sometimes takes place in the evening, ensuring open, safe areas for pedestrians. It’s lovely, and I’m all for it. When I spot the signs. On the night of this photo, I missed the signs and drove smack-dab through the gathered pedestrians. It wasn’t pretty. And they were really letting me have it. In Italian. As they scrambled for their lives. I felt like the dorky American I was. Am. Whatever. Fortunately, no lives were lost, and there were no injuries. Mister and I laughed until we cried, then we made our way to that olive grove.
It’s a fun, crazy memory. I’m glad we have the pictures to remind us, and to take us back to that precious f*&%@$! hill town. I hope we can return some day. But I swear, I’m not gonna be the designated driver next time.