Sunday, 11 October

It is a bit cooler this morning with a high temperature for the day around fifty. I had a good night’s sleep with no interruptions. Since today is Sunday, I planned to attend mass. It seems that there is more going on, shops open, peopIe out on a Sunday morning than in mid afternoon during the week.

I was early so I explored more of the back streets after visiting the bakery. Sundays look like all sweets and no lunch items at the bakery. A cannoli and expresso are a perfect way to start the day. The cannoli was almost as good as my cousin Judy’s! Mass was more crowded than last Sunday evening. There were two black nuns in habits and only six children in the crowd. Men sat on the left and women sat on the right. I would estimate attendance at about sixty parishioners. Although the mass is in Italian it is easy to follow the flow. The piazza was busy before and after mass.

After a short stop back at the apartment to plan my driving excursion of the day I headed to San Donato a ten minute drive. First stop was to add some gas to the car. The price in euros converts to $9.70 per gallon. Think of that next time you fill up. I needed some help to figure out how to pump gas at the unmanned station. I was saved by a gentleman who spoke some English.

The church, Santuario di San Donato dates from 1771. It is not as elaborate as the other churches but has a beautiful wood ceiling embellished with floral motifs that is in the process of being restored. Photos are below, don’t forget to click on the info button for some additional details.

Santuario di San Donato Photos

The drive back was delayed by sheep in the middle of the windy road. I missed one turn and found a spot to do a U turn to get back on track. I was lucky enough to find a parking spot when I returned. Driving a manual transmission is like riding a bike, you never forget how. The Fiat Panda is a six speed so I have one more gear than I have experienced before. I finally figured out a way to mount my phone so I could easily view my Google Maps directions. I will not miss driving in Italy. Roads are narrow for one car but they are two way.

Back to do a little planning. I did not think of the time differnce and called Dolora a little too early today. Tomorrow will be my last full day in Anzi. It has been a wonderful experience. I planned on having enough time to see everything I wanted but several things have not been open. Three of the churches are locked, Chiesa di Sant’Antonio, Chiesa Santa Maria and Salone Dell Annunziata. Il Presepe Poliscenico Stabile, the fourth largest wooden nativity scene in Europe is closed until December. I had the opportunity to attend a program at the Observatory but the weather did not cooperate. I am sure that the planetarium show would have been interesting, but I did not want to walk back down the mountain if it was still raining.

It certainly is an adventure. Tonight I figured I would have another pizza at Toffi. I arrived a little after eight and they were bringing out tables and not set up for the evening. Using my usual Google Translate, the waitress said to come back at 9:30 to be seated. That is a little late for me especially since a meal is at least an hour long. So back to the apartment for an emergency meal, not that it was not good. Spaghetti, olive oil, parmesan and some lemon juice with a few olives for garnish. (Judy of the cannolis gave me the easy recipe.) The pasta was tasty and filling. Dishes were clean before I would have been seated at the pizzeria.

The meal schedule here has been a challenge. No one posts opening and closing hours, or days they are not open. As best I can tell, everything closes at 1:30 and opens up again sometime after 3:00. With dinner being so late, after 7:00, I’ve tried to shift my lunch later but was careful of the riposo at 1:30. Fortunately, I have some extra snacks for traveling and visited the grocery earlier to have some provisions for bad weather or if I didn’t feel like eating out. This has worked out well. I do miss some of the fantastic Italian food but I will come home closer to my departure weight!

I check out of my apartment on Tuesday. I have two plan options. If the weather is nice, I will leave early and visit Pompeii. Otherwise, I will leave later and head to the hotel next to the Naples airport. One last night in Italy on Tuesday, then the long flight home.

provis