Sun-Aug4 119what i learnedlast entry – le marche 2013

This was my sixth summer in Italy and a bunch of things fell into place. For example, I learned that I:

  • am OK with staying in a comfortable house on a remote hill-top
  • want to avoid beach resorts especially in August
  • like taking naps in the afternoon and avoiding the miserable heat
  • like being in a dark house with all the shutters closed
  • speak Italian like a native (The little nun in San Ginesio wanted to know where in Italy I was from.)
  • can understand what people are saying almost 100% of time
  • am OK with asking hotel receptionists and car-rental agents to explain things in English
  • know how roundabouts work
  • understand many of the Italian road-signs
  • need to stay out of the right lane when coming up on a highway exit
    (After the exit is a very short entry lane and drivers tend to be aggressive about pulling into traffic.)

  • will see the real Italy when driving on the paved off-roads
  • like Meletti Anisette better than Sambuca
  • can go into a specialty store and buy extension cords
  • can be organized even though the Italians default to laissez faire