Early this afternoon I explored my town (Praiano). It has one main road going through it. Most of the hotels and big restaurants are closed for the winter season and there are maybe a handful of tourists around. I stop in the local post office to check out the hours, I walk down the road with the occasional car/vespa zipping by me, I stop to take photos of everyday happenings (no art, no architectural wonders) and they interest me. I stop by a packed local bar called Bar del Sole. It seems to be where the weekend road warriors take a break and where the local villagers and fisherman come to chill. I find myself drawn there myself.
As I walked along (a stranger among them) the locals here are friendly and they greet you with Buon Giorno. I reply with a Buon Giorno back, which is one of the few lines I have mastered here with the exception of Grazie.
I stop into the family owned grocery store to buy more essentials. I want to make some pasta tomorrow so hopefully purchased the right ingredients. I took this translation food guide with me to make sure. And what I’m not sure of I simply ask and they are helpful. I also asked if they had an empty medium sized box they could spareme so I can use it to mail some stuff home. In only a week I managed to already accumulate a few souvenirs and gifts that I've purchased. :)
Today was not packed with sightseeing, I did not go out to any grand beach front restaurants or do any shopping at name brand stores. Today, I explored my town, greeted some of my neighbors and once again watched another incredible sunset.
A cloud covered Sunset in Praiano and the lights of Positano in the distance...I can hear the sounds of vespas go by, the bells of Chiesa di San Gennaro, the occasional toot of a car or the Sita bus, dogs barking in the distance, the sounds of various conversations from my Italian neighbors and the quiet calm of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Daily living in the small town of Praiano on the Amalfi Coast of Italy is simple and yet so full of life and I absolutely love it!
It sounds wonderful, Kathy -- you're going to become a local yet!
ReplyDelete*sigh* Sometimes you need the day to be 'local'.
ReplyDeleteA local day in Italy is the best!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a perfect day - no rushing about from site to site - living in the moment. ahhhhhh . . . the joys of slowtravel! I hope that your pasta turned out perfectly for you.
ReplyDelete