Footwear and fountains

It is time to address footwear. If you are a woman and want to look Italian, you are going to have to wear shoes that hurt your feet. Only Americans or other foreigners are wearing Tevas or Keens. Elderly Italian women wear shoes that velcro shut. I think their feet are all worn out from walking on stone. Since all the roads are cobble stone, and in Sulmona they are completely smooth from all the years of being walked on, I admire the courage and dedication to fashion of these women. I have walked on grass one time here: when we went out to paint in the field. You will always be walking on stone or a hard road surface. The Roman gladiator look is very hip as well as sandals that have material around your ankle. I am thinking that those of us from Vermont are going to have a hard time looking as sexy as all the women here: even ones of a certain age. I bought a black dress to wear, but only widows wear black. So much for my attempt at fashion. I am sticking with red and white striped shirts (I brought three??) and baggy capris.

I like how the Romans put up fountains in the towns. Everyone was drinking the pure, spring water that came out of the spickets from the acqua-duct or other large, upright stones. Some one asked us, in Italian, if it was drinkable and we said, sure. Jim looks so Italian, even without fashionable shoes, that we are asked for advice quite often. Plus there is my air of always knowing everything about everything. Today we stopped in CV after coffee to sit with our friends. She is 76 and he is 81. She made him pour water on the stones from the Roman fountain by their house. It did make it cooler, but it evaporated quickly. Jim and he had a male bounding moment over him pretending to splash her. I love those guys.