4/30/02 Tuesday
Down to breakfast at 9:00 after a night of dreaming we'd been
captured by vampires, like straight out of an Abbot & Castello
movie. We met the baby sitter from Oregon, here just two weeks
ago. Olympia said in Italian how we only spoke English. She's
3 and very cute. We were given directions on how to drive to
a laundromat. Spent an hour or more driving around lost and frustrated.
Finally got back home and went on foot for a few miles to find
one but, footsore and weary, finally got into a cab and had him
drive us to the place. Met one of the owners-from Montana/Oregon.
He's got dreadlocks 
and been here a year. He and cousin started a franchise of laundrymats.
With a couple of cokes we settled down to laundry. It costs ¤3.50
per washer and per drier. We washed ALL 
our clothes. He said not
to buy a bus pass, just watch for two guys dressed like the driver
getting on then punch in the one hour pass. After dropping off
laundry we bussed down to the craft show going on at Fortezza
Da Basso. Its brick walls are fort shaped around an open expo
type area of display buildings. There were 6 to 8 buildings full
of stuff. Saw some nice marble mosaic on mesh for making your
own table. Got their catalog. We bought some onyx bowls. Saw
parchment lamps done in a folded Norwegian style by someone from
Spain. Got some chocolate snacks. There were lots of foods-olive
oils, candy, sausage, jams. Saw some stained glass but not too
good. Some mosaic people. Then tired and weary, we asked a couple
about our age for a restaurant suggestion. They said Il Latinal
and marked it on our map for us. Off we went through many alleys
to find it. There was a big line but we decided to wait it out.
And I'm glad we did.
"Il
Latinal" took 20 minutes waiting to get in but had white
wine and cheese served to us as we waited. Girl in front of us
from Sweden 
tipped back a few shots of wine one after the other. The
waiter just stood there offering more. The people right behind
us were from State College, PA 
(although one was raised in Petaluma just over the Golden
Gate bridge). When we got in there were hams were hanging 
from the ceiling. We were seated with strangers but got
acquainted right away. We got our free bottle of Chianti 
and water. Then anti pasta-hugh hunks of meat sliced off
big salamis, procuto and melon, liver stuff on toast. All very
delicious. Mates next to us 
were a guy from Holland and a woman from Greece. He's
cluing us in on how the system works. Next course Ravioli was
the unanimous choice of the table. Not soup or spaghetti. Next
roast pork for me, chicken for Elaine, but they are famous for
their beef. Then sweet wine, strawberries, ice cream and biscotti.
And Holy Wine (Sancto Vino) to dip biscotti. The wine is aged
5 years in a keg. Potent stuff. There was sausage stuffed into
a
pigs head. We bought a plate with the name of the restaurant
as a souvenir. The meal wiped me out of money and too late to
get the bus. Elaine found some money in her purse so we took
a taxi home. We saw Antonio still up so know let him know we
would be sleeping in the next day because it was May 1st and
everything would be closed anyway and no busses running.
