Smiles make some of the best sounds. When the imposing heavy old door to number 3 opened , l extracted myself slowly from the taxi, got soaked in the process, saw a white headed lady of the right age and size coming out towards me. She picked up my bike bag and pushed it inside. Just the idea of having to pick it up again with my bladder fighting for control brought out the wimp in me.This could only be Vanna -and she made me beam like a man possessed, or maybe a man right on the edge. I was both.
Not only had l lost my refugee status but the cooking smells coming out of the open door were lifting me through . These floors that had suffered hundreds of years of feet scouring, marking and leaving debris behind were left untouched by mine.
This was a 'palazzo'!
Vanna brought out Danilo and inside introduced me to Meredith ( hometown near Seattle) who was one week into her course. Meredith had the en suite (rule of the house - this room belongs to the girl) and l had to accept 2nd best which was a room about 25 feet long,15 feet wide, ceiling 25-30 feet high with a balcony looking over a beautiful valley and lakes in the distance. In the room was a desk,divan,comfortable winged back chair and single bed with an excess of cupboard space. Enough space to rebuild  and rest my bike, as well as in times of dire emergency, land a small aircraft. Well as my mother used to say to me,"Alex my son, you never know!" That's a difficult perspective to challenge.
Supper was going to be ready in 30 minutes so at 8pm on the dot we sat down to feast.
It  was a simple affair,starting with a steaming heaped bowl of home made pasta with a ragu sauce and freshly grated parmesan washed down with a light local red, then fried chicken and fried potatoes with a green salad followed by the dessert of locally grown plums in a plum crostata .....oh yes limoncello and more wine if wanted.
 Tomorrow would take care of itself, if l survived the night and didn't burst.
To state the obvious l felt wonderful,....but knew  that l was here to improve and build on my ltalian which was the purpose of the trip......BUT that plan was beginning to unravel already.