Week 2 – Reportage

 

Sun broke through the clouds and warmed the pavement.  Traffic cones marked a lane for what, I don’t know.  I found out very quickly when the crowd started making noise and three antique cars rolled by honking and leaving the strong smell of exhaust behind them.  I ordered an espresso from Café Vincenzo.  To my surprise they brought a platter with five beautiful green olives, two rosemary breadsticks and three chunks of cheese.  You would never get snacks in the States with a glass of wine.  I am not a big fan of olives, but these were delicious and complimented the wine very nicely.  Until the next wave of cars rolled by and deposited their brand of exhaustion in the atmosphere leaving a sour taste in my mouth and burning my nostrils.  New cars rode before and after certain classics with the same sort of magnetic signs on their sides.  I couldn’t figure out why because they were going too fast for my tiny understanding of Italian to pick up the messages they were wearing.  It’s a parade, an antique car show, maybe a race.  It was exciting to watch the young kids’ reactions when they jumped up and down and followed behind until their parents reigned them in again.