Warmth of Italy

I have now moved 5 km out of the village for the summer and I recently returned to pick up a few items. I ran into my next-door neighbour, a wonderful chap of 80. Let me just diverge for a second. I adore my next-door neighbours. They have become my second family here and have helped my out so many times since I first bought my house. I really don’t know what I would have done without their support. Anyway, seeing my return unexpectedly, the first thing he said was ‘There’s some pasta for you’ and then returning to his pottering in the garden. Those words filled me with a deep affection and said so much beyond just filling my belly. I wanted to hug him but instead went in to next-doors where his wife, upon seeing me ordered “Sit down!” and immediately placed a bowl of steaming minestrone in front of me “Dimi cara”… she started “com’e sei stata?” [well, love, how have you been?]. Small things in life but it’s the small things that count.