But I digress, the line of shoppers has vanished but still there are small groups hanging around, renewing friendships, catching up on a week’s news or just watching the life on the street pass by. They spill out over the pavement into the road making it difficult for the cars to navigate around them. Surprisingly all of this is performed without road rage in a matter of fact way.
Sunday is a traditional time to visit family and many of the cakes bought from our shop will be taken as gifts. And as I write a rather striking woman in her 50s passes with a box wrapped in gold paper destined no doubt to be the centre piece of a visit. Just behind her follow an even statelier couple. She dressed immaculately walking hand in hand with a tall elderly man slowly as befitting two who have more years behind them than ahead.
It is a beautiful morning, the sky is a bright blue and the church behind the apartments adds to the atmosphere with a regular peal of bells. Earlier in the morning we had mass relayed to all the surrounding streets.
Rosa and Tina were up early, buying at the fish market and now the apartment is full of the smell of cooking fish. Nothing quite prepares you for the sight of fresh fish only hours from when they were pulled from the sea. I am introduced to flat broad ones, a few even odder looking ones and plenty of large shell specimens one of which still slowly moves its legs.
At home I doubt we would have the variety or the odd looking ones. Here what you get is what you are offered; the sea after all does not deliver to order. And the same applies to vegetables and fruit. Yesterday’s melon still came with the earth clinging to its sides while the tomatoes, peppers and aubergines were all sizes and all shapes. I only hope that it is a long time before we get regular sized, perfectly formed produce that are on offer at home.
Viareggio is a city and commune in Tuscany
Picture; the market in Viareggio, from the collection of Andrew Simpson
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