Piccolo Miracoli

 
Little Miracles.  Like when I decided to move way past my comfort zone and tell the grumpy ticket guy ( in Italian) that I was new to Bellano, had in fact just moved here to live permanently and I was sorry that the boat schedule was so confusing to me.  And then I asked him with my sweetest ( masked, so, well, you know) smile..."Possiamo essere amici?" (Can we be friends?).  And he actually smiled, maybe blushed and then nodded and said "Si, Si, Si."  I'll call that Miracola Una.  

But you have to agree, it's kind of a big one. 

Numero Due. My host stopped by for the requisite photo of il passaporto, and the city tax payment,  and took the time to show me some little secrets of the village.  The first was that I could walk in the mornings all the way to either end of the village along the lake and reach a food market. But also that there is a smaller one just to the left of my apartment that I hadn't noticed! So, no more worrying how much I can carry when I walk to the big store, because the little one sells wine. 

I do not need to remind you of the importance of safe transport of precious cargo.  You get it.

Numero Tre.  (but possibly the BEST bit)  Lorla.  A bakery in a little piazza that sends the magical scent of sugar, butter and flour winding through the streets and up the walls of every building in town.  Best of all, for lest than 3 Euro, one can have a lovely cappuccino and one tiny exquisite pastry and satisfy the carb cravings that seem to appear the minute your passport is stamped on arrival! 

The history on the image of Agosto Lorla that hangs on the wall outside took a bit to translate - and is a kind of hysterically odd selection of old myths about the man and his family, from a tunnel under a graveyard to secret doors to host meetings for local men to the bakery that stands today as a legacy of the man.  The final note was that while prior 'Lorla's used to want to 'try' their brides before marriage, the last Lorla was a good person'.  OK then.  ( insert eye roll?)

When was the last time you got that much strange and delightful info with your coffee?

The last one. You can believe me or not, but I know for a fact that when I need to hear something, the angels,  or guides or my dead grandmother wake me up in the middle of the night to make sure I listen. When I arrived, I had a sort of schedule in mind to find an apartment and settle in.  What I hadn't counted on was the extent of the 'August break' here in Bellano. You see, it doesn't really end at the end of August. It actually ends whenever they feel like it in September. And for the realtors here, that means mid month. I had originally thought a month in an airbnb would be more than enough. But Nonna woke me up the other night to say - nope. You need to extend so that you don't rush to a decision once the agents return to town.  So I  listened, and was lucky to find this place available for an additional two weeks.  Thanks Nonna, that was  worth the wake up call.  

Suffice to say after almost a week here in this lovely little town, I am finding myself breathing differently, sleeping deeply and waking with so much gratitude for where I've landed.  I hope you find yourself in a place as special too. 

And be on the lookout for those little miracles, because they make anywhere special. (PS, have the pastry)

Ciao amici. Ci vediamo prossimo xo
​Tia