Italy Post #25

Dear Readers,
I walked around outside again today! It was glorious!!! Italian weather is so strange; it has been completely rainy and cold outside this whole week, but today and yesterday were like glimpses of paradise. And finally being able to move without large amounts of pain was an added bonus. Today was my search for the perfect pen. Italians have a lot of quirks, and selling very particular things is one of them. They really like stationary and pens, complete with leather-bound notebooks and hand-made paper. Its big business. And I wanted in on some of it today, so I went out before lunch to search out the perfect pen. After a few stops, plus a run to the grocery store, I ended up with cookies and pasta but no pen! So I waited again for the shops to open after riposso (the "nap time" of Italy, usually from 1-4), stopped at Montanucci's for a cappuccino and some Dante, then went out again in search. Success! I found a little store on the corso that wasn't too pricey, and now I am the proud owner of a calligraphic fountain pen. Which I'm hoping will feed my letter-writing obsession. Heh heh.