Tuscany to Emilia-Romagna

As I sat outside my small apartment at Agriturismo Bonello I was surprised to hear an ‘English’ voice, to say English wasn’t entirely accurate as there was a distinct American twang to it, not the mild sort of Ernie and Jenny, this was a drawl, Michael was from Louisiana, which immediately made me put him in the ‘redneck’ category, not that I’m wishing to generalise or anything! 😬

How do you tell a stranger that his ‘flies’ are undone? A common mistake of older men fastening their trousers and belt then forgetting to ‘zip up’. Anyway he engaged me in friendly banter to such an extent that he gave me his mobile number and email address for whenever I was ‘over in the states’, as he ran a hotel chain and I wouldn’t have to pay for anything. Having said that, he zipped up, I’m not sure what exactly that signified, if anything at all, and mosied on off for his photography outing. Well Michael, as friendly as you may have been I’m not that easy, and although it’s lovely to chat away to strangers baring their all, preferably female, I don’t think I’ll be taking you up on your very kind offer. 

I had an unexpected bonus this morning when I paid my accommodation bill, the gift of a bottle of local Chianti, it helped ease the burden of Tuscany priced stopovers and the host was a lovely man.

Arriving in my next stop just south of Ravenna I had to check how much I’d paid for this place! Yes it looked like a wedding reception was in progress and I was slightly underdressed in my three quarters and T shirt, but it just oozed class. Yes, it was only £60 b&b 😱 and the lady owner/host was unbelievably welcoming! Despite obviously being up to her eyes in ‘stuff’ she took time with me, a rarity indeed in this modern world! Should I ever venture in this neck of the woods again then it is a definite stopover!