Odd Job Italiano: Siesta at Tezze

Tuesday 22nd Sep

Crack of dawn - 9am - to the priest in Caltrano for our appointment. Trouble is he must have forgotten he was saying mass at that time!! Anyway wandered through the Tuesday market in the Piazza keeping an eye out for him and sure enough when I poked my head in the church there he was up the front in his togs! When he finally turned up, no apology, niente. He was however nowhere near as bad as the previous a..hole, he didn't insist on staying in the room while we used the books and only turfed us out after 1pm. Next appointment 9.30 Friday.

Headed up to Camasino to John's to discuss some of the findings and disturb his siesta.

Yes - just on these siestas, don't bother to try to shop, bank, visit places of interest, get petrol etc between about 12 and 2-3 - shutters are down., no business is done. When we drove to Arsiero to book into the original hotel we wanted, Frank saw a pair of shoes he was interested in in the shop next to the hotel and engaged the chap a good 45 minutes into his siesta time. You could see he wanted to make the sale as he was quite friendly (for an Italian) but when deal was done he said he would be in trouble at home for being late for lunch and he locked up poste haste and rode off on his pushbike. But the thing is lots of them don't go home for lunch - maybe too far - but just hang about for 2 or so hours.

Later that day we drove up to Tezze, very cute little town up the hill with houses decorated in arty ways. We planned to have a refreshing beverage in the bar/ pizzeria.... guess what? Closed Tuesdays!
Apparently in the old days there was no road up to Tezze, just a walking track and Frank's mum told the story that when the priest had to go up there to give the last rites, he wore his clogs, carrying his shoes so as not to wear them out.