So by now, you probably have realized we’ve been a little busy since arriving in Italy. Today was a “float day” on our itinerary, with no formal plans.

L.J. headed into Pontassieve early this morning and brought back some croissants and cannoli for us for breakfast and did some research on laundromats. Before we left, L.J. and I walked down to see the ponies and horses that are on the property. They had just gotten fed some fresh grass clippings so they were decorated with green crowns.

In attempting to take less on the trip, we knew we’d need a laundry day so we headed into Pontassieve and found “Express Wash Laundry Self Service”. It was actually American owned, with the New York skyline on the wall and the Statue of Liberty. They had three sizes of machines for $3, $6 and $9 Euro each. The dryers were $1 Euro for 8 minutes. We had bought liquid detergent Tuesday night on our initial visit into Pontassieve, if you remember our problematic journey to find food that evening. So I did the large machine, the laundry detergent “holder” was just open so you really couldn’t see how much you were putting into the machine, so I put some detergent in the holder beside it, which was actually for fabric softener. Not a good plan, Brenda helped me “scoop” most of it out and then came up with a good idea to “flood” it out with some water but we ended up using our hands for part and then had to use our other water to clean our hands… oops! We made a little lady happy sharing our remaining laundry detergent and extra fabric softening sheets.

With our laundry adventure complete, we were hungry. For lunch we found a little cafe that had different sandwiches and drinks that were quick and easy.

You know what had to be our next stop – a gelateria! We did walk there if that helps those that are shaking their heads right now at how much gelato we have consumed. It was quite tasty (surprise!) and a nice cool down for us as we ate it across the street in the shade.

Time to finish out our time in the city and go back to the Coop. We asked for “soft bread” at the bakery to have with our dinner, it wasn’t quite what we would call soft bread at home but we got four quite large rolls and butter which is quite elusive in all the restaurants we have frequented so far. That and ice have been the two things I think we have missed most in terms of what you typically expect at a meal. There is a parking garage that is free for up to two hours for those that are shopping in the Coop and surrounding stores which is very nice because otherwise it is parking meters and you know we haven’t had the greatest of luck with those! On the way back, we stopped by a bakery that L.J. had visited earlier in the day. Brenda and I stayed in the car and let the guys choose dessert for this evening.

When we got back we decided to sit by the pool and enjoy the beautiful afternoon. L.J. was the brave one and got in, it’s a saltwater pool and still just a little chilly at this time of year. I did put my toes in for a little bit then went back to my chair to read my book.

Dinner tonight was prepared by Chef LJ using the pasta and sauce left for us by Paulo earlier in the week and the bread and butter we had purchased at the Coop. L.J. cooked a delicious meal and had a beautiful table set for us when we came in from relaxing by the pool. The guys did great at selecting a cheesecake for dessert. The “soft bread” was a bit of a fail but we were able use a couple of pieces for our pony friends on Sunday!