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Chapter Fifteen
Iwas on my way to Holly’s for coffee and as crazy as it sounded, I was really excited.
When we’d messaged last night, she’d said to come anytime after eight-thirty because by then the kids would be at school and the host parents at work. That was ideal as Leo would be ready for his nap, so we’d be able to chat freely.
Holly only lived five minutes from the centre, so about a fifteen-minute walk from home. To be honest, it didn’t really take more than twenty minutes to walk anywhere here. The only reason Lorenzo had a car was to pick up supplies for the restaurant if he wanted something special from Florence or anywhere out of town.
Leo and I had plenty of time to walk there, so I took the scenic route, weaving through the narrow, winding cobbled streets towards the centre. I loved looking down the secret passageways and staircases. One day I’d have to explore all of them properly and see where they led.
I passed the quaint red-tiled pastel houses with green shutters and colourful hanging baskets. Everything was so peaceful here. Even though some people were on their way to work, there was no big rush hour. You could stroll through the streets without having to fight your way through the crowds like in London. There were no big traffic jams. No honking horns, road rage or exhaust fumes. Despite being in authentic Italy, it wasn’t like wandering through a big tourist trap.Nope.As far as I knew, they didn’t get many visitors here. This was a sleepy town with real Italians living real, quiet, simple lives.
But all those qualities were also what made being here more challenging for me. The peace and quiet had been nice for a while, but after living in a big city like London for so long, it was easy for that to become boring. No tourists also meant no need for residents to speak English. And why should they?Yep. If I wanted to make things work here, I’d need to continue with my lessons and fit in with their way of life.
As I approached the town centre I passed the supermarket (yes, that awful one), the cobbler and a little shop that sold some local beer, honey and cheese. I passed through the main square orpiazzawhere Casini’s, the bar we met at for our Italian lesson, was based, along with a couple of cafés. Even though there was still a chill in the air, people were gathered outside enjoying coffees and pastries as they read their newspapers or just watched the world go by.
The grand limestone cathedral was also in the piazza. I’d only been inside it briefly when I’d first visited. As it was right at the summit of the town, the views were stunning. The landscape was lush and green, with rolling hills, picture-perfect valleys and mountains in the background.
Apparently they also had an antique fair in the square every other Sunday and dozens of stands would be filled with second-hand and vintage stuff. Sundays were when Lorenzo, Leo and I liked to spend time together at home or go for long walks, so I hadn’t been yet. To be honest, I wasn’t that interested in antiques, but as it seemed to be one of the highlights of the Chiorno social calendar, in the spirit of trying to make the most of my time here, I should at least make an effort to check it out.At some point...
It wasn’t much further to get to Holly’s now. I passed a few more streets and then I spotted the one I needed.
There it is.
I’d barely knocked on the wooden door when it flung open.
‘Hey!!’ said Holly. Looked like I wasn’t the only one who was excited to have coffee and a catch-up with a fellow Brit.
‘Hi!’
‘OMG! Is this your son? He’stotallygorge! Oops. Sorry, I shouldn’t shout! Don’t want to wake him.’
I glanced down at Leo. No worries there. He was out like a light. The fresh air and having a good feed earlier must have helped.
‘He’s fine. He should sleep for at least an hour and a half now, so all good!’
‘Come in, come in!’ said Holly, ushering us into the tiled hallway, then through to the kitchen. ‘Coffee and croissants good for you?’
‘Sounds perfect!’
‘More coffee?’ said Holly.
‘Mmm, yes, please.’ For the past hour we’d sat and chatted about our Italian lessons, how we were finding life in Chiorno, etc., but now Holly had to start preparing the lunch so it’d be ready to put in the oven later before the family came back. ‘You sure I’m not distracting you?’
‘Nah, it’s cool.’ Holly grated some cheese into a bowl. ‘It’s nice to have company and speak English. And I’m only making a quiche. I could do this in my sleep.’
I’d never made a quiche before. Would be good to learn so I could make it for Lorenzo.
‘Do you have to do a lot of cooking for the family?’
‘Usually just brekkie for the kids and lunch. Sometimes Ilaria, the mum, makes dinner so that I can focus on giving extra lessons.’
Holly explained earlier that she taught English to eight-year-old Aurora and ten-year-old Tommaso, the two children of her host family, for about an hour a day. She also had to take them to and collect them from school, cook and help out around the house. In exchange, she got free accommodation, food and a tiny weekly allowance. But for her, it was all worth it because it meant she could live in the same town as her boyfriend.
‘So,’ I said, quickly checking Leo was still okay in his pram. He was due his next feed soon. I was sure once he was hungry, he’d wake up and let me know… ‘Tell me all about Umberto.’
‘Oh. My.God, Sophia! He’s, like,sooohot! I mean, sometimes I just look at him and want to melt, you know? He islush!’ She reached for her phone, scrolled and tapped the screen rapidly, then thrust it in my face. ‘Look-at-him!’ Holly squealed. ‘I mean, isn’t hegorge?’
He was sweet. Dark hair, stubble, nice eyes. I could see the appeal.
