We spent the morning in our pajamas.  Our apartment owner was scheduled to bring us new towels at around 11:00, but she called and said it wouldn’t be until 12:00.  Why even get dressed?  It was a lovely, relaxing morning.

For lunch, we met Luisa and nine members of her family, at a typical Veronese trattoria, over the Nuovo bridge to the east and out of the historic center:

We were so thrilled to meet her family and enjoy the food.  First they ordered plates of hot polenta with thinly sliced local salami called sorpressa, which you eat together in the same bite so the fat in the salami is melting from the heat.  Just delicious.  Then Ken and I shared fettuccine with local black truffles, bigoli with duck sauce, and braised veal.  And there were big platters of vegetables served family style, too.  The whole experience was a treat.

All over town the brilliant yellow gingko leaves are beginning to fall.  Outside the restaurant, they looked like flowers:

Luisa walked with us back to Piazza Bra where they were having a fund raiser called “Pasta in the Piazza.”  We each bought a package after she explained to me the purpose of the charity event.

Dinner was at Luisa’s apartment, over the amazingly evocative, Scaligero Bridge.  Paolo and Virginia and Davide were all there and we had a tasty meal including a brownie like cake made by Paolo. We are so happy to spend time with them, our Italian friends who feel like family.

Walking home was so picturesque; I took a lot of pictures, but it’s hard to capture the beauty with the bright lights.

Totally stuffed and happy, we went to bed.