Ciao Bellisima!

“Come va? Tutto bene? Un cappuccino?”
Thursday morning – market day in Sarnano and this is the greeting I get when I go for a cappuccino to my favourite coffee shop. Its not just the warmth of the greeting that makes the difference. The cappuccinos in this shop are the best in Sarnano – and I have done a lot of market research.
The proprietor of the bar spent some time as a barista in Rome, where the discerning coffee drinkers vote with their feet. If the cappuccino isn’t good the business closes.
So Sarnano has profited from this master in his field returning to his routes. And I have profited from my market research.
The owner of the bar once made a small gesture that will ensure that his bar is my preferred coffee locale in town for all time. I was with Mum who can only drink freshly squeezed orange juice. We ordered, but the bar was out of oranges, so we cancelled the order and stuck with coffee. The next thing we saw was the proprietor leaving the bar unmanned as he dashed across the road to buy oranges from the greengrocers, so that he could meet our request.
And every time I come back to Sarnano, and I go for a coffee, he greets me in the same way “Ciao Bellisima!...” then makes me my regular drink.
All in all it makes for a heck of a homecoming! It takes a long time to get to Sarnano from Trieste – about 6 ½ hours on the train then a drive from Ancona – and last night when I arrived I was exhausted. But being at home, with my things around me, has a remedial effect – I soon forget my tiredness.
And coming the night before the market is a great idea. I have had a stroll around today and seen many people who have all welcomed me back.
And other than the social side, I have also managed to do some shopping – buying a roast chicken at the porchetta van, fagiolini (small beans) and fennel at one greengrocers van, and clementini at another, and some fresh pasta from the best pasta place in town, in the square. I bought some pastries at the bakers, for Chris and Irene who popped round for a coffee and a chat helped me consume them.
It is really starting to feel homely here, and the greetings from the folk of Sarnano make all the difference.
And the Ciao Bellisima is an added bonus!