Bello Spoleto

Life is full of gambles and I took a calculated risk by going to lunch at Alessandro's ancient casa which turned out to be such a beautiful experience. His mother made homemade Strangozzi con funghi, followed by grilled sausages and more mushrooms, endless rosso vino and a tray of local sweet cakes. Initially I was a little uncomfortable being the only stranger among his childhood friends but they quickly made me feel at home and luckily Lucca's girlfriend Marina spoke English or else I'd gone mad struggling in my limited Italian!

The town was abuzz as there was a vino festival and we carried an empty glass each to all the tasting caverns and topped up with different wines and liquors from all over Italy, in between cigarettes, Silician cioccolato and local cheeses. Alessandro was flirty and affectionate while his amici were warm, convivial and thoughtful - I never felt so welcome in Italy as we laughed and said 'ciao' to everyone. My Italian improved more as I drank more vino, listened to their conversation and joined in without feeling conscious of my bad grammar.

In the evening, Alessandro and I met up with his other crazy client Danielle, his wife of Indian descent Shima from Canada, Francesco and his partner Sabrina for dinner at Il Panciolle again, this time at the terrace because the rain had finally stopped. They ordered so much food (amazing antipasti of tartufo dumplings and liver crostini!) and indulged in 5 bottles of different wine and spumante to celebrate Sabrina's 42nd birthday at the stroke of midnight.

As the evening came to a close and we all kissed arrivederci, I never felt so delirious yet depressed as if someone just yanked my heart out. Over just 2 days, I already formed a forlorn attachment to the ancient town and its charm. As much as I'd love to stay in the warm circle of my newfound amici, I knew in my heart that I had to move on with my journey as more adventures awaited my discovery. I was just so glad and heartened that I took a chance and experienced a perfect Sunday in Spoleto.