People Watching

We will be leaving Assisi on the 29th - taking the train to Venice. Wanted to capture some images today to help me remember the people here. Many are tourists, but even most tourists are Italians traveling with their families to this special place. The language is full of life as are the people who live here -walking, riding bikes or scooters - lots of cars zipping through the crowds on tight, narrow streets. You get used to ducking into a shop doorway to keep from getting hit. When business is slow, the shop keepers often sit in chairs outside to read or sew or visit with their neighbors. I was walking toward the Basilica of San Francesco following a postal deliveryman (he was smoking a cigarette). On the way back up the same street, a woman stepped out her door to look at the mail she had just received. There's an image of school children on the steps of Santa Chiara having their packed lunches. Probably on a field trip. It's quite normal for the local women here to dress very stylishly and to wear high heeled shoes. It amazes me since the streets are so hilly and uneven. The styles are often flamboyant - glittery, metallic colors on shoes and belts. When in Church here you can tell this is not Placerville!