Carpenters and Cappuccini

I went to Sant'Angelo in Pontano this morning to see Claudio, the carpenter who made my kitchen. I was hoping that he could make me a storage box for the garden furniture but the winters here can be harsh and he said that anything wooden would rot in a couple of years. He's given me the name of a company who should be able to make one for me in plastic. Anything to avoid the slugs next summer.
When I was driving back through the main piazza in San Ginesio I saw Quarto sitting at Terra Nostra cafe. Quarto and his wife Marissa are the agents who sold me the house and who have become friends. They are a wonderful couple and really helped me settle in here. I had a chat with Quarto for a while and then Marissa arrived who told me that the estate agency has closed as there are no more foreign clients. Things are really tough for local businesses here. When I would come back and forth during the renovation of the house, I stayed at the B&B in the main square. It has since been sold and is due to reopen next month. It's still covered in scaffolding (pictured above) and I think finishing by August is extremely optimistic. I wonder how well it will do in this economic climate? It's going to have a restaurant so that will be the second one in the square. There are 3 cafes in the square - The Centrale, which is in the same building as the new B&B, Terra Nostra which is a firm family favourite for pizza and Le Logge, which we have always called the Football Bar as it has a table football game outside. In the picture above, you can see the Football Bar with the tables and umbrellas and then to the right hand side is Terra Nostra, which has an awning. I rotate my morning cappuccino around the 3 cafes. The most important thing is to order before 11am. Milky drinks are for breakfast (11am is as far as you can stretch it) and ordering a cappuccino after 11am is "brutta figura". This literally means "ugly face" but signifies that you don't know how to behave properly!
It's really hot here today so I am going to have a lazy afternoon and probably a siesta too. This evening Quarto and Marissa said they would be in the local park with their daughter Alessandra and grandaughter Mathilde. Alessandra was my architect and I haven't seen the baby yet so I will walk up and say hello.