Heading “home” to San Salvatore

Saturday, March 3

Our stay in Padova is done. It is moving day. I rented a car from Maggiore, and this time I chose to pay 23 euro extra for GPS. Had I done that last time, it would have saved me from getting a ticket when I got lost coming back from Pisa, so I think it is money well spent. We load up our luggage, but before we leave Padova, Lucy directs me a to a fabric store, where she loads up on some beautiful Italian cloth for some quilts she is making during our three-month sojourn. Then we are off for Maranello, near Modena, for pranzo and a leisurely walk with an old friend, Simone, who lived with us as an exchange student in the late 1990s.

Once we get off the autostrade, we take many twists and turns, and we realize how much more relaxing it is to drive here with GPS. Previously navigation on the back roads took full concentration from both of us, but now we can relax and enjoy the scenery so much more.

Here we are in Maranello with our rental car, a yellow Ferrari that we
selected to match Lucy's jacket. Or maybe we just saw this car on the
streets of Maranello and stood beside it. I am afraid to actually touch it.

We arrive in San Salvatore at our agriturismo, Casolare dei Fiori, a little before 9 p.m. The staff is hosting a group dinner, and the driveway is blocked off, but Luca sees us coming and the blockades are moved aside so we can pull right up to the door of our room. We greet Luca and are handed our room key. Official check-in can wait for Monday. We have the same room we lived in for three months last year, so it feels a bit like we have come home.