Pigeons in Montepulciano

Just a short post. When I first came to Fiorella's house I asked her (through Paulina) if the pigeons that stayed along the ridge of the houses ever got in the house because windows are kept wide open most of the time. She said that she has been there for 38 years and that has never happened.

Well, I am guessing that no one has ever left an open package of cheese on their bedroom window sill before. I was trying to keep some cheese cooler so I could eat it the next day and when I came home I was eye to eye with a pigeon at my window. I believe he was still thinking of how he could get that big hunk of cheese when I arrived so he wasn't actually in my room, but closer than I have ever seen one. I quickly moved the cheese to my closet and closed the window.

Today I opened the window before I left for school. I hope the cheese smell has gone away. I do not want to have to share my small room or my cheese with a pigeon. This is a story I will not be sharing with Fiorella!

Montepulciano Statistics

Many of you have asked me questions about this city, including population, where people work, etc. I found this website that will do a better job at telling you this information that I would. I did see that the population has stayed close to the same over a 10 year period. It is at about 13,870. See the website below for more details and great pictures.


http://toscana.indettaglio.it/eng/comuni/si/montepulciano/montepulciano.html

What I*ve Learned So Far In Montepulciano

Musings:
1. There is no ice - anywhere. That is an American thing. They figure that if something came from the refrigerator, it is cold enough.
2. A/C is rare. I guess one just gets used to the heat and stops sweating. I'm not sure if I will be here long enough for that to happen. I'm sure my hostess is wondering why I need a fan every night and I hope she never takes it back until I leave!
3. I'm not sure if it is everywhere, but when we ate dinner, they first served the pasta, then the salad and meat, then fruit or dessert. It seems that you don't drink with meals. Wine seems to be served before a meal - and probably after, also.
4. I was told that the fruits and veggies here are almost always organic.
5. I did look at some real estate prices. The lowest price I found for a small apartment was 120,000 euros. I think it was a very small apartment outside of the city walls.
6. Montepulciano is known for it's wine and special grapes - and is also very touristy. So, I understand that most of the shops will close in mid-September. I expect that the grocery store will stay open.
7. I love that they have trash containers all along the streets. I see people put out small plastic bags of trash in the mornings and the trash trucks come by and get them. I'm not sure if it is every day.
8. I have seen liter bottles of water at people's doorsteps. I don't know if they are delivered or where they magically come from. I want to find out more.
9. There are many dogs here and just about all are on leashes, thank goodness. As I said before, Seymour is the smallest dog I've seen so far.
10. Every place has allowed Seymour in, so far. Or if they have said otherwise, I haven't understood them.
11. I think that curly hair will be "in" soon. Many people here have curly hair. It makes me happy!
12. If you don''t have your own bag at the grocery store, they charge you 10 cents, which is about 15 cents American. Of course, I keep forgetting to bring my bag.

More later. My head is exploding with Italian words but few are sticking enough to use.