La lettera

I had to mail a regular letter (a seed order for a seed exchange I belong to, which has to be sent by regular mail). To find a post office, I used an on-line service offered by the Italian postal system. You say where you are, and they tell you how to get to the closest post office by car or "a piedi". So far so good. But I did not have an envelope and was hoping you could get one, perhaps a pre-stamped one as such as they sell in Canadian post offices. We left "a piedi" after lunch and got there at 1:35. Unfortunately, post offices close at 1:30. That was yesterday, so that excursion had to be attempted again today. We were back at it this morning, this time trying the main post office.

There were several free wickets. I went to one but was told "Have you taken a number?"  The clerk also added "It has to be a P number - Don't forget P". I went back to the entrance hall where indeed there was a machine that gave out numbers, many kinds of numbers. So I punched P and P49 came out! I figured out afterwards that since the post office is also a bank and pays out pensions, is responsible for the telephone, etc. the type of letter you chose produces a first selection of the kind of service you want.

A poor picture of the entrance hall outside the post office proper

I went back in and waited 5 minutes till "numero 49" lighted up over one of the wickets. I first asked if I could buy an envelope. "Certo" and the clerk left and came back with a regular business size envelope (0,20 euro). Then I asked for stamps, "You get them by the wall over there". How much is it for a letter to Canada? She said 2,20 which I gave her. Seeing that I was a dumb tourist who could not figure out how things worked, she took my money and once again disappeared in the back to get the stamps for me. I even think she selected nice commemoratives. I was lucky to get this clerk. I don't think it was in her job description to get the stamps for me.

That was the excitement for today. In the afternoon, having been here for over a week, we decided we had to start serious sight seeing and went to see the beautiful Brancacci chapel in the Carmine (You can check it on the net if you are interested https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brancacci_Chapel).  I did not attempt any pictures except for the cloister and for a detail in one fresco, of a guard at the door who has fallen asleep on the job.

With a few miles of walking, that was our day.