I am so often asked from friends what it’s like being in Italy during Covid. My answer is honestly I don’t know what’s different. I am home most days except on the times where I go grocery shopping. Those are usually my outings minus exercise. I look forward to both but especially when there is sunshine. Things have changed a bit since writing this as you know but nonetheless…

Italy is typically thought to be a country of constant sunshine and while I will cede to the fact that yes, there are more sunny days here in winter than in Seattle where I lived for ten years, the days of winter are still cool and the rain still comes and the humidity exists.

Sometimes the things you take for granted in a place you live become what you miss the most.

It is strange because although I am not a huge fan of using a dryer for everything, I have to say having a dryer in your home or even in one’s apartment building is now on the wish list.

The humidity here although not drastic, does not promote happy drying outside. While I do not wash my jeans everyday ,when I do wash them it can be a bit frustrating. It takes three days to dry outside not including bringing them in if it looks like rain. Then I realize that the pockets never completely dried, because I forgot to pull out the pocket lining.

Each night dry or not the drying rack comes inside so as not to dampen the clothing more from the morning dew. So inside they come, on the rack that unfolded takes up about half the living room/kitchen. I live cozy.

Needless to say when a laundromat finally opened up that has three large dryers I became the first person to visit. And to top it all off they had a free day although I admit but understanding originally was that I could only dry on Thursdays from what the sign said. Language problems…. aside.

I do the washing at home, stuff all of the wet clothes into my little “Carello” aka my wheeled cart and walk to the laundromat. One hour later I have dried and folded all of my fresh laundry.

The best part of it all is that I think I am the only person who uses the driers with the exception of the few people who dry a large bedspread for example. Two loads 6 euros, becomes the best money I have spent all week. Who doesn’t love freshly dried clothes smell?!

I still take advantage of the drying rack for the lovely items I don’t want to add to the dryer, or the summers of heat when it is unnecessary.

I am however, grateful that the one of the small things I missed has now come to my little town in Italy, even if I do have to leave the house to do it. However my excuse to leave the house is on the list of things I love now as well.

PS- It only took me three trips to the laundromat to figure out the dryers took coins specifically for the machines not normal coins. On an up note one visit was free and the third I called the owner and figured it out with my rustic italian. Win,win.

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Send them to me…Ciao from Italy