Pianegiani: Todi's Living Room

The other day as we were having our morning coffee, Michael and I noticed some mysterious wires strung along the railings, as well as a strongish tripod (actually, two). After some speculation, we realized that they must have something to do with the upcoming world cup...in fact, they were the infrastructure required for the televisions that were going to turn the piazza into our local sports bar.

And last night, when Italy was on the lineup, I couldn't resist going out for a short time. We were scheduled to go to an archery competition and didn't have the possibility of watching the whole thing (unfortunately)...but it was such fun to see how Pianegiani had turned into the town's living room/world cup party site!

Michael's snacks

On the way over there, however, Florence and I needed to get an indelible pen at Sergio's (the bookshop under the Duomo). It was very odd: the lights were on, the maps were placed outside in racks (easily stolen), but the door was locked. Where was Sergio?

Florence reminded me about the portone that we'd seen open, with a mass of people standing in the courtyard watching the game. Hmm. We sidled back in that direction, slipped between the people about six rows deep, and tapped Sergio on the shoulder. Success!

Finally at Pianegiani, the chairs had been rearranged into rough rows facing the two different TVs and it was PACKED. The beginning of the game was somewhat unexciting, but Eleanor said the crowd had warmed up towards the end, and they were performing all their body language in synch, based on the game's events. She said it was hilarious to see a pile of Italians using the exact same gestures simultaneously!

Tonight's game was Ghana vs. Germany, and the crowd quickly picked up on the fact that there were a few Germans in the audience...and good-naturedly started rooting for Ghana just to tease!

Love,

Alexandra