30 Days of Tuscany- Day 18 - Castelnuovo dell'Abate
One of my favorite Tuscany stories happened here. I tend to go off the beaten path of any village or city that we visit because I like to see how the natives live. I did that in Castelnuovo. I came upon a very old man, sitting in a wooden chair in front of his doorway. He smiled at me, as if I was a long lost friend. "Pura Vida" he yelled.
"Pura Vida"???? I live in Costa Rica and this is the phrase that we use to say hello or goodbye. It means "the Pure Life." I could not for the life of me figure out how this ancient man in Tuscany could tell that I lived in Costa Rica. But, I went with it. "Pura Vida!!!" I yelled back, miming a thumbs up and smiling. The old man looked at me quizzically. I smiled and walked on.
When I got back to the van, I told one of our drivers, Carlo, what had happened. He burst into laughter. He said, "Linda, he was not saying Pura Vida, he was saying 'Povera Vita', which in Italian means, the poor life. He wanted you to give him money!"
One of the things that I love most about traveling is learning about cultural differences!
Come travel with us and photograph Tuscany: tuscanmuse.com/
Street leading into the village
A typical home
Ancient fresco on the wall of the village church
Arch overlooking the Val d' Orcia
Cemetery with a vineyard backdrop
Grape arbor in the backyard of a home
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