I was in Italy in 1964 visiting my grandparents for the summer.
My uncle had a Fiat 500 and a Ford Cortina.
My grandfather still used a horse and wagon to transport the almonds & olives from the farm to his little oil pressing factory. All day the heard the sound of horses and mules clopped through the town.
Watching the little old ladies beat on almond trees with sticks so they fell onto the sheets draped under the trees.
Getting up real early in the morning to go to one of the more distant farms.
Watching the women walking with 10 loaves of bread on their heads selling them on the street.
Wine.....the rich dark red wine stored in earthen ware in the sub-cellar to keep cool.
Fruit the I picked from the trees on our farm. Lemons as large as softballs, figs as large as baseballs and cherries so very, very sweet...and the fragrance in the air, it was dizzying, it was so sweet.
1964 was still very "old" small town life in Italy. Modern luxuries were starting to make their way into everyday life. Yes, the telephone and TV were there but not all had these. If you had a TV you made sure to make it VERY loud so anyone passing knew you had one. It was the end of simplicity and the beginning of the complicated world we now live in.
Many, many more memories of the best summer of my life, but I'm at work and can't do this too long.
Thanks for stirring the memories today, it will make it somewhat easier to get through the day.