21st CENTURY MUTT IN MEDIEVAL SETTING

Buon giorno! My name is Enrico and I am a free spirit. Well, I hear you say,"I've never heard of a free spirit with a name. I didn't think they had one!". Ah! But my free spirit is clothed in the body of a dog and that makes all the difference. I am black with a white chest and four white socks. There is also a white tip on the end of my tail. I have been told that I have very expressive eyes and I use them to my full advantage. I am an Italian dog.
The free spirit part of me means that I love to wander. I spend my days roaming round this incredible place where I live. Called Dolce Acqua, it is a medieval village, well over a thousand years old. It is a picture postcard of a place filled with tiny dark passages, narrow mysterious streets and very old houses with thick wooden doors. Some parts are so dark that they have to be lit at all times.
Little shops sell our local produce, olive oil from the olive trees grown on the slopes outside the village, and wines made from the local vines. One shop owner is kind enough to leave me a folded blanket on her doorstep when she locks up each night.
We have a ruined castle with wonderful views over the valley. The many tourists that visit us think that the climb up there is well worth the effort.

Delicious cooking smells remind me that it is time for me to find some lunch. I have several possibilities!
Replete, I cross the bridge over the River Nervia. This bridge is our best known landmark.It is a stone arch built in the Middle Ages and made very falous by the painter Monet. I head for the big square on the other side. A large plane tree will provide me with shade for my afternoon snooze.
The highlight of our year takes place in mid-August. It is to remind us of a rebellion that happened a very long time ago. The then Lord of the Village, who lived in the castle, wanted things done his way or not at all. The villagers did not agree with this and made their point of view quite clear to him. The Lord changed his mind. In memory of this event, every year the girls of the village pelt the young men with tiny, round buns. These are thrown from the windows throughout the village. Needless to say, as this concerns food, I am always in the forefront. It is amazing how many buns you can eat if you really put your mind to it!

Situated about 7 kilometers north of the towns of the Italian Riviera, ours is a magical place, still lived in after a thousand years. Somewhere unusual to always be remembered. If you come to visit us, and I hope you do,look out for a black dog with a white chest, four white socks and a white tip on his tail. Like Dolce Acqua itself, I am unique.
Copyright Jacqueline Hastings 2009