‘Buongiorno, Abi. You slept well?’
‘Very well,’ I replied.
‘Perfetto.’ He looked relieved. ‘And the shower, it was OK?’
‘Five stars,’ I said. ‘Hot water, hand-made Italian soaps, and big fluffy towels. What more could a girl ask for?’
‘I’ll bring you some coffee,’ he said, beaming in delight.
Holly was polishing off her cake and pulled out the chair next to her.
‘You’re up early,’ I said, sliding my sunglasses onto my head and looking out across the pool. It was another scorcher of a day and the grasshoppers chirruped loudly from the sidelines, welcoming in the sun. A light breeze skittered across the water and ruffled through the trees, and I took a big, calming breath.
‘That’s because I want to see as much of you as possible while you’re here.’
‘Same,’ I replied, as Paolo reappeared with my coffee.
‘Good! We already have plans for you on Friday, don’t we, Paolo?’ Holly said.
He held up a jug of milk to pour and nodded vigorously. ‘Si. Yes, for the opera.’
‘La Traviatais on in the square, and the whole town will be there. The singers perform a cappella by candlelight, and it issobeautiful. Honestly, Abs, it’s a real treat – you are going to love it.’
‘Sounds amazing!’ I said, delighted. ‘I was hoping to go to the opera while I was out here, so that’ll tick one thing off my list.’
‘I know you love a list,’ Holly said, rolling her eyes.
‘I sure do. Speaking of which…’ I pulled out my iPad and put it on the table, bringing up my Tuscany-To-Do List.
‘What’s that?’ Holly asked, grabbing it off me.
‘It’s my list of to-dos and try-to-dos while I’m out here,’ I said, proudly. ‘I spent the last couple of days researching all the must-sees in the area, so I’m pretttty sure I’ve got everything, but I’d appreciate you giving it the once-over, as a pseudo-local, in case I’ve missed anything.’
Holly zoomed in on the first page and squinted as she read it out loud.
‘Doing Italy right;top priority activities,nice to haves, andif there’s time:
1: Visit the historic centre of San Gimignano.
2: Climb the Torre Grossa.
3: Go to mass at the cathedral and take photos of the frescos.
4: Do the walking tour of the towers.
5: One, two… five different wine tasting sessions.
6: Visit the Uffizi in Florence…’
Holly stopped. ‘Abs! This list is ridiculous! It’ll take you six months to get it all done!’
‘No, it won’t! It just needs some focus, that’s all. I can whip round most of the top priority activities today if I get a wriggle on.’
Holly looked at me, incredulous. ‘Today? But it’s already 10am!’
‘9 a.m. in London,’ I shot back. ‘Don’t worry, Hols, this is where my super-efficiency comes into its own. I am nothing if not a get-on-and-do-it-er. I just need to start.’
‘You haven’t even had any breakfast?’
