Ingresso Libero

What do you think that means? “Ingresso Libero.” Come on, give it a try.

Okay for those of you who took Latin either voluntarily or against your will, you probably guessed it off the bat and are feeling mighty superior. For those of us with a public education and high school French taught by a teacher from Wisconsin, it might look (and sound) very foreign.

Either with the universe as my translator –or dumb luck—I recognized it right away to mean FREE ENTRY! (or literal translation Admission Free!) Since everything in Italy costs something (every hill town’s Etruscan Museo costs at least 6 E or $9 and the Uffizi cost $30!) my eyes are drawn to this purse friendly phrase.

It’s not that I’m cheap; my mother will be the first to tell you I have Champagne tastes on a Beer budget (the gene she is sure I inherited from my father and if you saw his “art” and “electronic toy” collection, you might agree).

I’ve discovered in my travels and life that sometimes the best things in life ARE free. Brunello wine at $50 a bottle is not one of these things, but the Cortona Alvarez Guitar Quartet tonight was.

It was by fluke that my parents and I ended up at this lovely concert in Teatro Luca Signorelli (the theater my first apartment looked out over.) Dad and I were at the grocery store when I spied the poster on the way out.

“Dad what day is today?” (a common problem when on vacation for over a month.)

“The 17^th.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then after church in Assisi, we will have lunch, nap, and then go to this concert.”

“Really?” We all doubt each other for some reason these days. “Really.”

Four men of varying ages, playing classical guitar with modern twists-it was wonderful and a small crowd of locals, also varying in ages, gathered to delight in this Sunday evening treat.

Sometimes the best things in life are free and never planned for.

P.S. In the lobby of the theater, I tried my first Campari and soda with orange slice—not a huge fan but I’d give it another try to make sure.