Rome Inhales

A view from our patio of the rain. You can see the Aurelian Wall behind the trees.

Just like that, August is over. People are back from the countryside, the mountains, the sea. Stores and schools are open again. It's hard to find a parking spot or a seat on the metro. Everyone is a little tanner and a little sad to be back at the grind. Even the Communists are back hawking their papers outside the metro station.

Until today, it was still brutally hot. Many people have asked about our "heat wave" — but a wave implies an up and a down. There was no wave. It was just hot. Really hot. For two months.

But today. A dramatic thunderstorm has broken the spell. I walked to Pilates and felt cool air on my skin for the first time in ages. The forecast now has our highs in the 80s rather than the 90s.

Hallelujah.