Where did it go...? by mapakettle
I am so used to finding my way about a city by noting certain stores in my head, and counting the number of turns after that. I never use street names because..., heck, I don't know why, but I just don't. When I arrived in Padova, I continued on doing it my way, and got hopelessly lost. I looked for certain stores, but, I could never find them again. This was especially difficult for me in the centre, where the streets twist and turn, and I couldn't pronounce the street names anyway.
You see, throughout Italy, it is common practice to roll down the shutters of businesses at closing time, obscuring the contents of stores, as well as the names of shops. A 'shuttered' store front looks very bleak and uninviting, and blends with all the other 'shuttered' shops.
Therefore, if you're looking for your favourite fabric store for example, with brightly coloured bolts of cloth in the window, and displaying wonderful gold embroidered throw cushions that you've been eyeing for your sofa, forget it... if they are closed for lunch.
Learn to make note of the shop addresses, or better still, mark an 'X' on your map. After a while you will begin to notice the closed shutters are different colours of grey, some more faded than others, and some even use different brands of locks. Look for distinguishing scratches or dents, anything to give you an edge. Don't fret, you'll catch on. Give it time.
