Surprise, surprise, yesterday we spent the day eating.  Every town and city in Italy, and probably all Catholic countries, has a patron saint.  I don't know how they get assigned, but poor Saint Remigio got stuck with Carignano, GP's parent's town.  Their town's saint's day is Tuesday so celebrations have ensued.  Yesterday we drove the Grandparents out to the country to have a leisurely lunch at a place called Garibaldi.  The restaurant is in an old inn.  Ironically to celebrate Saint's Days one does not need to stay in their own town.  Fortunately.  We didn't.  Garibaldi is about 45 minutes out into the country in a small town squished between two very steep hills. The food was wonderful and abundant as was the wine.  I slept away the late afternoon.  We'll be going back to Carignano Tuesday night for the grand finale, fireworks.  Carignano is a town of about 10,000, that up till about 1970 was independent and rural.  It has since then been swallowed by Torino and it's ever expanding "burbs".  It's become a bedroom community where everyone is either old and retired or young and working in the city.  It was never an attractive town and is now dying too.  There are new apartment buildings going up but the old shops and businesses of the center are leaving as folks do most of their shopping in Torino and the new malls.  To add to this, Carignano had the ugliest building I have ever seen smack dab in the middle of town.  At one time the town was built around a textile factory that made wool fabric.  The place closed in the 70's and the building remained empty for 20+ years.  Then someone decided that it should be renovated and used for the Town Hall and the new trade school.  Unfortunately, they made the fatal mistake of hiring some famous architect that covered the place with white and turquoise and orange tiles.  It looks like a giant french public bathroom.  Something you'd see in the Parisian Underground.  Hideous does not do it justice.  It's heart stopping, brings tears to your eyes, and I'm sure has shortened my life by a few minutes. I dare not even send pictures for fear of what it may do to you all.  Count yourselves lucky.  xxoo me