Trying to Beat the Heat in Italy

“SHAKERATO!”

Whew! it is H-O-T here and we are really feeling it.

This morning, instead of our usual espresso mixed with a bit of steamed milk, Matt made us a shakerato coffee. This coffee is just espresso, with about 10 small ice cubes, blended in our blender! The foam is a result of the blending process. If you get this in a bar they will add sugar, but I like it just fine with espresso and ice only. It is a refreshing way to wake up and still gives you that kick in the pants you need from caffeine.

Another thing we’re doing to try to beat the heat is putting wet hand towels on our heads, and refreshing them throughout the day. That, combined with the industrial-sized fan pulling air through the apartment all day, has a cooling effect that at least takes the edge off - even if it’s not the height of Italian (or any other nationality) fashion.

High Fashion beating the heat

We are very lucky here at our house to be in a physical position where the sun is not beating down on us all day, so we are not cooking in the heat. Most of our neighbors (particularly those south-facing folks) have to keep the shutters drawn all day to keep out the sun, making the interior dark in the daytime. We love the air and the daylight; so we’re very grateful to have the position we do. Even still, it is still quite warm in here: My temp/humidity sensor says it is 31C (88F) in our house, with 46% humidity. That is enough to keep me whining all day long, so this ice cold shakerato gave me the energy I need to gripe all day.

THE “BIG Fan”