Our neighbor Marino, and his plumber friend Pasquale, arrived to install air conditioning “after breakfast” which ended up being at 8:40am. Pasquale must live nearby because he arrived with the AC unit and everything he needed for the day, but without a contractors truck like you’d see in the US. 

It’s the Lamborghini model of AC units and I was disappointed when Paul told me it had nothing to do with the car. 

Google Translate failed me, as I tried to tell the men that I was “excited” and instead told them I was “aroused”.   We all had a good laugh.  

It was a neighborhood event. Our nextdoor neighbor ArcAngela and her daughter Julianna came by to check out the scene, her friend Ricardo came later in the day, Biaggio stopped by as did Marino’s wife Valentina. Presiding over it all was India who was displeased by the heat.

By Noon it was time for a break. They had successfully used a very long drill bit (approx 25 lbs, maybe 3 feet long) to bore a hole through the stone and hung the AC unit in the kitchen. 

At 2:30p they returned, well rested and ready to finish things up outside, and that’s when things got really interesting. 

The guys hit a wire and knocked out our electricity, one hour before my afternoon of work meetings began. While Marino called an electrician for help, Paul drove me down the hill to AnticoBar where I set myself up for “smart working” in an air conditioned, empty side room that is likely filled with patrons during the winter months. I quickly hopped on their WiFi, bought an espresso and bag of chips for sustenance, and got to work. 

Meanwhile, Paul and Miss M melted in the heat of the house without fans to cool them down. 

At 6:15p, the electricians arrived. “Infortunato” was used in his description, but had the electricity back on by 7pm.

Paul, Marino and Pasquale all celebrated with a round of beers.

By 8:15p, we had AC. It’s a beautiful thing. 

When I walked in the house at 9pm, Paul was cooking spaghetti with oil and garlic and trying to connect the AC unit to an app on his phone. Miss M had a smile on her face since it was slowly starting to get cooler and I promptly poured myself a drink. Another end to an eventful day!