Giacomo believes he will have enough time to care for the lawn and hedges himself, despite the long hours he is spending at his caffe now that it has reopened. We will need a new riding mower for the lawn, he explains. The walk-behind model that Epifanio Marulli used for years is too slow and decrepit. This seems reasonable enough until Giacomo launches us on a shopping expedition to find one. A dealer in Loreggia shows us a model the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. “Quanto costa?” Carl asks. He has already pointed out to me that it is the Italian phrase he uses most often. His other favorite is “II conto, per favore. The bill, please.” We are confused by the dealer's response. Either we misheard his answer or we are making a mistake in our mental conversion of the price from lire to dollars. “Lo scriva, per favore,” Carl requests. This will all make more sense if we see it in writing. Carl stares at the written price; I peer over his shoulder. We agree there is only one possible explanation: The mower actually is a Volkswagen Beetle, just an enhanced version!
