Since last night it hasn't stopped raining. I woke up listening to it falling outside. It wasn't a steady rain, sometimes it sprinkled and other times it began to pour. I slowly got out of bed and realized that I truly love the rain. The city is quiet with only the sound of rain falling on rooftops, the streets are cleaner, and the air becomes crisp.
On the side street next to the Santa Croce church that I walked down there were only a few tourists with umbrellas. The entire piazza was empty when I got to it. As I struggled to keep my umbrella from blowing away, I noticed a large group of people huddled beneath a building to the left of the church.
I walked outside and found that not many people were around, the air was fresh, the buses packed, and few scooters whizzing by.
With each step, it began to rain harder and harder. So, instead of walking through the piazza, I headed to the buildings so that I wouldn't walk in the middle all alone, getting wetter by the second. I avoided everyone's eyes by keeping my umbrella low. When I reached the sidewalk, I kept my umbrella open and walked half on the sidewalk and half on the street trying to avoid bumping into other people.
I rang the campanello (door bell) to be let into the building. I stood at the door waiting for someone to answer and watched the city under the rain. A bus packed with people and steamed up windows drove past me on via de' Benci in front of the church. I didn't see a scooter go by; most were already parked. Not many people were walking the streets, which was obvious by the number of umbrellas out. I smiled at everyone; I was so happy.
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