THE BEST LAID PLANS....

As a vegetarian, it pains me to use this picture. It's a roast pork stall, one of many today, all of them surrounded by men buying or munching bits of pork on bits of bread. Eating roast pork at nine in the morning does not seem to be a female kind of thing to do. The sign says that the pork is roasted over wood. I see they also sell fried polenta.

My plan was an early shot of a famous Lucca deli, a shop that displays many of its goodies outside the shop: fine olive oils, luxury dried pastas, dried porcini mushrooms and so forth. We hit traffic three miles out of town. It was coming from all directions and feeding onto a two-lane bridge. At first we thought there was an accident somewhere but then it dawned on us. We'd run into the September Fair. Cars were parked for miles in all directions.

On the fringe of the fair is the pet market. Caged song birds, terrapins, Japanese squirrels, puppies, kittens, ponies -- and six more roast pork stalls. And down the streets stall after stall of clothing, handbags, household equipment. The bargains must be incredible because there were thousands of people going in all directions. I am told you can buy cashmere cardigans for 10 euros, pottery and cutlery for practically nothing but I'm telling you, nothing is worth that stramash.

Himself decided to turn around in the middle of traffic. This caused much shouting, arm waving, both encouragement and verbal abuse. Porca miseria! But I have to say, everybody but us was in a good and festive mood. I took this pic from the car. There is a better one outside the pet market but it is ruined by the side mirror.