I was in the gelateria in Manarola when my wife, who had been looking at the wines across the lane, grabbed me by the arm and said "You've got to come hear this: the guy in the wine shop is playing an album, it sounds just like Tom Waits singing in Italian."
Intrigued, I followed her, leaving my dreams of rapsberry sorbet glory behind because I like Tom Waits.
Sure enough, the blues playing in the wine emporium had the gravelly vocals, but the lyrics were in Italian. It was a good sound and the music behind the voice was confident and well arranged.
I caught the attention of the proprietor and his friend.
"Che sentiamo?" I asked in my rough attempt at "What are we listening to?" (any suggestions on the correct form, in case I need to use the phrase again, will be gratefully received).
The wine seller grinned wide and pointed at his companion, who grinned wider and called for the music to be turned down.
He pulled a guitar from behind the counter and asked if we would like a live performance.
It was fantastic. The singer's name was Folco Orselli. We bought two copies of his CD (La spina) and found out he was performing with his band in Milan at the same time we were there. Unfortunately we were exhausted on our one night in the city and never made it to Scimmie to see the performance, but the chance discovery of a new artist to follow is one of my favourite memories of my travels.
Cheerio
Matt