A bus driver, in his domain, outranks a mama. One of the striking things about the trip, going out and coming back, was that no one on the bus spoke. The only conversation was that brisk exchange with the woman behind me. Except for the one-sided cell phone communications. Only one that I overheard seemed to be setting up an assignation for after lunch.
Cell phones are everywhere.
Italy boasts one of the highest per capita use of cell phones in the world. Meanwhile, a lot of its commerce is done off the back of trucks. The smell of wood smoke and the sight of freshly plowed fields are a pleasure as you move farther from the city. More and more, single houses take the place of apartment blocks. Given enough space around, each will have a tiny vineyard, an olive grove and a little orchard - most seemed to be cherries, often espaliered.