Il Girone, looking downriver

Olive groves in the surrounding hills and vegetation by the old river dam cast their reflections in the still water of the big bend of the Arno River from which the village of Il Girone (the "big turn") takes its name.

Tuscany just "graduated" to an "orange alert" zone with a consequent uptick in restrictions and, while currently we can still take walks as long as we don't leave the municipal borders, that may not last unless we can take the infection rate back down. On this particular walk I still saw small "herds" of unsupervised teenagers wearing no masks and definitely not keeping even a semblance of social distance. I understand they are kids and that they don't stomach having their freedom restricted easily, but unfortunately they then go home to parents, siblings and grandparents and we all end up paying a pretty steep price for their otherwise understandable rebellious spirit ... It's almost like this virus knows exactly what our weak spots are and how to take advantage of them.