Update:  I have been requested by the person this blog is about to refer to his new item as a “shoulder bag” not a purse.  I also forgot to mention that more than half the men here carry them.

Before we departed the U.S., I gave away all but my travel purse/backpack (and most of our shoes) with plans to take advantage of the excellent reputation for local leather goods and get an awesome new Italian bag. Well, on Friday Larry and I walked to a recommended leather shop at the edge of town to see what they had. With absolutely no previous indication of desire, Larry announces that he’d been lusting after the convenience that women have of being able to carry everything in one place (as opposed to weighing down all his pockets). As the owner was willing to offer a discount, Larry, in the very primal act of seeing it, shooting it and dragging it home, left the store with a new shoulder bag. Leaving me still in the primal act of foraging. Don’t be concerned (assuming you were), one of our new friends told me that the July (Luglio) sales (saldi) started on Saturday (Sabato) so the next day I made a beeline for the leather store just off the main piazza where I had been drooling at their window display to see if I could make a deal. Yes! I am now the proud owner of an Italian leather bag at 40% off that I consider bella figura (literally ” beautiful figure” or looking good). So Mamma has a new bag too.