The Contemplative Art Of Hanging Out The Laundry
Here in the small town of Guardiagrele where I am staying in Italy, there are dramatic mountain vistas, exquisite varieties of wine and a host of delectable pasta dishes and pastries. One thing you won’t find here, however, is a clothes dryer. I have become grateful for that.
One of the more indelible sights in virtually any Italian town is that of laundry hanging over a balcony to dry. In città or burgo — large city or village — biancheria on balconies is as much a time-honored tradition as downing a cup of espresso first thing in the morning.
Like many Italian apartments, ours includes a washing machine. It’s a small machine, ensconced in the bathroom next to the shower. Just don’t expect to find a dryer perched next to it. Not having a dryer has made me a convert. I’m now an ardent practitioner of the contemplative art of hanging out the laundry to dry.
Even Italians who live in pollution-plagued cities will tell you clothes “smell better” when allowed to waft in the wind. An friend who lives in Sicily says no matter what neighborhood she finds herself in, walking past a fresh line of wash — and breathing in the clean scent of clothes detergent — never fails to fill her with a sense of harmony and well-being.
I’ve gotten to know a bit about the people in my neighborhood by observing the contents of their clothes lines. Blue overalls mean someone’s husband is likely a municipal worker. Baby pajamas and toddler clothes suggest a young family.
I always enjoy surveying the range of bath towel colors and sheet patterns. Sometimes I amuse myself by imagining stories about the lives of the people who wear the disembodied clothing I see swaying on a line.
There is a short answer as to why there are so few dryers in Italy. Electricity is several times more expensive than in the states. Running a dryer a few times a week would make the electric bill for most Italian families prohibitively expensive.
There is an even more important reason. Not using a dryer puts us in tune with the weather. Like newly arrived guests, sheets, pillowcases, towels, slacks and shirts appear on balconies whenever the temperature rises above 45 degrees. I’ve learned to follow my neighbors’ lead. I look ahead now to the five-day forecast and plan my washing days accordingly.
If you visit the web site Trip Advisor, you will find a string of conversations about the search for electric dryers in Italy, with Italians rushing to the defense of their balcony clothes lines. One man wrote, “We don’t care a heck if people see our underwear hanging out. Everyone does that, so who cares? Maybe that’s why we take care of it carefully — no holes, no threadbare underwear here.”
I’m not sure if that last part is always true. Cared-for underwear is perhaps something to which one can aspire.
There are practical reasons for not using dryers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says these appliances are a household’s biggest energy hog. A prominent energy conservation group estimates Americans can shave an average of $25 off their monthly electric bill if they would dry their clothes outside.
There are other benefits too — reasons of the heart. I cherish the days I can hang out my biancheria to dry. They propel me outside into the fresh air and sunshine. Once I’ve hung the last piece of clothing, I spend time sitting on my balcony looking out at my surroundings, just doing nothing.
That moment of dolce far niente— literally, the ‘sweet do nothing’ — is perhaps the greatest benefit I draw from hanging out the laundry. It’s not a typically American thing to do: just sit and watch and be still. It is, though, very Italian.
