The heat wave from summer has mostly passed and the energy shifts into the anticipation of wine harvest. It's quieter, if Italy could be considered quiet. But there's a hum in the air while the days get shorter - a feeling of putting on a jacket and battered work boots, of family meals of pasta and freshly pressed olive oil a shade of green so vibrant it could be paint. It feels golden. It's like something you can touch and inhale deeply. I love Italy in September.