The story these shoes bring to mind is perhaps more about my younger sister F. than it is about me.  F. hadn't visited since my move to Rome; she was working long hours at her law firm, often clocking up a hundred per week. In late Autumn, just prior to Thanksgiving,
F. rang me.

"Flying in Thursday evening, flying out Sunday evening".

Brief, like Il Ponentino, blowing from the west of the Mediterranean.

This was her first trip to Rome; she read History at Uni and has a keen interest in Ancient Rome, so there could be no better destination to visit one's sister. Did we line up outside the monuments and museums like ants following the pheromone trail? Did she guide me through the Foro Romano and explain the importance of the Tullianum and Lapis Niger?

No.

Realising we had little time, 'A Plan' was devised. It involved shoes, purses and black truffles. It didn't involve Roman monuments.

The morning light was just turning transparent when we set off to rent a Cinquecento, then head north toward a pair of towns in Tuscany: Montevarchi and Leccio Regello. For the shopping obsessed those place names are buzz words which quicken the heart - home to the designer outlet stores of Prada, Gucci, Loro Piana, Sergio Rossi and Bottega.

Well, you understand.

This was richly deserved girl time, and F. was quite right to remind me that  "After all, it was Ovid who said, Time, the devourer of everything". We had but a short time to investigate all the goods on offer in both towns, but why pay full price on the Condotti and Babuino when Montevarchi is a mere 260 or so kilometres away from Rome. Even when on a 72 hour stopover in Rome, where is the sense?

Obviously, we did the truly sensible thing and drove the 260 kilometres.

Our first stop was Space; the Prada outlet in Montevarchi. Those of you who have been may recall that the current slick outlet didn't exist seven years ago but was instead housed in a makeshift warehouse. On weekends the lines were so long that one had to obtain a numbered ticket outside the entrance. Thankfully F. and I made it there on a weekday and we just smiled and ciao ciao'd the piacione in his slim, navy suit, and sidled in. BTW, this technique works wonders at Fiumicino Passport Control; in fact, you might even get an invitation for un caffettino!

The shoes pictured were in the Miu Miu and Azzedine Alaïa sale section. These were a throwback to the bone-white & bronze Roland Cartier vertiginous sandals my mum wore in the '80s. White python, with silver leaf scalloping and flat, biscuit-wafer thin soles. Not to be ruined by the San Pietrini. On sale for €130. No hesitation. Done.

The shopping continued all day and we got back into Rome by 10pm, driving straight towards Piazza delle Coppelle through the historical centre in a rental car without a permit; throwing caution to the wind. We were famished and needed to complete the third part of our plan: truffles. A meal of trofie al tartufo nero, washed down with Vermentino at Maccheroni was just perfetto.

A year later F. came to Rome and this time stayed over the summer. She went to the Colosseo, Foro Romano and Musei Vaticani. She explained, in great detail, the role of the Tullianum. And, we went back to Maccheroni for the trofie alla norma and more Vermentino.

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Grazie mille di cuore to Shayma for sending this wonderfully evocative tale, please do follow her on Twitter