Sounds

Kathy here...just sitting on (in?) the loggia, a small exquisite balcony opening out from the kitchen, at twilight (not THAT Twilight, which seems to pop up here often). Two wicker chairs and a small table and a gorgeous view. We are in the old town of Montelpulciano but hovering over the new town (built since the 18th century,I believe). I am  thinking of car horns and vehicle sounds...every culture has it's own vocabulary. Right now I am listening to an emergency vehicle below us. I am used to the sound of the siren changing pitch, getting lower as it moves farther away. This area is so hilly, and there are so many switchback roads that the pitch goes down then comes back up, then goes back down, then goes back up again! Kinda nutty. Funny what you notice in new places. Beware (or anticipate) Rory's thinking and writing on sounds here... 
Rory here - The dogs of Montepulciano have a community choir that practices everyday just before dinner and goes on into the evening. They must be very good by now: that's a lot of practice. The cool thing is that unlike human choirs, they don't need to assemble for rehearsal because their voices carry so well. Lucky for us, the bird choir holds rehearsals at the same time and their much sweeter, more melodious, more subtle, more interesting repertoire, while less forceful than the dog song, saves the day. They, the birds, call out infinitely rich variations while the dogs just shout whatever is Italian for "Hey............hey...........hey!"