Here it is: Rain in Milano. I’ve been keeping an eye on the weather forecast and their prediction of rain for today and tomorrow. Why do you think I walked 15,000 steps in the balmy sunshine all day, both Friday and Saturday?! I knew this was coming. And when it rains in Milano, it really RAINS, with no mercy. I even bought silicone galoshes for this trip! These are new-fangled, super-stretchy things, not like old time galoshes we might envision.

So, picture this. You’re here in Italy for a week or four. You get caught in the middle of a rain shower and your shoes are now drenched. You’ll be walking around with wet, cold feet from now until you can get your shoes dried out. If it were sunny—but it’s not—you could put your shoes on a sunny windowsill to dry them out. If the condo building had turned the heat on—which they haven’t—you could put your shoes on the radiator. If there were a clothes dryer—which there isn’t—you could tumble them dry. Your only options are to let them sit for a week while they dry out—if you have another pair of shoes to wear in the meantime. OR, dry them out in the oven on low, assuming you have an oven.

One time, (2013), I thought I’d be clever and beat the wet feet thing and I tied white plastic bags onto both my feet as I raced to the metro and train stations. Sure. Milan, Fashion capital of the world, and I had plastic bags on my feet, tied to my ankles. So chic! And still, they got wet.

Milano had been having a crashing, pouring rain all night and all morning, and I had to walk to the subway station to then get to the train station. I hate having wet feet and imagined having my shoes drenched and cold for 4 hours on the train. So I tied plastic bags onto my feet. So very chic. So high-fashion. (Somehow they got damp anyway.)

Yes, I do bring a pair of low, leather boots that I warmed in the oven in Seattle and slathered with mink oil and rain repellent. But there’s only so long until those seams stop repelling and let the rain come on in.

Wet feet can make you miserable, even if you’re on a dreamy holiday in Italy. Be prepared. Find a way to keep your feet dry and happy. The rest of the day will go well.