Benvenuto a Spoleto!

Spoleto during the day...as lovely as at night.The steps up to my apartment.Just off Piazza della Libertà lies an old Roman theatre. Can you see the seating? According to my dear Mama, I have always been a night owl, prowling the house long after others sleep. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I love late at night.

The view as I exit my apartment.

Just up the street is the main corso--usually crowded, but oh so quiet at night.The entrance to Piazza del Duomo just after the conclusion of the Spoleto Festival.One of Spoleto's typical streets...you have to love medieval city planning!

Ti amo, Siena. Mi sento la tua mancanza!

The Duomo...perhaps one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen...still remarkable after appoximately 10 visits.

A typical day...such beauty.Piazza del Campo. Why did urban planners ever abandon this kind of central setting? Piazza Provenzano. Around the corner is my favorite lunch place: Il Cavalliere Errante.Il mio appartamento...a sinistra.Off my balcony at dusk.My morning walk in Siena.I do love these small cities...such intimacy. Who really owns these streets? The people or the cats?

Giro in Compagna

The gorgeous day started in Siena. On the way to our first stop we encounter fields like this! We stopped in a little place called Buonconvento for a splendid lunch.After Buonconvento, a short stop in San Quirico. I'd been here once before but forgot until I saw this stunning little church again.

From there we moved to Montalcino, an adorable little place known for its wine! One meets the strangest people in the streets of Montalcino...such as SPIKE LEE!
On the road to Monticchiello!It does not get much sweeter than Monticchiello. If I had the $$$, this is where I would buy.Well, maybe Pienza too...la città ideale!Headed home through the Tuscan countryside.

Faces in Italy

My summer is about far more than language, locations, and art. I meet wonderful new friends who remind me what makes life worth living: connections to other people. Here are just a few.

L'ITALIANI
L'ultimo giorno a Scuola Leonardo da Vinci.

Due baristi di "Barché."

L'internet non sarebbe possibile sensa Federico.

Dmitri! Grazie per i vini buonissimi!

Moreno di "La Bussola." Lui mi chiama sempre "Professore."

I miei amici dalla scuola.

Ashley (front), Julia and Todd, tre Americani.

Kristina di Svizzera.

Sabine di Danimarca! Phil, the FUN Aussie, and Detlef di Germania.

Due sorrisi belli!