We've been keeping very busy. Since last I wrote, we've had a chance to do some tourism. Friday we went to San Gimingnano, a small Tuscan hilltown noted for its towers. After having spent a week in Rome and two weeks in Florence, the first thing I noticed was the quiet and cleanliness of a small town. There's a reason I don't live in the big city. It was really pleasant just to walk around the town (limited wheeled traffic inside the walls).

We spent Saturday and Sunday with my aunt, uncle and cousins at their condo in Cesenatico. It's a beach town on the Adriatic that actually reminds me a lot of Hollywood, FL. It's a real family-oriented beach with lots of small shops, restaurants, etc. Kim greatly enjoyed driving. In both cases we took highway one way and small roads the other. In the case of Cesenatico, we came back a road that went right over the spine of the Appennine Mountains. Beautiful views, but we had to drive very slowly, and Nicole and I were still uncomfortable (motion sickness is a tough thing).

Both my cousins Nico and Cettta are married. We spent most of the weekend with Cetta (my age) and her husband Stefano. Her older brother is a plastic surgeon and head of surgery for a hospital in Bologna. He arrived late Saturday and left 24 hours later. We didn't get to see too much of him. He did have enough time to go diving while there, and we enjoyed the fresh mussels he fished out for Sunday dinner. The Emiglia-Romagna region we were in is quite well known for its good food. We went to a restaurant and had an incredible meal. Just the platters of appetizers would have been enough, but then we sampled 3 different pastas and had a bit of lamb after that.

Yesterday I taught class but Kim and Nicole went off to Assisi. This must make Kim's 4th trip. Obviously she is very fond of the place.

As for the documentary I feel a bit better about some things but more concerned about others. We still don't have a completed script and we will cut the narration audio on Monday. But the good news is all the interviews with experts have been completed except two (the Florence Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Bureau) and those are scheduled for tomorrow. I wish we had some female experts but I'm pleased with the mix we got:
a church official on the Cathedral board
a Syracuse prof who is a Brunelleschi expert
an Eastern KY architecture/art history prof
a Ball State architecture prof

Can we get it all edited in a week?