ESCAPE TO SOME SUN !!! RETURN TO OUR FIRST ITALIAN HOME...

IT HAS BEEN RAINING ALMOST EVERYDAY SINCE WE GOT TO ' BELLA UMBRIA ' !!! IN FACT, ALL OF EUROPE HAS BEEN UNDER WATER...SO WE SAW WE HAVE A BREAK IN THE WEATHER AND WE TOOK OFF TO ONE OF OUR FAVORITE REGIONS...TUSCANY AND FLORENCE--FIRENZE!!   I WORKED THERE FOR  TWO MONTHS SO WE WERE SO EXCITED TO SEE OUR OLD STOMPING GROUNDS...HERE THE DRIVE AND THE GREAT DAY----WITH S-U-N-!!!! YOU WILL SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LANDSCAPE OF UMBRIA'S ROLLING HILLS AND TUSCANY...

WE HAVE JUST ARRIVED AND ARE  L-O-S-T!!! GREAT WAY TO SEE THE CITY, IF YOU ARE NOT LARRY TRYING TO READ SIGNS IN ITALIAN!!!!!!!!

                         SANTA MARIA NOVELLA!!!

                                THE MAGNIFICENT DUOMO!!!!!!

THIS IS FRANCISCAN COUNTRY!! ST.CLARES SISTER, ST.AGNESE,  FOUNDED THE FIRST POOR CLARE MONASTERY HERE. WHEN WE LIVED HERE WE TRAVELED UP THE HIGH MOUNTAIN TO THE REMOTE MONASTERO! AND I WAS ABLE TO SPEAK WITH THE MOTHER ABBESS AND GIVE HER A GIFT...A SPECIAL DAY FOR ME!  HERE IS A FRESCO OF ST.CLARE I FOUND AS WE WALKED AROUND...

                     LARRY STOPPED ME AND SAID,
        " LOOK! THEY DISPLAY THEIR JEWELRY ON
                                          PASTA!!! "

                  AT THE ARNO RIVER FLORENCE
                 JOYFUL AND GRATEFUL HEARTS