We were intending to head out into the country for some Tuscan landscapes, but the skies turned inky black, and I don’t know about you, but the idea of being the tallest item in a field when lightening strikes is not an appealing prospect. ZZT! ZZT!

And so, we headed to a monastery in

Our group drifted in over the next day or two, and each night before the workshop officially began, we headed up to enjoy the Medieval festivities. The town takes this very seriously. The dress, as I mentioned before, is very elaborate. People play their parts well, and cue each other in.

Even with that, modern life goes on. Here, a man is intent on checking his iPhone.

Each day, the festival started in the afternoon and went until well after dark. Some nights, there were torches lighting the piazza. The last night, there were

Allessandro came out and gave a very warm greeting. BIG smile and enthusiasm. We had so enjoyed him the last time we were here, and apparently, he felt the same.

We went down to the Co-op to pick up some waters and other items and headed up into Cortona. There is a special restaurant we love, and even there, the staff remembered La Contessa Piedi Nudi y Signor B.

We were with a group the last time we were here, and one of the staff kept the checks separate by calling each couple A, B, C, etc. Arnie was Signor B.

They had also presented me with a photo of Ava Gardner, the original Barefoot Contessa, when they heard my moniker.