Living in Italy for so many years made it possible for us not to rush seeing famous sites. Spread out over time, such visits helped us avoid the customary tourist schedule of one day here, one day there. Back home, when not attending local open-air operas and village festivals, we hosted guests from all over …

Good news/bad news must have been the theme of our first six months of 2006. Part of Amelia’s ancient wall collapsed, we finally got the upstairs renovation done after years of thinking about it, we lost two dear ones but spent quality time with another, Zack was attacked by a viper, and I had serial …