another eye opens

it snowed our first night at Easton

in the morning, the trees were sagging with wet snow

first thing in the morning, it looked like Winter Wonderland

not exactly what we were expecting at the end of October

but the day turned out to be clear and bright

fresh snow in the sun has a crystalline beauty

the wild geese (calling Mary Oliver!)

Dave did a great job building a fire in the fireplace for us every evening

a moment of ecstatic peace

the Duomo in Siena is one of the most spectacular churches in Italy

this was Andy's first visit to Siena, and he was understandably dazzled by the Duomo

the white, green, and red polychrome marble facade is modest compared to the density of artwork inside

everywhere you look

the first time I visited the Libreria Piccolomini, I was mesmerized by the enormous meticulous beautiful illuminated manuscripts

this time I took in the extraordinary frescoes on the walls and ceilings

the last time I was in Siena, four years ago, the crypt had only recently been discovered -- fantastically vivid murals whose colors had not been exposed or seen in centuries were just beginning to peek through. Now much more of the room has been excavated, the frescoes restored

also since the last time I was here, they've opened a walkway along the top of the arch of what was intended to be the Nuovo Duomo

we had to wait in line for half an hour to go up, but it was worth it for the panoramic view

We spent our last evening in Bologna dining at Trattoria Leonida, where the dessert was a concoction called "fried cream" -- Giovanni pronounced it the best he'd ever had (and he's an extremely discerning customer, that Giovanni)

my friend Pietro and his boyfriend Federico drove down from Venice just to spend the evening with us

the whole gang

a last walk through the porticos

Another beautiful crisp clear morning in Piazza San Stefano

we're spending the morning with our very smart guide Simona on a tour of the Basilica di S. Stefano with its famous Seven Churches mushed together like TinkerToys

the main entrance, and most of the exteriors, are extremely unadorned

the easternmost church was originally built as a pagan temple to Isis

amidst these antique stone artifacts, a side chapel contains a surprising and touching war memorial

on our way to the next stop on the tour, we passed the statue honoring the 18th century physician and physicist Luigi Galvani, from whom we get the galvanic response and the concept of animal electricity

Simona next led us through the Archiginnasio, once the main building of the University of Bologna (the world's first)

now primarily used as a library, the monumental building also contains the original anatomical theater

the ceiling artwork represents the zodiac -- astrology was carefully studied once upon a time

a church official sat in a hidden chamber above the classroom, ready to interfere if he heard any teachings with which the Church disagreed

after a stroll through the Basilica of San Petronio in Piazza Maggiore, Andy and I made our way across town to the bustling university district

it has a somewhat different feel from the commercial center of Bologna

better graffiti, for one thing

hilarious sign posted among the bushes in a public park

on the way back to our residence, we happened to pass the birthplace of the great filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini

that night, we forsook traditional Bolognese fare for the creative nouvelle cuisine of Marco Fadiga

the maestro himself

the dessert plate included a drizzle of caramel syrup containing cigar tobacco

but the piece de resistance was an outrageous creamy risotto with speck and pesto

We spent the day in Faenza having a cooking class conducted by the fabulous Fabio Guerrini in the home he shares with his soulful wife Heide

Heide showed some of us how to clean raw shrimp and shred escarole for a delicious antipasto

Others assisted Fabio in concocting sauces for two typically Bolognese pasta dishes and a risotto

All of which we happily consumed

with generous helpings of prosecco, a crisp chardonnay, and a Gewurztraminer

We also got a good look at their extraordinary multilevel house, which Fabio proudly explained was formerly a brothell -- today's library is where the working girls met their clientele

The house is full of striking furniture...

ceramics...

contemporary art -- paintings, sculpture, photography...

and a wildly tiled bathroom -- Heide assured me that all the grooming products pictured here are Fabio's

After lunch, Fabio marched us across town to another super-arty home -- but one built in 1792

The home of Count Nicola Milzetti (now the Museum of the Neoclassical Age in Romagna) was built by local architect Giuseppe Pistocchi and his son Francesco.

Every inch of the place is decorated with beautiful, intricate frescoes and mosaics by Felice Giani

a bedroom like a movie set

and a sculpture of winged Psyche, because why not?