>So how is Florence?
Absolutely splendid. A friend of ours who teaches at NYU is with their program in Florence this semester, and we're staying with her. NYU-Florence is an estate at the edge of town, consisting of several villas scattered about a huge expanse of rolling hills, with olive trees all over the damn place. Her apartment is in one of the villas - it's huge, with beautiful views, and all the amenities (including ethernet plugs - though the connection can be slow when the kids are downloading anime videos). And the city itself, well, it's paradise on earth, really. Went to the church where Dante first laid eyes on Beatrice yesterday - it's a thousand years old. Not particularly beautiful, but it is where Dante first laid eyes on Beatrice. Dante's house across the street was a bit of a disappointment - just some historical copy and some replicas of documents - no manuscripts. Damn. But just walking around here, even in the rain, is about as good as earthly life can get. Looking at the paintings all over town puts me at severe risk of a relapse of Catholicism - they're so damned seductive, in all their fleshly ecstasy.
Doug