Arrival and Welcome party

Everybody has arrived safely: Jane and Michelle from Austin; Jen from Chicago; Kim from Detroit, Katie from Alabama-right over the Georgia state line, and Cheryl from La Grange, GA, dribbled in throughout the afternoon as Roza, Beata and I roamed Florence. We snapped photos, ducked into little shops and stood in awe of the 14th century multi-colored marble Duomo--the magnificent cathedral in the center of town. We wandered the medieval streets (Dante lived on theses streets), visited a museum of Etruscan sculpture and had a little lunch and gelato along the way.

Photos don't do the Duomo justice. It is truly awesome. I never use that word.

We three got back to the apartment in time to greet the slightly refreshed new arrivals. Several were familiar faces from previous workshops I had taught, and several knew each other, so it was a bit of a homecoming to see old friends. By the time this workshop is over, we will all know each other well.

Debra and Ivano had a friend, Mariano, prepare appetizers for us -- prosciutto, fresh tomatoes in pesto, sheep cheese to dip into acacia honey. Ivano brought in boxes of pizzas, we had wine, a celebratory toast of champagne, a piece of some sort of sinful cheesecake, and Debra gave us a little guidance about what to expect the next 10 days. By then several people were looking very sleepy--they had just crossed the ocean, so we all dispersed to our different rooms and apartments in this building.

Tomorrow we go on a tour. Sunday is a free day. Monday my workshop begins.