Sure, I'll stay with you in your beautiful genovesi apartment, Lucia.

Sandro has gone back to Bardellone with his friend Concetta while I check out Genova more thoroughly. Lucia invited me to stay with her in her apartment until Sandro returns on Tuesday. This has made me happy for a number of reasons. Let me count the ways:

1) I think Sandro was planning on going back to Bardellone very early in the morning today. I was not interested in getting up at 4am to drive back.
2) I haven't yet had a chance to try my hand at street-music. It is rainy here now, but it is supposed to be nice tomorrow, sunday, monday, tuesday so I will have my chance.
3) I started drawing the duomo (cathedral) of Genova and I still need a couple of hours to finish it. Maybe I will and maybe I won't.
4) Genova is a remarkable city. It has all the history and magic of other big cities in Italy, and yet far fewer tourists. It is a little secret that should be kept.
5) I really like Lucia (loo-CHEE-ah). She is 63 years old and quite a little firecracker. When we were walking back up the mountain from Levanto the other day, we passed by many private farms with lemons, olives, and roses that were accessible from the road. Lucia would hunch over a little bit, raise her eyebrows, and put her finger to her lips in the 'shush' position then say, "piano, piano...voi un limone?" "quiet, quiet...do you want a lemon?" She picked a lemon and then quickly stuffed it in her bag. Lucia is awesome.
6)Tonight I will provide the entertainment for a small get together among friends here at Lucia's apartment. I think this will be fun.
7) Lucia's apartment is really beautiful. It is old, old, old (like nearly all the buildings in this city and country). The door to her apartment building has midieval spikes on it that look like they could stop a fire-breathing dragon. Maybe this was the intention. I hear that fire-breathing dragons really existed here when people believed in them.

Anyhow - I am in Genova and will be here for a week or so. Unlike Firenze, the center of this city is pedestrian-only. Both Sandro and Lucia live in this section of the city so it is not nearly as loud or polluted as Firenze. Genova is not trapped between mountains like Firenze either, so the air (and pollution) moves around and doesn't stagnate to become smog. I like Genova.

OK, I think I shall watch the rain or try to talk to Lucia or write a song in italian for the party tonight. So many choices, so little time. Oh..wait - no, no - I have plenty of time. Sweet.

Baci é abbraci