Ciao from la citta bella

It’s a hot Wednesday afternoon here in Florence, Italy, and all’s at peace in my world.

I’ve been in Italy for just over a week and already I’ve read two beach novels - Thomas Harris’ “Hannibal Rising” (barely a scenario for a screenplay), Magdalen Nabb ’s “The Monster of Florence” (the ex-pat Brit writer’s mystery series featuring a member of the Carabinieri).

I’ve also seen two movies – “Ocean’s Thirteen” (the kind of fun movie that won’t redefine cinema but is what Hollywood does best) and “The U.S. vs. John Lennon” (a powerful documentary about the attempt to deport the ex-Beatle during the late 1960s/early ’70s) – at The Odeon, which specializes in showing films in their “original language.”

And, of course, I’ve hit every gelato place this side of Piazza della Signoria. It should be easy to understand why I haven’t been exactly disciplined about posting on this blog.

There are too many tourists here, which is why I spent last weekend in the northern city of Parma (where they make the ham) and why on Saturday we are heading toward the Adriatic to see if we can’t cool off with some beach breezes.

I wish I could say that I miss Spokane. But I would be lying. Lying big time, in fact. But I’ll be back soon enough. And then all of this will amount to less than a glimmer in Leonardo’s eye.

Actually, that sound like a good title for my novel: “A Glimmer in Leonardo’s Eye.” Hey, it’s better than “The Shattered Glockenspiel.”