Greetings From Italy

The beautiful garden at Villa La Pietra,  New York University, Florence

My holiday in Lucca is sadly coming to an end. I have had a wonderful week with some wonderful friends.

Today I was lucky enough to visit the foundry in Pietrasanta where Richard W Boardman's bronze sculpture is cast.

Richard brought a new sculpture to be cast - a duck named Quickquack. This is Ivo, the foundry owner taking down all the details.

Measuring the height from beak to table so that Quickquack can be finished at the correct angle when the feet are welded to the body.

And here we all are, Richard, Quickquack, Pietro, me and Ivo.

I got a great tour of the foundry and saw the casting process from start to finish. Ivo and Pietro are incredible artisans.

After that we took a trip to the coast and Forte dei Marmi where even the pavements are made of marble. The strange weather that's crossing Europe at the moment had made the sea unusually choppy, with huge waves crashing up the beach. This is Patrice and me standing on the pier.

What else did I get up to? Lots of things including...

Shopping in Florence (this is at the famous Farmacia Santa Maria Novella).

And falling in love with Italian cars!