No matter how hard we tried, we have already started accumulating more stuff: a keyboard for Holly’s teaching, a moka coffee maker, a water pik, books from Italian school, a Linkem internet modem (it is bigger than you might think and wouldn’t work in Lucca as we had been told), etc.  We were then faced with the problem of how to get all of that stuff to Lucca and/or what to do with it.  Since the idea of carrying it on to a train was not a pretty picture, we decided to rent a car and pack it all in (left a small box with Gianfranco) and just kick the problem down the road a month.

Other than hurrying North to arrive in Lucca in time for our landlords to watch the Germany vs. Italy EURO 2016 soccer match (they are Germans living in Italy and were somewhat conflicted), it was a rather long and uneventful, if at times beautiful, drive.

There was one highlight I wanted to share.  As anyone who worked with me at Serengeti knows, for 11 years I worked closely with Fran Russo from American Express.  Several times during those years we discussed her roots in small hill town in Italy.  As it happens, the beautiful little hill town of Cansano was only a few miles out of our way and we decided to take the side trip and have lunch there.  We had a delightful meal while a thunder-storm rolled in the distance.  Fran tells me her father’s house was just off the town square.  I have the picture, but can’t tell you which house.

We arrived in Lucca in time for everyone to watch the game.  Even if  it took a shootout to do it, Germany beat Italy for the first time ever in a major tournament!