This Thursday and Friday I had the pleasure of doing a brief book-signing around the stores in Florence and Bologna for the Italian version of Lucy's Launderette- Donne in Centrifuga (Women in the Spin Cycle). One of the Harlequin Italia salesmen has a theory that chicklit is going strong in Italy because divorce is fairly recent and hence, relationship confusion. There are thirty tunnels on the train ride between Florence and Bologna. When I stepped out of my house, it was a warm sunny day, but after I passed the first train tunnel going toward Bologna, we'd entered the set for the winter scenes of Dr. Zhivago. Bologna was cold and slushy. Fortunately, its historical centre, where most of the bookstores are found, is linked by porticoes, medieval arcades that cover most of the central sidewalks. I will go back and have a better look on a sunny day. Enchange Florence's ochre for Bologna's rusty rose.
The next day it rained red mud all throughout Italy. It was Saharan sand brought up from Africa by the Scirocco, so that while there was snow all through the northern and central Italy, it was 25°C in Palermo. Mondo pazzo!
2:48:50 PM 
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