Love Letters

As the sun sets over the skyline of Florence, I arrive home in time to take a quick break before heading out again. The days blend into night, one event follows another, and the company of my friends makes these last weeks in Italy very precious.

After attending mass at Chiesa San Annunciata this morning, I went to Piazza Republica to have lunch and go shopping. As I walked down the main streets, dressed in a camel leather skirt, black cashmere top, an alpaca fur trimmed vest, black shawl, lace tights and boots, I felt like I was part of a movie.

The shops are full of beautiful winter clothes and accessories and a palette of vibrant colors; and the murmur of traffic, high pitched conversations and high heeled shoes on the cobblestones is like an orchestra tuning.

I love to immerse myself in the middle of it all and often I have the desire to close my eyes so that I can hold onto these moments.

Tonight we are going to Teatro Cestello in San Frediano, Firenze to see the production of "Love Letters" by A.R. Gurney.

I first saw the Pulitzer Prize winning play (drama) with Jamilla at the old Mietta's in Melbourne and last year saw it performed in Firenze with Marco. The script is wonderful and centers on just two characters; Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepiece Ladd III. As the play develops so do their characters, as they sit side by side at tables on the stage reading the correspondence they exchange through their lives. Letters which convey their hopes and ambitions, dreams and disappointments, victories and defeats. Emotionally the letters unite them, but physically they remain separated for most of their relationship.