Libby from Italy

It's 5am. Day 3. I cannot sleep for excitement for the day ahead...
And do you get the view from our Florence hotel window. (which could really be anywhere in Italy) Today's schedule includes Michelangelo's "David", the Medici Chapel, a trip to the studio where I learned textile design and another sunset over the Arno River and Ponte Vecchio.
I cried when I first saw the Duomo again. In a way I couldn't believe I'd made it back after 12 years... And how could I help but fall more in love with the man who brought me back the first chance he got - knowing what it would do for me, when I never even had to ask?

Deruta: by Tori Higa

I fell in love with the hand painted pottery I saw all over Italy known as Deruta ceramics. In fact, my husband and I loved it so much that we ended up registering for it instead of traditional china for our wedding. We had a lot of generous friends and family give us almost the entire collection that we chose – we filled in the blanks with gift cards and now enjoy them on display in our dining room. Somehow we think that Italian food tastes better on these dishes. We used to use them on a regular basis, but now we use them mostly for special occasions (things change after you have a child).

A really beautiful book on the subject is called “Deruta: A Tradition of Italian Ceramics” by Elizabeth Helman.