Diary of Writing Italy’s Sorrow

Piacenza, May 20, 2004
The party from last night reconvened and we headed off in cars into the mountains for a tour of their old Partisan haunts.  It was an amazing day.  Lunch was in a mountain trattoria run by another former partisan and seemed to be never ending – one course after another of incredible food, including nettle ravioli.  I realised halfway through the afternoon that I was never going to catch my evening flight back to Rome, but rather than worrying about it, decided to go with the flow.  And when we did eventually get back to Piacenza, it was easy enough to change.  I’ve now got a very early start in the morning, but that’s all right.  I’m so glad Stephen let me join him on this trip of his.  It gave me a very clear picture of how the Partisans – in this part of Italy at least – operated.  Stephen clearly loved every minute.  He’s a terrific bon viveur and it’s really good to see someone in their mid eighties so spry and eager to enjoy himself.