My Friend Valentina

Valentina was my tutor, my friend and my big sister. She is my big sister because she calls me her little brother. The reason I learned Italian so good and did so well in school in Greve was because of Valentina, or should I say my "big sister."

This is Valentina and me studying.

She came two times a week and she was a good teacher. In Italy we have a lot of homework to do and gramma and papa couldn't help me so I had to have a tutor and one of my teachers, Maestra Annamarie, recommended Valentina for a good tutor. And now, I speak very good Italian. Gramma just put on Craig's List for a tutor here.

I really liked her because when we were working we had fun. We laughed a lot. She helped me with the language (lingua) , science (scienze), math (matematica), geography (geografia), history (storia) and everything else.

One time she took me inside the ambulance to look at it. She was a volunteer ambulance driver. But now she works for the Red Cross.

The last week with her she took us out to dinner. Her boyfriend was with her--named Ricardo. She took us to a restaurant called Malborghetto which means "bad borgo." Borgo means little village. It's called Malborghetto because a long time ago bad guys used to hide in the little village. This was in the Renaissance times when Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo were alive and they were painting.

This is the restaurant with Valentina and Ricardo in the picture.

Across from the restaurant was a park where I got several mosquito (zanzare) bites.

I miss her. But the good thing is that next summer I am going to see her again. I hope I get a good tutor here--just like Valentina.

This is me with Ricardo and Valentina.

I MISS YOU VALENTINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The Last Time at Cantinetta di Rignana

A week ago was the last time I went to Cantinetta di Rignana. But next year we are going back. I might even work there. Here's a picture of everyone there with me. They let me use the cook's bandanna for a few minutes.


We went there with Brad and Palma, the Skittle lady. When my grandparents and Brad and Palma ate, I was playing in the playground with the boy in the picture. I didn't eat anything. Joke! I had pappardelle al cinghiale.

See you next time when I tell you about Valentina, my friend.

My Newest, Newest Best Friend

Sorry Palma and Judith but you're no longer in first place.

Here's a picture of my newest, newest best friend.

This is Max. I think he is a Golden Labrador. He's Diana's and Micha's doggy. We were at Diana's place in Piemonte for three days.

Diana let me do some work with clay because she makes stuff out of clay. She makes pottery.

Breakfast at their house is spectacular. There is berries, melon, French toast, eggs, cereal, yogurt and bread fresh from the bakery. The plates were made and painted by Diana.

Max was really, really fun. He listens to me very well. Tell him to sit, he sits. Tell him to lay, he lays. Tell him to fetch, he fetches. Tell him to stop, he stops and right away sits down.

Here's a picture of a little monster thing I made with the clay.

And here's a picture of a cup I made.


Next year when we come to Italy, we are going back.
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My Super Cool Sunday

Today was the best Sunday ever--in the pool. Here's three pictures and two movies of me and Camilla in the pool and one of Alessandro and me playing ping pong. Alessandro is il babbo di Camilla (Camilla's daddy.)

Camilla and I have really a lot of fun in the pool together. I am going to miss her when we leave and she's going to miss me. And you're going to miss my blog when I go home.

Here are two videos of us playing in the pool. We had so much fun.

Meet My New Best Friend--Palma

See why she’s my new best friend?

She gave them to me when we went to lunch in Buonconvento. She brought them all the way from California.

Camilla and I really, really, really really, really like them.

Thank you, Palma.

This is Palma and Me.

The Orthodontist and the Madonna

Yesterday when I went in to Florence to go to the orthodontist, I also went to the Uffizi which has the Ognissanti Madonna. Signore Giotto painted it. I wanted to see it because I have a little model of it which you have seen on my blog--here.

I saw also the Tondo by Michaelangelo. It's a circle painting with a picture of Mary, Baby Jesus and Joseph. They don't have very much paintings by Michaelangelo. They are very old and so most of them have been lost.

I saw the La Nascita di Venere and also La Primavera. Those two were painted by Botticelli. I saw several annunciations. One was painted by Leonardo da Vinci--da Vinci means from Vinci and I have been there. An annunciation is when the angel is telling Mary that she is going to have baby Jesus.

We saw hundreds of others and I don't know who they were. I like going to the Uffizi. Lippi knew how to draw very pretty Mary's.

At the end I bought a puzzle block with a lot of the pictures of things. All the ones I talked about already. I also got one little drawing book and a regular size one. One has a picture of David on it and the other is Leonardo di Vinci. I am learning to draw. I also got a book about the Ognissanti Madonna.

Papa also got me a Fiorentina hat. My birthday is tomorrow so these were all birthday presents but I'm allowed to use them now.

Here's a picture of me with my Fiorentina shirt and Fiorentina hat.

Dr. Floria, my orthodontist in Florence, is really nice and here's a picture of him. I'm not going to see him anymore because this was my last time to the orthodontist here. My orthodontist back at home is Dr. Hirsch.

This is Dottore Floria.

I'm going to miss Florence. This is at a little fruit and vegetable store in an alley there.



PS: Today we went to Buonconvento and papa and gramma bought me a nice watch for my birthday.
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