Chasing down my roots. Each moment I was traveling closer and closer to the place where my mother's family line can be traced back. Arezzo! Located in the central part of Italy, in the northern portion of the Tuscany region. This was achieving a lifelong goal to travel back to and touch the ground where my forefathers and mothers walked.




Arezzo was a town of supporters of a certain Frederick Barbossa I, known locally as Ghibellines. Centuries ago this was an area of turmoil as Roman Empire advancements finally met their match at the flatlands of the Alps.




My family tree goes back as far as poet Guittone d' Arezzo and musician Guido Monaco. Guido was also known as Guido of Arezzo for this was where his efforts as a musical theorist allowed him to develop the tabulation used today for musicians. "Do-Re-Mi" runs deep in my blood, and it's a pity because my singing voice would make a dog get up and go outside. I had to at least take a picture at his statue, a token gesture for reaching this far away place where the origins of the very blood pulsing in my veins once began long ago.




What a friendly little city, the downtown area seemed filled with people. Not one single angry, stressed out look on a single face. Everyone seemed to greet us with smiles and good energy. Why not? Their country is not in the middle of sickening oil-thirsty warfare, and the mild Tuscan summer with bountiful foods to eat and families sharing a common joy of life by walking the streets and greeting and talking. It was quite remarkable, and quite noticeably different than what one might experience in an American city of 100,000 or so people.




The next day it was time to head back north and visit the famous city of Firenze. I was unbelievably disappointed. You would think that visiting as storied a place as Firenze (or Florence to us English-speaking blokes) would be a once in a lifetime experience for the right reasons - i.e. awe and shock at the magnificent artistic and architectural genius. Instead it was a once in a lifetime experience for the wrong reasons - i.e. awe and shock at the disgusting masses swarming around the plazas and cathedrals. Wrong call. Firenze was just not my cup of tea, and I am sorry to all the historian buffs that gasp at the impressive sculpting work, but if you can't even find a place to stand without people within arms distance of you, it's too crowded.

My claustrophobia of crowds was growing as I attempted to capture as much of the sights on my camera knowing that this would be the last time I ever visit this place. There were more mopeds running on thick smoke burning diesel fuel than there were tourists! To quote myself from an earlier weblog: 'Is that even possible?'

Time to break for the coast.

ER Harris