It was our mutual love of Italy that initially connected me to Ernest Hemingway. I would enter a hotel lobby or a bar and see a plaque indicating that had been there. A playground owned by Ernest and situated near my grandparents beach condo in northern Italy was no exception. This became an odd but regular occurrence not just in Italy, but also on my other travels. When I was just eight years old. All the books in our house were challenging as they were mostly Italian .

Many of the clay urns found in Tuscany today are reproductions of ancient Etruscan artisanship. The Etruscans, an advanced society inhabiting the Tuscan plain long before the Romans, created unique and ornate pottery resembling classical Greek design. Throughout the region there is a resurgence of traditional ceramic urns featuring the archaic majolica design. This archetype was introduced by Majorcan Spanish merchants who travelled to Italy during the Middle Ages. The Great Lorenzo De Medici.