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…………………A Sunday dinner in Settignano, Italy……..Since 1971 I have gone to Florence, Italy to develop sweaters for the three companies I worked for….Giorgini, Anne Klein and Dei Tre of Bergdorf Goodman….I worked with Giovanna Ciampini. Their offices were in an ancient building on the Piazza Santa Trinita…..There was a huge obelisk in front of their building…Armani, Ferragamo, and Gucci were on the same street…..It did have a very small elevator that was added many years later…..It only fit two people [three could squeeze in], but you took it at your own risk. It was known to get stuck!…..On Sundays I was invited to Marcello and Giovanna’s home in the hills of Settignano…They lived there with Giovanna’s parents, Gina and Enzo until they passed away….It had been Giovanna’s father’s home…..The view of Florence below was breath taking! Giovanna had one son at the time we met, Leonardo who was still an infant. Later another son, Lorenzo was to come. In the photo is Marcello with his two sons, and me at their front driveway gate. Their house is in the background. Sunday dinner was a major meal, always followed by two or three deserts…..We had plenty of red wine to wash it all down! They had olive orchards, lemon trees, and grapes on the hills in front of their villa……Their caretaker used to make fresh olive oil, Limoncello, and red wine every season, and Giovanna always gave me some to take home! After the enormous meal we all went for a walk in the country side……For 25 years I had dinners at Giovanna and Marcello’s home, until I stopped working for Bergdorf Goodman and started working for QVC. Unfortunately, the prices of sweaters from Italy were too high for QVC, and I no longer could work with Giovanna…..The boys are now married, and Leonardo has a daughter! ……Time marches on…….Marcello and Giovanna still live in their beautiful home in Settignano. We e-mail all the time………..She calls me Luigino………One day I will make the trip back to see my dear friends…..More than friends……….FAMILY!