By Will

Wednesday, Oct. 5 — I woke up this morning shouting “Gravy” — which is actually Greve in Chianti. And then we went to Greve and I got a wooden ax, a rubber-band gun and a wooden sword. We looked for a table cloth for Mike and Helen, but didn’t find it. Then we got some pastries. I don’t really like pastries in Italy.

And then we left and went to Montefiorelle, a tiny walled town. First we passed it and were accidentally going somewhere else. But we turned around and found it. It is described as a perfect walled town. There was nobody outside; only about 50 people, maybe a hundred live there, because it’s so small. I had fun walking around the town, there was a narrow cobblestone street all the way around inside the wall.

Elizabeth got sick. Then we went to Castello de Verrazzano. It was a stupid wine-tasting place. I got some pretty good pasta, and some really bad grape juice. (Ed. note: It was the birthplace of the Verrazzano who sailed up New York Harbor.)

Then we went to Panzano. (Ed. Note: We were going to see the Butcher of Panzano, a well-known figure, but a Dutch TV crew beat us to him.) We didn’t really do much there, but there was this really stupid Norwegian guy from a TV crew who said, “He is really, really famous,” and he was yelling at people to get out of the way of the camera. We went to gelato and I had chocolate chip; it was pretty good.

Then we went back home. Then I went swimming. I swam for awhile and then got out. Dad and I jumped in right where mom and Helen were sitting and they got all wet. Then we decided that we would all go to Rome tomorrow. I got super bored as mom was ordering the tickets.

Then this lady named Delfa, who was cooking at our villa, she made lasagna, and I don’t like lasagna, but she made some really good chicken and some good potatoes, and some lettuce with olive oil on it. I got sick at dinner. Then I went to bed and woke up every single hour.

Then I woke up in the morning and mom and dad didn’t go to Rome because I am sick. Only Helen and Mike went. I was pretty sick in the morning. But I’m getting better right now. (To Will’s classmates: “Bob the stuffed bear spent the night under my bed because dad knocked him off.”) That’s all for now.