Tuesday June 19

Off day. Not much happened except that we did laundry and learned how to use the Livorno bus system. Granted that even doing laundry can be an adventure, I’ll spare the details. The highlight of that excursion was walking through the southern end of Livorno and hanging out at the sea wall there, which is much less popular, and the water is clearer than near the bath clubs in town.

The bus ticket that we bought for the ride back to the Gennarino Hotel was good for another hour, so Jono, Jon, Karen and I hopped back on and went into town for lunch. We found the Coop grocery store and bought a sharing lunch-- a roasted chicken, olives, cheeses, fresh bread. Across the street was a little park that Karen and I were familiar with, having walked through it a dozen time when we stayed in the the other end of town at the Gran Duca. Jono carved everything up with his tiny, TSA approved swiss army knife, and a feast was had.

Some euros were found at the BNR and organic dark chocolate was found at the Bio, then we walked back a couple miles in the heat and sun to our hotel. It was blazing!

At 7 we met Lorenzo and extended family at the diner for a beer, then walked over to a nearby, all you can eat pizzeria called Pizza-a-go-go. The idea here is that they keep brining you pizzas until you tell them not to. We did our best, I think 8 before we exploded. An unscientific pool suggests that the Quattro formaggio was the best. 

Back at the diner, Lucca offered several varieties of digestivs, and then we waddled home, trying to work off some of the carbs!

Wednesday June 20

Lorenzo picked me up at 9:15 sharp. We have to drive to a small town half way to Firenze to pick up our touring van. We are joined by Gianni, who will be working as a shuttle driver for the festival, and a Livorno native and musician (of course.) After we get off the highway, the roads are windy and scenic. The van is an enormous Fiat nine passenger that’s at least 9 ft tall. Also it’s a stick shift, which isn’t a problem, with 6 forward gears, but I didn’t even notice 6th until much later in the day. It took me a while to get used to the height, and that the van wasn’t going to tip over rounding every corner.

On the way back to Livorno, Gianni gives me some Livorno history, talking about how the Grand Duke opened the city up as sanctuary, freed the slaves, was tolerant of all religions. So there’s a great diversity in the population, and this has made for a rich and thriving town. (Though to hear Lorenzo tell it, despite its past, Livorno is currently mired in small town politics.)

Back at the diner, we start packing up. Little Nico, aged 2 1/2, sits behind the drums and starts wailing, he loves it, and keeps a pretty good beat. The kid is a natural. We play Tetris with all the gear, until it fits tightly and doesn’t squeak. During our quick lunch, our pal Jim Bacci of Tikiyaki walks in with his family, just off the road from Milan.

And then we hit the road, Karen navigating, everyone else looking for stoplight in weird places. I’m pretty sure I ran a red light within 5 minutes, we’ll see if I get a ticket. 

The highway heads north towards La Spezia, then inland through the mountains with scenic and and ancient hillside towns and minor castles towards Parma, then left to Piacenza. I can’t say I’m enjoying the drive in this huge van, but we arrive without incident.

The Sosteria is about half a mile from our hotel, and it’s a beautiful outdoor patio setting, with a lawn and umbrellas over the tables. The sun is setting, but it’s still really hot on the little stage area, while we are eating up dinner. Behind the drums and amplifiers, herbs grow wild and bees are doing their business amongst the mint, thyme and rosemary. Our host Eddie has plates of club sandwiches (with a sweet mayo on warm bread) and charcuterie and cheese platters. Stuffed again, we write up new sets, as we are going to have to play fairly quietly, at least for the first set. Eddie asks if we need anything, and Karen suggests mojitos, and we take the mint right from the stage. Suddenly, its a little cooler.

It’s tricky playing quietly, I always feel so naked without a suit of volume to hide behind. But, we don’t want to empty the place, with everyone of its tables filled with champagne drinking guests. Believe me, I’ve cleared many a club before :) But, everyone sticks around, and while I can’t say their actively listening, we get polite applause after every song, and there’s a surf geek right in front of us videotaping everything.

The second set is louder and more fun. The sky is wide open, and Mercury, Jupiter and a quarter moon shine on all. The news from America is distressing and depressing, but we try to be the best ambassadors we can, and bring our American art form to the world.

While packing up, the garden club is still full. Eddie gives us a very nice bonus, and invites us back to Piacenza anytime. We would love to return!

PS, thanks to Karen for proofreading!