Alla tua salute!

Good Morning and as you may know today it is March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. Normally this blog would full of photographs showing festive parades, beads and people enjoying Irish libations and fun. This year we are missing the “Luck of the Irish” as Huntsville, along with all major cities, as we have hunkered down, canceling their weekend parades due to the very pressing medical issues concerning the ever-growing pandemic, the Coronavirus. With Alabama finally having ample testing for the virus, we have gone from 0 to 28 known cases in just a few days. It was just a matter of time for it to show itself in this state. We can only hope in time that this will pass and the US will be spared the losses that Europe and Asia are seeing.

I was supposed to fly to Florida yesterday but with the fear associated with flying, the fact that everything is closing its doors and knowing that catching the virus away from home would be difficult to overcome, I chose to cancel my flight and hunker down at home. Given the current state of food and medical supplies I was elated to know that I had a few extra rolls of toilet paper and I venture out to the local grocery store, I was able to find ample supplies of peanut butter, eggs and triscuits along with a few bottles of Vino. I think I am good to go for a while. I do not mean to make light of this infectious disease that is gripping the nation and all of Europe but sometimes humor is the best medicine and helps ease the anxiety of the unknown.

With all that is going on around the planet, my heart goes out to every country but I fear that Italy is really suffering. Their losses have been monumental and they have basically shut everything down. I think back to when I visited in 2015 and the country was a vibrant, joyful and thriving! I can only image what their current state of mind is with over 2,100 deaths and rising. I can only hope that things will change soon and wish them well.

With a little time on my hands I decided to take a look back at my wonderful journey through Italy and offer a photographic tour of what I captured at the time and my hope for what it will return to.