Okay -- this is not about the house.

Last week parents of the kids in Maddy's class (there are about 12 kids) were invited to spend a morning at the asilo. The theme this year has been the five senses -- so I think that the day was to focus on that theme. There were three stations that we rotated through.

In one room, kids were to paint according to how the music made them feel.


At another station, they were to use spices and glue to create geometric shapes.
A third area was a blank canvas with paint and glue and beans and shells and buttons and all sorts of fun stuff.

We've known most of these kids for a couple of years now. And finally, we are getting to know the parents. Maddy's asilo is private (and expensive by Italian standards -- yet not more than I would pay for childcare Stateside), and admittedly, there is no diversity. Maddy is the diversity.


And then the kids played in the garden and we all had a lunch of -- you guessed it, pizza.


To me, this is yet another beautiful villa in Italy. To those interested in architecture, it's the famous "Villa Capra" or "Rotunda." Created by Palladio, it served as the model, the inspiration for Jefferson's Monticello. How neat that it is the view from one of the windows! Maddy calls it "The Big House," thanks to Richard pointing it out daily to her. Just last week she told me that American Idol is in the big house -- love it!

Love these little girls :)