After months of writing and after having completed the first twenty-six chapters of The Ultimate Revenge, it was time for a change of venue. So we decided to go on a ferie…not to be misconstrued as a ferry. Ferie means holiday in Italian and the locals consider it a short getaway, not quite a vacation. And even though we will be traveling for two weeks—for Joe and I—it’s definitely at ferie. We’ll devote five hours each day in the afternoon to WORKING. In fact, as I type this blog Joe is happily editing—his red pen has been poised for weeks, so he is elated to get his hands on my manuscript, finally. And as soon as I finish this blog, I will continue to work on the final nine chapters.

Now, I’m sure you’re more interested to know the venues we’ve selected for our ferie. Our adventure began yesterday, when we drove from Florence to San Marino, an hour from the Adriatic Coast.

San Marino is the oldest republic in the world. It borders on two Italian regions, Emilia-Romagna to the north-east and Marche Montefeltro to the south-west. Interestingly, while San Marino is geographically in Italy, if you Google the city, the response will be “San Marino near Italy.”

This independent City-State is a fascinating medieval town on the top of Mount Titano that is 2461 feet above sea level, with a 360º panoramic views of the valley below. Within the fortified city walls, the streets corkscrew up and down pass ancient palaces, towers, and churches. The first documents from San Marino date back to 885 A.D and their first governing body was created in 1243. There are many fascinating stories about her origin and the importance she played in redefining the borders of Europe—worth a Google.

This is the fifth year we’ve visited San Marino and we always stay at the Hotel Titano. And for a gourmet’s delight, you must dine at Ristorante Righi in the Piazza Liberta. This combination always promises a wonderful relaxing, sometimes working, ferie. Now you’ll have to wait until next week’s blog to see where we spend the weekend…Back to work!