Earthquake in Italy Spoils Joy of Reporting on my Trip

On a very sad note, in the midst of my lighthearted blogging about our recent trip, a terrible earthquake has occurred in the Abruzzo region of Italy, demolishing the town of Onna and devastating the medieval fortress hill town of L'Aquila, which is the capital of the Abruzzo. There are reports of the total destruction of nearby towns. While there are no reports of damage to Florence, the ancient baths of Caracalla in Rome have been affected.

70,000 people are homeless, thousands injured, and the death toll is rising. The Italian Red Cross has mounted a strong response and are feeding citizens and relocating them to tents. Terrible news.