Today's podcast features a collage of friends and contacts all with ties to Italy. A few of them are actually in Italy and all will share their insights and experiences relating to how Covid-19 has been affecting them.

From my friend Elizabeth Wholey in Umbria who runs the farmhouse we stay at during our Tour to Italy, AltaBella, as she just returned from the US and now is in quarantine in her home in Umbria. (Pictured above)

To my friend here in Scottsdale, Marco Felicioli, of Artitalia Group, a leading manufacturer of custom retail displays & fixtures, hospitality & restaurant furniture & flooring & more. He supplies many of us here in Arizona with fabulous products and materials from Italy. He will share his experiences of not only what is happening in Italy through his contacts but what he experienced the night of rioting as he sat and defended his showroom in Old Town Scottsdale.

Then we go to London, England and check in with my friend Flavio Casagrande, who is an Italian window rep for Ital windows and is in lockdown in London while he waits to return to Italy and/or the US. He shares his insights on what he sees both in London and hears from Italy.

Finally, we will touch base with another great friend from over 20 years, Gabriele Belli, from Porte del Passato in Central Italy. We have worked with Gabriele for many years including recently on a fabulous home in Desert Mountain built by Manship Builders.

Elizabeth Whoely has led our cooking class at the Umbrian farmhouse we stay in during our Tours to Italy for the past 10 years and has become a good friend.

Today, she still coordinates and leads cooking classes and tours, is a member of Slow Food Alta Umbria, the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), the Mediterranean Garden Society and is the author of Sustenance: Food Traditions in Italy’s Heartland.

Flavio Casagrande sells fabulous windows manufactured in Italy! He is currently in lockdown in London and will give us his views both from England and his contacts and family in Italy.

You will enjoy hearing their perspective on what they have been experiencing in Italy, which was particularly hard hit. Elizabeth will share the details of her flight from San Francisco to Rome from just a few days ago and Marco will tell you about his wild night defending his showroom the night of the riots in Old Town Scottsdale.

Elizabeth Wholey:

Farmhouses in Umbria: https://www.altabella.com

Book: https://sustenanceinitalysheartland.wordpress.com/

Instagram @elizabethwholey

Flavio Casagrande:

http://italwindows.com

Instagram @casaflavio

Marco Felicioli:

https://www.artitaliagroup.com/

Facebook facebook.com/ArtitaliaGroup/

Gabriele Belli:

https://www.portedelpassato.com/attivita/