It is with sadness that I write these few words about my friend Gene Melander. Gene, better known as “Geno”, taught me more about the charms and faults of my ancestral home than my own family. He flooded me and my wife with tons of books and recommendations for things Italian both near and far. Geno, you old wannabe Italian, I imagine you roaming those lavender hills in your adopted country with a glass of wine in your hand. Ciao Geno