To paraphrase Steinbeck “It was February 1972, it was Oregon and, though it was dry in the married student housing at the University . . . it was raining.” We were terribly homesick for Italy.  In 1971 we had bicycled from Pisa to Paola’s home in Forli. Maybe someone would pay us to “Bicycle across Italy.”  That, was the beginning of a great adventure.