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The afternoon sky is bright and crisp as we take the North/South
road through Fiesole in a Land Rover Defender commandeered by Andrea from her
contacts at MI16. It’s a barebones, 4-speed manual, fleet vehicle, but it can,
without question, handle some very tough off-road terrain. Dressed in our field
clothes, I’ve also brought along the da Vinci map, the sketch book, and—just
for the hell of it—the now battered, but still fully functional, da Vinci art
book. You never know when it might come in handy.
About an hour into the drive, we
arrive at Vinci—the small, hilltop village that looks like somewhere out of
another century. A tall, pyramid-topped bell tower occupies the center of the
place. The tower is attached to a church and a community center, both of which
are constr
