The Brandt Blog

With everyone together again it’s just like Christmas morning except without the jammies; that, and we’re gathered in someone else’s home – – – in Italy. We’re just as excited and running a frenetic holiday-esque pace as we go about fitting our lofty ambitions and long to-do list into a fixed time frame. Here is […]

After 42 days of living La Dolce Vida (and also La Pasta Vida… and La Vino Vida… and La Baccala Vida etc.) in Firenze, we’ve officially reached the halfway point of our self-titled, “Residenza” (as opposed to this being a vacation). To be sure, there are many, MANY people, places and things that we miss […]

The Brandt Home during my impressionable and pre-adolescent 1970’s was an ABC-TV family. Schoolhouse Rock, SuperFriends, Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, Welcome Back Kotter and The Love Boat made up our broadcast banquet table. This is not to deny occasionally tuning into other network programming. We watched CBS broadcast the Walter Payton Bears on Sundays, […]

It’s safe to say that after 14 days, Anne’s and my respective bio-rhythms have synched with Florentine astronomical, artistic and geographical cycles. If that commentary seems pretentious and absurd, what can I say? This is where the Renaissance began – SHOUTS OUT to: Galileo, Michelangelo, Dante and DaVinci. If it seems like old people kvetching […]

We drove south to lunch in Chianti… where the regional symbol is the Gallo Nero (Black Rooster). Not to be confused with Merlo Nero (Blackbird) our Villa’s name. Click the link in the caption to read the full story of the famous Chianti Cock. Most importantly, DON’T DRINK ANY CHIANTI without the Gallo Nero. Lacking […]

The house that has stood at 215 Sunset Dr. since 1927 was taken down in less than two days.  The backhoe made quick work of everything from the roof to the foundation and from the garage to the old patio. Ironically, the backhoe operator grew up in Libertyville and was friends with a few people […]