An extravagant claim, no doubt, for what might appear
just another luxurious hideout for wealthy travellers. But
the fact is that Monteverdi would largely be rubble but
for an epiphany so profound, in the life of a Cincinnati
lawyer who happened to wander up here 15 years ago,
that it operated in that same margin—between aes-
thetic a n d m o r e v i s c e r a l r e s p o n s e s — a s f a l l i n g h e a d
ove r h e e l s i n love.
Michael L. Cioffi uses exactly that analogy, recalling that
day. "We all do crazy things when we fall in love," he says.
Well, if this is craziness, take me to the nearest asylum.
Cioffi had sought local advice for a hike while on holiday
in the Val d'Orcia. They pointed to his map: Castiglioncello
