French Seasons, Italian Days

Lawrence Bohme presently resides in the French Basque Country where, since retiring from his work as an external Unesco translator in Paris, he has been writing the story of his long and adventurous life, entitled "My Very Long Youth". . Fascinated by history, art, food, cinema and "life", Lawrence has selected a number of articles and extracts from his book, reflecting his years in France and, also, his many visits to Italy. Among the pieces selected for this colourful and free-wheeling anthology: French Seasons... My First Trip To Paris, December 1960 / Chez Véquaud, Avenue Parmentier / Sainte-Chapelle, Pont Neuf And Le Vert-Galant / "Paris, à nous deux" / La Rue Champollion, Cinema Street / Place de la Contrescarpe / The Belly of Paris / Mount of Martyrs / Steak Tartare At Le Drugstore / Earthly Nourishments / The Laughing Cow / Bridge of The Arts / Two Parises / Villa Externa To Place des Ternes / Rue Poncelet, Horn of Plenty / The Red Balloon / Baudelaire, Mon Frère / Verlaine and Rimbaud, The Two Poets Who Go Together / Montesquieu, My Favourite "Philosophe" / Flaubert And The Lost Art of Letter-writing / The True Story of Heloise and Abelard / The Algerian War In Paris / Down Napoleon's Road, 1982 / Moustiers Sainte-Marie, a Medieval Shrine / Three Singing Poets, Brassens, Trenet and Ferré / Blood of Talleyrand / Four Burgundian Churches / Long Winter In Quartier Croulebarbe / A Tale of Two Tyrants / Rich Kids' Revolution / Three New Bridges / Other Curious Changes...and Italian DaysPorta Settimiana, My Corner of Rome / Santa Maria in Trastevere, Church and Piazza / Roman Divorce / Two Similar But Different Domes / Siena Made Me / La Casa di Carmelo / All For the Sassetta / Day-dream In Perugia / Up a Ladder In Arrezzo / Assisi, House of Art / The Mystery of Ravenna / Last Try In Sicily / No, We Are English / Arabs and Normans, Enemies Who Created a Style / Unearthly Silence