Richard is four Three months old. A quarter birthday to him. Three months. I am sending a few books to help his library, – all illustrated, on Dürer, , Il Grecco, Goya, Giotto, Rubens & Feuerbach. You’ll may be like them too. Also a very simple History book. I am quite enchanted with Dürer, the way he puts AD on everything even hanging a little sign board on the Cross ! And the little animals he brings in to his pictures. A dear man. Trust the books are approved. I hope, also that they arrive all right. I’ll send others. You’d better clear a shelf of a bookcase for the books I send, the Continental library. Then we can place them when I come home. I’ll be getting books as I go. German ones later. They’re good things to have. I’ve also got a piece of gold cord, 3 yards long, with heavy tassles, off a Fascist Standard. For an evening frock, or curtains or for the Property Box.

                        Met a man named Hopkins. Capt. RE, nice man who when I said I came from Great Alne said “do you know John Spencer !” He only met him a few times. He has people at Bideford & round about.

                        We are spoiled here. We have a Naafi supply of cigarettes, State Express 555 at 5d for 10 ! And this evening we sat in our gilded salon in luxury easy chairs, & listened to a superb gramophone recital of Italian opera ! Our dining room, the polished table set with good silver & with a bowl of roses in the middle under the chandelier has to be seen to be believed.

                        Peter is back from jaundice, for two weeks convalescence. He’s pale & delicate but very well really. This is a charming life, nothing heroic or tough about it. An exquisite villa, the best view in Europe from the wide Windows all “French” & only gentle work to be done. The Italian scene is very typical. Old courtyards & patently historic stones & steps, & squealing people living in squalor, & also handsome squares, splendid churches & up above innumerable delightful modern villas. The shops are opening & all is returning to normal. But my word, the R.A.F. can bomb. It’s terrific, the damage where they have tried. And the degree of precision is wonderful. Tell any cynics. The residential areas are untouched. But the docks, factories & business centres are crashed beyond all hope of repair.

                        For my desk I have a stapling machine, a hole punch machine & a pen holder, the sort you put the pen in, on a marble base. Also about twenty reams of very fine Fascist typewriting paper. They ought to have thought of that before the declared war in 1940.

                        Italian police look like things you meet backstage in Sutton Coldfield Town Hall when Victor Fleming is providing his annual show.

                        It is no longer hot, but very mild. Sometimes it rains at night, but it’s fine & quite warm in the daytime.

                        Oh, Sunday’s feast. At a Monastery, now a wild & rambling & decayed country house of La Marchesa Guisso. A charming old lady in severe black with a good jewel at her throat, sat very upright. Lunch on a table in the grounds, 3000 feet up. Amazing view as the mountain fell away vertically from the garden. Began with olives & anchovy, then spaghetti, then beef olives, then Polpattini di carne con patate, (rissoles & chips) then Cornigli con piperoni (rabbit) then Melanzone alla Rascar (eggfruit & cheese) then a dish of octopus feet, then anchovies & mushrooms, then fish, then more fish, five main courses, then a famous & delicious sweet & then fruit of all kinds. Copious wine all the time. We ate from 2 until 5.30 & staggered home ! A rare do indeed. Very local & foreign.

                        No mail yet, the A.P.U. is moving up to this place & all mail is held up meanwhile. But when it does start we’ll be well in, so long as we stay here, as we’ll get it hot from the mailbags. There must be a hell of a lot for me. Also plenty of news of Richard. Also news of you & the village.

                        This is a playful  people, quite happy after 20 years of frenzied cheering of Musso, to help us & be our dearest friends. Children, but with manners not so good as children’s. The minority of educated people are well mannered, but more friendly than they’d be if they were sincere.

                        And how are you & yours ? It’s difficult having full contact with you when these mail delays come. It only needs you here, to love the views & the glimpses of old Italy in sudden archways & to love the smell is & naive simplicity of these sunny people to make this a very delightful tour. But we are losing valuable time. Let Richard be my minister plenipotentiary & Ambassador Extraordinary. But only I can tell you, &, show you how much I love you.

The illegally enclosed fragment of a Postal Order belongs to one I sent home by ordinary mail some time ago. This may get there first !