Lilly and Stefano –

How we know him – I met Stefano at the gym one day and the two of us hit it off right away. He became my first work out partner in Italy. Unfortunately he has major back problems and had to quit working out. Stefano immediately introduced us to his girlfriend Lilly and the four of us became friends.

What they do – Lilly works with her entire family (Mother, Father and Brother) running a fruit and vegetable stand in the center of Florence. She is a native of Sicily. Stefano is currently on disability.

Our Friendship – These two are the “Party Friends” meaning that they love to whoop it up a bit. We have gone to dinner a few times together and it’s always a good time and a long night. The morning following an outing with Lilly and Stefano usually consists of Anna and I making sure that Trey and Olivia have a box of cereal and the remote control handy so we can sleep in!

Interesting Quip – Lilly is a really sweet lady who ran in this past years Florence Marathon (All 26 miles) which inspired me to promise to return to run in the race myself. When I saw the photo of her crossing the finish line in front of the Church of Santa Croce at 52 years of age, my goal was set.