Submitted May 22, 2012

Good day, Downhome, and greetings from Ottawa.

My wife, Elaine McArdle (from Bathurst, New Brunswick) and I were in Genoa, Italy, these past few weeks. While there, and during air travel to and from this region of the Italian Riviera, I took the opportunity to catch up on the past year's worth of Downhome. My dad, Ron Kelland, who hails from St. John's, always passes his subscription on after he and my mom, Marge (both now living in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario), have thoroughly enjoyed the read.

In the 4 May 2012 pictures attached, Elaine and I were in front of the twin 'Torri di Porta Soprana' - the porta is part of a defensive system of walls known as the 'walls of Barbarossa' (built between 1155 and 1158), which once fortified the old city. On the right in front of these towers is the home where the town's most famous son lived - Christoforo Colombo, whom North Americans have known since 1492 as 'Christopher Columbus'. We were so taken with this sight that we re-visited on 15 May 2012. At that time, we noticed the pub across the street from Colombo's home, which pays modern-day homage to Newfoundland, albeit by its Italian name Bar del Terranova. In any language, the Newfoundland dog is unmistakeable as a symbol of what we know as Newfoundland.   Submitted By: NULL