This is a series, I in the world. I'm John Bachelor. I'm speaking with the journalist, the columnist,

Beppi Severini, whose new book Italian Lessons, takes us through the plague, the epidemic, the pandemic, the overwhelming crisis of 2020.

But Italy is very, very ancient compared to the United States, and it is casual to go back several

hundred years just reflecting upon a building you're standing in front of.

We now go to the fact that the

siver nines come from the land, as many people do in Italy after after the Roman

Empire receded and stop building roads. They come from the land so much that Bippi's wife notices

he only likes paintings with green in it.

Why is that, Bepi?

I don't know.

I find green comforting and I I bought green paintings in Russia in the United States

I'm not an art expert I like the color green in painting I realize that you know 90% of my paintings are green. I think it's something in my DNA probably.

We found out in the parish church of this place called Offanengone,

Krema, that the seven in

where farmers already in the early 16th century like 1520 and everyone is a farmer and

every generation and every generation one of us is allowed to do other things like me.

I'm a writer and a journalist but my son is also a farmer and he also has opened

the restaurant on the river lake but he's also farms and takes care of the land and it's something really

I like it you know my free time I don't go to Monte Carlo I don't like to do like here.

I'm a reasonably well journey in Italy and some of my colleagues like to go into a sort of posh places around the Mediterranean, you know, Monte Carlo or wherever.

Not me. I like to, my free time I stay in my countryside. I love it. I think it's, if I may,

it's, I brought up the countryside and importance, the attachment many Italians feel towards the land

...