There weren’t many viable options for accommodations in San Marino so I found myself staying in Rimini, a nearby Italian beach town.  The town was rather quiet, most likely due to rainy weather over the course of my three day stay.  I could take a bus from Rimini directly to San Marino in about 45 minutes.  On the day I was to meet the group, I was at the bus stop and a woman approached with her husband.  They were from Romania and spoke very little English.  She asked where I was from.  When I told her I was from Los Angeles she exclaimed, “Oh America! You wear the hat?  You ride the horse?” I smiled.  Her idea of Americans was that we were all cowboys.  That interaction got me thinking.  Stereotype was a concept I’d contemplated extensively with this project, particularly in Europe.  As there aren’t many indigenous groups in the region, I had transitioned to highlighting traditional outfits.  Perhaps they were a bit cliché.  Now I had gotten a taste of an American stereotype and all I wondered if I’m doing it in other countries, should I do it on my own? Should the American portrait in fact be a cowboy?  My thoughts were interrupted as the bus arrived atop the mountains in San Marino.

The city had views spanning a vast Italian countryside.  I could see the coastline of where I’d come from.  The narrow streets were packed with people.  This particular day was the San Marino Comics Festival.  People were dressed in their favorite costumes.  There were magic lessons at Hogwarts, Mario Kart Contests and Pokemon running amuck.  Imagine Comic Con in a medieval fortress, it was a fascinating juxtaposition.  I met two of the Balestrieri group members.  We toured the city and they showed me each of the three medieval towers.  I chose one for the location of the portrait that would take place the following morning.  We then made our way to the association’s headquarters.  They explained more about what they do and showed me their collection of historical artifacts and reimagined crossbows.  We then went into the wardrobe room where all of the traditional clothing was hanging.  Since I had photographed Joe previously with a medieval theme, I had decided this time to photograph a woman in a medieval dress.  We looked through the costumes and I chose a beige and burgundy one.  The red tones would contrast beautifully against the earth and green tones in the background.  We arranged to meet the following morning to get the best lighting.  They walked me to the bus station and I ventured back to my hotel in Rimini.

The next morning I woke up early and had some fruit and espresso.  I packed my bag and set out to San Marino again.  The Balestrieri men picked me up, this time in the company of Lauretta.  I was blown away by the intricacy and quality of her dress.  Her hair and makeup looked flawless and she was adorned with elegant jewelry.  She looked like a fairytale princess.  Lauretta didn’t speak English but we were able to communicate through the Balestrieri man.  They had explained the project to her and she was excited to be a part of it.  We arrived at the location and took a number of photos with one of the towers framed in the background.  After the photo, I laid out the paper and paint on a small picnic table.  She painted her line and we returned to the car.  They dropped me off at the bus station and I returned to Rimini.  The next morning I continued what would ultimately be my three week exploration of Italy.