Situated on the street named after the surname of Lorenzo il Magnifico’s mother, Lucrezia, the medieval tower was built in the mid-13th century by the Guelf Ruggerini family. Over the centuries, there have been a variety of owners, however, the tower remained in the Gianfigliazzi family for several generations and is mentioned in the 17th Canto of Dante’s Inferno about the “Usurers”:

And when, amongst them, looking round I came, 

A yellow purse 3 I saw with azure wrought,         

That wore a lion’s countenance and port.

Panoram Italia: How did you adapt to the lockdowns and the pandemic while achieving your objectives?

Tony Loffreda: I have been in the Senate for over two years, and over this period we have had two federal elections and a global pandemic. Obviously, my experience in the Senate has been any- thing but typical so far.

As we all did, I adapted my way of doing things by meeting with stakeholders online and discussing issues of particular inter- est to me, including education, youth-related issues, the health system, climate change and, of course, the economy. In fact, the transition to the virtual world allowed me to meet with just as many Canadians as if we hadn’t had a pandemic, if not more, given that geographic limitations stopped being a major obstacle.

You can’t go wrong with lasagna Bolognese, a traditional dish from Emilia-Romagna that includes egg pasta, creamy béchamel and Bolognese sauce.

Perfect for a large dinner with family or friends, it can be conveniently prepared in advance and baked later. Although mozzarella is not included in the original recipe, cheese lovers can add some in for a gooier dish.