this marvous fresco, painted by ambrogio lorenzetti, was the first panoramic landscape on this scalen western art. the peasants bringing their produce from the countryside, the merchants going about their business, the elegant ladies of leisure, all are fused into an idealized image of the well-governed city-state. eight years later, the black death devastated siena. it killed the artist lorenzetti and half the population of europe. it was the greatest catastrophe in the modern history of the west. but surprisingly, for some regions, the plague was a springboard for economic growth. [bells ringing] for the survivors, there were new opportunities. florence recovered particularly quickly. by 1400, this was the city-state that dominated central italy. but bankers and textile merchants were expanding their trading empires all over europe. over the next 100 years, an extraordinary interaction took place in florence-- the innovations of artists and architects, the excitement of rediscovering classical achievements, and the patronage of a wealthy commercial class. these key elements brought

when they learn touching, it's like this brand-new, marvous, woerful aphrodisiac. it because theye nedone that. they've ne for the groin only. that's only 1/1oo of the body. thskin is the largest organ in the body. it is filled with thousan and mlions of little nee endings that secrete endorphins and enkephalins, ich have been called thhainess hormones. it was becoming aware of each other sexuly touching your face one at aime, your ears, just gently caressing each other separately without any pe of intercourse. and even if you had a desire, you weren't supposed to go through with it. she said, "you have plenty of time. don't worry. we'll get there. don't rush it." it was something to look forward to. it was our time. once you learn how to correct that, at that point, everything seems to fall into place. the relationship got better. the attitudes got better. we got together, which was a big thing because i had been totally shut out, and it made a big difference. i love her very much. sometimes i get frustrated, but i look at it in a different way. it's ok now, where