Prato

So we do have a couple of Grand Contests coming up here soon.

The next one is going to be taking place in Prato, Italy, September 26th and 27th, followed by another one in London on October 3rd.

All right, so now that we've kind of caught up a little bit on these Grand Contest events and wished our champions congratulations, I do want to turn things back a little bit and focus back on this Gen Con event because at Gen Con, we did see another special little something happen.

And this was the release of these new Grey Wolf promos, which premiered at the Gen Con event.

On October 4, 1260, was fought the Battle of Montaperti, sometimes called the Battle of the Arbia, the first great shock of arms between Guelphs and Ghibellines.

On the Florentine side were collected soldiers from all the Guelph cities, Pistoia, Prato, San Miniato, San Gemignano, and Colle di Valdelsa.

This party was superior in numbers to their enemies, but they were surprised and surrounded by the Germans of Manfred and the Ghibelline exiles whom they had expelled.

The hand which bore the standard of Florence was cleft in two by the sword of a traitor.

The source of her noble families was dried at its fountainhead.

The towns of Tuscany seized the opportunity to complete her destruction.

Florence, Lucca, Siena, Pistoia, Prato, Volterra, San Gimignano, and Cole signed an alliance with Genoa for the destruction of their common enemy.

This calamity was averted by the diplomatic skill of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, who by persuasion and bribery sowed dissension amongst the members of the league.

But the Pope having returned to Florence, they interceded with him in the Count's behalf.

Difficulties arising, the Patriarch attacked the Casentino, took Prato Vecchio and Romena, and offered them also to the Florentines, who refused them likewise, unless the Pope would consent they should restore them to the Count, to which, after much hesitation, he acceded, on condition that the Florentines should prevail with the Count de Poppi to restore the Borgo to him.

The Pope was thus satisfied, and the Florentines, having so far completed the building of their cathedral church of Santa Reparata, which had been commenced long ago, as to enable them to perform divine service in it, requested his holiness to consecrate it.

To this the Pontiff willingly agreed, and the Florentines, to exhibit the wealth of the city and the splendor of the edifice, and do greater honor to the Pope, erected a platform from Santa Maria Novella, where he resided, to the cathedral he was about to consecrate, six feet in height and twelve feet wide, covered with rich drapery for the accommodation of the Pontiff and his court, upon which they proceeded to the building, accompanied by those civic magistrates and other officers who were appointed to take part in the procession.

But as it was brought to the conclusion desired by the legate, peace was restored.

While the affair of the Borgo San Sepolcro was in progress, Niccolo Piccinino was supposed to have marched toward Rome, other accounts said Lamarca, and hence the legate and the Count's forces moved towards Perugia to relieve Lamarca or Rome, as the case might be, and Bernardo de Medici accompanied them.

Neri led the Florentine forces to recover the Casentino and pitched his camp before Rasina, which he took, together with Bibbiena, Prato Vecchio, and Romena.

From thence he proceeded to Poppi and invested it on two sides with his forces.

What are they?

This is cantuccini from Prato, my hometown.

Oh, my goodness.

And what is that? It's made with almond.

Hello and welcome to TopMedTalk.

My name is Mike Grocott and I'm a co-editor-in-chief here at TopMedTalk and we are here in Prato, Italy.

Absolutely gorgeous venue and I'm here with two fantastic guests I'll introduce in a moment and with our new co-host...

Hello Mark Priestley, hello Mark, how are you? Buongiorno Mark, I am thrilled to be here.

And you've given us a bit of a clue as to where we are.

So we're in Italy, in Prato, Italy, which is a delightful, slightly smaller town near to Florence, at the eighth version of this meeting, which is the Biennale Collaborative Clinical Trials in Anesthesia meeting led by Paul Miles, he's led it since the very beginning, with a very honourable mention to Sophie Wallace who does most of the work, if we're honest.

Correct.

So Mark, how's the meeting going?