Italy, an Affair to Remember

One of my favorite journeys was to Italy, late Spring 2005.  I could say so much about my trip there, but in this case I am going to be less verbose.
I will say this, if I could be there right now, I certainly would be.   Venice was a tough nut to break, the locals kept much to themselves,
the food was the least tantalizing of the whole 14 days, the shopping not so great compared to the Tuscan towns.  But the alleys were AMAZING
to get lost in, the “island” alive with stories for sure.

Tuscany is very similar to Southern California in many ways with it’s weather and seasons mimicking ours, but with mountain top ancient cities
peppered across the landscape.  In the country side very few people spoke good English, yet their passionate conversations had me smiling daily.
The men would stand up and wave their arms, who knows what they were discussing, yelling and leaning into the other mens’ faces.  Or often Iobserved games or cards being played, the women no where to be found after about 7pm.  But the shopping in Tuscany was AMAZING!  I spent
most of my shopping budget on shoes in Florence, do-dads in the smaller towns like Cortona, Montepulciano and Siena, and my biggest wine budget
at the Avignonesi Vineyard on the Sangiovesi grapes.  Yum!!  I stayed most of the time near Montepulciano in the Nobile Strada, drinking the most
amazing wines to date (next to the Grgich Hills  and other wines in Napa)!  And Tuscany gave the best of itself in food, from olive oils to cheeses and
exotic meats.  🙂

Sadly Rome was a blink!  The traffic was the most insane I’ve ever been in, wanting to cry until I could exit the vehicle.  But walking the city in
2 days was amazing!  You can’t turn your head in Rome without a “ruin” being in front of you, right in the middle of the city, next to hotels, along
every sidewalk.  I could have ventured Rome for another day or 2 for sure.  The craziest revelation about Rome was the AMOUNT OF FERAL
CATS everywhere..all over the ruins.  So crazy.

I will go back to Italy in the next couple of years for sure.  It’s been calling me since I returned home in 2005, drawing me to take a deeper look.
Soon Italy…soon!  But the next time I come to see you I will be roaming your southern regions, along your coast, and focusing more on the beauty
of your people

Italy, in color film

Italy, in black & white