Goodbye Italy

The Italy trip has ended and we are readjusting to “normal” life. We both have three days to decompress, so it is not a painful process–one thing we have learned from international travel is to take some time off after we get home.

It feels good to be home. The forest is alive and flowers are blooming on the mountain. The cats are snuggling and strutting and Fred is squawking. It seems like being away for awhile helps me realize how much I love this house. We were initially sold on the location, the wrap-around deck and the kitchen and its great room extension, which now has a large bookcase, couch and chair for reading. The previous owners had done a marvelous job of remodeling the kitchen and a decent job of remodeling the master bathroom. Our friends Mike and Andy remodeled the living room and put hardwood floors there and in the dining area. We also added some new light fixtures and then had a wall-length wood armoire built in the master bedroom (which previously had no closet).

The trip was a great adventure and came off as flawlessly as can be expected. We love northern Italy, as well as France and Spain. My favorite day on this trip was the day we spent driving around Chianti while we were staying in a very nice hotel/restaurant in the hilltop town of Radda (where we had the best asparagus and risotto of the trip). I always love Florence but we decided that on our next trip we will spend much more time in the country. London was very interesting, mostly because of British history, although I have no great desire to go back. We also enjoyed Venice and Ferrara for their preserved medieval nature. Next time we go to Italy I am thinking we will limit Florence to 2-3 days and not stay right in the heart of town, stay and hike in Cinque Terre, spend more time in Chianti–perhaps staying in Cortona and visiting the mountaintop village wine meccas of Montepulciano and Montalcino, home to Nobile and Brunello. Chianti Classico was wonderful and our tour of the vineyards, especially Montecchio, is something we will never forget. Thanks to Rick for organizing that expedition, and we enjoyed our many conversations and dinners with he and Jackie. Other places I would like to see include Lake Cuomo and the Alba/Asti region of Piedmont, home to other great wines.

I finished my book on the Borgias a couple days before we left Venice. It took me over at some point and was enhanced by our visit to Ferrara. Now I am reading The Pursuit of Glory; The Five Revolutions That Made Modern Europe 1648-1815. It is an immense tome laden with interesting facts and theories, so I am skipping around a bit. At about 700 pages, the book is a bit daunting. But the more history I read, the more I realize how much I don’t know, which is both humbling and exciting. There are many great adventures ahead.