Final Thoughts on Italy

Our week in Italy was everything we planned and expected, and more.  We were blessed to have friends in Italy who helped us and entertained us during our week. Our Italian neighbors from Houston who were back in Italy for vacation arranged a fabulous winery tour and tasting, and then a wonderful afternoon BBQ with their friends in Marone on Lake Iseo.  How often could we be so fortunate to enjoy an Italian dinner in an Italian home at a table filled with Italian friends we have made over the past year. And thanks also to Paolo, our neighbor, for excellent recommendations for our day trips.

Then we also were helped and blessed by U.S. friends living in Vicenza who gave us a personal tour of their town, plus fed us, then met us later in the week to tour Desenzano and have dinner there.  They also added to the advice for our day trips and enhanced our time in Italy.  Thanks to Andrew and Silvia for their hospitality.

Finally, Italy this trip for us was about the small towns and villages, the back roads and the countryside, the non-tourist areas and how the regular Italians live and work.  Our strategy worked out better than we could have expected and our experiences were local and genuine.  Of all the individual day trips, however, Valdobbiadene was the biggest surprise and most memorable. We had no idea that was wine country nor that it would be so beautiful. We will definitely return there one day.