Having a opportunity to share my life in Italy is one of the best rewards of my job. It happens that from time to time your past life catches up with your present. This is one of the best parts of my new life and work. Having the opportunity to introduce my life in Italy to the people of my past it is a very unique experience and one that I treasure.
This happened with my friend Deb. She was on a cruise with her husband’s family allowing them some time in Italy. She gave me a call nine months before their travel time and asked if I could plan their time in Italy. The answer was of course!
First meeting on a day trip in the Cinque Terra, it was five small villages along the coast fondly called the Italian Rivera. The views are so spectacular with cliffside homes, and the blue blue water. Just one day together was no enough but they had to set sail returning on the cruise. Ciao for now but we will meet again in a few days.
Reuniting after the cruise we re-start the Italian adventure in Florence Italy. Piazza Michelangelo for the birds eye view of the beautiful city of Florence. We walked the streets admiring all the history hitting all the highlights. We see the statue of David at the Piazza Michelangelo as well as the one placed in Piazza della Signoria. But the highlight of the day was to have a professional guided tour of the Accademia Gallery with Suzanne Meyers she gave us the ins and outs of art history as well as a close and personal introduction to the Big Guy Himself “David”. No words can describe the feeling of standing next to David.
We move on to northern Italy and my town Marradi! We spend one day making our way through the gypsum mountains to the family farm of Monte Spada. We learned about essential oils and how each oil is processed. We had lunch prepared by the matriarch of the family Annamaria Spada. It is always a special treat to have a tour of a authentic Italian working family farm. This family has worked together to create a life and love of the land. As Matteo speaks of his farm you can feel the true passion of his labor.
I mentioned I have known Deb for some 10 odd years. We met playing tennis in Sioux Falls South Dakota. So it was natural that we would hit the clay courts here in Italy. The great thing is Deb’s family all play tennis too. I contacted my Italian tennis friends and we had a friendly USA vs. Italy with Italy pulling out the win. It was a great time with the Italians counting in english and the Americans trying there best to count in Italian. It warmed my heart to have my past meet my future in such a fun and enjoyable way.
Recovering from the tennis match we made our way through the valley into Emilia-Romagna and the town of Brisighella Italy. Our first stop was at the local coop store where wine is sold by local growers using a gas pump. Stan did a nice job of pumping his wine! Wine in tow we make our way above the city. Taking time to look back on the valley and see the art work made by the terracotta rooftops of the town. Passing by the army fortress as well as the famous medieval clock tower. Taking time for photo opportunities that make memories for a lifetime.
As I look back at the photos I can only smile at all the laughs and memories. The video below will give you an idea of the wonderful Italian adventure we had together. But no photo can explain the heartfelt feeling of reconnecting with my past.
Thank you, Deb, Paul, Stan, Deb, Alex, and Caitlyn
With a rub of the pigs nose in Florence as the tradition goes you will be back! Looking forward to the next visit! Maybe this time we win the tennis match!
