Merry Christmas...Buon Natale!!!

Merry Christmas to all my family and friends, everywhere! Let the true meaning of Christmas fill your soul this year. God bless all of you!!!

Back to Rome!!!

I still believe Rome is the greatest city in the world! Today it is not the Roman Empire as it was two thousand years ago but you still feel the presence of "ancient Rome”. I have been here many times but I am still amazed every time I see the Vatican, Colosseum, or any of the Roman ruins. If I could recommend a city to visit sometime in your life it would be here in Rome, the Emerald city, or as the Romans thought, “The Light of the World”. Please enjoy some of the pictures below. Ci vediamo presto!

Vienna, Austria

People here in Vienna have no problem celebrating Christmas! There are lights and markets everywhere but the real secret is in the hotdogs, apple cider, and of course, Mozart!

"I'll be Back!!!"

Love this Guy!

Greece...Outside of Athens!!!

Mariella and I left Athens 4 days before we planned and looking back we are very glad we did! There is so much history in Greece you could spend 3 months there and not see all of it. I am going to post some pictures of our travel through the countryside. Our first stop was at Ancient Corinth where Saint Paul wrote first and second Corinthians in the Bible. We also visited the Ancient sites of Mycenae, Tyrens, Epidavros, Olympia, and Delphi. If you do not know Delphi was considered the center of the world for centuries and was the spot where the famous oracle of Delphi resided.

I will not go into a lot of detail about all the sites here on the blog but we both learned a lot more about the mythology and history of ancient Greece. Enjoy!


Delphi:


Epidavros:


Mycenae:


Corinth:

Grazie Mille!

I wanted to send a message of "thanks" to everyone who has tried to call or leave messages for me. It has been difficult for me to respond to messages either because of no internet or the big difference in the time zones (I am sure a call at 3AM is not what you want?!?). Anyway, Mariella and me have left Greece and are now in Vienna, Austria. It is much colder here but the Christmas decorations are beautiful! I have internet here and I will try to add some updates from Greece when I can. I am very excited to see all of you again. Take care!

Leaving Athens, Greece?!?

Mariella and I arrived here in Athens early Monday and went out to see part of the city. The weather was beautiful and the sites from a distance were amazing but there are a lot of problems here right now. There have been many problems with the government and the people but the weekend before we arrived a 15 year old was killed by police and now we have riots. Things are getting worse so we are leaving tomorrow with a rental car and going inland. We had planned to go into mainland Greece for 2 days and now we will have 5 days to explore so maybe it will be better in the end?!? If nothing else it has been a new and very different experience for both of us.

I am going to post one of our pictures from our 2 days here in Athens because the city has so much history and the archeological sites are really beautiful.

Dinning Paris Style!

If you do not know already, Dinning in Paris is the most elegant in the world. Dinner starts between 8-9PM and can easily go for 3-4 hours depending on the meal. The food and service are second to none and they take extreme pride in both! Enjoy these few pictures of Mariella and me enjoying our dinning experience together at one of Paris’s best restaurants.

Saint Eustache, Paris!

Paris is one of my favorite cities of the world. It has special importance to me because my Mom's side of the family started here many years ago before coming to Canada and then on to America. The pictures here are of Saint Eustache church where the family attended when they lived in Paris!

Pictures from Rome!!!

Here are some of the pictures from my birthday in Rome!

SPQR!!!

Getting Older but Still Having Fun!!!

Today is December 2 and I am in Rome!!! Actually I had the chance to celebrate my birthday in Rome with Mariella yesterday. The weather was good until late afternoon so we were able to see all of my favorite sites in my favorite city. I have tried to post some pictures to the blog but I am getting error messages so I will try again later today or tomorrow. I want to thank all of you who sent messages wishing me a "Happy Birthday". The only thing that could be better is having all of you here with me in Rome! Take care everyone and look for more posts and pictures soon. Ciao tutti!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know today is the day after Thanksgiving but this was my first chance to get online. I wanted to send my warmest and best wishes to everyone for the Thanksgiving weekend! I am thankful for all of you in my life! More later...

Quick Update!!!

Just a quick blog message to let everyone know I am alive and well! Actually since leaving Mariella's house I have not had the internet and will not have it again until we arrive in Rome on December 1. I have not been able to update my blog, check Skype or really do anything if it involved technology. I will post several blog posts once I am in Rome and have a little more time to fill you in on everything I have seen and learned.

I hope everyone is well and has a great Thanksgiving holiday this week!!! Please have some turkey for me because I probably will be eating pasta or pizza!

I have arrived...Again!

I am back in Cuceglio, Italy and it is now Day 5 since arriving on Tuesday. I am finally starting to get adjusted to the big time difference and the slower pace of everything. No cell phone this time just my cameras, a few clothes and my wine journal!

Next Sunday, November 9th, Mariella and I will be leaving the Piemonte region for Tuscany. I have not been anywhere in Toscana for 4 years so I am very excited to get back there. I promise to update the blog at every new region we visit with stories and pictures. Many thanks to everyone checking the blog! Someday I hope to be able to share all these upcoming experiences with each of you!

More later and ci vediamo presto!

The Summer Months (June-September)

I think the last time I added a post to my blog was the end of May and I was getting ready to leave Italy for Michigan. It is now the middle of October and I am getting ready to return to Italy again to finish my year there. It has really been a great year and also a year of many changes in my life, good changes!

The most important change this year is my status from being available to unavailable. Mariella and I have been able to spend time together everyday since April with the exception of 7 weeks this summer. She actually just left Michigan to return to Italy yesterday, October 13th. She arrived here on July 23rd and we have: travelled, golfed, flew 49M, attended many wine tastings, visited the Lake Michigan beaches, drove the convertible, and most importantly, spent time with family and friends!

The year really has gone so fast but the best might be yet to come. We have many places to visit on my return to Italy and before I return home I will also visit Paris, Greece and Vienna too! Please continue to check my blog from time to time as I will be updating it as we move from place to place and experience to experience. I hope all of you have had as good of a year and some day can share these experiences with me! More in a couple of weeks!

Ciao tutti!!!

Final Thoughts...

This trip has been a great experience for me! I have learned that Italy is very different in many ways to America but it also has many similarities too. Many things here are just plain better but they have a lot of the same issues and problems we face back home. It is helped me appreciate America more and all the things I took for granted. Will there be things I will miss…absolutely YES!!! Actually too many to talk about on this blog!!! I am ready to get home and see all of you, my family and my friends! I know this will be a great summer. I will be in Battle Creek for the summer at my parent’s house while I decide what to do next with my life…or at least when I grow up!!! All my contact information is the same so please drop me a line, stop by or send me an e-mail when you have the chance. Again, I look forward to seeing all of you soon. Best wishes e buona fortuna!!!

Valpolicella!

I was in the Valpolicella area in April to visit Verona, Lake Garda, and go to VinItaly. I the trip back from Venice Mariella and I stopped and spent the day tasting wines and touring the beautiful country side. This area of Italy is one of the most beautiful I have seen if all my travels here. It is similar in many ways to Tuscany but I feel the landscape is every more beautiful. Enjoy the pictures!

Corte Fornello!

The Corte Fornello winery is owned and operated by Ivano and Nereo Venturelli. The business has been in Ivano's family for over 4 generations. There are 20 hectares of land producing many different varietals of wine, passito and grappa. The wine making process has been passed from father to son for 5 generations here and when Ivano has retired his son David will take his place in the family business. Mariella and I spent an evening tour the facilities and talking with Ivano and his family about importing wines to Michigan. They are very interested and have never sent any wines to America! I will keep you all posted as this story continues to develop!

Venice, Italy

Venice, Italy in May is very nice and full of tourists! Mariella and I spent 2 days there this past weekend and had a wonderful time. Very beautiful and very romantic...but very expensive too!!! Everyone should come here at least once to see it because there really is no place like it in the world. I will be coming home on Monday and it is hard to believe that 90 days have passed but this last mini vacation here in Italy with her was really great!!! See you all soon!

Too funny to miss...

I had to put these two pictures of Gretchen on the blog for everyone to see. The first picture was at a late night techno gelateria (ice cream shop) that my friend Jovi took us too. The second picture is at the world famous Egyptian museum. The real question you must ask is, “Are we every going to grow up?” Man I hope not!!!

Barolo? no...Nebbiolo!

Nebbiolo has to be one of my favorite grapes. In Pedimote, Nebbiolo wines are everywhere and they are very inexpensive. For those who do not know, Barolo, "the king of Italian wines" is made with 100% Nebbiolo grapes. At home we can buy Barolo easily but be ready to pay at least $75 minimum when you are out. Here you can get Barolo for half the price but what is better are the countless bottles of "Nebbiolo" you can find for a song! I will miss the selection of local Pidmonte wines they have on every corner once I am home. I am excited to get home and have some California and Argentina wines but I will miss my Nebbiolo! A presto tutti!!!

Cinque Terre

I know many of the last few blog additions have had some really nice pictures but I must say Cinque Terre is truly unique. The Sea and the Mountains!!! Usually you get one or the other but not both. These pictures were taken last Friday afternoon in Monterossa, Cinque Terre. Mariella and I went down there before heading to a Castle Bed and Breakfast in northern Tuscany. Che Bello!!! Ci vediamo a presto tutti...solomente 2 settimani pui! Ciao Ciao...

Grazie Mille

I want to send a message to everyone looking at my blog and say Hello! I hope all of you are doing well and I am very excited to see all of you again once I return home. This trip has been a great experience for me and it is really strange that in 3 weeks I will be coming home. At least home for the summer but I am really excited about getting together for wine, dinners and conversation. I can not wait to get out and play some golf and have a cigar with my “boys”! I am also very ready to fly and spend a little time on the beaches of Lake Michigan! Many of you have sent e-mails and let messages on Skype; I appreciate this more than you know. It is always nice to hear from friends. I am sorry that many times I am not at my computer but I want all of you to know how much your calls and messages have meant to me…Thank you!!! I will try to continue to update my blog over the last 3 weeks so keep checking it and once I get home we can talk over the details. I hope all of you have the chance to come over here sometime…it is more than just a vacation! More later but take care…Tutti!!!

Francia to Italia...

These are the pictures from our drive back to Italy for southeast France. There is a main highway that goes directly into Italy but this was our other option. As I said before, I have never been on a road exactly like this before...and I have been on some very beautiful drives and I would say this is at the top if not the top of the list! The only picture I will explain is the last one. All I can say is when in France or Italy wine is like breathing. It is just part of the experience!!!

Rhone Valley, France

The Rhone Valley in France is famous for its wines. There are the southern and northern appellations. The southern has the popular Chateauneuf-du-Pope wines but in the northern appellation there is a small area that produces the best wines in the Rhone Valley. The area is called, Hermitage and it dates back to the Roman era. As I said it is very small, only 104 hectares but the wines are incredible. The red grapes in the northern appellation are all “Syrah” so they are full bodied wines with excellent balance, lots of fruit and a very smooth finish…WOW! If you have not already, please go and taste for yourself…you will not be disappointed!