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Beautiful Countryside-Italy and Switzerland  
 
We were on the road by 11:00AM, crossing the German and 
Austrian border at Noon and the Austrian Italian border 
thirty minutes later.  After crossing the Brenner Pass,
we sped down to Verona where the group split up.  Two cars 
went directly to Venice and the seven other cars headed for 
the spa town of Abano Terme, just outside Padua.

Thursday  Day 6:  Abano Terme was our less expensive 
alternative to a pricey Venice.  The Hotel La Residence 
was old world Italian with an extensive spa and several 
warm water mineral pools.  We took advantage of the mineral 
baths, aroma therapy, massage, and mud baths.  We went for 
dinner in Venice but it was always a challenge to find our 
way back to Abano because it is so far off the beaten track.

Friday Day 7:  We spent the whole day site seeing in Venice 
with our evening meal at a restaurant along the Grand Canal.  
Venice, for all her crowds and commercialism is still a city 
that never fails to charm first time and repeat visitors.

Saturday Day 8:  We drove to my personal heaven, Radda In Chianti, 
and our hotel, Fattoria Vignale, where our host Sylvia held an 
informal party to greet the group from Hawaii.  The staff there 
has always treated us like family, arranging wine tours, making
reservations at favorite dining spots, and helping us get around 
the area with ease.  After the long days’ drive we walked to the 
local pizzeria for our first Tuscan meal.

Sunday Day 9:  We had a casual breakfast on the terrace overlooking 
the olive grove and took a short drive to the town of San Gimignano, 
the famous tower city.  Besides the ancient towers, the town is known 
for it’s boar salami and it’s world famous gelateria (ice cream shop).

Monday Day 10:  We took a drive to Siena to spend the day in this
historic town.  The Cathedral in Siena, with it's black and dark green
marble, inlay floor murals and statuary, rivals the Duomo in Florence.
We were too early for the annual pageant and horse race, The Palio, 
which is held on July 2, but we got a chance to see the film recently 
made from the previous races.  We headed back to the neighboring town 
of Castellina in Chianti for a unique dining treat, the restaurant, 
Al Gallopapa.  We got not only a fantastic meal, but were entertained 
by the owner and chef, Tiziano, and his second in command, Fabio.  
This was a five hour meal that was not only delicious but also fun.
They recently earned a coveted Michlin *.

Three views of Restaurant Al Gallopapa
            

Tuesday Day 11:  We took two wine tours. The morning was spent at the
extensive and picturesque fields of Castel D’Albola.  In the afternoon
we had lunch and toured my favorite vineyard, Badia a Coltibuono.
Coltibuono is the home of Lorenza Di Medici, a direct descendant of 
the Medici who ruled Florence during the Renaissance.  She has a 
famous cooking school on this property. They are most noted for the 
wines they produce which are among the best of the Chianti Classico

vintages. We were especially impressed with the good food and ambience.

Five views of Badia A Coltibuono
                        

Wednesday 12:  This was our day to tour Florence with the Uffizi Gallery
as our main objective.  Florence is an art lovers paradise.  Besides the
Uffizi, there is also the Galleria dell'Accademia which houses the Statue
of David.


Cross the Arno River at the Ponte Vecchio and you have the
Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens.  Every square in

Florence seems to have a major statue, church, or palace.


Thursday Day 13:  A shop till you drop day at the Gucci, Prada, and Fendi
outlets.  The girls somehow managed to spend eight hours finding bargains
at these famous stores.

We had our farewell dinner this evening because we were losing half the
group on Friday. We had a car southbound for the Amalfi Coast and cars 
northbound to the Cinque Terre, Switzerland, and Austria.  We always 
end our stay in Tuscany with a traditional meal at Le Vigne, 
dining out in the vineyard. 

Four views of Restaurant La Vigne
                  

Friday Day 14:  For those of us spending the extra day in Tuscany, this
was a day of rest by the pool at our hotel.  We did manage a visit to the
nearby Rampini ceramic factory, and a short trip to our favorite leather
store, Cappelletti, in the town of Castellina.

Saturday Day 15:  This was a long drive for the remaining three BMW’s.
We made the seven hour trek through the Italian Alps to the Engadina
Valley of Switzerland.  We stayed in the charming Swiss village of Scuol.
We will definitely make this a destination for future trips.  The village
sits in a valley next to the Inn River and is flanked by picturesque
green hillsides and snowcapped alpine peaks.

Three views of Scuol

            

      The Village    Our hotel    View From The Spa

Sunday Day 16:  We enjoyed the sites in and around Scuol and spent the
afternoon at the spa, our reward for an activity filled vacation and
some challenging driving.

Monday Day 17:  We head for home or other destinations in Europe.  
Always on these tours there are interesting connections and friendships
made. This was a varied group of people and one of the largest I have ever
tried to manage. It turned out to be a great group and the pace was casual
enough to allow the opportunity for great friendships to be forged. For
this I am grateful...as it is part of my life’s mission...to facilitate 
in putting wonderful people together in great places. When I can sit at 
a long dinner table with what were formerly strangers and see the
connections made, the intimate sharing that takes place commingled with
much laughter....it makes me a very happy man. That is why I am grateful
for the opportunity to do this year after year.