“Europe Through The Back Door” philosophy, as presented by Rick Steves through his “Travels in Europe” TV series and his many books, has taught us how really enjoyable traveling through and meeting the people of Europe can be. So much so that we felt that this twenty-day tour of “The Best of Italy” was like a graduation present for us. This special "present" to ourselves coming after so many years of schooling in the independent style of traveling we had received by watching his television shows and reading his books.
As you leaf through the pages of this scrapbook, we hope that you will have your appetites whetted and be able to feel some of the joy, the rewards, and excitement we felt while on this portion of our "Grand Adventure." Traveling by bus, train, boat and car, along with our new traveling "Buddies", we sought after and found, learned about and enjoyed some of the history, the culture, the beauty, the food and the people of Italy. These are the things that have in the past and still do to this day, make Italy the wonderful and beautiful country it is. Let your mind's eye see what we saw as we describe our travels over the highways, the byways and throughout the countryside of Italy.
Twenty days in Italy, it seems like a long time, but in reality it is such a brief interlude and it slips by so quickly. It is hard to believe so much could be accomplished in that short period of time and yet still feel refreshed and unhurried.
Our group, or rather, our new family, for that is what we felt like after just a few days together, hit all the biggies of Italy: Rome, Venice, Florence, Verona, Siena, Orvieto, Pompeii and Sorrento. And we still had time for the un-touristy Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns, the sun-drenched Italian Riviera villages, the German-influenced hamlets of the Dolomite Mountains, and the slow-paced Lake Como towns.
So join with us now as we relive those fun filled and exciting days that were “The Best of Italy.”
