Bella Italia!

I'm here in my "other home", Italy.  Needless to say, if you could see me, you would see a big smile on my face and a lightness about me.  I am always thrilled to be here, but this time it seems like an extra special vacation to me because of the heaviness of this last year.  

I wanted to get a proper post up about all that I will be doing these next few weeks here, but alas, packing too much at the last minute got in the way.   When I return, I will post lots of stories and pictures.

At the moment, I am in lovely Cortona at my friend Patrizia's house, at the moment, hiding from the rain.  Briefly, I am having fun visiting friends in Umbria and Tuscany and will end up in Florence on Monday where I will be meeting up with the participants of my Tuscan wine and food tour.  The twelve of us will be spending six days touring top wineries in Chianti, Montalcino and Montepulciano.  We'll also take in the sights of Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Volterra.  We're going to get to know Tuscany through its food and wine traditions.

After my tour, I will take five days to explore areas of western Tuscany and the Maremma that I have not yet seen.  

I'll share all the details with you when I return!