I went with David Bryant and a small group of guys : three others to be exact - Chris, Randy and Geoff. We had a blast. We travelled around in a Fiat Hercules van with David our host doing most of the driving. It was pretty insane. We often were the meat in between the buns of the sandwich : i.e. the buns being the other two cars driving in opposite directions. David in his quest to get to our destination as fast as possible would pass the car in front of us and for that split second or two/three the three cars would all be lined up precariously side by side with the chance that something really big could go wrong if anything went wrong. Luckily for us it did not! We survived. We thrived. We told David of our fears and he stopped driving so fast. We saw some great vineyards and met some really special wine owners/ makers.
We landed in Milan and immediately drove to the small town of Bardolino on the southern tip of Lake Garda. We thus began a great week and a half that would take us through Veneto, Friuli, Alto Adige and over to the Oltrepo Pavese area and into the Piemonte. It was great to see both the Barolo and the Barbaresco areas and to stop and meet with all these wonderful winemakers and see where they live and work and their inspirations. We met their families, dined with them, shared both food and wine and bonded. This page blog will be all about those memories and bonds and other Italian inspirations, too. Sit back, relax and enjoy as I unfold this complex tapestry of sights, sounds, tastes and liquid delights - Italian for all our enjoyment, thought and stimulation.
It's bee awhile but both the pictures and souvenirs I have will bring these memories rushing back in fragments and with both highs and lows and everything in between voltage/power and zing! Cheers, TONY
