ATLANTA FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL 2014

US Journal

Friday, May 30, 2014

Atlanta Food and Wine Festival

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More than 800 participants attended the educational part of this first day of the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival at the Lowe’s Atlanta Hotel on 11^th Street in Atlanta, GA. They enjoyed the Lexicon of Sustainability Pop Up Show, which was displayed throughout the lobby of the Conference floor at the Lowe’s.

When asked which image he remembered the most, one farmer replied, “The one about Farmer Rick’s neighbor not growing things in his garden all year round touched my heart. Why would he do that?”

I was the docent for the Pop Up Show that day, and I met all sorts of wonderful people. Most of them wanted to collaborate with Slow Food Atlanta in some way! That will be great!

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Other docents came to be in charge of the Pop Up Show Saturday, so Peter and I enjoyed 3 of the classes. I went to one about Chocolate that was intriguing and very tasty! Then, Peter and I both attended one about the Ark of Taste (endangered plants) where our friend on the Slow Food Board Chef Asha Gomez cooked and spoke. The last one for me was about Foraging Two Ways, with another Slow Food Board friend, Chef Steven Satterfield. I’d love to know all he knows about foraging!

Peter’s going back to the AFWF tomorrow, and Monica is to be the docent. I’ll look forward to hearing about their day.

Colleen

Congratulations, Terra Madre Delegates!

Us Journal

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Congratulation, Terra Madre Delegates!

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We decided that the newly chosen Terra Madre delegates might enjoy getting to know each other; and we definitely wanted Monica, who was chosen as a delegate from Furman University, to get to know the Atlanta delegates. We had a dinner in their honor, and it was such a great time!

Peter and Monica worked together to make the meal, which turned out marvelous, as usual. Two of the delegates who attended, Jamila and Ceci, were farmers. One, Jennifer, was a chef. Hilary is getting her doctorate at Emory and doing her research in Mexico, and of course Monica is a Junior at Furman University and has started a Slow Food chapter on campus this past year. Our friend Robert came, too, since he wrote letters of recommendation for some of the chosen delegates. Robert is also a past delegate, and he shared lots of good information to all of the newbies. They really enjoyed hearing all about what would happen at Terra Madre.

All of them had beautiful stories to tell, and I’m already getting excited about seeing them at the Terra Madre Festival in Turin, Italy, in October! They have also agreed to attend our Terra Madre Day Dinner on December 10^th to share stories about their adventure.

I can hardly wait to hear all about it. We’re proud of all of you!

Colleen

LEXICON AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF ATLANTA-DECATUR

US Journal

Thursday, May 22, 2014

LEXICON AT THE ART INSTITUTE OF ATLANTA-DECATUR

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The reception for Slow Food Atlanta’s Lexicon of Sustainability Pop Up Show at the Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur on W. Ponce de Leon St. in Decatur, Ga., was fantastic! It was full of quotable quotes!

“Exceptional! These prints are saying what we all should be saying!’

“I like this one best! Nobody ever talks about this, and now the Lexicon has given us the language to do that.”

“I’ve looked everywhere for the one that has a recipe on it…oh, there it is… written all around the border!”

“These are fantastic! Is it ok if I ask my son’s school if they would like to share your Pop Up Show with their students?”

We never cease to get a positive response from curating this Pop Up Show!

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Thanks, Sharon and Peter, for hosting this beautiful reception! We appreciate all the dry mounting and collaboration the AIA-D has shown us!

Grazie mille,

Colleen

Day 11 Bra: Mensa/Pirates/Lisa's Birthday

Italy Journal

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Day 11 Bra:

Mensa at the University

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We met Sara Silvestri to take her to the Mensa at the University to have lunch with Francesco! We ran into a few people we knew there and were amazed at how many people we saw that we did not kow. Of course, the University has changed a lot! We saw out in the portoco on our way in many easels lined up and ready for the Lexicon of Sustainability Pop Up Show! Later I went to a meeting with Elise at the Slow Food International office, and she was so enthused about the work we are doing with the Lexicon. She said it fit the mission of Slow Food to a T!

Lunch also included a surprise visit with Valeria, whom we have been trying to see, without much success. We enjoyed a short visit with her at lunch, and we planned to meet again when we return in September. Paolo was also there, and he helped with suggestions of people he should talk with about his tours.It was good to see him. In addition, notice that I raised Francesco right! I found him busing the table and cleaning up! Great job,Francesco. I’m very proud of you!

Another surprise meeting at the University dining hall was with Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food! He greeted us enthusiastically. In my broken Italian, I reminded him of how much fun we had at his Christmas dinner when we were here for the year…wonderful food, lots of great songs. He looked mischievously at me and said in English, “And I sang very beautifully!” He is famous for not ever speaking in English, but he’s also famous for joking around. We all laughed together! It was a special time.

Aperitivo with the Pirates

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Our Italian friend and tutor Sara invited us back to Antica Magnolia to have aperitivo with the pirates! Both Leo and Lucia were dressed up and had swords ready to slay any leg that got in the way. Nonna Renata joined in the fun. That was also a special time with special friends. See you all in September!

Lisa’s Birthday Dinner at Alfieri

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Ending this busy day with a birthday celebration for Lisa at Alfieri Restaurant was perfect! We all looked around when all of the lights went out, and we said, “ Ah, only in Bra!” Then Anna came out with an incredibly delicious chocolate cake with raspberries in it. Lisa was surprised, and everyone in the restaurant joined in singing Happy Birthday in English! Then, we heard the happy birthday song played on the intercom! We hope you have many more happy birthdays, Lisa!

Love to all, Colleen

Day 10 Bra: Lisa/Mara

Italy Journal

Monday, May 12, 2014

Day 10 Bra:

Walk with Lisa

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Lisa took a break from her work and I took a break from my play today, and we went on my favorite walk over the hill, then back over the hill and around back to Bra. We passed her sister Arabella’s house, where Emily greeted us with ferocious barking, but we both knew she was tame. We found a friend of Lisa’s, who has the same birthday as she, May 15^th! We passed a lovely B&B, but it’s probably too far out of town to take Peter’s tour groups there. We also passed a honey producer, and Lisa called Enzo and Peter to recommend that place as perfect for the tour group. My friend Mara passed us in her car and stopped to say hello on her way to a massage. I’ll see her tonight for supper. We avoided my favorite gelato shop on the way back and felt very proud of ourselves because of that! Thanks, Lisa, I thoroughly enjoyed our walk together!

Dine with Mara

We wanted pizza, but the new pizza place was closed because it was Monday, so Mara and I went to her favorite pizza place where the chef is from Naples. The gorgonzola/ham pizza was outstanding, and we so enjoyed our supper together. Thank you for a lovely evening, Mara, and for being such a good friend! See you in September!

Colleen

Day 9 Bra: Sunday Supper on Mother's Day

Italy Journal

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Day 9 Bra: Sunday Supper on Mother’s Day

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How many friends does it take to extend a table?

The table in our house in Bra looked like it could extend! I tried. Peter tried. We finally decided it was an Italian table, so only Italians could figure this out. ENZO TO THE RESCUE! When Enzo and Lisa arrived for Sunday Supper, his little eyes twinkled when Peter told him that he was the only one that could possibly figure out how to extend this table. They got under the table. They looked all around, and finally, ENZO TO THE RESCUE! He grabbed the metal frame of the table and pulled it hard…out it came to add 18 inches on each end! Wow! Enzo, look at Lisa cheering your success! Of course, at the end of the meal, Enzo INSISTED that he should be the one to put the table back to it’s original size, too. What a guy! Thank you so much!

Francesco has finally returned from his stage, and he and his girlfriend Sarah joined all of us for Sunday Supper, along with Elisabeth. We had such a wonderful time remembering our year in Bra together and laughing about everything under the sun. I wished for Arne to be there to document the evening on video! Thank you all for a terrific time together!

Colleen

Day 8 Bra: Cravero Cheese

Italy Journal

Saturday, May 10, 20014

What a treat! Enzo invited me to go with him to teach his Saturday high school English class today! After teaching an English class at the local high school for an hour, I wasn’t exactly wishing I wasn’t retired, but just missing the contact with students. It was a fun time, and I talked about our time in Bra and also living in the US. We encouraged the students to ask questions, too, and to talk about their experiences. Thanks for the fun, Enzo!

Day 8 Bra: Cravero Cheese

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Afterwards, I met Peter at Bar Chiavassa for our irresistible lunch salad, and Marco remembered that I liked pani integrali the best…whole grain bread… so, the lunch was perfect. Then, we met Lisa and Enzo again and walked to a very interesting cheese factory. The Cravero family has been perfecting cheese there for almost 200 years. As you can see, they have rows and rows of wheels of cheese that they turn every two weeks. And that location is only one of 2 with that many cheese wheels! Wow! It was a delightful time, and we learned so very much about cheese. We’re looking forward to taking Peter’s tour groups there for a Cheese Day tour and tasting! Won’t that be fun?!

Lisa and I enjoyed a long walk to The Big Store after our visit to Craveros’.  Peter had picked up his laundry, but one shirt was missing. Lisa helped to translate the situation to the woman at the laundry, and after lots of searching, she finally found Peter’s lost shirt. She was very embarrassed that she had insisted that the shirt was gone for good…so sorry! Anyway, we were glad to find Peter’s shirt, and he was very pleased about it, too.

Enzo’s Torcette

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Our evening meal all together included the wonderful items that you see in the pictures. I could almost eat my weight in that twisted meat pastry, called tocette that I always dip in that wonderful sauce that Enzo now calls “Colleen’s sauce!” We ate again in their gazebo, and the setting sun on the Alps was our entertainment. It was a marvelous time with fantastic friends. Grazie mille, Lisa and Enzo.

Ciao!

Colleen

Day 7 Bra: Business in Cherasco

Italy Journal

Friday, May 9, 2014

Day 7 Bra: Business in Cherasco

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What a good day to do some tasty research for Peter’s new Piedmont gastronomic  tour business! We stayed in lovely Cherasco (only 6 km from Bra) the entire  morning, and by the end we had visited with our Italian tutor friend Sara and her mother at Renata’s new B&B Antica Magnolia in the middle of Cherasco, spent some valuable time with Mauro Riccardi the passionate producer of very fine chocolates and dropped in on the family at our favorite La Torre Restaurant to get information about bringing the tour groups there for meals. It was a very productive and enjoyable day!

Antica Magnolia has a 2^nd story veranda that overlooks the main street of the small town of Cherasco on the front and the ancient magnolia on the back. Sharing coffee and Salumi di Papa (the chocolate nutty log of goodness in the shape of a salome that the pope at the time really loved!), Renata and Sara spewed valuable suggestions about producers nearby that Peter might want to visit in preparation for his tours. The B&B has only been open a month, but Renata is running it with the Italian grace, welcoming nature and attention to every person’s needs that is well-known in Italian mothers. They had an interview with one of the new professors at the University of Gastronomic Sciences after we left, and I’m sure the professor found it the perfect place to call home while he is in that area. Thank you so much, Renata and Sara, for sharing your vast information and welcoming us for a visit at Antica Magnolia! What a beautiful B&B!

Mauro Riccardi is a fabulous, knowledgeable chocolate maker. We knew him when we lived in Bra, and Peter had already decided that Mauro’s chocolate shop would be the perfect place to learn about chocolates, with delectable tastings while we’re there. We’re looking forward to taking Enzo with us on those Chocolate Days, since Mauro prefers to speak Italian. We’re looking forward to introducing our tour friends to you, Mauro. Grazie mille!

Mauro went with us to La Torre to arrange meals for the groups. I have taken many guests to La Torre, and we are always pleased with the food and staff.

We ended our wonderful day of tour research at Gagliardo’s Vineyard in Barolo. Son Paolo gave us a masterful tour of the facility and beautiful view of the surrounding vineyards. It was lovely! We’ll see you in September, Paolo! Thank you,

You’ll see other random pictures. Enzo, you’ll notice that one is just for Greta! Sara, do you recognize the artist’s floor picture you told us about? Fascinating!

Ciao!

Colleen

Day 6 Bra: Noli/Maria/Alfieri

Italy Journal

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Day 6 Bra: Noli Beach/Maria/Alfieri

With Sara to Noli.

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Sara liked my idea of driving to Noli for the day today. It is right beside the Mediterranean, and it has a wonderful restaurant that we love called da Ines. Silvio, the son of the owner, greeted me like a life long friend; and he waited on us with great care. Sara and I shared a delicious pasta fish dish and a dish of polpo…tiny little octopuses covered in tomato sauce! Amazingly, I really enjoyed the whole meal! Sara said she felt like she was on vacation today, going away from home with a friend to the seaside, without her little children to care for and having a carefree lunch on the veranda. Thanks for taking me to Noli today, Sara. You were such a great driver and companion for our getaway at the ocean!

Add Maria to the Tours

When I arrived back home, I learned from Peter that he had met a friend of Julie Shaffer’s for coffee today. Maria does tours in this area, and she has been associated with the University. Peter hopes that he can collaborate with her on the Slow Food module of his Travel, Taste and Learn tours in the fall. She is very knowledgeable of the University’s Banca de Vino, as well as the whole property, at the University, and the Slow Food office and store in Bra. I’m looking forward to meeting her.

Gregoire’s Alfieri Restaurant

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Peter had made plans to go to another student Gregoire’s new restaurant Alfieri for supper. These pictures tell it all. What a wonderful job of making a delicious,, welcoming meal, Gregoire! We loved our time with you.  Bravo!

Colleen

Day 5 Bra: SARA/ENZO

Italy Journal

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Day 5 Bra: Sara

I was so pleased to get in a visit with our friend Sara today. We walked all over town, talking about everything under the sun. The big news from her was that she has opened a B&B in Cherasco, just 6 km from Bra! It’s in her family’s home, and her mother will take care of the visitors when they come.  The building is an ancient one, with a Jewish museum in the attic. Sounds like an interesting place. Peter and I are going there to see it on Friday, when we are going with Sara to visit our favorite chocolate maker, Mauro Riccardi! That should be lots of fun.

In the mean time, Sara and I have concocted plans to take off for a day at the seaside tomorrow. I have already made reservations for lunch at Da Ines at 1. It’s too cold to swim in the sea, but it will be great to be near the water. I’m sorry Peter can’t go with us, but he’s working hard on his business details right now. That’s fun to look forward to as well!

Also, thanks, Sara, for offering to be available to our tour participants to have private side tours. Won’t that be fun?

Enzo

We got a sad message from Enzo this morning. The water in the river has risen, and he won’t be able to catch our fish for supper at his house tonight! Our disappointment didn’t last long, though, because Enzo rallied quickly and sent back word that he had changed his plans for dinner and was going to prepare a recipe that Daniel had taught him. So, of course, it will be wonderful!

Later…and it was wonderful! Thanks, Enzo. And I really enjoyed hearing your response to Peter’s invitation for you to add your Enzo touch to make the Travel, Taste, Learn tours “truly Italian!”

Sorry, no pics today. Maybe tomorrow. Anybody know how to get pictures off of a dorky, cheap Nokia cell phone?

Ciao! Ciao!

Colleen

Day 3/4 Bra: THERE’S A WHOLE LOT OF GOOD EATING GOING ON!

Italy Journal

Mon/Tues May 5/6, 2014

Days 3/4 Bra: THERE’S A WHOLE LOT OF GOOD EATING GOING ON!

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I can only say that we are on vacation and in Italy. This is what Italians do…eat, drink and be merry!

Monday night was extra special. Our pasta friends Mara and Valerio invited us to have dinner at their house with another family that wanted to get to know us! We were honored to join all of them, and the supper was superb! Everyone should have the opportunity to eat such a delicious meal at least once in his/her life! We all spoke whatever language that came out of our mouths, and it seemed to work out just fine. It was so very good to be with all of you! Grazie mille!

Tuesday’s special treats included eating, too. Our dear friend Elettra, who is Lisa and Enzo’s niece, met me at Bar Chiavassa, a favorite café in Bra, for lunch.  We shared one of their dinner salads and a sandwich, then took a long walk to the Big Store to take Peter’s clothes to the dry cleaner. On the way, Elettra told me all about the physical therapy center by the Mediterranean Sea, where she is doing an internship. She is really doing well, and I so enjoyed the gelato that we got on the way back home. By the end of the afternoon, we had talked and walked all over Bra! Thank you. ,Elettra, for a wonderful day. I’ll see you in September!

 Which leads us to yet another memorable meal! Alberto, our former neighbor and the wine expert for Slow Food, invited us and our friend/his colleague Elisabeth to his condo (in the complex where we used to live!) for a wine tasting dinner. Alberto knows more about wine than I know even existed, and he loves to host events where his guests taste a wine, then try to guess what kind of wine it is, how old it is, where it is from, etc. It’s called a “blind tasting.” I am no good at that at all, but we all had fun with Alberto guiding us through each wine with a happy glint in his eye. We had so much fun! Thank you, Alberto! We so enjoyed this evening!

Enjoy the extra pictures of Valerio, the student whose apartment we are using while he is gone (WITH his passport!)! An extra picture of Konny, the chef and student at UNISG is there, too! And, don’t miss to hopscotch from the sky to the earth.

Ciao!

Colleen

Day 2 Bra: Walk Around Town

Italy Journal

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Day 2 Bra: Walk Around Town

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We have really struck it rich! Valerio’s apartment is wonderful! Thank you, Valerio, for sharing your place while you are on vacation!

When we left the apartment, we heard lots of noise in the town and found over 1,000 bikers preparing for some race or event of some sort. It was amazing to see that many people lined up in the street just outside of Bar Chiavassa! Just in front of the waiting bikers was a group of police and others who were having a final huddle to make sure the bikers would be safe. As the day progressed, we saw bikers all over town! It was such fun!

We went on about our walk and immediately ran into our friend Alberto, who is our most famous wine guy ever. We may have dinner with him tonight! Peter can hardly wait to pick his brain about the wine producers to contact this week!

As we continued, we did a long walk around the hill and ended up at our favorite pasta shop where we greeted Mara and Valerio Grimaldi! We were all so glad to see each other, and they have invited us to their house tomorrow for supper. We’re super excited about that! We bought some pasta for tonight, then went on our way.

We took home the pasta we’d bought, then took off again to the Gastronomic Society for lunch. It was delightful, and of course there we saw Silvio and Gael cooking and Antonio eating with some friends. We got a recipe for wonderful nocciola cookies made with sunflower oil from Gael, enjoyed a luscious meal and walked back home for  Peter to take a short nap while I contacted Konny (German) to go and get gelato with us. He was all for it, and we learned that he is now the head chef at a restaurant in town La Bocca Buona. We spent most of the afternoon catching up with him while we ate gelato and drank coffee (them, not me!). We were so pleased when he invited us to arrange a dinner for our last night in Bra, to be held at his summer house that he is renovating in Pocopaglia, about 6 km from Bra. We jumped at the chance and immediately started making a guest list. We know the food will be delicious, and won’t that just be more fun! Later, we went back to La Bocca Buona for a magnificent supper alla Konny! Thanks, Konny. Have fun on your stage this week, and call us when you return.

Ciao! Ciao!

Colleen

Day 1 in Bra: ENZO!

Italy Journal

Saturday, May 3, 2014

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ENZO!

When we were awakened this morning at 4AM, all we could talk about was how good it would be to see Enzo waiting for us at the airport in Torino! The flight was pleasantly uneventful, but the reunion with Enzo was full of smiles, hugs and kisses! Enzo didn’t understand when I said, “You are a sight for sore eyes” until I explained that we had been seeing people all over Sardinia and Sicily that looked like Enzo, and now we have found the real Enzo! He liked that description!

On the way to Bra, the snowcapped Alps rose in the distance. It had snowed on the mountains only a few days ago. We talked and talked to get caught up with each other and all of our families.

Lunch in Lisa and Enzo’s new gazebo could not have been more perfect. Enzo prepared everything delicious that Peter or I have ever mentioned that we loved for him to fix for us. Also, Alice, Giulia, Gionni and baby Greta were there. It was such a treat to see all of them, and especially to meet baby Greta. She’s a darling, and I couldn’t wait to get my turn to cuddle her up. I wish we were close enough to spend more time with her. At least we did get to meet her before she started school at the University!

Lisa and I went to visit her mom and dad to pick up some crafts that Ella had made for a fundraiser at the Big Store for the local schools. It was so good to see both of them, and I was very pleased that the hand written Christmas greeting we gave them a year and a half ago is still taped next to their telephone.

The walk to take Ella’s crafts to the Big Store was a bit hurried when Lisa, Alice and I saw threatening black clouds and lightning in the distance. Fortunately, we returned home just in time to jump into Enzo’s car and be dropped off at Valerio;s apartment, where we will stay for the next 10 days while he is out of town. Thank you so very much, Valerio for your generosity! And thank you, Enzo and Lisa, for a delightful family reunion! You are such wonderful friends. We cherish you!

Doesn’t Lisa look lovely in her birthday necklace that we brought her from Decatur, GA, USA?!

We’re happy to be back in Bra and hope all of you are doing well, too.

Colleen

Day 7 Sicily: Ortigia Tapas

Italy Journal

Friday, May 2, 2014

Day 7 Sicily Ortigia Fratelli Burgio Tapas

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Our last day in Sicily, and there were sad goodbyes to Gina’s uncles and their wives as they left to see Mt. Etna. They will leave for the US tomorrow morning. It has been so much fun to spend this time with them on the Sicilian shores of the Mediterranean Sea!

As it turned out, we needed to go to Siricusa to get Peter’s dry cleaning; and Gina, Will, Kim and Cheryl needed to go close to there in Ortigia to purchase some farmers’ market treats to take to Gina’s grandmother before leaving for the US this evening. So,before the rest of us departed from Sicily, we met up at the Fratelli  Burgio stand at the farmers’ market in Ortigia for a delightful lunch of tapas dishes of cheese, meets, fruits and bread sticks. It was just wonderful! The perfect ending to a perfect vacation! Thanks for treating us to lunch, Gina and Will, and thanks to all for including us in your vacation!

Thought you’d like to see some other random pics that didn’t get in yet!

Love, Colleen

VENDICARI

Italy Journal

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Day 6 Sicily VENDICARI

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May 1^st is a national holiday to celebrate the coming of spring, so Peter and I celebrated by taking the short trip south to Vendicari, a nature preserve with wonderful walking paths.

On our walk through the nature preserve, we enjoyed sights of all sorts of animals and plants. Lots of little lizards, seal gulls and other birds were all around. It sounded as beautiful as it looked. There were also the ruins of an ancient tuna factory that were very interesting.

The one thing we neglected to predict on this walk was that there was no shade by the sea, where the nature preserve stretched for a few miles. Too late, I’m afraid, Peter had the bright idea to suggest to me to use my umbrella as a shade against sunburn. That worked very well, when the wind didn’t turn the umbrella inside out!

As we drove back home, we became well aware that we were almost to the end of our stay in Sicily. We’ve had such a nice time with Gina’s family, and we’re really excited about the upcoming birth of Gina and Will’s baby boy. Thanks for such an enjoyable vacation, Gina and Will! I included a picture of Gina and Will at the front door of our beach house. It has been a perfect location for this group!

Grazie mille,

Colleen