Well today was our last full day in Italy. We saw Da Vinci's Last Supper, some neat old churches, and a castle. Yesterday and today may have been our least busy days, but its nice to not have to rush around and do things. Tonight we go out to a nice restaurant for our "Last Supper" and then tomorrow is the long flight home. With any luck, by this time tomorrow we will be home. That's all for now.

Today we left Bologna and arrived in Milano. First real big city we've been in. Checked out the big church today and then looked in the really expensive shops like Gucci and Prada. Had a great dinner of osso bucco and risotto alla milanese. One of the many great meals we have had in Italy. Until tomorrow.

Well, today we did the Italian Food Days Experience. We toured a parmigiana reggiano factory and saw the process of cheese making from beginning to end. We were able to buy more tha two pounds of aged parmagiano for 25 euro, which works out to less than $15 per pound. This was substantially less than even Costco, and I don't think Costco sells real parmagiano. Next we learned about real balsamic vinegar, and finally we toured a prosciutto factory. Then it was off to a local winery for a light 8 course lunch. When we got back to the hotel we needed to take a nap. Bologna's been great and tomorrow we are off to Milano for the final stop of our journey.

Well today we learned how to make fresh pasta. What a great class that was. More food than we needed to eat, but oh so good. We learned how to make three different pasta dishes, all of them delicious. Can't wait to try to make them on our own. After the class we walked to the to of one of the towers-498 steps. Good way to burn off those extra calories. Tomorrow is the food tour of the Emelia-Romagnia region. I'll give a full report tomorrow.

Well, we made it to Bologna today. Seems like every trip we see some poor sap get his wallet stolen. Happened on the train today. The guy immediately blamed some gypsies who were begging on the train. I know it's the Public Defender in me, but since whe couldn't have actually seen them take the wallet, it offended me that he accused them without proof. After our arrival we went to the Basilica of San Luca, high on a hilltop above Bologna. To get to the Basilica, you walk through 666 porticos, half of which are uphill. We got lots of pictures to robe we did the whole walk. I told Sue it wouldn't be an Italy trip if I didn'take her walk up a massive amount of stairs. It's 7:00 p.m., and she is sound asleep. That's all for now.

Today was another great day in the Cinquue Terre. Today we took the train to Vernazza and had breakfast with our favorite Sicilian pirates. Then we took a boat to Romaggiore where we walked the Via delle Amore. Then we swam in the deep water off the coast of Manorola. Then it was back to Monterosso for drinks with Giovianni. All in all a great day. Tomorrow we are off to Bologna.

Trying to post from my iPhone. We are now in the Cinque Terre, and yesterday we got to do the hike we've been waiting for. It did not disappoint. I even got to dive off a small cliff, video I will try to post as well. Today we hit the beach.

Well today we spent the day touring some of the major sites in Venice -- St. Mark's Cathedral, the Doges Palace, and the Grand Canal. Lot of walking today, I estimate more than 10 miles. Weather was pretty good -- it rained early and late but did not impact our touring. All in all, Venice has been great. Not as good as Rome, but better than Florence. Tomorrow, we are off to the Cinque Terre. My plan is to upload some of the 200 pictures we've taken so far tomorrow. Until then, arriverdeci.

Today we toured the islands of Murano and Burano. Really neat to see the glass makers at work in Murano, and Burano has lots of neat houses to look at. Took lots of good pictures that I will upload eventually. Had a great dinner tonight and finished the night off with a Bellini at Harry's Bar. Tomorrow we hit some of the major museums and get to take a gondola ride. We'll keep you posted.

Well, we made it into Venice at about 4:30 pm, seven hours later than originally anticipated. And since it was the Regatta Storica, we had to wait another three hours to get to our B&B. Not exactly what I was expecting. But as we learned in Italian class, Patienza Wayne, sei in Italia. Once we checked in everything was wonderful. The B&B is everything I imagined it would be. Venice is wonderful. We had a nice dinner Sunday night, and our tour on Monday was terrific. It's rained a little, but not enough to put a significant damper on our trip. All in all, everything is great so far. Tonight, Sue and I did the cichetti tour, were we ate cichetti (italian tapas) at several wine bars in Venice. We followed that up with dessert and dueling orchestras in Piazza San Marco. Tomorrow we head to the islands where they blow glass, make lace, and where the film festival is. We'll let you know if we see anyone famous.

As soon as I made the last post, I wondered if I had jinxed myself. Sure enough, 5 minutes later our flight to Washington was delayed three hours. Now, instead of arriving in Venice at 9:35 tomorrow morning, we arrive at 4:25 in the afternoon. Since the Regatta is going on in Venice, we may not be able to get to our B&B until it ends. Maybe we'll just find a good spot to watch the Regatta, and then go to the B&B after it ends. I remember saying to myself a couple weeks ago that no matter what happened, I was just going to take it all in stride and consider it part of the adventure. I'm proud to say I was able to do just that. In about an hour we're off to Chicago; 2 and a half hours later to Munich; and then on to Venice after that. All of our layovers are now almost 3 hours long, so no worries about making connections. Hopefully, the rest of this journey will be uneventful, and my next post will be from Venice.

Well, here we are at PTI, waiting for our flight to D.C. We got to the airport at 1:15 and were sitting at the gate 10 minutes later. Got to love flying out of Greensboro. It's a beautiful day, there should be no delays, and by 5:30 we should be on our way to Venice. We will try to post once a day, to let friends and followers know what we are up to. Next post, Venice, Italy.

Well, in less than two weeks we are on our way back to Italy. I guess I was wrong when I said the last trip was a once in a lifetime adventure. This trip we are going to Venice, the Cinque Terre, Bologna, and Milan. Our flight leaves from Greensboro on September 1, and we are supposed to arrive in Venice at 9:35 a.m. on September 2. Sue is under strict orders to sleep on the plane so that we can get through the day in Venice without needing a nap. All of the travel arrangements have been reconfirmed, and everything is ready to go. The plan is, like last time, to make daily posts about our trip so people know what we're doing. I think I'm going to switch this to a public blog so its easier for people to keep track of us. It may also help others who are planning an Italy trip in the future. Back for an update in a few days.