We were walking through the Galleria in Milan on our last evening in Italy. We walked around the Duomo, admired the piazza and browsed the first shopping mall in history. The shops were all exclusive Italian Designer signature shops ie Gucci, Prada, Dolce Gabani etc. with McDonalds center stage at the apex of the mall. The architecture in Milan is spectacular and being there at dusk and early evening made it very magical. Nick and I scoped out the newly renovated LaScala and Leonardo’s statue while Keith and Cathy spent time in an art gallery. When we finally met up they were negotiating for a purchase. We were so smitten with the artist and his work that we negotiated a deal if we bought one too. We proudly travelled back home with our Italian treasure and splendid souvenir. It is hanging in our stair well. What do you think? Don’t you love the gilded Florentine frame?

Situated like many Etruscan cities, on a high plateau (away, way up). The ancient Etruscan walls surrounding the old city still stand and you wonder how the heck they built this city and moved the stones to the tops of the mountain top. The views over the surrounding hills are spectacular. This was one of my favourite places to visit. The interior of the walled town was unique and gave a true feeling of medieval life and it is not spoilt by the tourism. Mind you, we visited off season so we did not experience the bus tour type crowds. It was like we had the town to ourselves. We wandered the streets discovering ancient Roman ruins, old churches and alabaster carving shops and galleries. Finding parking for your car, a standup wine bar, a gilato shop and public toilets are key to a successful days excursion.

The next hill town closest to us was Radda. It was typical of the Chianti hilltowns, steep winding roads, cobblestones, little niches and doorways that took your interest off the main path through the walled city. We went to Radda scouting out a place to eat, fancying a tratorria or pizzaria. Everything shuts down at 1:30 and reopens at 4:00 for the afternoon siesta. The dining places do not open until 7:30 or even 8:00. It took us a little time to get used to and adjusting to these hours. The Pizzaria in Radda was one of our memorable and fun evenings out.
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We were getting the tour of Lorenzo’s Colle Lungo Winery the same day that James Suckling of www.winespectator.com visited and awarded their 2001 Reserva Chianti Classico a rating of 90. This wine is not issued yet. This is fantastic for a small winery, producing only 20,000 bottles to receive such an honourable high rating. They were harvesting the day we hiked in the fields. They had hunters armed to the gills protecting the pickers from the wild boars that are notorious for rampaging and poaching the ripe grape clusters. Some of the farm guests worked in the fields for fun but we only took pictures, figuring that we paid dearly for the lodging and that was time we could be spending sampling the nectar of the vine. The Colle Lungo red label can be ordered through LCBO for $30. What ever happened to cheap Chianti Italian wines?

We loved Siena. The drive from Castellina was about 14km but the drive was up and down, winding and along the ridges of the hilltops. The roadsigns were quite easy to read and we followed the bullseye symbol to the “centro” of town. We had the Midas touch for our entire trip, especially when it came to finding a parking space. Siena is made up of a network of narrow streets and alleyways around the fanshaped Piazza del Campo. We had fun exploring the city and we found the “head” of St. Catherine of Siena. This was one of my quests, as we had to find my friends patron saint. We found it on the alter of Santo Domingo church. It was so gross to see the head in a glass box and it never decomposed. The rooftops and the red tiled building were very beautiful. We ate italian ice cream and drank caffe lattes. We went for the sights not the shopping. The city was medieval from the 12th century.

Our hearts and souls are still in the hills of Tuscany. We stayed on a working vineyard called Colle Lungo which means “long hills” in Italian. We had a beautiful apartment in a stone building which was a renovated barn or farm structure. The accommodations were just perfect. We traveled with friends Cathy and Keith. We each had our own units and we shared the car. The guys did all the driving and navigating while the women did all the backseat driving. The region that we stayed and concentrated on was “Chianti” and the closest town was Castellina-in-Chianti”. Enjoy our photo album with a glass of Classico in hand, this is mandatory. [Edit Tom 2004-10-20 ] You can see all Eileen’s pictures here.

After a wonderful week in New Orleans (picture album) it was time to say tata you’all, thank you for the memories and catch the plane back to Detroit.

We stayed at Hilton Garden Suites (Detroit Airport) overnight and dined on pizza and beer. We hit the Fairlane Mall on Saturday to shop till we dropped. Tom went his way and I went mine and then we met back after 2 hours. What fun to check out the purchases. I found Victoria Secret.. must I say more! Tom had a quest and he found what he was looking for. He picked up a Bunn 3 minute brew 10 cup coffee maker and a Kitchen Aid Coffee Mill. We crossed the border easily and got home Saturday afternoon.
NOW, Back to the grind!
Laura returns home tonight Sunday at 11:30 pm from her adventures in Spain and Portugal.

Nick surprised me with a two day romantic getaway at “Inn on the Twenty“. It is an elegant exclusive Ontario Inn/Spa in the village of Jordan in the Niagara. We toasted in my new half century with Pol Roger Champaigne and Russian Cavier. It was certainly a dream vacation and one that I will cherish forever. We spent the few days exploring the back roads of the wine region and visiting wine tasting rooms in many of the local wineries. We dined at gourmet restaurants and had a nice relaxing time away from sports and the rigors of daily life. I’ve posted my pictures in my photo album.

While on a walking tour of the Garden District and Cemetery we stumbled upon a wave of green all heading down Third Street. Green beer fueled the annual Parasol’s St. Patrick’s Day block party in the Irish Channel. What fun! What crowds! I got my face painted, enjoyed the Irish tunes and mingled with the party goers. After a bit we headed back to our hotel by trolley to get ready for supper.
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Today we ventured out with a one-day transit pass to hop on and off the streetcars to see the city and beyond. We went down Decatur Street to Jackson Square and saw the oldest church in North America. We had lunch at a spot called The Corner Oyster Bar and Grill and had our first feed of boiled Crawfish. To eat, you twist and pinch the tail and suck the head. It was a lot of work for a little piece of tail but it was worth it.
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