Venice is magical. There are the 90 or so interconnected islands that form the core of the city – but our group got a chance to explore some of the outer islands as well. Everything about Venice is unique. We rode on gondolas, motor boats and ferries, we walked miles – never crossing a “street”, we climbed hundreds of small three-step bridges. We feasted on Venetian delicacies and drank the most delicious Amarones. We were feted in a 17^th Century palazzo by period-clad waitstaff, while eating off of authentic china and flatware of the period. We visited Murano, Burano, St Erasmo and Torcello islands – and walked the quiet campos of Venice by night – while the main portion of tourists were gone. We tasted dozens of cicchetti while sampling small sips of local wines.

Leaving Venice we toured Verona, Padova and Lake Garda stopping at the most famous vineyards of the Veneto region, including Allegrini,  before heading into Emilia Romagna and its capital city, Bologna stopping along the way in Mantova to sample their famous Tortelli di Zucca (pumpkin ravioli)   At the crack of dawn one morning, we visited a parmesan factory to watch Parmigiano Reggiano being made – from start to a delicious tasting of various “vintages” of the cheese… We even got to meet the famous Black Pigs of Parma – and stopped at a Prosicutto Bar for a sampling of their famous legs – prosciutto di Parma. While in Modena, we ate in a restaurant that just celebrated its 550^th birthday (now that’s staying power)  – and sampled the famous balsamic vinegar of Modena. We discovered why Bologna is called La Grassa (the fat one) because that is how we all felt after sampling meal after incredible meal.