Why I Love Italy
Our Adventures in Italy

by
Peter Ciullo

My wife Lucille (Lucia) and I have been traveling to Italy for our vacations for over 30 years. We have five sons and ten grandchildren and they often ask, "How can you go back to the same country year after year"? Our answer to them is, let me ask you, is there any other place that an American-Italian can vacation that can bring you back to your heritage, and calm your soul as Italy does? Enough nostalgia, lets get to the most enjoyable and memorable vacations that Lucille and I have ever had….. VENICE, TUSCANY & ROME.

Our eldest son John and his wife said that they would like to take their two daughters (9 and 13 years old) to Italy to have them learn first hand about their heritage. Our trip was planned for only two great weeks in Tuscany. As we began to plan our trip, I suggested that they must see Venice and, of course, Rome. Our two weeks stretched into three.

Venice

We had a direct flight from JFK into Venice. We passed customs quickly then hired a motoscafi (water taxi) and went to our hotel, "Do Pozzi" located near Piazza San Marco. The ride through the Grand Canal was beautiful. After registering at the hotel, we went to Pizza San Marco for their first glimpse of "Europe's Drawing Room" and our first of many gelati. We explored the area then decided that cena; (dinner) was a must after all our traveling. We have never had a bad meal in Italy, so selecting a restaurant was easy. We went to Piccolo Martini just off the Piazza. Of course the meal was exceptional. A pianist from La Fenice (opera house) was entertaining, and asked our youngest granddaughter if she would like to play the piano. He later told us that he never thought she would play. She did not hesitate; she adjusted the piano bench and entertained with classical and modern music. Then her sister played a Brahms piece. They both got resounding applause, and were asked to return the next evening. The girls had their European debut on their first night in Venice. We also discovered an Internet café, and sent all our greetings by e-mail.

We found that it was much easier to buy a three-day pass for the vaporetti, than for individual trips. We of course went to Murano to see them create beautiful glass items, then to my favorite island, Burano noted for their production of world famous lace. I hoped there were places to stay over night. I was not able to find any, but if anyone knows of any I would be thankful. The canals in Burano are unique to the island. I asked a fisherman, why they painted their houses bright colors. He said that it has always been that way. He said that when they (the fisherman) were out on the lagoon fishing they could see their island and the bright colors were like a beacon to lead them home. We purchased lace, and took some prize-winning photos before returning to our hotel.

Villa La Selva

Villa La Selva - their web site if you would like to find out more.

Villa History - gives a little history of the villa

Saturday morning we took a motoscafi to Auto Europe at Piazzale Roma in Venice and picked up our car rentals .We had 2 new Mazdas, model "Almera Tino". Having experienced driving in Italy, I was the lead car. We had 2 way radios so that we were in contact with each other at all times. Our destination was Villa La Selva in Montebenichi, Bucine. The autostrada in Italy is probably the best-marked highway anywhere. We had about a 3 hour drive so we decided to take a break in Bologna at a roadside rest stop called "Cantagallo". Our plan was to buy some basic groceries for the Villa. Cantagallo was so busy that we just purchased the essentials, bread, water, cheese and of course "Nutella". If you have never tried Nutella you have not sampled Italy.

The driving directions we received for the Villa were great. We had no trouble getting there. Our hosts and owner was Sergio Carpini and his wife Anna. Sergio's great, great, great grand uncle was a monk. name Fra Giovanni. Fra Giovanni would purchase wine for the church from the villa. The DeMedici's owned the villa in the 1200s and they produced Vin Santo, a sweet white wine used for sacramental purposes. Today they still grow the same grapes at the villa and bottle Vin Santo (it's great with Cantuccini after dinner). Sergio also produces other wines and honors his ancestor by calling a sparkling wine that is a superior spumante, "Fra Giovanni".

After viewing the villa we were surprised and pleased at what we saw. We never expected it to be so large, and decorated with such beautiful antiques. There are 8 rooms, 4 double bedrooms with complete baths, living room, large dining room, a tennello (eating kitchen) and a fully equipped kitchen with 2 refrigerators, dishwasher, convection microwave and modern gas range.

After a light lunch, Bruschetta with extra virgin olive oil from the villa, garlic tomatoes and a red wine, Felchia, also produced at the villa, we all had our reposo. About 5:00 P.M. we went to the pool for our first of many enjoyable hours spent relaxing there.

We hired one of the local cooks, Valeria, and she prepared a typical Tuscan dinner for us. Maraviglioso!!! Valeria returned for many encores to her tasty meals. When we did not dine at local trattoria, or have Valeria prepare meals, Lucille and I would cook an authentic Tuscan meal something we have always promised ourselves we would do. We went to the local market in Ambra and purchased fresh fruit, vegetables, pollo, pasta and also went to the bakery and bought fresh bread, cornetta (croissant) and of course pastry.

La Selva is located within 30 minutes from Siena, Firenze, Arezzo, and Cortona. We were right in the center of wine country. We were able to explore many places that were off the beaten paths and sample many excellent wines.

I could write a book about all our adventures, but will just give some of the highlights : Moltalcino, San Angelo da Colle, Siena, and Ambra, a ride through Chianti country, Villa Banfi, Montebenichi, Assisi, Pisa, and Cortona. John and I discovered one of our favorite places was Monte San Savino. We returned almost every morning for an early breakfast of cappuccino and a cornetta. It may seem that we were always on the go, but it was the most relaxed vacation we have ever been on. Every evening we would relax on the terrace by the pool and enjoy the sunset with Sergio and Anna and some of La Selva's great wines.

Rome

After two unforgettable weeks at the Villa we left for Rome. The traffic on the A1 going into Rome wasn't as congested as we had expected. The ride to our hotel, Hotel Villa Borghese was a short 2 ½ hour drive. I expected the regular traffic congestion in Rome, but the streets were almost deserted. It was eerie because in the past it has always been a hassle driving in the center of the city. When we registered I asked why the lack of traffic. I was informed that it was the most important holiday in Rome, the feast of Sts. Peter & Paul. Traditionally most people leave the city for a long weekend.

The hotel was located across from Villa Borghese, and the girls enjoyed riding bikes and skate boards in the villa's park. Of course we went to the Vatican, then on a tour of ancient Rome. Introducing the first time visitors to Italy was great. The girls asked Nonno many questions about the history of the area. They learned some Italian and were able to order their meals in Italian. Lucille and I have returned with the satisfaction that our granddaughters will always remember how Nonna and Nonno explained many facts about their heritage. We are already planning our next trip to the Paesi: Frigento, San Lorenzello, Campo di Pietra and Ruviano.

Click here if you would like to see more pictures of our vacation and share with us some of our unforgettable experiences during our vacation.

 It has been written: "On the universal judgment day everyone will go to Paradise", At Villa La Selva we were in Paradise.

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This article was first presented in Italy with Us E-Zine Magazine