Thank you so much for putting together such a wonderful trip for us and our friends in September. It was special, as your trips always are, but our friends were awed and amazed by their experience (first time out of the U.S.!)
Highlights: Hotel Damaso rooftop bar/our room patios/the neighborhood, Jasmine & the Vespa boys (WOW!!), the night drive of Rome, Villa Bordoni in Chianti (did not want to leave), I Balzini winery/lunch & Diana, Hotel Touring rooftop bar, Ravenna mosaics, Schifanoia murals, Parma food day, our always excellent guides and drivers (especially the courteous and professional Roberto in Parma). The gift that keeps on giving was the two cooking classes: Cristina in Bologna and Stefania in Parma — being in their homes, shopping with them, meeting family (Steffi) — it was just wonderful. We have held many dinner parties this fall featuring spinach bow tie pasta, butternut squash risotto, chocolate salami and panna cotta especially.
Now the hard part… where to next? We haven’t done Piedmonte, Dolomites, Sardinia. Any suggestions?
Happy Holiday to you, Brian and all the CIU family. Big thanks to Cristina also for her attention to details and clients that take the wrong train! A class act, all of you.
The Egberts
