Villa Monteleone

---

When I arrived at the Verona Porta Nuova train station, Lucia, the owner of Villa Monteleone, was waiting for me in her car. Twenty minutes later, we were at the winery--home for me in Italy. As I was leaving Verona, I realized that I had not taken a single picture during my stay. For me that is even more of a sign that Monteleone is home in Italy. How often do I take pictures when I go back to my parents in Evanston? Usually rarely. My time at the villa was great to just slow down, relax and catch up with old friends for two days...and very importantly, to do some laundry!

Other than all the kids around the winery getting older and growing up, very little seems to have changed at the winery itself. What was supposed to be a relatively quiet day for Lucia, ended up being a series of fire-fighting moves. She got a call from someone in Japan who said that they had received only half of what they paid for. Hours were spent reviewing documents and even pictures of the actual shipment. Fortunately, they discovered that they had sent what was paid for and that the error must have occurred in transit, and therefore was not their responsibility.

---

I left Verona for Milano via train, and I was pleasantly reminded about the difference in prices between Italy and the rest of Europe. That trip cost about 11 euros on the fastest kind of train in Italy. A similar two hour trip in Germany or Austria would probably cost in the neighborhood of 40 euros. Coming to Verona, I also experienced the Italian InterCity trains with separate couchettes for six people. The great thing about these trains is that if they are not full, you can extend your seat and the seat across from you to make yourself a little bed. They may not be as new as some of the German trains, but being able to recline like that is a big plus.

After literally running after trains throughout Germany, I decided to institute a "no rushing" rule here in Italy. In general, I am trying to get when I am going early, or just waiting for the next, train, bus or boat. This is supposed to be a long vacation, so why bother stressing out, especially when my primary activities here in the south of Italy are hanging out on the beach, eating and going out at night. There are few, if any, really touristy things to do at most of the places that are on my itinerary, which makes it the perfect ending to a great trip.

---

Comments

[Ernie]

That's my kind of Travel
I like the Italy travel policy... No fear for missing planes, trains, and boats. Enjoy the down time!