Its a cool raining morning in Portland as we look over our photos of three and half weeks in Italy and the best ending day of a fantastic trip with you and Antonio. We will remember that day, its colors, smells, tastes and vivid impressions for years to come. The visit to the village of Bolgheri and the afternoon with Maurizio and his family is embedded in our minds as one of our lives most vivid experiences. Your commentary and the impressions that Antonio left with us cannot be duplicated. A very special thanks to you, Antonio and Doumina for a 120% effort for us. We can't say enough about the visit to Terre Del Marchesato and the warmth of Maurizio and his family. We felt like we were a part of it. The effort by Maurizio's wife in the kitchen and the use of farm fresh ingredients is an experience we will never forget. Please ask Antonio to express our special thanks to them. Sandy is searching all of her cookbooks for a garbanzo bean soup that might be similar to the one we enjoyed there. We were missing the smell of the soil of the Maremma so went out Tuesday to find help. We located from the Small Vineyards collection a bottle of Fattoria Cappannacce Rosso della Maremma Toscana 04 and The Maestro's Nessun Dorma 04 from Antonio's collection. He should be proud. Ciao for now. Yes, we are planning our next trip and I am trying to figure out how to send a 1971 Dodge Charger to Antonio. But only if he can figure out how to send me a 2008 Fiat 500 Abarth edition............ All our best. Jim and Sandy Long.
Doumina Whyman 2008-05-15