Editor: The Bongiovanni family (Keith, Patty, Return and Dominic) of Sonoma recently returned from a trip to Italy. The impetus for our trip was a five-day package in Lucca, generously donated by Margarita Ramirez-Dalton of Traveling Matters to a fundraiser for the Sonoma Ecology Center and Cittaslow last fall. We were the lucky high bidders. Because we wanted to bring our sons along, Margarita worked with us to modify the itinerary.
For those who don’t know, Lucca is an ancient walled city in the Tuscany region of Italy. The walls are intact and the city inside of those walls is like a postcard around every corner. Margarita has discovered a lovely hotel within the walls – the San Luca Palace – a beautiful, well appointed small hotel with friendly staff and an amazing breakfast every morning. We spent five nights in Lucca exploring, dining and relaxing. An easy day trip by train took us to Pisa for a day at the amazing complex containing the leaning tower. The tower almost pales in comparison to the beauty of the doumo and the setting itself.
Our family is from the small town of Busca in the Piemonte region. We couldn’t let a trip to Italy go with out a visit to this beautiful part of Italy and a meeting with a few relatives. We rented a car in Lucca and drove to the Cinque Terre, then to Genoa and on to Busca.
Two nights with family were truly a highlight of our trip. We shared memorable meals and got to see the old homestead built by my great grandfather. The second morning broke with the Alps looming above—a breathtaking sight.
Of all of our travels – Greece, Egypt, Japan and China to name a few, this was the first time our kids truly enjoyed the food – how can you go wrong with pizza, pasta and gelato. Aside from losing our camera partway through the trip (we bought another) this was a wonderful and memorable trip. Thank you to Margarita and to Traveling Matters for providing us with the opportunity!!
Keith Bongiovanni
Sonoma
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