Greetings from Italy, where today we offer a brief lesson in physics. Today’s subject is the so called observer effect, which posits that the act of observation itself will necessarily effect a change on a phenomenon being observed. Suzy’s version of this principal is that attempting to record an Italian experience, to photograph it, to video it, rather than simply enjoying the moment, inevitably alters one’s experience. And always for the negative.  She’s right, as usual.

Despite knowing that by snapping photos or videos of a unique experience I remove myself from the experience itself, I repeatedly make this same, bonehead mistake. Experiencing Italy takes some discipline, to put away the camera or the GoPro, to actually relax and take it all in. It is a lesson worth learning.

And so we arrived in Italy nearly a week ago, primed to blog and share our experiences with you. But also commited to truly living those experiences, rather than simply rebroadcasting them in diretta (live). It has been a good lesson, well learned.

We arrived on the peninsula on Friday morning after an overnight flight from New York. Milan greeted us with a little bit of overcast skies but cool, spring temperatures that promised to warm as the land of dolce vita shook off its winter slumber. There is a wonderful cool freshness you feel when you visit Italy in the spring and we felt it as we began our journey eastward to Verona. It was good to be back home.

There in Verona we spent three days enjoying this remarkable Roman city in the company of three friends from America. Our hotel, located in the city center, boasted as its neighbor the hauntingly beautiful Roman arena, which was the first building we would see in the morning and the last one we would see at night, thus ensuring our dreams were appropriately Romanized. It is impossible to describe the sheer delight of being in Verona – its beauty, its history and its culture are so easy to absorb, to savor – that you simply don’t want to leave. But we were in Verona on a mission, to attend the 50th edition of VinItaly, the country’s most important wine expo. We did that and more, including a visit to meet the people behind the Matilde Vicenzi biscotteria, one of the newer additions to Via Umbria’s lineup of cookies, cakes and confections. And we had a special invitation to Opera Wine, a kind of expo within an expo, showcasing the 100 best wines of Italy. But most of all we were able to catch up with old friends who had come to Verona to show off their wares. We did that against the backdrop of Verona, one of the loveliest cities in the Italian north, before heading to our more familiar Umbria.

Now nearly a week into our visit we’ll look back and share some of the memorable moments that we have enjoyed. Just don’t expect much real time accounts. We’re planning to savor these experiences as they come. Pull up a chair and pour yourself a nice glass of wine. And enjoy those experiences with us.

Ci vediamo!
Bill and Suzy