Weathering the Storm with the WP#187

What can I say about this past week. Greeted clients to Rome and they have moved on to a cruise around all of Italy and then they will partake in the joys of the Veneto, where I just was, on to Tuscany, and then to Milano for the last leg of their trip. In the meantime, another set of clients came to town and Rosa has bee with them the past couple of days, so I am sure they enjoyed themselves. They are most self-entertainers, which is fine, and no news is always good news in my book, so I know they enjoyed their time in the Amalfi and finishing up their time in Rome before heading home. In fact, several clients ending their time here in Europe this past week, some from Belgium, some from France and some from Spain, and those who had been in Italy, so lots of moving parts to handle, but it is always good to have my partners on the ground to make sure all is good. In the end, I still have travelers here in Italy and will be for the next couple of weeks, as well as a couple coming to Greece later and in November, to the Czech Republic, and then no one on this, but other like Australia, take over. Did I tell you that is where Rosa I and I plan to spend anniversary, probably the 5th, but we won’t get ahead of ourselves. ​

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Right now, I am writing this soliloquy from Riccione which is a town south of Rimini where the next two days, I have meeting with suppliers from all over Italy and other countries as well in Rimini itself. Rimini and Riccione are on the Adriatic Coast of Italy and very much beach destinations, but it is October, and the season is effectively over. Most hotels, condos and the like have closed for the season, but this is normal. While high season traditionally is June, July and August, the world, well those countries in the northern hemisphere have expanded from May to September and in some places, April to October, depending on where you are. Here in Italy, the season, with fits and starts comes in about the time after Easter, so it could be March, it could be April, depending on when the holiday hits, but the real brunt of the season is really May to September, and so the best values are early in the season and later in the season, but not all services are available. In any case, I arrived here from Venice, specifically the Lido where I had attended another trade show called Buy Veneto, the region where Venice is, but the Veneto is so much more than that. Of course, everyone knows Venice, or thinks they do. They perhaps know Verona with the Romeo and Juliet reference. By the way, did you know that Alfa Romeo has a car called the Guiletta, go figure 😊. In any case, there is so much more to the Veneto and the surrounding regions beyond the usual places like Vicenza and Piacenza. All worthwhile, but just like some of the hidden gems of Tuscany, like Amiata which I visited last week after Buy Tuscany, there are also hidden gems here, but you will need a car to get around. ​

There are amazing villas and Agroturismos. There is the river Po and its crazy man and natural history, and the Po Delta is beautiful. You can do birdwatching, kayaking, electric boating, biking many trails. It also has a ling coastline to be able in the summer months, do the beach thing, if that is your thing. While the cities and towns are connected by trains, the ones noted above, many of the places we saw, have to be experienced by car, so if you like to drive, this is a place to do so, like in Tuscany. Along with the Po Delta and the Adriatic, you have the Dolomites to the north, Lake Garda to the west and the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia which includes places like Trieste accessible by train and certainly can be driven and the region known as Trentino. Trentino is most famous for its beautiful mountain scenery and its historical buildings. People visit this impressive city for its great food and hiking. It is also known for its great museums & sights and shopping. It is often described as dynamic, youthful, and high energy. Since it borders the Veneto, I noted it hear, as does Lombardia (Lombardy), many possibilities beyond Venice exist beyond Venice. Of course, with so much to see, eat and experience, it is deciding what to do!!!

For me, beyond the meetings we had and the first time on Lido, the water taxi rides were not fun for me, but then the weather was not great, and I had taken Dramamine to start (no I did not get sick), but the boat ride was not fun. I did on the other two trips along on through the lagoon, and the group of people with me were very nice and we enjoyed the time, was seeing the Po Delta. As much as I had been to Italy and now, probably 7 or 8 times to Venice, mostly for business, but sometimes a short holiday, it was seeing these back roads with the villas, the Agri turismos, the flamingos, the swans and the cormorants drying their wings after a doing a dive for food in the very shallow waters. It is interesting to me that the Venetians totally changed the route of the Po River so it did not empty in the lagoon, and the bike paths, when I am up to it, look like a lot of fun to ride, so if you are thinking about the Veneto as a place to truly immerse yourself in the culture of the region, there is absolutely everything you can think of an holiday here and yes, you should see Venice once in your life, but like Pisa having the Leaning Tower, there is so much more to the Veneto and surrounding regions of this part of Italy. I will be in the Dolomites, for a night in November, as I have two tickets to see Bryan Adams there. Rosa is supposed to come with me, but she hates cold weather. We shall see. ​

And speaking of my beautiful bride, she wrapped up the season of clients of the Wandering Puffin today, except for one couple coming at the end of October, so as I said in the beginning, the season is not done yet, and always much to do. I also have reached a milestone of sorts that having now “officially” lived in one residence in Italy, I can stay, but as I have mentioned before, I can’t leave, or I may not be able to return and so other plans, already in place, may have to be cancelled or postponed, but I know I have mentioned, I am becoming more of a homebody, than a wanderer, so maybe that is not a bad thing. Of course, I wonder, since I am not in Rome again until the 11th, yes, this Friday, the progress on our home. We were supposed to move in on the 5th, but that did not happen and the date was now the 11th, so when I get back to Rome the afternoon of the 11th, I hope we have a functional condo, not done by any stretch, but one in which I can lay my head down at night, work on my travel plans for clients, and perhaps us a functional bathroom for all the necessary functions, so when Rosa said si, add on the Buy Veneto to the program I am supposed to start tomorrow, I am quite sure she knew it would be best not to see the progress or lack thereof. I am also, supposedly next week, to sign a contract to teach English, so maybe things are falling into place, and it is only a matter of time. ​

Until next week, I hope you have enjoyed my offerings and appreciate that you have read my blog posts and look forward to sharing any new and exciting ideas and experiences one can have that the WP can arrange for you, as I attended another international travel trade show and conference. As always, thank you so much for your support of Rosa’s and my crazy little world here in Rome. We truly appreciate your support. Stay safe, healthy, and most importantly happy, and as always, your shared comments and thoughts are most welcome!!!