An Italian Summer

It was about this time of year when I first toured Italy doing research for The Wine Seekers. Since opportunities to travel are few, I thought I'd share some of my best Italian experiences with you.
Our trip started in the exciting city of Milano (Milan) where we landed after an overnight flight from Miami. Milano bustles with activity at eight in the morning which is about the time we hit the streets looking for the train station. We had slept little on our flight but after an espresso, (Italian's start their day with a cup each morning, and you can find coffee bars almost every where) and some directions, we boarded a bus to take us over to Milano Centrale, one of the most beautiful train stations in Europe. Built in 1864 and refubished in 1931, it has no lack of exquisite features, and we didn't mind being lost in this fabulous place.

The train station does not feature any specific architectural style but is a blend of many different styles, which I took to be an omen of things to come. I hadn't come all this way to Italy for the expected and instead, wanted a trip that would send me into a different world. A world that I hoped I shared in The Wine Seekers.Italians are never in a hurry and they enjoy lingering over coffee, a pastry, browsing though shops or chatting with a friend. All possible in this lovely station which to me seemed designed to fit their culture and their life style. Getting to the correct train track didn't prove easy as the station is on multi levels.

We rode up and down escalators until dizzy than worried we'd miss our train, and finally stopped to ask a kind woman at a information station for directions. We were grateful to hear her tell us where to go in perfect English.

The Italian train system is not a high speed rail as it is in other European countries and we found it would be a long four hours before we reached Rome. Not concerned with the time, we sat back to enjoy a look at the beautiful countryside while enjoying some breakfast.

Best Linda Bilodeauwww.lindabilodeau.com - Enter An Italian Summer Romance Contest Today. The Wine Seekers is now available at www.lindabilodeau.com