No matter how long I live, I have no doubt that the fragrance of Jasmine and Roses will bring me back to this time in my live. I have never been to a place where they grew so prolifically! In the humid evenings the fragrance is so strong it is overwhelming. If I could bottle and sell it I'm sure I could make a small fortune. The roses are everywhere. I suppose the soil here is perfect. It is rich and sandy. There is also a lot of sun but we have gotten a good amount of rain lately too. Perfect for roses. The Jasmine grows on trellises, over garden gates or up the sides of buildings. It is everywhere and doesn't seem to need anything special. I've been tempted to clip off a few pieces to bring into the hotel room.

Over the last few days, I've ventured all over Vicenza on my new bicycle - some places I intended to see and others were surprise destinations located when riding around lost. I'm in the process of uploading some video to YouTube to share. I've found Vicenza to be a very pretty city but it took getting lost to realize what I had been missing. The architecture of Andrea Palladio is everywhere. Some original and some recent imitations, all fantastic. I've not yet toured the Rotunda or Palladian Basilica but they are on my list. I recently picked up a book called The Wonders of Vicenza and am amazed at all the local 'points of interest'. I guess you can collect quite a few if you have a city that is over a thousand years old. I'm looking forward to taking the Vicenza tour and learning more about the city.

Saturday I went on a trip to Cinque Terre. The literal translation is Five Lands but we would consider it five villages. They are all cities built on the cliffs overlooking the sea in the area considered to be the Italian Riviera. In a one day trip I wasn't able to visit them all but the three that I did visit were beautiful. I especially enjoyed the first village of Monterosso where a man had been carved from the stone face of a cliff. The beach there was also quite nice and we found a great little restaurant that I hope to return to. I was also able to sample the locally made Limoncello and Sangria as well as the seafood. I'm told that, in addition the lovely churches and quaint cottages, there is also an anchovy factory. I skipped that for now but am sure I'll have an opportunity to visit it when I go back with Bill. I'm looking forward to spending a long weekend there this fall to do some of the great hikes between the villages.
You can check it out at www.cinqueterreonline.com. I also managed to come back with six bottles of wine and a bottle of Limoncino.

As things are starting to get settled and I've found both home and transportation, I'm a lot less stressed and am sure I'll start really enjoying the area. Once Bill gets here with the other cats and our Dog and our furniture arrives, I'll even be happier. By fall we will be ready to fill the house with family and friends and share our experience here with all of you!