From the South to the North

Yesterday morning for me started off in Cittadella del Capo, a seaside resort town in Calabria. My cycling tour had ended the previous evening as we shared wine and laughter while watching a gorgeous sunset over the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Our excellent guides, Dana and Frank

The morning had dawned bright and clear, highlighting the beautiful blue of the sea. After breakfast, our little group split up, Bob and Kevin heading north to Rome and Tuscany by train, Roger and Lori heading south to the airport to begin their long journey home to Wisconsin.

I, for my part, headed for the airport later that morning, taking a flight to Rome, then a connecting flight to Turin where I would join a wine tour of Piemonte (Piedmont) with a group of people from Salt Lake, some of whom have become good friends over the course of the past two years. They had all arrived in the previous couple of days; I made a mad dash from the airport to be able to join them for dinner. It was a fun night as I was introduced to Piemontese cuisine and sampled several wines.

Our restaurant was almost directly across the street from the National Museum of Cinema (pictured below). Our group, well lubricated with wine, posed for pictures outside our restaurant (see lead photo above) with the view of the museum's unique tower above us.

I had only had time to drop off my bags in my room before going to dinner. Later, my friends showed me around the place a bit. It was apparent I wasn't in southern Italy anymore. I'm grateful to be here and to finish off my Italian adventure with a week in the Piemonte wine country.

Oh, and I also left the sunshine behind in southern Italy. It was raining when I arrived last night, and the forecast calls for rain and thunderstorms almost all of the week. Oh well, at least I won't be on my bike.