A picture paints a thousand words

I was too young to be considered a worthy traveller when my parents embarked on an organised tour of Europe. And I was too young to bother to care that I missed out on an adventure. Those were the days of slides. And those were the days when people would still visit friends, and not end up merely replacing their own usual seat in front of the TV, for a seat in someone else's house..... in front of the TV.  Which meant that for months after their trip, our lounge would be filled with people, looking at the slide show of the Great European Adventure. I remember joining in on many of these sessions, mostly because visitors often meant tea and cakes. But frequently, I would be sent off to bed, as to be expected of any behaving primary school kid. And there I would be listening to the commentary. And with each click of the projector, I knew exactly what the image was that invoked the remarks that followed.

It's remarkable how, bored as I was at the time with the repetitive slide shows, many of these images and comments remained with me to this day. And clearly left a rather large impression with me. And so it's no wonder that some of these images ended up being a significant influence on my plans for our Italian trip.

Armed with as many travel books I could lay my hands on, and adding some nostalgic dreams, I started formulating the route. Venice was an absolute must. And with Niel's love for wine, Tuscany could not be missed. Not seeing Rome would be silly.Portofino has always been one of my romantic dreams. And the mystery of a Hilltop Town was yet another must. And then the passes. My kids are avid Top Gear followers. How could I NOT be driving the Stelvio pass then?!

And so, after many months of planning, researching, scratching, asking, wondering, dreaming, our itinerary  emerged. In short, we will fly to Rome, then drive up through Tuscany, through the Cinque Terre, to Piedmont area. From there, we will drive North into the mountains, East via the lakes, back North into the mountains, and then down to Venice, from where we will be flying back.

Over the next few days, I will give more detail of our itinerary. Mostly because I just have so much fun going over the plans over and over again.  :)

Eight days and counting! :)