Take Me Home, Country Roads Story and photos by Tom Weber
ontrary
to singer-songwriter John Denver's monumental 1970 folk-country-pop
ballad Take Me Home, Country Roads, about the little winding
roads he travelled, I'm asking some other off-the-beaten-path byways
to not take me home, but, rather, take me along.
Let me explain.
For the next eight days I'll be traveling
in style as a guest of Insight Vacations, a global business-class travel
company, to sample a portion of one of its premium escorted "Country
Roads" itineraries here in Bella Italia.
As part of a group of international media
selected for this familiarization trip, I'll experience first-hand Insight's
off-the-beaten path tour of central Italy's Umbria and Tuscany regions,
along with Rome and Venice.
We start out in the Eternal City and the
Vatican and end up in La Serenissima. Along the way, our luxury
motorcoach will stop in Orvieto, Perugia, Assisi, Spello, Cortona, Fonterutoli
– in the heart of Chianti wine country – San Gimignano, and
the Ferrari Museum in Maranello.
According to the invitation, I'll be under
the watchful eye of a dedicated tour director-slash-storyteller and
local expert art-history guides; I'll have VIP FastTrack to all of the
sights; I'll stay at some of Insight's Signature and Gold-level hotels,
including a 17th century Tuscan villa-estate; I'll savor extraordinary
regional cuisine prepared by master chefs and paired with exquisite
wines; and, I'll toast the end of the tour by sipping a Bellini,
the stylish aperitivo created at American author-journalist Ernest
Hemingway's favorite Venetian watering hole: Harry's Bar.
Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?
For complete information on Insight Vacations'
12 Italian premium and luxury escorted itineraries and over 100 journeys
throughout Europe just click
HERE, or call toll free (888) 680-1241, or contact your travel agent.
Like a multi-course Italian dinner feast,
be on the lookout for my series of dispatches as I dish out my observations
of traveling some of those "Country Roads" of central Italy
in style with Insight Vacations.
Let Tom know what you think about his traveling adventure.
* * * * *
Feedback
for Destination Bosnia: Inside Sarajevo's Tunnel of Hope
Spent time in Sarajevo in the fall of 1973…beer was excellent!
--- David
* * * *
Hi Tom,
I must say, you're photographs are always amazing. They are
top notch. You bring so much class to Traveling Boy. It's photographs like yours
that make me want to go out and do my own traveling. Please don't get tired
of sending us your amazing adventures. It's such a delight for the soul.
--- Raoul, Whittier, CA
* * * *
Hi Tom:
I'm also an American living in Italy. I've read with interest your blog and
articles. I'd like to speak with you regarding residency and citizenship for
Americans in Italy as you do seem to have a great deal of knowledge on all of
these subjects. Would it be possible to give you a call on the phone? If so,
please let me know how to reach you. If not, I can ask my questions via email.
Thank you!
--- David
* * * *
Hey Tom – Wow! Love those photos – they are so super
that they make me A) Want to start eating NOW. B) Go there myself. C) See all
that pristine beauty that looks so restful and peaceful. Great story, superb
pix!!! Bravo!!
--- John, Los Angeles, CA
* * * *
Feedback
for Destination Southwestern France: Saint-Émilion
Good job, Tom, and timely info. St. Émilion is in the
list of places Jim Hayes and I will visit in September 2014. If we get the chance,
we will exploit your experience to enhance the trip!
--- Bobby Harper, Dameron, MD
* * * *
Feedback
for Vicenza Walks – Monte Berico
I lived in Vicenza for 4 years in the U.S. ARMY from 1963 to
1967. A wonderful place to explore. Palladio’s works are amazing. Have
been back twice since and find new places to visit. My favorite is MONTE BERICO
where I have some wonderful photos of my family.
--- Dr. Albert Pizzi, Hanover, MA
* * * *
I liked the new TB particularly the Vicenza article that took
me back as a youth when we lived in Naples and travelled up there for a baseball
tourney (U.S. Military Bases dependent schools played each other.)
Took me back to the plaza.
--- Bill
Feedback
for A Canterbury Trail (Sutri)
Very interesting note. I have wedroned which route the early
pre-Christian and Christian pilgrims travelled to Rome from England. Is it still
possible to travel the Francigena trail?
--- Pawel
You can find out more info on walking tours of Via Francigena
at this site: http://www.compagniadeicammini.it/en/.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting..
Tom
* * * *
Good article, enjoyed reading it. Saved your recommended sights
for future use.
--- Dardenne Prairie, MO
* * * *
You're going to be great at this Tom. Congrats.
--- Donna Vissa -Montreal
Three Musical Pilgrimages: Mozart, Grieg and Hendrix
Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
could read and compose music, plus play the violin and piano, when he was
five years old. Born into a musical family in Salzburg, Austria (then the
Holy Roman Empire), he had a unique ability for imitating music, which first
became evident when he recited a musical piece by simply observing his father
conducting a lesson to his older sister. This led to a childhood on the
road, where the young prodigy performed before many of the royal courts
of Europe.
NOLA: New Orleans, Louisiana
Mardi Gras, the French Quarter, the Garden District,
the streetcar (now a bus) to Desire, the jazz clubs, the beignets at the
Café du Monde and breakfast at Brennan’s come to mind when you
think of New Orleans. But that’s not all there is to this unique American
city, filled with treasures both culinary and cultural.
Two "MUST SEE" Truly Spectacular Places
in Europe. Here's Why.
The Han Grotto and Culzean Castle. As the name
of my Traveling Boy feature is "Travel With a Difference," it's
important to me to always bring you offbeat and unusual tourist places around
the world you may not know about. These two fit that category to a T, and
they're absolutely worth a visit. One's in Scotland and one's in Belgium.
Culzean (pronounced CULLANE) Castle is located near Maybole, Carrick, on
the Ayrshire coast of Scotland.
Highway 49 Revisited: Exploring California's
Gold Country
In the 1840s, the population of California was only
14,000, but by 1850 more than 100,000 settlers and adventurers had arrived
from all over the world – and they came for one reason: gold. James
Marshall had discovered the first gold nugget at Sutter’s Mill in El
Dorado County, creating the largest gold rush in history.
Lake Charles’ Family-Size Low-Key Mardi Gras
The Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras in Lake Charles,
the second largest in Louisiana, does not need parents there to avert their
children’s eyes. This is family entertainment and children are very
much part of it. The main office of the Lake Charles CVB has costumes from
last year’s Mardi Gras but it also has figures to fascinate little
ones from country boys fishing for their dinner to alligators who have already
fed and are rubbing their stomachs.
Puerto Vallarta: Magic and Mayhem on the Malecon
So I heard that you could spend from dawn to dusk on
the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and never get bored and I thought,
"Okay, I'm up for that challenge." Well, maybe not the dawn part
– I'm not a morning person – so I had no problem leaving those
early hours to the joggers and those seeking an early start to catch their
red snapper for dinner.
Leviticus 20:13 Sent by Tom of Pasadena,
CA
It all makes sense now. Gay marriage and marijuana
was legalized in the last election. Leviticus 20:13 states
"If a man lays with another man, he should be stoned..." We've
been interpreting it wrong all these years!
Tahiti and Her Islands
Just their names (pronounce each vowel!) conjure up romantic
images: Tahiti Nui, Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Ra'iatea, Taha'a. Her
people are gentle; the air, tiare-perfumed. Warm lagoons, majestic peaks,
tropical fruits from the land and bounty from the sea all tantalize the
senses. Paradise! As near as can be found on planet earth. And, in my
experience, the finest way to explore her is on a ship designed for that
single purpose.
Relaxing at The Inn at Laguna Beach
There is nothing like sleeping in an ocean-front room
and awakening to the sounds of waves crashing against the sand. It is
one of the finer things in life. And it is exactly what I experienced
recently on a memorable getaway to The Inn at Laguna Beach. The adventure
began when a friend I pulled off the 5 Freeway in Orange County and took
SR 133 south nine miles through winding lush hills and wilderness areas
to the ocean.
Tim Robbins On His Road To Stardom
Award-winning Tim Robbins began his career on episodic
television. Robbins' film work, however, is what catapulted him into becoming
a major movie star including "Bull Durham" and "Mystic
River" for which he won multiple awards. Equally at home behind the
camera, he directed the riveting "Dead Man Walking." He is Founder
and Artistic Director of The Actors' Gang, which he formed thirty-five
years ago and has directed multiple provocative productions.
ontrary
to singer-songwriter John Denver's monumental 1970 folk-country-pop
ballad Take Me Home, Country Roads, about the little winding
roads he travelled, I'm asking some other off-the-beaten-path byways
to not take me home, but, rather, take me along.
Let Tom know what you think about his traveling adventure.
