The Wine School of Philadelphia took our show on the road the first week of June, converting the Villa Giusterna in Chianti into our Tuscan campus. Instead of boring everyone with details of our “Viaggio di vino,” and with apologies to everyone, here’s my Top Ten List of observations on life in Italy.
- Cappuccino is available all day…but most people don’t order it after 11 AM.
- Italians generally like Americans but don’t understand our government.
- If you pull into a wine estate and see tour buses make a U-turn…after all, this ain’t Napa.
- There are a half dozen ways to get from town to town, none of them direct.
- As a sport, parking is second only to soccer.
- Bargain-priced local wine is usually no bargain…but house wine is.
- The topless women standing along the road are not crossing guards.
- “Regular hours” is a discretionary term.
- The hand “signals” Italian drivers use have nothing to do with making turns.
- Tuscany is every bit as beautiful as all the pictures you see.