Outline of a Road Trip: Italy plus four other countries

         Taking a Road Scholar tour helps you with some language and customs. We started in Rome and took the train to Florence and Venice. That was nearly ten days. Then we were on our own. I had reserved a car in Verona so we took a milk train from Venice and got in a new Mercedes at Verona and stayed a couple of days. Verona was one of the best visits of the trip. We got an early start and traveled along Lake Garda to Bolzano. From there we drove east to the heart of the dolomites. We stayed three days at La Villa a town focused on hiking and skiing the strange sandstone mountains. From there we traveled to Innsbruck, Austria for a short visit. Across Austria we took a side trip into Bavaria. We returned there some years later for an extended visit. We stayed in the lovely city of Feldkirch, Austria and then it was Liechtenstein where I got lost. I did not know there are two cities in the small country. The cities look beautiful even in the rain.  Next it was down nearly the whole of Switzerland. (There is a rumor that there are mountains there, but mostly we saw fog .) We emerged at Lake Como for a wonderful stay. It gave us a chance to see what all the hype is about. Como lives up to it. On the road back to Verona we stopped at Sirmione a fortress on Lake Garda. Back to Verona and a good night sleep, we flew to Paris and returned to San Francisco. The Dolomites will stay with me forever as it has long been a goal. I know most folks don't have a month to travel, but we have them and as we age we don't want to waste them.

Photo by Marietta McLellan