Memories to Cherish
I’m in the business of creating memories to cherish. Sharing these experiences with my guests and their loved ones is the most rewarding aspects of my career. One client experience was with Steve and Susan Atkins, from Seattle, Washington. It was 2017 and Steve contacted me via my website, and I was very surprised because 95% of my clients come from people I know, meet face-to-face, or are referred to me. I replied to Steve’s emailed and asked him to call me to discuss our experience. Usually, there is no reply when I have given my phone number, however, Steve did reply. On the call Steve explained, “The Tuscany tour is exactly what I want for my wife’s 60th birthday celebration with our friends.”
I responded, “Steve, I have to be honest with you, I’ve never booked a tour from a website inquiry.” I explained I was a small, boutique tour company, and I came from the wealth management banking business and changed my career after meeting my family in Sicily. Steve went on to say, “I’ve retired from Boeing as head of their Safety Engineering department, and now that I’m retired, my wife and I are ready to go to Tuscany which we always dreamed about.”
Steve also had four other couples that wanted to join in on the tour which we scheduled for September of 2018. It was about a year in advance, which in my experience isn’t unusual for people looking to book this type of vacation.
Steve took great care in planning the trip, he provided me with all his friends’ information, explained that he wanted a party for Susan (which is something we commonly do), and I even arranged for a photographer to photograph and videotape the event. I helped him plan his pre-tour time and suggested going to Bologna before coming to our villa. I also offered to meet them to take them around the historic section of the city and go for balsamic- and cheese-producer tours in Modena.
That year I also had guests from a prior year, Tom and Sue Ghezzi, with whom I became friends during their first tour, and they returned to Tuscany for a second time. I suggested something different, that they join me to meet the Atkins in Bologna, since they had already done the Lucca and Pisa tour the prior trip. I also asked a new friend, Ramona, to come along to help me with the tour as an Italian interpreter. It’s always good to have another set of hands especially when she is more familiar with traveling in Italy.
How I met Ramona is an interesting story of her helping me through a difficult day and finding a solution or two for me. Earlier that month, I went frantically to the Avis Car rental office to pick up a car after my brand new, leased Peugeot had its air conditioner blow out. I say “frantically” because I was supposed to prepare the villa for four tours that month, instead I had spent all day communicating with Peugeot in France to find an authorized repair shop and get a replacement car. After finally getting to the repair shop with only minutes to spare on a Friday night, Peugeot arranged a taxi to pick me up and take me to the airport car rental offices. Without having any other information, I walked into the office which had several car companies, looked at the first person and said, “My brand-new van has a broken A/C unit and Peugeot sent me here for a replacement rental without telling me what rental car company to go to.”
Then the young lady sitting at the Avis Car rental counter said, “Well, what is your name?”
I responded, “GAGLIO”!
And without looking at the client roster, Ramona said, “Robert?”
Relieved and shocked that she already knew my name, I excitedly said, “Yes!”
After I responded, she prepared all the needed paperwork. Then she asked, “Do you have a credit card?”
At that moment, I realized I had given my credit card to our chef who had then continued making the purchases to get ready for the tours we were about to provide. I answered, “I gave my card to my chef, but I have my debit card.”
Ramona responded, “We can’t use a debit card, since the account could have a zero balance.” Seeing the frustration on my face, as the clock was ticking and I was about 18 hours from having eight guests appear at the villa for their Tuscany Dream Tour, she must have taken pity on me. I couldn’t believe it, but somehow, she managed to deal with the situation and sent me on my way with a nine-person Fiat van.
Recognizing this was an exceptional employee, I asked her if she ever wanted to work with me; I could use the help. I asked her to join me as an interpreter the following week when I was to take the Atkins and Ghezzis to Bologna. I wasn’t very experienced with Bologna and having an Italian-speaking assistant would be a great help. She accepted and on the day of our Bologna visit, the Ghezzis and I picked her up in Florence on our way to meet the Atkins in Bologna.
Recently, Ramona became the itinerary director and booking agent for my company and works with me closely to plan for accommodations and activities for our guests. It’s interesting that just after a short encounter, it’s possible to spot a good worker if you pay attention. The beauty of owning your own business is you get to choose who you work with, and this is a perfect example of the benefits of that aspect.
Bologna is a fascinating place to visit, particularly if you have an interest in Italian food like I do. It is in the heart of Emalia Ramana, which is known for being the greatest of all regions in Italy for original foods. It’s the place noted for balsamic vinegar, Parma prosciutto, and the world-famous Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Its three nicknames are based on what it is best known for. La Dotta (The Learned), is named for the University of Bologna, founded in 1088, making it the oldest university in the western world. La Grassa (The Fat), whose name refers to the culinary pilgrimages’ visitors take to discover Italy’s top food products. La Rossa (The Red), was originally named for the terracotta tiled roofs of the city and in later years for the concentration of leftist political leanings of some of its population.
Often overlooked by visitors to Italy, there is an array of things you can enjoy in this college town also known for its particos (attractive arches covering the sidewalks along the fronts of buildings), originally built from wood in the Middle Ages to create extra living space above. These structures throughout much of the historic center, now provide protection from the rain and sun as you walk around the city and have gained UNESCO World Heritage designation for their cultural significance.
First things first, take a food tour which is a fun way to get introduced to the many foods produced there, which will also give you a chance to get your bearings of the town. I have just the recommendation for a great tour of my friend’s food tour company, Delicious Bologna. Mattia Tozzoli started his company around the same time I did, and we have been friends ever since I discovered his marvelous tours back then.
With Mattia, you can take a pasta-making class and learn how to make tortellini, a stuffed pasta invented in this region. You can eat your way around the Mercato Delle Erbe (indoor fresh food market), choose from an assortment of fruits and vegetables, and grab a quick lunch at the food court. Did you know Bologna has two leaning towers? One is the Asinelli Tower that can be climbed to get a bird’s-eye view of the city because it is the taller. The other is the Garisenda which is smaller but leaning more. You can see the Fountain of Neptune which is very close to the Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Peitro and my favorite spots, the Archiginnasio (Municipal Library) and Teatro Anatomico (Anatomical Theater). The Archiginnasio was once the main building of the University of Bologna dating back to the 18th century and is the place where the Teatro Anatomico is located. This theater was once the lecture hall where cadavers were laid out on the marble slab for dissection in the center of the hall. The wood carvings in this room are extraordinary and thankfully survived the Allied bombings in the Second World War.
I parked in a location that was a bit far from the hotel Steve and Susan were staying since I was not familiar with the city. After we finally arrived in the city center, we realized we only had a limited amount of time to explore there. We decided on going to the Cathedral and the Teatro Anatomico and then move on to our two appointments in Modena. There we would visit the Giuseppe Giusti balsamic vinegar producer and the 4 Madonne Caseificio cheese factory.
Walking back to the van, my inexperience got the better of me. Relying on the iPhone GPS, the directions were confusing due to poor phone reception, and the clock was ticking. To save time getting back to the car, we hailed a taxi and escorted our guests into the back seat telling the cabby where the parking lot was. Then, Ramona and I ran as fast as we could to reach them to continue our journey. Our efforts didn’t help relying on the GPS; we were fooled again. Both Ramona and I had a look of disbelief on our faces when the GPS seemed to magically change from just a few meters away from the cheese factory to seven kilometers. It was clear that we were going to miss our appointment time and had to reschedule for the afternoon. Instead of touring the cheese factory then, we stopped for lunch which turned out to be fantastic. In fact, Sue Ghezzi reminded me recently just how great that meal was. In Italy, even when things seem to go wrong, they can turn out wonderfully if you have the right company.
After lunch, the tour of the 4 Madonne Caseificio (Parmesan Dairy) was captivating watching the workers put the finishing touches on the day’s work. Unfortunately, since we got there in the afternoon, we didn’t get to see the production process. That work is done in the mornings; however, we were able to see them work with the giant cheese wheels and the guide gave us an informative presentation all about the process. My favorite part was when the guide took us back into the storage room where thousands of cheese wheels were placed neatly on shelving that almost reached the very high ceiling. There was a robotic device that traveled between the shelving to grab the wheel, clean it and turn it upside down so the weight of the wheel is equally distributed on both sides during the aging process. There must have been millions of dollars of inventory in that room. The master cheese taster then showed us the tool he uses to test the cheese as do the agents from the testing authorities, to see if the cheese qualifies to reach the highest quality grading. So much goes into the process, it’s no wonder why the taste is amazing.
The tour of Giuseppe Giusti was just as fun and interesting. The town of Modena is the home of several balsamic producers and Giuseppe Giusti is one of its oldest. Hundreds of years ago, the vinegar was used as a medicine and gradually became a delicacy product. For much of its history, balsamic was only produced and consumed in this area until the rest of the world discovered its delectable taste, and then it was exported throughout the world. It takes years to make real balsamic vinegar. Each year the product is moved from one barrel to the next, each slightly smaller than the one before it. The barrels have a cloth covering a hole on top which allows the water to evaporate, leaving behind the sticky, thick, liquid goodness. Bottles of 30-year balsamic are expensive and after understanding the process you can see why, it’s used on cheeses, gelato and even put in drinks. Lesser aged balsamic is used on salads mixed with a good extra-virgin olive oil. I never purchase balsamic vinegar that isn’t real. The fake stuff is simply red wine vinegar with caramel added which gives it the sweet taste and coloring. A real bottle of balsamic is a treat and makes for the perfect gift to bring to someone back home with whom you want to share a bit of your experience.
The following week the Atkins group came to the villa, and for me it’s always an honor to host a group and witness the love they share with each other. It was so apparent that Steve and Susan were deeply in love, and they shared with me information about their children and grandchildren back home. Thankfully, my inexperience back in Bologna was barely noticed by my guests, and the week at the villa was spectacular, especially the villa party where the photographer took many magical shots.
Earlier this year in 2022, I was saddened to learn that Steve lost his beautiful bride Susan to cancer. She was only 63 years old. Steve showed me how he shared his love for Susan by taking such great care in creating her Tuscan birthday celebration, and I was blessed to witness it. That special week in September 2018 will aways be a memory I will cherish, as I’m sure Steve will forever.
Dedicated to Susan Marie Atkins
September 30, 1958 – January 14, 2022
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