Our OCSC tours coordinator has done a great job of creating some really great adventures for us this year. This past month we went to Italy for a girls fun weekend of pottery, wine and pasta! After a dicey start with one of our rental cars overheating and hours spent in the airport with the local police helping us out, we had the first of many amazing late dinners. Day one we headed to Nove, Italy for pottery shopping. I loved Nove as everything was already marked for places like Tiffany's and Williams Sonoma and you can buy it for tons less than you would get it in the states. We shopped all morning then had a great lunch, as if there would be any other in Italy, shopped a bit more in the afternoon and collected our packages before heading to the Vicenza post office to MPS it all home. I kind of felt sorry for the post folks as 18 women descended upon them with 50+ huge boxes. I found some real treasurers including my ginormous rooster for my eventual large kitchen. I got a ton of great pieces and it was really fun when my two enormous boxes arrived at home! 
On Day 2 we went to Venice. I adore Venice. I can't understand how anyone cannot like this incredible city. We started the day along the grand canal and San Marcos square. This time around we decided to head into the cathedral as I had not done this on a previous trip. We saw the tomb of St. Mark and enjoyed the view before heading down the many side streets shopping all the way to the Rialto bridge. Of course, we took a gondola ride along the way and our gondalier was named....wait for it....Fabio! And Fabio was Fabulous!
After another amazing dinner we had to head home. 
The final day we visited Verona. I had not previously been to Verona and was pleasantly surprised to find almost everything open on a Sunday. We had tons of fun sightseeing at Juliet's balcony, shopping and eating gelato not once but twice, and had an amazing lunch of gnocci gorgonzola and wine. I love Italy!
