Some years ago I took a class in the history of the Italian language. It was somewhat difficult, as it was taught in Italian, but I learned so much about a language that I love, that I became completely absorbed in studying and reading.

Imagine my surprise when I came across a book that has much of the same information, and more, written in English! The book, La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales, is the story of one woman’s love affair with Italian. This book includes chapters on the history of Italian, including entertaining descriptions of Dante, Machiavelli and other famous Italian writers. There are also chapters which address the uniquely Italian approach to loving, eating, living, and even getting angry.

If you have ever wondered why In boca al lupo (In the mouth of the wolf) means good luck in Italian and buona fortuna (good luck) is considered unlucky—this is the book for you. It is highly entertaining and readable—and will be enjoyed whether you speak fluent Italian or just a few words.

It was a beautiful day when we set out to explore the lake. We had planned to go to Menagio but the boat which came to our dock was going nearly everywhere except Menagio; we got on anyway. We crossed the lake on a charming boat enjoying the towering mountains and the warm sun. We decided to get off in Tremezzo as we planned to take the boat again the next day—all the way to Como. We did not venture far from the water in Tremezzo—it is a small but charming little town. We noticed a restaurant where all of the tables were on a deck built out over the water. Even though it was early we decided to eat lunch there. The restaurant, called Albergo Tremezzo, though we did not see much of a hotel there, was very good. I had homemade tagliatelle with cinghiale—wild boar! My husband, Allen had an excellent pizza. We each had a glass of wine—I had Prosecco, the sparkling white wine from a neighboring region.

Some years ago I had a bout with plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammation of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot which most often causes severe heel pain. I learned from that experience to check the soles and arches of my shoes before a trip. It is usually possible to see where the soles are worn.

To check arch support is more difficult. I check by comparing my old shoes with a similar pair in the store. If I can tell a real difference I replace the shoes. It is important to do this far enough in advance of a trip to make sure the shoes are comfortable. Sandals may take longer to “break in” than tennis shoes.

Having had problems with my feet has made me appreciate their importance to any travel planning!

You can reach Pisa by train or bus from Livorno or Florence. If you come by train you will either need to find a taxi or take about a 20 minute walk to the tower. You can also drive, and with determination, find a place to park. There are many hotels in Pisa as well.

Pisa is one of my favorite cities. I first visited Pisa in 1957 when I was 12. Our family had just moved to Italy and we all climbed to the top of the tower and looked at the beautiful city below us. The tower was closed for many years—but it has re-opened and it is worth the climb!

PIAZZA OF MIRACLES AND THE LEANING TOWER

Why is Pisa worth the trip? Everyone knows that it has a tower and that the tower leans. What most people don’t know is that it is a beautiful tower in a breath-taking piazza—the Piazza dei Miracoli (piazza of miracles). The tower does lean—it is rather amazing to see. And climbing a leaning tower is as exciting now as it was when I was 12. The stairway is made of marble stairs which are worn according to how the tower leans. There are a lot of them. Nearly 300! Visitors can go out on the bell level—and admire the beautiful bells and then climb even higher to the very top. There are mountains off in one direction, the Arno in another, and far in the distance the sea is sometimes visible. Looking down on the Duomo and the Baptistery is impressive, and the stairway has some windows where you are at eye level with the statues on the roof of the Duomo.

For those of us who have to endure at least an 8 hour flight to get to Italy the getting there can be torturous. This is especially true if you are traveling by yourself and don’t know who you will be sitting next to. Like most travelers I have sat next to some of the most eccentric people I have ever met.

We never remember the person who was friendly but not overly friendly, the ones who actually stay within the confines of their armrests. No, we remember the ones who bring their pet bird onboard – yes I actually sat next to a woman who had a bird in a cage stored safely under the seat in front of her. Or the man who spoke nonstop for 8 hours about how awful his trip to Italy was and how he was no longer speaking with the person he went with who was sitting uncomfortably close to us on the same flight.

Your flights to and from Italy are always going to be something to be endured rather than enjoyed but with these tips you can make them more bearable:

I can drink some caffeine but too much and I am wired. Drink it too late in the day and I am up all night. That is where the Watersafe D+Caf Strips (caffeine test strips) come in. I heard about the Watersafe D+Caf Strips somewhere – on the news maybe or in a magazine. In any case I thought I would give them a try and they work!

When I order coffee in Italy I am never sure if I am actually ordering decaf and if I do manage to order something decaf I am not sure that is what I am getting. Watersafe D+Caf strips let me know for sure.

Here is what you do: Pour a little coffee in a spoon or some other small container, you only need a few drops, then take one of the Watersafe D+Caf strips and dip it in the coffee. If the liquid goes towards the D it is decaf, towards the C and you are drinking a caffeinated drink.

Camilleri always interjects some new information about Sicily. In this case it is the heat of Sicily in August and the rather lax building codes that exist in this part of Italy (actually given what happen in L’Aquila after the earthquake this may be the case everywhere in Italy). There is also a rather short description of what happens on Montalbano's least favorite of holiday's: Ferragosto. Ferragosto, August 15, is Italy’s biggest holiday of the summer. It is a day off for almost everyone which leaves the beaches littered with trash and with garbage floating in the waters off Vigata.

Once again Montalbano takes long swims to escape the heat, defies the Italian bureaucracy and struggles with his complex relationship with his long suffering love Livia. As has been apparent in the last few Montalbano books the Inspector is feeling his age more and more and that perhaps is causing him to behave a little strangely and out of character. And as is the case in most of his books Camilleri cannot avoid taking a swipe at Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Notice I left Fiat off the list – that is because most of us want to get where we are going without making a stop at every car repair shop on the way.

Drive on one of the Autostrada anywhere in Italy and you will soon have a car riding your bumper. Pull over and you will see the driver gesticulating wildly. I prefer to think they are telling me how happy they are to see such a beautiful woman driving along on such a beautiful day.

I was reading “Little-Known Facts about Well-Known Places” on Italy by David Hoffman and found a few fun facts about Italians and their cars. Did you know........

Visit Italy and you will want to plan your days around eating. But where to go? Not only are there dozens of options of what to eat but there are a lot of options of where to eat.

Autogrill: Autogrills are located on big Interstates and can be small or big enough that you could do a week’s worth of grocery shopping there. More than once, I have picked up food at an Autogrill for a picnic.
Bar/Caffé: These are an Italian institution and Italians would not be able to survive without them. This is where Italians begin their mornings and where they stop throughout the day for an espresso, glass of wine or small snack. It is the perfect place to sit and relax, read the paper and watch people.
Enoteca: Enoteca’s are Italy’s version of an American wine bar. You can buy wine by the glass along with a salad a tray of cheese and meat. You can also buy a bottle of wine to take with you and usually an opener if you do not have one.
Gelateria: Everyone needs to stop at least one gelateria on their visit to Italy. Gelato is creamy and delicious and comes in all kinds of flavors both usual and unusual.

Enel said the 12 megawatt plant, at Fusina in Venice's industrial zone of Porto Marghera, was the first of its kind in the world to operate on such a scale.

Powered by hydrogen by-products from local petrochemical industries such as the Eni group's Polimeri Europa factory, it can meet the needs of 20,000 families, while saving emissions equivalent to more than 17,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to Enel.

The power station forms part of a project dubbed Hydrogen Park, which is backed by the Venice region and Italy's environment minister to the tune of four million euros (5.6 million dollars).

The Crowne Plaza Quarto D’Altino Hotel’s normal rate is $92 to $170 a night. The offer was taken down quickly, but not before 230 people booked an average of 6 nights at the 1 cent rate. The error has cost the hotel around €90,000 ($130,000). Crowne Plaza hotels are part of the Intercontinental Hotels Group, the world’s largest hotel chain.

The hotel is located 20km (12.5 miles) from the center of Venice so visitors are still going to have to find their way into the city.

Armedei, Paul de Bondt, Roberto Catinari and Luca Mannori are all located in the area. A chocolate bar made by Amedei has been selected the best chocolate in the world by the Committee of Experts of the London Academy of Chocolate three years in a row. You have to wonder how you get appointed to that committee. Many of the chocolatiers in Chocolate Valley offer cooking classes, factory tours and chocolate tastings. Some require you to book in advance but others are open during regular Italian business hours.

Turin, Italy is the city that made chocolate what it is today. In the mid-1600’s chocolate was only available as a beverage and was so expensive only the very rich could afford it. At the end of the 18th century a Frenchman named Doret living in Turin invented a chocolate machine that ground cacao seeds into a paste from which chocolate was made. Turin now produces more chocolate annually than France and Germany combined.

Colors are adjectives and must agree with the nouns they are describing. For example, il rosso guanti means the red gloves.

To describe a color as light add the adjective chiaro to the color so rosso chiaro is light red. Adding scuro makes the color dark so blu scuro becomes dark blue.

When I travel to Italy the colors I use most are rosso and bianco as in vino rosso and vino bianco.

Here is the list of colors in Italian with their pronunciation:

Trash in Venice has to be collected on foot which is labor intensive and expensive.  Men with wheelbarrows cruise the alleys and canals collecting trash. Collection costs over $300 per ton compared with just under $100 per ton on the mainland according to Ricardo Seccarello, a city official. And the trash collectors only collect trash from bins, not the trash including a large number of plastic bottles that ends up in the canals each day.

Italians drink more bottled water than consumers anywhere else in the world drinking more than 40 gallons per person per year. Go to any restaurant or home in Italy and you will be offered bottled water “con gaz” or “senza gaz” meaning sparkling or natural. Rarely are you offered tap water and never are you offered ice.

This year the tour has the added excitement of having Lance Armstrong who is competing after a 4 year layoff spent drinking beer – his words, not mine. He also has to cope with the aftermath of recent shoulder surgery, the result of taking a spill in a race this past spring.

Adding emotion to the race is Danilo Di Luca from the Abruzzo region of Italy. Abruzzo is home to L’Aquila, the city damaged in the April 6 earthquake. Di Lucca who was poised to come in second before being overtaken by Stefano Garzelli in the last seconds was cheered wildly by Italian fans who in turned booed Garzelli. Di Lucca the clear fan favorite finished third in the stage.

While the Tour de France has its yellow jersey The Giro has the “Maglia Rosa”, the pink jersey. You would think it would be easy to pick out a pink jersey in a group of male cyclists but given the bright outfits cyclists wear it is harder than you would think it would be.