Paddie flew in to join me in taking Lindsay and Jenn on a trip to Italy. (Because, after all, she was spending a week in the U.K. from South Africa so why not take a short jaunt to the south of France and the Italian Riviera?) The Italian border is less than an hour away via a breathtaking route over deep ravines and into tunnels burrowed through mountains that rise above the sea. Both Jenn and Lindsay have Italian ancestry (from northern Italy and Sicily respectively), and they quickly felt the love from the Italian men. "Bellisima!" "Brava!" [I, other the other hand, did not feel the love from the Italian drivers. It didn't help that Sanremo is especially hilly.]
But Sanremo -- a seaside resort that was once a Roman settlement -- reminded me of why I love Europe. You can stumble blindly into a little town, wind down narrow cobblestone streets, and find yourself in the middle of Piazza San Siro drinking cold white wine with a little antipasti and gazing at a 12th century cathedral.
We roamed the old town for hours and ended the evening with a good dinner of fresh pasta and seafood in a lively area filled with outdoor tables and strings of white lights.
And, of course, the girls wanted to shop. They were in luck. Italy has the same sales policy as France, where twice a year-- in January and July -- shops across the country mark down their merchandise and mark their windows with one glorious word: Saldi!
Shopping highlights: dresses, jewelry, a sweater, and gelato -- the last not on sale but we didn't mind paying full price.
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