It is February 2014 and I am finally revisiting the “contessagoesnorth” blog.
Many things have happened since my last posting and the winter rolled in faster then expected on beautiful Chesapeake Bay.

Beginning of October Joe and I flew to Croatia to partake in the wedding of my young cousin, Dario, and his lovely bride, Ruzica (Rose). It was so much fun to see all my family and be part of this very joyous and festive occasion. It encompassed old traditions enhanced by new ones. Folklore and new era music merged quite well together! The young couple’s union was well complemented by plenty of song, dance, food and drink. May Ruzica and Dario live long in their loving, caring and happy relationship and receive the blessings that they so hope for!

Following this very happy event we were joined by Joe’s daughter, Jennifer, and her husband, Rocco, to give them a flavor of my Croatian family, my beautiful country and the magnificent Dalmatian Coast. This was the first of Joe’s family visiting mine and my country, and it was a momentous experience for all involved.

Both left enriched by the warm embrace of our Croatian hospitality and by just having a glimpse of the beauty Croatia has to offer, both inland and on the Adriatic coast. It was a very brief but sweet experience enticing them to return for more!

Following that experience we all drove to Split, a major city on the central Dalmatian Coast to embark on an overnight ferry to Ancona, Italy. The ferry was large but dated resulting in not the so common and expected luxury and comfort that we as Americans are accustomed to.

To our disappointment we could not enjoy the vistas of the numerous islands gracing the Dalmatian coast and the majestic Adriatic Sea as it was a moonless, dark night. Just at sunrise of the next morning we arrived in Ancona where we were picked up by a singing, happy driver named Roberto who took us through the mountainous region from the coast into the lush green hills of Umbria. Since it was October and the rains were more prevalent we encountered fog and rain intermittently crossing through tunnels and high altitude highways. After a two hour ride we finally arrived at our destination at Le Vigne, a beautiful country villa set on top of a hill surrounded by a thousand olive trees and crowned by tranquil majestic Cyprus pine trees.

Le Vigne is a Shangri-La created by our dear friends Joan and Roger Arndt, a retired Senior Delta Pilot and an ex Coca Cola Executive from Atlanta. Their love for this property and their labor of love is very much represented and so palpable in every detail Le Vigne holds. The views from that property are spectacular and reach as far as Perugia on one side and Assisi on the other. Every hill holds another medieval town or historical site that we either have visited or simply enjoyed viewing from this location on.

Spending a week with Jennifer and Rocco as well as Joe and Chris Marino was a gift much cherished as well.
We also had the opportunity to visit with cousin David and his family who also own a beautiful country home in the region of Greve en Chianti, a well known wine region of Italy.

Meeting the famous singing butcher Dario, was an exceptional encounter that we will remember for times to come! Thank you David and Elizabetta for your hospitality and your introduction to this unusual experience!

Finally after a few more weeks of dealing with doctors and health issues we returned to visit our Contessa finding her in good hands and well taken care of. This made it easier to come to the conclusion to leave our beautiful Contessa at Haven Harbor Marina for the winter and return to retrieve her once the snows have melted and the winds of the north subside.