With classes and graduation behind us, we head out for the open road (and harrowing Autostrade) with our trusty Eurocar rental whose license plates number starts with the letters “ED.” Ed, a Fiat, is the equivalent of two sawed-off kitchen chairs in a barrel with windows. Our two cylinders have a hard time keeping up with Maseratis, Ferraris, BMWs, Chevys, and chic Italian motocyclettes—not that we are even trying! But, we’re game and start out on the right side of the freeway behind transport trucks, obediently hugging their tiny share of real estate. Throughout our marriage, Steve is always the driver; I am navigator.

There is a lot wrong with this picture: I can’t read maps; Steve sees everything on foreign roads as a disaster waiting to happen. I am fearless because I don’t know any better and he understands that we are not going north, just because maps are drawn that way. We only discuss divorce a few times, which to our way of thinking means that we are having a wonderful time.

Over several days, we make our way to Sirmione, Borghetto, Mantua, Bassano del Grappa, Asolo, and Treviso. Northern Italy is highly industrialized and presents many challenges while looking for the ‘centro historico’ of each village. In most cases, the Medieval fortified city walls point the way. Each town has its is own charm and authenticity. Now used to having wine at lunch, we sample all of the vino locale.

When it’s finally time to depart Verona and Italy, we take the train to Milan and still have some hours of daylight to soak up the historic sites of this enormous, bustling cosmopolitan city. We board the plane for NYC the next morning, leaving a huge part of our hearts in Italy and with the new friends we made on this trip. Here is a small sample of the sights we see as we work our way home.