Season 5, Episode 6 | From Lakes to Langhe

Episode summary

In this conversation, Anthony Campopiano discusses the unique appeal of Italy's lesser-known regions, particularly Piedmont and the Riviera. He highlights how these areas offer a more authentic experience compared to the heavily touristed Tuscany, emphasizing the quality of food, wine, and the overall atmosphere. 

Takeaways

• You're getting Italy light with Tuscany's charm.

• Piedmont offers great food and fantastic wine.

• The Riviera provides a unique blend of sea and wine.

• Authenticity is key in less touristy areas.

• Travelers can enjoy beautiful vineyards in Piedmont.

• The experience is more real and less commercialized.

• Italy's hidden gems are worth exploring.

• Quality of food and wine is paramount.

• Tourism in Italy can be overwhelming in popular spots.

• Seek out the less traveled paths for true Italian culture.

Episode Transcript

0:00

Unveiling the 'Italy Light' Experience in the Northwest

Hey guys, welcome back.

You're listening to the Bella Italy podcast.

0:15

Speaker 2

The attraction is you're getting Italy light.

Do you think about Tuscany overcrowded over tourist Piedmont, great food, fantastic wine, hilltops, beautiful vineyards.

You're getting, you're getting everything you would want out of Tuscany with the same quality of food and wine.

0:32

When you're on the Riviera, you're going to get less than you would at customers that want to go to Amalfi.

So you're getting wine, you're getting the sea and obviously Magiotti for the lake.

So I think you're getting the the lightness of what a customer or client might want experience Tuscany in the sea of Italy.

0:51

But getting there more, I would say a real experience because it's not as touristy as some of the highlights.

1:01

Speaker 1

And we are back around again.

Everybody.

Welcome back to the table, Table for Lack.

1:07

Speaker 3

Of a better.

1:08

Speaker 1

Metaphor, but we've extended this virtual table, invited everyone to it, and today we're actually going to talk about some food.

And so I guess it's it's apropos before we get into all that.

How are you doing?

We've got Anthony on the line from Nashville, TN.

1:26

Speaker 2

So I love that you mentioned that because play on words, it's Thanksgiving next week.

So we will be at the table now, but we also be at the table next week and we actually have some fun Italian friends that are coming in for their first from Italy for the first Thanksgiving in America.

1:44

What do we have by the way, nothing in Italy in regards to that kind of day.

Do they for a Thanksgiving type of celebration of anytime.

I wonder if a culturally if I meant to ask you.

1:55

Speaker 3

That I'll be.

I'll be.

1:56

Speaker 1

Working.

1:58

Speaker 2

It's annoying.

No, I'm not talking about you working.

I'm just talking about or any other time of the.

2:03

Speaker 3

Year so heavy I don't rubbing.

2:07

Speaker 2

It in because you're missing because you're missing a Turkey sandwich.

2:11

Speaker 3

I don't, I don't.

I don't want to start dishing here about my boss but.

2:17

Speaker 1

I got to work.

2:17

Speaker 3

Cracking the whip.

I'll be at work boss.

2:21

Speaker 2

I should have.

I should have phrased it better.

Do Italians other days of the year have a Thanksgiving?

OK, No, I knew the answer, but I wanted to make sure I asked.

OK all.

2:32

Speaker 3

Right, I just.

2:33

Speaker 1

Wanted to ask that.

Yeah, our, yeah, our, our festivities, of course, there there were already a couple of weeks ago, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, the day of the day, all of that kind of thing, you know, right after Halloween.

And then it just, it's quiet all of November, you've got your regional stuff and different towns have their.

2:54

Speaker 2

Own.

2:55

Speaker 3

You know things, but it it could happen or maybe not for us in, in my town, there's really nothing.

It's dead.

We start putting up like the decorations and you know, they're going to illuminate them soon.

But it's always like a budget concern.

You know, there's a couple towns in in Italy that have it pre arranged in advance, but they've got money to do that because of tourism.

3:16

Like Salerno, for example.

They're a big attraction now for Christmas lights and so they'll put it up earlier in the year.

It's all programmed towns like mine.

It's really a budget thing.

It's when they can turn on the power and have, you know, the, the pretty ambiance and all of that.

3:36

But no, we won't have any other.

3:37

Speaker 2

Big, big lights too, like the massive lights used to have.

They got tinsel and Garland.

They got Garland.

Never collects Garland for the year.

Looks like a your town looks like a 60s.

Your town looks like a 60s commercial.

3:54

Speaker 1

So yeah, as we get into December, of course, yeah, we'll start the festivities.

I think what is it the 7th or 8th of December is we kick back up into?

4:07

Speaker 3

Christmas in festival mode.

But yeah, right now nothing.

We just, yeah, we we're look at we're like a little, little poor, poor Timmy on the outside of the the.

4:17

Speaker 2

Glass of misfits.

4:18

Speaker 3

Looking, looking at all you Americans having your big Thanksgiving feast, you know, and here we are, poor and hungry on the outside, Italians.

4:28

Speaker 2

Have a feast all the time, by the way.

You know that.

We do have a lot of feast.

Every Sunday's a feast.

4:43

Speaker 3

We don't need to talk about that.

We need to talk about how poor.

4:47

Speaker 2

Sunday's a feast.

4:48

Speaker 3

Exactly poor, just like the military.

Every day's a holiday and every meal's a feast, Sir.

4:55

Speaker 1

Yes.

4:56

Speaker 3

All right.

Well, moving, moving right along.

5:00

Navigating Italy: Macro Regions and Travel Insights

If you've joined us, we actually do talk about Italy.

5:03

Speaker 1

Welcome to the Bella Italy podcast.

We are an extension and outreach of a company, Italy with Bella Travel Company.

And if you're thinking about going to Italy, check us out online anytime, Italy with bella.com and yeah, get a free consultation with Anthony and his wife Denise.

5:22

But obviously everything that we learn over on the business side of what we do comes into play here and fuels all of this.

Not the banter part, that's just us being stupid, but but all, all of the knowledge, that's what we're going after.

5:40

All of the knowledge comes into play because of taking care of people like you who come over here to Italy so.

5:48

Speaker 4

All that said, you have found us in the middle of season 5 and I'm really excited to start today because we've been, as Anthony put it a week or two ago, we, we've been watching the water boil, but now we're ready to put in the pasta.

6:05

And we've been talking about how to come over and, and travel the right way to be a traveler and not just a tourist, something beyond just the, the consumption that, you know, the consuming that we're all really great at being consumers, but how do we come over and actually enjoy and, and not just, you know, take what's, what's offered?

6:28

I mean, there are so many tourist traps and, you know, we've got episodes dedicated to that.

We may get into that a little bit as we go through these macro regions, but we want you to come over and actually get the most out of Italy, not in the consuming aspect, but it, you know, for you, what's best for you?

6:50

What's the best experience that you could possibly have coming over here to Italy.

It is an investment.

It takes time, planning a year in advance and, and all of that.

And it would be a shame to waste it.

And that's what we're getting at today.

And so you, you found us in the middle of this season 5 and we've just started.

7:09

And if you didn't hear it, go back and listen at least to the last episode where we set up the, the regions here.

We've got 20 regions in Italy, 5 groupings or macro regions, which would loosely correspond to the, you know, the great Northwest in the United States or the Northeast or the, you know, mid South or, you know, the, the Plains area.

7:35

You've got these big groupings of States and we do that.

7:39

Speaker 1

Over here, it's not we.

We don't talk.

7:42

Speaker 4

About that a lot.

And it's not something that we really, you know, when we sit down with a client, you know, talk about, we're not going to talk about a macro region per SE.

But as we've been digging into this, there's a lot of reason to think of them as clumps.

8:00

Speaker 2

It's funny because we grew up in America.

I'm from the Rust Belt, I'm from New England, from the Southeast.

You know, even, you know, even terms used in each state of, you know, inside the region, like we talked about, like, I forget what Florida, like a Florida cracker or a a redneck in Tennessee or, you know, a Masshole in Massachusetts, you know, excuse the language, but you know what I mean?

8:24

But we always had it was always, we're always regional where everything's regional, right, Rust Belt, like we talked about, you know, so I think, I think I never thought of it that way in in Italy, even as you know, being Italian, I don't think Italians talk that way either.

Hey, we're in in the macro region.

8:40

I'm in the macro region.

So yeah, I agree with that.

That's pretty funny.

8:43

Speaker 1

But as we're as we're looking at this, I mean these macro regions have basically existed since World War 2 and afterwards.

And, you know, even even since then, the 20 regions that we have and five are either autonomous or semi autonomous regions of the 20, even those have changed over the last 4050 sixty years as lines have been redrawn.

9:09

And so this is just a way of thinking about it, but it it it's helpful from a political and A and a tourism, you know, angle to look at these clumps.

But then also we're finding, and this is what we'll get into right now, that there are some valid reasons to think about these these groupings.

9:28

And so today on this podcast, we're going to look at the Northwest macro region.

And so we're talking about the five how do, I mean, we have four or five different regions here in the Northwest.

9:43

So it's a grouping.

If you're looking at a map, you go all the way up to the north and then head over to the left all the way West.

And you've got Piamonte, Aosta Valley, Lombardia, Liguria, all of this is in that clump of the Northwest.

10:00

And so it's it.

10:03

Speaker 3

How?

10:03

Speaker 4

Often, would you say that this is on somebody's first trip over to Italy?

Are they hitting in this macro region?

10:12

Speaker 2

Only because of Como.

The Como sits there in that region.

If you think about it, that's probably Como's probably number six out of the six cities picked.

And so I would say, you know, 22 out of 10, three out of 10 times.

But it's only because of that one lake.

10:27

They're not talking about the wine.

They're not talking about the mountains or the sea as much.

It's always about Coma or even Milan because he'll land in Milan.

Hey, we'll do 2 days in Milan, then head to somewhere else.

But no, it's, it's not widely thought out when or thought of when we hear about it.

Yeah.

10:43

Speaker 1

Yeah.

And then probably the least visited on that list, Piomonte, Ayosta, Lombardia, Liguria is the Ayosta Valley.

Probably few, if any, even on their third or fourth, fifth trip would would get up into that little corner.

11:02

It's all the way up in the hills, hard to get to.

And we're going to talk about why it would make sense to actually go there for those that are are interested.

We'll we'll talk about that.

But it's interesting to see, OK, this is a a not a high traffic area macro region that everybody has been to.

11:22

It's, it's just not.

But as we're going to find has its, it's as we say in Italian has its pirque.

It's why, why does it exist?

Yeah.

All right.

So we're going to start because you know, our, our listeners, all three, including your mom, have demanded it.

11:42

Test Your Knowledge: Northwest Italy's Hidden Facts

I meant to say that mom's done, by the way.

11:47

Speaker 3

She bailed this season.

11:50

Speaker 2

She fell asleep one night she was like, I'm done.

11:54

Speaker 3

Mom, come on, do it for your son.

We're going to kick it off with some trivia here because I know that our listeners love it, and this is specific to the Northwest region.

OK, so here we go.

12:10

All right, little trivia opener here to get our thinking going here.

So the first one, the first category here is.

12:19

Speaker 1

Or the title, let's say, of this particular question, the First Capital.

All right.

12:24

Speaker 3

So if you were, if you were asked this in America.

12:27

Speaker 2

You don't have to give me take multiple choice, but OK, all right.

12:31

Speaker 3

It's not just for you, it's for those listening.

Play along, be a good sport.

Come on.

But if we were in America and you ask somebody, not just what the First Capital, if you ask somebody what is the capital of the United States, you probably get 5 out of 10, half of them would be able to, yeah, would be able to say Washington, DC.

12:54

But if you ask them what was the First Capital and you're from Northeast, you're from New England, what would you say the First Capital of the US?

13:04

Speaker 2

It I would say it was Philadelphia, even though I it's probably Boston, but I'm thinking it's Philadelphia.

13:12

Speaker 1

We'll come back, we'll come back.

13:13

Speaker 2

We'll come back around for that ironically ironic part about it.

The ironic part about it is I know the Italians First Capital, but I don't know the Americans First Capital.

Damn it.

13:27

Speaker 3

That's a delicious little bit we'll clean up at the end of the episode, but let's leave that open.

The First Capital here in Italy.

OK, so here's the question.

13:37

Speaker 4

Which city in the northwest?

Italy?

OK, so this clump that we're talking about was the First Capital of the unified Italy in 1861.

Is it Milan, Turin, Genoa.

13:55

Aosta.

13:57

Speaker 2

Turin final answer.

14:00

Speaker 1

But.

14:02

Speaker 3

You don't need to phone a friend.

14:05

Speaker 1

OK, yeah, it's Turin and you know, it's not it, you know, you, you don't go there a lot of times thinking to take a look at the royal palaces.

But as we'll talk about a little bit on this episode, you really should.

14:20

And it's a shame to to miss out on that.

But let's move on the Italian Riviera.

All right, This is the second category.

14:28

Speaker 3

Here.

Here's the.

14:29

Speaker 1

Question the world famous chinquitere.

All right.

They're located in which northwestern region?

Lombardia, Liguria.

Piamonte Valediosta.

14:43

Speaker 2

That's a tough one.

14:44

Speaker 1

But I'm going to guess.

14:45

Speaker 2

Final answer.

Lagueria.

14:49

Speaker 3

Liguria is the correct answer.

Well done.

Well done.

You've got 2-3 more questions to go.

All right, here we are.

This is an easy this is softball pitch.

15:00

Speaker 1

Famous lakes.

Lake Como is known worldwide for Alpine scenery and celebrity villas.

Hello to George Clooney, one of our three listeners.

It's great to have you listening to the show today.

In which region of northwest Italy is Lake Como located?

15:20

Are we in Piamonte, Liguria, Lombardia or Valle de Osta?

15:24

Speaker 2

Lombardia.

15:26

Speaker 1

Lombardia is, is the correct answer.

And that and, and you, you mentioned it a minute ago, when people fly into Milano, if that's their entrance city, then yeah, a lot of times they're making a bee line right up north, just north of the city.

Easy to get to, especially if you come into like Mel Pence say, you can get over to Lago Majora, which is split half and half between Lombardia and Piomante.

15:50

Or you go right to Lago di Como, Lake Como, and you hit what we call Como Town to be specific, to not confuse it with the entire lake.

But yeah, that's a lot of people head right there.

Let's head to wine country.

16:07

Barolo.

Bad bresco.

Yeah.

Volunteeri willingly.

Let's go.

Some of Italy's most prestigious wines come from which area of the northwest long hills of Piamonte, Valdi Orchia in Tuscany, Lake District of Lombardia or the Riviera, the Ponenta in Liguria.

16:34

Speaker 2

Long Region of Piamonte final answer.

16:37

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah, Long.

16:39

Speaker 2

I was just there three weeks ago, so I mean, I shouldn't know that.

16:44

Speaker 1

Did you have some good Barolo or Barbaresco?

16:48

Speaker 2

Yes, plenty, plenty.

Great food.

Great, great food too.

16:53

Speaker 1

And the last one, here we go, peaks and castles.

Northwest Italy is home to Italy's highest peak.

And I think Americans are probably familiar with the brand Mont Blanc, but it is actually Monte Bianco.

17:10

And which small Alpine region shares this mountain with France right on the border?

France and Italy?

Is it Piamonte, Lombardia, Valedosta or Liguria?

17:24

Speaker 2

Osta Valley and that's final answer.

17:28

Speaker 1

Yeah, Valle Dosta, well done.

And the crowd goes wild.

So there is a little bit of of trivia for you guys, some, you know, for those that are doing the Rubik's Cube as they're listening or driving along.

You you had your your brain cells titillated there for a for a nanosecond.

17:59

Exploring Turin's Royal Palaces and French Heritage

Well, let's get into the regions themselves.

We're talking about these four regions that make up the northwest Italy, and they really, really do share a lot of history, a lot of culture.

As you know, we've already mentioned on this this episode that Italy has, you know, been united since the late 1800s, but it's, it's only been like its own nation, Democratic Republic, since after World War 2.

18:32

Before then.

It, it's really complex and a little hairy and I, I don't, I don't want to stick my knife into that, that, that piece of pie right now.

But all that to say, you know, it's really clear up until the late 1800s in the monarchy that was here and that was ruled from Torino.

18:54

So there there's this sense of, you know, regal aspect to Turin.

I don't know what, what was your impression being in, in Turin city?

Did it, did it feel sophisticated or how did it?

I don't know.

What did you sense did you get from it?

19:11

Speaker 2

I felt the architecture is different, right?

It felt bigger and broader, obviously a little more sophisticated.

Definitely French influence with the cuisine, but I felt it was young too.

It was more happening, you know, It wasn't like old and stuffy.

19:27

It was sophisticated, but it was moving, you know.

So I didn't feel, you know, like it was a stuffy city, you know, or I didn't feel industrial like a Milan either.

So it was, it was an enjoyable city.

I think definitely the cuisine is different.

I think the, the look of the architecture is definitely different.

19:44

But yeah, I enjoyed, I enjoyed Turin.

You know there's a lot to do there, too.

19:49

Speaker 1

It does have a sense.

There's a couple of great French restaurants there.

You're really close to the border and you get a sense of, you know, the New Versailles or something really regal.

Kind of the, the equation you could say to the South would be like a Caserta that has the, the Regis and you know, you've got the palace area and you have those, but they're not a lot of times on people's hit list when they go to Turin.

20:19

And I think it, I think it should be, it's very modern, this, this area, it's similar to a Milan, which is more fashion and more, I'd say more international just because it's more trafficked.

But Turin has a lot and it's in between these these plains that go into the hills for the wine country.

20:43

And then you go, you can see the mountains from where you are in Turin and you can take a day trip up into the Alpine.

You know, you get into the it's just so much to offer.

And but I have to say the food is a fantastic mix of French and Italian cuisine.

21:04

So all that to say.

21:06

Speaker 4

As we, as we start looking in this area, what makes the appeal what, what is so appealing for people who would, you know, make a beeline?

And so coming into, you know, this area, you've got the Savoy dynasty that left their impression here.

21:25

And, you know, we were talking about the, the monarchy that was ruling in the late 1860s up until World War 2 and, and then everything changed, right?

And this, this is a historic House of, of Europe.

21:40

I mean, I think the House of Savoy goes back to when the Normans were conquering down here.

They, they weren't already in Italy, but as they came into Italy, they left their mark.

And so there's these really old palaces.

And this is something fascinating to me about different places that you can go and see these, these old, you know, I think Americans in general where we're a little bit taken with these, you know, hundreds, 17 hundreds, 1800s palaces.

22:12

And, you know, everything was being turned over here in Europe.

And to go back and you see these palaces like we were in Padova not too long ago, we mentioned it on a previous podcast and going down the river, you see these palaces that the, the wealthy would would go as their summer homes and their getaway.

22:29

And it's, it's fascinating to step back into history in America.

We can, we can do that in a Boston, you know, go back a couple 100 years, which is fascinating and, and great here you're going back a little bit further and, and it's really rich.

22:46

It's really, really rich and wealthy is what I mean.

22:52

Speaker 2

Generations.

22:53

Speaker 4

From wealthy, I think.

22:54

Speaker 2

I think the also, the other thing is, is when you look at it from our perspective, America, obviously a couple 100 years is very young according to Italian culture and history.

But it was also generations.

When you think of this, a voice generation upon generation, Well, you have like a Vanderbilt.

23:09

Vanderbilt lasted what, 50 to 100 years?

It didn't last as long, you know, even looking at, you know, those type of families, the Gettys and stuff like that.

So yeah.

23:17

Speaker 1

Yeah, yeah.

So as we, as we look at this, I mean, they, you know, these guys were some of the first Kingdom builders as they came in to Italy, you know, just reading and doing some research.

I'll throw this tidbit out.

In the 15th century, the house talking about the House of Savoy was raised to a Dukel.

23:38

So Duke ISM, the Duke status, Dukel status within the Holy Roman Empire.

And so we're, we're talking about the 15, sixteen, 1700s and then to the 18th century, it attained a royal title and it was given deeds to the be the first Kingdom of Sicily and then of Sardinia.

23:59

And so as we know, the Kingdom of Sicily was not just Sicily.

It was more of a title and went all the way up to what we're talking about a minute ago with cassette and all of that.

But you know, these, these were the Piamontes.

Nowadays we would call them Piamontes.

24:17

But then you know, you look at even.

24:19

Speaker 4

You know how how the liberation came to Italy and where all of these, you know, the red shirts, as we call them, we're coming into Sicily.

It was coming in from our friend Garibaldi and, and they were funded a lot by this movement, Riso Jimento's movement to, to unify willingly or unwillingly and for better or for worse, Italy became, you know, a singular entity at, at a certain point under the reign of these guys.

24:52

So they, they've left their mark.

That's the point.

And there's a lot to think about and to see when you're in Turin, these royal palaces, you've got the, the Palazzo real Madame.

25:09

We went there I think 3 or 4 years ago together, the Regia and it's, you know.

25:15

Speaker 1

It it.

25:17

Speaker 4

I would say it rivals, but I don't know if that's the right way to say, but in Varese, because you were in Varese just a few weeks ago as well, near Lago Majora, Verreza and Turin, they have these palaces that make you feel like, you know, if you've been to France, you know what we're talking about.

25:34

You've been to Versailles, you've been to these really regal royal palaces.

And that's why.

And so that's kind of the, the perquet, the the question mark, the why behind why you would want to go there.

Maybe that's appealing and attractive to to some people, maybe to some.

25:53

It's not really an incentive.

Do we get clients asking on the Italy with bell aside to to go to these palaces and to see the 18th century?

26:03

Speaker 2

Now, Martyrine is the shroud museums, it's close to where they're coming into from maybe France or, or a, you know, from the Milan area, right?

But it's something that we have to present.

26:18

You know, obviously the shroud is something like the Last Supper to, you know, the shroud is something for Catholics and Christians, but also like the Egyptian museum huge.

If someone loves museums, that's the reason they'll stop and going to Turin.

You know, I don't think they know enough about basilicas and the actual history that we're discussing.

26:36

You know, you know, sometimes when I tell a customer, hey, by the way, it's the First Capital really, you know, and it has tons of castles and and palazzos and palaces, you know, So it's more education, you know, if you're up there, why aren't you visiting this?

You know, that's how it comes to be.

26:52

Yeah.

And, and they love hearing about the French influence too, you know, like, that's big.

They like hearing that.

All right.

27:00

From Como to Aosta: Northwest Italy's Diverse Landscapes

Like even when you go to Garda, is that German slash American, you know, not Garda Bolzano, right?

Same thing that kind of hey, you know, I like that idea of, you know, we ate Italian for a week.

I love the idea for French influence food, you know, with Italian.

I love the idea with German Schnitzel with Italian, you know.

27:18

So I think a lot of times that's, you know, something different off the beaten path and they actually look at it as off the beaten path, you know.

27:25

Speaker 1

Unexpected, yeah, Something that they didn't figure figure into.

And so you're going to see a lot of French and and Swiss influence there in the cuisine and in the architecture, whereas Milan really is more fashion and innovation, global business.

27:43

Turin has a lot of culture, a lot of deep culture here being the First Capital, as Anthony said, the, the, you know, the museum, I've been to the Egyptian museum twice.

It's just hard to hard to stay away from if you're in town and it, you know, and you can spend two or three hours, you could spend a whole day, but if you could at least get in and you're going to be shocked.

28:06

It's an incredible collection if it's closer than Egypt to where where I am anyway.

So it's it's always fun to go to.

But all, all that you know aside, you've got so much variety in this clump, this macro grouping of of regions and they they have a different.

28:30

Speaker 4

I don't know, cultural underlining.

It's, it's a sense of like you said, you, you're in the extreme north and you got so much Germanic.

You don't see that so much here.

It feels more French and Swiss and sophistication and just, you know, without a lot of the.

28:49

Speaker 3

Sorry to our French listeners without the pomp and circumstance of the French because they've they've kind of they're, they're, they're more chilled.

They're proud of it, they're proud of it, and I like that.

But you.

29:02

Speaker 2

Don't mind hearing that term.

29:03

Speaker 1

It's it is super.

29:05

Speaker 4

Modern, a lot of good factories have been in in Piomonte and Lombardia.

It's still the engine.

This is the the the the clockwork engines of Italy are in these two regions in particular.

29:21

Speaker 1

As you as you get out to the the.

29:25

Speaker 4

The Italian Riviera and, and the Ligurian coast and Genoa and all of that.

It's a lot of shipping and trade and.

29:32

Speaker 1

You.

You don't.

29:33

Speaker 4

Really see that kind of, you know, the sense of sophistication like we're talking about.

But what's what's so fun is a alsta you get all the way up into the border and you might as well be in France.

You, you might as well be on the, you know, on the Swiss Alps because you're not going to be able to tell a different, a difference.

29:53

I haven't actually been to the AOSTA side, but I've been to some of these, these mountains, like Zermatt, for example, that's on the border and coming in from the, the, you know, coming up from the Swiss side, you know, crossed over into the AOSTA, but you wouldn't be able to tell you feel like you're in Switzerland.

30:19

And so for those that want an Alpine experience, for those that want the ski lodge or the, the high, you know, high Alpine scenic trains with the big panoramic windows, this is the place to go.

30:35

The cuisine is there.

You get a great blend of Swiss and French and Italian foods.

The the panoramics is there.

It it's everything that you would want all in a cluster of of towns, little remote towns that you know, honestly, nobody Americans typically are not going to you're.

30:56

Speaker 2

Not, I don't think a lot of Italians.

If you ask Italians, you're not seeing, you know, if I was to ask our team, the Italian team, even you who travels more to Italy than anyone, you know, basically in within Italy.

That's not a region, you know, I've only been through it.

I've never, hey, I've never went on a ski lift.

31:11

I never went to Mont Blanc.

I'd like to, but it's just not a place in to go back to Turin.

Turin has an International Airport.

We've flown people into that airport out instead of going to Milan.

Obviously the flights are not as popular coming out of the States, but they they're off flights directly in a Turin.

31:29

If you don't want to go into Milan and start your trip in Turin too.

So that's something that you should know.

31:35

Speaker 1

Yeah.

So those are the principal cities, Milan and Turin, Genoa to an extent, it's a really big port town.

But we've had we've had some clients that, you know, would take a train from there along the the French Riviera and into France.

31:51

If they're exiting, they're ending their trip that way.

That's great.

And also once you get up in the hills, you've got to come back down either on the Italian side or the Swiss side.

But you've got, you know, Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.

But as far as what is the?

32:08

Speaker 4

The appeal, yeah, they're coming into Lake Como.

They're going to Longue, which we mentioned a minute ago for the the wine region.

They're heading down the Ligurian coast instead of towards France.

They're heading down the peninsula S to Chinquitere.

Or maybe they're stopping out, you know, before that in, in Portofino, you, you have these major destinations.

32:30

Are we missing anything of what is the big attraction?

32:36

Speaker 1

I mean, we help steer people to the right place.

Maybe they're not going to stay in Chinqua Terre, but they're going to do a day trip visited or a hiking trip, but maybe they're going to stay closer to a Portofino, for example.

So we help to kind of steer them.

32:53

But what else is the big attraction, especially on your first or second trip over?

32:59

Speaker 2

So I think I'm going to be very general in this.

When I say attraction, I think the attraction is you're getting Italy light.

Do you think about Tuscany overcrowded over tourist Piedmont, great food, fantastic wine, hilltops, beautiful vineyards.

33:16

So all right, that's your Tuscany.

So you're getting you're getting everything you would want out of Tuscany with the same quality of food and wine.

And I would say, you know, not tourist, same thing with a when you go to outside of Chinquitar, I'm sorry, but when you're on the Riviera, you're going to get less than you would at customers that want to go to Amalfi.

33:37

So you're getting wine, you're getting the sea and obviously Magiotti for the lake, right?

So I think you're getting the lightness of what a customer or a client might want to experience Tuscany and the Sea of Italy, but but getting there more, I would say a real experience because it's not as tourist touristy as some of the highlights.

33:58

So that's what I look at.

But no, we're not missing.

And you get the wine, you got the lakes, you got the sea, you got the culture right when Milan and Turin eggs and mountains, you have everything there without you know what I would say is phase two or, you know, tourist, non touristy region.

34:15

So it's a really nice trip, which we just did actually right.

So so I think I think it's a great trip.

I don't think we're missing anything.

I think it's so when you build a trip for a customer and you show them, hey, you're going to go to, you know, a city that has got a lot of history, got a lot of castles and, and palazzos and, you know, culturally different and little classier.

34:36

And then you go wine and mountains and, and food.

And then you got the sea and the lakes.

You got a well-rounded trip and the customer sits back and go, I like that.

You know, I'm getting the history, I'm getting the wine.

It's it's a perfect, it's a perfect, perfect layout for a trip.

35:03

A Taste of the Northwest: Dishes, Wines, and Experiences

So it, you know, just to kind of recap a little bit and then we're going to get into some food.

But it, it's a little bit more elegant elevated.

If you hit Como, it's going to be pretty touristy and busy.

If you hit Lago Majora, which again is split in between Lombardia and Piamonte, it's a little bit low key but still elevated in regards to the different lakes that are available.

35:31

We just, we did you know, some training for our team on lakes recently and putting, you know, 1 lake against another and where do they rank and how to differentiate for the tastes of a particular guest coming over what they may like.

35:49

Garda tends to be a little step down in this in the terms of elegance.

You get up to the northern part of the lake, it's a little bit more what people might expect when they think of Italian Alpine lakes.

Como captures that and there's a reason that it's so trafficked.

36:08

But if you want that and without a lot of the busyness, then we're directing folks and a lot of our partners are heading over to Majora.

And there's actually two or three other little lakes around there that are fabulous and untrafficked and really Italian only or Swiss only.

36:28

My Swiss friends, they come down and that's what they do.

They're in the lake areas around Majora or in the north.

36:37

Speaker 4

Up above, where are we talking?

Brescia and Bergamo, Trento, Bolzano, they're up in that area.

Those two were, you know, so it's easy for them to come over the Swiss border and they get into these areas that are just pristine and untrafficked.

36:54

And so if that's something that you're after, this area, this macro region is a great playground to come into.

You've got coastline for those that want to get to the coast.

You've got the wine is every bit there, world class wines from Italy.

37:11

You've got the the lake areas, you've got the Alpine mountains for the high scenic trains.

37:18

Speaker 1

You, you've, you've got culture, you've got palaces, you've got museums.

It it is, you know, it's a national treasure.

37:26

Speaker 3

You know, and and it's.

37:28

Speaker 4

It's a shame.

Well, maybe it's not a shame.

I was going to say.

37:31

Speaker 3

It's a shame that more people don't know about it.

No, I like the fact that not a lot of people know about it.

37:36

Speaker 1

Because it it.

37:37

Speaker 4

But it's such a it's such a fun place to play around in.

And so there you go.

That's that's kind of the 30,000 foot view on on all of that.

I want to get into a little bit of food because, you know, you we talk about Italian food, and I think it's safe to say most Italians would say Italian food doesn't exist.

38:03

OK, What do we mean by that?

It's Italian food in the sense of what we think of in America doesn't exist because it's not as homogeneous as it is in the.

38:16

Speaker 1

States, but even the.

38:17

Speaker 4

States, and I have to, I have to throw this out because we, what we do as Americans is we put a little name nomenclature right in the title to identify where that food is coming from.

38:34

You've got Kentucky Fried Chicken.

You've got Nashville Hot Chicken.

You've got Tex Mex, Texas Mexican.

You've got Southwest.

You've got Boston.

38:45

Speaker 1

Clam chowder, you've got the East Coast oysters, you've got all of these things, Southern biscuits and gravy.

We we identify where the now you can.

38:56

Speaker 3

Find you can find Tex Mex or Mexican food in Rhode Island.

I don't know that you would want it, but you could.

39:06

Speaker 2

Find it.

Maybe I'm going to look that up.

I've never seen Tex Mex in Rhode Island.

I'm sorry.

39:12

Speaker 3

You can find KFC.

39:14

Speaker 2

In yes you can.

39:15

Speaker 3

In Providence OK, but I I'm saying I don't and and and I think that is exactly the point I if you could find it I don't know that you.

39:24

Speaker 1

Would want it.

39:25

Speaker 3

Want it and so we're asking you were asking you.

39:29

Speaker 1

When you come over to Italy and you're in Milan, please do not ask where is the best pizza because we're going to say it's it's a couple hours South of here.

I'll get you a train.

39:41

Speaker 3

Ticket you're going to go to, You're going to go to Naples or Caserta.

Where's the best lasagna?

We're going to put you on a train.

You're going to get off in Bologna, you know, because Italians don't put the you know why?

39:57

Speaker 1

Because they know where it comes from.

39:59

Speaker 3

I know that Nona didn't cook that they know where, you know this kind of food, whatever it is that we're talking about.

Where?

40:07

Speaker 2

It I love how passionate you're about food.

You're a pretty passionate about the sea, you're a little passionate about the mountains.

40:19

Speaker 3

Yeah, yeah, yeah, museums.

But here, let's talk about food.

40:22

Speaker 2

Yum Yum all of a sudden.

40:26

Speaker 3

I got to lower my mic hold on my.

40:28

Speaker 2

Headphones are too loud.

He's talking about food.

40:32

Speaker 1

But if, I mean, if you're if you want risotto, you're in the right place.

You're going to go to Milan, you're going to go to Lombardia.

If you want a Lambrusco wine, you're going to, you're going to, you're in the right place to find what you know, what you're looking.

40:49

And so let, let's just bring up a couple of must try dishes.

We, we don't do a lot of like top ten type stuff unless it's really negative.

But I do want to mention, and I, I want to know how many of these have you had?

You may have had 10 out of 10 or 5 out of 10.

41:05

I don't know, But I'm, I'm going to talk about it.

And then I, I'm going to also offer a wine pairing.

OK.

Oh.

41:12

Speaker 2

I like that I'm not a Psalm.

As you know, I did fail.

So show me a pin bride.

Oh you're only not on YouTube.

It was your pin on you got.

41:18

Speaker 3

A pen you got a pen for those that are watching on YouTube no a little pen it means it means that I went through a class and I actually.

41:26

Speaker 2

Passed.

So I cannot speak to the pairing.

I cannot speak to that.

41:28

Speaker 3

Brian, I I am not a Psalm.

I just, I just went through a class one time.

That's it.

Here's here's.

41:38

Speaker 1

So I was in.

I remember sending pictures.

41:43

Speaker 3

Of being in Varese and and I think you you responded with the little throw up icon because you were like, that's what what was it?

The little, the little emoticon, the guy.

No.

41:55

Speaker 2

What did you have?

What were you eating?

What were you eating well?

41:58

Speaker 3

It's just no, it's photos from like the window because they have a lot of things that are either in the fat still or in a congealed.

42:06

Speaker 4

Or.

42:07

Speaker 1

Just it it doesn't.

It doesn't always look appetizing.

There are some fantastic things though, especially when they heat it up.

And in Piomonta they are geared for cold weather, so there is a dish I had.

42:23

Speaker 4

When when I was there, even though it was in the summer and hot, I still had this dish called Banyakauda Banyakauda.

42:33

Speaker 1

Is Piomont's comfort food for the winter?

It is.

It is like a garlic dip sauce.

42:41

Speaker 2

Amazing.

42:41

Speaker 1

Made of olive oil and anchovies as in kind of the base and you have it's it's kind of their answer to a Swiss fondue.

So it's a fonduta, but not necessarily with cheese.

42:56

Speaker 4

But it's it's this slow cooked, you know, garlic based with heavy salt and, and you're dipping a lot of times you can dip your bread, but traditionally with these the raw vegetables that Banyakauda means hot bath or, you know, hot dip sauce, you know.

43:16

Speaker 1

And you're going to pair that with a a Barbera diasti A Barbera.

43:23

Speaker 4

Is this bright, juicy and perfect for cutting through the acidity of the richness of a dish like banya cowda?

So that's something in the Piamonte region, very traditional.

How many times have you been to Olive Garden had Banya Cowda?

43:43

Speaker 2

I've never been to Olive Garden, but.

43:46

Speaker 3

That was the nice try.

You tried to get me on that gondola question a few weeks back and I almost had you.

Almost had you at.

43:56

Speaker 4

Olive Garden, all right.

43:57

Speaker 2

Actually, it's funny, I haven't had it.

I haven't had this dish this trip, but I had it last trip.

I liked it and I've had it a couple of times where sometimes it's more garlic forward and then not as anchovy for which obviously I would like the garlic forward coming from America, but fantastic.

44:14

The next one you're going to mention, and my guess is the the veal with tuna sauce, but we'll talk about that in a minute.

But yeah, I.

44:21

Speaker 1

Had it.

That was one of the.

44:22

Speaker 3

Pictures that you kind of were like, but that's my favorite.

44:27

Speaker 1

Well, the, the tonata, the sauce, that's a a, you know, it sounds really strange.

And we, you know, for an American thinking about this and trying to connect it to Italian food.

But even here in Sicily, it's a thing that they turn their noses up at because it's something, I mean, it, it's just, I mean, we'd rather have like a tuna fillet because it's so rich down here.

44:52

I mean, we're in.

It's fresh.

44:53

Speaker 2

Too, you know?

Yeah.

44:54

Speaker 1

And so, you know, they're taking it, they're up in the mountains, they're doing the best they can, bless their hearts.

But they have, you know, the, the, the Vitalo with the, the tonata, the sauce.

And so it's, it's different to have a, a veal piece because, you know, you might go to an quote UN quote Italian restaurant in the States.

45:16

They have like a, a veal cutlet or veal saltimbocca, veal marsala, or, you know, they have all these invented dishes, but the, the original is actually a tuna sauce.

And who would have thought?

45:30

Speaker 3

That.

45:30

Speaker 4

Coming from from Piamonte, but interesting.

45:33

Speaker 2

And you can't get away from that, by the way, you cannot get away from that.

So I'm like very excited.

I land in, I'm going to get a little anecdotal stuff.

I land in Piamonte.

You know, I drive in and I'm like, all right, I have it for lunch.

Then of course, it's an anipasti sometimes.

So I'm going to get it as my, you know, my anipasto.

45:51

And then on the second day, I'm like, all right, enough s'mores.

I mean, enough tuna.

No more s'mores.

It's an Office reference.

46:02

Speaker 4

Toby at his camping trip.

But I I I do like it as an anti pasta.

I have to say more than a a a rich.

46:12

Speaker 2

Dish a main.

Yeah, yeah, more than a main, but it's it's a staple, staple, staple, staple.

Every menu, every restaurant.

Doesn't matter if it's a, if it's elevated or not, there's going to be that dish on it.

So you expect that, right?

46:27

Right.

46:28

Speaker 1

Yeah, You know, in Piamonta you've got your your truffles from Alba that we could spend a whole episode talking about.

We've already mentioned the risotto Ala malenesse.

It's with the saffron.

It's classic with the risotto.

46:44

I mean, it goes really well with the French jacorta.

You have that bubbly, bright sparkling, you know, the the effervescence, the elegance of it pairs really, really well with a risotto.

Another one.

47:00

And and you know, we're in Lombardia at this moment thinking about Milan O Sobuco for for me, this is that that's like when I go to Milan, that's on my radar.

That's what I'm heading after, a Nebiolo.

47:18

Speaker 4

I'm taking that and putting that together.

It's a, this is a slow braised veal Shank and it has, you know, it's really fall apart and they've got the I, I, you're shaking your head.

47:31

Speaker 2

Get all the marrow.

Get all the marrow out.

Put it in the risotto.

Mix it in with the risotto.

It's.

47:38

Speaker 3

My favorite dish it's.

47:39

Speaker 2

Probably my all you mentioned it now and it's probably one of my top three favorite dishes.

If it's done right, it's one of those dishes.

If it's not done right, it's like, you know, but I love the Olson Boko on top of the, the, the risotto is amazing with saffron too.

47:55

Yeah, fantastic.

47:57

Speaker 1

It's so Richard, you need a heavier wine to pair with that.

You've got your polenta.

I tell you, every time I go to Bergamo, I go right to the, the Cheetah Alta and I, I go right to this one place called Polentone Polenta.

48:15

And then they have like ONE, the ending Poleton is like big polenta, but it's like spelled like 1.

So they're like #1 for and it's just a kiosk.

It's a little stand of the line.

It's always 20-30 people deep and, and you just, you're eating on this little paper, you know, tray paper.

48:33

Speaker 2

Bowls.

Little paper bowls.

48:35

Speaker 3

Yeah, there's no seating but man with the deer and you know you.

48:42

Speaker 1

You've got like 15 different choices of of the kind of, but it's Hardy and it it's rustic, it's it's addictive.

It's amazing this kind of and.

48:51

Speaker 2

We went, there was no line.

Remember we we walked up.

I think it was just closing and we had to have dinner too.

I was like, all right, we're going to have dinner and before dinner cocktails.

Well, let's get some polenta.

It's not.

It's like.

49:04

Speaker 3

It was just to try it.

It was just, it was like 435.

49:07

Speaker 2

O'clock in the afternoon, yeah.

49:09

Speaker 1

It's not, it's not dinner.

It's not lunch.

It's it was just a snack.

It was.

Yeah.

We we got to, you know, you can't, you can't not talk about, you know, Ligurian food.

You've got your focaccia.

That's famous.

49:25

Speaker 4

You've got your pesto, absolutely your trophy, the little pasta that's kind of twisted hand rolled twisted noodles to hold the pasta, the pesto.

Those are staples and you can't not talk about them.

49:44

You're going to have a little bit lighter wine, your Vermontino, you know, they, they've got even Chinquitera has its own DOC white wine from there.

It's, it's perfect with those kinds of Genovese cuisine.

So anything else that we're missing there?

50:01

I, I want to mention one from Aosta, but can you think of anything else that we we might be missing here?

50:09

Speaker 2

I think the most important in Piamonte and Piamonte, the most important would be the hazelnuts.

Nutella, you know, I think it's a, it's a, it's, you know, basically that's when you tell us from hazelnuts are delicious, obviously.

But yeah, hazelnuts is something else you're going to think about.

50:24

I mean, I would say it's a more of a dessert more you put in your coffee more for that, but obviously it's, it's predominant in that region.

That's something you know you definitely should think about when you're there.

50:36

Speaker 1

We, we, we actually, you know, you can do these cooking classes that focus on the Ligurian cuisine.

You can, you can do truffle hunting in Piamonte.

We have, you know, excursions, experiences like that.

50:52

That's something newer.

The hazelnut experiences that we're doing, what's what's the feedback been on?

Because it it's something like hazelnut, I'm going to go do a hazelnut experience.

51:05

Speaker 3

For an American over it, you have to be kind of like, you know, you got to put their arm behind their back and kind of twist a little bit to get them to come and do that.

But the the feedback.

51:14

Speaker 2

The feedback's been great because what happens is customers are like, all right, we trust you, we'll do it.

And then they're like, Oh my gosh.

But once again, when a customer goes to do these things, it's about the experience and taking that in and then learning about how they pick them and they don't even pick them.

51:32

They fall out of the tree and how they use them and what they make out of them and the family.

It's all about the experience.

Now, if I went and said, hey, you're going to go to Pia Monte and you're going to go to the Nutella factory, who cares?

You know what I mean?

You know what I mean?

Because it's they're not showing them, pick them.

They're not picking them up.

51:47

It's not a family experience.

It's about the experience and the freshness.

And when you have a hazelnut and Pia Monte and you have a hazelnut next week at Thanksgiving, I won't be eating the hazelnuts at Thanksgiving unless I brought them from Primonte.

It's like night and day.

Why am I going to eat a hazelnut out of a bag I got at the market?

52:05

So it's about the freshest, the taste, the family, the experience, and then recognizing there is a difference.

So it's it's a wonderful, wonderful thing.

And I like I said, I just did it this first time, this last trip.

Yeah.

It's just it's something different and should be experienced.

Yeah.

52:21

Speaker 1

Yeah, great.

The the last thing I'll say if, if you're up in the Alpine area, the Aosta Valley and you're, you're, you're surrounded by France on one side and Switzerland on the other.

You can't help but, you know, do the, the fondue or the fondue de in Italian experience the the cheese up there is phenomenal.

52:48

Very different than the French and the Swiss though.

What you're going to find and is the fontina.

It is a super smooth cheese fondue.

It makes me think of something else I can't get here.

Which back to Mexican food.

53:02

Speaker 3

I can't get that queso dip queso.

I want the queso.

53:05

Speaker 1

Dip every time I'm in the.

53:08

Speaker 3

States first thing be like queso give me queso dip.

But this is the closest.

53:13

Speaker 1

Thing and it's phenomenal.

53:15

Speaker 3

It's a.

53:16

Speaker 1

Completely different animal high, you know, high mountain pastures.

And it's, you know, people call it just Alpine soul food, but it's, it's this dip from the Fontina cheese.

And so, yeah, a lot, a lot of variety.

53:34

Why Explore Italy's Untouched Northwest Regions

Look at look at how many different things that we've talked about in this little group of four different regions all connected that were very, very historically.

They have a lot of overlap, a lot of traffic between them.

53:50

And so this is a little bit of what to expect as you go to, you come into Milan, you're around the lakes, you're the mountains, you can go down to the coast.

And we have, we do have a lot of clients that do that.

They want lakes, mountains and coast.

54:06

And this is man, this is the playground to do it.

And it really, it really is.

54:11

Speaker 2

I agree.

I agree.

And like I said, I think people, you know, think of the coast and want to get away from the crowds.

You can do that because most people think Chinquitati, Chinquitati, Chinquitati right when they go to Italian Riviera, this such small little towns to really enjoy the coast and Pio Monte.

54:28

I mean, the only thing I really didn't hit on was Milan.

We hit on it, but I think, you know, most people are going to get, you know, I think a better experience out of Turin, right, right.

Currently than they will out of Milan for crowds and and and things to do and eat and all that too.

54:44

Unless you want some good risotto.

54:46

Speaker 1

All right, I, I do, I do like Milan and I, I do enjoy when I have to go there for whatever reason.

I, I think I do prefer Torino a little bit more just for my personal taste and experience.

55:01

But then getting up into the Alpine mountains and, you know, heading over the Swiss border for those that want that plus experience, the, the luxury plus experience getting up into, you know, Mont Blanc, OK, but I, I prefer Zermatt, Andermatt and the, you know, it's, it's whole other game in these ski villages in, in the Swiss Alps.

55:30

And you're right at the foot of all of that in this macro region.

You, you have very little excuse if you've got the money and the time, you have little other excuse to not go across the border and to, to check that out.

55:45

So.

55:46

Speaker 3

That's why.

55:47

Speaker 1

Fun macro region.

55:48

Speaker 2

It is a fun macro region.

It's different than most Americans won't hear of it or know of it or wow, I didn't realize the diversity.

The other thing is, is this is where when we talk about these things, I'm always scratching my head when I talk to a client and they're like, well, we don't know.

I'm going to get back.

Well, this is it.

We're checking it off.

I'm like, Dang it, you're doing these major cities, but listen to what we're talking about today.

56:08

You're going to it's so enriching.

You know what I mean?

It's so different than the rest of the the major 3-4 cities that we're talking about.

And that's what that's why we do this.

So it's not just for the first customer that's going to Italy, but we want to talk to customers that have been and haven't heard about this macro region.

56:23

You know, that's the reason we do this.

56:26

Speaker 1

All right.

Well, I think we're about out of time for today.

We've really just scratched the surface on these.

We may come back in a in another season and take a deep dive in into some of these regions on their own.

That would be really fun.

56:42

But for now, we've kind of giving you an overview of what to do if you find yourself in the northwest corner of Italy.

So if you've got questions about this macro region or one of the regions that we've got coming up, you've still got time, send us an e-mail podcast at Italy with bella.com and just say, hey, Brian, hey, Anthony, I want to know more about this or, you know, stop doing that because it's annoying.

57:12

You know, we're, we're always open for that kind of feedback.

We got a great e-mail today from who is it Matt, that sent us in some feedback on a on a former pod episode and appreciate that we we love the feedback, even if it's negative.

57:29

Give us your feedback.

You know, it's easy to hit delete and it's not going to mess up my day.

But but you know, it may there may be something that kind of goes things that make you go, oh, you know, we could actually change that that would make their experience better.

Why not?

57:44

Because at the end of the day, that's what we what we're all about.

I'll come back around just to tidy up this little thing.

The First Capital in the United States.

Last chance.

57:58

Speaker 2

Boston.

57:59

Speaker 1

First Capital Boston.

Spoken like a true Rhode Islander.

But no, it was New York.

NY was it was the First Capital of the United States.

So there we go.

Dutch colony swampland turned turned capital.

58:20

Speaker 3

I thought it was short lived.

Yeah.

Was it?

58:23

Speaker 1

Claimed to fame.

58:25

Speaker 2

All right, I know my Italian better than I know my American.

58:28

Speaker 3

Yes, you do you.

You bleed red, white and.

58:32

Speaker 2

Green.

Yeah, not red, white and blue.

It's tough.

I'm behind, you know, these.

I'm torn between two countries, I guess, you know, being a citizen of both, it makes it difficult.

But guys, also I want to mention this, Please, please, please, if you're listening to this, not only give us advice on podcasts at Italy with bella.com, but please give us a review if you can, a 5 star review, which will be helpful.

58:54

It puts food in our, our baby's mouths.

So, you know, maybe it.

58:58

Speaker 3

Needs a new pair of shoes.

59:00

Speaker 2

Yes.

59:01

Speaker 3

To non.

59:01

Speaker 2

Needs a new Denise, Needs a new dress.

No, but we definitely need, we definitely need some reviews.

Some feedback on the reviews would be great, but five stars?

If not five stars, let us know.

But we appreciate you listening.

59:14

Speaker 1

Yep.

And next time around, stay tuned because we'll be heading over to the other side of the Great North, something of Italy, the northeast as it were.

And so we're going to head.

59:27

Speaker 3

To the other coast and we just played this game a few weeks ago.

Anthony was on the western side, I was on the eastern side, played ping pong across the the great divide, the great.

59:38

Speaker 1

Plains of Emilia Romagna and all of that, but we'll be heading over to that side on the next episode.

Hope you can join us.

And yeah, we'll say Ciao for now.

And Rivarecci.

59:51

Speaker 2

Rivarecci, Ciao.