My wife and I spent a month traveling in northern Italy in 2008...Lake district, Tuscany, Umbria and The Veneto! We loved every day and every place. We spent a week in an ''Agriturismo'' villa in Bettolle near Cortona and visited a client couple in Cortona who were there for a semester of ''tough and dirty work'' as part of his professorial duties in the Univ of GA Art Dept. We have been to Italy on several occasions, but this long trip let us get to know a little more about the Italians and their character. We came to appreciate their ''love life'' attitude. The food and wine was very good everywhere but it was outstanding in Tuscany. We had an experience at a great little mom and pop restaurant in Castellino di Chianti. The place was noisy with locals but we could not help hearing occasional laughs and English words from the 2 couples across the room. After finishing a fantastic dinner we walked over to their table and I said 'Your not from around here are you?" They laughed and said ''No we were not and neither are you, we are from Mobile AL, where in the south are you folks from?''