1. 33June Barrington Hills Life32 Barrington Hills Life June
OOn a recent tour of Italian hotspots, Barrington Hills resi-
dents Laurie and Joe Gentle visited Rome, Venice,Tus-
cany, Positano and Capri and drank in all the deep culture and
impressive, ancient beauty.
Rome is any traveler’s dream destination, you can engrain your-
self over weeks, taking in centuries of commerce, wars, art and
development that has whet the appetites of the wealthy Romans
through today.This enormous city can feel very familiar to
resident of a large modern city such as downtown Chicago; but
throwing in medieval, historic buildings, statues and art every
few seconds can make even the most sophisticated traveler gawk
a bit.
Coming to Rome at Easter is when all the Romans leave the
city, giving over to the hundreds of thousands who come to see
the Easter Sunday service.The surprise was Pasquetta, or Little
Easter, on the following Monday, when the Pope again address-
es the public and locals take lengthy picnics in one of the very
many beautiful parks, including the park of the Villa Borghese.
continued...
Barrington Hills
Travelogue Italian TourBy Laurie Gentle, Residential Contributor

2. 35June Barrington Hills Life34 Barrington Hills Life June
Orienting to non-driving Venice is very unique,so take the water from
door to door whenever possible,as many hotels are immediately on the
Grand Canal.The Al Ponte Antico,with unrivalled views of one of the
great canal curves and the famous Rialto Bridge has a uniquely situated
private terrace for the bountiful,luxurious breakfast while overlooking
the quiet bustle of the mornings with the farmers market across the
canal and merchants readying for the day.Old-world service is the
hallmark of Matteo,the boutique hotel’s proprietor and owner,who
graciously kissed me the morning of my birthday,with a special treat at
our canal-side table.How do they know these things?
Heading to Tuscany offers the enviable chance to get behind the
wheel in a part of the country where driving is pure joy. Falling
in love with Il Borro is very easy. Salvatore Ferragamo originally
fell in love with this 700 hectares while hunting, and later pur-
chased the entire town, which has a river cutting through the
hard rock, the “borro” in regional terms.
One of the original farmhouses on the large property was our
private retreat at the end of the rock path. With the practical
and fun Mini Countryman, we had a beautiful ride from our
centuries-old farmhouse to the Michelin rated restaurant.
This very large hunting property has a gorgeous equestrian
center available to guests, allowing even those with limited rid-
ing experience enjoy the horses and natural beauty.They ride
English on even smaller saddle, beautifully stamped with the Il
Borro logo. Once fitted with hats and crops, the vineyards and
olive groves make us hungry for the evening’s dinner. We tra-
verse past small streams and hills and get a nice canter in before
ending our hours’ ride at the stables, where the horses were
thanked with crisp carrots.
The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful on earth and
there is no doubt that its jewel is Positano. There are many
fine places to spend time in the area, but at the very top of
the list is Il San Pietro di Positano. Positano is one of those
towns that is perfectly describes as a postcard. The bold
use of colors on the shops and homes that grasp the cliff as
though their lives depended on it. The town is in a crag of
a vertical valley that drops to the beautiful, millennia-old
beach. This movie scene could not be more authentic, with
fisherman baking in the sun to ensure a fresh catch for the
evening and locals provide the transport and the luxuries that
keeps people coming back.
Do you have a trip you would like to tell us about? Please contact Amy at
BarringtonPublishing@n2pub.com.
...continued