My husband and I spent a wonderful 10 days exploring the lake region of Italy in September. I have been remiss in writing about it but I just wanted to say that we have visited many parts of Italy and really thought that this area was so very special. Obviously it is quite beautiful but the people we met were incredibly warm and friendly. If you are fortunate enough to go, we really enjoyed the hospitality and warmth of the gracious hosts at La Luna nel Porto. This was a modest but beautiful lttle spot right on the lake in Stresa. We loved Stresa, which, IMO felt a little like Rome and Nice rolled into one. Also, we visited the wonderful Al Buscion wine bar almost every day and had a wonderful time trying the different wines and the delicious meats and cheeses and bruschetta they offered. We came to know the family a bit and look forward to some day returning. Barbara and Massimo, the proprieters, are lovely people and we really enjoyed meeting them. We also spent a few days in Valsolda and made some other new Italian friends. By coincidence, the too run a wine bar called Cioccolato in San Mamete! I guess there is something about wine that we graviate towards Samantha and Giussepe are lovely people and they invited us to an authentic polenta festival up in the mountains, which was a wonderful experience for many, many reasons. You can never go wrong in Italy but the combination of the beauty of the lake region along with the warmth of the people can't be beat. There are many details that I am leaving out of this fantastic trip but I really wanted to be sure to mention Al Buscion in Stressa and Cioccolato in San Mamete, since they were so generous to us while we were there. Happy travels to all!