1) country-specific unmerged

Thanks for your efforts, tomboy.

And may you RIP, Stu.

Stu’s travel information is invaluable.

Thanks tomboy!

Merged/unmerged? sounds like there were two different threads, one with an Italy tag that had Stu's reports and another tagged with a France tag with those reports. To me, if someone is looking for Stu's reports, having it tagged for both Italy and France gets you to his documents. Also, when someone tops the dual tagged report, it'll bring both up near the top and easier to find.
I also guess that if someone is looking for info on Stu's reports/itineraries, they already know enough about Fodor's on how it works. If you want to link the information to someone new, you simply link the single post and it has both italy and france info.

"Merged/unmerged? sounds like there were two different threads,"

Actually I think there were three different threads. They are all in one place now.

tomboy--Thank you for collating all of this.

Someone needs to write a feature article on Stu in national newspapers. I'm serious! I can't say enough about how Stu was legend not just for sharing his superb travel experience, his well-designed travel itineraries and trusted advice, but for his tone that was self-deprecating and never condescending.

I hope someone can keep his wife updated on how very much we appreciate their SHARED life.
AZ

Hi, Stu's wife here.......(logging in as Stu since I don't have a Fodor's account).
Responding to the above post: "I hope someone can keep his wife updated on how very much we appreciate their SHARED life.":
Dear Fodorites, you have warmed my heart with your beautiful and touching memories of Stu. It truly means a lot to me. And YOU need to know that Stu so valued this Fodors community since you all share the realization that travel is such an eye-opening, illuminating experience which enriches all aspects of our lives.
Stu's and my travel 'formula' was delightfully and effectively consistent for decades: he "planned the itinerary, reserved 'everything' and then navigated with his maps and GPS while on the road." (He knew after many years of traveling together just what we both enjoyed.)
I, on the other hand, "was behind the wheel in our rental cars, spoke decent French and translated to English, kept a travel diary and made digital photo books for each trip." We each had our assigned "jobs".
And I treasure these memories more than you can know. And I thank you for sharing your experiences about Stu. I truly wish you all Happy Trails as you continue to be dazzled by all that travel can do to broaden our horizons. I'm figuring out how to best continue that going forward. Thank you for your kindness. Ellen

What a lovely post Ellen. As you can see, Stu was a very valued member of Fodors community. Here is a link to the original thread posted here about his passing:

Passing of longtime Fodorite Stu Dudley

Thank you, Ellen, and very best wishes as you chart your path onward.

Thanks for that delightful message Ellen, truly hope you continue your travels, the best way to honor Stu’s memory. We’ll be in Milan in two months and will definitely raise a toast to our of our fav Fodorites!

Thank you Ellen, there's also a parallel thread on the "Lounge" Stu Dudley

Since this is member access only, please remain logged in to Stu's account to view it.

What a thoughtful thing to do.

And every commiseration to Ellen.

Thank you for pulling all of these gems together. I took plenty of notes from him, back in the day, while putting together itineraries.

Thank you very much. These are treasures.

I last communicated with Stu in 2016. Logged on this morning to research our upcoming trip to France in August. I came across a post Stu had written to help a traveller and mentioned to my husband how Stu was still helping people. Then I came across your post and I’m very touched by your kindness in sharing the posts as an acknowledgment to Stu. Amazing how the internet has connected people from all over the world.

Amazing how we get close to faceless strangers thanks to these online forums! Stu was a huge help when I planned our June/July 2018 trip to Provence and Bourgogne, especially for driving lavender routes. He’s no longer there, but his thoughtfully put together itineraries are still useful to so many! Thanks again dear Stu!

Dear Ellen,

I want to thank you for this message. I haven't been on Fodors for quite some time, but Stu always gave great advise and sent trip reports with just a mere request.
I think all of us were blessed having him here on Fodors.

Take care,
Cathy Toner

Oh! I hadn't visited Fodor's regularly for a bit and missed this sad news. He was so helpful for my first trips to France. Thanks for preserving his wonderful documents.

It’s been a while since I’ve been on Fodors and was sad to see that Stu Dudley had passed away. Condolences to his family. I used and enjoyed his information more than once over the years.

We opened our last bottle of Beaucastel 2015 this evening, Stu had strongly recommended we visit the winery at Châteauneuf-du-Pape in June 2018. Cheers to you Stu, wherever you are, so many of us remember you, and in unexpected ways, thanks again for generously sharing your experiences and knowledge!