Ciao! Italia...Kitty, Kitty, Kitty???? Part I

Ciao! as they say across the way in "The Boot"! We just returned from 8 days in Northern Italy traveling with the U.S. Pizza Team as they competed in the World Pizza Championships! It is the first time we have traveled in Europe and it was GREAT!
Our group had a translator-Paola Laghetti--who was so wonderful. God love her...we were not the most "together" group and very prone to wondering in all directions like a bunch of cats. She worried that we would get lost and not be able to find our way back to the group! This went on every day we were there! She just started looking around calling, "Kitty, Kitty Kitty???" in hopes the litter would reconvene. I will say I NEVER strayed too far from her side. My Italian was very limited, and I was constantly asking her questions about the surroundings--buildings, people, plants, clothes, customs. She was probably very glad for the questions to stop :) However, we did bond quite well, especially when one night after dinner, the restaurant owner (former DJ) put on the music and we started singing Gloria Gainer's "I Will Survive". (By the way, what happened to Gloria Gainer?). THAT was fun! It was followed by YMCA and Italian love songs. We also shopped by ourselves on the last day in Italy when the other litter mates decided to stay in the hotel and pile up and nap. I came home from Italy with 5 handbags:)
I did not come home from Italy with 6 bottles of Bolla wine...that was left in Security in Milano. Apparently, that much liquid cannot be carried onto a plane--Duh. We were so tired from the night before, we were not thinking clearly. Bar fights will do that to you. Yea, I did say bar fight. Strangely, Paola and I were singing "I Will Survive" again, when a bar fight erupted between one of our team mates and the other American pizza team. Nice. I have a feeling it was the highlight of Will's trip. His eyes were as big as moonpies. Big misunderstanding, but the police came to cap off our trip. Amazing our fast one can walk on cobble stones in high heels...everything worked out.
So that is a quicky of our trip...I was the photographer for the Team, so there are hundreds of photos. I have many posted on my Facebook page. I think I will post individual stories over the next week...