I do not have a villa in Italy

It was something I thought about though.

My mother, brother, and older sister went to Italy (with my father) after Mom's mother died. That was in 1968. Then, travel being expensive, no one went again until the '90s, when my mother and my younger sisters went twice. I was putting all of my money into college at that time, so I did not go.

Time passed, and I took trips there with my mother, in 2006 and 2008.

It was a revelation meeting my Italian family. They were so warm and caring and I thought about how nice it would be if we could all be there together.

It would also be far too much to ask anyone to take seven Americans at once, and even splitting us up among the different households would be a lot of imposition. A hotel would be very expensive, but then I thought maybe if I got really financially successful, I could buy a villa there as a rental property, so maybe it would pay for itself with the renters.

There were other problems with that plan beyond how long it has taken for me to become financially successful. The taxes would probably be high, and certainly be complicated. Also, people always think of villas in Tuscany. We would be in Vicenza, which is not a destination.

At the same time, it's a good place to be. I thought perhaps I could target architectural students, because Palladio, a very famous architect who was an influence on Thomas Jefferson (among others). There are many buildings in the city done by him, and then you are near Venice, which has its own distinct architectural style.

That is another key thing: there are many good day trips available from Vicenza. We are close to Venice, Verona, Padova, and many other places. There are things to see.

Still, the idea probably wasn't marketable. Students are becoming more financially strapped all the time, and architecture is a grueling major.

Things aren't the same in Italy either. Since 2008, five of my aunts and uncles have died. That leaves just my mother's oldest sister, and then three of the widowed spouses. No one is young.

But there are also their children. My cousins are great. And I have been back their with Mom to meet my brother and his wife. There is still family togetherness there, even if not the way I envisioned it.

So the plans for the villa are off, but the desire to spend time in Italy never will be. My younger sisters and I very much want to get a little West and South, to see Florence and Rome, and we don't know when that will happen, but we keep it in mind.

The next few weeks will be highlighting things from Italy. Sadly, the first trip, where I saw the most places, is also the one where I was traveling with a disposable camera. The photos will not be great. It is still a delightful place.