One of the highlights of our stay in Europe was our 14-day leave to Italy. It was a vacation that started with cautious foreboding, involved many adventures, and ended in a harrowing trip home to Munich.

It was the beginning of summer, June 25, 1956. I remember the date so well because it was like a wet, winter day in the San Joaquin Valley. We had packed our summer clothing as we, of course, hoped we would soon be in a Southern California climate. We started early that morning (it was cold and raining), drove steadily southeast through Bavaria past the Northern Alps (still cold and raining), through Austria (colder and still raining), and south to the Austrian/Italian border. We arrived there at mid-afternoon with a long line of cars in front of us being checked - first by the Austrians - then a slow drive to the Italian border guards about half a mile farther.

Having plenty of time to look around I noted that it had stopped raining. I looked up to see a beautiful rainbow to the west of us and then I looked south to the border only to gaze at one of the most amazing sights - the clouds ended in a sharp east-west line directly above the Italian border. A vivid blue sky (which we hadn't seen for several days) shone; beckoning us like a powerful beacon. It was as though the spirit of Italy were reaching out to us and saying: "Welcome! We know you will have a wonderful time while visiting us so prepare yourselves for some great adventures."

Crossing into northern Italy (I think it was around 4 or 5 in the afternoon) we traveled along a two-lane road through a series of valleys with the sunshine and shadows creating patterns along a series of perpendicular cliffs. As I looked to my left there was a sheer wall going straight up about 500 feet above the valley floor. Lonely and isolated, a 14th century "Fairy Tale Castle" was perched at the very top. Was there any way to reach it? "Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King." (Psalm 48:1-2)

Yes, one had the feeling of traveling back in time in a fairyland, and after the many dull, sunless, chilly, June days in Munich the impression of brightness and joy was magnified tenfold. I wish I had stopped to take a movie of it, but we were concerned about getting to our hotel before dark. For once I had carefully prepared for this vacation by reading a number of tour books so that we might pick the highlights of the history of Italy. Our reason for choosing Verona as our first destination was, of course, how far one could travel in one day, as well as seeing its coliseum - a smaller version of the one in Rome - which was still being used to put on open air operas. It was fascinating to realize that here was a structure that had been standing and in use for perhaps 2000, or more, years.

Interestingly, we had chosen to make reservations only in Verona and in Rome. We had decided to look for a pension (pen-se-own) in Venice as well as Florence rather than making reservations in advance. A pension is sort of a bed and breakfast ranging from a room in a family flat to a rather nice small hotel. If I remember we stayed one night in a hotel in Verona; spent the next day sightseeing, and then it was on to Venice.

When one had no reservations there was a place to stop upon entering the city (a hospitality center) and make arrangements for a pension or hotel. We stopped, they called ahead, and thus began our stay in Venice - with a family who rented out a room in their apartment. (To be continued)

Send your comments and questions to me, Bob Case, either by e-mail to: rpcase@pacbell.net, or care of: The Sentinel, P.O. Box 9, Hanford, CA, 93232

(June 30, 2007)