A Week In Italy

After a few days in London (most of which were spent working), we took off -- in the private jet, no less -- for the twon of Treviso, in northern Italy -- the closest airport to our destination for the week of Asolo.

We landed late that evening, and hopped on a bus/van thing to take us to Asolo, a small village kind of up in the mountains, about an hour away, where we would be spending the next week. 

Landing in Treviso

On the bus to Asolo  with Alberto, Amy, and Bill

My hotel room in Asolo

We pulled in to small-town Asolo, Italy, that night and checked in to our nice hotel.  My boss and some of his friends stayed up the hill at a nicer hotel (Albergo Al Sole), but the hotel I was at was pretty nice, too!  The only thing I don't like are the bathrooms.  Europe has NOT figured out the whole bathroom thing  yet...  Ours are so much better in America.  I mean seriously, how do you pee in a hole in the ground!? 

The reason we are in in Asolo is because my boss helps teach an MBA class for CIMBA - an international study abroad program.  So we all got to tag along for his week of teaching!  

The main courtyard at the school has flags from lots of schools that participate in the program.  I was pretty pumped to find a K-STATE flag in Italy!

I sat in on part of some classes at the school up the hill (a serious hill - it sucked to walk up there), but for the most part, during the days, I was just working doing my regular job remotely).

 Of course we had a few fancy dinners with copious amounts of wine - and we got go to a gorgeous house that belongs to a friend of my boss.  He had a huge wine cellar and I learned allllll about wine drinking.

Dinner with Amy

Me and a bunch of couples at dinner one night... story of my life. ;)

I have to say, the food wasn't near as good as what I was expecting in Italy.  I mean, everyone always talks about how good the food is in this country!  I had pizza and strawberry gelato every day because everything else sucked!  (My Italian speech is coming along nicely - I can order two scoops of strawberry gelato with 'please' and 'thank you' pretty perfect now!) 

Italy is just as pretty as all the pictures, though.  Although it's rained a lot here, it's still been beautiful.  Everything is very green.  Flowers in every window box.  Tiny little cobblestone one-way curvy streets everywhere.  Super old buildings.  It's just what you would think Italy would be like.

I should be an event planner after organizing this trip and keeping all those boys in line and on schedule  all week!

I did miss out on a day trip to Venice - it's only an hour away! - because I had to work.  Oh well.  I guess I'll just have to come back some day. 

The entire company - plus spouses - got to come on at least part of this trip to Italy, as did some investors.  So we put on a little presentation/event one of the last nights we were there.  Most of the planning was wrapped up in to my job.  (Accountants plan parties, right?)

Can you tell we run a China-based hedge fund?

On the flight out of Italy, the pilots let me sit up by them and they kind of explained some of the stuff to me.  There are at least eight thousand buttons up there!  I have no idea how they keep all of that straight!

In short, Italy was great.  It's a beautiful country - or what I got to see of it was, anyways.  I definitely feel like I missed out on a lot due to work - but hey, that's why I'm getting paid.

I'll be back to visit Italy again someday.  And not just one small-town... I want to see it ALL.