So, off to Venice on a mid-morning train. For some reason, I ended up in charge of buying tickets–and as a scrooge I wasn’t about to pay for first class. The seats were reserved, but apparently that didn’t phase the German family who were sitting in them, and so we ended up outside of the compartment sitting on these little jumpseats. Jill, who has never met a stranger, befriended a family who was getting off in Venice as well, and ended up in their compartment in one of the cushy seats. We all eventually followed her example and ended up spread throughout the car. The moment of comic relief came when Jill awoke from a nap to find that the entire family had disembarked. I won’t forget the sight of Jill running up and down the corridor frantically asking anyone who would listen, “How do I get off the train?”

Venice itself was wonderful. And after all the hype, you might think that it would be hard to live up to expectations. I imagine there are times when Venice isn’t as charming as it was today–maybe when it’s 100 degrees, or when the tide is up and the city is flooded. But for us, today, it was just right. The crowds in the Grand Plaza might have been overwhelming, but it was easy enough to amble down a side street and find relative tranquility. The pizza was delicious (I had “The Devil’s Pizza”–spicey salami, oregano, and mozarella. yum.)

We skipped the gondola ride, but that’s probably best left to the honeymooners. Just walking the winding streets was great, and allowed for us to linger at a stationery shop, stop for a bite of gelato, and otherwise relax after a hectic week.

I noticed immediately the difference in the feel of the two audiences. In Bologna, I felt underdressed. In Verona, overdressed. Maybe because stone so often arrives in a less than finished state such as slab, or even full blocks out of which slab is cut, the folks here to see it have their sleeves rolled up. It was a welcome change.

We also had a chance to see some of the massive equipment they use to mine and mill the stuff. Quite impressive. We stood under a saw that cuts 10-12 slab at a time from the blocks, which measure about five feet by five feet by ten feet.

But enough about the show, Verona itself merits the most attention. Normally, when I travel, I spend quite a bit of time researching the place beforehand. Since I knew that I would be following Susan and Tom’s lead on this trip, I didn’t honestly do much reading about where we would be. Which is why I was so surprised by Verona. We hear more about Rome, Venice and Milan, and these secondary cities don’t pop up in discussion. In fact, Verona was the surprise of the trip for me. It wasn’t until we stepped out of the taxi tonight on our way to dinner that I realized I was in for a treat.

Across the plaza, the 2000 year old Arena stood against the backdrop of the pastels of the “contemporary” buildings. (And by contemporary, I mean less than five hundred years old.) The four of us walked down a winding street full of window shoppers to Bottega de Vini–where we met Andrea. Andrea is a young-ish Veronese man who represents a line of stone that we buy from the region. His greatest trait, for me at least, is that he loves Seattle. He loves our weather, he loves the culture of the people, and most of all, he loves our music. As in past encounters, he and I talked music for quite a while.

A great day all around, and tomorrow off to Venice!

Morning came quickly, however, as we needed to be back at the show bright and early. Our schedule was packed. In fact, today we split up so we could cover more ground. There is no doubt these trips are worth the time and expense. Aside from seeing new tile lines, we also have the opportunity to see nearly all of our vendors in one place. And the dinners seem to be the most important venue. Each night we spend hours sharing great food and stories–and, in the best of cases, we become friends. Paolo and Lorella, who hosted us in their home on Monday, are truly friends–people who you’d love to spend time with even if you didn’t work together. And there are many others who I enjoy seeing each year at these events.

We spent today shuttling between two main pavilions where many of our vendors are located. By the end of the day, even another shot of espresso couldn’t have kept me going.

Although there were a series of complete experiences that will linger in my mind, I am going to limit myself to just a couple.

After our first factory visit today, we took a side trip to the country villa of Paolo and Lorella, a couple who has represented tile to us for many years. Their home has been a many-year project, and it shows. Over a decade ago, they purchased the villa from one of a pair of brothers who were feuding over what to do with the family’s ancestral land. The parcel, about 50 acres, occupies one side of a small hill–itself set into a large range of hills and valleys. The vista was spectacular. The landscape is dotted with a dozen or so farmhouses, the oldest one from the 14th century. Paolo mentioned that their house, “was only 140 or 150 years old”–which would have put it on the national historic registry in the U.S. We spent an hour sipping coffee and relaxing in the grass as an impromptu siesta before heading off to our next appointment. We threatened to take up residence there during next year’s trip.

After our second factory tour, in which we saw the workings of a full-scale porcelain tile plant, we went to dinner with Lorella and Paolo in a small restaurant owned by their friends. The food was tremendous. After the appetizer course, Jill turned to Lorella and asked if there would be dessert. There would be, she said, after we finished our first plate, second plate, and a small salad. In all, the meal last over four hours, punctuated by great conversation. At one point we all went around sharing what we would choose to have written on our tombstones. I’ll let you guess whose is going to say, “Thanks mom.”

in the end we made it here in one piece, though our luggage did not. Jill and Susan’s bags are in Paris and New York respectively (who knows). It’s noon here now–and feels like 3am–so we are going in to town to shake off the jet lag.

The exposition center sprawls over acres of land, and walking from one end to the other takes half an hour. However, the payoff is worth it. Cersaie gives us a chance to see where the tile industry is headed. What is the latest concept, color, format, or technique in ceramic tiles? At the same time, we have the opportunity to meet up with colleagues from throughout the industry: other distributors, factory agents, designers and others who converge on Bologna for one week a year.

This year I am going to be posting about our trip–mostly anecdotes about our adventures in Northern Italy. So, stay tuned!