When we checked out of Villa Dievole, we were given another complimentary bottle of their wine. In spite of the mix-up on the rooms, the mediocre dinner, and the unfortunate weather, our stay was very pleasant. The people there were very nice and accommodating and, of course, the setting was beautiful.

Before we got on the highway, Al wanted to show me two small towns he discovered yesterday afternoon. Pontigano and Pontignanello are small villages among the vineyards. We stopped to watch the grape harvest in the fields, all by hand. The old towers of Siena could be seen in the distance. Even passed a charter house from 1345.

Finally, on to the busy highway and a long drive to Milan. The trip took six hours but could easily have much taken longer. There is an enormous amount of truck traffic on this highway, the right lane being one semi after another. Most of Italy's freight is carried by truck, many of them funneling towards the tunnels that go under the Alps. Three times as we drove north, the southbound traffic came to a complete standstill and was backed up for miles. We were fortunate that there were no delays going in our direction.

Our hotel, the Hotel Villa Malpensa, is located in Vizzola Ticino, a small town right next to the Malpensa airport outside Milan. Amazingly, we never heard an airplane while there, even with the windows open. The hotel is old and dignified, but is well adapted for today's business travelers. In the restaurant we savored one last wonderful Italian meal. For the first time since before our cruise, we had a television in our room; but the only English-speaking station was an all financial station, so we still didn't get much news from America.