The good news is ...

It was a beautiful day for a walking tour of Verona. The sun shone and the temps were in the seventies. We met Mauro on the street and he whisked us away to the city center.

It had to happen. Wine overload. This is a Good News Girlz tour, after all. We drove by Lake Garda in the morning, photographing the stunning scenery and charming towns. After that, it was all about wine.

There's only one word for today - shopping. Or maybe one phrase - shop 'til you drop!

It was sad to say goodbye to the Cinque Terre and Monterosso, but we employed retail therapy to alleviate the pain.  Our friends told us about a great market on Wednesday mornings in Levanto, so we hopped in the van and scooted off to Levanto for a quick stop before the drive to the Veneto.

Hike Day! Although the weather forecast promised sun with a possibility of rain, we were not deterred. Armed with rain gear and our Cinque Terre national park and train passes, we headed over to the train station for a ride down to Riomaggiore. The Via dell'Amore, packed with walkers, was fun and beautiful.

Our first full day in the Cinque Terre was bright and cheery - clear blue skies and full sun.  We started the day with a walking tour with our friend Kate Little through the old town and lemon groves to the cemetery towering high above the sea. Most of the oldest grave spaces are permanent, but up on top the plots are leased for a certain number of years. If the lease runs out or family members fail to pay, the bones of the deceased are moved to cheaper real estate.

How many people do you know who've gone truffle hunting with a certified trifulau? Well, you know some now. Today we went out into the woods with Giorgio Romagnolo and his dogs, Brio and Esterina. Truffles are mushrooms that grow underground and can be found on the roots of four different kinds of trees-oak, linden, willow, and poplar. May is summer black truffle season.

Saturday is market day in Alba. The square and pedestrian streets are lined with vendors selling everything fromoctopus to crew socks. We bought scarves, purses, gifts for folks back home, and food for a picnic. We're takinghome quite a haul.

Locals say that Barbaresco is the queen of wines and Barolo the king.  Today we visited Barolo. After a morning hike through the vineyards near our hotel, we drove to La Morra. The town is quaint and has stunning vistas. Every little town in the Piedmont has its own enoteca and many have community wine cooperatives. The grape is very important around here.