Above: as much as I love what I do for a living and the fact that my work takes me to Italy on a regular basis, this is where I’d rather be (image snapped yesterday in Houston at Fire Truck Park, one of our favorite weekend destinations).

Man, my itinerary for the next few weeks is insane!

Chianti, Maremma, Montalcino, Siena, Asolo, Franciacorta, Barolo, Montefalco, Ascoli Piceno, Pisa…

Of the course of the next fourteen days, I will be sleeping nearly every night in a different bed.

Traveling to Italy for work — even when you work in the wine trade — is not as glamorous as it may sound.

Above: a recent performance of our ABCs that I furtively captured using my iPhone. Georgia P’s intonation and understanding of rhythm are really starting to come along and Lila Jane is getting more and more interested in the keyboard (she’s the one playing the clams!).

Days begin early for me on the road because I have to create and manage all of the day’s content (for all of my clients in Italy and stateside), before I leave my hotel each day. And the rest of the each day is filled with travel – taste – spit – photograph – repeat…

Not that I’m complaining: as I gear up to leave today from Houston, I know that there are many wonderful experiences, wines, and meals in my near future.

And I’m especially looking forward to the Asolo Prosecco and Verdicchio tastings, as well as my time in Langa (where I’ll have some downtime with friends).

In other Italian travel news…

New York-based Italian wine blogger Susannah Gold has been posting some great info on Milan on her blog Avvinare.

You may remember a post from a few weeks ago when I reminded Italian wine tradepeople that “Italy is so much more than just wine.”

Susannah lived and worked for many years in Milan and I’ve been loving her posts devoted to the city and the World’s Fair — EXPO Milano — which opened last week.

Check it out here and see you on the other side! Thanks for being here…