Now, don’t get me wrong: there’s no other place I’d rather be this weekend than at home in Houston with my girls.

But if we were in Italy for Labor Day, I’d be taking them out for lunch on Lake Iseo in Franciacorta country.

Just look at how beautiful the morainic hills look set against the blue waters of the lake! Italy’s immense beauty never ceases to amaze and fascinate me!

My traveling companion and I were treated to a private boat tour of Lake Iseo last month while visiting Franciacorta as part of my Franciacorta Real Story project (which is sponsored by the Franciacorta Consortium of wine growers).

That’s the Isola di Loreto (above), a privately owned island and castle on the lake. Gorgeous…

We had lunch that day at the aptly named Locanda al Lago on Montisola, another one of the lake’s mountain islands and a sovereign township within Brescia province.

How’s that for a captain’s platter???!!! (A little musicians humor; who gets the joke?)

Aaaaaa… Lest our repast be incomplete!

All in all, it was a pretty fabu day on the lake… especially thanks to the company.

Can you see why I’d love to be there for this Labor Day weekend?

Tracie P and I have been talking about when we’ll take the girls to Italy for the first time (Georgia P’s actually been twice but when she was too little for her to remember today).

Maybe in a few years… Lila Jane just turned two and today was her first day at preschool! She dove right in like a champ! No crying or fussing…

We were so proud of her and Georgia P is loving being back at school, too. We are so blessed to have them.

Happy Labor Day and End of Summer, everyone! I’ll start posting more images from my recent trip to Italy next week. See you then!