
Hello, last week two friends from Italy stopped in Denver from their homes in Genoa and Tuscany. First I should explain how we became friends with Luisa and Luciano. During World War II, Geri's father Jim, who was serving in the army in northern Italy, met Luisa's mother while defending the area against the Germans. The two families and all of their children have become good friends over the years and trade visits. I was lucky enough to meet them in 2003 in Genoa and in 2004 when we traveled to Tuscany.
We had four days in which to give them a taste of Colorado. So we started at Denver International Airport where I introduced them to one of the airport Ambassadors and showed them all kinds of tourist information. Geri actually had a pretty good plan for our visitors which started with a tour of lower downtown Denver (LoDo), and included stops at Union Station, Rockmount Ranchwear, The Brown Place Hotel and Rock Bottom Brewing. We learned a few, fun Denver facts from former Denver Post writer/columnist, Dick Kreck, who is quite a historian.
The next day we drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park. The Cinotti's wanted to see the Rocky Mountains up close because Luisa's parents live in the Dolomite Mountains near Trento where they operate a small hotel during the ski season.

We took a picnic lunch along with us and sat in the sun at Bear Lake. They were very impressed with our mountains and the wildlife such as elk, deer and big horn sheep.
They had so much fun in the park and the weather was so beautiful and warm for November, that we decided to go to Colorado Springs the next day.


We took the Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Wheel Train to the top of Pike's Peak at 14,110 feet.
Cog railway. The train ride and the experience of being on top of the world might have been the highlight of their visit to Colorado.

It was sunny but cold at the top and the wind wasn't too bad. We could see five states from our vantage point! After the three-hour trip up and down, it was time for lunch at the European Cafe in Manitou Springs before finishing our day at the Garden of the Gods.

It was t-shirt weather and in the 70's as we walked through the amazing red rock formations, while rock climbers scrambled up cracks and ledges. The sunset glowed yellow and orange as we drove back to Denver. Geri and I grilled beer-butt chicken while our guests packed for their early morning flight to Washington D.C., where Luciano had scheduled a meeting with the U.S. Department of Energy. Luisa was planning her museum visits.
Enjoy, Ken-ta
If you would like to see a slideshow of Luisa and Luciano's visit CLICK HERE:
Italian visit. All of our slideshows require flash player. Download a free version here:
flash player.


Labels: Denver, Italian, Italy, Tuscany, Vacation