Jeanne's Next Chapter: Sharing the Love

I hope it is obvious to anyone reading this blog, that I am enchanted by Northern Italy. I consider the fact that I have had the opportunity to live here for almost two years to be a beautiful and unexpected gift. I have also felt a little guilty that I have been able to explore this area and have had some very unique experiences while Dave has gone off to work everyday and our Ohio friends were dealing with snow and frigid temperatures this past winter. So when friends have shown up from home this spring, it has made life here even more sweet. It bridges the gap between our previous life in the suburbs of the midwest with our current life here in an apartment in the center of an old European town. We catch up on news of our friends and former colleagues and dream together of future adventures.

Villa Del Balbianello in Lenno (with Claudia and Bob)

This year's tourist season has begun in earnest and the Hoopes' Bed and Breakfast has been fully booked. The Italian word for guest is ospite which is related through its Latin root to our English word hospitality, the friendly reception and treatment of guests. So we have tried to show hospitality to our ospiti by taking them to our special places, introducing them to some of our new friends and eating together at our favorite restaurants. It means a lot to us that our friends can experience a part of our everyday life here in Como. We have tried to share both our normal routine and errands as well as sightseeing and taking hikes to some scenic places. Here are some photos of friends who have visited in the past month. We are looking forward to more visitors throughout the summer and we hope all of our guests will enjoy it here as much as we do.