Milan, Florence, Bologna, Rome Italy November 2006

Each year Ducati.net travels to Italy in the off season. Italy in November is very different than in the summer high season - different weather is just the beginning, the unique foods in season , the Christmas displays, the winter fashions, and the smaller crowds all add up to a vacation quite unlike what you get in summer. So, after the EICMA motorcycle show we took some time to enjoy Italy in winter. This years trip was a group of 15, started in Milan, moved to Florence and ended in Rome. For me, one of best things is the completely different light, the photos look nothing like summer which is what most people think of when they think of Italy. Photos and captions by Vicki Smith

One block from there is the Arno river. 2006 is the 40 year anniversary of the big flood here and photos were posted all along the banks of the destruction. It was hard to imagine the river rising to that point but the photos were incredible, you could look around you and see the "then and now" so clearly. It was a tribute to the city to have made such a remarkable recovery.

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One block from there is the Arno river. 2006 is the 40 year anniversary of the big flood here and photos were posted all along the banks of the destruction. It was hard to imagine the river rising to that point but the photos were incredible, you could look around you and see the "then and now" so clearly. It was a tribute to the city to have made such a remarkable recovery.