Grazie mille to all you 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go readers and travelers—especially you who wrote and showed up at events to tell me how the book inspired your Italian adventures. You’ve inspired me to keep sharing more of my own.

Always, I’m deeply grateful for the love and support of mia famiglia: dear husband Jonathon Leifer, my maternal Chirico/Spada line—here, in Italia, and in Paradiso, who started it all. Patti Sullivan, sister/editor, and the latest addition, stepgranddaughter Florence Cahn Norman, who makes my spirits soar.

Thanks to all the writers and bloggers who’ve inspired me, and to fabulous friends and colleagues for their smarts and for making life while writing and traveling in The Big Three more fun: Gioia Acon, Sheila Balter, Risa Bell, Anne Block, Liz Brewster, Iris Carulli, Rosanne Cofoid, Carol Coviello-Malzone, Sandy Cutrone, the D’Aquilas, Betsy deFries, Susan Engbrecht, Babs Fasano, Deb Gaughan, the Giulianos, Valentina Grossi Orzalesi, Inge Hansen, Heather Hanson, Karen Herbst, Jo Ann Locktov, Nan McElroy, Petulia Melideo, Joanne Morgante, Mario and Lexi Marmorestein, Kathy McCabe, Tom Paris, Veronica Puleo, Phil and Monica Rosenthal, Laura Sousounis, Kristin Stasiowski, Jessica Stewart, Monica Vidoni, and Louise Wright.

I’m grateful for the assistance of the Italian Government Tourist Board, including the wonderful Emanuela Boni in the Los Angeles office, and in New York Marzia Bortolin and Eugenio Magnani. Big thanks to publishers James O’Reilly and Larry Habegger at Travelers’ Tales for our years of working together.

And grazie always to the people of Italy, whose astounding openness and generosity have made writing about this country a dream come true.