Now and then, someone asks me to take them to Italy.  “You should lead tours to Italy, Mr. Thomas!”

Ther is only one problem.  I have never been to Italy.

I was once a spelunker.  I have explored more caves than I could  count.  I could take you into some amazing underground worlds.

If you are exploring caves, here is my recommendation.  Go with someone who knows what they are doing.  After all, your life is on the line.  A few simple mistakes and you may never come out.

Here is my recommendation for exploring Italy.  Go with someone who knows what they are doing.  Go with someone who has been to Italy.  Even better, go with someone who speaks Italian.

Maybe I will take you to Italy.  But, I am not going to do it alone.  I wouldn’t go into an unknown cave without a guide.  I am not going to take you to Italy without a guide.

Fortunately, I know a guide.

A good friend of mine, David Durham, has been taking people to Italy for years.  He lived in Europe for years.  He speaks Italian.

We taught together for three years.  This guy is professional.  He is detail oriented.  He knows what he is doing.  And, since he is a teacher, he knows how to deal with people.  He is patient.  You need that when you are in an unpredictable situation.  If you know anything about Italy, you know that you could end up in some unpredictable situations.

Oh, and this also helps.  David not only speaks Italian.  He also speaks French, Spanish, and German.  So… there’s that.

So, where is this blog post going?

Right here.

In five weeks, I am moving to Greece (for several months).  I am going in order to master Greek pronunciation.  I really want to become fluent in Greek.  Let’s see if the experiment works.  Ask  me how it went… in July.

But, I am also moving to prepare for a new classroom.   For nearly 20 years, I have been in the classroom.  A classroom with walls.  Now, I am breaking out.  Bella Italia will be one of my new classrooms.  A classroom without walls.

I will continue to teach.  But, I will do it worldwide.  In 2017, David and I are planning to team up.  We plan to lead tours to Europe.

This will be my first time taking tours to Italy.  No David’s.  He’s been there.  He’s done that.  He’s the guy.  Not me.

If you want to get to know David, check out his site: http://daviddurham.org/tell-me-of-tuscany/