“I will take you to the most beautiful small town piazza in Italy,” said Claudio, our Italian guide as he drove us from Milan to Lake Como. That’s how Alan and I, and boomer travel friends Jack and Sue, found ourselves in Vigevano, Italy, on a rainy, Sunday afternoon.
Piazza Ducale is indeed lovely, with its three-sided arcade opening out onto the piazza. The baroque facade of Vigevano Cathedral anchors the square with Castello Sforzesco keeping watch to the the side.
Well-dressed residents, clutching umbrellas, strolled in and out of perfume shops and chocolate boutiques. Leather boots, their soft, supple skin shining in the window made for a tempting boomer travel purchase; but discipline prevailed.
After all, it was only the first day of a nine-day road trip in Northern Italy.
