My wife and I travel so often for speaking events that we very rarely travel for fun and vacation. In fact, we’ve been so busy working the last few years that we didn’t do anything for our 25th anniversary. So when I saw that I had 10 days free with no speaking events, I suggested we go to places in Greece and Italy we had never been before to celebrate our 27th anniversary. 

As I write this on our way back to the US, I’m reflecting on seeing the sunsets in Santorini, walking around the Acropolis and eating spinach pie in Athens, marveling at the David in Florence and getting a peek at the Coliseum in Rome. It was a wonderful trip filled with great sightseeing, a lot of food and a lot of walking because I had way too much pizza and gelato. 

Yet, the best part of the trip was the three days we spent at my friends Villa in Tuscany near Lucca. Joe and his wife Valentina own Villa Valentina Vorno and she is a chef who made us the most incredible Italian meals. Joe took us all (two other couples were there) on a 6-mile hike to the cross on top of the mountain, a 12-mile bike ride to Lucca and back and a six mile walk to Lucca. We ate, we hiked, we talked, we drank Italian wine from his vineyard, played bocce and listened to opera singers one night during dinner.

I realized I loved our time at the Villa so much because it was about relationships, not buildings. It was about people, not things. The food was great, but it tasted better because of the fellowship. The hikes were more fulfilling because we had to work together as a team and encourage each other. 

Learning about the history of the cities and seeing one of the most valuable treasures on earth, the David, was incredible, but creating meaningful memories and making our own history with my wife and friends are what I’ll treasure the most. 

The David will take your breath away, but life is all about relationships and creating breath taking moments with the ones you love. 

We live our best life when we treasure relationships!

My wife and I were so inspired by the experience we are going to do a couples retreat at Villa Valentina Vorno in 2025 for 10-15 couples.