Many years ago some friends and I explored the Italian South Tyrol. I do not believe there is such a place as Paradise, but if there were, it would not look very different from what we found: Alpine mountains, fairytale castles, exquisite villages, a region whose highest altitudes remain snowy all year round, yet whose valleys are so warm that palm trees thrive in them.
Best of all, this is a land of wine. Its valleys and hillsides bristle with vines; its summer air tingles with the odour ....
The Merry Drinker
