After several weeks of touring historic sites and churches, we decided to broaden our Italian experience. Our destination for a local weekend experience was the Pombia Safari park. It is essentially a drive through zoo. You could drive your own car or ride in their safari wagon. We opted to drive.

We arrived early, parked, and had a cup of cappuccino inside a small restaurant adjacent to their campground while we waited for the park to open. It was hard to figure out what to do next. There were toll booths where cars would queue. But the signs and different colored lines did not make it obvious which line we should be in. I could translate the words, but the contextual meaning did not translate at all. So we did what we always do….picked a line…. Watched the locals…..and faked it.

We were handed maps and several tickets (I had no idea what they were all for). And we headed up the hill behind the 10 cars in front of us. Steep hills, large animals, small car, manual transmission…..what could go wrong?

To ease you into the experience, you meander through antelope, ibex, kudus and ostrich. Then there are zebras and giraffes. Suddenly there is a rhino bigger than your car standing outside your window. I only became worried when we were stopped right next to the hippos. When I was in Africa, the guides would not let you near a hippo. They insisted that they were the most dangerous. And here they were, a stones throw from my open window walking toward us and the hay thrown out for them by my car tire.

I had just settled down from the close encounters in the safari area when we approached a new fence. This one had a sign that said “Danger of Death”. There was no off ramp, so we read the sign as we followed the line of cars into the enclosure.

We were going to drive through fields of free roaming lions and tigers. Each field had a guard in a watchtower and also one on the ground in a safari jeep. I couldn’t decide if that should make me feel safe or worried. My direction, if something should go wrong, was to stay in the car and “hoot” repeatedly. I think the translation was actually to honk, but we practiced our hoots just in case.

Actually, it was delightful. The big cats were well fed and generally lazy. They played and yawned and rolled. No excitement, other than to be near a powerful creature for a few minutes in the afternoon sun. I could have stayed longer but the parade of cars rolled us along with them. Next we drove into the goats, camels and cattle section. It was a bit of a let down after close encounters with the African big five.

After the safari drive, you park and walk the rest of the park. There was a sea lion show held in a large above ground swimming pool under a tent. We didn’t understand a word of the show, but children’s laughter and animal antics always translate. We have seen enough sea lion shows to anticipate the punchlines.

Perhaps my favorite part of the day was the walk through the lemur enclosure. Only a few people at a time got to wander through lemur land. It reminded me of the up close and personal experiences we had in Australia zoos. The animals decide how much or how little interaction they want. You stay in your lane and let them come to you. And they were curious. I can never get enough of close encounters.

The park had a dinosaur garden, a reptile house, and a bird walk. Because Italians are fascinated by Westerns, there was even an old west town. In the summer, there was a water park (closed on the day of our visit) and an arcade area. There is even an amusement park. Which may explain the extra tickets, but we opted to forgo the rides.

It had been a good visit. The zoo experience is something that translates world wide. Smiles and giggles are universal. And so are hotdog and hamburger zoo meals, apparently. You see the same smiles and excitement and the same melt downs no matter the country.

Leaving the animal park, we set out to explore wine country. We live in an area with a variety of wineries and we were interested in the comparison. A few turns and we were on a winding two lane road with no shoulder weaving through vineyards. That looked familiar, but there were no tasting rooms or live music venues. In fact most wineries in this region indicated they were by appointment only. One field had a small booth set up by the road and we almost stopped. But I had found a designated azienda Agricola or working farm/vineyard that had good reviews that was supposedly open.

We drove to the farm. There was a sign indicating we were at the right place, but there was only a house and a barn. Vineyards stretched in every direction but nothing resembled a winery. We decided to turn around beside the barn and just leave.

As we drove from behind the barn, a man appeared and directed us onto his driveway. We got out and greeted him. He opened his garage door. It was full of wine. He didn’t speak much English and we spoke even less Italian. He would say something in Italian and hand me a bottle. I would smile and nod. The only bottle he didn’t hand me was a large green unmarked bottle. I pointed. He said “all the grapes. We drink for dinner.” At least that is what I think he said.

It was a little awkward, being the only ones in a strangers garage. We aren’t really drinkers, but we were here to buy wine. We wanted an authentic Italian experience. We actually knew nothing about what we are buying, but the man seemed nice and sincere. It couldn’t get more authentic. So I took what was offered. And that is how I ended up with several bottles of wine in the trunk (that rolled around all the way home….just imagine all those round abouts). We spent $20.00 total and came home with “all the grapes”, literally. Just another walk on the wild side.