Beautifully written. I feel like I was there too. Thank you for sharing. :-)
I have not been to Italy since I was 20, when I did some olive picking in Abruzzi and visited Rome (fun memory: I was kicked out of the Borghese Gallery for taking photos when I failed to see the no photograph signs).
Speaking of little European states, my sister's husband is from Monaco, and they have been looking at buying their own apartment right on the Italian border. Maybe I'll have my chance to visit again not too long from now. :-)