Chapter 9: A Wedding in Umbria

By the time we left Vancouver and headed out on the first leg of our journey, I had successfully put my vile act out of my conscious mind and come to terms with what I had done. Eduardo and Rosina surprised me with business class tickets to Toronto and that was a real luxury. When we boarded the Alitalia 747, we were on the upper deck and I realized then that I was being treated like royalty. I had a hard time expressing my appreciation to Francesca's parents. They were treating me like a son, long before I had worked up the courage to ask their daughter for her hand in marriage.

I had never been to Europe and the idea that I would be flying there first class was really something. It was over nine hours from Toronto to Rome, and I was far too excited to sleep on the plane. We arrived at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport early the next morning. We had reservations on the mid-afternoon train to Perugia where we would be met by Fredo and Pietro. I was still operating on adrenalin, but I knew sooner or later it would catch up to me.

The train trip was three hours and I think I slept almost all the way. Francesca was beside me, leaning against me as I slept. The nine hour difference between Vancouver and Italy was beginning to tell on me. We had eaten well on both flights and I wasn't hungry. We would be arriving at the villa sometime before seven o'clock in the evening and I knew that a dinner had been planned for us. I was hoping I had an appetite by then.

Just before we arrived at Perugia, I stood, stretched, did some knee bends, and walked through the rail car to get my body operating once more. I needed a pep pill or something to get me going again. I used the washroom to put some cold water on my face and that seemed to help. I wanted to take in the countryside, since I'd missed most of the scenery from Rome.

Pietro and Fredo were waiting for us when we arrived in Perugia. The luggage was only a couple of minutes getting to the departure area and we headed out toward the parking lot. The boys had rented or borrowed a pair of Volkswagen vans, not the prettiest vehicles I had ever seen. However, they seated us in comfort and with Fredo driving, we were on our way to Magione. I was surprised that the highway was a divided four lane. I expected a more rural two lane road to the small town. Before we got to the town, Fredo turned onto a narrow paved road heading up into the hills to the north. We drove for almost a mile, passing vineyards along the way before we came to a big house.

This was Casa Mariani, and it was impressive. Stone and timber, clay tile roof, leaded windows. I had no idea how old it was, but I assumed it was at least a hundred years. I felt I had stepped back in time as I entered the cavernous foyer. It was like nothing I had ever experienced.

Giovanni and Samantha welcomed us and we hugged and kissed. It was good to see them again. They had left Vancouver four months ago, but I admit I missed them and I was delighted to see them again.

Outside, the air was warm. Inside it was cool. Comfortably cool. Gio helped me with the luggage as he led us upstairs to the second floor and down a long hallway to an end bedroom. I was surprised when he put both Francesca's and my bags in the room. He looked at me with a grin.

"We only have so many bedrooms," he shrugged.

"I guess so," I chuckled, wrapping my arm around Francesca.

Gio left the room and closed the door behind him. I walked to the window and looked out. I could see the lake in the distance. Before us lay acres of grape vines and Olive trees. As I looked around, I could see this was relatively arid land, much like our southern Okanagan. The rolling hills and orderly orchards and vineyards gave them a symmetry that added to the splendour.

"The winery is above and behind us," Francesca said as we gazed out over the beautiful scene. "Are you tired? You didn't sleep much on the plane."

"I'll be okay," I assured her, hugging her to me. "I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight, though. I'm surprised we're both in the same room. I didn't expect that."

"Mother and father are quite modern, Dal. They understand we are lovers and they trust us. Why don't you have a bath before dinner? You'll feel better when you do."

"Geez, I haven't had a bath since I was a kid. I guess there is no shower then?"

"Not in this room. If you like, I'll join you and I can wash you and then you can wash me," she grinned.

"Now that's an offer I don't intend to refuse. Lead the way."

We stripped and walked into the attached bathroom. The tub was huge and I looked at Francesca and she looked at me.

"Do you think there's enough room for the both of us?" I asked.

"Let's find out," she laughed.

We did, and there was. We splashed a lot of water around as we played, but the floors and walls were tile and we didn't worry about it. I felt better after the bath. We dried each other lovingly with the soft towels and lay on the bed for a while, kissing and stroking each other. I would have been happy to spend the rest of the day here with her, but I knew we were expected to be in the reception downstairs. We reluctantly got dressed and went down to join the others.

I met the grandparents for the first time and I was welcomed as if I were family. They spoke very little English and I spoke almost no Italian, so our conversations were very limited. However, they were very friendly and I felt I was being treated just as Eduardo and Rosina had treated me when we first met. There was wine in decanters and Giovanni explained that these were a selection of their newest vintages. I am no wine expert, but the two I sampled were very smooth and very full-bodied. I made my selection last a while. I didn't want to get tipsy and embarrass myself.

It turned out that the Mariani residence had a cook and a housekeeper and they had prepared the evening meal. It was a traditional selection of meats cooked over flame, along with side dishes of vegetables. It was delicious and I carefully sampled most offerings, trying not to take too much. I didn't expect to have an appetite, but the aromas coming off the offerings, and the appearance of the food itself was enough to get my saliva glands pumping.

I could feel myself beginning to fade as the clock neared ten. Francesca took pity on me, made our excuses and led me up to the bedroom. I vaguely remember getting undressed, but after that, I was out.

Friday, I felt much more alive and alert. Eduardo took me on a tour of the vineyards and the winery. The seemingly endless rows of vines were all very carefully identified with the name of the varietals and the date planted. He explained that records for each row were kept as to when they were pruned and inspected for any disease.

The winery itself was more interesting to me. I saw the crush area, now featuring more modern equipment, Eduardo assured me. From there, the juice was stored in large vats, each holding over two thousand liters. The vats in the older part of the building were oak, some of which were sixty or more years old. In the newer addition, the vats were stainless steel. Each of the nearly twenty vats was labeled with the variety and the date of the press.

The bottling area was almost all new from appearances. It contained in-line filters, pumps, filling equipment and sealing equipment. It was a completely automated system with the exception that the finished corked and labeled bottles were hand packed into cartons. The traditional cork was now gradually being replaced by synthetic, two layer plastic corks that Eduardo assured me were more secure. After testing, they had cut down on problems of oxidization of the wine in shipping and storage. Apparently, natural cork would gradually be eliminated in many of the wineries.

I knew what he was doing, of course. He wanted me to understand the family business. I had a feeling I was going to be invited to participate if I married Francesca, and this was the preliminary presentation. How would I react to this? Would I be interested or bored? Would I ask questions or just observe? I don't think I disappointed him. I was interested and I did ask many questions.

When it was almost two o'clock and time for lunch, he took me aside as we walked back toward the family villa.

"What do you think of all this, Dallas?" he asked in his usual friendly tone.

"I think you are very fortunate to have all this, Eduardo," I said with a genuine smile. "This is a true family business and your sons will be lucky to work with you to insure its success."

"If you were to marry Francesca, you would become a son as well. Could you see yourself involved in this business?" he asked, patiently waiting for my response.

"Yes," I nodded after a moment's hesitation. "I'm not like Giovanni. I don't understand all that goes into winemaking. But I could see myself involved in some other part of the business, possibly in sales and distribution. You make a very good product and it would be easy to speak truthfully about its quality and value. Your company, your business, is run in an honorable and trustworthy way. A man should be proud to present your label to others."

He smiled and chuckled. "Very nice. Very flattering. But do not try too hard to impress me. Rosina and I have raised our sons and daughter to protect and expand the family name in our wines. I am proud of my father and mother for their lifelong dedication to this land and our ancestral home. I am proud of my sons. They are good young men, dedicated to their own families as well as our business. I see those things in you as well. Carlo has told me of your work at the restaurant. He knows you are capable of more than he can offer. Perhaps we can talk about what you might want to contribute ... if you marry Francesca," he grinned at the finish.

"I'm not ready for marriage yet, Eduardo. I love your daughter and I believe she loves me. But we have our educations to complete, and I have an obligation to Carl for the trust he put in me from the beginning. I want to fulfill that obligation."

He smiled once more and clapped me on the shoulder, now becoming a familiar gesture.

"That is as it should be. You are a good young man, Dallas. I think you will make a good husband and father," he said as we resumed our walk back to the house.