As a travel guy, I always get stumped with a question. People ask me, ‘Hey, you’ve been to so many places. What is the best place to go to? What is the, the one that moved you the most?’ And honestly, that question was very hard. You think that I would have my top ten list ready to go. But every time, depending on my mood, I had to give a different answer. I honestly did not have that one place that moved me so much that I really want to go back over and over.

Maybe, maybe Sicily was one that I wanted to go back to. But then again, that’s Italy.

And then I found my answer in my recent trip to Southern Italy. And it’s not just the stuff that you easily can see on a postcard. It’s not the ancient ruins and the Colosseum in Rome or anything like that. It’s the vibe. It’s the people. It’s the streets. It’s the sounds and the smells.

You know, people talk about breathtaking views yeah, sometimes you look at the, a view and you say, ‘Wow, this is absolutely magnificent.’ I don’t think I experienced one of those things that are actually breathtaking view. But traveling the Amalfi Coast truly takes your breath away.

It’s not always perfect. At times, it gets a little crowded. And a little noisy, too. Constant noise, I would say. And in some locations, I had a guide. And I asked the guide to simply take me to the road less traveled and the guide did exactly that. At times, I said, ‘Please stop, I want to just walk this street. I want to feel the vibe.’

It’s empty. There’s nobody there. You can almost smell the fragrance of the, of the laundry that is hanging just above you. And then, as you, I walked further, I can smell the garlic coming out from a ground floor apartment. I can just stand there and imagine what’s going on in that little apartment. What they cooking? I love that stuff. That is the vibe I’m talking about. The vibe of Italy.

I wanted to bring that back all to you to this program of East to West. And obviously, I cannot bring the smells, but I can certainly bring the sounds. During my trip, I interviewed my guides. I interviewed drivers, taxi drivers, bystanders. I talked to anybody who was willing to tell me about their favorite Italian music. And let me tell you, I picked up some incredible gems.

So tonight, I’m going to share it all with you. And although you’re going to hear a lot more Italian music, it is still a World Music Songbook. And I’m going to take you from east to west with the regular great music that you are accustomed to.

Stay with me for the next couple of hours