Kelly: Omaha has an inn in Italy - Omaha World-Herald
By Michael Kelly
WORLD-HERALD COLUMNIST
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We clinked glasses with the new friends in September outside a bed-and-breakfast villa in northwest Italy owned by former Omahans and Italian natives Patrizia and Giorgio Romansckyi.
In the foothills of the Alps, which are visible on the horizon, Barb and I spent a relaxing six days to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. People in the village of Pozzengo, an hour's drive west of Milan, even sang "happy anniversary" at a Saturday-night dinner.
Giorgio drove us to the lake region and to the bluest blue sea, and showed us stunning vistas above the Po River valley, the breadbasket of Italy.
We sampled wines at the nearby 52-acre vineyard (180,000 bottles a year) in which he has invested. Patrizia cooked fabulous meals, from rabbit to sage lasagna to risotto to veal. We enjoyed a Sunday afternoon classical music concert by 20 musicians who had traveled from La Scala in Milan.
For us, a nice vacation. For the Romansckyis, a new vocation.
Well, not so new anymore. I wrote about them four years ago, after they returned to Italy to open their B&B.
Just before Christmas in 2005, Giorgio was laid off from FDR in Omaha, at age 58. About 340 employees were let go that day, and he said he understood that it was a business decision. But he admits that he was scared about the future.
Naturalized U.S. citizens since 1994, the couple decided to return to Italy. Patrizia had inherited a building in Pozzengo, which they call "the pink house." They bought a stone-exterior home next door dating to the 1700s and fixed up both places.
They named the two-villa operation 5 Chimneys because there are five hearths and five guest bedrooms. Friends from Omaha began visiting. Word of the hospitality got around town, and I interviewed "Gio" by email.
As I wrote in 2007, not every post-layoff story has a happy ending, but this one does and it continues. A vast majority of the couple's guests travel from Omaha.
"And since we returned to Italy," Giorgio said with a smile, "my blood pressure has improved."
They still love Omaha, visit regularly and donate about five weeklong stays a year for auction by Omaha charities. (In Italy, Patrizia displays her old Nebraska license plate in the back windshield of her car, above her Italian plates.)
Patrizia, who has written a cookbook, "Cooking with Patrizia," will give a demonstration on Nov. 14 to the staff of Metro Community College's Culinary Arts Institute.
Jim Vlcek of Omaha, who visited 5 Chimneys in 2009, helped produce her book. He and his wife have traveled the world and say their trip to the Piedmont region of Italy was memorable.
"You don't feel like you're part of a cattle-herd tour group," Vlcek said. "Giorgio and Patrizia take you in as family."
The couple aren't trying to drum up business and they don't want to grow, saying they like to stay small enough to give personal attention. They even turned down a chance to be part of an online travel registry.
The B&B's website is www.5chimney-bb.com. We paid the standard rate of 80 euros a night ($106), plus a bit more for evening meals and a few incidentals, all very reasonable.
We took a train from Milan to Rome, where we spent another six days seeing the sights. We walked miles every day visiting the ruins and the modernity of the Eternal City the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Borghese Gardens and all the amazing art and archaeology.
But it's good to be home.
In Rome, we tried to do as the Romans. In northwest Italy enjoying the wine, the food, the people, the culture and the vistas we tried very hard to just do as the Romansckyis.
Contact the writer: 402-444-1132, michael.kelly@owh.com
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