It’s possible nobody will ever click on a menu bar entitled “Acknowledgements.” I guess that’s understandable. However, on even the off-chance that someone cares to peruse a list of people for which I’m grateful, I decided to post the following salute to those who have contributed in bringing the A Month of Italy book to fruition. A heartfelt thank you goes out to each of you!

It is with the memory of warm Italian sun on my skin and a steaming plate of pasta in front of me that I consider the many wonderful people who are part of this project. First and foremost in that consideration is my family. I would like to thank my wife Terri for her partnership, sense of adventure, and editing abilities—all of which were necessary for this book to become a reality. I would also like to thank each of my incredible children Casey, Nathaniel, Christine, and J.R. for their willingness to not only play a part in Dad’s adventures, but also to submit themselves to being written about like characters in a novel. It is also with warm remembrance that I thank the many new friends we met along our journey. I hope I have done you all justice in these pages.

Thanks are due to my executive assistant Doug Huber, who not only keeps my life running smoothly, but was responsible for making all the travel arrangements for this Italian sabbatical in the first place.  I also want to thank my friend and often co-author Orrin Woodward and his wife Laurie, who gave me such a great response to an early version of this manuscript that I was encouraged to continue.  Rob Hallstrand, lifetime friend and COO at Obstaclés Press, does such an amazing job with a huge number of projects, as well as a whole host of things on my behalf, that I could never thank him enough.  Bill Rousseau also deserves recognition for excellent project management and the impossible task of helping me hit deadlines.  Special thanks are also due to my friends Tim Marks, Bill Lewis, Claude Hamilton, George Guzzardo, and Dan Hawkins for picking up the slack while I was gone.  A heartfelt thank you is also due Oliver DeMille, who went above and beyond what was expected and provided excellent advice for improvements in the manuscript.  I would like to thank the very talented Norm Williams for the cover design and his ability to discern what I want with very little input. Lalanne Barber deserves special thanks for saving me from several embarrassing blunders, and thanks also go to Wendy Branson and Deborah Brady, who provided final editing.  Tracey Avereyn, who manages and directs my social media presence, deserves my gratitude as well.  Thanks also to Dirk Rozich for designing the website and the programmers at RMR who made it work.  A special thank you also goes out to Emily O’Boyle, Ryan Renz, and Andy Garcia for creation of the video trailer.  Thank you to my friend Kyle Reeder for providing the music for the trailer and to Russ Mack for his promotional expertise and assistance.  Also, I wish to thank Stephen Palmer, Sharon Lechter, Richard Bliss Brooke, Chris Gross, Dr. Gaetano Sottile, Lucio Malan, Jason Ashley, Venkat Varada, and Art Jonak for reviewing galley copies of the book.  I would like to thank my parents, Jim and Gayle Brady for setting the model example of parenthood and now, grandparenthood.  Finally, I wish to give all honor and glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.