There have probably been times in my life that I thought that I understood “sacrifice.” There might have been times I even thought I made sacrifices. Those times probably had to do with the loss of certain creature comforts, or — more than likely — a lack of material things during leaner times. What I know today is that I have probably never really known true sacrifice in the purest sense and have only come to understand the depth and breadth of it in recent years.

True sacrifice comes in many sizes, colors, and situations. Today I am grateful for the sacrifices made by American soldiers during World War II, especially those who lost their lives in the Italian campaign. My friend, collaborator, and business partner — the watercolorist — Wyatt Waters, and I have been in Tuscany for more than three weeks leading three separate groups of 25 Americans each through this beautiful part of the world. Our tours are a total immersion into Tuscan food, art, culture, architecture and personalities. We cover a lot of ground in a week.