Optiant sent me to Italy for a just over a week in late December for a project with CNH Tractors (Case New Holland). The engineering offices were located in Turin (near the Italian Alps - also the city that will hold the 2006 Olympic Winter Games), while the manufacturing facility, Imola, was located on the eastern part of northern Italy.  Of course I worked it out so I was also able to stop by Milan during the weekend before work to check out the fashion capital. It was a good trip - very different than any other trip over to Europe since I actually had to work the whole time!!!  It was really neat to be a part of the culture though - this gave me the chance to see what it is like on a day to day basis without being a typical tourist.