If at first you don't succeed, try doing it a little differently. Or, chi la dura la vince (he who perseveres succeeds).</p><p>These are my mottoes as I organize a trip to Italy in 2012, after plans for this year didn't work out. </p><p>Several people have said they are ready to go to Italy with me in 2012, and many others have expressed a definite interest in coming along, even before the details are completed.</p><p>When Margaret Gomes, a Los Banos resident with a travel business, encouraged me last year to direct an Italian trip, I said something like, "Why not?" Readers with excellent memories may remember my column.</p><p>The trip didn't get a large enough response, but Margaret thought we should try again, and I agreed. This time we decided to get advice from a veteran traveler and made some changes to make the trip more appealing.</p><p>First, we are scheduling it in the fall rather than the summer. Temperatures are milder, the tourists are fewer and travel rates, especially airfares, are less expensive.</p><p>We also found a third person to partner with us. Joanne Hoefer had given us many tips in 2011 about travel in Italy, because she has been there several times. Many of you know Joanne. She has been running Phoenix Books, a fixture on Sixth Street, for years.</p><p>Joanne has an adventurous side. She has been to more countries than I can name, recently returning from Australia.</p><p>Joanne is a serious traveler -- she plans her trips carefully and makes sure she gets the best bang for her buck.</p><p>Having her on our Italy team as another guide is a great plus, especially since I haven't been to Italy and she has several times. For each Italian city we visit --Rome, Sienna, Florence and Venice -- Joanne will have many ideas -- for group and individual excursions.</p><p>Margaret, with help from Joanne and me, has selected hotels that are pleasant, comfortable and centrally located. Each will serve as a hub from which we can easily walk to many places of interest.</p><p>Margaret -- using her connections with Cruise One -- has done a lot of independent work to create the best travel experience for reasonable prices. As a result, we will have a trip that overall (including airfare) will be less expensive than last year's.</p><p>So I'm feeling much more confident. Our travel team has begun to provide details about this trip, nine months before it happens, allowing people to sign up early.</p><p>I am already reviewing my dictionaries and phrase books in Italian, a language I studied in graduate school. My wife, Sandy, who is also looking forward to this trip, is perusing guidebooks, learning more about the places we'll be visiting -- the Eternal City, Tuscan gardens, the City on the Water.</p><p>Because I have teaching in my blood, I will be eager, along with Margaret and Joanne, to meet with trip participants to talk about what we'll be seeing and doing. </p><p>I'm already looking forward, for example, to the Vatican and perhaps a chance to see the Pope, the art museums of Rome and Florence, the green rolling countryside of Tuscany and St. Mark's Square in Venice -- places that I've read about but never visited.</p><p>I'm hoping that a year from now I'll be able to write one or two columns looking back on an enjoyable Italian holiday. </p><p><b>Condolences</b></p><p>On another note: My condolences go to the families of Elzara Martin and Carol Booher. These were two remarkable Los Banos women, who influenced others in quite different ways.</p><p>Elzara was quiet and didn't smile a lot, but she had great faith, patience and determination. She was the strong heart of a diverse and successful family.</p><p>Carol was outgoing and congenial and provided inspiration for many Los Banos residents, including cancer victims. Carol was a cancer survivor for many years, and she gave a great deal of advice and wisdom to others who had to deal with that illness. Her optimism and courage were inspirational.</p><p>Their families and our community will miss them dearly.</p><p>Comments on the writings of John Spevak, a 2011 California Newspaper Publishers Association's columnist award recipient, are encouraged, and can be sent via email to john.spevak@gmail.com.