Italy Trip--Part 3

Leaving my cousins' home in Italy wasn't easy--I missed them all as soon as we got on the road. But I was also very excited to visit Tuscany. My fascination with that region began after reading Under the Tuscan Sun, at least 12 years ago.  The drive to Tuscany was beautiful. I had no idea that Italy was as mountainous as it is.  When we originally planned the trip, I booked a room at an old Tuscan farmhouse for us for five nights.  It had a pool and a  restaurant on site.  Sounded wonderfully relaxing in theory.  Upon arrival, we discovered it wasn't so in reality!  The scenery was beautiful, and the house was very pretty, just like in the photos online.  But the owners didn't speak English at all, and I thought they did because we had communicated by email back and forth. I guess they use Google translate!  They were nice and welcoming, but as soon as we walked into our room, we knew that we hadn't chosen wisely.  There was no air-conditioning, no fans, and no window screens.  It was close to 100 degrees outside, even at 8:00 at night.  The owner opened the windows for us to let a breeze in, but there was not enough of one to make sleeping comfortable. We like to be cool, even cold, when we sleep, so I knew nobody was going to get a good night's rest. 

After tossing and turning, I fell asleep, but woke up four hours later sweating, and the only way I could cool off was by lying down on the tile floor by the window with the most air circulating.  Needless to say, everyone was very grumpy and on edge the next morning.  We tried to communicate with the owners by writing, but that didn't work. We wanted to leave and just pay for one night.  Eventually, I had to get my cousins to talk to the owner on the phone.  They graciously defended us and even got into an argument with the owner, who wanted us to pay for all five nights before we left.  My cousin talked him down to half of that.  We felt like we flushed money down the toilette, but at this point we were desperate to leave. The confrontation with the owners wasn't fun--in fact they were downright mean.

So we left by lunchtime with no idea of where we would sleep that night.  I found a signal on my phone strong enough to look up the caravan park we had tried to book originally.  The lady on the phone was so helpful and booked us a caravan for four nights--with A/C!!!  We drove for an hour, towards Florence, and arrived to the most spectacular views and amazing family "resort," just 30 miles south of Firenze.   This is Norcenni Girasole Caravan Park:

The pics don't do it any justice

Waterslides galore

Relaxation and fun!

Truly, this was a kids' paradise. We could have spent the entire time at the pool complexes and on-site restaurants, but we wanted to venture out of course. We had booked a winery tour online before we traveled, and discovered that our caravan park happened to be only 15 minutes away. The drive to the winery took us on the Strada del Chianti Classico, so we were surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, and wineries. Our tour was at Castello di Verrazzano, and every detail was just perfect.

 The grounds of the winery

Beautifully manicured grounds

One of my favorite shots

Olive groves again

The views were unbelievable

Our family

A barrel--see the door shape at the bottom?  Men crawl in through there to get inside the barrel!

Old barrels

Wine tasting! :)

After purchasing a Chianti Classico, we headed to our next desination--Vinci, the birthplace of Leonardo himself. We ate lunch (pizza) at a lovely outdoor restaurant and made our way down the street to the Museo Leonardiano. There are no paintings of his housed there--it is dedicated to his inventions. It was an amazing display of his genius. We were all fascinated by each invention that we didn't realize came from his magnificent mind.

One of many inventions. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed inside.

Vinci

 

Walking to Leo's place of birth

Inside his birth home

His childhood home

The next day we relaxed at the caravan park again. The pools and activities there are enough to keep you occupied all day!  The kids were in heaven going up and down the waterslides and playing in the shallow pools.  The attention to detail at the park was impressive.  I would go back in a heartbeat, but there is so much more of Italy I want to explore.  When Thursday rolled around, I started to get sad.  We had to fly home at 7 p.m. that day, but I wanted to make the most of our time on the way to the airport. Siena was high on my list of must-see towns, so my wonderful husband made that wish come true also.  We stopped for only two hours, and it was just enough to see the highlights--Piazza del Campo and the Duomo, and get a panini and gelato one last time. 

Tristan and me in front of the Duomo, with some random people :)

Driving to the airport was heartwrenching for me.  Tears flowed as I told Drew I didn't want to leave and already couldn't wait to come back.  My heart was so full after meeting my family and experiencing some of the best parts of Italy, and it was breaking at the thought of leaving all of that behind.  I know we will go back, and that Italy will still be there in all of its splendor.  We are so blessed to come home to England--it takes the sting out of going back to "reality"--our reality is we get to live in another country with its own endearing charm.  But Italy is in my blood, my heart,and my soul.  I am forever grateful to my husband for giving us this opportunity.  And forever thankful that God would allow us the experience.  There really are no words to describe what it meant to me. 

Until our next adventure, Ciao!

Italy Trip--Part 2

After a very stressful interaction with the rental car company, we got on the road to head south of Rome to the Frosinone region.  This is where my grandma's (my dad's mom) family came from many years ago.  Two of my great-aunts were born there and moved to America as children.  I have long dreamed of standing on my great-grandparents' doorstep and seeing the town they lived in so long ago. 

We arrived at my grandma's cousin's home around 4:30 on Friday evening.  I had never met this part of the family before, but that didn't matter.  It was like we had always known each other.  They all welcomed us and treated us like royalty while we were with them.  We felt completely at home.  The best food of the trip was the meals that my grandma's cousin, Patrizia, made for us.  Pizza, eggplant parmesan, zucchini parmesan, rigatoni with a simple but amazing tomato sauce, wine cookies (a regional favorite that my great-aunts used to make each Christmas), and marinated zucchini.  There was more, and it was all delicious. Restaurant food didn't come close to her cooking!  We were very spoiled.  Within an hour of getting to her house, my cousins took us to go see Patrica, my family's hometown, which is a half hour drive from their house. 

It was quite a drive--up a mountain.  The whole experience was surreal--driving there, entering the town, seeing the houses.  But it was truly magical.  You park your car in a parking lot and walk into town, because Patrica is built on the side of a mountain and all the houses and shops (of which there are only a handful) are connected by narrow, sloped streets and LOTS of old stone steps.  We walked down quite a few before we came to my great-grandma's sister's old home.  We had the pleasure of going inside as it is still used by the family.  Everything was preserved from the 50s it appeared!

First view of Patrica!

Walking down the steps

My great-aunt's old home

Mallory playing inside

Walking down more steps towards my great-grandma's home

It is abandoned and boarded up, but still amazing to see in person

One of the most special moments of my life--standing on my great-grandma's doorstep

Views from the town

Awesome view

My cousin Mario with my kids

Upon returning to Patrizia and Alfredo's (our wonderful hosts) house, we sat down for the most delicious dinner.  We dined al fresco, as Italian families do in Italy, and it was lovely.  I didn't get a photo of that, and I so wish I had.  The food, like I said before, was heavenly.  But the experience of sitting around a big table outdoors with my Italian family was even better.  It is funny--several months ago I didn't even know these six people existed--I knew we had cousins in Italy, but I didn't know much about them or even their names.  Then my aunt in Florida gave me contact info for my cousin Eddy, who just happens to be my age, and we communicated my email.  He set up the whole visit for us to stay with his parents, and he, his wife, and brother drove eight hours from Milan to come see us and visit with their parents.  Then they all went out of their way to make us comfortable and show us a part of Italy that has always drawn me to it because of my family history.  They truly gave me one of the greatest gifts of my life--taking me to see Patrica and the house where part of my dad's family began.  My cousins' family began there, too, and this bond is part of what made visiting it with them so special.  I love that you can not meet a part of your family for thirty-two years and then when you do, it's like you've always known each other.  That's how we felt. 

The next morning, we woke up to breakfast outside.  Coffee and pastries and great company.  My cousins had decided to take us to see Monte Cassino, so we soon set off, knowing our time was limited as we had to get to our farmhouse in Tuscany where we had a reservation that night.  Monte Cassino is a beautiful site on top of a mountain that was first establsihed as a monastery in 529 A.D.  The abbey and the other buildings have been rebuilt due to the Battle of Monte Cassino during WWII. 

Beautiful doves--it gave me a feeling of peace in a place that was once ravaged by war

The Polish cemetery (see the cross shape?)

Inside the cathedral

Beautiful!

My sweet cousins with my kids

Our hosts--mia famiglia :)

After we got back to my cousin's house, we dined together one more time before getting on the road to our next destination.  We were beyond spoiled by the food and treatment we received from my family.  As I said goodbye to Patrizia, my grandma's cousin and our lovely hostess,we both had tears in our eyes. I told her I couldn't thank her enough and she said it was her honor to see part of her mother's family.  Words cannot describe what this whole experience meant to me.  I left a big piece of my heart behind in Italy.  Having family to spend time with was very special, especially because we are living overseas and are far from our families in the states.  I have always felt like I had to visit Italy and see Patrica--which I did-- but didn't know that the greatest part would be meeting family members that forever have a place in my heart now.  I am truly blessed.

Next and final post will be: Tuscany!

Italy Trip--Part 1 of 3

Well, here we are.  I have been meaning to start a blog since we moved to the  UK six months ago, but haven't made the time until now.  Why the name for the blog?  Because we are only here for three years, and we have a lot to see.  We are chasing Europe while chasing our kids around, too. 

I figure our trip to Italy is the best place to start.  Going there has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl.  It was a dream realized, and it even exceeded my expectations.  To share our adventure with you all, I will be posting about it in three parts. 

First up is Rome!  We left on a Tuesday afternoon from London Luton airport, after a two hour delay, getting us there at 10:00 p.m.  As excited as I was to finally be in Italy, I just wanted to fall into the hotel bed and sleep!  But we were all starving, so we walked about two minutes from our hotel to a wonderful pizza place and I discovered just how amazing pizza in Italy is.  We went back to the hotel and slept soundly.  We knew that we were staying close to the Vatican but didn't realize until the next morning that we were REALLY close!  In the picture below you can see the Vatican wall on the left hand side (look closely!)  This was the view from our balcony.  The location of the hotel was perfect and the manager was wonderful. We were served breakfast each morning right as we woke up, and it consisted of delicious cappuccinos, orange juice, croissants, Nutella (yum!!!), and apricot preserves.  I got used to breakfast in bed very quickly. 

Location perfection!



But you don't got to Rome to sit in your hotel room. So, we set off early Wednesday morning to see the sights.  And see them we did--it was a bit of a whirlwind but with only two days to spend in Rome, we wanted to pack in as much as possible.  We started out with the Colloseum, which was top on Tristan's list of must-see sights.  It was, of course, amazing.  You can look at pictures and imagine how grand it is, but there is nothing like seeing it in person.   

The crowds and the heat weren't ideal, but we enjoyed seeing what we could, and moved on to the next part of our day.  We hopped on the metro to go back across town, and started walking towards the Pantheon.  I absolutely loved how you just walk for a while in Rome, through small crowded streets, and then turn a corner and all of a sudden, there's something amazing.  That's how it was when we came upon the Pantheon.  Originally built in 27 A.D., it was used as a temple to Roman gods.  Presently, it is being used as a Catholic church.  The irony of that is sweet to me.  The inside of the Pantheon is truly awe-inspiring.  It is natural instinct to look up as soon as you enter to see the light coming through the oculus, the hole at the top of the dome.  The monuments and tombs inside were so ornate and very well-guarded. 

Panoramic view of inside

Looking at the Pantheon from Piazza della Rotunda

The oculus

The tomb of Vittorio Emanuele, the first King of Italy

Standing by the columns outside

One of the best parts of walking Rome--free water at fountains all around the city!

Next, we moved on to Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori.  Piazza Navona is one of the most popular piazzas in Rome, and the architecture there doesn't dissapoint:

Church of Sant'Agnese in Agone

Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers)

Fontana del Moro

Campo dei Fiori was high on my list of things to see in Rome because the outdoor market there is supposed to be wonderful.  It was already gone for the day by the time we made it to that part of the city, but we stopped there anyways to people-watch and to eat dinner.  We dined outside and were sereneded by street performers, which made the whole experience that much better.

Campo dei Fiori

Dining al fresco

After dinner we started walking towards the Trevi fountain to throw in some coins, another long-awaited experience of mine.  I regret that we didn't get a single photo of this!  It was incredibly crowded, and Tristan and I had to push our way through the crowd to get close enough to throw in coins for the whole family.  Legend says that if you throw a coin in, you are guaranteed to return to Rome one day.  I can only hope it's true!

Finally, we ended our evening by stopping at the Spanish Steps, where the kids sat for an obligatory picture:

We then got back on the metro and called it a night.

The next morning, we headed towards the Vatican museum. We had reserved tickets online for 11:00 a.m., so decided to first check out the local indoor market near the Vatican, Mercato Trionfale.  Unimpressed, we stopped in a cafe for cappuccino freddo and a snack of fresh fruit salad.  After what seemed like forever, we walked back to the museum entrance. To say I was excited to see the Sistine Chapel is an understatement.  We started our walk through the museum in the Pinacoteca, though, which houses works by Giotto, Raphael, and my favorite, Leonardo da Vinci!!!  Here is St. Jerome in the Wilderness, an unfinsished work by the master himself:

Sorry for the glare from the flash:(

A lovely view of Rome from the Vatican museums

Ceiling as we walked to the Sistine Chapel

The long walk to the Sistine Chapel

Photos are not allowed inside the Sistine Chapel. The guards continuously say "No photos. Silencio!" I did snap one quickly with the cell phone, which you can see on my FB page.  I figured it may be the only time I ever go there and just wanted to capture that moment.  After we went back to the room and took a nap, we walked to St. Peter's Square and Basilica.  If the Pantheon is awe-inspiring, St. Peter's is jaw-dropping.

Looking towards the altar

Michelangelo's Pieta--truly breath-taking

Michelangelo's dome. He was a crafty guy, that Michelangelo.

Pope John Paul II's tomb

St. Peter's Square

Good Night

After a delicious dinner of fresh focaccia, pasta, wine, and more gelato (lots of gelato was consumed on this trip!), we went to bed and ended our last day in Rome.  The next day was spent arguing with the rental car people until we finally got our car.  We then drove to Frosinone region, which is what the next post will cover. Stay tuned...