I have to tell you about our fantastic trip this summer!
We started planning a year in advance for our Roman Holiday. We investigated our options, choosing the places we were most interested in visiting. We wanted to see Rome, Pompeii, Florence, Tuscany, Pisa, the Cinque Terre and Venice.
Bruce supplied the first class plane tickets. He’d been traveling so much for business the last few years, he’d built up enough frequent flyer miles for us all to ride in style. We couldn’t find a flight home directly from Italy so a bonus was we would fly to France and spend a few days there too. I learned Italian, listening to an audio program every day for nearly a year.
We watched dramas, documentaries, and travel videos. We tried to give the girls a cultural cram course in everything Italian to give them a context for what they’d see.
I’m a big fan of the travel writer, Rick Steves. We followed his advice in most everything. We stayed in small, family-run bed-and-breakfast places. We took trains. We went off-the-beaten-path. We packed everything for our three week trip into carry-on luggage. We spoke Italian. We tried different foods. We made new friends.
We didn’t spend much time in museums, although we did see the Uffizi and the Academia in Florence. You do things a little differently with children along. We took an all-day private Italian cooking lesson in Umbria. In Venice we took a ghost tour, fed the pigeons, and rode in a gondola. We were inspired by the cathedrals in every town. We tried to imagine Pompeii’s last day. We climbed domes, castle walls, and bell towers, including the Tower of Pisa. Everywhere we went we counted steps.
We ate gelato every day, trying to taste every flavor—our favorites were lemon (Talia), and chocolate hazelnut (Tacie). Bruce and I tried regional wines —night after night of the best wines I’ve ever tasted.
The most surprising fun was visiting the grocery store. So much is different but similar. Our biggest challenge was buying gas in Cortona. I had to ask for help 3 times because we couldn’t figure out how to pay!
In France, we spent an afternoon in Monet’s garden. We took photos that looked like his paintings. The next day, the girls took turns being our tour guide in France Miniature where everything is Lilliputian.
Our trip was a great success. We all enjoyed exploring. We didn’t lose anything or anyone. No one got sick or hurt. We can wait to return!
WHAT KIDS LIKE BEST IN ITALY
Tacie and Talia loved feeding the pigeons in Venice. This was their favorite thing in all of Italy. They stood in the middle of Piazza San Marco on a sunny afternoon, each with a 1 Euro bag of bird seed. The pigeons knew the routine and were flocking around the children in seconds.
Tacie held the seed in her hand. The birds landed on her arm, her shoulder and her head! Talia was much more cautious. She carefully scattered the seed on the ground by her feet. The pigeons still landed on Talia who did not appreciate the attention.
We all fed them. They were warm and soft and made little cooing noises.
TALIA AND TACIE
By the time we actually went to Italy, the girls were sick of hearing me talk about it.
(“Not another Italy video, Mom!”) So here’s what they are concerned with...
Talia is now in 4th grade and made the A/B Honor roll. She’s given up the chess club this fall but she still hasn’t decided what other extracurricular to do. Talia likes to play with her American Girl dolls, Nellie and Elizabeth. Most of all she has a number of very good friends she likes to play with. For her birthday party, we took them Cosmic Bowling.
Talia’s Girl Scout troop spent the night at the zoo in March. We had 2 girls throw up in the night and I had to ride in a golf cart wearing my PJs to meet one girl’s mother at the back gate. Other than that, it was an amazing tour. We saw the baby panda, the kitchen (yum, frozen rats) and watched a lion roar from the top of his hill. Talia liked to see the elephants.
Talia’s favorite book this year was the Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. She also enjoys Judy Blume’s books about Fudge. Talia’s favorite song is “Rush” by Aly and AJ.
Tacie’s in 9th grade now. She was accepted into 4 magnet high schools. She chose Kennesaw Mountain Academy for Advanced Science, Mathematics & Technology. It’s been a challenge, with lots of studying every night. She is in the Robotics' club and still takes horseback riding when she can squeeze it into her schedule.Tacie’s Girl Scout troop created a workshop for younger girls about bullying and cliques. They called it “Cliquebusters”. They did this for their Silver Award project. It was something they all felt strongly about.
Tacie’s favorite books this year are anything by Anne McCaffrey, particularly the Crystal Singer series. Her favorite song is “What I’ve Done” by Linkin Park.
ROSEMARY PIZZA
In Italy, we took a one-day cooking lesson. Nonie is American born and acts as translator. Tita, originally taught to cook by her grandmother, welcomed us into her home, a restored farmhouse in the hills near Perugia. They are “Umbria Cooks 4 U” and have been cooking for and with tourists for 7 years.
The dinner we cooked was amazing:
3 Pizzas: rosemary, cheese, and sage with onionSince we’ve been home, we've cooked some of the recipes for our friends and family. Our most popular recipe is Rosemary Pizza. It is as simple as it is delicious.
Flat Bread with Soft Cheese & Arugula
Umbrian Chick Pea Soup with Pasta
Spaghetti with Oven Cooked Cherry Tomatoes
Tita’s Rustic Pie
Parmesan Cheese Baskets with Pears
Spinach in a Mold
Veal with Laurel (for Bruce)
Chocolate Lava Cake
Spread pizza dough out (made from scratch or pre-made from the grocery). Pull rosemary from stems and scatter on the dough. Sprinkle with salt. Drizzle with olive oil. Cook according to dough instructions until lightly browned. Rosemary will be crunchy.
- Pizza dough
- Fresh rosemary
- Coarse salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
MERRY CHRISTMAS
For Christmas, this year, we’re spending the first part of the holidays at home. My father is having a big 75th birthday party in Madison, Wisconsin on December 29. We’ll be flying up for that along with my brother, sister, and their families.
My sister, Lynne, is expecting a baby in May! We’re all thrilled to have a new addition. She and Mark live nearby so we expect to be doing a lot of baby kissing next year.
Next spring, we’re taking another Disney Cruise. This time we’re going with Bruce’s brother, Brent, their mother, and Brent’s family. We’re all looking forward to a week of desserts, pampering, and Disney princesses.
We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home. We are most grateful for our family, and friends. Have a wonderful Christmas and joyous new year.
Love,
Talia, Tacie, Karen, and Bruce.
FACTS
We Climbed:
- 136 Spanish steps in Rome
- 333 steps up St. Peter’s Dome at the Vatican
- 463 steps up Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence
- 294 steps up the Leaning Tower of Pisa
- 400 steps up Notre Dame de Paris
- 286 steps up the Arc de Triomphe
We stayed:
- 3 nights across from the Teatro dell’Opera at Hotel Sonya in Rome
- 3 nights in the hills of Sorrento, overlooking Vesuvius, Capri, and the Bay of Naples
- 5 nights in the medieval Castello di Montegualandro on the Tuscany-Umbria border
- 2 nights in a 3rd floor apartment in Vernazza in the Cinque Terre
- 2 nights in Venice in “Corte Campana” B&B, owned by the very helpful Ricardo
- 2 nights in Chateau de Fosseuse in the French countryside, run by British ex-pat, Shirley
- 2 nights , our last nights, in Paris near Charles de Gaul airport
