Italy Wrap-Up

Facts and Figures

Length of Stay: 19 Days

Miles Traveled to Enter: 300 by plane from Dubrovnik

Miles Traveled: 900 by train + 300 bus = 1,200 total (38,690 since landing in Quito)

Places Visited: Rome, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Pompeii, Parma, Roccabianca, Venice

Trains Taken: 6
Tour Buses Taken: 2

Times We Were the Only Non-Italians at a Polka Festival: 2

Rankings in the full post.

Jeff's Top 3s

Meals -  It can sometimes be tough to get away from the touristy restaurants, especially when you've got kids with you, but even then, it's tough to go wrong in this country.

1.  Lunch @ Fattoria Poggio Allora during the Best of Tuscany tour.  Everything we drank and ate during this meal, except for the pecorino cheese, was produced on this organic farm.  The fettunta, tagliatelle bolognese, cheese and meat plate and almond biscotti were all excellent.  I'm not really into wine, but I pitched in to help my dad and Magge try to finish the three bottles they gave us.

2.  Veal medallions @ Capriccio, Florence.  The veal was good, but it's the dessert, a chocolate tort, that puts this meal on the list.

3.  Spiedini @ the Fontanelle Polka Festival.  Grilled chicken and peppers on skewers, a taste nicely complemented by polka music.

Stays 

1.  Montebello Splendid, Florence.  Sure, it was nicely outfitted and had a very professional staff, but it's their breakfast that stood out the most to me.  And I don't even really like breakfast.

2.  B&B dalla Nonna Maria, Roccabianca.  Iuri, our host, and his girlfriend made this place great.  Hanging out with him, drinking beer and eating Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is just not the type of experience you get at hotels.

3.  Ca' Zora B&B, Venice.  Great location - it was close enough to everything we wanted to see, but far enough from most of the tourists.

Experiences

1.  First day in Rome with the family.  I hadn't seen my family in the nine months since our wedding, which is the longest I had ever gone without seeing them.  They arrived in Rome a day late due a flight cancellation (thanks, USAir) and I thought they'd be too tired to enjoy their first day in the city.  I also wasn't sure how much my dad, who's more of an outdoors guy, and Liam, who's young, would enjoy it.  However, everyone was genuinely excited about seeing Rome and its sights, and we had a fantastic day.

2.  Walking around Venice.  For those who likes to aimlessly wander, like Magge and me, there aren't many cities better than Venice.  Once you escape the crowds, it's an incredible place, even though it's not really a "real" city anymore (tourists outnumber residents, who are almost all involved in the tourism industry in some way).

3.  Pompeii.  Pompeii, like Easter Island, always felt to me like a place that was too far removed in space and time to visit.  I never saw it a destination that I would probably visit, so to see it with my family was a great experience.

Magge's Top 3s

Ahh, Italy! Is it time to go back yet?

Meals

1.  Without a doubt, our wonderful lunch at the farm during our Best of Tuscany Tour. The view, the wine, the food, and most importantly the company made it a meal I will remember (well, maybe the parts after the fourth glass of wine are a bit blurry) for the rest of my life.

2.  Does gelato count as a meal? Then I choose the gelato we had during our Culinary Stroll . . . or was it the gelato before the Vatican Tour . . . or the gelato . . . there was a lot of gelato. And it was goooooooood.

3.  Grigliati at the Polka Festival outside Parma. Such a great time experiencing Italy like a local.

Stays - We were really spoiled in Italy.

1.  Montebello Splendid in Florence. A jacuzzi bathtub is enough to make me the happiest girl in the world, throw in bath salts and a choice of energizing or relaxing bath oils and it was a miracle they were able to get me to leave that place. And don't get me started on the breakfast. Heaven. Heaven. Heaven. 

2.  Nonna Maria's outside Parma. Iuri really was the best host and it was so nice to get to relax for a couple days. 

3.  Ca' Zora in Venice. We had to spend quite a bit of time in our room due to the rain and it was a fine room in which to stay. One of the comfier beds we've had and great free breakfast in the morning.

Experiences - Where does one begin?

1.  Best of Tuscany Tour. Really, it was just such a special day together. One for the books.

2.  Walking the paths between the towns of Cinque Terre. Just so splendidly beautiful.

3.  When it was just us kids on the Roman Mythology Tour. I always wanted to have more siblings (not that Joshie isn't the best big brother a girl could ask for). I feel so lucky to have been with Kiersten and Liam since they were so young that really they are as close to being my brother and sister as one could get (and now it's official in name too). Going on the tour with them and experiencing Liam's excitement in the subject . . . I just don't have words to describe how happy and lucky I feel to have Liam and Kiersten (and Colin!).