Trick or Treat!

Last night the Navy base had trick or treating for all the kids here. It was lots of fun! There were tons of people walking around to all the housing units and lots of candy for everyone. Allison and Ethan had a great time in their "Cinderella" and "Puppy Dog" costumes too!

We did Vesuvius!

Well, since the kids were up at the crack of dawn on Sunday due to the time change, and we were done with breakfast before 8 am, we figured it was as good a day as any to try one more time to climb Vesuvius. We packed up the car and got there around 9:45 and the place was packed with tour buses from the cruise ships that pull into the port of Naples!
It was a pretty steep climb up- Dan had Ethan in the backpack and Allison walked the entire way up by herself! When you get to the top you can see into the cone of the volcano and while there isn't any lava, there are a few parts that are steaming. There is a great view of the city of Naples and the bay as well (though it wasn't the clearest day). The walk down was much easier for us, but by then the kids had had enough and were ready to get back in the car. Glad we got to do this before it gets too cold!

relaxing at home....

The kids love to lay on the couch with their pillows and blankets when they wake up early! As they did this weekend, since we turned the clocks back in Italy on Sunday morning. Until the states catch up we are only 5 hours ahead of the east coast!

0 for 2 at Vesuvius...

So, we've now been to Mt. Vesuvius twice in failed attempts to make it to the top. The first time, we made it to the bottom of the volcano where there is a parking area and some hiking trails. But since we want to go to the top and have 2 toddlers, we needed to find a way to get a little closer. We drove around a little more and came upon a locked gate telling us to enter the park another way because that road was "too dangerous". By then it was too late, so we went back home.
Yesterday was our 2nd attempt. We prepared vigorously by finding the gps coordinates of the parking area at the top of the volcano. We woke the kids from their naps, threw on their shoes and loaded into the van, happy that this time we would finally get to the top of the volcano. Allison was so excited! We arrive at the correct place, dodge a few tour buses on narrow roads, load Ethan into the backpack carrier on Dan's back, and head for the trail entrance. And, it's closed for the day at 4:00. And it was 4:20!!!
We'll try again next week, and hopefully this time the stars will align and we'll actually make it to "el gran cono Vesuvio". Stay tuned!

Dan and the kids in the parking lot at Vesuvius

International Charity Bazaar

Yesterday we went to the annual Charity Bazaar at the NATO base. Most NATO countries were represented by vendors selling everything from French wines, handcrafted German clocks, and Dutch cheeses and cookies. Of course we didn't miss the international food court where Allison and Ethan filled up on chocolate and strawberry crepes. On the nearby stage, dancers performed native dances in local costumes, which of course Allison LOVED. No bazaar/festival can be complete without a big kid's area with inflatable jumping fun, a magic show, cotton candy, and face painting.

part of the international food court

bad pic of Hungarian dancers

Dutch cheese vendor

Allison in the kid's area

Allison and Dan on the super slide

Gricignano Market

This week I went with a friend to the Gricignano market. Gricignano is the small town by the base and each Thursday they have a big market. The market had pretty much anything a person could need- clothes, shoes, household items, and of course, every type of food imaginable! I had been wondering where most Italians get their clothes and such because the malls here seem pretty overpriced, especially with the euro vs. dollar. Now I realize most people do all their shopping at their local market! I got a big bag of fresh olives for the equivalent of about $4 (would have cost around $10 for a comparable amount in the states). Bargaining is expected, especially if you are purchasing multiple items from one vendor. It was pretty neat and I will definitely be going back!

clothing on tables

flowers

candy

produce

olives
photo courtesy of finding italy

Heaven is a place called...Tuscany!

We just returned from the most amazing trip ever! We spent the past weekend in the Chianti region of Tuscany. It could not have been more beautiful! We stayed at a gorgeous farmhouse called Romitorio Di Serelle. Everything was like in a movie....the vineyards, the olive trees, old stone buildings, and the delicious smells as a wonderful 4 course meal was prepared for us each night in the cozy dining room below our apartment!

We visited some of the surrounding hill towns and had a fabulous time with the kids. The first day we visited a medieval town named San Gimignano (our favorite!). The town is famous for its towers- at one time there were over 60 but today only 14 remain, yet they still make for a spectacular skyline. The town is surrounded by a stone wall with gates to get in. No cars are allowed into the town so it is very relaxing to walk around (no worries that you will be run over!). San Gimignano also has a native wine called Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a white wine that is very good.

That afternoon we visited the small town near our farmhouse, Castellina in Chianti. We went to a museum that had many Etruscan artifacts and was housed in an extremely well-preserved castle. We walked all the way up to the top of the tower with the kids!

The next morning we drove an hour to Siena. Siena was a rival of Florence at one time and is quite a big city compared to the small hill towns in the area. There are many museums to see and the main piazza is huge. The piazza is Rick Steve's favorite piazza in Italy and is famous for its yearly horse race called the "Palio". Unfortunately, despite the rave reviews, Siena (for us at least) was not as charming as some of the small towns. Guess we prefer the old-world charm of the smaller towns.

That afternoon we visited Greve in Chianti which happened to be having a huge antique market in the center of town which was neat to walk through. We found a big playground and let the kids play for a while as well. Castellina in Chianti, along with Greve and another town (Radda in Chianti) were the original "Chianti" towns. In all these areas there are many wine shops (called enotecas) where you can taste wines as well as some of the local meats (salamis, prosciuttoes, and cinghale- wild boar!). Driving around the area as well, there are tons of little farms/vineyards that sell their own homemade wines and oils and offer tastings of both.

On our last day, we left extra early and drove part of the way home and stopped in Orvieto. Orvieto is a hill town in the region south of Tuscany called Umbria. It is another medieval town and is famous for a white wine called "Orvieto Classico" as well as ceramics which are sold all over the city. The town covers the top of a large hill making for a steep, but very scenic drive to the top!

Seriously, we cannot wait to return to Tuscany and cannot recommend the farmhouse where we stayed enough. This weekend we saw the true meaning to the Italian saying "la dolce vita"...the sweet life! This is where the sweet life is... in Tuscany!

Here are pictures from our trip:

Day 1: San Gimignano and Castellini in Chianti: click here

Day 2: Siena and Greve in Chianti: click here

Day 3: Orvieto and the farmhouse Romitorio Di Serelle: click here

Reggia di Caserta

We also visited the Royal Palace at Caserta this weekend. Caserta is a nearby city and the palace has a beautiful and very large garden that is supposed to be modeled after Versailles. We did not go inside the palace this time (no strollers allowed!) but the grounds were beautiful and the kids had a great time running all over!