US of A

The last two weeks were a whirlwind. After an eleven hour flight from Rome, we stepped off a less than stellar Alitalia flight with a zonked-out Allison and Ethan. Over the course of the week we spent some quality time with the family and began the Bleicher stimulus package - an intense, Margaret-led spending orgy that must have directly accounted for the S&P going into the black for the year. In all honestly, Italy offers lots to see and do, but nothing offers so much for so cheap as does the Coral Springs Target or the gazillion malls in south Florida.

By week's end we were ready for the main event: Noah and Jackie's wedding weekend. It was wonderful catching up with so many family and friends that we had not seen in so long. Allison and Ethan caught lots of "ooh's and aahs" when they walked down the aisle as flower girl and ring bearer. Allison was intensely focused on her job of spreading the rose petals evenly about, but Ethan just reveled at his chance to run full speed down the aisle to daddy.

Immediately after the ceremony, the kiddoes were whisked away by the babysitter, thus allowing mom and dad to thoroughly enjoy the wonderful wedding celebration. Dan spent much of the evening trying to hide out by the vodka ice luge, but I got him to dance plenty. The wedding was absolutely incredible: delicious food, a band that kept the party going, a great feeling in the air, and fun company.

The following Monday, Dan surprised me with a night at The Breakers in Palm Beach (sans children who more than willingly stayed back to hang out with Papa and Gega). The resort is absolutely gorgeous - set on a 1/2 mile strip of the coastline, the grounds at The Breakers are lavishly landscaped and meticulously maintained with luxury pools (nine of them to be exact) surrounded by palm trees and flowers. We made the "relaxation pool" our little home for two days, indulging in the most extravagant of luxuries: the ability to read books, newspapers, and magazines and not be interrupted by crying, diaper changes, or milk spills.

Overall, we had a blast in South Florida. Ethan became solid "frenemies" with Sadie (Noah and Jackie's cockapoo). It was hilarious to watch their love-hate relationship play out. Allison spent hours catching up with Gega and we got our fill of Publix subs, black and white cookies, Chick-fil-A sweet tea, and Pollo Tropical plantains.

We spent the last weekend in the states visiting Margaret's family in Connecticut before heading back to Napoli. "Luckily" we arrived to a true Neopolitan welcome: the Honda's battery was dead and Alitalia forgot one of our suitcases in NYC. Perfect!

USA, we'll see you again next summer!

Here are a bunch of photos from the past two weeks...

Just Married!

All smiles in the bathtub.

Ethan playing with Crockett.

Allison opening birthday presents with Noah and Jackie.

Allison celebrating her 4th birthday at Cici's Pizza. Yes, we flew back from Italy the day prior in order to eat pizza at Cici's... don't ask.

Flower Girl and Ring Bearer

The impressive entrance to The Breakers.

Ah, the Relaxation Pool.

Can life get much better?

L'albergo

We stayed at a gorgeous hotel in between Assisi and Perugia, Relais Borgo Brufa. Granted, we stood out a bit with our kids amongst honeymooners, but that's neither here nor there! Luckily, the staff put us in our own room for breakfast, and offered a spread that satisfied even Ethan's bottomless stomach. Here are some pics we took on the hotel grounds.

Ethan is all smiles, ready to explore more of Umbria.

Every hotel needs this view!

Ethan taking in the sunset.

The view from our terrace.

Assisi

On the way to our hotel we hit Assisi. What a beautiful town! Of course, the walk downhill was better than the walk back up!

Adults getting the kids ready to walk the town! Look at the castle at the top of the picture.

Typical art gallery in Assisi.

Full of laughter.

Orvieto

One of the benefits of serving overseas (at least in Europe) is that you get extra holidays and days off. Almost all standard 3-day weekends are 4-day weekends here and, for various reasons, several 2-day weekends magically turn into 3-dayers. This past weekend was one of them. For us that spells road trip!

After finding a gem of a hotel in northern Umbria (the region adjacent to Tuscany) we headed north on the Autostrade. First up was Orvieto. Other than being a beautiful town sitting atop a plateau, Orvieto is also super convenient, just minutes off the highway, offers easy parking, and always seems to appear just when the kids are itching to get out of their car seats. Rick Steves sums up Orvieto with three C's: cathederal, ceramics, and classico (the locally produced white wine). Even though this was our third time in Orvieto we will definitely be back soon!

The main Duomo with A & E in the foreground.

Students sitting on the Duomo steps while Ethan runs from daddy.

Ethan sits still for a nanosecond so that Daddy can take his picture.

What beautiful scenery!

A quaint ceramics shop in the main square.

Some of the beautiful, handpainted plates and bowls.

LCDR Daddy

This morning we headed over to Dan's office for his promotion ceremony. He was promoted from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander! We are so proud of him for all the hard work he does, and does well! Congratulations Dan! We love you!

Montecassino

What a great name: Montecassino. Sounds like something straight out of a James Bond flick. It was merely the site of playtime for the kids yesterday. The town is simply an abbey high over the valleys of the southern Lazio region and is known for a large WWII battle in which the allies bombed it to oblivion, fearing the Germans were using the strategic hill top as a spotting post - fears later proved false. Regardless of its violent past, Montecassino is now a tranquil abbey with rosebushes adorning its courtyards and plenty of spectacular views. To think this gem of a spot is an hour away from our house is hard to believe!

Ethan doing what Ethan loves to do: eat.

Allison with vineyards below.

Some great scenery.

Great family shot.

Ethan running up to one of the large doors to the abbey.

Paestum

Another gorgeous Sunday, another day trip. Back in 7 BC the Greeks founded what is now called Paestum. After a colorful history which saw economic growth and battles with the rising Roman Empire, Paestum eventually succumbed to disease and was abandoned in the 7th century. Believe it or not, no one dared enter Paestum for over a thousand years due to concerns over malaria. This well-founded worry allowed Paestum to be very well preserved. Today, Paestum sports massive Greek temples and stone streets.

On the way down to Paestum, we stopped at Tenuta Vannulo, a farm producing the oh-so-delicious mozarella di bufala from their own herd of water buffalo. The kids got a kick out of feeding a curious (and hungry) buffalo while the wives bought some fresh mozarella for lunch.


At Paestum, we set up camp in front of the Temple of Hera and had a great picnic. As soon as the kids were full, they ran off to explore the ruins (or in their view, a giant obstacle course). The weather was near-perfect, sunny and cool. It was another great day in Southern Italy!

Positano

Today we took the hour and a half drive down to the Amalfi Coast. The destination was Positano, a gorgeous town carved into a hillside rising from the Mediterranean Sea. Any drive down to the Amalfi Coast can only be described as incredible. The winding roads, with steep cliff walls on one side and magnificent views on the other, are reminiscent of a James Bond movie. Oh, and don't look down... some of these roads are several hundred feet above the turquoise ocean below!

After finding a great parking spot, we strolled down the pedestrian streets, kids running (do they know any other speed?), wives gazing into the boutiques, and eventually popped out along the sea. Ethan found the crashing waves to be hysterical whereas Allison just wanted to take in the sights. Margaret had a funny moment when she was in a restaurant to buy lunch... She mistakenly thought a tray of food was free samples, when in fact, it was someone's lunch!

Positano was a great getaway, but we weren't too sad to leave, knowing we'd be back sooner than later!

A typical road leading to Positano.

The beautiful turquoise water with medieval towers dotting the cliffs.

Dan and Ethan sitting near the beach.

Just an incredible view!

The four kids take a snack break even though they just had one 5 minutes before!

Ethan running along a street lined with a deep red wall.

Mom's Day Out/ Dad's Day In

This weekend I had the chance to head up to Rome with a few girlfriends and I jumped at the chance. It was so nice to have a day to wander the ancient city without anyone whining, having to use the potty, pushing a stroller.....you get the idea. A whole day to myself in one of the most amazing cities on the planet! My friends Caroline, Suzanne, and I had a great day. We got pastries, strolled through the market in Campo de Fiori, relaxed at Piazza Navona, and shopped 'till we dropped. We sat on the Spanish Steps, drank from the fountain at Piazza de Spagna, had a delicious lunch, and shopped some more! Overall, it was a much-needed day of fun and friendship and I feel like my "mommy" battery is nicely recharged, until next month :) .

bead/jewelry shop near Pantheon

veggies at Campo de Fiori market

Meanwhile, Dan and the other 2 abandoned fathers took the unruly brood of 7 kids to the gardens at the Caserta Royal Palace. It was a beautiful day, and the kids had a fun time running, playing, and eating a picnic lunch.