Buongiorno Italia!!!

For the last few years we’ve talked, sometimes fancifully, about the possibility of taking Grampa back to “the old country“, from where his father had come to America in 1902. As his 80th birthday approached, the time seemed more right than it might ever be again. So, last March 29th, we presented him with a somewhat self-serving promise that was fulfilled over the 2008 February school vacation - a trip to Italy!!

Arrivederci Home-a!

Grampa flew up from Florida on the Wednesday evening before our departure. Though it was raining buckets as he arrived, the water couldn’t dampen our spirits as we anticipated our departure and made final preparations. Confirming our flight on Thursday morning, we found that it would be leaving an hour earlier than we had expected but all else seemed in order. We finished packing, gathered the boys from school, and were expertly chauffeured to the airport by our good friend and neighbor, Bob. Not until we arrived at the Iberia counter did we find that our flight to Madrid was leaving an hour early because it would now be routed via Washington, DC and that, with the detour, we’d miss our planned connection from Madrid to Rome and would be arriving hours later than we’d expected.

Having arranged a ride at a specific time from the airport in Rome (and just being eager to get there), we were not happy about the delay - particularly because only a couple hours earlier our previously scheduled time had been “confirmed”. Some serious pouting on our part netted us a transfer to Alitalia and a slightly earlier than planned arrival. Sometimes it pays to complain!

After mere moments of sleep on the plane, we were met on Friday morning at the airport by our driver, Aldo, ready to take us to Casa Anna, the apartment that would be our home in Rome for the next few nights. As we drove past the Circus Maximus and the Colosseum, we were excited but tired. We arrived at our apartment and found it much to our liking with three bedrooms, two baths, and a kitchen where we’d prepare breakfasts and sandwiches. From our sunny balcony, we had a view of the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano.

Somewhat exhausted from our trip, we took a short walk to the supermercado on our block to retrieve some staples, identified the nearby Metro stop, an ATM machine, and a tabacchi, and surveyed the surrounding restaurants. We had a socially inappropriate early (7PM!) meal in a nearby pizzeria, and settled in for an early night.

Vatican City

Up early on Saturday morning, recharged and ready, we boarded the Metro for a trip to Vatican City. We began our day on the square of St. Peter’s Basilica where our chins were moved to the lowered position in which they’d remain throughout much of our stay.

A short walk to a long line around the corner for a tour of the Musei Vaticani and the “Sixteenth Chapel” was no less awe inspiring – though the many stairs did tax Grampa’s titanium knees and, at times, the boys’ patience with yet another lovely room.

An excellent pizza lunch followed at the local Chinese restaurant…

After Jake and John made a brief stop at the central Termini to view the trains, we cleaned up a bit and then headed to the home of cousin Mario and his family.

Though we spoke only a few broken phrases of Italian, Grampa was only one notch better, and Mario and his family spoke little English, we spent a fine afternoon trying to break the language barrier while managing to discuss families and share stories of our careers and homes. We were treated to a tour of Rome, including the US Embassy, and taken out to dinner at a wonderful favorite pizzeria by Mario and his wife, Pina.

Mario remembered Grampa from his 1958 visit when he and John’s mother, Ouida, had brought Grampa’s father, Giuseppe, back to visit Italy. Mario had met Giuseppe at the train station and had many tales to tell accompanied by many laughs. Mario’s daughter, Rita, and granddaughter, Flavia, joined the fun – Flavia exercising the English she was learning in school well enough to share with the boys that she’s a fan of The Simpsons and plays the drums! Mario and family could not be convinced that we had come from a colder place and insisted on supplying Grampa and the boys with additional warm clothing! We reluctantly accepted and and at least Grampa would gratefully wear his newly aquired overcoat for the rest of the trip!

Ancient Rome

On Sunday, we left Grampa sunning in our apartment to rest his tired legs while we took off to tour some of the more challenging terrain. We walked from our apartment past the Colosseum and down the Via dei Fori Imperiali, closed to traffic on Sundays, where we enjoyed the classic view, the bustling crowd, and the street performers.

Circling the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, disappointingly wrapped for renovation, we climbed the Cordonata to the Piazza del Campidoglio and its replica statue of Marcus Aurelius.

From here, we passed through the Temple of Saturn and the Arch of Septimius Severus as we toured the crumbled remains of ancient Forum Romanum. We wandered south, over Palatine Hill, to views of Domitian’s Stadium and the Circus Maximus, before pausing for pizza and proceeding to tour the awesome Colosseum.

Our final stop for the day was the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano – another stunning Christian monument on the route back to our apartment.

We returned to our Italian home with tired feet to pick up the Grampa and find yet another local pizzeria for yet another great Italian dinner.

Linea 110 Open

On Monday, we loaded Grampa onto the open double-decker Rome tour bus for a wonderful tour around the city. Our first stop was a visit to the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) where we extracted very key information from the boys.

We stopped at the Palazzo Venezia for more views of the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II and its “tomb of the unknown soldier” before continuing to Piazza Navona. There we found Bernini’s famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi under renovation but still enjoyed time at a small caffé in the square and the wonderful sunshine.

We viewed many more famous sights from the bus before stopping again at the Fontana di Trevi to enjoy more sun. The fountain’s cobblestone square was a bustling scene direct from a what we imagined as a Hollywood movie set. Here we shopped and ate pizza and threw coins in the fountain for luck.

A bit chilled, we finished the bus tour and returned to our apartment. Most of us rested a bit though John took a wonderful scenic run around Rome (he really enjoys the adventure of running through new places!) before he prepared some sauce from scratch and served pasta and sausage for dinner. A trend-setting cutthroat card game followed.

Benevento

Tuesday morning we packed our things and left our comfortable home in Rome. We picked up a rental Fiat Croma, a HUGE car by Italian standards, that just about accommodated the five of us spoiled Americans and our luggage. We drove south on the A1 and, after a bit of an adventure through Caserta, Maddaloni, and Cancello that included some buxom babes in the fields outside Naples (don’t ask!), we found our way through the mountains and tunnels and into the town of Benevento.

Arriving at the Stazione, just across from the home of Strega, we were greeted by cousin Antonio. Antonio immediately remembered Grampa from his ‘58 visit, and the two took off in a pain ridden conversation of broken English and mangled Italian that nonetheless, felt like family. Antonio treated us to ice cream and coffee at the local bar.

Thankfully, Antonio’s son, Pierluigi, soon arrived and served as interpreter. With his help, we were treated to a tour of Benevento including the Arco de Traiano and the site of Grampa’s Grampa’s farm – now the site of the home of another Intorcia cousin.

Antonio also took us to the home of his father and aunt where we were treated to Strega chocolates and unbelievably good homemade Crema de Limoncello. The hospitality and family warmth were too wonderful to describe but had to stop too soon as we had to leave for our lodgings in Sorrento.

Heading West to the coast, we may have taken another wrong turn or two and there may have been a bit of wandering in Sorrento (next time we’ll sport for the European maps for the GPS!) but… We eventually stumbled upon our lodging site at Porto Salvo, a converted abbey, found a nearby pizzeria for a quick dinner, and crashed.

Pompeii

On Wednesday, while Grampa explored the coastal surroundings of the abbey, we headed for Pompeii where we enjoyed the ancient city and its secret frescoes. We climbed over the huge cobbles and through the homes and stores of the preserved city. We saw the theaters and stadiums and imagined what it might have been like.

Back in Sorrento, we explored the black sand Mediterranean beach and enjoyed the cliffs rising to our hotel. Though it was off-season and many of the resorts businesses were closed, the community still bustled with tourists.

Another no-holds-barred card game (including broken glass and spilled wine!) preceded a trip through the narrow streets and alleys of Sorrento’s central square and another fine Italian meal where Jacob, feeling particularly adventurous, sampled the fantastic local seafood.

Amalfi Drive

Our last full day in Italy, our first with rain, would be spent traveling the Amalfi Drive from Sorrento, through Amalfi, to Salerno. A 30+ kilometer narrow twisty road, it seemed to be more enjoyable from the front seat of a car than from the back. While John got a full upper body workout swinging the big Fiat through the corners, those in the back seat repeatedly asked for the windows to be further opened and took on a pallor strangely resembling the Mediterranean kelp. We did all agree that the views were fantastic and that frequent stops were required!

We survived the rain-slicked twists, reached the highway, and traveled back through Naples and past Rome to Fiumicino, the home of Rome’s airport. We turned in our rental car and taxied to a local hotel near some more of ancient Rome’s ruins at Ostia Antica. We took an enjoyable walk to the local market where we spent some time exploring an awesome fish counter admiring the variety of shellfish, cephalopods, and fish.  We bought some wine and snacks and then held yet another high stakes card game in one of our rooms before dinner in the hotel’s restaurant.

The Long Way Home

Up early on our last morning, we arrived at the Rome airport in plenty of time for our soon to be delayed flight. In fact, we’d leave Rome late enough that, by the time we de-planed in Madrid, we had less than 15 minutes to make our connection. As we read the signs that told us we’d need 24 minutes to get to the departure gate, we knew we were in trouble. While Shawn and the boys ran ahead, Grampa and John did their best to make time. At one point, Grampa was loaded onto a luggage cart but, over balanced to the front, he was dumped on his butt. Back on his feet, they arrived at the gate to see the disappointment on the faces of Shawn and the boys who had missed the opportunity to wedge a shoe into the gate of the plane by a matter of seconds.

Treated to a meal and rescheduled through London, we again traversed the vast Madrid airport and boarded another Iberia flight. Delayed by traffic at Heathrow, we once again arrived with less than optimal time to make our connection but an even greater desire to find a way onward. In a scene worthy of The Amazing Race, the family hurried through the London hub. While Shawn and the boys missed a turn in the shopping mall, John and Ralph hijacked a wayward wheelchair for the final sprint to the gate. Arriving with roughly 90 seconds to spare, we were all welcomed on-board our homeward flight by many weary travelers waiting for the doors to close.

Unfortunately, in our haste to make the flight, we’d neglected to inform our poor friend Bob that our plans had changed. In the blizzard back home in Boston, Bob eagerly circled Logan Airport looking for his passengers before coaxing an airport official into revealing the fact that we had not been on the plane.

When we finally arrived bleary eyed at Logan, we found that our bags had missed one of their turns. Resolved to the fact that our laundry was delayed, we sought out a taxi willing to drive 15 miles in a snow storm, and arrived back home near midnight, almost exactly 24 hours after awakening in Rome.

Summary

It was an awesome trip. Though Grampa’s flight home to Florida was cancelled on Saturday morning, he was rescheduled to a First Class seat on the afternoon flight and made it home. Our bags were reported traveling from London to Boston via Canada and New York and would eventually find their way home. We’ve collected fond family memories and lots of pictures (see them ALL here) and we’ve taken Grampa to the home country!! Molto bene!! Ciao!!