After a week of not eating anything green, Italy has safely delivered us back to better eating and to what Joe aptly pointed out as a slower, more relaxed pace.

This leg of the trip, in Lucca, Italy is our longest stop in one city. Thank goodness for the foresight seven months ago when planning that we would need a backyard and pool to help ground us and give us a little taste of home and the space and time to just relax.

Planning ideas and experiences on paper and in your head don’t always materialize as you had imagined them in real life. I experienced real disappointment leading up to our arrival here in Lucca. . .

As most of you know, I am a “planny plannerson” and some would say a control freak. Both pretty much true but also key attributes (in my humble opinion) when organizing a 4 1/2 week adventure abroad with three young kids. The one exception I made to these tried and true inclinations was with respect to our stay in Lucca. The house we rented here came with a dedicated concierge, a go-to right hand and expert in Tuscany that would take care of local details and be a thought partner on how to make it a memorable experience for us.

Well folks, Phil failed me miserably. He did not confirm critical details of our stay until the night before we arrived and when he did they were wrong! First, the automatic van, which is apparently a hot commodity over here, was actually a manual transmission. Joe hasn’t driven a stick since his Red Jetta in college circa 2000 and I never learned to, so despite his ability to pick it right back like riding a bike, he would be stuck with responsibility for all of the driving. I didn’t want that.

Second, the arrival dinner at our house, which I had planned with the chef down to the menu and vision for the experience, had actually been cancelled weeks ago but I was never informed. Minor detail? WTF? At 730pm when she hadn’t arrived I panicked and then I got angry. After a few phones calls to our on site contact, I was made aware that Phil was informed week’s ago by the chef that she could not confirm the booking, but he failed to tell us.

Two pretty big hiccups, or bumps in the road, that we knew we’d have on a trip of this length, but I was disappointed nonetheless. I had delegated, not a strong suit of mine, and I had been let down. Fortunately, I am comfortable and adept at resolving conflict, going back to my GitHub days, and was able to get us the van we booked for cheaper and with an upgrade! As for the welcome the dinner I planned, we got that FOR FREE and despite being at 930pm, we got the exact menu we wanted! Yay!

The dinner was absolutely delicious, better than I could have ever imagined and what an amazing experience for the kids! Joe and I were pinching ourselves. With the bumps traversed, we are happy and thrilled to be in Italy and enjoying this beautiful and charming Lucca area, a first for us!

A few snaps from our first day and a half!

Our home away from home.

When in Europe, we play futbol.

Uno winners!

View from our kitchen sink.

Does this even need a caption?

Spaghetti bolognese to die for.

Yellow on yellow with a twirl!

Lucchese ravioli and vino bianco.

Speaking of green things! Check out this burrata!

Because everyone needs a signature pool dunk!

Our first gelato of many.