Me again! Let’s get right into it shall we?
- It’s really hot here! Been 100 degrees the last several days and will be tomorrow as well which stinks because we’re going to the Vatican so we have to wear pants…
- Speaking of the heat, I’m constantly sweaty and sticky which isn’t my favorite feeling in the world. How do these people not shower more than they do?
- Casa Maria was awesome! It was hard to leave and it was just what we needed after two weeks of go, go, go
- One thing I know about whoever built Casa Maria is that they were less than 6 feet tall. I have a bump on my head to prove it. There were two beams across the main hall at about that height which don’t feel good when you forget to duck under them in the dark.
- This beer drinker has turned into a wine drinker in Italy. Merritt and I are averaging about a bottle a day (combined, not each). Mostly white since it’s chilled and goes better with the heat although much to my dad’s chagrin doesn’t necessarily go with what we’re eating.
- Like my dad before me I can now say I’ve driven a gigantic van through Italy which made for some tense driving on those windy one lane roads with blind turns near Casa Maria.
- I tended to take those blind turns and one lane roads fairly slowly. The Italians on the other hand were zooming around them and have no issue riding your tail if your not going as fast as they like because the’ll pass you when they get the chance weather it’s legal or not. But I don’t get the feeling they get angry about other people’s driving like we do at home, they just do what they need to do.
- I really have no idea how people navigated foreign places before GPS and smart phones. Let’s hear it for the maps app! Did we really use actual maps? They don’t even speak to tell you where to turn!
- The only bad thing about Casa Maria is we did not use the AC so we slept with the windows open which allowed the bugs in. I didn’t have much of an issue with them (only got a handful of bites) but they really liked the kids, they were eaten alive! Poor Tessa got it the worst (see below). She looks like she has the chicken pox! They’re all over her arms too. Wyatt got bit a decent amount too they just don’t show up as much on his skin. We were told they weren’t mosquitoes but smaller bugs related to them whose name I forget.
- We’ve seen Pisa, Lucca, Cinque Terre, Florence and just arrived in Rome today and so far in Italy I haven’t seen a single Starbucks! I guess I was wrong in my earlier posts.
- In case you didn’t know, Italian food is delicious!
Sweet ride!
Maybe this fella will drive a big van through Italy one day too
Tell the truth or you’ll look like this!
Livin’ the dream
Aperol spritz
Yikes!
The Traveling Anderzoo 
Did the insect bites all come at night? Why didn’t you use the AC? Tessa could sue you for child abuse.:-)
What did everybody think of Florence?
Say hey to the Pope.
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Honestly not sure if they came at night or not, I just assumed that. The funny thing is that all the bites happened on Thursday and Friday even though we arrived there the prior Saturday. I have pictures of her through Wednesday with no bites on her face. We didn’t use the AC because they would have charged us an additional €50 a day to use it.
Everyone loved Florence, how could you not? And we only touched on a few of the many sights there. Just got back from the Vatican, didn’t see Papa Francesco unfortunately.
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Really enjoy your ramblings, Giuseppe! Italians are crazy drivers–no qualms about zipping around you on blind turns on narrow roads. Of course, you were driving a “moto-nave” compared to local autos! Have you ever seen a yellow Ferrari?
GPS is awesome-anyone can drive anywhere! We had to rely on maps (pre-planning required) not so many years ago.
I would suggest you try San Pellegrino tea with lemon in bottles. A really good non alcoholic refresher for those hot Italian days.
Enjoy Rome. Walk miles. Watch out for pick pockets in the guise of young children. Stand in a lot of lines. Eat more gelato. Cap off a meal with limoncello.
Ciao! Baci a tutti!
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Thanks Pucc! Haven’t seen any yellow Ferrari’s yet. We’re definitely spoiled with GPS, would not want to spend all that time physically mapping things out. We are eating our share of gelato, the kids make sure of that and we have capped off a few meals with limoncello (including last night)! Ciao!
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Enjoyable update. Bummer for Tessa. I hope your van doesn’t have the same GPS as the 2015 Tartan Prancer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSgcD8YG5rg
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Haha! Thankfully not. I like that you have a funny video prepared for every situation!
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Pazzo Pazzo! The Italians must work through their pent up frustrations when they drive…, it is amazing that it somehow all works… I never laughed so hard after driving with Brian at the wheel in Palermo… anyway, I love the blog , love that Joe is writing his take on the journey too! And the pic are simply beautiful! How are the kids holding up?
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The boys have done real well. Tessa has been challenging at times but nothing we didn’t expect. For a 4 year old I’d say she’s done a pretty darn good job. I think we’re all about ready to be home though, four weeks is s long time!
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