Italy 2014: The Mother of All Posts

This boy had been anticipating "aereo grande grande" for weeks.  Oh-who are we kidding-months!

We flew out of Vancouver-way cheaper and much better connections.

Rimini is the seaside resort town where Fabio's dad lives.  We spent a lot of time under a beach umbrella near here.  In case you were wondering what Nonno Giulio's fingers look like, there you go!

Fabio and his Papa' at our favorite bar in Rimini.

Just seeing this picture is making my stomach growl.  Cappuccino and cornetto ciocolatto.  Every. Morning.

Fabio's dad rented a beach umbrella for the three days we were in Rimini.  By the third day, Matteo wasn't freaked out by the waves anymore!

We kept driving by a beautiful cemetery every time we left Fabio's dad's house.  Turns out it's a British Commonwealth cemetery of WWII soldiers that fell during a nearby battle in Coriano.  Very peaceful and humbling.

Part 2 of our vacation: Umbria.  This was our villa.  Heaven. On. Earth.

Near our villa was Lago Trasimeno.  The village on the water is Passignano Sul Trasimeno.  Such a beautiful place.

We visited a medieval Benedictine Abby near our villa and Matteo learned about lighting candles.

We woke up on the first morning in the villa to no power, thanks to a lightning storm the night before.  We decided to get out early and visit Assisi.  With the stroller and wheelchair we were only able to do make it to the basilica.  Such a bummer.

Castel Rigone:  One of our favorite finds on this trip.  This village was 15 minutes from our villa and had a great bar and beautiful historic setting overlooking Lago Trasimeno.  We became "locals" for the time we ere there.  :)

The alter piece in the village church took my breath away.  The church was proportionally large and ornate compared to the village.  There is a legend that a girl saw the Virgin Mary at a nearby well.  The story got enough traction that the Pope commissioned the building of a large church and grand pieces of art.

We loved taking walks through the quiet streets.

And the coffee and croissants at the local bar...oh my!

Also near our villa was a mountain village called Montone.  Again-stunning views and beautiful streets!

One of the highlights of our time in Umbria was Matteo's third birthday.  The first time we went to Lago Trasimeno he saw the ferry and wanted to take a ride, so we decided to take him back for his birthday.  It was a super hot/humid day, but Matteo was in heaven!

The boat took us to an island with a deserted village (there were a few shops and restaurants and a castle and a few monuments to hike to) and we found this church-the frescoes!

We had a chocolate suchar cake with this beautiful backdrop.

Fabio and I ventured out one morning to Gubbio, another hillside town.

It was so beautiful and quiet because we were there before 10am.  I fell in love with Gubbio right away-medieval wood gates to the city still in tact, a lot of churches, narrow cobblestone streets.  We didn't get to see everything I would have liked, but walking around was charming in itself. 

I've been to Florence twice before, and this time was quite a bit different.  We decided to just go "see" it, with no plans or agenda.  I learned that this is not a good way to see an over-run tourist city.  

Preggio was a 5 minute drive from our villa and another small hilltop medieval village.  On the last day we were there we could here orchestra music.  I found an eight piece orchestra practicing for a performance in the town church.  I sat nearby and looked out at this view and enjoyed the peace and the music.  Heaven.

We went back to Gubbio to show Fabio's parents and Matteo how beautiful it was.  Matteo and I went up the funicular while Fabio and his parents went to get coffee.  I was a little concerned about how Matteo would respond to going up a mountain in a small cage, but he fed off my excitement and we both had a great time-not to mention the views were spectacular!

We spent a lot of time at our villa in Umbria.  We became friends with our hosts (who live in the house next door), Lucia and Ezio.  Lucia was sweet with Matteo, giving him little jobs around the property and painting pinecones with him.  She also made us some of the best espresso I've ever had!

Fabio and I saw a few of these sundials and we found them very interesting.

This view from our villa always made me stop and soak in.

Matteo and I managed to take a train to Ancona where we met Fabio and his parents on our way to Taranto.  To say this boy was excited doesn't do justice to his mood.  

Taranto.  One of the few parks in the city is located just two blocks from La Nonna's house.  Check out these pictures taken about a year apart on the same...frog?

 

La Nonna, Papa' and Matteo on the streets of Taranto.

Thanks to La Nonna's lack of inhibition, Matteo got a tour of the police truck and got to meet some policemen.  Of course they all doted on him and he felt like a little prince.

Taranto is located on the beautiful Ionian Sea.  We always make sure to walk along the promenade when we visit.

We found out that there was another British Commonwealth Cemetery in Taranto, this time of WWI soldiers, most of whom died of illness.  There is more grass here than can be found in the whole of Taranto.  Don't think I'm kidding!

My new obsession: Italian iced coffee crema

Another fun find of this trip was Taranto's underground.  The new town of Taranto is built on ancient Spartan and Roman cemeteries.  We took four tours underground of a necropolis, burial chambers and crypts.  Fabio and I were fascinated that all this stuff has been under our feet and we never knew!

Legend says this is where St. Paul did his first baptisms in Tarantum, the Roman name for Taranto.

A crypt attached to the above water source.  The frescoes were incredible to see up close.

This small, seemingly insignificant sketch is a deer, which was a mark of the early Christians, when Christianity was forbidden.  Oh man-the stories behind this deer sketch!

We met up with a family friend, Nicola Giudetti, at an art gallery that was showcasing his work.  He is an artist that depicts old Taranto.  This man is a gem to the community there!

This lovely (ahem-graffiti wall) part of the old town is where La Nonna's mother grew up.

And no trip is complete without visiting the doric pillars.

I don't think these pastries need any further explanation...

La Nonna and Matteo took a boat tour of Taranto and had a great time!  Matteo kept talking about how a big wave came up and they got "all wet!"  According to La Nonna, they didn't get wet, but the wave made a big impression on Matteo.

Zoo Safari in Fasano was a good time.  It seemed a bit strange to have wild animals act so domesticated, but cool to see so many animals up close!  (And some with our windows closed and doors securely locked-eek!)

Zoo Safari even had some kiddie rides-Matteo got his fill of boat rides for sure!

Even though Fabio was sick on his birthday, he managed to have some cake and open presents.  Matteo still points out from time to time that Papa' is "trenta tre!"

The following pictures are just cool things I want to remember about our tour of la citta' vecchia.  

San Cataldo (Taranto's patron saint) entering Taranto for the first time.

Pure marble sculpted chapel off of the Duomo San Cataldo.

A fresco of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus), patron saint of Bari under the Duomo.

A very cool painting depicting Taranto in the medieval ages.

Our very cool tour guide, Alessandro, who we will be contacting next time we're in Taranto for more tours of cool places.

Our friends at the bakery are always so good to Matteo-free pane anytime he wants!

Nonno Bis's brothers own meat shops and we got some of the yummiest meat I've ever eaten there.  Matteo also approved:

These next pictures are purely for my benefit.  Our favorite restaurant in Taranto is Guernica.  The owner is the cousin of a friend (that is a very close relationship in Italy), and we love going there for the incredible food and the company!