House pictures

Dining area

Entry and dining area

Bedroom

View from the sala

Prague pictures

Rachel in Old Town Square

Stormy Prague Castle

Old Jewish Cemetery

Prague Architecture - wow!

Guess who?

More architecture

Stained glass panel at St. Vitas cathedral

St. Charles Bridge

Arrivederci Italia!

We arrived home this morning after a long, 24-hour day of airplane travel. We left Milano for Roma at 6:30 AM on Tuesday, which meant an early start of 4AM from the hotel. After a short layover in Roma, the long-haul flight took us from Roma to Los Angeles, where Lidia happily returned home to her kids and grandkids. Rachel, Greg, and I continued on to San Francisco, where we spent the night because we were just too darn tired and jet-lagged to drive home. We arrived home today to a balloon bouquet and flowers from our incredible neighbors, the McManus family; a huge stack of mail to sort; and the wonderful sight of figs on the "bonanza" tree. It's back to the office for me tomorrow (sigh), while Greg is off until next Monday, and Rachel has another month before resuming school. Our last week in Berzo was uneventful, except for the cousin's pizza dinner which was really fun. It was the first time that our cousins on both sides had such an event, which we hope will now become more of a family tradition. I counted 22 cousins, with at least another 6 stopping by to say hello. Great fun (and a lot of laughs and storytelling) was had by all. Our rascal cousins pre-planned to pay the bill, so despite some vehement arguing on our part, we finally conceded to their gracious offer. As the saying went, we were guests, and guests don't pay for dinner while in Berzo. Our plan is to pay them back next year, but don't tell them! I can't think of anywhere I would rather have been this summer then in Berzo with our family and new home. Lidia and I are already planning a return trip next year to see the all the changes to the house that will be happening this winter - that's exciting! Our hope is that rustic downstairs will be transformed into a functional living space, with a full kitchen, soggiorno (a day room, or family room), a bedroom for Lidia, and a bathroom. Before we left, we spent time with our cousin Giorgio who will be designing the layout of the new areas and our cousin Claudio, who will be doing much of the work. We're super excited, so hold good wishes for the dollar to remain strong against the euro - we're gonna need a lot of good wishes to pull it all off. I didn't get much of opportunity to post pictures of our last few weeks in Europe, so the next few blogs will have some of those. Thanks to all who followed our blog and came along with us on our summer vacation. We hope someday that we'll be able to share our Berzo home with you so that you too can write a blog about a wonderful summer spent in Bella Italia.

Praha (Prague)

We had a wonderful trip to the beautiful city of Prague, despite my getting really sick with a nasty, nasty cold, the effects of which I'm still feeling 9 days later. Armed with a strange bottle of Czech cold medicine, we weathered the often rainy days and spent time visiting the city highlights. We had to exchange our euros for Czech koronas, which made for some strange calculations when paying for things. Our first evening was spent in Old Town Square, where we enjoyed a local concert while taking in the gorgeous architecture and the various booths of street vendors who were selling an array of Czech food products. The following morning we started our day in the Jewish quarter, where we visited synagogues and the old Jewish cemetery. We read that the cemetery was "not to miss" and it was certanly true. The cemetery is crammed with thousands of gravestones in a area of less than 1/2 acre, and it is estimated that over 100,000 people were buried in the small area. In a neighboring museum, we saw firsthand the effect of World War II on the Jewish population of Prague and surrounding communities. The walls of the museum listed the names of the 80,000 Jewish people who were deported to concentration camps and never returned. It was quite a profound experience to read their names and birthdates and death dates. It really brought to life this horrific period of world history. The museum also had an exhibit of artwork prepared by children in the camps. It too told a powerful tale, as all the pictures of the camp were drawn in very dark colors, while others that showed the hope of returning home were in bright, spring colors. Dark and light - the universal symbol of evil and good.We spent the afternoon walking around the Old Town area, seeing the famous town hall astronomical clock (15th century) and Charles Bridge (14th century), which crosses the Vltava River that bisects the city. The bridge is adorned with Baroque statues of various saints. Although it now pedestrianed, at one time it could take four carriages abreast. The bridge led us to the Mala Strana (Little Quarter) district, which sits just below Prague Castle. It was a lively area with shops and cafes, and where we enjoyed a really nice lunch. This area also housed the Church of Our Lady Triumphant, where we visited the miraculous Infant of Praque statue. On our final day in Prague, we toured the Castle District, which is quite monumental, both in size and architectural marvel. The history of Prague begins with the castle, founded in the 9th century. Its commanding position high above the Vltava River soon made it the center of all the neighboring lands. Despite periodic fires and multiple invasions (and WWII), the castle has retained its churches, chapels, and towers from every period of its history. St. Vitas Cathedral, built in the 14th century, was incredibly beautiful, full of gorgeous stained glass windows whose artistry and technique we hadn't seen before. The palace has been home to the various Bohemian kings since the 11th century. Much of it was closed to visitors but we did get to see a small, older section. Overall, we highly recommend adding Prague to your European travel list. It is truly gorgeous. Its our last few days in Berzo, as we leave Italia on Tuesday, heading back to "normal life". Sigh. We have many family activities planned, including a Saturday night pizza dinner at the local sports bar with all the cousins. Its rumored that there will up upwards of 25 cousins! That will be a great send-off for a wonderful summer in Berzo.

Carcassonne and Lourdes

We arrived back in Berzo on Sunday evening after a long but good trip to Spain and France. After we visited Barcelona, we drove about 3 hours northeast to the UNESCO city of Carcassonne, where we spent a rainy afternoon walking around the medieval city. The hilltop on which the city lies was first occupied by a proto-hill fort in 600 BC overlooking the valley of the Aude and the ancient routes linking the Atlantic with the Mediterranean and the Iberian peninsula with the rest of Europe. It then became an early Roman settlement (Carcino, 100 BC) and was held by the Romans until the Visgoths conquered the area in the 5th century, followed by the Arabs in the 7th century. It was also deeply affected by the 13th century black plague and then land swaps by the Spanish, French, and Papal courts. It was during the medieval period that a second wall was added by Louis XIV outside the Roman walled city, making it an almost impregnable fortress of towers, bastions, and a large moat. The city was jammed with tourists who were arriving by the bus-loads. I visited here back in 1972 with my Mom while on a bus trip to Lourdes and I had such fond memories of it that I really wanted to return. This time, however, it was so crowded that it was almost not enjoyable until evening set in and many tourists left, leaving a partially deserted city. We were spending the night at the Best Western (only one of two hotels within the city walls), so we ended up with some "quality time" walking around. We had dinner at a small, quaint restaurant where they grilled some meat dishes in an fireplace right behind our table - that was cool! Greg and I had a "Cassoulet", which is a local speciality, and a type of casserole made with beans and a meat (duck for Greg, pork sausage for me). It was one of the tastier meals we had on the trip. We drove to Lourdes the following day in our very cramped little (key word little) Skoda Fabia sedan. Lidia and Rachel were squashed in the back seat along with Greg's duffle bag, which they affectionately termed "Bubba". He became a third passenger, as they had to strap "him" in to keep "him" from falling over on them. I don't think any of us will ever forget our long, ardous, 9 hour drive back to Barcelona from Lourdes! Lourdes - we arrived early afternoon and after settling into the hotel, Lidia and I visited the grotto. Surprisingly, it wasn't very crowded, even for a Friday afternoon. First, we circled the grotto area, then we lit candles for our friends and families and in thanksgiving for all our many blessings. We also visited the basilica and filled up several bottles with Lourdes water to bring back to both Italy and the U.S. Tomorrow, my bedroom set will finally arrive at the house, and next week Lidia's mattress will be delivered. After that, we'll do some final strategizing on what work to have done on the lower level of the house over the winter so when we return next year, it'll be ready (or darn close) for us to live in. That's exciting! We are here in Berzo through tomorrow, then Greg, Rachel, and I leave for our final road trip - to Prague - while Lidia stays behind to spend time with our cousins.

Carcassonne and Lourdes pictures

Photos of the medieval castle of Carcassonne, Rachel and Greg, the gargoyles of the Carcassonne basilica, and a picture of Lidia at Lourdes. More text later.

Ole!

Wow, we just got in from seeing an intensely seductive flamenco show here in Barcelona and I can't even begun to think of how to describe it. In this case, words cannot do justice to the rhythm of the shoes, the fluidity of the dancers, and their intense expression and interpretation of the music. It was as if each dancer was transported to another realm and their body possessed with the spirit and essence of the music and song. The live band also was incredibly good too, particularly the singers who so reminded me of the Gipsy Kings. The whole experience brought back Rachel's Irish step dancing years, and she was even practicing a few of her old hard shoe steps when she got back to the hotel. I guess once you have dancing in your veins, it never leaves. Earlier today we visited the incredible Sagrada Familia, what has been termed Europe's most unconventional church. Started in 1883, it became the lifework of Antoni Gaudi who truly crafted one of the most unique churches I've ever seen. He spent 14 years as a recluse on the site during its early construction years. Although it remains unfinished, work is progressing even today using various new technologies to achieve Gaudi's vision. It currently has 12 spires, facades that recount the Passion and Nativity, bell towers topped with Venetian mosaics, an internal spiral staircase of 400 steps, and even the body of Gaudi who is buried in a crypt. We leave Barcelona tomorrow for the walled medieval city of Carcassonne, France and then to Lourdes on Friday.

Espana - into the lion's den

Hello from Barcelona, or as I refer to it, the lion's den, after Italia's tragic loss to Spain in the European soccer championship game. We watched the game in Berzo on Sunday and flew here Monday where we saw a festive Spain celebrating their trifecta on television. We are very proud that the Azzurri made it to the finals as they were not expected to get that far. It was practice for the World Cup in two years is my perspective. Forza Azzurri 2014!!! Barcelona is a beautiful city and we've enjoyed our first day of sightseeing. Today we visited the Gothic cathedral, a stunning church begun in 1298 on the foundations of a Roman temple and Moorish mosque. It was finally finished in the early 20th century. The facade is gorgeous and the exterior spires are home to perched gargoyles that truly make you feel as if you are in medieval Europe. We also visited the lively Las Ramblas district, which is a principal street that leads through the center of the city to the sea, encompassing the lifeblood of Barcelona and its Catelonian culture. Thousands of tourists lined its tree-canopied route, which was marked by gorgeous florist and souvenir shops. We toured the incredible La Bouqeria food market where hundred of vendors were selling an imagination full of tempting fruits, breads, and a full menagerie of meats and fish. For the squeamish meat eater like me, it was quite the eye-rolling experience seeing dead creatures staring at me with glassed over eyes and intact bodies (and no I'm not talking about fish only, more like rabbits, goats, large fowl). Despite my roller-coaster stomach, I managed to eat paella at lunch although it was rather bland, which might have been good after the creature episode. This afternoon we visited the subterranean Roman city of Barcino founded between 15 and 10 BC during the reign of Augustus Caesar. It was absolutely incredible! Its a labyrinth of rooms that includes a typical Roman home (with mosaic floor), forum, public baths, aqueducts, roads, a winemaking area, temple, and laundry facilities. The place is a must see when you visit Barcelona! Tomorrow we are visiting the Sagrada Familia cathedral which is an architectural marvel. Now that I figured out that there is a blogger app on the iPhone I'll start uploading pictures!

Mantova

We decided to tempt the Fates today and headed south into earthquake country - the Padana region of Italia - to visit Mantova, which is quite near Modena and the area of the recent (May and June) seismic activity. So far, so good, no shaking! Mantova is a beautiful, picturesque city, and was the home of the Gonzaga dukes during the 14th to 17th centuries. It is also known in literature as the city where Shakespeare's Romeo was sent into exile from neighboring Verona, and as the birthplace of the Roman age poet Virgilio Marone, better known as Virgil. It was also the setting for Verdi's famous opera Rigoletto. The origin of Mantova goes back to prehistoric times, when lake-dwelling people settled the land along the marshy waters of the Mincio River. Later, the Etruscans founded settlements and then the Gauls until Mantova became a Roman colony. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the city experienced a rebirth, and modern town planning. They did a incredible job with that as, basically, the city is an architectural historian's dream. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and rightfully so. We visited the Palazzo Ducale,or the part we could get into, since it was damaged during the May earthquake. Wow, what a place - 500 rooms, multiple gardens,churches, a basilica and a huge piazza. It was home to the Gonzaga family during the Rennaissance and its interior frescoes are telltale signs of that historical period. The palazzo also incorporates the Castello (castle) of San Giorgio a 14th century fortress. We walked around town to another smaller palazzo in Piazza delle Erbe and then around the city in general. The Duomo is under restoration so we didn't spend much time there except to enjoy the natural "air conditioning" afforded by the gorgeous mrble walls and ceiling. It was terribly hot and humid today, so that small respite was most welcomed. Pictures of Mantova will have to wait until the weekend. Tomorrow we are off to Verona for the day and then back to Berzo for a pizza dinner at the sports bar with cousins to watch the Italia vs Germany game. Predictions here are that Italia's run at the European championship will end at the hands (or feet really) of a sharp, young German team. As for me, I am ever hopeful that the Azzurri can pull off a huge upset. Hope along with me. Forza Italia!!

Benvenuti Lidia e Greg!

Rachel and I drove to Milano today to pickup Lidia and Greg who arrived this afternoon.  Yay!  It's been 23 years since Lidia's been here (only 2 for Greg) and all the cousins here in Berzo are quite anxious to see her. But, that will have to wait until tomorrow since they were both very tired from the long flight.  Greg's was a marathon day, as he flew from San Francisco to LA, then LA to Roma, and then Roma to Milano - some 30 hours total transit time.  Their flight from Los Angeles went well, and, unlike our Air France nightnare, they both complimented the food and the service on Alitalia.  Lidia made fast friends with the young man sitting next to her who was from Australia but who spoke perfect Italian.  Neither Lidia nor Greg made it very long once we got to Berzo, so they are happily asleep as I type this.

We've finally made some very good progress on the house, at least on the top floor.  It's been scrubbed from top to bottom, but we're still needing some other things to fall in place, namely new mattresses (just a minor technicality) and a thorough cleaning of the marble flooring.  Meanwhile, life at Casa Riboli is wonderful as always and now Rachel and I have some company other than my cousin Bruna's least favorite neighbors - the cats!

Tomorrow morning Lidia will see her house for the first time and after that, we're planning on stopping at the pizzeria/bar here in Berzo for a yummy espresso.  The bar has been closed for the past two weeks, so it'll be fun to finally have coffee with our cousins who frequent there for their morning "cup of joe" and to get caught up on all the local news.  The next few days will be spent visiting family, a trip to Iper Supermercato so Greg can load up on cheese and salume, and possibly a trip to the Lovere mercato on Saturday morning depending on how the time change is going for Lidia and Greg.  We have tentative plans to visit either Pavia or Cremona next week and maybe Lago di Garda or Lago di Como.  Stay tuned.

How about those Azzurri!! For those of you who watched the Italia vs. Ireland game, or maybe just the highlights (or maybe you didn't watch at all), the player who made the last goal - Mario Balotelli - is from the province of Bergamo, which is our province here in Berzo.  How cool is that! After Italia's win, you could hear people cheering outside all around Berzo. Now, we're all very excited and hopeful about the Italia vs. England quarterfinal game on Sunday.  So, wear your soccer blue for the Azzurri and think red, white, and green.  Forza Italia!

I've been trying for two days to upload pictures of the house without luck. The internet connection here is soooooooooo slow. It's takes at least 1/2 hour just to get online (and I'm not exaggerating).  I'll keep trying though, but there may not be any photos until we head to Barcelona the first week of July and have good internet access.

Happy summer solstice everyone!

Padova a piedi (on foot)

Well, let it never be said that didn't walk off the gelato today.....We've spent the past two days in Padova walking around the historical town center for hours upon hours.  Tonight we're held up in the hotel trying to soothe our feet. Gotta love the cobblestone streets they have here! Actually, it took us a while to figure out that the "sidewalks" were made of smooth marble, whereas where we were walking (in the center of the street) was truly rough cobblestones.  Now, don't go thinking we crazy enough to walk down the middle of any street - this was an area of pedestrian use only.

We decided to buy a "Padova Card" which allows use of the public transportation system to get around the city, as well as free or reduced admission to many historical buildings.  We learned quickly, however, that  the bus service here is not very punctual (actually nowhere near punctual), but from my perspective, it was still better than driving into the city center and trying to find parking.

Yesterday, we visited several piazze - Piazza della Frutta (fruit), Piazza delle Erbe (herbs), and Piazza dei Signori (aristocrats). A small mercato was in each piazza, so we spent some time walking around and checking out the goods.  Near one of  piazza's we witnessed a "tar and feathering" of students that had just completed their Ph.D's.  One guy, dressed in a sort of cat outfit, was being smeared with raw eggs and flour, while his classmates poked fun of him and sang bawby tunes. Another was dressed like a bumblebee. After, their classmates paraded them around the piazzas continuing their singing, which I won't translate because, after all, this is a family blog.  A picture of the "cat" student is below.  It seems that this is quite the ritual here, and it was certainly being done with fun and not malice.  Poor guys, they finally earned their doctorates in Science and then they are subjected to raw eggs being rubbed through their hair and then coated with flour and water.  You'd think they were nutrition or culinary majors.

We had dinner at ristorante "Agli Eremitani", where we had eaten some delicious pizzas two years ago.  The food was once again fantastic.  Rachel had two huge pieces of grilled swordfish with vegetables, while I had branzino (sea bass) and spinach.  For the first time in all our years visiting Italy, Rachel was offered a "doggie" bag for the fish she didn' t finish.  Was she ever happy about that!


We got an early start this morning, and headed to the largest mercato in Padova, which was at Prato Della Valle (Field of the Valley).  Seriously, there we hundred of vendors and, unlike other mercati we've been too, it was organized according to what was being sold - fruit, housewares, clothing, and shoes - the latter of which was an immediate draw for Rachel, who ended up buying two pairs (the counting of shoes begins!).  After lunch, we visited the Basilica of Sant'Antonio, the patron saint of Padova.  The basilica is gorgeous, filled with marble walls and colonades, and beautiful frescoes.  It also has the tomb of Sant'Antonio to whom my Mom was much devoted.  We visit here when we come to Italia in her honor and memory.

We continued our walking tour of Padova, sightseeing the city in general and passing some very large palazzi (palaces).  We returned to Piazza della Frutta to pickup a few items for dinner and have, once again, a delicious and refreshing pre-dinner Martini Royale cocktail that is made from Martini white wine, prosecco, lime, and mint.  On a hot and humid day like today, it was just perfect.

"Tar and feathering" of a graduate.

The local meat market.  This whole section of the mercato in Piazza delle Erbe is filled with meat counters.

Rachel and the pink Vespa

Piazza della Frutta and the mercato

Rachel and our favorite Padovan cocktail

The prosciutto shop that Greg wants to own someday. Check out all those hams hanging in the background.

Well, that's it from Padova.  Tomorrow we return to Berzo to partake in the Festa della Birra on Sunday night.  Don't forget to root for the Azzurri on Monday, who play against Ireland. Forza Italia, Forza Azzurri!!

A few more pictures of Venezia

Some pictures of Venezia we downloaded today:

A typical canal

The girls in Venezia

Rachel incognito. 

Some of the more unusual masks.

Venezia

Thunderstorm over Piazza San Marco

Rachel in Venezia

We've spent two wonderful days in Venezia, weathering an intense thunderstorm, throngs of tourists, and hours of walking around ""La Serenissima", the stunningly beautiful city of shimmering water.  Had we arrived one day earlier, we would have been here when a tornado struck the island of Sant' Elena, which is about a 15 minute walk from Piazza San Marco.  The tornado uprooted many trees on the island, as well as leveled an agricultural area on the neighboring island of San Pietro.  The locals here are saying they've never witnessed anything like it - sunny one moment, a tornado the next.  Good timing on our part!

Our first afternoon in Venezia was sunny and warm, but within just a few hours, an unexpected thunderstorm arrived, scattering the crowds of tourists.  We sought shelter inside our favorite jewelry store near the Rialto Bridge so, yes, it was a slightly expensive thunderstorm.  We had dinner in a not so great restaurant, where it took well over an hour to get our food, this with a total of about 10 people in the place!.  Rachel had cuddlefish with black squid ink sauce and polenta (a Venetian speciality), but it wasn't as good as the last time she was here. After weathering the storm, and the not so great dinner, we were treated to a beautiful rainbow over Giudecca Island on our boat ride back to the hotel.

The hotel (Molino Stucky Hilton) offers the most incredible buffet breakfast, so we started today off by having some decadent and delicious food.  There must have been at least 10 different cheeses and salume, smoked salmon, gorgeous bowls of fresh fruit, and mouth-watering pastries, although neither Rachel nor I could eat those :-(   I was really surprised to find a gluten free chocolate cake at the buffet, so of course I had to try it - yummy!

We walked through the Dorsoduro and Accademia districts, which are far less crowded that the touristy San Marco area.  Rachel was on the hunt for some Carnevale masks, and we also visited one of our favorite glassware shops where I couldn't resist buying a gorgeous vase for the new house.  We had dinner at a much better restaurant in Campo San Polo (named after Marco Polo who was from Venezia).  They had quite the gluten free menu (which was great for me), so I had some ricotta and erbette (herb) ravioli with brown butter and sage sauce; Rachel had orate alla griglia (grilled sea bream).  We headed back to the hotel early to watch the Italia vs. Croazia soccer game in the bar, where the wine and prosecco helped calm our nerves during the game (or at least that was my excuse).  The match ended 1-1, so now Italia is 0-0-2 in the European Championship.  Forza Azzurri, here's to winning next time.

Tonight, the sunset over Venezia was just gorgeous - the sunlight over the glittery water was something to behold.  We leave for Padova tomorrow, where we'll visit for two days before returning to Berzo on Sunday.  Although I never want to leave Venezia, it's not quite goodbye yet, as I know we'll come back next month with Lidia and Greg.

A presto Venezia!

Sunset over the Giudecca Canal

Rainbow over Giudecca Island

The Ferrari's

Life here in Italy continues to be wonderful despite the many challenges posed by fixing up the house.  We're finally getting to the point of starting the "deep cleaning" and, with the much-needed help of my cousin Maria Luisa, we hope to get that taken care of by early next week before Lidia and Greg arrive. Sometimes this past week it seems like it's been one step forward and two steps back but, as Rachel tells me, we've only been at this for a few days and it will definitely take time to get it just right. Our garden area is the one shining light - it's beautiful and filled with many blooming plants and bushes like lilies, hydrangeas, and other flowers that I don't recognize.  The trellis archway that leads into the garden is particularly gorgeous, as it is outlined by clusters of red roses. 

Yesterday while driving to Bergamo, we were treated to a Ferrari "car show".  With a police car in the lead, some 23 Ferrari's (yes I counted) drove by us, all in a row, on the other side of the road - wow, what a sight!  I wonder how many dollars (or euros) that constituted - millions upon millions for sure. The cars were beautifully polished and super shiny, and most were the signature red Ferrari color, while a few were black; there was even a yellow car although I think it may have been a Maserati since someone once told me that yellow is their signature color.  Somehow, the  nice rental car I was driving just didn't hold a candle (not even a match) to those stunning Ferrari's.  Here's hoping that someday I'll get the chance to ride in one. 

The weather here has been really unsettled, with daily thunderstorms, spectacular lightning, and even some hail one evening.  We brought along a lot of summer clothes, but we really haven't had the opportunity to wear them yet.  We're getting tired of wearing our one jacket and two pair of long pants. We're hoping the weather will change in the next few days, as tomorrow is our last day in Berzo before our trip to Venezia and Padova.  Yay, I get to visit my most favorite city in the world!  We're planning on visiting some areas in Venezia that we haven't been to yet and, of course, have some fun  jewelry shopping, a small reward for all the house cleaning or at least that's what I'm telling myself.

Venezia, we can't wait to see you!!

The woes of flying Air France and our first few days in Berzo

Saluti da l'Italia! 

We've been in Berzo for 4 days now, and each one has been filled with visiting family and beginning the task of readying the house.  All of that is so wonderful (even cleaning the house) compared to our trip over on Air France.  Where to begin.....we arrived at the airport in San Francisco 3 hours early to check-in as recommended for international travel.  When we walked through the door, the check-in area was absolute chaos, with hundreds of people standing in "line".  We had been unable to print boarding passes before going to the airport because the Air France system would not accept our confirmation number or airline ticket number, so we had to wait in the regular check-in line and not the one for those with boarding passes, which was considerably shorter.  While in line, a large group (50+) of French tourists strong-armed their way in front of Rachel, so now we had so many more people in front of us in an already ridiculously long line.  I'll save everyone reading about the details of the ensuing nightmare other than to say that these French tourists were the rudest and most disrespectful people I've ever seen.  They actually were shoving children out of the way to move forward in the line!! A lady next to us who was French-American had enough of their behavior and barreled her way through the crowd with us in tow.  I don't understand French but I could sure tell that expletives were flying about.  All in all, it took us 2 hours to get to the check-in counter, where another surprise awaited us.  We had extra suitcases to pay for (of course we had lots of suitcases!) so instead of accepting the fee for those at the ticket counter, we had to go stand in yet another line to pay, which had about 5 people in front of us.  By this time, I'm figuring we were going to miss the flight.  After 20 minutes ow waiting in that line and finally paying, we were given priority through security and made it to the plane with about 15 minutes to spare!  After landing in Paris, the nightmare continued on our continuation flight to Milano since our plane was about 1 hour late in arriving.  We literally had to run from one terminal to the next, having to stop for passport inspection and yet another security check.  We made it to that flight with about 20 minutes to spare.  Never again will we fly Air France and I would highly recommend that anyone reading this doesn't either.  The rude behavior of the French is legendary and in that one day I had enough to fill a lifetime.

Now on to the good part - Italia - where people are anything but rude and disrespectful (and no, I'm not being ecocentric here!).  We arrived in Milano and spent the night there to help adjust to the time change. So far, so good with that.  The next morning we drove to Berzo - what a great feeling and welcome we received after the French debacle.  We went straight away to the house where Rachel got the first viewing of her Italian home.  We've spent the last few days taking stock of all their is to do, which is really quite overwhelming.  We are making progress daily, but there's still so much yet ahead before we can move in.  Our hope is that within a few weeks we'll finally get to sleep in house.  Meanwhile, we are enjoying life at Casa Riboli and the hospitality of our extended family here in Berzo.

Today we went to Bergamo with our cousin Paolo to sign up for internet access and I'm actually writing this email from Casa Riboli.  We've moved up in the world!!  The connection is painfully slow but, hey, it works. Tomorrow we will return to Bergamo to shop at Iper, which is a giant supermarket, and to visit my cousin Giorgio who is in the hospital there. Although this week has been filled with "house things", next week we'll get a well earned break, as we're off to visit Venezia and Padova.  The "Festa della Birra" (Beer Festival) is in Berzo next weekend, and we'll be back on the last evening of that to enjoy some time with our comune (community).  

We'll post some pictures when we get to Venezia next week, where the internet connection should be must faster.  It took 10 minutes just to get access to the blog - I can't imagine how long it would take to upload some photos!

We need a vacation!

Tomorrow is our big day -  Rachel and I leave for Bella Italia.  The last few days have been an absolute whirlwind of activity, buzzing around town picking up last minute items, goodbye BBQs with neighbors and friends, and packing and more packing. We both agree that we need a vacation from packing for our vacation.

We depart San Francisco mid-afternoon and fly to Paris, where we have a three hour layover before catching the plane to Milano.  All told, it will be a 15 hour trip, that is if all goes as planned. There always seems to be some type of glitch in the travel system, and just as long as it doesn't mirror the 30 hour trip we had in 2010, all will be good.  We'll stay in Milano overnight and drive to Berzo on Thursday morning (or will it be our night with the time change?). My cousins will be finishing the painting of the upstairs of the house tomorrow, and we're hoping to move in after a few days of letting it air out.  In the interim, we'll once again be staying at "Hotel Riboli", my cousin Bruna and Gene's home in Berzo.

The weekend will be busy visiting family, taking stock of the house and what we need to buy, and trying to get internet service set up with the help of my cousin Paolo, who thankfully is fluent in English and Italian and can talk "computer lingo" on my behalf.   We're hoping to get to the mercato (the Italian version of a farmer's market and a bit more) in Lovere on Saturday (it's awesome!), but that might be too ambitious given the effects of the time change and all we'll need to do to get the house ready. 

                                                 Our cherry tree - yummy! - and garden area.

                                                                  Villa Meli Terzi (our house). 
                                         The big tree in the background is the cherry tree.
                                  The garden in the foreground is our neighbor's, not ours :-(


As you can imagine, we're very excited about the trip.  For me, it will be a dream come true to have my daughter walk into her own house in Berzo. Our parents immigrated to America never having had a home together in Italy. They came here "on a wing and a prayer" and, like so many of those early immigrants, with nothing more than a heart full of hope and dreams for a better future. They more than gave that to us, their children, but in doing so, they had to leave behind their families and friends, and their hometown.  They instilled in us, though, that strong sense of family, regardless of whether aunts, uncles, and cousins lived here or back "in the old country", and they also nurtured the growth of deep, branching roots that have finally brought our family back to Italy.  After almost 75 years, our parents now have a home in Berzo, as do their children, grandchildren, and future generations. The circle is complete.

We appreciate you all "coming to Italy" with us this summer.  Let's get this started! 
Next post from Milano.

5 days and counting

Welcome to our vacation blog, and thanks for coming along with us once again on our trip to Bella Italia!  We're so looking forward to our time in Italia, but also to staying in touch with our American family and friends through this blog.  We really hope this will be an interactive experience.

Rachel and I are only 5 days away from leaving.  Are we panicking? ABSOLUTELY!  Are we excited, ABSOLUTELY!! The next few days will be quite hectic with packing and traveling, but we're up for the challenge knowing that what's on the other side of that long, arduous airplane ride is our Italian family, our new home in Berzo, and a summer of adventures. I'm not sure it can get any better than that!