A Birthday Party

Another relaxing way to spend an afternoon in Italy, as well as anywhere else in the world, is to be invited and attend a lovely b-day party. In this case Leo, who was four years old yesterday, celebrated his special day at a park near his parents house, my cousins'. Leo is a very smart boy who has an amazing way of addressing his thoughts and making his creativity known to everyone around him. He loves special dragons, stories and anything that requires imagination and a lot of story telling.

Leo is four.

Thanks to his parents who create a world of characters and emotions to his everyday life. Like all little boys should have access to. The party took place at the park and then we ended up sharing a light dinner together at a Trattoria. One way or the other, the days end quite late indeed, but always happy. This one was also very nice as I saw my cousin Lorena after a very long time. It is nice to connect with family after a while, especially when finding out that they are doing fine in their own way.

We are in Campobasso now, and it rains, but the temperature is quite lovely. I might have to leave the computer work and soon go for some shopping...sigh! What sacrifices one must make on holidays!

At the next one!

"Il Colosseo" and Good Friends

After these many times we made it to visit the Coliseum, one of the eternal symbols of Rome. I believe I must have made it once before when I was much younger and still living here, but our kids never walked the ruins of this monumental celebration to the greatness of ancient Rome. As we were joking around with my uncle, the place has a lot of holes, no roof and lots of very old stuff in side... Strange that people would want to pay to visit it, no?  However I still get goosebumps, knowing that lives and events have walked through the same walls and on the same paths.

Needless to say it was quite an experience, and we made it through the morning with an early wake that allowed us to enjoy the place with less crowd around. You can see how Marco continues to enjoy his visit with his goofy moments, and Michele begins to pose in perfect spots for his Face book memories.

Last night we also had dinner with my friend Lalla's family: Alessandro, the three-year old boy is absolutely adorable. This vacation always turns out a nice excuse to visit with my friends and realize how their families grow and how our children fill our lives with love and hope. Even if days may get tougher at times. We hope to have many of them soon come and visit us as well: we may not have the ruins of Rome but there is much to see in Canada as well.

Tonight we have a b-day party with Leonardo so we expect some new good shots to be taken and more fun with family. And tomorrow we are off to Campobasso. Approaching the last 10 days of this trip.

We added more pics to the slide show. Try to find Marco relaxing on an old ancient pillar... right before the guards come to catch him!

Celebrations

To celebrate our anniversary even though a few days later, we did two things together with the kids and also with my brother and uncle. On July 24, Saturday, we spent the day and the evening at a water park that seems to be quite popular in Rome, called Zoo Marine. Just outside of Rome for about 20 minutes or so, the water park hosts a bunch of slides and attractions as well as some animal shows, in the style of places like in San Diego, just on a smaller scale.  The entrance ticket gives you way to everything in the park, and you can truly relax all day by a chair and an umbrella, enjoying the breeze of the nearby ocean.

We waited till the evening as we also had access to a small concert by an old Italian singer: Gianni Morandi, who entertained us for about and hour and a half in the dolphins' hall. A Dolphin even played a bit of its show to accompany a few of the singer's songs. I knew every word of every song, and so did the audience (minus of course my family who is not quite acquainted with the old Italian songs).  Amazingly enough the kids lasted all the way through and, even more surprising, I did not gel lost on the way back home, traveling on the Litoranea, the road that runs on the side of the ocean, filled with traffic even at midnight.

Another important attraction of the park are professional divers, who put on a funny and daring show. I invite you all to check out the short video at the bottom of the page. The stunt man that gets himself on fire is quite amazing.

On Monday, July 26, we also celebrated my mom's name day (a big deal here in Italy, even more than one's birthday): Sant'Anna. So we combined a tradition of going back to the hotel and restaurant where Nick and I got married in Frascati, Villa Rufinella, with my brother and niece and zio Morino. The villa continues to be a fantastic and beautiful place to admire architecture, a perfect location accompanied by an amazing restaurant. Overall, the day was filled with picture taking poses to ensure we have good documentation of the occasion (my mom does not go out very often, so this was quite an event!). One way or the other we are trying to ensure that happy memories are built day after day, filling this time with laughs and good time. We have to concentrate our efforts as coming here cannot happen more often that we already do. So far things seem to work out.

More to share in the next posts.

Traveling through Different Regions

A new post after a few days of silence. I apologize for all who read this personal blog, for the short delay in updating you all about our trip adventures. As good as the internet connection deal can be, there areas in this beautiful country where one coverage beats the other, and I always seem to own "the other" deal at that spot, where there is no sign of life on my machine.

As you may remember, our kids left with Pino, Bella and Giovanni, our good friends, to go to Calabria, to a small town called Santa Maria del Cedro, about five hours drive from Rome. We joined them on Thursday, venturing one of the worst highway connections in the world: the Salerno-Reggio Calabria highway.  For a small section of the road, since we only had to reach a small distance, this highway has alternate access to one or the other side of the road, where cars drive in opposite directions one joining lanes. The constructions in this area (about 500 km in total) started in 1956...and they are not nearly half way done. I let you imagine the rest! We were helped by the fact that we drove in the middle of the week against the main flow of tourism on both days. Nevertheless, the drive was stressful and we felt very grateful that we made it in one piece both ways.

Finding the kids so accustomed to the locals' way of life was a real satisfaction for Nick and I. We had no doubt they would be treated like royalty, so that was a given. But we were happy to hear comments from everyone who met them saying that they were extremely well behaved and polite kids. Parents count on that type of comment to be said when their kids are alone with others - it is like hoping that what we teach and believe in has actually happened in our children and we can feel proud of our hard work in teaching them good ways to be a human beings.

Needless to say the little town, the food, the company, the activities and everything else in between where. extraordinary! Pino and Bella cooked for us a wonderful meal, all the way to an amazingly big watermelon (see photos of our kids attempting to eat it). We spent a nice afternoon by the beach, and the beautiful ocean in Calabria. Everything was so clean, calm and relaxing. Even a jet-lagged Nick had a great time. Dinner was a bit late at a special pizza place where everyone knew each other and the atmosphere was very friendly and it felt truly like home. I observed that overall life goes at a different speed in these towns, especially when they are by the ocean.  It is futile to change the rhythm  of life: we had to adapt (not a great sacrifice after all, let me tell you!)

The following day we headed for Maratea, the only town in Mar Tirreno that belongs to Basilicata, another region of Southern Italy. A very hot day indeed, but sunny and shiny on our visit to the hill where a statue of a big Jesus reigns over visitors and everyone who goes there to reflect on life. The town was also lovely and we had (big surprise!) yet again another phenomenal meal. We made it home alive just in time for dinner at my mom's and had a deserved rest for the day. I should probably mention that I also did a bit of shopping moment as well...those who know me will appreciate the need to satisfy a small pleasure moment once in a while!

The adventures of Saturday belong to a new blog post. For now enjoy the new pics.

Reflections

Ruins at Foro Romano

I shall now take a few minutes to put on my intercultural lenses and reflect on something of what I noticed and never fail to be amazed by in the Italian culture, one that I am truly a part of and yet, as years go by, I feel less connected to as it evolves in these modern times.

From a macro perspective, every year that goes by seems to make everyone more noisy, more apprehensive, more rushed, in everything that needs to be taken care of. The streets of Rome are always filled with cars (whenever you can actually go by with you car, when stretches on major and small roads have parking spots filled in two or three rows of illegal stalls...). The noise level, between the machines, the operating vehicles of the city and especially people screaming and just expressing themselves in very open and public ways, fills the air in the busy hours of the morning, after four p.m. and all the way to the wee hours of the night during summer. The exception is of course the break for lunch from two to four, when the sun is most violent with its heat and it is truly impossible to conduct any business in a reasonable manner, unless you can operate in air-conditioned environments. And Italians do not seem to believe in such wonders of progress.  In fact, everyone takes the time to tell you that the air, the cold and the wind created even by an electronic fan may do you damage for life!

Colosseo from
Via dei Fori
Imperiali

TV offers interesting shows, with documentaries and talk shows at practically any time of day or night. Italians love to talk, discuss, chat, argue... anything that can make them use their imagination, show off a bit of education and rationalize on a topic. In fact I have noticed the art of talking is something that they have perfected and it is reflected in the variations of grammatical structures that allow you to be extremely colorful and original. Politics is at the heart of any decent discussion, sooner or later (what in Canada for us represents the weather. I let you imagine the degrees of personal involvements that the two topics bring to the conversation, as weather and politics can ignite amongst talking folks!)

Things happen every day like a drama in a soap opera. It is amazing how fast paced the political world seems to be and how slow everything in fact ends up moving.  Minus the laws and bylaws that fall in the corner of the public attention that deal with crucial matters that seem to serve well the side in power a any given moment. They are passed quite quickly, even if they seem to go against the very principles of the country, and yet they show up and run people's lives.

The streets are plastered with political posters every day... these are the 'legal' graffitis that you find at every corner, complaining about each other's directions and decisions... As I said: the art of talking and discussing is an all-Italian feature (which I believe I have not totally lost the pleasure of practising, right?)

Close up of
Altare della Patria

Talking about graffitis, there are also EVERYWHERE. Not only on stable features in the city, such as walls and corners of streets, stairs, posts, you name it. They are on garbage collection carts, on the garbage trucks, on trains, on public transportation... I am convinced there is a secret fund that finances the spray paint that these vandals use. The amount is noticeable and the variety of colours used is not small.  I know some may say there is an artistic side to this means of communication, but I fail to understand how it can beautify a millennial city which is exceptionally great left alone with its churches, piazzas, corners and monuments in general...

The economy situation in the world is quite felt inside the country. I have been told that Italy has the lowest wages in Europe, with similar if not more expensive cost of life in comparison. So the question is: how do they do it? I have seen a lot of poverty, but it mainly carries the face of what probably are immigrants from outside of Europe or Eastern European countries in worse situations than Italy. Walking by the street, you see everyone well dressed, clean and maintaining a tone of dignity that is truly admirable. Sure, the beggars on city trains and the guys at the traffic lights wanting to sell you something or clean your windshield are quite insistent...But overall it is hard to see lack of resources.

Everyone has a cell. I mean: everyone! The kid who is 6 and the grandma who is 85. I would assume that younger folks add to the list of communication needs also computers, Internet and easily one or two cable connections on TV. But stats have been shared last week that indicate that Italians are eating less and less well. So some of the personal cuts are made on primary needs rather than tools that we all never had a need for up to probably just 15 years ago.

Overall, the idea in the culture that you can breath here is that everyone is on their own and yet anything that happens is a matter of public scrutiny - at least that is what I perceive. Sure, there is a lot of surface kindness that appears very warm and at the same time people snap and are on top of each other for a transgression that was not intentional (see my screaming thoughts above).

A smile and a greeting do feel warmer here. All emotions are amplified to the maximum levels (of volume and intensity).

What do I think? I think that the economic side of things does seem to affect a people who is struggling to change and keep up with the challenges of the time. To a point that I have long forgotten or left outside of my personal life decisions and of the ones I know back home. So comparisons with other nations in the EU or north America are tough to make. You just have to sit, relax, contemplate and appreciate the uniqueness of this place. Where the food is amazing no matter where you go. Where shopping for fresh food is still the driving action of the day (now with the added information of where everything you eat comes from), preparing a good meal or meals during the day is very essential, making calls to everyone on your list at least once a day is a religious duty, together with texting your life away, and making sure you know what is going on in your apartment building is a responsibility that you must keep up with...

Palazzo delle
Esposizioni

Where the heat melts you to your core, and yet you cannot resist taking a long stroll in the downtown core of the eternal city, as you may have done thousands of times before, to steal that one more perfect shot of what lives and cultures that came before left for you, as a carpet of beautiful evidence of past glory.

Which is what I did yesterday afternoon, thinking about this blog entry. Sorry for the length!

Nick arrives tomorrow and a new part of our stay begins.

Good Memories...

Alessandro

..are what fantastic vacations are made of!

I would say that everyone could agree with this statement. I don’t claim to have originated this idea, but I thought it would well fit this short entry, a couple of days after my last note on this digital space.

Our weekend brought us to an escalation of excitement that started with the visit to Stefania’s house and her beautiful home, to a quiet morning on Saturday and then our biannual visit to another old friend of mine: Paolo (detto Felipe!) who is now the proud father of a 50-day old gorgeous boy, Alessandro. Paolo is an friend who always reminds me of an era in my life when, besides fewer years on my shoulders, I lived a bit of music excitement with concerts and the whole deal of shows, that his group – Ladri di Carrozzelle – started over 20 years ago.

Michele and Zoe play together

He lives in Frascati, a hilly town 20 minutes from Rome, in a house he is restoring, bit by bit, from the work of his grandfather and father, an old farm in a vast property that is turning out to be a lovely dwelling indeed (I added some pics in the picture show). Roberta and Alessandro now make up a great deal of his new life, giving a different meaning to the projects around the property, but still filling the days with a realization that he is blessed with a good life.

My kids know Paolo from past years, and the visit to his place is a mandatory step in our travels. Paolo owns a small studio where Michele and Marco enjoy playing the real instruments, like drums and guitars, chase the dog, visit the chickens and turtles and ride on his motorcycle. Paolo is indeed one of my “cool” friends according to my kids.

So Saturday afternoon was spent in this idyllic setting for a brief ice-cream visit. And the kids would not have wanted to leave any time soon, had it not been for the fact that later in the evening they were going to spend the night at another friends’ family which took them to Calabria for a whole week of added fun by the beach.

I called them last night and they were heading downtown the small village of Santa Maria del Cedro, for dinner and a show in the main square. Speaking already as true locals would.

Marco and the "real" Guitar
Hero!

As I was saying I trust that our kids are truly having the time of their life, and every year that passes by, the summer in Italy leaves a deeper stamp in their identities and remains with them to build the citizens of the world that Nick and I hope they will soon become. We believe that surrounding them with positive and valuable experiences will impact their beliefs, their decisions and assist them in makings good choices in life. And even as the heat continues its devastating effect on a couple of quieter days at my end (soon Nick will join us and suffer with me too!) I know that their happy memories make me feel as happy and as filled with joy, even in a vicarious way.

"I Can Come Here Any Time!"

...for a vacation break! So said my son Marco, as son as we arrived at Stefania's house in Colle Romano. We took a bit longer than probably was needed to reach destination, as it is always the case between me and my friend's addresses in the past few years. She lives in parts of Rome (or outskirts of) that I do not usually know very well. If you have ever been in Rome in your life you have soon learned that it is not that easy to actually find your way around unless you have actually been there. Directions and points of reference are quite weak (at least for me).

Marco and Michele had a great day yesterday, and so we all did, as we visited Stefania and Giulia (remember the other posting we did back in June?) in their lovely house outside of Rome. The place and the time had all ingredients for a nice experience: the fresh water, a lovely garden (Marco has learned the word "giardino" very well by now!), the dogs, a wonderful baby girl, an exquisite lasagna for lunch and a living room with convenient air conditioning (it was actually felt as 42 degrees celsius yesterday in Rome!!! Take pity on us!)

As you can see from some of the pictures we add here and the ones in the slide show, Giulia lives in a lovely villa about 10 km outside of Rome. This detail is quite important, as I would not want too many of my readers to imagine that houses with swimming pools and backyards like this one can actually be IN ROME...not enough space, believe me!

Even though the place was amazing, our great time was the fact that we could spend an entire day with Giulia who is an amazing good little girl, who turns one the first week in August.  And it was nice to see that Stefania and Andrea have such a beautiful home to raise their kids. It was also very nice to see again Stefania's family, and it is absolutely certain that Giulia is sorrounded by a great deal of love and attention - all the ingredients to raise a beautiful child who will be a nice person once she grows up. The world needs good people!

We will be back for Giulia's birthday for sure. In the meantime we wish her and everyone in her family all the best in life.

When in Rome...

So, if you do decide to come and visit my beautiful home town one day, let's say on a hot Thursday afternoon, this is what could happen to you.

Take public transportation just to get you close enough to your downtown destination. Even in the heat you can enjoy the corners, the monuments, the people. You know where you are going, so nothing will distract you from reaching your goal, but on the way stop and smell the air. You will discover the wonderful surprises by the window shopping roads, that deal on something you never thought you would buy but now, all of a sudden, you feel compelled to purchase.  You will delight in listening to the casual artist by the corner of a "piazza" that is just beautifying the afternoon mood with his saxophone with a "Girl from Ipanema" melody that will remind you of your loved one.

Just by where you had decided to go you will find Buddhist monks working on miracle of art with coloured powder and the magic of their breath....and more shopping opportunities. :)

Then the heat will take over and you will need to stop for a "granita di caffe' con panna" by the Pantheon, and enjoy the sweet taste of refreshment with a coffee signature you will not soon forget. And on the way back from where you were heading, a band of police officers on duty will delight you with yet another tune on a small public concert by the same square.  It can all and will all happen - I promise you!

This post is for my hubby.

Enjoy!

Morro Reatino- July 14

Aperitivo - Something cool and
something salty.

A Day Trip to Visit more Friends. We had scheduled a day trip with zio Morino to go visit a family that my dad was very good friends with. They live in a small town in the region of Lazio, called Morro Reatino.  We also visited a lovely nearby town called Leonessa. I posted sample pictures of both places. The good news for the kids was that they had a small bunch of little kittens, a gigantic dog (his name is Argo - more a lion than a dog in my opinion) and plenty of lizards to catch for Marco.

Leonessa

Alberto came last summer with Morino to our house for a month, so we reminisced a bit about the days in Canada and, once again, the differences between our two lifestyles. As you will see from our pictures (I hope to have some time soon to also post a nice video montage of the day) life here, especially in hot days like these last few ones goes at a different pace.  In comparison we go 200 km/h with our meetings, deadlines, submissions and workloads. I am working on a small contract with a college in Edmonton, and I just processed a short video clip talking about cultures and their different concepts of time. They are called monochronic and polychronic. One is set to deadlines, to the idea that schedules are necessary and important and that life beats at pre-determined paces. Time is money, in other words. The other has a more flexible idea of time, where more than one thing can and should be taken care of at one time, if unexpected things happen along the way, or if friends and people around us happen to interrupt our flow, it is ok. All will be attended to in its own time. I let you figure out which is which in my mind, when I converse and stop and reflect about the two cultures I am familiar with and belong to…

Corner of Morro Reatino

My vacation-mode time here is obviously different than the rushed pace at home, and the heat is a great criminal in this matter. We will reach 39 degrees tomorrow + 90% humidity. I let you draw the conclusions.

In the meantime we take a break from the traveling (I get to do more work at home, in the wee hours of the night, since I do not get much sleep anyhow) and we are back to more visits the next few days before the kids leave for Calabria with our friends Giovanni, Pino e Isabella. They will have one more exciting week by the ocean in another beautiful part of Italy (which part is not???) on their own, building new memories that they will bring with them forever. …and practicing ever more Italian in meaningful ways. Every year that passes by, the culture and the language become more a part of their identity – something that Nick and I truly believe in for their own growth as citizens of the world.

Do not forget to check the new pics.

...and Here Comes Ulisse!

OK. There is much to update everyone about, including my goofy fall by a fontanella (a Roman water fountain) that was more stubborn than me in wanting to make me slip off over the ancient Roman street stones. I am ok, so not to worry. The hand that kept my fall is sore but I can still type.

Last night the kids had the Teatrino, which is the final evening recital where they say goodbye to everyone, showcase their work and learning and wish each other the best over the summer.  We even found back Marco's lost slippers, so he is ready to do more beach time soon. As you will see from the added photos to the slide show, the kids have made new friends and strengthened the old ties with some good camp leaders from years back. We will go back to Borgo a few more times to still see some of the kids. Michele added so many Italian new friends to his Facebook account...one more reason to keep up with the language. It really seems that every time we are here so much life happens, and I try to capture as much of it as possible, within a few lines of this Blog so we will have memories to share for life. Gotta love this technology no?

Talking about new friends, Ulisse is the new addition to the family - a cute two-months old puppy that has spent the morning with us at nonna's house. He is a bundle of cuteness and energy, that goes around like crazy and then crushes on the floor in search of cool refuge and takes a nap whenever his body says so.  The kids went crazy for him.  Irresistible!

Daddy sent me a lovely bunch of flowers for our 16th anniversary. Michele for a moment questioned how fresh those flowers could be coming from Canada! Love the naiveté of kids and their genuine logic!

As far as the other updates, we had our first official pizza night with the kids. I added some pics for those of you who are new to this Italian experience: the pizza size is gianormous and it requires eating with bare hands...as you can see my kids are quite used to the tradition (check the video clip with Michele beginning the special treatment of the BEAST below - it will make you want to have the same pizza...con Fiori di Zucca).

The heat continues and we all brave it with courage and patience. I had one lovely walk this afternoon so I am not complaining - this is one thing I do miss about Rome.

Talk to you all soon. Check our photos!

This pizza place is called: Pizzeria San Calisto, in Trastevere, Rome. I highly recommend it! :)

Todi

Yesterday I went to Todi with my friend Luca. Todi is a lovely small medieval town in Umbria, a place in Italy that we both have a passion for. I uploaded a lot of pictures on the slide show of this trip. You can see for yourself how wonderful these little jewels of Italy can be, especially on a week day when not too many tourists are around to be found.

The day was really lovely as a whole, being able to catch up on life, reflecting on how two countries we live in , Italy and Canada can act in different ways and let people develop and grow at different rates.  I spoke full Italian for the whole day and it was nice to see I have not lost my touch, even though it is now 16 years I am living in Canada.

What else can I share? It was nice to take a day for myself to do something I truly enjoy - visiting new places, taking some photos and thinking about life. Tonight the kids finish camp and will have a nice evening celebration.  It will be another milestone in their summer life...I will be sure to keep you updated on the celebration, with pictures and videos I will soon post.

Oh: by the way...my brother bought a new dog. His name is Ulisse and I thought it would be neat to add one or two pics about the new puppy on the blog. They come to visit us tomorrow - so the apartment will be filled with new excitement. One more memory to add to the trip!

Borgo Days

As the last week of summer camp comes to an end, the kids seem fully integrated into their routines, even though the morning wake remains a bit difficult. When it gets this hot, it seems that the only hours worth a good sleep are the wee hours of the morning, and a wake at 7:00 seems a waste.

We won’t do much more of that after Friday. And I know that once that routine is out of the way we will begin hunting down ways in which to occupy our time, at least until daddy comes here. Everyone in Edmonton wishes us the best in this heat – it seems that the weather back home is not collaborating on the summer side of things that much. Some have too much some have none, right?

On my part, I keep up with the working load – or at least I try. I do a lot of driving back and forth, so music seeking has become an important task whenever I spend a few minutes shopping (also for the excuse of seeking air conditioning refuge whenever possible).

When I get back to Borgo, I wait for the kids to be totally tired of the day and the company of their new friends. As you will see both Michele and Marco play ping-pong with joy and with other kids, which makes mom very happy. Communicating is not a problem at all: and yet they refuse to respond to me in Italian whenever possible. I have to force them all the times.

We are keeping everything in peace with nonna Anna, especially since her newfound hobby of DS mind games, which both Michele and Marco seem very happy to assist her with – and when they cannot, cheat on the net to find a solution.

Tomorrow I hope to take a short break and dive in for some new photo shoots of beautiful little towns around Rome – a day trip that a friend of mine and I usually take once every two years, to explore different places I have yet to see. We have also planned a couple of extra special days for when daddy comes here, including a concert with Gianni Morandi and a special dinner at the villa where we got married – can’t believe it is 16 years already! Time flies when you are having fun, right?

Enjoy this short clip below, where Michele and Marco try to play ping-pong with new friends. It is clearly a hot lazy day at Borgo. In the pictures, we see Don Carlo, the director of the oratory where the kids are attending summer camp.

Quirinale

Today’s entry accompanies a short video clip of the tour we did with zio Luca and Sara on Saturday afternoon. We went to see the Change of the Guard (Cambio della Guardia) at Quirinale, the equivalent building of the White House for us in Italy. This is the residence of our President, and a special force of the nation always guards it. On Saturday, July 3, 2010, the guard that was getting off duty was the Navy (where my brother works) and the one that was going on duty was the Army. It was a neat experience to witness, especially since in all my years living in Rome I had never seen it before.

Marco noticed that the guards were walking funny, and in his opinion it probably took a bit longer than one could arrange it to finish it up. I explained that this is an important tradition that reminisces a past that we Italians are proud of. I guess from a 12-year old point of view it seems funny and unnecessary, which is why I was glad my kids got to experience it.

The whole ceremony takes about 20 minutes or so. The video is only about 7. A small shower caught us at the last few minutes, so we had to look for a spot where to hide, and be back to the bus, not without our now usual stop to an ice-cream place.

Even with the rain, that day, and all other days since, the weather has now become officially unbearable. It is not only hot, but there are several warnings to older people and small kids to be inside, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at least. And in Rome they give away free bottled water to everyone at the exit of the metro stations, to ensure people keep hydrated.  Tourists are pretty much the only ones who care to still walk about at any time of day and night. We try not to join them – it is really suicidal. What I continue to find amazing is the adverse sense of accessing air conditioning that all Italians have. We visited a mall on Sunday and the air condition was clearly off. No one complained, and the shopping experience was literally brutal. Thank God theatre halls are the exception – I managed to bring Marco to watch a movie in Italian. Good lesson in language and culture that he seems to have enjoyed. He came for the treats and the ice cream that followed (it was to be expected!). I took him for the extra practice – whatever works.

In the meantime dad tells us that the weather in Edmonton is ok: it rains at night and it is sunny during the day. Certainly easier to sleep at night! I post a couple of nice pics of the garden and flowers that Nick is taking care of at home – nice to know that dad is doing fine and keeping up the beautiful backyards for us for once we get back home.

Enjoy the clip!

A Saturday with Zio Luca

The heat is finally here. Everywhere in Italy in fact. And we picked the hottest first day of summer to go for a walk in downtown Rome with the goal of watching the changing of the guard at Quirinal, the equivalent of the White House for the Italian government.    All was well, as we started the afternoon with a big meal at nonna's house and the a brief nap. Then we headed out in search a panama hat for zio Luca (Simona already had hers), a nice pair of Dolce and Gabbana underwear for Michele, walking through Fontana di Trevi and the up to the hill. I am too tired today to actually post the video of the changing of the guard, but I will do later and I am sure you will enjoy the tradition.

We were too tired to eat for dinner, especially after too much ice-cream and too much heat. The combination is lethal. Time to take it easy and plan to rest (or at least trying).

I thought of daddy that we hear daily and our friends and family - I am sure the new pics will show how hot it is here...

The Story of a Day Trip around Central Italy

This brief entry is to accompany a 7-minute video clip I prepared to tell the story of our adventure with the ex-Allievi group that visited the Bolsena Lake and the Cathedral in the medieval city of Orvieto that we took on June 29, 2010.

I made the video in Italian for my friends who do not speak English and are following this blog from different parts of the world. Since it will be a bit before I ever have the chance to narrate our trip in both languages (I did bring work to complete after all – and the hot weather makes it challenging at times to do everything as planned, so time runs out once in a while). I trust that the music and the pictures will speak a language everyone will understand and enjoy.

It was a really good day!

Traffic

One good thing about traffic in Rome, especially on the way back home from dropping the kids at camp, is that you can kind of focus on your thoughts about life, with the windows and car doors nicely locked, and the air condition going on steady, while the temperature outside reaches 30 degrees at 10:00 a.m. n the morning.  In fact reflection is probably one of the few activities that can keep you sane in the madness of the driving tasks at hand.

Besides the fact that there are practically no lanes white lines on the ground to tell you where you belong, and even if there were you would still find yourself bottled up in between at least four other cars on your same row, moving is a task you get to do on the tip of your tongue, and while reflecting is a possibility, your brain quickly learns to remain solidly attentive to what is happening around you. Which is probably a good lesson for life in general.  Remain introspective as much as possible but do not loose contact with reality and what is happening around you.

Vacations in Italy, and especially in Rome, back to my hometown, have this effect on me.  Work and pleasure reading together with routine trips to my kids’ summer camp give everything a different flavour, and life takes on a different shade of blue. A happy blue that is!

I call old friends – almost everyone said hi to date, and we will meet once or twice before this break is over. No intrusions or forcing my presence on anyone – some old traditions established a few years back remain intact, and the nice pizza outings will happen soon, and we will enjoy talking and comparing cultures and lifestyles as we always do every two years.  I really love this appointment with my old self: it regenerates old corners of my being that I often loose or cannot express in Canada. But the answer to the same old question if I ever considered coming back to live in Rome remains the same: no. I am happy with my choices, and I honestly cannot recall one single regret. Which I guess is a happy space to be, right?

Did I mention I am reading the Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin?  Cool read, I highly recommend it!

All for now.