"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!