Vesuvius stretched its arms out to the sea and allowed our little tour bus to climb up to its shoulder before we had to park and hike the rest on foot. You may want to rent a hiking stick at the entrance. The ground is pebbled, steep and treacherous, black and barren. What scrub grows…
If Life Hands You Lemons, Make Limoncello
“Sorrento” and “Limoncello” are interchangeable concepts. Outside of Sorrento, only groves in neighboring Capri are accepted to create this specialty liqueur. You should not buy it outside of Campania. Even Pompeii boasts a mural celebrating the Sorrento Lemon. Locals are fiercely proud of their limoncello, and you can purchase it on every street corner. The…
Welcome to Sorrento, Italy
We took a bullet train from Rome to Naples. From the Naples train station, we took a metro to the port after walking up three flights of stairs and around a glorious castle. Luggage in tow. From the port, we took a ferry across the bay to a bus to our hotel in Sorrento. Getting…
Rome, Colosseum and Forum
The Colosseum is the big time and I really can’t believe I’m sitting here telling you I touched it. (Who am I kidding, we stomped the yard.) It was heady stuff, after “seeing” ancient things, to be able to touch them. It was an interactive smorgasbord. Nick-named for a colossal bronze statue of Nero at…
Rome, The Vatican
We signed up to see the Vatican and the Colosseum on the same day. Which is ludicrous. But necessary. This is why espresso is the Italian drink of choice. I warned you, you won’t see it all and you have to keep moving. Buying a tour is a great way to utilize time and stay…
Rome, A Walkabout
Like fish and company, touring new cities begins to stink after three days. We filled our days to the brim and left while we were still having fun. Another travel maxim is: you cannot possibly see it all. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know. It has layers. Three days forced us to prioritize…
Welcome to Rome
The arrivals section of the Roma airport is crowded, dirty, extensive, and confusing. The passport line was hidden, the customs area was vacant, and I finally found a bathroom, leaving Hubby to guard our belongings and breathe into a paper sack. We had planned for this first-day nonsense and arranged a shuttle from the airport…
Adventure is Out There
Bongiorno, Tribe! I hope you are as excited to hear about our Italian adventures as I am to tell them. It’s certainly been a strange, jet lagged last couple of days attempting to remember who I am and what I do. I have no idea where I’m going next. But this trip reminded me that…
It’s Time for a Give-Away!
This September is overflowing with happy things and I’m about to pass it on to you! It was not enough that I spent my big bad birthday lounging in a spa oasis, sipping lemon water and covered in red mud. Nor was it adequate that kid number five finally got his driving permit and can…
Planning a Roman Holiday
So I’ve been doing some homework on Italy. Rome, to be exact. It’s the first stop on our itinerary for next months big “We managed to stay married for HOW long?” anniversary trip to actual Europe. Because after thirty years of dues, you should get to cash out. In euros. We’re sampling the country’s smorgasbord,…
Dear Facebook
Dear Facebook, Our relationship began with the simple idea that I could keep in touch (“KIT” is written all over my high school senior yearbook, right next to the phrase “Stay as sweet as you are”) with people that – wait for it – I have trouble keeping in touch with. My mother, for…
I Can Make Your Hands Clap
I spent today questioning all of my life choices. Was I a good mom when the kids were little? Did I teach them the things that really matter? Could I have gotten a day job sooner and provided them with cars in high school instead of flip phones? I stopped long enough to go get…