Life in Italy

So to start the journey, Our friends, Jen and Derek drove us to the airport in Miami on Sunday. Jen just purchased my car from me and I actually had a few sad moments over it. I really loved that Jaguar like probably no other car I've had. She told me about her plans to get a personalized plate reading JENSJAG, so I guess that means she loves it too. Sigh, at least it's in good hands.

At the airport, everything was very smooth. No one blinked an eye at our 6 large checked bags (a few of which almost definitely weighed over the limit) and 3 carry-ons. Nine bags total, am I crazy? (Maybe that's a discussion for another day). Nicholas had his very own Thomas the Train carry-on. He was happily walking through the airport singing "chug a chugga choo choo". We were all very upbeat and sailed through security with virtually no hassles. Boarded the plane, sat down and we breathed a sigh of relief. After all the packing, selling our cars, shipping our stuff, etc., the worst was over, right? Well, not so fast. Anyone travelling on an overnight flight with a 4 year old boy should know this word: Benadryl! We were not so bright, and so didn't have any on hand, big mistake. My upbeat, cheerful son remained so for a long, long, long time. Finally he slept about an hour and a half, I slept for one hour, and Flavio didn't sleep at all. Makes for a lovely morning in Rome, right? A 5 hour layover on no sleep accompanied by the energizer kid makes for very grumpy parents!

Arriving in bologna approximately 15 hours after leaving Miami, we got our second wind and started relaxing. There is just something about the mountain air in the hills south of Bologna that can smooth over the wrinkles in a day. Let me describe our home.

Vado is a small town south of Bologna nestled in a valley in the Epinnine mountains. There is only one road in and one road out of the town. Flavio estimates the population as less than 5,000 people. Most of the residents live in the valley, while some live in the surrounding mountains. We live in the mountains about 1\2 mile out of town. Short enough to walk or bike in, but the road up the mountain is a b°°ch! The house is a large stone house, painted "Bologna Red" (a very typical orange\reddish color for the area). It is on the western side of the town, and its possible in fall and winter to look down onto the village. You can glimpse a small portion now, but really the foliage is too thick for a good view. There is a levelled, terrace area in front of the house, with a wall seperating it from the steep decline of the mountain. If you walk down the stairs past the terrace it's possible to walk to the bottom of the property where there is a small river.

Throughout the property there are walnut and chesnut trees, pomegranite, apricot and fig trees, and all sorts of herbs to pick, like rosemary, sage and basil. There are grapes, two sections of the vineyard. At its most productive, the vineyard only produces wine for the family and to give to friends. It's not large, but its beautiful!

There are four apartments in the house. Each one has two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and a large living area. We are occupying one of the top apartments, Flavio's cousin is in another. My inlaws and Flavio's two grandmothers are downstairs, and in the fourth apartment is Flavio's great- aunt. Everyone is very gracious and welcoming. In fact, everyone in the town seems to be that way. I will tell more about the town next time.

Hope you are all well!