It’s a Wrap (Part 2) *udated*

Back to the post that never ends….

I seem to have lost my (not so) captive audience.  This is what happens when you go 2 months without an entry.  And that is okay.  I’m primarily using this blog as a journal for our family, which I hope to print yearly.  So, to any of you out there, I’m celebrating today because this really will be the last entry about Italy.  Until we go back.

After spending the morning at Villa Taranto, we hopped back on the ferry and cruised on to the first of the Borromeo islands, Isola Madre.  Here it is, another little piece of paradise. 

       

       

Ian and Naomi loved all of the brightly colored pheasants and peacocks that roamed the grounds.

      

                   

       

While Ben was trying to take a picture of the peacock, an Italian lady stepped right in front of the camera, completely blocking his view.  Aaaahhh, Italy….

This huge cypress tree…

                    

…which is one of (if not the) largest of its kind in Europe, was destroyed (as in completely knocked over) by a tornado a few years ago.  They brought in helicopters and specialists and were able to re-plant it, however, it is just a skeleton of its former self.  As you can see, it is still recovering and requires extensive help to stay upright. Dad – if you have a picture of the tree before the tornado, I’d love to have you email it to me so I can put them side by side. (Thanks Dad!  Here is the cypress tree in its glory days…)

                      

We have pictures of my siblings and I standing here when I was 13.  Not much has changed.  This is a place I can visit again and again and again and never be bored.

   

                

 

I will always have a love affair with Lago Maggiore.  I can’t wait to go back.

And to close – a few shots of the kids chasing lizards at our little farmhouse.  Ian actually had one drop its tail when he caught it.  It is really, really too bad that I didn’t catch that on film (so to speak).  Both kids were pretty terrified.  And really, who wouldn’t be?!  Ian found himself with a squirming tail in his hand which had (a few seconds previously) been holding a perfectly normal lizard.  We had a little chat about defense mechanisms…

  

         

         

FINALLY, that wraps it up.  Arrivederci Italia!!!!  Ti Amo!

It’s a Wrap (Part 1)

Well, I’ve finally made it.  The last day in Italy.  I think I’ll reward myself with some gelato – fitting, don’t you think?

We spent our last day visiting villas and islands on Lago Maggiore.  Unfortunately, we were low on Euro coins, and could only pay for about 5 hours of parking, so we didn’t have time for every stop.  So, so dumb.  Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t just go ask someone for change.  Maybe I was afraid that we’d miss the boat.  I really don’t know. 

      

Our first stop was Villa Taranto, which is (in my mind, anyway) a MUST for anyone visiting Northern Italy.  Remember the Boboli gardens in Florence (a few statues, some ragged looking lawns, some trees)…

      

… and then compare them to Villa Taranto.

    

 

                            

 

                          

  

 

 

 

Do I have you convinced?  (Keep in mind that this was in early April – Villa Taranto just gets progressively more beautiful from then on out.) I really don’t know why the Boboli gardens get so much press.  I LOVE NORTHERN ITALY! 

Well, it turns out that I put more pictures in than I had intended.  I’m going to have to split this post so my dinosaur of a computer doesn’t die a slow and painful death.  Maybe someday we’ll figure out what’s wrong with the laptop….

Enchanted April

While we were in Florence I had an interesting conversation with the (non-Italian) owner of an internet café.  I told him at one point that I had lived in Italy as a teenager, he asked where.  I told him that I had lived up north – vicino a Milano.  “Ah, the civilized part of Italy,” was his response.  I laughed. 

Northern Italy is stunning.  For me, it is also a little piece of home.  I only lived there for one year, but that one year was so full and so rich that it (even now, after 20 years) is as bright and vivid in my memory as if it were yesterday.

We stayed in a beautiful guest home on a blueberry farm in the middle of the Campo dei Fiori near Varese (the town where I went to school).  The roads to get to the farm were a little hair raising, but the location was perfect.  We had a beautiful view, there were fields where the kids could run around, trees for the kids to climb, and lizards for the kids to chase.  I would go back in a heartbeat.

          

        

It really was heavenly.  Our first afternoon there (we had spent the morning driving up from Florence) was just what we needed at the time.  We sat outside on the porch and read while the kids ran around.  I also watched some Smallville (fantastic!) in Italian.  I could totally understand it!  Of course it helped that I had seen the episode before….

We went to eat at THE MOST fantastic restaurant.  Amazing.  We had this cheese…..heavenly.  And, the restaurant owners were wonderful with Ian and Naomi (especially Naomi – Italians still like their blondes!).  They even brought out puzzles and toys for the kids to play with while we waited for our food.  I was so grateful.  Restaurants in Italy tend to open at or after our kids’ bedtime, so maintaining good behavior in restaurants during that trip was somewhat of a challenge for them.  My behavior problem in that restaurant was more related to food – like not eating too much of it.  Let’s just say I wasn’t too happy to see the scale when we got back.

We spent our last couple of days in Italy seeing some of the sights on and around Lago Maggiore.  If you ever get to Italy, you MUST visit Lago Maggiore.  Here is one of the reasons why…

La Rocca – A medieval castle in Angera which is situated on the top of a hill overlooking the lake.  The kids loved the medieval life displays and particularly enjoyed the mechanical toy section of the doll museum.

  

We are actually in both of the above pictures.  Can you see us near the gateway in the first one?  We kind of blend into the rock.  (Well, at least, I do.)

      

      

                 

 

 

Unfortunately we had a couple of really rather cold and foggy days up North.  The views are normally stunning.  Imagine snow peaked Alps in the background…

We (of course) found a way to climb to the top of one of the towers.  Naomi was feeling particularly photogenic along the way. 

Ian not so much.

  

He had just whacked his head on something.  I’m not exactly sure what.  Most likely he was doing something I had told him not to.  Anyway, this was the best smile he would give me.

The (well worth the climb) view…

  

And finally, waiting for the boys (eh-hem) to use the facilities…

      

        

A couple of the best things about living in Europe are a) traveling during off-peak times and b) visiting places that aren’t so famous that they’re always jam packed with tourists (like La Rocca).  There are so many, many beautiful and fascinating places here that are only frequented by locals and that just aren’t known by Americans.  It is, of course, fun to see things like the leaning tower of Pisa, but it is equally (or more fun) to explore something unknown.  If you ever get a chance to live in Europe, TAKE IT!  You just can’t get the full experience in a 10 day tour.