Italia- tre settimane, tre bambini

Spoiler alert- I'm writing this from my desk in Durham, so we did in fact leave England and we made it home safe and sound.  However, we've had a lot of adventures since my last post, and it's good therapy for me to revisit our pictures and the places we spent our last month abroad, so here goes! 
Charles had a sabbatical from teaching in the fall semester, but as often happens, he didn't get much "rest" during that time. For years, we've been looking forward to returning to Italy, and the stars aligned this time for us to go to Italy for several weeks after Charles' teaching responsibilities in London ended.  These three weeks were his true sabbatical, as evidenced by the fact that he didn't even bring his computer!  We traveled light, appreciating the joys of low cost European airlines, and set off for Rome in late April.  

Since we are theoretically home-schooling this year, Rome seemed like a good "field trip" to start with.  When we left Durham, both Caroline and Caleb were studying ancient cultures, and Caleb has been steadily working his way through the Greek and Roman mythologies via Percy Jackson, so it was really fun to find our apartment near the Piazza Navona, visit the Colosseum, get lost on the Palatine Hill on our way to the Circus Maximus.  We walked along the Tiber river (Fiume Tevere), looked at the sky through the Pantheon, climbed the Spanish steps, made wishes in the Trevi Fountain.  We sent the kids on scavenger hunts in St. Peter's Square while we waited in line to enter the basilica, and were all humbled and awed again to see the crypt of Peter- who walked with Jesus and is my favorite example of God using a repeat sinner to do his work.  Charles employed his Latin skills to help us decipher the words encircling the amazing dome-"Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo ecclesiam mean et tibi dabo claves regni caelorum" ("You are 'Rock' and on this rock I will build my Church, to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Mt 16:18).  Sweet Caleb so innocently remarked with wonder, "Is that the same Peter in the bible? Sometimes it's hard to tell if the things in the bible are myths or real.  But there he is, so it's really real?"  ​From the mouths of babes... Sometimes we need the certainty of something solid like bones to help us grasp otherwise ephemeral ideas like faith, resurrection, eternity.  
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From Rome, we took a high speed train across Italy to Florence, and found our way back through the cobbled streets we once knew well (a previous study abroad in 2009) to the Duomo,the magnificent Renaissance church that is the heart of the city.  We stayed in an adorable bed & breakfast (B&B Soggiorno Panerai) near our favorite piazza, coined "Piazza Chase Birds" by Caroline when she was 4, as it was the closest wide open space we could find for her to, as the name suggests,  chase the birds!   Florence is always wonderful, small enough to get a sense of in just a few days, so lovely with all the terra cotta roofs, bridges, and good piazzas for dining al fresco.  Returning to a place where one has made special memories during a different season can be unsettling when both we and the place have changed, even in subtle ways.  It was so great that we were joined by dear friends from Durham in Florence, and were able to show them the highlights, stay in a different part of town, and see the city through new eyes!  

​Traveling with 7 children in tow definitely alters the itinerary, but it slows things down in a good way so that there is no hope of checking everything off a tour book must-see list.  We climbed the Duomo and paid David a visit (the youngest among the group especially appreciated the really large naked guy!), played ga-ga ball with  new Italian friends in our favorite park, began our quest to have a gelato-a-day (at least one!). We had the pleasure of introducing Aaron and Sarah to aperitivi- the Italian equivalent of happy hour, but improved by being mostly served outside at cafe tables under big umbrellas, and accompanied by little bowls of olives, nuts, chips, or if you're going all out, a platter of salami, cheese and bread.  Italians drink their coffee too fast for me, standing up in a bar with a shot of espresso, but I've always loved this pause at the end of the day in Italy.  The piazzas are kid-friendly and the warm fuzzy glow of a glass of prosecco makes me feel like God took special joy when he created Italy.... "He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for men to cultivate--bring forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains the heart." (Psalm 104:14-15)

I don't think Charles could physically be in Italy and not go to Assisi.  This little hill town in Umbria, south of Tuscany, was the birthplace of St. Francis and the heart of his ministry.  Charles had his own conversion experience there as a 19 year old, and it is among those Umbrian hills and in the quiet spaces near Francis that Charles finds his greatest peace.  So, it was a joy to be able to celebrate Charles' birthday with friends, old and new, in Assisi. We hiked on paths where Francis would have walked, and climbed towers that have been there for a thousand years.  The kids played in the creek and swam in the pool, we ate more gelato, and drank even better wine. We had an amazing meals, the kind that define "abundance" for me, simple food, done well, plenty, shared with our good friends.  After sharing Assisi with the McKethans, we received even more generous hospitality, and were invited to stay in the family home of dear Italian friends.  "Rest" looks different to Charles and I, so he enjoyed early morning long runs up Mount Subasio, while I enjoyed morning coffee poolside on the side of the mountain.  We got to be Italian tourists with Francesco and Iolanda and their kids, hiking "la Cascata delle Marmore," a waterfall created by the ancient Romans and relaxing in natural thermal pools, where the kids covered themselves in sulfur mush and we ended the day with aperitivi overlooking the Tuscan hills. 

​We ended our Italian holiday in Venice at the kids request.  It is not an easy city to get to, and it's certainly a good place for a final "splurge." Still, it's hard not to be amazed by this floating city that looks just like the postcards.  Charles and I had each been to Venice before, but never with the kids.  My previous visits had been marked by too many Bellinis and flirting with Italian waiters with my college girlfriends and then by our first married experience of the stomach bug.  Our first day fighting the crowds with 3 "hangry" kids in search of a non-touristy place to eat in Venice this time had us reminding ourselves of why we didn't visit more often. Fortunately, Venice has enough charming campos, calles, and ponte (their version of piazzas, streets and bridges) to literally lose oneself.  We discovered a gem in the Museum of the Basilica di San Marco, which gives you access to what feels like a secret balcony overlooking the Piazza and the Grande Canal.  We found that we loved our little "neighborhood" of Santa Croce best, and for the most part avoided the main tourist areas, catching our Gondola instead from the nearest stand.  As cliche as it is, I really loved our gondola ride, and we were even serenaded!  We frequented the local bar for aperitivi, fantas, cappuccino and croissants and were befriended by older Italian ladies and a kind barman.  We ate gourmet pizza on napkins on the banks of the Grand Canal and practiced a pearl for good travel- getting off the beaten bath and getting to know the locals, and our last day in Italy was one that we already speak of as a family with such fondness that I am sure we'll still be talking about it when the kids are grown.  "Remember that day that Mom and Dad let us get as much gelato as we wanted, and we found that perfect bench while mom had that fancy drink?"  
Italy was bittersweet for me, as I was aware that every minute there was a minute less in London, and the days before our return to the US were passing so quickly.  Traveling around a country and living out of a suitcase with kids is harder than being settled in a flat, and we encountered challenges there that we'd not had to deal with in London. I regret the tension that caused between Charles and I, but celebrate that we redeemed most of our conflict and have some amazing family memories.  Fortunately, time tends soften the bad memories and the good ones glow brighter with remembering and retelling. Even as I write this, back in Durham, across the table from Charles in a hip new beer place while our kids are at camp, I keep interrupting him to reminisce about sweet family moments in Italy.  

It's why you do it-why you save, why you splurge, schlep the bags, play through the painful grumpy moments of adjustment.  To build the memories that make your story, that paint your picture, that live on long after you return home.  Arrivederci Italia!