It was very cool to see him in his papamobile, and to witness the elaborately organized mass in the park outside the cathedral with over 10,000 people in attendance. Unfortunately
we were not able to arrange such a grand reception for our friends and family,
but we think they enjoyed their visits nonetheless.
When Vicki
and Dana arrived we spent three days with them in Rome where we rented an
apartment that was ideally situated in the historical center of the city (well,
EVERYTHING is historical in Rome). Dana
had the brilliant idea to use David Macaulay’s book Rome Antics as a basis for exploring the
city. The book is essentially a showcase
for Macaulay’s masterful drawings, and the story he creates
follows the path of a pigeon carrying an important message from a woman to the
man she loves.
Following
the pigeon’s path turned simple sightseeing into an adventure – it was like a
scavenger hunt, and it turned out to be a fantastic way to see the city. As we have learned, everything is more
meaningful when there is some purpose or goal connected to it.
After our
time in Rome we all made our way to Arezzo where we spent the next week
introducing Vicki and Dana to our lives here, showing them other nearby towns,
and then renting a car for a 3-day tour of Tuscany.
The first
highlight was our visit to the small town of Lucignano. Every May the people there celebrate Maggiolata, which is a spring festival that
includes a parade of local dancers, musicians, and floats made of thousands of
flowers.
We weren’t
sure if the parade was going to happen this year because of pending rain. The folks from Lucignano proved to be hardier
than you can shake an umbrella at, because they carried on with the parade
despite the cold and wet conditions. However,
the parade usually circles the town four times (it’s a small town) but because
of the rain they only went around twice.
We took refuge
under the awning of a restaurant where Vicki had spotted an open outdoor table.
This was a great move not only because
we had a dry and comfortable perch from which to watch the parade, but also
because we ended up sharing wine, stories, and caffé with the people at the
adjoining table and the proprietors of the restaurant. All of this made for an uplifting and unforgettable
experience.
The next two
days we spent in Chianti where Vicki
took some time to chill out on a splendidly sunny afternoon, while Dana used his paintbrush to demonstrate his wry assessment of this country: “Italy: even our sheds
are beautiful!”
Meanwhile the
two of us went into the town of Greve to visit the museo del vino (wine museum) and to sample wine at a large
cantina. This place is one of a kind!
When you
enter you purchase an electronic card (like a debit card) that you take around
to the automatic wine and olive oil tasting stations set up around the cantina.
You insert the card into the machine, select the wine you want to taste, and
you receive a roughly 2 ounce taste of the wine. The cost of the taste, from .60 to 6.00 euros,
is deducted from your card. It was
fascinating. We felt like kids in a
candy store!! Since there was so much to
choose from we focused on the really expensive wines that we would never buy,
like a €150
Brunello. We would have tried even more
but Henry was the designated driver and the road back to the agriturismo was narrow and windy with many hairpin turns.
After Vicki
and Dana’s visit we had the pleasure of spending time with Gabriella’s aunt and
our friends Dennis and Lenita. We spent that
time here in Arezzo, where we had our final opportunity to show off our beloved
adopted home. Now that our guests and
the pope have returned to their respective homes, we are beginning to say our farewells
in the few remaining weeks we have before we return to Seattle.
