It is August in Italy. This means everybody goes on vacation and everything closes down...
As to fit in with the locals Tom, me and the blog adopted this custom...
I do apologize, I had all intentions of posting a few things during this period but never got a chance.
So here is the summary (summer-ree: the title...I thought it was cute). To catch up on everything that has happened I decided to give everyone a full recap of the summer events in words (and maybe a few pictures) then follow-up with 'picture posts' for each.
I guess so I don't lose track I should begin with an outline:
- My birthday holiday in Sicilia (Sicily)
- The Sant'Andrea Hotel
- A journey to Grammichele & Palagonia
- My birthday boat-ride and beach dinner
- Mt. Etna & the Murgo Winery
- Il Padrino - Castello degli Schiavi
- Misc...dining & adventures
- A visit from our friend Jessica
- A few days in Positano
- A trip back to the US (& The wedding of the year - Lisa & Steve)
 |
| View from our room at Sant'Andrea Hotel |
- The Sant'Andrea Hotel: Let's get started with an amazing, wonderful, beautiful, relaxing, sweet and did I say "Amazing" trip to Sicily for my birthday. Tom out-did himself with this trip. We stayed at an resort outside Catania in Taormina - Sant'Andrea Hotel. There are few words I can use to describe how wonderful this hotel is. If you ever get a chance to visit Sicily, I would definitely recommend this hotel. Let's do this the easy way: Accommodations - 5 Star, Services - 5 Star, Food - 5 Star, Weather - 5 Star. The hotel is located on Sant'Andrea's Bay - a small stretch of crystal blue water with a lovely rock beach. There is a hotel shuttle service that brings you up to the town of Taormina (you can also take a funicular up to town if you like - we did). I almost forgot... to get to the hotel from the airport we rented a car. I wanted to see what it was like to drive a Smart Car - so that's what we got. For its size it is nice and roomy but it has the pick-up of a bicycle with a flat tire. We were being passed by other cars, mopeds, bicycles, and some joggers. If you have lots of time to get nowhere - this is the car for you! The Smart car also has an 'Eco' function - this is used to save gas but also provides some good laughs. The way this function works is: when you stop at a light or a stop sign - the car turns off - then when you press the gas - the car starts again and moves... Very interesting but also disconcerting when you are not initially expecting it. Ok, back to the hotel and the rest of the vacation... After checking into the hotel, Tom had scheduled for us to have relaxing massages to kick-off our week (Niceeeeeeeeee). We then had an amazing lunch on the terrace restaurant overlooking Sant'Andreas Bay and topped of the afternoon with a great swim in the bay and an adventurous jump off of 'The Mountain' (you'll see - wait for the photos).
- A journey to Grammichele & Palagonia: So much to go through so I will move on... Considering Sicily is where my grandparents (my fathers parents) were from, we had to go see the villages where they were born... Grammichele & Palagonia. On Monday we took a leisurely drive (in the Smart car - leisurely is the only way you go) to the central area of the island to Granmichele. There was little information to work off of from my grandparents documents - the 'powers that be' back then didn't put addresses on anything. The closest we could get was a district they lived in the 'San Carlo' district. After getting there we realized that even addresses would not have done us very well - the 'village' they grew up in had turned into a small city/town. Everything was basically new or at least built in the last half of last century. It was a quiet pretty little place with not much going on. Being it was summer not many things were open and most people had fled to the shore for summer. We walked around and went into the main church of the area. That seemed to be the oldest building in the main square of the town. It was all very wonderful to see and to know that my grandparents had lived in that area over 100 years was just amazing! We spent a few hours walking around taking in the sights. We then went to the oldest cemetery in the area (built in 1817), we looked around and found many Umano's & Vaccaro's but nothing that fit the time-line based upon their documents. Maybe, after my language skills improve I will go back and see if I can dig up some more information on grandma & grandpa. After leaving Gramichele we drove to Palagonia - it similarly had 'grown up' after 100 years. To the historians of the family - sorry, not much to report. I am very glad we went and look forward to going back again someday. Ok, enough wandering down memory lane - we are here on vacation so let's vacate...
 |
| My birthday Dinner |
- My birthday boatride and beach dinner: What says 'Birthday' better than a sunny day, a private boat-ride, swimming in crystal blue water, a private dinner on the beach and being with Tom! I can't think of anything. I have to say - if this is what happens when I turn 49, I can't wait until 50... Tom sooooooooooo out-did himself! We woke up to a beautiful sunny day, the water was calm and there was a cool breeze. We took a leisurely walk down to beach where a small skiff shuttled us out to a gorgeous boat named Ariela. WOW! We left Sant'Andrea Bay cruised around Isola Bella, Giardini-naxos and stopped by the Grotta Azzurra for an afternoon swim/snorkel. The water was a magnificent blue/green, crystal clear, colorful fish swam all around and the temperature was warm but refreshing. It was so relaxing and I did not want it to end. We were out for about 4 hours - but all good things must come to an end. We took a final swim and were met by another skiff that brought us back to Sant'Andrea bay and our lovely hotel. What could beat our afternoon? Our evening! Tom worked with the hotel to have the beach cleared of most of the umbrellas and beach chairs to set-up an amazing table for two sitting directly on break of the beach. It was truly magical...we walked down the steps to the beach and everybody having cocktail were staring at us - wondering 'how do they rate' or 'who could that be'. Our waiter told us that this had never been done in the years he had worked for Sant'Andrea. We got to the table and a private menu was sitting on our place setting describing the delicacies we were about to enjoy and thoughtfully wishing me a personal Buon Compleanno (Happy Birthday). The dinner started with an amazing tower of fresh raw fish, a glass of Veuve Clicuot, then Insalata di Mare (seafood salad), then Paccheri (a type of pasta) with fresh mozzarella topped with a lobster salsa, the main course a beautiful fish (Rombo) stuffed with tomato, capers, swiss-chard served with sauteed spinach and to top off the dinner was an amazing sparkling cake made for me by the chef. We sat, we talked, we laughed, we remembered, and we simply enjoyed! I do not have to words to thank Tom for this most amazing and unforgettable birthday! I Love You is the only thing I can come up with. (As a side-note, two days later we saw another dinner being set up - we assumed upon seeing us, some wife nagged her husband until he had the hotel copy what Tom had done for me. That night we sat up on the terrace having frozen drinks looking down remembering at the other couple - and laughed).
 |
| The vineyard at Murgo Winery |
- Mt. Etna & the Murgo Winery: Since I was now 49 - we decided to see something older than me (No, not you Greg! heehee) - Mount Etna. A car picked us up in the morning and we drove about 45 minutes to the base of this majestic mountain/active volcano. Our driver parked the car and sent us on our merry way to the funicular/cable tran that brings you to the Mt. Etna base camp where you get in these huge land-rover-jeep-buses called funivies. The 'funivie' takes you up the rest of the way on long winding ash roads to about 9500 feet (2920 meters) - the total height of the mountain is 10,922 feet (3,329 meters) but you are not allowed to walk up that far. We had a great tour guide who explained each of the landmarks and the history of the mountain (in Italian, English and French). We walked along the two craters created by the 2007 eruption and still saw vents that were still venting smoke. This was a truly an awe inspiring journey - the pure size and power is truly amazing. During one of our guides explanations we heard a 'boom' - he told us that this happens all the time and we have to remember that eruptions can happen at any time. After finishing the tour we heading down the mountain met back up with our driver and started off for lunch and a wine tasting at a local Sicilian winery. We arrived at the Murgo Winery and sat to have lunch. No menu, no do you like this or that...they simply just bring out family style servings of homemade food. It is explained that they grown or produce almost all the ingredients used in making each of the dishes. We joked that Grandma must have really been slaving in the kitchen. The meal started with antipasta (homemade sausages, cheese and marinated vegetables), next on to a delicious garden salad, then the pasta course (a fresh lasagne and a penne with mixed vegetable), next a meat course (with baked fowl and a roasted pork loin dish) and no Italian meal would be complete without dessert (fresh berries with gelato and tiramisu). The meal itself was perfect but I think I forgot to mention that with all the courses they served us a fresh bottle of wine. A new bottle was opened for each wine and we could drink what we wanted. They started with a refreshing sparkling wine, then a crisp white, onto a light rose' and ending with and rich amazing red. After a relaxing cappuccino (and a cafe' for Tom) we went shopping! All the wines were good but the rose' was the best - it was fresh, crisp and easy to drink - so we had two cases delivered to the house in Rome. Let's keep this moving...
 |
| Me, Franco Platania & Tom at the Godfather house... |
- Il Padrino - Castello degli Schiavi: While waiting for the shuttle at the hotel to take us up to Taormina (the town) we met a lovely couple from Florida. They were in Sicily for a few days and then were heading to Rome. If memory serves, it was their anniversary or something. While speaking with them they asked if we had visited 'the Godfather house' - we had heard about it and Tom thought it would be fun but we didn't want to go on a 'mass' tour with many people. The couple told us that the hotel had arranged for them to go privately...hmmm... sounds right up our alley. After having a martini and a lovely dinner in Taormina we headed back to the hotel and asked them if a private tour was possible - they called and we had a Green light! We arrived in the afternoon at Castello degli Schiavi - this beautiful historic place was featured in all three of the Il Padrino (The Godfather) movies (I'll tell a Tom story at the end of this section). We were met at the front gate by a lovely older gentlemen named Franco Platania, he and his family have owned this castle and property for many generations. We parked the car and were led into the courtyard (were Abolonia was blown up in the car (GF1) and were Al Pucino dies of old age (GF3)). Franco then brought us to a small building, unlocked the door and brought us into the family chapel. Not being a religious person - I am still amazed with the beauty and history the chapel. Antique paintings, sculptures, and text all around us - just fascinating. He then brought us across the courtyard to another building off the main house. This building housed the Godfather history - after the filming was finished the film crew basically left - leaving behind cameras, clap-boards, sketch boards, and other equipment. On the walls were photos of Pacino, Scorsese, the whole film crew and Franco as a 20 something with his arm around Al Pucino. Wow! We then were led into an amazing basement the size of a full banquet hall - the walls were covered with huge paintings of family members and maps of Sicily through the years. Lastly, we were brought up into the house where Franco offered us homemade cookies and a glass of a Sicilian dessert wine. While enjoying our goodies he sat us in front of a TV and played us a short DVD that contained an anthology of the Godfather and Castello degli Schiavi. We must thank Franco for his kindness, hospitality and camera skills. In every section of the house he would take both my and Tom's camera and just start taking photos - he needed no instruction - it was obvious he had done this many times and knew how to work any camera. He even had us re-enact the Al Pucino dying scene in the courtyard...lots of fun!
- Misc...dining & adventures:
- The one thing that can be said about Sicily is that the Food is Amazing! We had many wonderful dinners - most of them a one place called La Tavernette. It was originally recommended to us by the hotel and after the first meal it was obvious we would be back and we were.
- I had my chanse to drive the car on our adventure to Castelmola. Castelmola is the highest point in Taormina. It is a lovely little town that we had visited on our cruise to Italy many years ago. The panoramic views from this town are just amazing.
- Another great view was from a nice hotel club in Taormina. Tom and I found it while walking through the town - it was about 5pm and decided a Martini was in order.
- Lastly, we were lucky enough to have fireworks on multiple nights during our visit. From what we are told a famous fireworks family does work for almost all wedding on the island (it seems there is a wedding everyday). From our balcony on the room we could see and hear them very clearly. It was a beautiful touch to a magnificent stay.
 |
| Jessica and the Swiss Guards at the Vatacan! |
A visit from our friend Jessica: Jessica is a dear friend from our days in New Jersey. She arrived on a Thursday and stayed with us for a week. She is a good Jewish girl and being such she brought us bagels and vodka! Who could ask for more... Jessica does a great deal of international travel, that being said she required no down time before hitting the cobble-roads running.
First we did "Ron's Grand Tour"...walking and busing around our little city. We went down to the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Chiesa di St.Ignazio, Piazza Colonna, il Vittoriano and then had a magnificent lunch at Antonino's. The day was long, it was hot but we had a great time.
Luckily, Jessica scheduled her trip to straddle a weekend so we had time to play with Tom...
On day was a relaxing trip to the beach for sun, wine and a great seaside lunch. The other day was great trip to Orvieto with a stop at Castel Della Sala winery for a tour and tasting. Jessica enjoys her wine so we thought she would enjoy that (I think she did - her luggage was filled with wine for the trip home).
The second half of her trip was filled with an adventure to Castel Gondolfo (the Pope's summer residence - something every good Jewish girl should do) and a dat trip to Florence to see the David and shop for leather. Castel Gondolfo was a beautiful day having lunch overlooking Lake Albano and walking around making fun of the Swiss guard uniforms. Florence was a leisurely train ride to gorgeous day of eating at the Golden View (overlooking the Ponte Vecchio), the Academia Museo (seeing the David - old and modern (you will not believe it when you see the pictures)) and shopping the local leather markets (we bought about 2 1/2 cows worth of leather). All-in-all a great time was had by all!
Filling in the free time - we did dinners at our favorite places...Fiora di Zucca and da Fortunata. We were really lucky to have our friend Diane Seed (chef and author) join us for dinner at da Fortunata.
We truly enjoyed having Jessica come stay with us and we hope that her international travels bring her back to us or close enough for a great adventure day somewhere in Europe. We hope she enjoyed her time with us at the BRS Europe!
 |
| Sunset view from our terrace at the Eden Roc! |
A few days in Positano: As a surprise my loving husband booked a 4 day weekend in Positano a trip of rest and relaxation! I was shocked and extremely happy he did this. I guess we have adjusted to our new surroundings and took most of August off like the rest of the city. We left early Friday morning for the beautiful ride down to Naple, across to Sorrento, down the Amalfi Coast ending up in the superb little town of Positano! Tom booked us into the Eden Roc Hotel and a beautiful suite with a terrace (and hot tub) overlooking the entire mountainside down to the sea and beaches. The hotel was amazing, the services fantastic and the location was the best ever.
Besides spending alone time with Tom in paradise we had to chance to visit, not just for a day, one of our favorite restaurants La Cambusa with one of our favorite waiters Marco. He was happy to see us and surprised it was not just for a day.
Tom also surprised me with daily massages (for both of us). So we would wake up in the morning, walk down to town or hang by the pool, have lunch at La Cambusa, walk back up the hill (to exercise off lunch), have a wonderful, painful, relaxing massage and then rest (or a hot tub) before some great dinners.
It was a totally decadent week - and totally needed.
After three days in paradise we drove back Monday morning - Tom went to work and started getting ready for our next adventure - a trip back to the US to visit Richmond, Tom's Mom, some of our friends, and then my niece Lisa's wedding in DC.
 |
| Hanging with Angi, Maya, Tabitha, Rich & Daniel in Richmond! |
A trip back to the US (& The wedding of the year - Lisa & Steve): The end of the month has drawn near and we are now ready to head back to the US for a week. Unfortunately, we did not book a direct flight home so we went through CDG (Paris). We were up at 4am and headed to the airport...little did we know that we would be traveling for over 20 hours that day. I will leave out the gory details - lets just say in future "Direct flights only". That evening about 6-7pm ET we finally made it to our accommodations at the Barrington Resort & Spa (US). The horrible day of travel melted away upon seeing our house, Tabitha, Sunny, Frieda and Frisco. Tabitha greeted us with Martinis (I have to remember to mention the great service proved on Trip Advisor), Frieda with a big kiss, Sunny with a cute cuddle and Frisco with a sneer (something like - oh more people in my house). I was great to be home! That night was a relaxing dinner at the diner, catching up and then vegging in front of our big screen TV!
I found myself saying: The US - the land of big cars and even bigger coffees! (Wow - what a difference after being away for 8 months).
The next day started with a trip to Daily Grind to see our good friends Sam, Allison and their family (the proprietors of our favorite coffee and lunch shop in Richmond) - and of course a LARGE AMERICAN COFFEE (oh how I miss that!). The remainder of the day was running errands and getting ready for dinner with Tom's Mom (Georgia). It was great seeing Georgia. She is doing really well and is in great spirits! To mark this occasion we headed over to the Jefferson Hotel for a magnificent dinner at Lamaire. As always the food was superb, the service wonderful and the company great!
Tuesday night we had the opportunity (thank you Angi) to get together with Angi, Maya and Tabitha for dinner. Angi recommended at new restaurant in Richmond with a fabulous steak - Arcadia. She was not wrong! The steak was amazing - juicy, cooked perfectly and able to cut with a fork! Don't get me wrong...the company made the evening but the food was good too! After dinner we hit a few bars, had a few drinks and met some new friends (old friends to Angi but new to us).
The remainder of the stay in Richmond was filled with doing errands, another dinner with Georgia, meeting Georgia's aid and trying to relax before heading to DC for the wedding...
Friday morning we headed back up to DC (where we flew into) to Alexandria for the wedding of the first of our nieces and nephews - Lisa. Lisa is the second oldest daughter of my second oldest brother Gene. She has been dating her now husband Steve for 7 years...don don dahhhhhh...now the big day! Steve is great guy and they have one child (a dog named General). The wedding was being held at a hotel in Alexandria - the Monaco! A cute little place in a cute little town. Shops that line the streets leading down to a magnificent harbor on the Potomac. Everybody with their dogs wandering around window shopping or sipping a cafe in a cafe! Just adorable!
Upon arrival Tom & I checked in and then decided to go for a walk... We ended up down by the harbor when we ran into the majority of my brother Gene's family. All my nieces and nephews (minus Lisa - I presume she was busy) and my brother's Ex-wife Ida. It great seeing everybody. Everybody looked wonderful! We were amazed how my nephews have gotten so tall - each definitely over 6 foot. It was weird to look up at them - but I guess we will need to get used it. A few minutes later my brother Gene and his wife Noreen joined the group - in usual 'Ron fashion' - I mention how old Gene is looking (I was joking).
The next morning we had promised my mother that we would take her and Dad to visit with his sister Nicki (who just turned 95 - God Bless). She lives in Maryland so we thought to go visit and have lunch before heading back for the wedding that evening. My brother Mike and his wife Judy joined us for the trip. Upon arrival we were greeted by my cousin Terry, her brother Richard, his wife Jen, and our Aunt Nicki! It was so nice to see the family - it is a shame we do not see them more often. We had a wonderful lunch at Applebees, talked and caught up. I talked and shared pictures, with Dad and Aunt Nicki, of our recent trip to Sicily and the towns their parents grew up. Thanks to Mike & Judy for lunch! After lunch we headed over to Terry's house on the bay to sit and talk for a little while longer. She has a lovely house and we thank her for her hospitality!
We all had a great time but it was time to head back for the wedding...
It started to rain on our drive back to Alexandria but they do say that is good luck on a wedding day!
After a short rest, a shower and a clothing change we were ready for the evenings festivities! Let the Wedding begin!
Because of the rain they decided to move the service inside from the courtyard - I must say the wedding folks at the Monaco did a great job of making a quick change - they actually had the dining room set - then they moved everything over to one side, closed a pocket door and set up a wonderful area for the wedding to take place.
In true wedding style...we all took our seats, the music began and the groom was escorted down the aisle by both his Mom & Dad. Next the wedding party made their way down the aisle two-by-two. The grooms-men were wearing tuxes with smart blue ties and the brides-maids were wearing comfortable by elegant black dresses (I actually think they could wear these outfits after the wedding - good choice Lisa). Finally, everything got quiet and the wedding march began - my brother started down the aisle with his daughter on his arm - Lisa was wearing a beautiful white satin strapless gown perfectly fitted to her amazing body with a small train of satin rosettes. SHE LOOKED AMAZING! The ceremony was short and sweet - both Lisa and Steve wrote their own Vows and recited them to each other and the group! Both heartfelt and lovely with a touch of humor - Bravo!
After the ceremony the cocktail hour began - it was a great time see and talk to members of the family we have not seen in a long time. The funniest thing was telling people that we lived in Rome. One person, who will remain nameless because we love her and do not wish to embarrass her, asked where we were living - we told her Rome - she replied Rome New York - WHY? (saying it she had a look of 'yuck' on her face). We corrected her with no, laugh, Rome Italy - then she smiled and we discussed all the loveliness that is Italy!
Next was dinner and dancing - I will keep this short and sweet... The food was amazing (and coming from me that means something), the DJ was great - he kept everybody dancing and having a good time (the pictures will show you that) and everything looked elegant and wonderful! I do have to say I have never seen so many men wearing their ties on their heads in a very long time. Bravo again!
Our trip has now come to an end - it is time we start heading back to our adopted home...
Again, next time - "Only Direct Flights" - we were delayed getting out of DC which made us late to our connection in Paris - which ultimately allowed our luggage to spend a few days in Paris while we were transported back to Rome! Ahhh...Spit happens!
All is good here - it's funny to think that one year ago my parents were here visiting - wow - how time flies...
Settling back into life - the Romans are slowly coming back to the city but it still very quiet (thank goodness). Tom is back to work and the insanity!
For now I think I have given everybody enough to read. Remember, the photos for all the above events will be posted to the subsequent posts in order as listed. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!
We send love to all our friends and family!
Abbracci a tutti!
Ron & Tom
