Winter Travel Scare

Our kids completed their mid-term tests - school is out – the winter break is here! Time for our kids to return to the US for a nice, long visit with their dad, family and friends!

We took our kids to Fiumicino Saturday morning. At check in, we discovered from the manager of the USAir counter, that they would only agree to assist our kids as unaccompanied minors as far as Philadelphia – they wouldn’t guarantee the kids would have coverage on their other two flights (out of Philadelphia and Chicago) across the balance of the U.S. Once she found out our daughter was 15, she actually discouraged us from filling out the paperwork. We were surprised, as we had gone online and read the requirements regarding unaccompanied minors. There wasn’t any language despairing between international coverage to domestic.

Our daughter eagerly agreed she could accompany her brother, without an escort to their destination. They were flying business class, so they would be monitored. And since she has traveled between Italy and the US a few times, she’s paid attention in case she was faced with a similar situation.

We reluctantly agreed to allow the kids to fly without an escort. Our kids are experienced in airports, our daughter had mastered the Metro lines and buses in Rome, and she wanted to prove she was responsible enough. We called family in Chicago, to let them know if an issue arrived, we would need assistance. We also have family in Philadelphia (once removed - via our Italian family), if need be.

In the US, when our kids fly as unaccompanied minors, we escort them through security, to the gate and remain at the gate until the flight takes off. Those are the rules. In Rome, we weren’t even allowed through security. We checked them in, gave them hugs and kisses and away they went.

My husband and I had planned to drive to Gubbio, Italy to see the largest Christmas “tree” in the world. The “tree” consists of a bunch of large colorful lights, hung strategically up the side of the hill behind Gubbio. We slipped and slid our way on foot outside of town to take a few pictures. It’s quite lovely. Gubbio also has a life-sized presepe spread throughout the old town, which is fun to walk through.

As we were eating dinner, we knew the kids were supposed to have landed in Philadelphia, it was an hour past their scheduled landing time and we hadn’t heard from them. We also knew from our own international flights, especially during the holidays, a plane could easily arrive late. However, we kept my husband’s cell phone on the table.

At 9:45 p.m., we received a call from our daughter. Their plane had landed in Pittsburgh, not Philadelphia, to refuel. The weather in Philly had deteriorated and they didn’t know if they were accepting flights. The pilot announced they were waiting for instructions from the USAir flight control.

I told our daughter that they would be fine and they would have to wait until the pilot gave them additional information before we could do anything.

10:06, our daughter called to say they were refueling and de-icing and were going to try to go to Philadelphia. We immediately began to worry. It was past 4:00 in the afternoon in Philly, it was only going to become colder and icier.

We left the restaurant, returned to our hotel, hooked up our computer and started looking for customer service telephone numbers, reviewing possible flights, etc.

10:23, our daughter called to say they were flying to Charlotte, North Carolina, where the weather was better.

10:26, text asking about flights from Charlotte to home.

10:47, call, not going to Charlotte, going to Philadelphia.

10:50, text flying to Charlotte for sure. Back and forth, back and forth…

10:51, call, our daughter told a flight attendant she was 15, her brother is 12 and they were flying solo. The attendant said they would be looked after. We asked if we could talk with the attendant, but our daughter said no, she was too busy.

11:01, call, asking for us to find flights from Charlotte to home.

During all of these calls and texts, we also were talking and texting with my ex-husband, who was on his computer looking for flights. He was also talking with the kids, joking with them, reassuring them everything would be fine.

We looked at flights from Charlotte to other destinations, where they could link up with flights home – it didn’t look good. Charlotte isn’t exactly a busy hub for flights to the Pacific Northwest. We couldn’t even get them to Las Vegas - I thought every airport had regular flights to Vegas! At this hour, they’d miss the flight to Los Angeles, where my brother lives. We were very frustrated.

11:53, call, refueling and de-icing complete, leaving the gate for take off.

12:05 a.m., sneaked a text to us, still hadn’t taken off for Charlotte.

12:15, text, plane had iced over, staying in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh?

12:18, call, sitting on the plane, waiting for Customs to accept the flight. A flight from Paris had arrived and was being processed first.

We haven’t family, friends, or any contacts in Pittsburgh. We knew the airline would look after the kids, but utter helplessness set in.

I wanted to try to fly to my kids, but knew the weather wasn’t going to improve. We were in Gubbio, which had about six inches of snow and was completely iced over. We could barely walk down the street without slipping and couldn’t even drive our car. It was awful. My stress level was running very high and I was having to hold back tears. We all started looking at flights out of Pittsburgh and tried calling airlines.

12:43, call, still waiting for Customs to accept them.

1:22, call, finally going through Customs passport inspection.

1:56, call, still waiting for baggage to complete Customs inspection.

2:00, call, our daughter was starting to lose it. The reality of her situation had set in and she wasn’t comfortable not having a family member or friend to rely on in Pittsburgh. I had to do a stern pep talk that Mom’s never like to do. Stay strong. You have an attendant looking after you. Don’t worry. USAir wants you to go home and they want you safe. Everyone is doing everything they can. You are going to be fine. Take care of your brother. We love you.

2:25, call, finished Customs inspection and now grouped with 3 other unaccompanied minors. They were all in a staff lounge, in the airport, to spend the night. An attendant was bringing them dinner. A representative was going to talk with the kids about new itineraries. We asked our daughter if we could talk with an adult, but she said no, everyone was going in multiple directions.

At this point, my husband and I decided to turn off the computer. There wasn’t a flight we could book. We couldn’t talk to any airline – the international offices were closed, it’s not possible to call a 1-800 number from Italy and we couldn’t get through to any airline office in the US by calling direct. There were too many travelers stranded.

2:45, call, could we schedule a flight out in the morning? We had to tell our daughter, no. It was up to USAir. We would gladly talk to whomever to schedule a flight, but we couldn’t get through to any airline –and- none of us could predict the weather. They were going to have to sit tight, try to relax and try to sleep.

3:45, call, a USAir representative said the kids would be on 4 flights tomorrow, but they would arrive at their destination. 4 flights…

4:20, text, reviewed routes for tomorrow with USAir representative. Down to 2 flights, departing at 6:10 a.m. Thankfully!

11:00 a.m., we called our daughter, it was 5:00 a.m. in Pittsburgh, and the kids wanted a wake up call. They had slept and were in good spirits. They were going home! Hopefully, this ordeal would be over soon.

And it was – for our family. Our travel-warrior-kids arrived home, safe and sound, with baggage, and remarkably, only 14 hours later than expected. USAir did a fabulous job taking care of our kids – we feel truly blessed. I wish we could have talked to someone, to have a name, to thank them personally.

There are so many people in the U.S. and Europe, stranded. We hope their travel ordeals will be over soon. We wish everyone safe passage to their holiday destinations!

'Tis the Season

“What will you shop for while in Rome?” I was asked this question a time or two before we left and I would always reply, “I plan to shop for my husband!”

I don’t care where you’re from or where you’ve been – the clothing produced in Italy is the finest in all of the world. Period. No arguing! This is my blog…

And shopping for men in Italy is an absolutely, heavenly experience.

First of all, Italians know how to dress a window. They have an experienced eye for color combinations, layering of textures, and merchandising multiple brands. Window-shopping is a favorite Italian pastime and a true art form.

Our favorite window destination in Rome is Cosimo Colonna. They understand how to catch a pedestrian’s eye and we always look forward to a destination close by so we can stroll past their latest creations. Cosimo Colonna exclusively carries quality Italian brands for men, many not found in the U.S. The sales staff are professional and efficient, and a tailor is always available. We’ve only been disappointed twice, when cashmere sweaters weren’t available in my husband’s size.

Right around the corner is a shop where we’ve spent a fair amount of time – Davide Cenci. The Cenci windows, which have been dressed since 1926, aren’t as beautiful as Cosimo Colonna’s, but they offer eye candy all the same. Cenci carries men’s and women’s clothing, shoes and accessories. The sales staff are skilled at helping you coordinate from their various departments, if needed, and tailoring is available. They offer their own line of gorgeous, quality clothing along with other Italian designers and a more inexpensive line – Ralph Lauren (Italians love Ralph Lauren, but we boycott it as it’s all made in China. Blech!) I haven’t made any purchases at Cenci for myself, but we’ve found some choice items for my husband.

Another favorite is Brunello Cucinelli. Cucinelli doesn’t offer a classic Italian dressed window – this company is very young and modern by Italian standards, however, the light filled space drips with luxurious cashmere textures, sure to draw you in. You can’t help but want to touch each and every item offered in the store. I know, because I’ve done it – more than once. When stepping into Cucinelli, you feel as if you’ve stepped into someone’s home. The staff are friendly and I think I could secretly live comfortably in the store for a short period of time. Cucinelli offers men's and women's clothing. Unfortunately, I don't know if there is a tailor, as we've never needed one.

We’ve never had so much visual fun when shopping. And Spring windows will soon be on the way!

Rome Recycles!

In my hometown, in the good ole’ U.S.A., everyone recycles. We recycle our paper, glass, metal, plastic, yard debris and food waste. We are even able to recycle paper towels and used pizza boxes with the food waste –and- our city banned Styrofoam take out containers, so many restaurants use compostable containers, which can go into the food waste bins as well!

We recycle our clothes. We have clothing exchange parties, we give clothes to friends and we donate clothing to charities. Our tennis shoes are recycled, via the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program. Nike grinds up the shoes and makes new sport surfaces – running tracks, tennis courts and new playgrounds. Patagonia and Hanna Andersson have clothing recycle programs as well.

We also have specific locations for recycling hazardous materials or items that aren’t able to be recycled through the city program. We’re all proud that our actual garbage bins barely contain any waste.

Then we move to Rome. Every bit of our trash was put into the garbage bin. It was an awful shock! Our plastic water bottles, our metal espresso cans, our fresh pasta clamshells, everything, in the garbage. All of a sudden, we felt the enormity of the waste we were producing on a daily basis and a cloud of guilt settled around us.

We asked Sabrina and Katia, of @Home (our wonderful property agents/problem solvers/guides to our life in Rome) if they were aware of recycling programs. They assured us, yes, some neighborhoods had it and we’d have it before too long.

That brought us a bit of relief from our guilt, so we began sorting out our glass and plastic, just to make ourselves feel like we were making some kind of contribution. Maybe it would be sorted somewhere? We also starting storing paper bags, for the day they would be able to be recycled.

Notices went up mid-November in our building that beginning December 1, our very own recycling program would begin! AMA delivered - door-to-door - containers, color-coded bags and a pamphlet outlining items that could be recycled. Oh joy - the cloud of guilt has cleared! It’s kinda like being back in my hometown!

Natale in a Roma (Birth In the City of Rome)

Italians (Catholics) take seriously Natale, the birth of Jesus. (Photo taken inside Santa Maria del Popolo - all Catholic churches in Italy display a Nativity scene.) Thusly, there are quite a few traditional celebrations between December 6 and January 6. Family gathers together for the majority of the festivities, as most Italians assume friends will be with their family.

To kick things off, December 6, La Festa di San Nicola (Feast Day of St. Nicolas.) There’s not a lot of pomp and circumstance associated with this day, just a lot of feasting. Works for me!

On December 8, all of Italy takes a national holiday to celebrate L’Immacolate Concezione (Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception.) Schools and banks are closed, there’s no governmental work… Those who are Catholic, attend church, those in Rome may go to Piazza di Spagna to hear the Pope’s annual message, and everyone is at home, assembling their Nativity scene (presepe or presepio) while feasting on traditional dishes of their region with their family.

Piazza Navona is the sight of the grand Natale market, which is in full operational swing by Immaculate Conception. There are stalls filled with Nativity decorations, Befana stockings, and traditional Italian Natale treats – Torrone, Ciambella, Nociata and Croccante, which will bring the best behaved bambini to tears if treats aren’t purchased for immediate consumption!

There are also shops around Piazza Navona that during the year, sell religious artifacts, but during Natale, sell Nativity scenes. The most desired are scenes carved from wood and hand painted in Italy.

We went to Sala de Bramante, behind and under Santa Maria del Popolo, to view a very large display (over 100) of Nativity scenes from all over the world. Most were made of traditional materials (wood, clay, glass and metal), but some were made with recycled materials, which was fun to see -and- one was made entirely of rice and pasta! They ranged in size from full size (carved wood from Germany) to wee tiny, miniscule scenes to view with a magnifying glass (porcelain from Campania, Italy). My favorite was a raku ceramic set from Croatia. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to sneak a photo as security was tight!

In the crypt of Santi Ambrogio e Carlo al Corso, there is a wonderful display of miniature holiday scenes made by artists from all over Italy. They were all quite small, with intricate details – little handmade woodworking tools in the wood workers workshop, tiny copper pots with tiny wooden spoons in the tiled kitchen, and wee stalls of food in the itty-bitty markets. I stole a few pictures on my iPhone (over two years old, generation one, but works for me!), so please excuse the quality.

La Vigilia (The Vigil - Christmas Eve), December 24, brings the very traditional Festa dei Sette Pesci (Feast of Seven Fishes.) Italians fast by not consuming red meat. A feast of at least seven seafood/fish dishes doesn't exactly sound like a fast to me. When in Rome... Each region serves their own traditional seafood dishes. Typical dishes found in Rome are octopus salad with oranges, olives and fennel; pasta with a tuna and tomato sauce; deep fried calamari; shrimp risotto; baccalà; mussels stuffed with breadcrumbs and broiled; baked lobster; fried smelts; and baked fish encased in a salt crust. I won’t be preparing the popular eel dish: Capitone. A large, live female eel is brought home, skinned, then fried, or grilled, or baked. Not gonna happen by my hands.

In Rome, at sunset, a cannon at Castel Sant’Angelo will be fired to announce Vigilia di Natale (Vigil of Birth [Christmas]) Catholic families may attend a midnight mass celebration, if in Rome many go to Piazza San Pietro to hear the Pope’s annual message. We haven’t decided where we’ll be just yet - church or the Piazza. I'm afraid I won't be able to walk after my fast!

Christmas Day, December 25, is another feast day, however, families eat red meat after Christmas Eve's fast of all fish and seafood. There isn’t an exchange of gifts on this day. At 12:00 noon, the Pope appears in Piazza San Pietro to bless the crowd. If a Catholic family didn't go to church Christmas Eve, they'll go on Christmas Day. Generally, it’s a quiet day of reflection with one’s family. As if you haven’t spent enough time with them by now…

December 26, La Festa di Santo Stefano (Feast Day of St. Stephen’s) marks the arrival of the Three Wise Men and the announcement of the birth of Jesus. Yet, another feast day, with the family, no dietary restrictions, and not a lot of pomp and circumstance.

On December 31, family and friends gather together to celebrate La Festa di San Silvestro (Feast Day of St. Sylvester), also known as New Years Eve. Lentil dishes are eaten to symbolize money and good fortune for the coming year. Many will play Tombola, which is similar to Bingo, and many will dance. Fireworks are displayed in every town and many piazzas will hold bonfires. We won’t be in Rome, but we’ve heard Piazza del Popolo is where the party is at!

January 1, Il Capodanno (New Year’s Day), in Rome is celebrated with a grand parade to Piazza San Pietro, to receive the Pope’s New Year’s Day blessing. Yes, another quiet feast day with the family, no dietary requirements…

Finally… we arrive at January 6, La Festa dell’Epifania (The Epiphany). This is the oldest of the Christmas feasts and is also known as Three Kings Day. Catholic families go to church on this day. Families who can stand to be with one another after all of these feasts and festivities will gather for a gift exchange.

January 6 is also known as La Befana. It is customary in Italy for children to receive candy and gifts in their stockings from Befana, the old woman (who looks like a witch – with a broomstick and everything!) The story goes: Befana was the best housekeeper in her village. When the Three Wise Men stopped to ask her if she knew where baby Jesus was, she said no, however, they were welcome to stay at her home to refresh for their journey ahead. The next morning, the Three Wise Men asked Befana to join them. She declined (I’m guessing because they made such a big mess of her clean home! Have you ever heard of a clean camel? Come on…) Later that evening, she changed her mind and tried to find the Wise Men and baby Jesus, but couldn’t. So to this day, Befana flies all over on her broom, searching for baby Jesus. She leaves treats for all of the children, in case they are baby Jesus.

Mira, my wonderful Italian language instructor, rolled her eyes and made some Italian hand gestures when talking about all of the feast days with the family. She said everyone is good and sick of one another by the time Epiphany rolls around.

January 7, the Nativity scene’s are packed up and put away, all the kids go back to school and the winter sales begin. Sounds like an official Feast Day to me!

Thanksgiving Weekend in Normandy, France

The reason I haven’t been as fluent with my posts – our family went to France during the American four-day Thanksgiving weekend in November. I left a little piece of my heart (and apparently, my productivity) in the absolutely breathtaking countryside of Normandy.

I’m so very thankful my husband and I choose Normandy as our destination. Normandy was on the top of our list, as our son has been begging us for the last three and a half years to please, take him to Normandy (yes, worthy of bold –and- italics!) None of us have ever been to Normandy, we both have family members who landed on the beaches on D-Day (and thankfully, survived!), and we were ready for a bit of French cuisine.

Our only disappointment: we arrived in the off-season. Many shops, restaurants and places of interest were either closed or operating on limited hours. Totally our fault, however, we were able to see almost everything we hoped to.

The next morning, we jumped into our rental car and drove out into the most gorgeous, green countryside that is Normandy. It was easy to see how Monet, Renoir and the many French artists were inspired to paint the lush landscapes surrounding them. We arrived at Chateau d’Audrieu, our elegant, home away from home, for the next four days. We chose the Chateau, as it was centrally located to the sights we hoped to see and offered a dining room, which turned out to be fortuitous on our part.

We then drove out to Omaha Beach. It was the most perfect location for a family to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day. I tear up just thinking about it. Our family members and thousands more sacrificed so much for us all to live the life we are fortunate enough to be living. It was a bit overwhelming, and I wouldn’t have traded places with anyone, anywhere on Thanksgiving Day.

The Chateau has a very comfortable bar where we relaxed with our first taste of the local apple cider. The kids were thrilled to be able to have Shirley Temple’s! Then we wandered into the dining room for our nightly feast. We ate the grandest meals, with dessert, every night. I’m glad we only had four days scheduled, as I would have gained massive amounts of weight if I had stayed!

Giorgio, our server, took such good care of us our entire visit. He’s originally from Brazil, lived and worked in Sun Valley, Idaho for a while, married a French gal and has made a home for them and their two-year old in the Normandy countryside. My daughter asked Giorgio if there were ghosts in the Chateau, as it was such an old residence. He made one up for her, but then told us later, no, he was just storytelling. Then my daughter started telling us all of these stories about these haunted hotels she would watch on the Travel Channel. Very spooky!

Well that first night, we woke up to a fire alarm at 2:00 a.m. There was no sign of fire in our floor of our wing. A ghost? We called the front desk, but they had retired for the night, and a message told us to call another number. I called the number and while I was trying to converse with a French woman regarding our situation, our kids came to our room. We decided to go, together, on a tour. A door opened all on its own. A ghost? No, an automatic door for the kitchen staff. Thankfully, we bumped into a hotel employee. It was a windy night so the smoldering fireplace in the lobby created enough of a fuss to set off the fire alarm. We all went back to bed. No ghosts!

Sainte-Mère-Église was the first town we went to, as it’s the sight of a costumed replica of Private John Steele, a paratrooper who was caught on the church spires on D-Day, played dead, and lived –and- home of Musee Airborne. The town was very quiet, just about everything was closed for the winter, but we were able to tour the small, 12^th century Catholic Church and museum. We were shocked by the flimsy material that covered the Waco Glider. I would have been terrified to be in that plane! They have done a great job displaying the many items and artifacts our service men and women needed while deployed.

We drove to Carentan, and toured Notre-Dame de Carentan, an 11^th century Catholic Church. Carentan is a small, bustling, French town, filled with typical French merchants. They had hung lights for Noël in the streets and the storefronts were festively decorated. There were no big box stores – well maybe out on the périmètre. We enjoyed our brief experience in that charming town!

Then, into Bayeux. We were hoping to see the 920-year old, famous Tapisserie de Bayeux, a 20-inch by 230 foot long embroidered linen, depicting the events leading up to, and including, the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror. It was not to be. The museum had closed for the day. So, as usual, we walked over to Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux, consecrated in 1077. Unfortunately, there was an event in the church, so we were only able to stand in the back to marvel at its beauty.

Saturday, we drove out to a stunning Mont-Saint-Michel. There were inhabitants living on Mont-Saint-Michel in the 6th century. In the 8^th century, a monastic order built a chapel and since, layer upon layer has been built over that original site and massive fortifications have surrounded the island. It’s a glorious view as you cross the saltwater marshes of the low lands. We spent a somewhat wet day touring, and stopped for lunch at a very festive La Mère Poulard. We ate dishes typical in the region – omelet with fresh mushrooms, lamb (which grazed in the salt marsh), apple tarte tatin, apple cider – yumm!

We returned to the Chateau and a brisk walk was taken around the town. We learned a very sad story on a memorial plaque in the village. The back acreage of our Chateau was the site of 19 Canadian POW’s, gunned down by Nazi troops on June 14 – a week after D-Day had begun. The countryside of Normandy is amazingly beautiful, with many sad stories in each and every town.

Sunday morning, we sadly bid Adieu to the Chateau staff and went to the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Over 9,000 service people who were killed during WWII are buried there. It’s a peaceful final resting place, overlooking Omaha Beach and the Atlantic Ocean.

I don’t know when we will return to Normandy, but I’m hopeful we will someday soon.

Cookies!

Anyone who knows me, knows, I like to bake. I bake lots of pumpkin and apple pies, panettone, various cookies – whatever suits my family’s fancy at the time. Or, whatever is needed for a volunteer effort – bake sale, auction dessert table, etc.

So here I am, in Rome and I haven’t been baking. Quite honestly, the reason I don’t bake – we are tempted and surrounded by amazing panifici, or i forni (bakeries).

In the States, I never differentiated between cookies. A cookie was a cookie. I rarely ate one for breakfast – they were purely an afternoon sweet tooth fix or after dinner treat. And it didn’t matter what kind of cookie it was.

Not in Rome.

We have special cookies for each meal. Lucky us! Cookies for dipping in your cappuccino in the morning, cookies for solving the afternoon sweet tooth, cookies to be served with white, red or sweet wine. And don’t think they are interchangeable - because they’re not as far as an Italian is concerned. (And I’ve tried, and have to agree with the Italians!)

We were first introduced to the Zaleti cookie while browsing the famous Jewish bakeries in the Cannaregio neighborhood in Venice. Zaleti are made with an equal blend of corn flour and wheat flour, with plenty of butter and eggs to make it perfect for dunking in your morning cappuccino. In the Jewish neighborhood in Rome, we have wonderful bakeries as well. We were lucky enough to find a similar cookie, but in the shape of a ‘S’ and thusly, branded, Essi. (It’s also called Buranei, from the island of Burano, next to Venice.)

What makes Essi cookies perfect for cappuccino is they don’t crumble into a slobbery mess after being dunked a time, or two. However, Essi are not rock hard either, they are soft in the middle. And they are not overly or underly (new word!) sweet. When we run out of these cookies, without SOMEONE mentioning we are down to the last of them, I’m not happy.

For an afternoon sweet tooth, we adore Bocconcini. They are a mound of deliciousness. Firm on the outside, but soft and sweet on the inside. Our favorite is Pistachio. At our neighborhood bakery, Al Forno, they also make Pinoli, (pine nut), Brutti (means ugly, ground hazelnut), and Mandorle (almond). These cookies cannot be dunked in cappuccino, as they’ll melt in the hot liquid, nor dunked in wine, as they don’t taste good.

Chocolate Chip Ciambelloni is our kid’s favorite cookie. They are a nice circular shape, firm, but not crisp or soft, puffed to the middle, and delicious with milk. Perfect after lunch!

Ciambelline al Vino (not to be confused with Ciambelloni) are a crisp round cookie with a hole in the middle, coated with sugar crystals, made with either red or white wine. The dark Ciambelline is to be dunked in red wine and the light in white. And coming from one who has never dunked a cookie in wine, Ciambelline makes it an easy ritual, if desired. Again, they don’t crumble into a muddy mess, but they will melt into the hot liquid of a cappuccino, and as they are quite light, they aren’t satisfying for breakfast.

Another favorite are the Cantucci della Toscana, which are dunked in Vin Santo, a sweet, dessert wine. Many almond biscotti recipes in the States are similar to the Cantucci, but lack the richness of the cookie made here. I’m sure it has something to do with eggs and butter. Doesn’t everything good have to do with eggs and butter?

There are countless cookies in Italia, just like in the States. I’m looking forward to adding more varieties to our pantry!

Inquiring Minds Want To Know, Volume I

We've been in Rome for 3 months, as of today! We're all doing well and looking forward to experiencing Natale (Christmas) in Italia. I've received really good questions from family and friends (everyone is concerned about my finding pecans), so thought it efficient to answer all of the questions with this post.

1. We haven’t yet found a dedicated farmer/provider of organic meat. Our local grocery store, Di Per Di, carries organic chicken, which we’re very thankful for!

2. Yes, we found pecans at Castroni. The largest Castroni store is about a half mile away on Via Cola di Rienzo. We love that store! It carries a lot of international items (not a lot of American items) not found in Italian grocery stores/markets.

3. We did find sweet potatoes! On our way to Castroni, there is a single fruit and vegetable purveyor, who carries sweet potatoes. Whenever we go to Castroni, we stop and buy some. We don’t even have to say a word, we just hand the potatoes to the purveyor and they immediately speak English to us, because only Americans buy sweet potatoes.

4. No, we’re not doing as much volunteer work here as we do at home. We volunteer at the kid’s school (family picnic, teacher appreciation and Mayfair in the spring) and we are volunteering at our church’s annual charity auction next month. No, I’m not taking a lead role in the auction, but I am assisting with decorations and set up.

5. We’re not worried about security, but we are cautious. We live on the third floor of our building, which is secured – no one enters without a key. Our apartment has double doors, which are reinforced with metal and four metal deadbolts. We also have a huge safe (I can fit into it!) to store our passports, jewelry, etc. Rome is a very safe city. Violent crime is very rare. Children are prized in Italy, so we don’t worry about the safety of our kids, however, we do escort them to and from their bus stops, and there is another set of parents at our bus stop as well. Yes, we’ve allowed our son to have a Facebook, as all of the kids over here have it. When you live internationally, it is the most efficient and economic way for family and friends to keep in touch. All of the security settings are in place on FB for our kids, and we are friends with our kids, so we can monitor their friends and activity. They Gypsy population has decreased from previous visits, but the old women still beg and Termini can be sketchy, but overall, no issues.

6. Thankfully, the kid’s school hasn’t had issues with H1N1! The virus is in Italy, a handful of people have died, but it’s almost a non-issue over here. Maybe because our weather is still so warm? None of us have been vaccinated.

7. Yes, we had friends visit us for 10 days in October. My husband’s cousin and his wife (who live in Germany) will be with us for Christmas. Mid-March my mom and her bestie will visit for a few weeks. We’ve also had dinner with a few friends who have traveled into Rome, which has been a lot of fun!

8. We don’t plan to go to Africa. We may go to Morocco this spring, but are still firming up our spring travel schedule. On our list: Normandy beaches next week for Thanksgiving, Paris (no kids!) the week following Christmas, continued weekend trips in Italy, and hopefully, Greece and Spain before June. We hope there will be additional school trips for the kids!

9. We are not planning on staying another year, contrary to our daughter’s writing on her Facebook page. She wishes she could stay another year, as does my husband, but the kid’s father wouldn’t allow another year, and I’m very sensitive to their long separation.

10. At this point, our son is not playing sports with any of the local clubs. Baseball starts in October and goes until June. That was too large of a commitment for us (practice twice a week, games on weekends). His soccer skill level is improving, but when he arrived, he would have struggled playing with a local club. In Rome, the city doesn’t organize sports teams. Neighborhoods organize a club, you pay their dues (500 euro or more), pay for your equipment (sports equipment is very expensive over here!), pay for the travel and you’re a member of their club. We haven’t heard about a club basketball team in our neighborhood yet. He plays sports at school on his lunch break and will join after school sports after the winter break, which he’s satisfied with, although he misses his teammates back home!

11. We knew before moving over here, we’d make few friends. We’ve been honest and told people we will be in Rome until June, so most families don’t want to get too close. Also, many families are embassy (American and many other countries!) families, which can be disrupting for them. We have a new American Ambassador to Italy, so there’s been a lot of change. With the kid’s school, our language school and our church, we have ample opportunities to socialize.

12. The buying power of the U.S. becomes very apparent in Italy. Prices for everything are much better in the U.S. than over here - clothing, household items, shoes, jewelry, etc. The dollar to euro ratio isn’t great, however, we’ve experienced worse. Knowing we were coming over here, we bought large amounts of euro, when the ratio was better. The changing markets don’t adversely affect us.

13. Lastly, thank you for all of the offers, but please don’t ship us anything. The receiving of shipped items is a nightmare! We have everything we need and are perfectly content. Thanks so much for the generous offers! And for those who have sent us mail – a HUGE Thank You!