ITALY
For the majority of our trip, we stayed just outside of Florence. Our apartment was in a tower of Il Castello de Ferrano (The Castle of Ferrano.)
Our first meal! We found i Francescani, a little pizzeria nearby. Addison's pizza is covered in freshly sliced prosciutto.
Next stop, gelato!
Addi decided that while in Italy, he was going to try as much gelato as possible to decide who had the best.
Everywhere we went - cafes, stores, even the mall - people brought their dog along. I decided that while in Italy, I was going to pet as many dogs as possible to decide who had the best. Haha!
The pond at the castle
Filadelfia, my buddy! He stayed just across the pathway from the apartment. He would bring his toys to the gate so I could reach through and throw them for him.
Because the airline lost our luggage, we went shopping the first morning for something to wear and brush our teeth with... This was our first pasta/wine experience, at the mall!
Driving back to our little Ferrano, the sunset was beautiful
Monterosso al Mare, one of the five villages of Cinque Terre. We went by train and spent all of Thursday at this beautiful place.
Seafood risotto for dinner
We were back at i Francescani for lunch the next day. The pizza making brothers noticed we were trying to figure out some of the ingredients on their menu... mostly, "lardo di colonnata." So they offered us a taste. Up in the Alps, they age pork fat in white marble from the quarries. A variety of herbs and seasonings give the lardo a unique, rich flavor.
Espresso on the terrace
The grapevines just outside our door
A day trip to Siena and Pienza
Val d'orcia,
Of Renaissance painting fame
Fresh pasta and tomato sauce from our hosts back at the castle.
The kitchen I was cooking in was originally built in the 1200s!
A lazy Sunday, hanging out at the pool
Driving around in the evening, scoping out spots for Addi to take photos
Olive orchard
Always hopeful that I was headed over to play
Trying to figure out our way around Florence
Addi cuts his own hair, and his dad cut it before that. He thinks it's been about 25 years since he's gone to an actual barbershop for a haircut. In Florence, he gave Alessandro a try. Poor fella. He worked really hard at it, but the cut was awful!
Our room in Rome
A salumeria we wandered into...
Pig's ear... which helped explain why the Carbonara I'd had earlier in the trip had a squishy, hot dog taste
The Trevi Fountain
Goodnight, Rome
For my final meal in Europe... Italian Cocoa Krispies! I was dying for some cereal at that point.
On the way to the airport early the next morning, we passed right by the Colosseum.
It was a busy, beautiful trip and we're so grateful to have had the experience.
Ciao!