Well, readers, I had all good intentions of writing more frequent and shorter blog posts while in Italy but I was “under the weather” for a few weeks so instead of blogging, I was napping. Mi dispiace (I’m sorry)! The good news is that I’m fine now and have a lot of information about marvelous Italy to share with you in this and subsequent blog posts.
Without a doubt, I find travel exciting, interesting and informative. There is so much to see, do and take part in but I realize that the best part is always the people I meet along the way. On this trip we reconnected with friends from past visits, met new acquaintances and made new friends. As a grazie (thank you to our Italian friends), thank you (for our English friend) and diolch (thank you for our Welsh friend) to these people I wanted to tell you a little bit about them so, here goes.
In the Spring of 2015 John and I rented a beautiful hilltop house in Tuscany. Our experience with that rental and the friendship that developed with the owners continues to give us much happiness. The owners, Steve (our English friend) and Hayley (our Welsh friend) have become dear friends and we’ve been able to share time together in Tuscany and elsewhere since 2015. In their company we’ve shared many laughs, superb meals and explored many beautiful and historic areas. Luckily for us on this trip, we had their delightful company for the days leading up to and after the New Year. Steve and Hayley, thank you and diolch for your generosity and kindness!
On our flights to Italy, John and I had the pleasure of meeting several members of our Alitalia Flight and Cabin Crews. These Alitalia crew members took delight in having John, aka Babbo Natale (Father Christmas), on board and posing with him for photos. Several of them said that they would show their children that Babbo Natale had been on their flight. It was great fun making that connection with the Alitalia crew members.
At our B&B in Pisa we made the acquaintance of Luca, Simone and Valeria. This particular B&B has the interesting history of having been a dairy cooperative in the past. The breakfast room has a collection of Ferrari miniature cars and a couple of Vespas which add to the pleasure of prima colazione (breakfast). Luca, Simone and Valeria provided wonderful hospitality and made our visits comfortable.
One morning, John and I met up with B&B guests Antonio and Michele, two members of the Carabinieri (Italian Paramilitary Police Force). These wonderful gentlemen made a point of speaking with us over breakfast but we had to resort to using a language translation app on our cell phones to communicate beyond the basics. Although the app was helpful, it didn’t always translate exactly the meaning I intended. To Antonio and Michele, I meant to say in Italian “you are nice and kind” but instead apparently said “you are cute and kind.” Now, cute and kind they are, but nice and kind is what I meant! And yes, I am working on my Italian language skills to avoid future embarrassments.
Stay tuned for more about the wonderful people we met on this trip in Part 2 of Travel Really Is All About the People You Meet.
Grazie, Teresa, for updating us on your Italian trip and introducing us to old and new friends. In my autobiographical writing classes this semester, we’re looking at the valued “connections” we have made throughout our lives, especially connections with people and places. This week the topic is connections made while traveling! That made your post especially fun for me to read tonight. (You would definitely receive an A+, if I gave grades!) I enjoyed, as always, the details you include to bring experiences to life: The B&B that was a dairy; the confusion of “cute” and “nice” in speaking Italian with the Carabinieri! The photos are wonderful too–I especially like Babbo Natale flying Alitalia and delighting the crew, and the wonderful villa in Tuscany photos. It is so satisfying to see photos of the people and places you write about. Happy, Healthy New Year!
We always check out your wonderful pictures and posts-and after reading your blog, I am living vicariously thru you and John. Enjoy every moment?