The weather may be turning colder, the days getting shorter and the holidays fast approaching, but already my plans are turning to summer and yet another European tour with my mom. Months after our amazing trip to Paris, Rosemarie and I still talk about the incredible trip we had together. In fact, after we returned, I uploaded all 425 photos onto a digital frame and sent it to her. Now, that may have been a mistake, since when she got it, she kept staring at the changing photos for hours. Between emailing and photo watching, her days were full.
As the year progressed, events in my life made me realize how short life truly is and that every moment needs to be grasped, enjoyed and lived to its fullest. It was during one of these times that I concluded that the time with my mother did not have to be once-in-a-lifetime, but a lifetime of moments that we create together.
"How about we go to Italy?" I asked her.
"I've got my passport, let's go," she responded back. "A world traveler at last."
Deciding where in Italy wasn't too difficult. I have been to the country where my paternal grandfather was born twice and although he was from Ortona in the Abruzzo region of Southern Italy, I fell in love with Florence. Southern Italy, is of course, beautiful, but the crowds and traffic of Rome were no match for what I found in the birthplace of the Renaissance. Without a doubt, this is the place that I want to show my mother, and what better place to stay than in the most charming B&B that hosted my last two visits, Dei Mori. What a good value surprise it was when I discovered that because I was a returning guest, they would give me 15% off the stay if I paid in cash. From here, we will take a day trip to Rome, Pisa, and perhaps an overnight stay in Venice. There will be endless choices in the days and months ahead. Because the television industry won't allow for time off in late spring, our travel dates are July 3 - 13, 2011. With a little creative planning, piggybacking on an NBC business trip to New York City at the end of June will be another good value.
For now, though, the hotel is booked and I've begun looking for the best flights. So far, connecting through Munich seems to be the best route as there are no non-stop flights from Boston to Florence. Although I'd rather make a connection within the United States, I've no doubt that the Germans will be more than efficient in getting us to our connecting flight. Plus, the last time I flew Lufthansa, the flight attendant was pretty damn cute. This is no United with its red nail polished-hanging on to my seniority - helmet hair cabin attendants. We may fly Swiss Air, and who better to get us any place on earth on time than the Swiss?
As the year progresses, there'll be stories to tell - of growing up Italian, of grandfathers and grandmothers (Rosemarie's father of Sicilian heritage, my paternal grandmother's family from somewhere in the Molise region) - but most of all, there will be Rosemarie anecdotes, no doubt the highlight of the trip. I probably, should, at best, leave out the Lithuanian grandmother stories, this is, after all, a tale of going to Italy. If you want to hear about my mom's mother's husbands, love of vodka (do any of you see a resemblance here?) and South Boston living, I'll regale everyone with a very different blog in another time and place.
So, sit back, enjoy what's to come and when we get to Italy, you'll be along for another spectacular ride.
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