Italy with Oma & Grandpa

We can't take credit for any of these great photos. When traveling with Ron, we don't even bother to bring along our camera. I'm pretty sure some of these photos make it look prettier than it did in person.

We got away with a bit more traveling in Italy with a baby. Women were always muttering 'oh piccolino, or ah, bambino.' Ron got a few nice shots of the David (which you aren't allowed to photograph) and when the security lady came up to scold him, she saw Liam & was immediately distracted.

Our first stop was Lucca where we stayed in a gorgeous b&b just outside of town. We rode bikes around the ramparts of the walled city, we watched expressive (*understatement) Italians watch their team win a Eurocup match, we strolled, we visited Pisa to see the leaning tower. Next stop was Florence where arrival via car was more bordering on an act of insanity (our GPS told us to drive our car through the main street market; we opted against it), where Joe & I drank endless cappuccinos (oh, the deliciousness), ate a lot of gelato, saw the David, visited the Uffizi, climbed to the top of the Duomo tower, shopped, attempted to keep ourselves and Liam sane in an overwhelmingly touristic city where the heat was, duhduh dudduh dudduh duhduh, on.

The second half of our trip was spent in a very, painfully, small town called Serre d Rapolano in a former castle turned hotel. We spent most of our days taking driving trips to see the Tuscan countryside, visiting a vineyard (bust), listening to Gregorian chants, eating gelato in Siena's town square which set up for the palio horseraces (yes, horses, racing around the town square), hanging out by the pool, wondering where our next meal was going to come from (did I mention the town we were staying in was small?), Ron & Joe rode bikes (but as Joe said 'it wasn't like we were biking in Tuscany,' to which I responded, 'you were biking in Tuscany'....so yeah, I guess it wasn't that exciting). The highlight was definitely Assissi which Mary had suggested. We balked a bit when we realized it was going to be another long day in the car, but was it ever worth it. The town is built directly in the hillside, overlooking the Umbrian countryside. The buildings, the streets, the walls, all were paved in this golden-colored brick. The way the light cast in at certain breaks in the buildings was stunning. There was no doubt about it, the town was gorgeous. But, we'd come mainly to see the Bascilia of St. Francis Assissi. We'd parked almost as far as humanly possible from our main destination, and it was 9gajillion degrees. And, we were traveling with a 2.5 month old. I was feeling a bit, weary, maybe.  Finally we arrived and it was rather unimposing from the outside. And the top level of the bascilica was the same. But, as we traveled lower, the bascilica was transformed. The most stunning alter I've ever seen, sea-foam green lanterns casting light upwards. The fantastically peaceful and calming crypt where St. Francis was buried with his closest followers. We've been in many, many churches but no other moved us, with it's simplistic beauty, like this one did. Liam was even blessed by a nun, despite the fact that Ron was holding him at the time;).

All in all, it was a successful first, albeit tight, roadtrip in our 'new' old car. Our neighbors & many of Joe's coworkers were skeptical that we were taking such a long trip in our little station wagon, with an excessive amount of baby gear, but we had a great trip and are looking forward to many more adventures on the road, in Italy, with babies, grandparents and hopefully (as it's Joe's priority now too) some great cappuccinos.