We were on the road. Tony had promised to drive us up to the Villa because he knew there was no way we were going to be able to find it without his help. We had tried to leave before dark but seeing Pepe for the first time had made us reluctant to leave and now it was getting dark. We seemed to drive for a long time, slowly we left the big towns behind and the road was winding higher and higher into the Neopolitan mountains. In the distance I could see a collection of buildings with small lights far up on the edge of a hill. 'How cool would it be if that was where the Villa was!!' I thought to myself. We crossed one bridge, then another, looking behind us you could see all the tiny lights from small towns and villages bellow us. Tony continued to apologize as we went higher and higher. "I am sorry we do not have a place for you. This is far away and is in the mountains. I am sorry." He would say. "Tony this is great! We love this! We were in Rome in the loud, crazy, busy city and now we are seeing another part of Italy that we really wanted to see!" We tried to explain but he just could not understand why we were enjoying this so much. Sure enough it was the buildings on the hill. We came to a dead end where we parked the car. It was villa on top of villa. They were all connected with a tiny street that was far too narrow for any car in the center. We grabbed our luggage and followed tony up the road. We climbed a small hill to the sound of trickling water. As we got closer we saw the sound was a little fountain right outside of the village church, and on the other side was the villa. Great big wooden doors with an ancient metal door bar opened up into the most incredible little Villa. The front entry was stone that branched to the left up the stairs, down to the kitchen that dropped down two steps and a sunroom straight ahead. From the sunroom the door opened to a small patio with a lemon tree and flowers, the scent alone was intoxicating! The owner of the villa opened the door to her home which attached to our villa through the patio and she greeted us warmly. She spoke very good English and told us that we should get settled and then come over for a late night snack and drinks. We climbed the stairs and gasped as we looked into the rooms, each was elegantly furnished with antique furniture, a beautiful bed with mosquito netting, each with gorgeous views, quant little bathrooms and comfortable little sitting rooms. We were more than impressed. This was more than we ever hoped for! When we met with the owner and her husband she told us of all the work she had done. They had bought many of the Villas there as a place for their friends to stay when they come to visit. She explained that people come from all over the world, Spain, India, France, Japan and she speaks several languages. She has an incredible sense for decorating and restoring to keep the classic look of everything. We enjoyed every moment we shared with this lovely woman and her husband but we said our goodbyes and went to bed. The next morning we walked downstairs to find a simple breakfast with homemade jams, fresh bread, meats, a delicious lemon cake and fresh coffee awaiting us in the sun room. As we enjoyed breakfast our beds were made for us and the bathrooms were cleaned. We couldn't believe how blessed we were to have found such a perfect little place.
I could write about another amazing place that we visited but in truth it would just be a bunch of useless words that could never do it justice. We saw many things in Rome, venice and Florence but now came the most important part of our trip. The trip to Sant Andrea to meet the rest of our family.Our first stop would be Linda Simeon, where we would have lunch. When we arrived we were greeted by a small stout woman who's eyes nearly shut with her smile and rosy cheeks. She didn't speak a word of English, this was Linda. She hugged my mom first with a burst of tears and laughter. "Pasqualina! Nina e Pasqualina!" She was amazed how much my mom looked like my grandma. She then began to struggle her way through the single syllable names. "Tena, Tana, Tada, Teda" "Kana, Kena" my name was the best "Kristal" pronounced "Kreestale" or "Kreestan". After tears and laughter we made our way into the dinning room. Roberto wasn't kidding, she brought out course after course after course. We finally had to say "no more!" We couldn't possibly eat another thing! We completely stuffed to the brim! Finally when we stopped eating we left and went to Casserta to pick up our rental car. My dad was going to drive in Italy for the first time. And driving in Italy is like a dance with death every time. And my mom is a nervous wreck, gasping every time the car comes within inches of hitting another car, which happens more regularly than you would think. Kenny decided it would be best if he rode with my dad knowing that my mom would'nt be able to handle it. Roberto told my mom to sit in the back and just close her eyes while I sat in the front and helped navigate. When we got back to Sant Andrea (we made it back alive believe it or not) we went to Peppino's. Something we had all been waiting for. Antonio (Totonie or Tony) greeted us first, again a wave of emotion washed over us, then Catarina. This is an indescribable joy. Something that can only be felt not explained. Hearts with the same blood coursing through them meeting breast to breast, bonding finally, connecting in a way only family can. They led us upstairs and there he sat, in his little chair watching the mass on tv, just like my Nonno and Nonna used to. An unbelievably small man and probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. His little eyes blinked up at us through his round glasses as they slowly glassed over with tears and recognition. The tears poured then, we just couldn't believe we were there and we were hugging him and kissing him! Roberto in his silly way threw himself to the ground dramatically and started to kiss Pepe's feet like he was worshipping him. He cried out in loud cries and got us all laughing. He only spoke Italian and we couldn't understand each other but it didn't matter. We didn't need to talk. So we just sat. Being in each others presence was enough. We only stayed for a short time because it was late and we still needed to drive all the way to our villa which was 25 minutes away. We reluctantly said goodbye with the promise to see him tomorrow. When we walked out to the car in the night air we just could not believe everything that had transpired thus far. We are in Italy! A phrase we had to keep saying to believe it. The pinch we needed to be sure it wasn't a dream!
After days of not paying for anything we told Roberto we wanted to take him to a restaurant of his choice, our treat, before we left for San Andrea. He took us to a lovely little place not far from his home where we sat outside on a beautiful covered patio and enjoyed the pouring rain. We all sat down and my mother left to use the restroom. As we sat and talked we began to notice that my mom had been gone for quite a while, we all started to worry so I decided to go and see if she was ok. I arrived on the scene just in time to see the owner of the restaurant throw his entire body weight against a bathroom door. And there pressed up against the farthest wall in the stall next to the toilet was my little momma, her eyes as big as saucers. My mom had become locked in the bathroom and started to yell for help, for a long time no one heard her and no one came, then finally a young woman who luckily spoke a little English came into the bathroom and heard my mothers cry for help. She then promptly went and fetched the owner who then tried to unlock the door. The door wouldn't budge, so he went and got a knife to try and unlock it, when that didn't work he decided the only way to get the door open was to break it down. The woman translated for my mom and said, "move away from the door" and thats when I came in. Only my mother, after she was freed from the bathroom I couldn't help but bust out laughing. My poor mom always seems to find herself in these kind of predicaments. After we had a good laugh we headed back to the table to relay the story to the rest of the group. After reveling in the hilarity of it all, out came our first course. The Frittas, little fried appetizers, were delicious! Zucchini, bacala, fried Mozzarella and an interesting but delicious fried olive stuffed with sausage. Then came the caprese salad, then the pasta. Just when we thought the meal was finished and we could stuff ourselves no more out came bruschetta. Now we were really stuffed, and Marina kept saying "Carne Carne" (meat). We all thought she was joking! Nope! She wasn't joking, out came a heaping plate of three kinds of meat!! We were so stuffed! How were we going to fit another bite of anything!? Well we did, then came the fruit! And dessert! And champagne! Oh my goodness we felt like we needed to be rolled out of the restaurant! Never in my life have I ever been so full!! "This is how we eat!" Roberto said "I am only preparing you to meet the family, this is how you will eat while you are in San Andrea, you will be stuffed at every meal. Mangiare mangiare mangiare." Goodbye waist, (what little I had left) not sure if I will ever see you again....or my feet for that matter.
It's been a total whirlwind. The sites can't even be described in words, I just have to say, get there. No matter what it takes everyone should see Italy. It is the greatest celebration of art, food, music, religion, architecture and life itself. If you ever have the chance to go, take it!After three crazy days of walking all around Rome all day until we felt our feet would fall off, walking in the door to see Marina's smiling face, greeting us with her "Tutte ok?" (You all ok?) we were still walking as if in a dream. The next adventure would be to take the fast train to Venice, spend the day wandering there and then take the late train into Florence. We would stay the night in Florence and then spend the entire next day exploring, then back to Rome. We left early in the morning and we were all relieved when Roberto told us we didn't have to take the subway to the train station, we had all grown to loath that part of our trips into the city. When we were finally on the train Kenny was like a little kid, he had always wanted to ride on a fast train and boy was it fast! 200 miles an hour, a 6 and 1/2 hour drive turned into a 3 hour trip to Venice. When we reached the sea, I was again speechless. I couldn't believe I was finally here! All my dreams of Venice, all the documentaries I had watched, the books I had read, the movies I had seen, I was really here! And it did not disappoint. Since this was Kenny and my anniversary weekend we parted ways with my parents so they could have some time and we could have some time. Our first priority was to get lost in Venice and we did! It was amazing! We went down every little ally, reached every dead end, found the best little local hang out where we had panini's beer and wine and just enjoyed Venice. We walked 12 miles that day. We even reached the end of Venice proper and looked out at the vast ocean and the other small Venetian islands. We stayed out of the crowds and the madness and enjoyed the quiet abandoned parts of Venice. It was perfect. After walking my feet started to swell, we went to one of the main piazzas in front of the train station to wait for my parents. Kenny took my feet out of my sandals and rubbed my sore feet, (what a guy huh?). When my parents arrived we got back on the train. Next stop Florence!
Upon our arrival we had our own delightful interpreters, Anna and Martina, who speak English fairly well. Between All of us we were able to communicate quite successfully. Our cousin Roberto made a delicious dinner for us made up of risotto, caprese salad, panne (bread) and of course, vino. Martina served us like we were in a restaurant and our cousins did all they could to make us feel comfortable. The next day came Rome. Although we were staying in Rome we were on the outskirts, we took a short trip on the subway into Rome Proper. Ancients walked these streets. Our first day in The city was overwhelming. Never had any of us seen something so ancient.Everything in America is so young, most things here in Rome are thousands of years old. The expanse of things takes your breath away. Every time you think you have seen everything, you turn the corner and you gasp again in disbelief. There are no words to explain Rome. I could try for days but even a photo could never capture it. After walking until I thought my feet were going to fall off we had the next adventure, the Italian subway. Rush hour in Rome is no joke, if you have ever seen a New York subway you know how crowded they can be, well take that times ten and you have a Roman subway at rush hour. No air conditioning and no room to breath. The smell of sweat is overwhelming, bodies pressed up against each other in the most intimate way, even those you love who are in your family are rubbing their damp skin against yours, and it's nasty... And everyone moves fast. Everything is quick, if you don't move quick you get lost, miss your train, or the doors just close on you when you're getting in the train. When we arrived back Marina was there at the door waiting to greet us as we walked in with kisses on both cheeks, a big smile on her face and a "buoneserra" on her lips. "Tu Bagagli" she said. My bag! My bag had been delivered as I was out taking in the sights! I sighed a big sigh of relief. Everything was still inside and everything now was perfect. After another beautiful meal of pesto pasta we laid in bed and our heads were still in disbelief, our feet throbbed, our legs hurt, our hearts felt like bursting, and this was only day one.
My heart sank... I was the last person standing at the baggage claim and my bag still hadn't shown up. My worst fear had come true, my baggage was missing, and everything I had brought with me, my clothes, my underwear, shampoo, deodorant everything was in that bag. Il mil bagaglio e mancante! "My baggage is missing!" I yelled to the steward. He brought me over to the window and in my broken Italian I tried to explain what was happening. The attendants accent was so thick it was hard to understand, but between my broken Italian and her broken English I signed some papers and I was on my way. Hoping of course that she understood and that I would see my luggage again. Then we had the next problem to deal with. Where was Kenny, and where was Roberto? Kenny had flown on a different flight than ours and we have no international service on our phones. So we had to make a decision, go out the Uscita (Exit) and risk not getting back in (mamma Mia) or stay and risk not seeing them because they are waiting outside. We decided to Uscita. As soon as we walked out the doors I saw Kenny (thank God) and then soon after the tears came. There was Roberto, in the flesh! He was real! We could hug him and kiss him and cry with him. It was real and true. The dream came to life. We are here! We are in Italy! And now to see Rome!
When I woke up the day we left it felt like Christmas morning. Although we had been up all night unable to sleep because of packing and excitement I jumped out of bed ready for the day.The airport was fairly uneventful, we had a nice Bloody Mary and then headed to our gate. Even after we took off I think we are all still in disbelief. It is now Wednesday, and we are an hour away. As I write this I'm sitting on the plane watching "The Princess and the Frog." I'm already getting emotional and I know I will cry when my feet hit the ground on Roman soil. And when I meet my cousin Roberto for the first time, I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry. It has been a long flight, my back, neck and legs are killing me, I'm exhausted but I have never been more happy to experience these pains and inconveniences. This is REAL. This is REALITY! Something that was a only a DREAM, something we only TALKED ABOUT. Well I'm a living breathing testament that dreams really do come true, things we thought were impossible, have been made possible. Although this may be simply material to most it's not to us, it's not material to my family. This is blood, this is life, this is blessing, this is love. Our prayers have been answered, a piece of our hearts that have been missing for so long with be placed together. God has given us an incredible gift. Something of this magnitude is hard to take in. Soon the dream becomes reality....
I sat on top of my suitcase with everything finally safely inside, with my weight squishing down and compacting every inch of my bag I finally got the zipper zipped! Success! With a great feeling of accomplishment I jumped up and looked at my work with pride. Then my heart sank, sure I got the bag closed, but I forgot about my makeup bag (not going anywhere without that!) and my coat, which according to weather predictions I'm going to want it with me. Gosh darn it! Back to the drawing board....
The problem everyone faces when trying to pack for a big trip is space. Especially for woman, am I right ladies!? The shoes, the tops, shoes, jeans, dresses, shoes, skirts, and Shoes. Will it be hot? Will it be cold? And did I mention shoes? With the bag limits, weight limits and everything else that comes into play when flying you have to pack smart, I used to pack a small bag every summer for New York and here is what I learned and we shall see how successful I turn out to be.
First, plan your outfits. I'm not saying think about what you want to wear but actually put the outfits together that you may be envisioning and try it on. You may find that the idea in your head looks way different in all actuality (this happens to me daily). Just think, the last thing you are going to want to do is waste time in the morning changing your outfit 3 times because you look too fat, too frumpy, those colors clash etc. plus if you find the outfit doesn't work you are not wasting sweet valuable space and now you have more room for another pair of shoes!
Second, the roll technique. Take your clothes and roll them into tight little rolls and you suddenly have more space! Remember not all things rolled help with space constraints, for instance, I wouldn't recommend rolling your jeans, that's going to be one BIG roll. Some things just fit better when they are flat.
Third, pack things that can be multiple outfits. Pack some button up blouses, they can be worn closed, open with a shirt under, you can change the color of the undershirt, you can also wear them as an accent with a cute dress! Pack some plain white t's, you can dress them up or down, wear with a skirt, jeans or with leggings, throw a belt around it and add a scarf and you have a sweet outfit! Bring a dress that can be dressed up and dressed down. If you have a dress that a shirt looks good over it throw it on, add a belt and presto! Now you have two dresses! (I will also be sure to share my fashion fun with those who follow my Italian adventure. After all Italy is tops for fashion so you have to have fun with it right?!)
And last but not least, always go travel size. You can get more of everything once you are there, you don't need that giant bottle of shampoo and conditioner, get the travel size bottles and fill them, if you run out there are stores there I promise. Be sure to pack little things like wrinkle releaser, a lint roller, and a little bag for laundry. Now I'm all ready to go! We leave early tomorrow morning for the airport! Soon we will take our first steps onto Italian soil! Stay tuned!
The jar sat in the corner of my parents room. It was an old glass water jar that was as tall as my hip when my mother and I started to put change into it. "Its our trip to Italy" my mom had said, "someday when the jar is full we will count it all and it will pay for us to go to Italy, where we will meet all our aunts and uncles and cousins!" Every time I put a coin in that jar it was a mixture of excitement and despair, it was such a big jar! It would take years to fill! And it did, I'm now 26 years old and the jar is finally full. Our tickets are bought, our plans are laid. In four long days I will be flying to Italy to meet family I have only kept in touch with through emails and Facebook. My mom Nina, dad Ted, boyfriend Kenny and I will be spending three incredible weeks in Rome, San Andre, Venice and Florence. I don't think I will believe it until I'm there, my emotions have been so amplified in the weeks leading up to this incredible life changing moment. Stay tuned to hear about our adventures, I'm sure there will be many laughs and maybe even some tears! I will be sharing every detail, the food, the art, the sites and smells. Viva Italia!