Italy trip- the Amalfi Coast

I've seen travel shows on touring the Amalfi coast but never imagined myself being there.  It was awesome!  There was over a solid hour of extreme switch backs as we worked our way around the mountains bordering the Italy's Mediterranean coastline. Our destination: Villa Penelope in Praino.  Thanks to SummerinItaly.com I was able to find a fabulous home to stay in as we explored the Amalfi region.  This was the view from our window.  I can't believe people live like this!  I'm sure I would be as laid back as the Italians if this is what I woke up to every single day.  Praino had a beautiful church that made the vista's landscape even that much more compelling.  We spent one afternoon enjoying the sound of the waves and exploring the coast.  Aubrie and Kaitlan made a terrific "museum tour" for us to see all the cool "artifacts" that they had found.  It was highly entertaining to see their imaginations at work and marvel at how excited they could get over snail shells and old water bottles.  Even though it was the middle of February it felt fantastic to be outside and enjoying the rays at the beach.  I could have taken a whole month of doing nothing but watch and listen the waves crash against the boulders surrounding us and observing the occasional boat glide across the blue horizon.

Italy trip- When In Rome...

Of course no trip to Rome is complete without tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain.  Legend says you will return to Rome if you toss a coin into the fountain as long as you toss it over your shoulder with your back to the fountain.

Tarah definitely wants to return to Rome!

Lead by our fearless Navigator along the back roads of Rome, Ted always seems to know how to find his way around any big city.  Along the way we enjoyed Gelato, delicious Italiano ice cream.  Which, I have just learned has a higher sugar content and a lower butterfat content than American ice cream.

Next stop, the Pantheon. This current structure was built in 120 AD by Hadrian. A message can be seen over the door honoring the first temple built on the sight in 27 BC by emperor Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law of the emperor Augustus. The inside of the Pantheon is one big giant dome, the largest dome ever built in the world up to that time - 142 feet in diameter, and 142 feet from the floor to the top of the dome. To hold up this dome, the walls had to be made of brick and concrete 20 feet thick! The hole in the top of the dome - the oculus- is open to the sky and was the only light source for the temple. On rainy days the marble floor gets wet and is channeled away. The Pantheon now contains the tombs of the famous artist Raphael and of several Italian Kings.

There is more to see and understand in Rome than 3 days can give justice to but as we walked past the Colosseum all lit up at night one can't help but imagine the immense amount of history that these giant walls have stood through.

Italy trip- Vatican

On our second day we visited the Vatican, the world's smallest country, nestled among the city of Rome, surrounded by a huge wall.  It just so happened that we got there in time to see Pope Benedict XVI, give a speech outside of his window to the crowd below on St Peter's Square.  It was impressive to stand in this large open area surrounded by Bernini's 140 statues of saints and be able to actually see and listen to the Pope.  Knowing hardly anything about Catholicism, it seemed most unusual to me when the crowd started chanting in Latin. 

This is an obelisk pilfered from Egypt and standing as  a monument in the center of the square.

I recognized this from the movie Da Vinci Code.

From St. Peter's square we headed into St. Peter's Basilica.  This is what I've learned since from Wikipedia:


St. Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world. It is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".

In Catholic tradition, the basilica is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, according to tradition, first Bishop of Rome and therefore first in the line of the papal succession. Tradition and some historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St. Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the 4th century. Construction of the present basilica, over the old Constantinian basilica, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.

 As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. Contrary to popular misconception, Saint Peter's is not a cathedral, as it is not the seat of a bishop. It is properly termed apapal basilica. The Basilica of St. John Lateran is the cathedral church of Rome.

Hmmm, my impressions:  incredibly fancy, cool marble and gold things, lots of Jesus pics, make sure the children are being respectful, no real comprehension of what I was looking at or why it was important to others, thought the Swiss Guard guys were interesting in their funny outfits, now able to say been there- done that, receiving no profound inspiration ...


On the following day we stood in line for an hour to enter the Sistine Chapel to see the famous painting of God touching Adam's finger painted by Michelangelo.  Ted entertained the girls by telling them Michelangelo laid on his back so long while painting the ceiling that his beard had a permanent part running right down the middle of it.  It's not true but extremely fun to imagine.  Here are some pics of other areas in the museum.

lots and lots of ceiling art, along with it being on the walls of course

room after room of ancient stuff

This was one fit statue, he should be more famous!

coolest stairs ever!

Italy trip- First stop...Rome

In February, tired of the winter weather we headed south in search of sunshine. Being that all roads lead to Rome, 9 hours later we indeed found ourselves among its ruins. It was Robert Browning Hamilton who said:

“Everyone soon or late comes round by Rome.”

And so we had. I had never imagined myself there before and wasn't honestly looking forward to visiting another crowded city, shoulder to shoulder with tourists, but I found myself pleasantly surprised by amount of ancient Rome still squeezed in among this bursting city.

The Colosseum, completed in 80 AD. We learned all the holes in it are from the time period when everyone was so poor they started looting the structure to take out the steal posts, even without the metal supports the Colosseum still stands today nearly 2,000 years later.

 The Colosseum was called the Flavian amphitheater because it was the vision of Emperor Vespasian, first Emperor of the Flavian dynasty. It was the first stadium that was covered. They could pull a huge tent on top with a big hole in the middle for the light. Each arch had a huge statue. The external surface of the Colosseum had sheets of pink marble; the same marble that Saint Peter basilica is built.
We saw graffiti on the walls that had been there since the stadium was full of fans watching gladiators fight to the death, along with public executions, navel battles, and animal fights. Also of interest was all the remains of pottery found, it seems the spectators would bring their little clay pots to heat up their meals as they sat and watched the entertainment. I wonder if there was also vendors walking up and down all those stairs selling stuff to the crowds...Who wants a popcorn?!

You can see they have partially reconstructed the floor to give  current spectators the idea of  what the amphitheater was really like.

Here is a view of the Arch of Constantine (Arco di Costantino), a 25m high monument built in AD315 to mark the victory of Constantine over Maxentius at Pons Milvius.

Next stop, the Roman Forum.

The Roman Forum (Forum Romanum) was the central area of the city around which ancient Rome developed. Here was where commerce, business, prostitution, cult and the administration of justice took place. Space where religious activities were conducted and the communal hearth of the city. For centuries, the Forum Romanum was the site of the city's most important public buildings, such as the Arch of Septimius Severus, built in AD203 and the Roman Forum Rostra or platforms for public speeches.

We finished off our first day of touring Rome by visiting the Spanish Steps along with a visit to the "worlds  fanciest McDonalds" which was recently renovated to become "just an ordinary crowded McDonalds".

We rented a home in the heart of the city, the girls were happy to call it a day.  
My 3 world travelers.

Aubrie's 8th Birthday

For Aubrie's 8th birthday we had a cooking party!  The invitations included a wooden spoon with the information for the party presented as a recipe.  Mom made 12 aprons for everyone to wear.  The party was directly after school when the excited chatter of all 12 girls could be heard descending onto my kitchen.  First the girls made their own pizza and helped chop and grate everything for a fine salad.  After lunch came the present hiding game.  All the girls hide their gifts outside then Aubrie had to find them, which she loved.  Then we had an egg obstacle course followed by an egg toss.  After we took turns making rice crispy treats for desert.  It was a spectacular cooking celebration!