Back in the U.S. of A

Today is Saturday, August 21st. It's my Dad’s birthday. It also marks the day we returned to our American lives. We were suddenly thrown back into the routine of our lives in Chicago. Josh went on a group ride with his 2CC friends. I went to the farmer’s market. Then later, I went to my Saturday morning yoga class. Wow. A whole year without a sweaty yoga session – I needed it.

This afternoon, I went to my appointment at the Apple store where I had my laptop battery replaced – I’d been having trouble with it all year but couldn’t bear to drive to East Rome to the Apple store there, when I knew it could wait for a short walk down Michigan Avenue. The place was packed – as always. There is certainly no recession at Apple.

Avery had another 3 1/2 hour nap; Charlotte went to a movie with Andgela; Olivia did a home spa science project with Josh. In the evening, the girls went on an outing to play mini-golf with Andgelea and Marco. Josh and I took Avery, and we rode our bikes down to the final concert of the symphony summer series at Millennium Park -- Mahler. It was a beautiful evening and the lawn was crowded. We were strangely focused on all the things the Americans around us were eating.

Needless to say, we already miss the food in Italy; We miss the light in Rome; We miss hearing the language spoken; We miss the coffee although we’ve tried -- unsuccessfully -- to recreate it with our imported macchinetta and Lavazza coffee. Maybe Carlo was right all along ....it’s something about the water?

The duffel bags and boxes in the living room remain untouched. Am I in denial that we had really returned?

Re-entry

I woke up at 6...which under normal circumstances with the time-change would have been a huge victory. BUT, Avery had been up at 2am with diaherrea. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to the toilet and I had a lake of poop on my bathroom floor that needed to be cleaned up. So in reality, there was not much sleep invovled before 6am.

The kids went to the basement to play. I took my beach-cruiser bike out for a ride around the bike. Eventually, everyone ended up in the playground – it wasn’t 9am yet.

Later in the day, Nina made lunch for the kids. Josh went on a bike ride. I took Charlotte and Olivia to the beach to meet friends. Avery took a 3 ½ hour nap – and that's only because we woke him up. Ewelina came over to see us and brought beautiful orchids. We set up a schedule for next week.

One observation upon re-entry is that EVERYTHING here seems big. The water and wine glasses; the bedrooms; the Refridgerator/Freezer; the cars... just everything is super-sized. At one point during the day I went to the Starbucks to get my emails since we didn't any WiFi hooked up at home yet. The coffee tasted like brown water to me.

I couldn't bear the thought of unpacking. In fact, I was physically unable to unpack because for some unimaginable reason, all the closets were full. How could we have packed up and lived away for a whole year (and with excess clothing), and still have full closets? The duffel bags and boxes in the living room remained untouched today.

Departure Day

We were all up early; had a light breakfast; then checked out and waited for Josh to arrive with the van driver. Avery and I got into the van and headed to the airport. Josh took the girls in the rental car.

At Fiumicino – we had to deal with the logistics of getting all 20 pieces of our luggage inside the terminal with no porter around to help. I think he was "on break." The process was further complicated by having to go through a passport check (with all the luggage) before transporting the luggage yet again to the check-in-counter. Somewhere along the way, we found a porter who was willing to help us.

I am in no way exaggerating when I say that we spent one full hour at the check-in-counter while our luggage was inventoried. I don't think they'd seen anything like it. In the end, we paid 150 euros for putting Josh’s bike on the plane. Otherwise there were no other charges. We moved to and from Italy for 150 euros (aside from the passenger fares, of course).

Once on the plane but before we left the ground, Charlotte said she wanted to tell me something. She told me that she had already spoken to Josh in the room last night and now she wanted to talk to me too. She thanked me for bringing her to Italy. She said it "was the most amazing year of my life." I started to cry.

Meanwhile, Olivia was still not feeling well. She was very lethargic and had not been eating much, but she did not have a fever. Our flight was slightly delayed. I sat with Olivia, Josh sat with Avery and Charlotte was just across the aisle from us. It was a nice flight, but seemed very long. Olivia slept through much of it; Avery didn’t sleep at all; Charlotte watched 3 movies.

We landed at O’Hare and took the 5-mile walk to passport control. Most of our luggage, including the 5 boxes were off the carousel waiting for us once we arrived in the baggage claim area. Now we had the task of moving everything to the curb. We didn't have any problem finding a porter here to help.

Travelling with 20 pieces of luggage is always an attention getting spectacle. The customs guy said “what are you? moving back or something?” Yes, as a matter of fact, we are. We spent some time waiting outside in the Chicago summer humidity. Josh had gone to get the rental car but was turned away when his credit card wasn’t working. In the meantime, our friend Bobby showed up with his SUV and then I left to try my luck at the rental car counter. By the time I got the car, returned to the curb, and the cars were loaded, it was almost 6pm (we’d landed at 4). After we loaded the SUVs, there was limited room for passengers, so I took Charlotte and Avery downtown on the “el” train. I thought Avery would find riding the train fun; plus at rush-hour the cab ride could have easily taken us much longer. Instead, half-way through the subway trip, Avery fell asleep on my lap and then I had to carry him upstairs from the station at Chicago and Milwaukee. It took a few minutes, but we hailed a cab and headed home. Bobby and Josh had just arrived at the same time. Here we were, on Astor Street, in front of our building. Not a thing had changed. It was surreal.

We received such a warm welcome from Nina and her family. The kids had put up signs saying "Welcome Home Rosenberg Family." They all helped us upstairs with our ton of stuff. Everyone was so excited to see each other.

Avery and Olivia went straight to their rooms. Avery took out every single toy from his toy chest and began playing with it. Nina had completely stocked the fridge (including a case of Corona), had cleaned the apartment and arranged flowers in the kitchen. Then she announced that she had prepared dinner for us. She wanted the kids to eat together at her place, and then Josh and I could relax upstairs with stuffed peppers. It was the greatest welcome home ever! Except then Olivia threw up her dinner while still at Nina’s house.

For me it was strange. Everything was the same. Exactly as we’d left it. I felt as if I were here yesterday, and not like we’d been away a whole year. Bizarre.

Arrivederci Roma! -- A sentimental day

After breakfast, Josh and I left the kids at the hotel watching a movie while we went to the bank to close our account. Despite the fact that Josh had called twice to inquire about the procedure and was assured that we just needed to come in and sign a document, when we were seated today, we were informed that it takes a few days to close an account and it can’t possibly be done today.

Long story short, we “deposited” 50euros against any additional purchases and fees that hadn’t shown up yet, and we were able to get the account closed. Any additional funds will be wired back to us in the States. Would this be our final experience with the lack of real-time technology in Italy?

Back at the hotel, we all changed and got ready to go to AquAniene for a swim. Fortunately, Luca tipped us off to the fact that the café was closed this week so we knew to buy more provisions before arriving. The girls swam; Avery didn’t want to wear a swim cap as per the club rules, so he barely got in the water. I enjoyed a sauna – my last at Aniene. Then we had a picnic together in the cafe area.

We returned to the hotel so Avery could nap, and so Josh could make a trip to Stefano’s office where we had stored our belongings while traveling this summer. He needed to take an inventory, and re-pack our bags to prepare for our departure tomorrow. Meanwhile, Avery decided not to take a nap but rather watched a movie with the girls. As such, it was a good thing we talked to Morris today about coming over to the hotel this evening. He ended up babysitting Avery, while Josh and I took the girls to dinner --- La Pariolina, by popular request. On our way over, we called Alessia who was just back from her vacation in Turkey. She and Vittoria (Avery’s classmate) joined us, as did a friend of hers. We had a really good “last supper” and this time I did order the filetto di Manzo. It was really good – not from a Tuscan cow but still really delicious.

After dinner we ventured to the Pantheon for gelato. Josh was anxious to get back to the hotel. Instead of making a trip to Stefano’s tonight, he decided he’d get up early in the morning instead. Tonight, I slept with Avery and Josh shared a room with the girls.

So much to think about for the next day’s logistics, hard to focus on the fact that we were leaving. But I did spend some time out on the balcony of the room just staring out at the quiet streets of the neighborhood.

Leaving Tuscany for Rome

We really didn’t start packing until after breakfast. We thought it would be a leisurely morning and the kids could swim in the pool for the last time while we organized. But in fact, for the first time since we’d arrived, they didn’t want to swim…perhaps, we were leaving just in time. Then, we were surprised when the villa was invaded by the housekeepers who had come to pick up all the linens and begin the cleaning process. Thus, our leisurely packing picked up speed.

Once Josh packed up the car, we drove to the town of Marsiliana to “check out” at the Corsini office. We also hiked up to the castle and, as promised during the olive oil tasting there last week, we were admitted to climb up the tower. At the top, we had wonderful 360degree views of the entire surrounding valley and the sea. Avery was fidgety and Olivia was not feeling well, so we made the visit brief. Then, we began the drive back to Rome.

We were just 60 km outside of Rome when we were pulled over by the Polizia. Josh thought the problem was that he had strapped a duffle bag to the roof. But in fact, the issue was that his bike on the rear bike rack was blocking the car’s license plate. The police insisted he move the bike. The problem was that there was no place to move it to – the car was jammed full of luggage and passengers. Italian law requires that you have a special license plate that goes over the rack in the back. So we agreed to make a make-shift one on a piece of cardboard donated by the gas-station attendant (we had pulled over at a gas station). Good thing Avery had magic markers in his back-pack.

We were back on the road, but not before being issued a 116euro ticket for the infraction. In addition to the errant bike on the back of the car, we were informed that any driver in the EU is obligated to have his/her driver’s license translated into the language of the country in which the car is being driven – now that’s a new one. Needless to say, with all of the languages and drivers in Europe, a logistical nightmare. Could the police have been making this one up?

We arrived at the Polo Hotel in our old Parioli neighborhood just around 4pm. As soon as we’d checked in, I ran over to the market next door to buy sandwich provisions. We hadn’t really eaten much other than grissini (bread stick) for lunch. Going to a restaurant or bar wasn’t an option – everything was closed for the Feragosto vacation. Driving into Rome could not have been easier. There was no traffic. In centro, everything would be business as ususal – but without the Italians. Whereas in the Parioli, it was practically a ghost town.

We decamped at the hotel, took showers, and then headed off in the evening. We drove to Trastevere, but the restaurant we were heading to was….(predictably) closed; one of the few in this neighborhood. So we chose instead Da Luca, a place we’d eaten early on in our Italian adventure. We had come full circle. We had a great dinner except Olivia was still not feeling well and really hadn’t eaten much the entire day. Avery was beginning to tire out. We were going to go to the Tevere river festival but had to opt out in order to get him to bed.

Back at the hotel, Charlotte and I took an excursion around the neighborhood. We found a few things open. Most importantly, we located the Gracchi gelateria on Regina Margherita and found it open. It was really nice to sit alone with Charlotte and enjoy a cone. I think we were both getting nostalgic about the fact that our time in Italy was up.

Charlotte and I shared a room at the hotel tonight. Josh slept with Olivia and Avery in another room.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 23: Sailing the Argentario

Josh still managed to get a short bike ride in this morning before we set off for sailing. In fact, it could have been a longer ride since our captain, Carlo, ended up having to drive his wife down to Civitavecchia so she could catch a train. In the end, we didn’t leave the villa much before 1pm and our 11am sail ended up leaving closer to 2:30pm. In other words: Italian time.

Still, it was a wonderful day. The sea was perfect, the wind was just right and the boat was a beautiful vessel. I had made a pasta salad for everyone and we picnicked on the boat. Then, we dove into the sea and swam before sailing bit further around the peninsula. We managed to make it back to the port just after 5. Livia had to report to work and we had to get back to our villa to get organized for our departure tomorrow. First, we shopped at Brandy and Melville (Charlotte's favorite store, and where Livia was working as a salesgirl) then we visited the Creola gelateria in Porto Ercole before heading home.

It was our last night in Tuscany. Selvaggia came over to babysit so Josh and I could have dinner out. We went to Capalbio and while we tried to get in to Il Frantoio, we were unsuccessful and ended up at Da Maria. The food was very good although we mistakenly didn’t order the grilled steak which looked excellent as it was served to all the tables around us. Our last night in Tuscany, and we were not experiencing fresh cow…so sad.

After dinner we strolled in to the center of town for a jazz concert. It was really wonderful and a great finish to our fantastic vacation here in the Maremma. 

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 22: Feragusto

The nice weather was back. We all slept in and then had the typical three stages of breakfast. One for Josh and me, then Olivia and Avery, and finally when she was able to rouse herself, breakfast for Charlotte. She didn’t come down until after 11am. Around here, it seems not much happens until after 11am on any given day.

While the storms had passed, the seas were still not calm, so instead of going out on Carlo’s sailboat, Carlo, Nicole and their girls came to our place for a leisurely Feragosto lunch – a tradition in Italy on the 15th of August. We pooled our frigos together to come up with a nice spread (since it was a Sunday AND Feragosto, no markets would be open today).

After lunch, the girls played in the pool, Nicole drove her oldest, Livia to work (at Brandy and Melville) Carlo napped, Josh went on a ride, and I took a bath. Avery napped - but not long enough.

When Josh returned from his ride, we all drove to Orbetello to the Pizzeria for dinner. Avery, exiled to the rear of the wagon due to space considerations was bothersome to everyone in the rear. Even once we arrived in Orbetello, he pulled Olivia’s hair and knocked her down. It was not going to be a good night with Avery – two nights in a row out on the town (even though we were doing a 7:30pm dinner tonight) was too much for him. We strolled to the piazza for gelato after dinner – when it dawned on Avery that he had lost his gelato for bad behavior, he had an absolute fit. Of course.

We said goodbye to Nicole who was going off on a business trip tomorrow. She has been a great friend, and key to our enjoyment of our year here. We would see the rest of her family tomorrow for sailing.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 21: Saturnia redux and Caravaggio

As predicted, the weather today was even wetter than yesterday. A perfect day to head off to Saturnia. Not surprisingly, we weren’t the only ones with this idea. When we arrived, the cascading pools were pretty crowded. Still we took a soak and enjoyed the coolness of the weather.

Afterwards, we picked up some panini at a local ssteria before heading home. We watched the European swimming championships on TV. Not just any TV – Rai Tre; where the coverage is purely biased Italian. In fact, if there isn’t an Italian in the race, they’ll just show the commentators talking in the booth – silly.

Tonight we had a nice, quiet dinner at home – inside. Again, we timed the day well. After we returned from Saturnia, the floodgates opened and it really poured. There was also a huge wind storm and lightening again. With all the rain this afternoon it was still very wet outside.

After dinner, we had an outing to Porto Ercole. On Saturday, there are concerts in the historical city. Unfortunately, today’s performance was more of a lecture than a concert. I had the kids all psyched to go hear music and instead there were two guys talking about the life and work of Caravaggio.

Porto Ercole is celebrating the anniversary of Caravaggio’s death. He died here after escaping from exile in Malta. The historical center of Porto Ercole is perched high upon a hill overlooking the more well-know port area. It’s as if you are sitting on balcony overlooking the sea.

When we drove into town we had to circle three times and then drive a km out of the center to find an (illegal) parking space. Then we walked to the port for a gelato. We've discovered a new and also excellent gelateria called Creola. Afterwards, we walked along the port and up to the historical center by way of the stairs that were built into the rocks.

After the "show", we visited the church in which a Caravaggio was on display. When we descended, we met Carlo in the marina and he showed us his sail boat. We sat on the boat for a bit. Due to the storm, many boats were stranded here, and the marina was overflowing.

We gave Carlo a ride back to Orbetello on our way home. It was another very late Italian night for our kids. When we arrived at the villa, we were greeted by a big frog on our the doorstep. Frogs are a big hit in the countryside!

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 20: Rain and pain

We found ourselves in the middle of a major lightening storm this morning. One bolt struck so close to the villa, it was deafening -- and scary.

Needless to say, the weather scuttled our plans for sailing with Carlo. In the midst of the storm in Marsilian, Carlo was sitting on his boat in Porto Ercole. He admitted the seas would be rough, but encouraged us to come join him on the boat. Afterall, it wasn't raining. We decided against it. It was the right call as subsequently the lightening storm hit Porto Ercole as well.

The change in weather also amounted to a day of pain for me. My knee was killing me. Even with voltaren and ice, I could hardly walk. Such a bummer.

In the evening Selvaggia came over. Josh and I went out to dinner at La Parrina – the agriturismo place where we’d bought wonderful fresh produce, and which produces the yummy Ansonica wine.

They have a very beautiful garden – just like our backyard. But this one filled with tables and some toys and games for kids.

The limited menu looked very promising. But I had to send the tagliatelli back for lack of calamari; when it came back it was too salty (did I piss the cook off or something?). We thought about going into Porto Ercole after dinner. But between the drugs I’d been taking and the wine I’d been drinking, (and the length of the dinner) it was time to pack it in.

Once we arrived at home, Selvaggia confided it had been quite problematic getting Avery to bed. In fact, he was still awake! There was something unsettling about this day for everyone.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 19: Giardino di Tarot

Today was to be a low key day: hang out, swim at the pool, have a nice lunch, drink some wine.

Late in the day, we went to visit the Niki de St. Phalle Giardino di Tarot. It was even better than expected. The kids loved the colorful, magical creations. The artist, along with her husband, fellow artist Jean Tingley, worked for 20 years planning and creating this amazing sculpture garden before it was opened to the public in 1998.

De Saint Phalle was inspired by the work of Antonio Gaudi in Barcelona when she lived briefly in Spain. The Giardino di Tarot has 21 statues, some small and made of resin, some large enough to live inside (and Niki did live for a year inside the Empress), and all decorated entirely in mosaics in every color imaginable -- but also a lot of mirrors. It comprises a body of art that reflects the artist and the viewer. Each of the sculptures represents one figure from the major arcana -- the 21 cards in the tarot deck that regard significant aspects of life.  Niki and Jean created the sculpture garden in the Maremma on a property that was "lent" to them by friends.

Afterwards, just as the sun was fading in the sky, we drove through the fields of Capalbio scalo and up to the Etruscan remains of Cosa in Ansedonia. We timed it perfectly so we arrived there (after a brief hike) in time for the sunset. It was another hit with the kids. From here, you can see the entire Argentario peninsula, the sea around Feniglia and Giannella as well as the coastline to the south of Torba and Machiatonda beaches.

As it grew dark, we retired to our villa for a light dinner. Then we laid on the lettinos that we'd moved to our "great"lawn and admired the bright stars in the sky.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 18: Olive oil tasting and "Afrodesia"

Another gorgeous day. We went to the beach after breakfast -- which means we didn’t get there until lunch time. We had organized with the bagnino to get better seats today, and were happily placed in the front row -- for a nice tip. We had a picnic lunch, we swam, we took the pedalo boat out for a spin. It was a beautiful afternoon at the beach.

On our way home, we drove to the market in Orbetello. Once back at the villa, Avery napped and the girls swam in the pool. I made an ambitious dinner of cozze (mussels) steamed with garlic, white wine and butter (not bad for my first attempt – it was actually much easier than I thought) and several whole fish -- spigola. Yum. Love that spigola fish.

We had a hard time waking Avery up from his nap. He might have slept through the night. But wake him we must, because we had plans to go up to the castle at Marsiliana for an olive oil tasting organized by our hosts. Each week, the agent hosts a tasting to give their guests an opportunity to meet one another and to see the castle. We tasted three different oils (which tasted very similar to me), along with toasted and fresh breads, tomatoes, salt, pepper and also with sugar. This was a great dessert for the kids: fresh bread with olive oil and sugar makes for quite a nice treat.

It was late when we left, and there was some talk of returning home. But I encouraged the troupes to press onwards to Capalbio where the first night of “Afrodesia” was being hosted. We paid admission to listen to two African music bands – one from Senegal and one from Mali. I can’t say either was really fantastic, but the kids enjoyed going to the concert and hearing the interesting looking instruments being played.

It was 11pm again before we returned home. We’ve certainly succeeded in putting the kids on the real Italian program of staying out late.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 17: Discovering La Parrina

We had another luxurious breakfast, Tuscan style, on the patio. Afterwards, Stefano and his family packed up and left us to return to their family home in Pescara. Our family packed up for the beach; but made a stop along the way.

I was curious about La Parrina, a place I'd heard sells the best produce and fine foods. La Parrina is an expansive property, owned by a cousin of the Corsini family, and consists of not only a vineyard and a farm for livestock and produce, but an agriturismo, a restaurant and a shop. It was really quite a beautiful operation. We loaded up on peaches and other fruits and surveyed the wines. In fact, we'd enjoyed an Ansonica wine from La Parrina for dinner last night and we inquired about have a case or two shipped back to the States. Unfortunately, La Parrina is not licensed to export (apparently it's not easy to get an export license due to a whole host of reasons including the threat of bio-terrorism), but we could buy the cases and have them shipped ourselves. Later we learned that the shipping costs far outweigh the cost of the wine, in which case the proposition became less alluring.

Finally, we made it to Club Cappanuccia. We ordered panini and ate in the clubhouse. Unfortunately, today our preferred lettinos weren't available and we were ushered to the back corner next to the snack bar. The traffic was bothersome and it was loud; not ideal to say the least. As a result, we limited our stay at the beach today in favor of returning to the pool at our villa and taking naps. But first, we treated everyone to an ice-cream before leaving Cappanuccia.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 16: An evening in Orbetello

It was a long ride for the boys this morning. Plenty of time for me to practice yoga. We had a relaxing morning and somehow were never able to leave the house. Avery and I went on an outing to the local market in the morning, but that was about it.

In the evening, Selvaggia came by. The adults were going to go to Porto Ercole for dinner. But, for once, due to a lack of planning, our restaurant of choice was full. It is August by the sea, afterall. Instead, we ended up in Orbetello at a fish restaurant that is also a fisherman's coop. It was called Cooperiva Pescheria and was recommended by friends from Rome who had dined there. You could order fish and eat at picnic tables, or sit in the restaurant for table service. We chose to do the latter. It was a price-fixe menu with many choices and lots of food and we had a delicious locally grown and produced Ansonica wine.

Diners at the restaurant are offered the opportunity to go on a boat ride in the lagoon after dinner. We were fortunate and boarded the boat for the last ride of the night. It was nice to be out on the water in the night -- we saw loads of flying fish. It was a lovely way to cap off the evening.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 15: Beach Club Capanuccia

We had a languid, lazy, fun morning -- the kids splashed around in the pool, the adults hung out. We had every intention of going to the beach, but by the time we were organized and ready to go, it was late in the day.

Our friend, Alessia, who rents the lettinos and the ombrellone for the summer at the Club Capanuccia had left for a vacation in Turkey. We turned up there (by pre-arrangement) to take her place. The bagnino gave us a front row set up and the kids were happy playing by the shore. It was really such a magical time of day as the sun began to lower in the sky -- we didn't want to leave. But, by 7pm we had to think about a plan for dinner. Our solution: pizza to go.

We drove to the train station at Capalbio Scalo -- where a good (to go) pizzeria was recommended to us. After we'd ordered, I drove Elena, Olivia and Andrea home while Josh and Stefano stayed behind with the rest of the gang to wait for our pizzas to be ready.

Soon enough, we were back in the country, at our villa, eating pizza and salad, and sipping wine under the stars.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 14: Giglio

For us, today was a “rain date” for our boat ride to Giglio with our friend Stefania and her family. Stefano and Josh went for a long ride in the morning so we were pressed to make it to our meeting place in Orbetello by noon. In fact, we arrived at 12:20 (we had called). Then, we were off to Porto Santo Stefano on the Argentario peninsula – home to the marina where our friends dock their boat.

After we parked, we walked along the marina towards the pier. Unfortunately, Emma's little sister, Giulia, stumbled and landed chin first on the pavement. Initially, I thought she had bitten her tongue, but after a moment, it was clear she had split her chin open. Poor little Giulia -- a whisper of a girl and only 2 1/2 years old. Stefania and her husband took Giulia to the medical clinic in Porto Santo Stefano. In the meantime, Emma accompanied us to the boat and gave us a tour (recall, she is only 5 years old). The boat was appropriately named "Super Emma."

I honestly thought that our boat trip would be cancelled. I imagined that Giulia would held up at the clinic with her parents for hours. Much to our surprise, within 25 minutes, they were back! Giulia was bandaged up and, we were off to Giglio. The ride itself took less than 1/2 hour. The water was clear, blue and beautiful. Once we anchored off the island, we all immediately jumped off the boat to have a swim.

We spent a wonderful afternoon, having lunch (insalata di riso), drinking wine, and swimming. When it was time to go, Josh and Charlotte rode back to the mainland by lying on top of the motor boat for a (loud) thrilling ride. We said our good-byes. Giulia, who slept half of the afternoon on the boat, was going to the emergency room in Orbetello with her parents, just to be sure she didn't need stitches.

Josh, Charlotte, Olivia, Avery and I were going to Orbetello too. But we were going to pay a visit to our (new) favorite gelateria, Le Logge. In town, we met up with Stefano, who had taken his family to the beach this afternoon. The boys went shopping for hamburgers and hotdogs so we could have another BBQ at the villa. This time, we had better "bricks" for the grill, and thus the BBQ was more successful.

I can't believe we've been here for two weeks already. We haven't been a bored a minute; and there are still so many things I want to do and see in the area. I made a list. I want to be sure the time doesn't run away from me -- but I'm already feeling sad that it will.

Podere del Cutignolo - Day 13: Dining in Capalbio and Ansedonia

Change of plans. We were planning to join Stefania and her family on their boat and go to the island of Giglio. Stefano was going with his family to have lunch at a friend's place. But the weather didn’t cooperate. It was only a bit cloudy in the country, but apparently, it was raining along the coast so our respective hosts cancelled plans.

It was nice to do nothing for a bit.

Our kids enjoyed playing with Francesco (4) and Andrea (1). By now Olivia had the alter-ego of “mamina” as she looked after baby Andrea and made him laugh. After a morning of playing on the lawn, we all went to Capalbio for lunch. Baby Andrea slept throughout. After we had eaten a very basic (for Tuscany) meal, we had a passeggiatta and showed our friends around the small historical center of Capalbio.

We had planned to visit the Niki de St. Phalle Giardino di Tarot in the afternoon, but the weather cleared up. It became hot. So we changed plans again and decided to return to the pool.

In the evening, Selvaggia came over to babyist so the adults could go out to dinner -- the adulst plus one that is. Baby Andrea joined us and cooperated by sleeping throughout the meal, again. We dined at Al Cartello on the recommendation of our Italian neighbors – in fact Alessandro called for us to make the reservation to be sure we would get a good table. And we did – our table was right on the water, and the sandy beach. We arrived just before sunset and took some photos. Then we enjoyed a delicious meal. We had some excellent raw fish as an antipasto and then shared some pasta and a huge Fragolina (called such for its reddish skin color). I even had a crème brulee for dessert – that’s a first for my year in Italy.

It was truly a wonderful evening out – even if we did have to mind the clock since we had to be home for the babysitter tonight by 10:30pm.