Italia '08

Why wouldn't anyone jump at the opportunity to take a toddler overseas for a zero-planning vacation tagged onto the end of a long TDY? My sentiments exactly. But, the last minute trip to Italy went off with out a hitch. Well almost anyway...

I ended up there as part of a three destination TDY recently. Jess and Reagan joined me about half way through the last leg of the trip (in Italy). Then we spent a few days criss-crossing Italian boot to see some sights and enjoy a little family R&R. The girls arrived in Venice after an extra day spent in the lovely Atlanta aiport due to mechanical issues, and re-routing through NYC the next day. Despite the extra 24 hours to get their bags on the right airplane, all of the luggage went to Paris for some bizarre reason. And there it remained for two days after their arrival in Italy. Thanks Delta. But not all was lost. Jess and Reagan needed time to recover from the time change anyway, and the bags arrived (in stages) partway through their first weekend.
Overall – international travel with a toddler is not for the faint of heart. And Jess did it solo on the first part of her trip. But Reagan is an amazing little trooper. And we all had a fantastic time. We got to see friends from AK (the Aystas) from SD (the Blacks) and add a few more sights and adventures to our list. Pics follow in the next couple of posts.

Here's our basic itinerary breakdown.
We stayed in Sacile (northeast Italy) for the first week. I was still working at Aviano Air Base for the first few days of the trip.
Day trip to Venice on Labor Day.
Visit to Rezzanello (south of Milano and Piacenza) for 3 days to catch up with John and Stephanie Black at their outrageous Italian villa.
Two days in Tuscan wine country with visits to Lucca and Florence.
The last three days in Rome (with a side trip through Pisa on the way) before jumping on a jet back to the USA.

Florence and Pisa

Pics of the famous leaning tower in Pisa (it really looks like its about to tumble) and some of the sights in Florence. We only spent a few hours in Pisa - which seemed like plenty. Florence on the other hand - we tried to do in a day. That was tough. There's too much to see. Highlights include Michaelangelo's David (not pictured because they don't allow it), Ponte de Vecchio (the old bridge) and the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo). You can (and we did) climb the dome. 463 steps to the top. And Reagan would only ride with Mama. Jessie powered through. The view of this ancient and beautiful city was more than worth the work. The last pic is just a random lunch stop at a sidewalk cafe for pizza/sandwiches. The landmarks are neat to see, but moments like these are always my favorite memories. Reagan loves the pizza...

There is more to show - but I've got to get organized to get back to reality tomorrow- so it will have to wait for another day. More to follow!!

Ciasa de Black

Rezzanello / Piacenza-
Fantastic! The diamond in the rough (if there was a rough) of our trip. We were treated to an intimate tour of rural Italy and some over-the-top hospitality by the Blacks. I didn't want to leave...
The Black's are staying in what can only be described as a resort villa during their stint in Italy. What a location! They are situated in the foothills of Italy's central mountain range with view of the plains and the Alps in the distance on a clear day. The pool you see is in their front yard. We visited Piacenza, and a couple of the other small surrounding towns, including a couple of neighboring castles.

Italy '08 - Venice

Ahhhhhh, Venice...

Well, the girls finally had clean clothes by the time we made our weekend day-trip to Venice. I was still working up at Aviano, but we had a free day (Labor Day) to make the jaunt. San Marco's square was imposing and beautiful. Rialto Bridge was also impressive. The throng of tourists and shoppers were a bit overwhelming, but since we were there for the scenery and not the shopping, it was a day well spent. The best part of the day is a toss up between the adventure of working our way through the Italian mass transit system and sharing in Reagan's absolute glee over gelato (Italian ice cream).