Christmas Greetings from Wexford

Merry Christmas! Our celebrations this year began with a Christmas Eve dinner where we feasted on one of my long time favorite meals - a shrimp and crab au gratin served over home made pasta. This recipe was given to me by Dana Klein in the first cooking class I ever took -- in the winter of 1990. And it was just as delicious today as it was then. On this occasion, Chris was my primary assistant on the pasta machine.

And just before dinner, Chris and Katherine helped me assemble and set out the luminaria along the sidewalk in front of our house.

This was a coordinated neighborhood activity and it looked like more than 50% of our households participated. In our section of the neighborhood, in particular, we had a really high level of participation. The street looked really neat.

Following dinner, we attended the 8:00 p.m. "traditional" Christmas Eve service at our church. This is a b

eautiful service -- the highlight of which is the singing of "Silent Night" by candlelight. high level of participation.

On Christmas day, we followed our tradition of opening Christmas presents in the morning and dining in the afternoon. This year, we prepared a full turkey dinner. Dad made the stuffing, using the recipe his mother and Zia Chiara always used. It was excellent.

And, finally, comfortably full from our Christmas dinner, we relaxed and watched the movie "Up." It was great fun.

In concluding this Christmas entry, we wish you and your family all the best this holiday season.

Desserts to Die For

One of the highlights of our party is the desserts that we serve at the end of the evening. This year, I made four desserts.

First, I made one of my long-time personal favorites -- an apple tart. This is a recipe that I obtained during one of the first cooking classes I took, about 23 years ago!

Second, a Chris' request, I made a Tuxedo Truffle Torte which was composed of a dark and white chocolate mousse and a dark and white chocolate ganache. This cake was sinfully rich.

Third, I made a Croquembouche -- which is a tower of puff pastries filled with vanilla cream and drizzled with lots of chocolate. Chris made the puff pastry dough for me, and it

was superb. It cooked up perfectly. And this dessert was especially fun to construct.

Finally, I made a Red Raspberry Almond Passion Cake. The cake batter included a healthy amount of toasted and finely ground almonds and when constructed, the cake is in four layers. The frosting was a chocolate butter cream. A raspberry sauce was brushed over each cake layer as the cake was assembled and, when finished, the cake was topped by a ring of raspberries. Yum.

By the end of the evening, there was one small piece of the Red Raspberry Almond Passion Cake left -- but everything else was gone -- completely consumed!

A Festival of Food

As is often the case, it has been a hectic Christmas season, and I am remiss in making a few blog entries to record our activities. First, I must report on our annual Christmas party -- which we hosted on Saturday, December 19, 2009. Despite a raging winter storm that hit on that same day (called the "Blizzard of 2009" by the press), our party was huge success. All of our guests were in attendance (no last minute cancellations!), and we had a wonderful time.

Most importantly, I was ably assisted in my preparations by (1) my sister, Lisa, who drove to our house on Friday evening and just beat out the arrival of the storm, (2) my beautiful daughter, Katherine, who is a graceful and tireless helper, (3) my steadfast son, Chris, who is invaluable for those last minute runs to the store and who also is a more than able cook, (4) my Dad, Carlo, who also proved to be a number one sous chef, and (5) Katherine's boyfriend, Tory, who was pressed into service but seemed actually to enjoy it. With this great team at my back, we cooked for two days and served up a number of wonderful delights.

Our party fare consisted of a wide variety of hors d'oeuvres (hot and cold) and several amazing desserts to top off the evening. Here is a partial list of our menu items:

* Grilled peanut chicken

* Veal meatballs in tomato sauce

* Mini twice baked potatoes

* Smoked salmon on mascarpone cheese toasts

* Grilled shrimp in hot sauce

* Mini quiche lorraines

* Apple slices wrapped in ham with honey mustard

* Nutty Napoleanos (pecans with roquefort cheese spread)

* Crab salad in wonton cups

I am hopeful that no one left hungry!

Christmas Time in London

London is a great city to visit during the Christmas season. They decorate as much here as we do in any US city. What I loved the most though was Harrod's. I made a special trip there just to see the Christmas decorations, and I was not disappointed. The exterior was strung with green lights that outlined all the building lines and windows. And I have never seen so many people in one store! It was incredibly crowded.

We encountered another unusual sight associated with the season. Upon leaving the National Portrait Gallery, we entered Trafalgar Square to find it filled with Santas. There were hundreds of them -- maybe even thousands of them. It turns out that they were part of a group called "Santas for Charity." For several weeks before Christmas, this group dresses up in assorted Santa costumes and stands on street corners throughout London collecting funds for various charities. When their collection drive is over, they gather in Trafalgar Square and celebrate with some beer and brussels sprouts

(of all things!). Basically, they have one big public party. It was quite the sight! My photo is a bit dark (it was dusk when I took it), but maybe you can pick out a few Santas.

London in December

I made a business trip to London last week and, quite unexpectedly, found myself with an extra day for some sightseeing. I've been to London before, but I enjoyed returning to a few of my favorite spots and visiting a few places that were "new" to me.

I started the morning at St. Paul's Cathedral. What a truly beautiful church. I learned that the current cathedral is the 6th church at this location -- there having been a church on the same site since about 600 A.D. Of course, I took advantage of the audio tour that was available and learned all sorts of neat things about the history of the building and its contents. Did you know that the word "cathedral" means "bishop's seat?"

I then met up with my two colleagues, Jim and Clarence, and we traveled together, by taxi, to Westminster Abbey. This is another great church which overwhelms me simply by virtue of the incredibly history represented by the tombs and memorials found here. The most impressive are those of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots (located on opposite sides of the sanctuary). All the kings and queens of England have been crowed at Westminster Abbey since the 12th century, and there still exists within the Abbey the throne that has been used for coronation services during that entire period of time.

Following our time at the Abbey, we walked past Parliament and Big Ben and found a great pub where we had a bit of lunch. Then, it was on to the Royal Portrait Gallery where we spent about two hours wandering the halls and enjoying works by Rembrandt, Michaelangelo, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas and so many others.

It was a great day! And it was so unexpected that we had this extra time to enjoy the city.

Cape Cod Thanksgiving Greetings

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We are all assembled for the holiday here at our house on Eider Lane in Eastham, Massachusetts -- on Cape Cod. The weather is balmy (for this time of year) and rainy, but inside it is warm and sunny. We are having a wonderful time.

Chris and I, as well as Mom, drove here (separately) on Tuesday morning. Jack and Rena flew into the Boston airport (from Kansas City) on Tuesday night, and Mom and I picked them up. Dad arrived (from Sarasota via Springfield) on Wednesday morning,and John, Karen and Gabriel were behind him by only a few hours. Finally, Katherine was delivered (courtesy of Eric and Bob).

Thanksgiving day, of course, was spent mostly in the kitchen. We had a great meal, and there were many hands involved in its preparation. Our menu consisted of (i) turkey (24 lbs!), (ii) meat stuffing (Zia Chiara's recipe), (iii) bacon smashed potatoes (with dill), (iv) braised carrots (with scallions, sage and thyme), (v) green beans with almond butter, and (vi) spiced cranberries.

For entertainment during the day, some of the group watched "The Best of Youth" -- the story of an Italian family, three generations, from 1966 to 2003 and the trials and tribulations they face. This was originally a TV show in Italy that showed in segments over several months. But Dad, Rena, Jack and Mom watched the entire collection of shows over the past two days.

It was 8 hours! They loved it and they can't stop talking about it.

Those of us interested in less cerebral fare, played Band Hero, and had great fun. Bob got the highest scores on the vocals; Katherine was best on the guitar; and Chris excelled on drums. I tried both the drums and the guitar, and liked the guitar the best. Sadly, my scores did not match my enthusiasm. I'll have to practice!

And today is to be a shopping day -- of course!

A Huge Thanks to My Dad

Trip to Italy - Postscript

This trip came about for me only because I invited myself to join my father who was already planning a trip to northern Italy. When I told him of my interest in making the trip with him, he graciously agreed to make some major changes in his original itinerary to accommodate my interests in seeing some of the classic tourist attractions in the country.

We had almost as much fun planning this trip as we had on the trip! From the hotel selections to the dinner reservations and all the planning in between, during the three months before the trip, we were in constant touch by email and phone. It was a lot of work, but it was also a lot of fun. Dad was also very generous in insisting on paying for most of the costs of the trip.

Thank you, Dad, for everything.

Baci e abbracci,

Carol

Caio Italia!

Trip to Italy - My Final Journal Entry - September 28, 2009 - 9:50am

And so my first - but certainly not my last - trip to Italy has come to a close. It was quite wonderful, and I look forward to doing it all over again. We saw some truly amazing sites. I took over 750 pictures! We ate better than I can remember. I wrote over 85 pages in my journal. And we were treated like visiting royalty by our family in Stradella. What a truly great time we all had.

Caio Roma, Firenze, Venezia et Stradella!

The Vineyards of Pavia

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #26 - September 28, 2009 - 9:30 am

The plan for my final afternoon in Stradella, and in Italy for that matter, was to take a driving tour of the Provincipia di Pavia. Roberto was our driver and chief tour guide. Nikki and Paolo came too. We drove for about two hours up into the hills

around Stradella. Much to my amazement, we were in the middle of some very serious wine country. There were vineyards everywhere. Most of the grapes already had been harvested, but in some of the fields the vines were heavy with ripened grapes.

We had the fantastic luck of driving past a field where they were running a grape harvester up a row of vines. We stood at the top of the hill and watched the entire process. I got some great pictures (again)! Meanwhile, I should mention that the vineyards here are often planted on very hilly terrain. Some of the landscape is so steep that I cannot imagine how they do the

harvesting, But it's an impressive and beautiful patchwork of fields -- truly breath-taking.

For all the times, over all the years, that Dad and Aunt Rena, and so many others, have talked about Stradella, I had no real idea of what the countryside was like here. Stradella itself is a wonderfull smallish city, quite vibrant. The surrounding areas are full of beautiful rolling hills dotted with picturesque small towns and vineyards. Some of the vineyards are private and some are commercial. Others sell their grapes to cooperatives. It's a beautiful scene. Roberto drove us by some of the very vineyards that produced the wines we drank earlier in the day at our barbeque banquet. What a wonderful drive this was. Around every corner, there was a view that belonged on a post card.

Our last activity of this day -- before I made an early exit to bed -- was a walk through the center of town (Stradella) with Nikki and Chris. It was a pretty evening -- as has been just about every evening during this trip. The walk from Ca' Rossa to town is less than a mile. Roberto and Nikki and Maurizio and Barbara live in the center of town. They live in the same building -- in apartments one on top of the other. We popped into Roberto and Nikki's apartment for a glass of water. It was nice to see their home -- which is full of large airy rooms and feels very comfortable. It suits them!

We Say Thank You to Our Amazing Hosts

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #25 - September 28, 2009 - 9:00 am

As our incredible barbeque celebration and the procession of dishes began to wrap up, Chris and I made a quick trip upstairs to retrieve our boxes of gifts. Dad had gone to great pains in advance of our trip to think through appropriate gifts for everyone and we had done all our ordering and wrapping state-side and shipped our gifts to Rosita's house in advance of our arrival. Rosita had jokingly commented upon our arrival that these boxes had arrived -- addressed to her -- but also with the instructions that she was not permitted to open them! Now, it was time to break through the tape and reveal the contents.

Chris helped me pass everything around. The guys all got fish rubbings T-shirts (from Chatham, Cape Cod), while Paolo and Luca got ball caps. The ladies all got Vera Bradley tote bags. Cecelia and Chiara also got fish rubbings T-shirts as well as 2010 daytimers. And Angela and Rosita got aprons with fish rubbings. We had a lot of fun taking pictures of everyone wearing and showing off their gifts (as shown here!).

And while all this was going on, the phone rang, and it was Jack and Rena calling from Kansas City. How nice to hear their voices -- and to be able to speak to someone in English! And this reminds me of the window into Rosita's house that faces the side yard. We took Jack and Rena's call through that window. This large window seems to be always open and people visit and talk through this window all the time. It is really neat and it is wonderfully symbolic of the friendliness and hospitality of this family.

We will never be able to say "thank you" enough to all of our wonderful hosts in Stradella and Portalbera. They went so far out of their way to make us feel welcome (which we did) and to keep us entertained (which we were), but at least we were able to leave them with a few small tokens of our gratitude.

An Italian Family Barbeque

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #24 - September 28, 2009 - 8:30am

When we returned from our trip to Portalbera, we found that Rosita's side yard and driveway had been turned into party central. There was a huge, long table with over 20 chairs -- fully set for our barbeque. Maurizio was at the grill and Barbara was uncorking a variety of wines, champagne and other drinks. Nikki was putting plates of food on the table, and everyone was generally flying around the yard.

Here we met Roberto's best friend, Gianni, and his daughter Cecelia. Gianni visited Dad, with Roberto, back in March, and Dad really took a shine to him -- I think because he's such a good cook! He's also a very nice guy. And his daughter is delightful. She is about to begin her studies at the local university this fall.

It wasn't long after our arrival that we were served drinks. I chose champagne. And then the food began. In Italy, there is never just one appetizer; rather, there are many. We started with cold salami and boiled salami and bruschetta with tomato and basil. There was also italian bread with a tomato spread. Then, the meal really began. We ate thinly sliced, grilled eggplant, grilled yellow and green peppers, grilled pork, and grilled chicken. Most of what we had this day was grilled and the master chef was Maurizio.

There was also a lot of bread on the table and this reminds me to comment on the way that portions are sometimes served here. Everyone uses their hands to pass food around! For example, Barbara was distributing bread the way most of us deal cards. Using her hands, she put a piece of bread - or two - next to each person's plate. Hands are also used to distribute everything else on the table. If someone wants a piece of chicken and the platter is in front of you, instead of passing the

plate down the table, you are expected to just pick up a piece, with your fingers, mind you, and pass it down! It's a miracle these people are so healthy.

Back to the food. Our next "course" consisted of very salty beef (in very tiny cubes) on a skewer along with some grilled sausage. You have to remember that each item was presented one at a time and I kept thinking I'd seen the last course, and then something else

would show up! Dessert was the same way. Nikki brought out a huge bowl of fruit salad and served cups to everyone. Then Renza appeared with two huge 2-gallon cartons of gelato. She put huge spoonfuls of gelato on top of the fruit.

And then a beautiful sheet cake appeared (pineapple and cream). Cecelia made the cake. It was excellent. But that was not all. There was also a fruit tart that Antonia prepared. I took a slice to be polite, but, at this point, I thought I was going to burst. I could only eat a couple bites. I was a full as full can be. I should also mention that we were served several types of wine during dinner and we finished up with a very special champagne. And most, if not all, of the

wines we drank were local vintages.

What an amazing meal. When it was done, I was sure that it would be several days before I would need any further nourishment.

Another Beautiful Family Home

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #23 - September 28, 2009 - 8:00 am

After touring the church in Portalbera, and the small park next door, we were then invited inside Angela's house. This is a very old home, but it is also very beautiful and extremely comfortable inside. I have the feeling that Italians build things to last! As is common, however, we did not stay inside the house. Instead, we toured a few of the downstairs rooms and then proceeded out the back door onto a beautiful outdoor patio area -- under a wonderful old arbor! This is where we visited for a few minutes and enjoyed tea and coffee with biscuits.

We did not stay long, but Angela joined us in the car for the return trip to Stradella. On the way out of Portalbera, we drove by the Moroni family homestead where Dad's mom and Zia Chiara were born. This house is 400 or more years old. Today, a cousin, Rafaella, and her family live in the house.

We made one more stop on the way out of Portalbera - the local cemetery where many of our

ancestors are buried. This is a cemetery unlike any I have ever seen in the US. Most of the markers are in the walls that surround the cemetery and on each marker is a photograph of the deceased. On many of the grave sites, there are flowering plants, and at the wall markers, there are also fresh flowers in vases as well as an occasional light fixture or candle. Clearly, Italians very much honor the memories of their dead. Some of the graves we saw here included Angela's husband, Rosita's husband, Ugo, and Dad's grandmother.

We Explore our Family Roots: Portalbera

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #22 - September 28, 2009 - 8:15 am

On Sunday morning, we slept in and did not go down to breakfast until 10:00 am! Awaiting us was a beautifully set table. Breakfasts are usually light in Europe. We had orange juice, coffee and tea, and biscuits with Rosita's homemade marmalade - peach and apricot. Molto bene.

After breakfast, Roberto drove us the few short miles to Portalbera where Dad's mother and her brothers and sisters (including Zia Chiara) were born. Portalbera is a very small town that has a mix of very old and very new homes. This was historically a farming community, and we passed many farms on our way there. There is a single church in the center of town, and Angela's house is right across the street from the church. Angela immediately came out of her house to greet us, and her daughter Antonia was right behind her. We hugged and kissed and then took a quick look inside the church. This is the church were Dad's mom and all her siblings were baptized.

Next to the church is a World War I monument to those local men lost in the War. Dad's Uncle Angelo died very early in the War, and his name is on this monument. While walking through the tiny park where the

monument stands, we were joined by Carluccio and Luca. Luca spent a month in San Diego in August and he speaks English pretty well. It was nice for Chris to have someone to talk to!

We Dine with the Locals

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #21 - September 28, 2009 - 7:30 am

After an hour's rest, we went back downstairs to visit some more with Rosita and to get a better feel for the house. This home is quite beautiful. What is most notable is that the outside of the house is an extension of the inside. We spent most of our time here sitting outside.

There is a large yard that is separated down the middle by a gravel driveway that leads to a rear exit / entrance. Both the front and the rear entrances are gated. There is much outdoor seating on the concrete patio next to the house. It is all very comfortable.

For dinner, we were taken to a local favorite restaurant. What a meal! Altogether, those joining us were Rosita, Maurizio and Barbara, Roberto, Nikki and Paolo, Renza and Chiara, and the three of us. The meal started with hard salami (most meals here do), and fried polenta (with melted cheese dip) and fried fat (!?!). I'm not quite sure what this last thing was, but I tried everything. We also drank a local red wine and we drank it out of bowls! They explained that you use the bowl to swirl the wine up the sides. The residual color left on the side of the bowl

allows you to judge how good the wine is. The main courses were two kinds of pasta: (i) tortellini stuffed with ricotta and spinach and (ii) fettucini with procini mushrooms. There is no such thing as bad food in Italy.

Oh and one more thing. I was make to try horse meat! It came with polenta and it wasn't bad -- although psychologically, I could not regularly eat horse.

*****

I am making this journal while on my flight from Milano to Paris. The plane has taken off and we are flying over the Alps. The highest ones are snow capped. And they're very pointy. I think we flew over Lake Como, Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta earlier. Dad and Chris are driving there today!

*****

Back to Stradella: Saturday was a long day, but it was a very good day. We all slept well, although I noticed that Rosita's neighborhood has a wide variety of background noises. Cars buzz by well into the night, and every house seems to have at least one or two dogs. They like to visit with each other and bark well into the night. And then, of course, there are the bell towers which chime periodically! Ah, well. Luckily, I was very tired and fell asleep quickly.

We Make Our Way to Stradella

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #20 - September 28, 2009 - 7:00 am

The Duomo is one of two major tourist attractions in Milano. The second one is a fort, several hundred years old. We drove by but did not go in because we were all excited to get to Stradella. Before leaving the city, however, we stopped for lunch at a favorite restaurant of Barbara's. Here, we had a traditional Milano meal. We started with bread served like a pizza with no toppings -- only spices and olive oil dribbled on the top. The main course, however, was osso bucco and risotto milanese. The osso bucco was exquisite. It was incredibly tender. The meat fell away from the bone with just a fork. And the risotto was cooked just right - slightly al dente. I wonder how they managed to cook it to such a perfect consistency! We have been so incredibly spoiled by the food on this trip.

After lunch, we drove around Milan a bit, and went past La Scala, and then headed south to Pavia and Stradella. the drive was longer then I expected - over an hour. We drove pas

t a very old bridge, and Dad had us get out and take a few photos. The bridge ran over the Po River which is the main river that runs through the plains of Pavia Province. This, by the way, is wine country, but more about that later.

When we arrived a Ca' Rossa - Rosita's house, we were greeted by Rosita and her daughter, Renza, who lives here with her. Within about 10 minutes, we were next joined by Chiara, Renza's daughter. We visited with Rosita briefly and then went to lay down for a rest before dinner. We were all going out to eat at a favorite restaurant of the family. Chris and I watched a movie while trying to rest. We watched "The Italian Job," because we wanted to compare the opening scenes (which were shot in Venice) to the real thing -- since we'd just been there.

The Duomo, Milano

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #19 - September 28, 2009 - 5:50 am

I am two days behind in my journal, but I now have plenty

of time to catch up. This is to be a long travel day -- a very long travel day. I was up at 3:00 am today. Roberto was

picking me up at 3:30 am to drive me to the Malpensa Airport - northwest of Milano.

What a wonderful courteous and generous man is Roberto. In fact, everyone I met in Stradella and Portalbera - our family - were beautifully kind and giving. And I am

especially grateful to Roberto for driving me to the airport

today. It was a long drive (well over an hour), and it was a very confusing route. I think that if Dad had driven me, as we had planned, we may very well have gotten lost. We were never on a major highway and there were lots of rotaries -- one every few miles it seemed. There were regular signs to Milano and Malpensa, but they were not at every rotary and intersection. Maybe Dad could have done it, but this was so much better, and certainly less stressful.

But let me back up and describe our day in Milano. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, we crossed the street to the piazza in front of the Duomo. This church was a huge surprise for me. I had no idea there was such a fantastic church in this city. The Milano Duomo reminded me very much of Notre Dame in Paris. There were many differences, of course, but there were many similarities.

The Duomo sits in front of a huge piazza and there is a large statue there, but I cannot recall at present who it represents. The Duomo is constructed in the gothic style - with flying buttresses (hence, the likeness to Notre Dame). It was built over a 400 year time frame, and it is no wonder it took that long. The details are intricate in the extreme. The exterior is constructed of beautiful marble -- in many different colors -- and thousands of spires with statues perched atop each one. There are also several hundred gargoyles perched along the sides. It looks a bit like the type of sand castle we would build at the beach by dribbling wet sand into delicate mounds and towers.

Upon entering the Duomo, the first thing I noticed was (i) its size and (ii) all the stained glass. Then, I spied a desk where one could purchase an audio tour guide. I asked the others

whether they minded if I did the tour. Of course, they said "no" and I proceeded to rent one of the headsets. They missed out because not only was the audio tour very informative, it permitted me to go into areas of the church where other tourists were not allowed (primarily beh

ind the altar).

I did not listen to everything on the tour. I was selective. The church has the best stained glass I saw during our entire trip. It was everywhere. In each section of the very long sides of the main part of the church

there were very tall windows with dozens of individual panes. In each pane was a unique biblical scene. Often, a bible story was told through over the course of several panes. The colors and the detail were fantastic. But the largest stained glass windows were behind the altar and choir stalls.

These windows, in three sections, were maybe 25-30 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide. The left panel told stories of the Old Testament, the right panel was devoted to the New Testament, and the center panel was the apocalypse. And on the interior wall that ran around the choir loft, there was a marble frieze that, in about 10 frames, reflected scenes of the life of the Virgin Mary.

Two other items inside the Duomo are worth mentioning. One: There is a really neat candelabra (like a menorah). It's huge -- about 12-15 feet tall. I think it was made of bronze and had over 500 precious gems embedded in it. Two: The Church possesses "the sacred nail" -- one of the nails that pinned Jesus to the cross. It is encased in a crystal box and embedded within a cross that sits at the very top of the ceiling above the altar -- the thought being that this is the safest place for it, because it's impossible to reach.

After my interior tour of the Duomo, we then (all five of use) took the elevator to the roof! Here, we did something you could never do in the US. We walked all over the roof of the Duomo. We climbed up several

sets of stairs and walked on the slanted roof deck. We peeked through the spires and over the edges. From here, we had a great view of the city in all directions. Needless to say, once again, I took a ton of pictures.

Ca'Rossa Stradella

Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #18 - September 27, 2008 - 8:55 am

Here it is. My last day in Italy -- for this trip anyway. I will DEFINITELY be back.

We are in Stradella. What a wonderfully friendly and hospitable family are our relatives here. They have been so thoroughly gracious and delightful. We can all take lessons from them.

We are staing at Rosita's house -- called Ca' Rossa -- "the red house." Today, it is more of a pale pink color -- very pretty -- but, historically, it was painted red. It is a beautiful home and we have been given the best rooms to stay in. Dad is sleeping in Rosita's room. I am in Chiara's room, and Chris is in a small room next door. They gave up their bedrooms for us! And the rooms are huge! It's all very comfortable. I will take pictures later.

I should mention (because it amazes me) that Roberto rented a van specifically to pick

us up and chauffeur us around! He knew we would have much luggage and there are three of us. So we were all very comfortable and had no

worries about our luggage. This was our first real experience driving in a car any distance in Italy.

One of the main attractions in Milano is the Duomo and so, after picking us up at the train station, we headed in that direction. Near the Duomo, there is a very exclusive shopping center called the Galleria and we stopped at a cafe there first. We did not have breakfast in Venice, having left os early, so we stopped here for coffee, tea and some wonderful brioche (mine was filled with chocolate, of course).