Day 8: Venezia... The END

The last day has arrived. For those who are just checking in, our other Italy posts can be found below:

Intro
Day 1: Milan
Day 2: Lake Como
Day 3: Bellagio, Bergamo, etc.
Day 4: The Cinque Terre
Day 5: Tuscany
Day 6: Siena and Civita
Day 7: Rome

Rome and Venice aren't very close together. We had to do quite a bit of driving in a short amount of time. We stopped in Florence to spend the night on day 7 and then continued on to Venice the next day. We were lucky to have great weather for most of our trip, but the last day it finally rained (quite a bit). But the rain didn't bother us. We just threw on some ponchos and enjoyed the beauty of Venice.

I've heard some people say that Venice stinks or isn't all that great. Those people are crazy. Even in bad weather, it was romantic and unbelievable. When I first saw it from far away it looked like something that you would see at Disney World ...times a million. It is just crazy to look out on the water and see these beautiful buildings floating on top of the sea. You can get lost in the maize of bridges and meandering little alleys that connect everything together.

The Grand Canal

Raining on the Grand Canal

The Rialto Bridge in the background

No gondola rides for us. If I'm going to be in a boat with a paddle...I sort of want to be the one paddling. Is that weird?

Maybe it was the haze from the rain, but it felt like being in a dream...or a movie.

Our only picture of St. Mark's square.

Andrew, looking mighty fine in my favorite white shirt (it's not my white shirt...just my favorite ;))

After this, we stopped at Iper again, and stocked up on our favorite foods that are difficult/impossible to find in the States (you guys, Barilla is holding out on us! They have so many amazing sauces that you can only buy in Italy!). We also took a detour so Andrew could show me one more city he served in, Monza. 

It was cool to see kind of a more normal, non-touristy city. This is where Andrew would do a lot of street contacting.

After this we drove around FOREVER to try and find an open gas station. It was honestly so frustrating. At about 1 or 2am we parked our rental car at the airport and slept in it for few hours until it came time to leave for our flights. 

And then we left.

And I was sad. But also happy to finally be seeing my boys. Those last couple days I was really heart sick for them. As much as I loved Italy, I don't think I could have gone another day away from them.

I just have two more things to say about this trip.

1. TRAVEL! I'll admit that Andrew is more of a travel bug than I am. It gave me great pain to think about how much just the plane tickets cost and everything else we could have done with that money. But in the end, I have been converted to traveling. The reason is because traveling (when done right) can give you experiences that are priceless. Experiences and lessons learned from broadening your view of the world, are things you can take with you when you die. They can enrich your life and help you realize things that might go unnoticed in daily life. Of course, I realize that many people aren't in a position or time of their life where travel is possible (we could not have done it without my wonderful sister watching our kids). But if it is, seize the day and DO IT. If it isn't, plan and prepare for a time when you can. Even if it is just one dream trip. 

2. As I looked at all the incredible, art, architecture, and design (not to mention tasting culinary masterpieces) I was reminded that these beautiful, amazing things didn't just happen. They were created. People thought about them and had a plan. Someone decided, "Hey, let's paint this building yellow" or "I think we should line these steps with clay pots," or "why don't we build our village on the top of the highest hill around". People who are intelligent, imaginative, and thoughtful (and perhaps thinking of practical military defense strategies ;)) have created such great beauty in the world. That was very apparent in Italy.

Recognizing this and then beholding the great natural beauty that was everywhere, I felt my testimony grow that God is, in fact, the great Creator. I just can't believe that our world is so beautiful by chance. That it just showed up somehow without someone taking the time to thoughtfully create it. I believe that it was intelligently and carefully planned, crafted and created for us, so that we can remember God's love for his children every time we recognize the beauty of the world.

I'm not only amazed by the natural beauty that Heavenly Father has made but also that we are His children and likewise we have those same capacities for imagination, creativity and patient craftsmanship. It is so apparent to me whether I see beauty in a natural form or man-made form, that it is ultimately God's gift to us.   So somewhere, in my sometimes clumsy hands, lies the power to create something beautiful, functional, and lasting. It is hard for me to recognize most of the time, but I know that power exists because I am a child of God. It is His gift to me. Italy made me so much more grateful for that gift.

The end.

Day 7: Roma

After visiting that island in the sky, we drove to Roma to stay the night with a Andrew's old beloved mission companion, Gabriele DeMatteis. We had contacted his wife a few weeks earlier and she told us we should surprise him. It took us a while to find their apartment but we finally arrived at 11pm and luckily Gabrielle wasn't home yet because he was still at a bishopric meeting (he is the Bishop of a ward in Rome which means he helps lead a congregation of church members voluntarily). When he finally got back around midnight (poor guy), we hid in the kitchen. When he walked in, his jaw dropped and the most emotion-filled, melodic strains of Italian spilled from his mouth at an extremely rapid rate. I have no idea what he said, but he was really really happy to see Andrew (and Italians are very good at expressing their emotions...lots of bacc'ing going on --cheek kissing ). There might have been tears...I can't verify that.

Andrew spent a lot of time on his mission with Gabriele and they had many important experiences together. They are as tight as any brothers would be. It might have been the highlight of the trip for me to finally meet him in person and I was so impressed by their little family and what incredible people they are. Gabriele speaks perfect English and he switched from one language to another so I could follow the conversations that lasted deep into the night.

The Colosseum

The next day, Gabrielle, his wife Lisa, and their son, took us on a brief tour of Rome. We hit some of the highlights, but spending time with their family was really what we came to do.

Arch of Constantine

I just couldn't stop taking pictures of this cutie. He reminded me so much of my own boys that I was heartsick for them.

Roman Forum

The Colosseum

Roman Forum

Side of the Pantheon

This is where we had lunch...pizzas

Can you tell that I'm about to eat this little boy up?

The Pantheon

Dome and Oculus of the Pantheon

Trevi Fountain (under construction)

Legend holds that if you throw a coin into Trevi Fountain, you will be assured a return trip to Rome

The Vatican

St. Peter's Cathedral

We didn't actually go inside Vatican City, but we were able to see St. Peter's Cathedral 

Michelangelo's Pieta, inside St. Peter's

This might be my favorite sculpture ever. 

St. Peter's Dome

St. Peter's Square

The rain let up for a few moments as we left the museum. It was gorgeous. No editing here folks.

I know I am such a girl about this stuff, but it sort of broke my heart to think that we only had a day here and these two friends probably won't see each other in person again for a long time. So I guess we're just going to have to go back soon :)

Wet, but happy.

Only one more day to go! It's a goody...Venice!

Day 6: Siena & Civita

After 5 days of running like crazy all over Italy (which I, personally, don't mind...it was fun), we decided to slow down on day 6. We actually slept in a little...I did my hair which, for some reason, always does crazy things in foreign countries. These last 3 days in general were a little more relaxed and we didn't take as many pictures. While I'm thinking of it, let me pass on some advice. If you ever go to Italy, take lots of videos! We only have a few and wish we had more. Whenever we watch them, we are immediately transported back.

Siena

Siena is famous for The Palio - a horse race that takes place in this piazza (Piazza del Campo). The 17 neighborhoods that make up Siena, compete fiercely against each other and apparently the tension of these divided loyalties can be felt year round. It's not like Siena is a big city. In America, it would probably be like your block completing against the next block over. Anyway, it is a fascinating tradition and I wish we could have been there in August when it takes place. You should watch this video to see how it all goes down. It is awesome (and kind of funny). I didn't capture the full beauty of Siena in my pictures, but this video is beautiful to watch.

There is a university in Siena so there were lots of young people around, couples making out, etc. Piazza del Campo felt a bit like a hangout. So we sat, ate good food, and people watched.

I was telling Andrew how I wished I knew how to put some of the pictures together to make a panoramic shot. He was post call and suffering from sleep-deprivation but said, "I bet I could do it". Whamo! Is there anything this guy can't do? 

I sent him to bed before he could add the finishing touches, but I still think it's a pretty good workup. I could have spent all day (with the right food, of course) lounging in this piazza.

We got tickets to tour the inside of the Duomo, Baptistry, and Crypt, including a trip up to the top.

I'm not crazy about the strong Gothic influence, but you can't help but be amazed by the detail and ornateness (word?).

This was from inside the crypt that was excavated and opened to the public around 2003 (probably from 1270). I don't think Andrew was allowed to take this picture so enjoy everyone!

From up top 

Civita

After taking our time in Siena, we made our way to Civita, a relatively unknown place in the middle of absolutely nowhere. This is probably a good time to explain that Andrew is an AVID and CRAZY trip planner. He LOVES planning vacations. He probably has at least 5 vacations planned in his head right now that we have no immediate plans to go on. Reading about far-off places is something he does to relax (when he should be studying)...that, and epsn.com. 

It goes without saying that Andrew spent hours upon hours planning every detail of our trip and making sure there were practically no loose ends. He also is a bit of a "trip perfectionist" and can't miss out on anything. He must read about every possibility, research to make sure he's getting the best deal, and investigate all the things that "no one else knows about". So I wasn't all that surprised when he was all giddy about a place called Civita. A place NOT in Fodor's or well-known to most travelers (it's not even in wikipedia!). Apparently Rick Steves raved about it, so we ventured deep into the countryside to find this artist's dream. 

At dusk, we finally arrived.

Rick Steves said to approach this hill town with, "the same respect and sensitivity you would a dying relative, because - in a sense- that's Civita".

You can see that it is eroding on all sides and the only way to enter the town is by a narrow footbridge. Mules that used to carry supplies across the bridge have been replaced by vespas. No cars. It is the antithesis of the modern world, and all the more charming for it.

The 12th century Romanesque arch. The rock wall made by Etruscans 2,500 years ago.

We heard differing reports about how many people actually live here...it is likely around 15. There are quite a few people who come for the summer and have vacation homes. But it felt quiet and sleepy and we saw only two people as we walked along the cobblestone streets. We told them how we were starving and asked if there was anywhere to eat (expecting the answer to be no). The woman (a permanent resident) walked into this square (below) and shouted at an open window to another woman standing in her kitchen (it was a bed & breakfast I later learned). She asked if the kitchen was open and the woman at the b&b told us to come on up.

Yum!

I felt bad that we were the only people there and this woman opened up her kitchen just to cook us dinner. But it was also really cool to have the place all to ourselves.

Forgive our blurry pictures. This little place would be perfect for a romantic weekend trip (if any of you take weekend trips to Italy...:)).

Goodbye Civita. May you not erode before we return.