Italian Vacation

There’s nothing quite like a European Vacation to bring a family together! Chevy Chase and the infamous Griswalds may have had their way with Rome, but in our Italian Adventure it was the other way around!

Our first trip to Europe with the college kids was based on the premise that if you go grand and pick up the tab, your young adults might be tempted to spend a week with you. A worthy prize to be sure, though we really had little idea of what a risky venture this would be.

Italy the Beautiful

First, it needs to be said that Italy, particularly Southern Coastal Italy, is an absolutely stunning place that just puts you in the mood for some Lemoncella with breakfast. The pace is slow, the air pungent, the vistas bucolic and the Italian men– actually, studly is the word that comes to mind.

In fact, Italians in general are pretty darn gorgeous and, despite all the antipasto-pasta-postpasta eating that we personally witnessed, quite a svelte people! It could be because there are NO Frappaccinos or Burgers-n-Fries joints; or perhaps it’s that an American size gelato will set you back 15 Euros (times 1.30 equals $20 American).

Or maybe it’s just that anyone with the slightest bit of extra poundage could not possibly fit in what they call a “car”. In fact, the average vehicle would barely take up the back seat of my little convertible. Mixed in with the Alpha Romeos, Citroens and Lancias, there were some teeny tiny Toyota and Honda models that, at first glance, looked like something from Toys R Us. And, of course, the trike-truck — a 3 wheeled affair that is likely stuffed with a couple of old people and some fishing gear in the back.

Driving in Italy

Driving in Italy was positively life threatening. On a 6-lane freeway, going 125 kph, lane lines were merely a suggestion. Cars swerved around us then straddled two lanes for the 3-4 miles it took them to decide where to swerve next. Clinging to safety between two white lines, I could just imagine the occupants of the passing cars laughing at those uptight gutless Americans and their desperate lives between the lines.

The thrills did not end on the freeways. Our drive along the famed Amalfi Coast– where 5 feet of blacktop must accommodate 2 lanes of traffic and the occasional bus–brought even our blasé kids to attention. Dad’s personal stock went up that day. NOBODY was asking for those car keys!

Italian Summers are Hot!

But just as real estate is all about LOCATION, vacation is all about WEATHER. And, man, Italy is h-o-t in the summer. In fact, since we’ve been home, at least 4 people have told me they would never travel to Europe in the summer. Where was that advice when we were planning this adventure?

To put my whining in perspective, the temp was over 90 degrees Fahrenheit every day we were there. With humidity in the 3-showers-a-day range.

Then there was the Italian idea of Air Conditioning. Very ingenious. Though our hotel rooms had it, it only works when there is someone in the room. So after a hard day cruising the Coliseum, you come home to A VERY HOT ROOM THAT NEEDS A GOOD HOUR TO COOL DOWN. Few of the hotel’s common areas were cooled. We started picking our restaurants, not by the menu but rather by “how cool is their coolest table!”

Travel Challenges

One by one, we rose to the challenges posed by weather and navigation and that much-too-robust Euro. Along the way we wandered the ruins of Pompeii, lunched on the Isle of Capri, window shopped in Positano, surveyed Rome from the top of the coliseum, marveled at the construction of the Pantheon and drooled at the opulence of St. Peter’s Basilica. In the evenings we roamed the streets, stopping to take in the intimate beauty of Trevi Fountain and the spontaneous community of the Spanish steps.

And though the “hell-train” from Rome to the beach in graffiti covered sweltering train cars stuffed with vacationers and locals nearly did us in, we found our way to that icon of all things American and cool (and I mean “cool” in every sense) — The Hard Rock Cafe of Rome, where every drink is brimming with real ice and a cold glass of water appears without asking.

There’s no place like home…..

Mary Handfelt is the mom of 2 grown up kids and lives in beautiful San Diego.

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