snapshots on the journey6...

sidetrippin'...


D., Baby Girl & Big Bro~ flown home. Little Man & i remain. crazy eastern european travel buds not yet arrived. what to do, what to do??...


check iRail app, find next train to firenze, of course!!!...stop by my favorite church (Santa Margherita in Maria de' Ricci)...take a passeggiata, enjoying the beauty of this wonderful city...while indulging in a gelato (of course!!!)...& catch the train back to roma for nighty night!...Firenze never fails to call my name whenever i am in the bel paese!


another day of down-time in roma~~ no problema!!! catch another train...visit roma's awesome beach~ santa marinella...have a great night with great friends (still roma's best eats, in my humble opinion!)...catch the even-later train back to roma & sleep well because in the morning its time to welcome more friends from the states & head to romania!...(have crazy...will travel!!!!)...roma, firenze, santa marinella, giugno, 2009

snapshots on the journey5...

aahhhhhh, roma! after an incredibly peaceful 10 day journey meandering around the countryside & seaside, was i ready for your bustle, for your traffic, for your myriad of choices? why yes, i believe i was! we frequented our favorite bars (& for those of you who don't know, that's not the same thing as a 'bar' in the US!)...a cappuccino in the morning (bar trevi)...a spritz in the afternoon (bar cento passi)...fueled by fabulous italian food...we were on the move non-stop...new pathways (climb inside St. Peter's dome)...glimpses of mystery...attention to detail...new views (thanks, christopher~~ castel sant'angelo)...moments to reflect...moments to look beyond...sacred moments (Corpus Christi procession with Pope Benedict)...moments where the ordinary and the sacred met (roma's FSSP parish)......a certain slant of light...new sounds...new clarity...& hopefully~~ a return!...roma never disappoints! after 2 weeks of language lessons, a break in the middle to visit florence (that's another 'snapshot' post!), sending Baby Girl home, sending D. & Big Bro home, & greeting our eastern european adventure contingent, we were all-too-soon saying arrivederci, roma! roma, giugno, 2009

snapshots on the journey4...

after the rolling hills of le marche & the mountains of cascia, we were beach-bound for nettuno. while we were laying the groundwork for this journey, Baby Girl requested a visit to this town by the sea in order that she might visit the santuario di nettuno where Saint Maria Goretti (her Confirmation saint) is buried...we arrived mid afternoon, in time to visit this rather modern church & attend Mass. what an awesome sight it was to walk out the church's doors & be greeted by a very tempestous mediterranean sea!!...we could not resist an evening beach walk nor the glorious moonrise over the sea...though our time there was short, it was quite an occasion...Baby Girl & Big Bro celebrated their birthdays (21 & 17 respectively)...& we marked the occasion of D-Day with a visit to the American Cemetery...it was a very humbling experience to realize how many gave their lives to defend the lives of others. & it was also an occasion for D. & i to remember family members' stories about WWII, passing the memories of these noble deeds along to yet another generation...imagine our surprise, when searching the list of servicemen & women who are buried their, we found one with our last name (not a very common name either)...this moment on our journey was a quiet contrast to the busy days ahead in roma~~ one day & one night out of 5 weeks, but one that made a lasting impression.

nettuno, italia, guigno 2009

snapshots on the journey3...

after a week in san vittore of rejuvenation...& hospitality that leaves your soul sighing with satisfaction...it was time to pack the bags once again & hit the open road for the mountain town of cascia......i have a special love for santa rita da cascia & so did my mother-in-law. she & i talked of santa rita often & i wish D.'s momma could have been there with us...it was with great joy that i was able to call her from cascia (cell service in those mountains is sketchy, at best) & tell her about the beauty of that place...the basilica...the town...the mountains...the peace...that fills one's soul...in too short a time, we found ourselves back on the road, bound for a beach just outside of roma~ nettuno...

snapshots on the journey2...

sometimes the road stretches out before us...like a seemingly endless summer day...sometimes the world shrinks, the focus becomes something close...either view is a thing of beauty, a joy to behold each & every day...san vittore & cingoli, italia, giugno 2009

summertime...

...& the livin' is easy!

snapshots on the journey1...

one of the fruits of blogging is meeting the loveliest of people.if home is where the heart is, sally, you need to keep a cot ready for me...i do believe i have left a piece of my heart in your le marche...nestled among its vines...perched atop its stones...flung into its fields...basking it the sun...thank you for a truly perfect week with just the right balance of friendship, song, caffe, & limoncello! hugs from across the pond...

le marche, italia, maggio/giugno 2009