Three Days Under the Tuscan Sun

After three days of hustle & bustle in Rome, we thought it would be nice to escape to the peaceful hills of Tuscany for the second half of our fall break.  We loved staying in a villa out in the countryside the last time we visited Tuscany 8 years ago, but weren't sure we would be able to find something similar given that it was just the four of us.  I am so happy that I stumbled upon the site of Al Gelso Bianco as it was just what we were looking for.  We had a 2 bedroom apartment with a kitchen, dining room, living room and covered porch in an old renovated farmhouse.  Situated just 35 km from both Siena and Florence in a beautiful valley of the Chianti region, this beautiful country resort was the perfect home base for our 3 days in Tuscany.  And the owners and staff could not have been more hospitable.

On our way from Rome we stopped in Montalcino for lunch and a wine tasting at one of our very favorite wineries - Poggio Antico.  The food and wine were perfection - just as we remembered from our previous visit - and the setting is just stunning.

We arrived at Al Gelso Bianco (named for the 200 year old white mulberry tree at the center of the property) in the late afternoon and got settled in just in time to catch the glorious sunset over the olive grove.  We spent that evening and the following morning just enjoying and exploring the resort and surroundings.  We hiked through the vineyards and olive groves - we were there just after the grape harvest had finished and were able to watch the winemakers at work, the girls played with the 3 cats and dog that lived on the property, and we played football (soccer, but Kenzie insists on calling it football now) on the green next to the beautiful swimming pool.

That afternoon we drove to Siena and introduced the girls to one of our favorite Tuscan towns.  We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe in Piazza del Campo and then toured the Duomo.

The girls really wanted to go on the rooftop tour of the Duomo and I am so glad that we did as it was really neat to go under the eaves of the roof and provided amazing views of both the inside of the cathedral and the town of Siena.

On Friday we had one of our most fun experiences of the trip - a family cooking class at Al Gelso Bianco.  We learned how to make pasta from scratch and made spinach and ricotta ravioli with sage butter, tagliatelle with fresh pesto and gnocchi gnudi with fresh tomato sauce. Additionally we made the most delicious roasted vegetables and apple cake.  Delicioso!  It was such a fun experience for all of us and the food was wonderful.  While we waited for the food to cook we got to do a wine tasting of the Fattoria Valachhi wines which are grown and produced on the grounds of Al Gelso Bianco.

That afternoon we drove to San Gimignano - which was just 10 minutes from where we were staying. This was the first time that any of us had visited this medieval hill town and it was another hit.  Known as the town of Fine Towers, it has about a dozen tower houses which have been preserved and between these and its hilltop setting and encircling walls it provides quite an impressive skyline view.  We were all impressed by the sights, but even more so by the gelato.  The last gelato of our trip, was also voted the best gelato in Italy, and we all agreed that it might have been the best gelato we have ever had!

That evening we all enjoyed our last Tuscan sunset from our porch and Randall and I split a bottle of Chianti after the girls went to bed.  The perfect end to an amazing week in Italy.  I am sure that we will return again soon.  We just can't get enough of this wonderful country - beautiful sights, delicious food & wine and such friendly inviting people.

When in Rome ... & other Italian adventures

As they say, “all roads lead to Rome.”  So for our fall break we decided to take our girls to explore the Eternal City.  We read books about ancient Rome in order to prepare for our trip and by the time we left the girls were excited to visit the Colosseum where the Gladiators battled and to see the Circus Maximus where the chariot races took place … and also to eat lots of yummy pasta & gelato.

Since we had a whole week to explore and were going to be driving, we decided to add some other stops within Italy to our itinerary for the week.  Our first stop was Orvieto, the quintessential Italian hill town about 90 minutes outside of Rome.  This was the first time in Orvieto for all of us, and it quickly won our hearts.  From the narrow cobblestone streets and charming cafes and restaurants, to the beautiful & brightly colored Gothic Cathedral and elaborate underground network of Etruscan-era caves this small town has lots to love. 

We had only one afternoon to explore Orvieto so we tried to hit all the highlights – porchetta sandwiches for lunch, a visit to the cathedral, a tour of the underground to see the ancient wells, olive oil presses and pigeon nesting houses, browsed the small shops, enjoyed some local wine at an outdoor café, and ate delicious homemade pasta (with wild boar – a local specialty) for dinner.

The next morning we were off to Rome.  Thankfully we were arriving on a Sunday morning so the traffic into the city was not bad at all.  We had an amazing time - seeing all the sights rich in history, eating some of the most delicious meals of our lives, drinking fabulous wine & exploring some areas more off the beaten path. I can honestly say that we all thoroughly enjoyed our 3 days in Rome.  Here are my top 5 tips for truly enjoying Rome with kids.

1. Hire a guide who specializes in tours for kids/families.  I am so happy that we hired Paolo Lenzi to take us on a walking tour of ancient Rome.  He picked us up at our hotel and we made our way to the Colosseum.  He made it really fun for the girls because he told some pretty entertaining Gladiator stories, taught them how to play an ancient Roman game as we walked through the Forum, took us to try some of the best gelato and chocolate in Rome, taught us why it never really gets wet inside the Pantheon despite the large opening in the dome, and taught the girls the proper way to drink out of a Roman water fountain.  It was great to spend time with a local and we saw more in four hours with Paolo than we ever would have been able to accomplish on our own. 
   
2. Stay in a central location.  We debated whether to stay in an airbnb apartment or a hotel, as there are pros and cons to both, but ultimately decided to go with a hotel mainly so that we would have an indoor pool (and parking for our car).  We stayed at the Westin Excelsior and it was fabulous.  It was very centrally located so it was not a big deal to go back to the hotel midway through the day and having the pool was a big hit with the girls.  
   
3. Embrace the riposo (Italian siesta).  While Kenzie & Lexi don’t typically nap anymore, we did try to have some form of “riposo” every afternoon.  Between all of the walking and the late dinners (since restaurants don’t even start serving until 7:30pm), this was key to ensuring that everyone stayed happy. It worked out great and we had some of our most fun experiences over delicious leisurely dinners.  The girls did great and enjoyed some fine cuisine along side us.  Kenzie was the most adventurous eater – ordering a whole sea bass, wild boar and ox-tail while we were in Rome.  Lexi is our pasta girl and she loved the lasagna, pasta amatriciana & tagliatelle Bolognese.  We were even able to enjoy time in the Westin lobby bar after our dinners - the girls loved dancing to the live music while Randall and I enjoyed a night cap.
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Find interesting & fun ways of seeing the sights.  Following our riposo after the four hour walking tour, we were ready to see more of the city but the girls were a bit tired of walking.  So we decided to head to the Borghese Gardens, which were right near our hotel, and we rented a 4 person rickshaw to get around.  This allowed us to see parts of the city that we had never seen before and it was really fun for the girls.  We even found the only playground in Rome.  The next day we ended up hoping on one of the double decker bus tours for a bit because Kenzie is a sucker for a double decker bus & it was also a good way to give our feet a rest while seeing the city from a different perspective.  
   
5. Don’t feel like you have to see everything & allow time to just meander.  When I first contacted our guide, Paolo, I had asked him to also take us on a tour of the Vatican.  His advice was that if we had already seen it (which Randall and I have), to hold off on taking the girls.  Based on his experienced opinion, the long lines and large crowds do not make it an ideal location for young kids.  While at first I was disappointed that the girls would not get to see the Sistine chapel, I am glad that we took his advice.  Instead we visited the Vatican City on Sunday right when we got to Rome.  We arrived in St. Peter’s Square just in time to hear Pope Francis address the crowd at noon.  It was a special experience for all of us, and the girls especially like seeing “the Pope’s toy car.”  I don’t think not touring the inside of the Vatican made our trip any less special and I am sure the girls will return to Rome one day  (even though the Trevi fountain was under construction and we couldn’t throw our coin in) & will see it then.  Some of our favorite time spent in Rome was just meandering the streets, hanging out in the piazzas.  The girls enjoyed blowing bubbles in the Piazza del Popolo and watching the street musicians and artists in the Piazza Navona.  Randall and I enjoyed sipping a glass of wine at a street cafés and just people watching. 
   
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So that was a glimpse into our Roman Holiday.  I will write about our time in Tuscany in the next post …  oh how we enjoy living la dolce vita!

La Desalpe: Cows on Parade

  

We have been fully immersing ourselves into Swiss culture & tradition the past two Saturdays, as we attended the "Desalpe" in both Charmey (Gruyere) and St. Cergue.  It doesn't get much more Swiss than cows on parade, Alpenhorn music & fondue tasting.  The Desalpe is a celebration of the cows returning down to the plain after more than four months of grazing in the alpine pastures. Many of the cows are decorated with flowered headdresses and wear elaborately embroidered cow bells.  The families march with their cows in traditional Swiss dress & sometimes their horses, donkeys, or bernese mountain dogs accompany them as well. 

In Charmey we arrived after the descent had already begun and about 6 km from the town center we hit standstill traffic.  After sitting disappointedly in the car for a few minutes, we realized that traffic was actually stopped to allow the parading cows to pass.  Everyone got out of the car and cheered on the cows as they went by.  A few times we had to step out of the way of a cow that had a bit too much momentum coming down the mountain and would graze the side of our car, one even pushing in our side mirror.  After the cows passed everyone would get back in their cars, move ahead about 500 meters until we hear the joyful clanging of the next herd of cows.  Then everyone would exit their cars again to watch the beautifully decorated cows pass.  We crept along like this for about an hour until we finally reached the village of Charmey.  

After parking we made our way into the town center where the festivities were taking place.  We sampled several varieties of Gruyere cheese, listened to the traditional Swiss brass band play, and wandered around checking out the booths of the local artisans.  We then had cheese fondue & locally made sausages for lunch, and of course could not pass up the meringue with double creme for dessert.  We then topped off our very Swiss day by listening to the Alpenhorn players.

The girls had so much fun, that when they found out that some of their classmates were going to the St. Cergue Desalpe this Saturday they insisted on going again.  We just can't get enough of cows on parade!  The festivities were quite similar, but this time we arrived very early, got a great parking spot and were able to check out the local artisan booths as well as the playground ahead of the parade starting.  The girls enjoyed seeing the cows again, but more importantly they had a blast with their classmates!

As I sit here and upload these photos, I think about how grateful I am for these experiences that we are having.  How amazing it is that we live close enough to be able to experience this and that we are able to immerse our girls in a different culture.  As I was driving back down the mountain yesterday, Kenzie suddenly shouted, "Wow, Mom!  That is just beautiful!  You have to stop and take a picture." 

And so I pulled over and took that last picture of the mountains peeking out above the clouds, because it was just beautiful.  Switzerland is stunning, in a way that pictures can't really do it justice.  And as we were driving home I looked in awe at the majestic mountains that surrounded us and listened to Kenzie & Lexi having a conversation in the back seat:

Lexi:  Do you like Geneva or Cincinnati more?

Kenzie:  I like both.

Lexi:  But, which do you like more?

Kenzie:  I don't know.

Lexi:  I like Geneva because it has a lake and beautiful mountains and we get to go to lots of neat places.

Kenzie:  Me too, but I wish we could move our house and friends from Cincinnati to Geneva.

Lexi:  Me too.

Kenzie:  Yeah, to a big open space right on the lake.

Lexi:  Yeah, that would be perfect!

Me too, girls!  That would be perfect.  It warms my heart to hear you talk so positively about your new home and to watch you have so much fun with your new friends ... even while you are still missing your friends & family back in the US.

(We stopped in Nyon for lunch on the way home and just happened upon these Alpenhorn players overlooking the lake at the Fete de la Vigne)

School days, school days ...

Wow!  I can’t believe it has already been a full month since the girls started Year 1 (the equivalent of Kindergarten in the US) at Ecolint - the International School of Geneva.  I am happy to report that they are both loving it!  Kenzie even said one Saturday, “Mom, how many days is this weekend?”  When I told her it was just a 2 day weekend she responded, “Awww, I wish it was a 1 day weekend so that we could go to school tomorrow!”  I would say that is success!

The girls are in separate classes, and handled it very well right from the start.  One of my favorite parts of each day, is listening to them tell each other about their days after school.  On the very first day of school Kenzie wished that she was in Lexi’s class as they got to have cupcakes for someone’s birthday, and Lexi wished she was in Kenzie’s class as they got to go outside 5 times (while Lexi only went outside twice).  Can’t win!  Now, I would say they are both happy in their respective classes, but they still like to compare notes after each school day.  They do get to see each other out on the playground which is nice, as it also gives them a chance to meet each others friends.  

We are really happy with the school.  It is the oldest international school in the world and has a fascinating history being very closely associated throughout its existence with the United Nations (and its predecessor the League of Nations) … it also has an equality fascinating list of alumni from Indira Gandhi, Al Gore, & Norman Schwarzkopf,  to the children of both Elizabeth Taylor and Gene Kelly.  The primary mission of the school is to provide a distinctive high quality international eduction in an environment that stresses the equal value of all human beings without any distinction of nationality, race, sex, language or religion.   The school has students from over 145 countries and I can say there is only one other American student in each of the girls’ classes and they have probably 30 nationalities represented across their 2 classes.  So it truly is a diverse school!  They celebrated World Peace Day on September 21st by wearing white to school and gathering in the amphitheater to talk about kindness & peace (and make a giant peace sign).

Both Kenzie & Lexi have male teachers (and female assistant teachers) and the learning approach is very hands on/practical.  They often go out into the forest to do math or to read stories and seem to be constantly moving!  I often wonder how different this approach is from what they would be getting in Cincinnati.  For now they both seem to enjoying this approach & love their teachers Alan & Katie (for Lexi) and Mr. EW and Sarah (for Kenzie)!

They are also both involved in after school activities.  I let them choose and they opted for completely independent activities - cooking & gymnastics for Lexi and All-Around Sport & football (soccer) for Kenzie.  These activities are on Tuesdays and Thursdays right after school and so far they are loving them!  (Kenzie was especially excited about the School Soccer sweatshirt :))  On days that they do not have after school activities we usually linger on the playground for a bit after school - which is a quite common practice.  It gives the girls the chance to play with friends without having to schedule a playdate and I also get to know some of the moms better.

My days right now are feeling quite simple.  Somehow the days are filled quickly between drop off, going to the gym, French lessons, responsibilities of being class mom, grocery shopping, cooking, travel planning, pick up, playdates, etc. but they are a very different kind of “busy” than what I was used to for the past 5 years.  Some days I feel guilty about it.  I was so used to being constantly “productive” and stressed, that I almost don't know how to handle this more quiet period of life.  But I recently ran across this quote again, and this time it really spoke to me:

“Once she stopped rushing through life, she was amazed how much more life she had time for.” – Anonymous.  

It made me realize that instead of feeling guilty I should be grateful for the opportunity to really embrace life with my family.  I am grateful that I am able to spend this time with my girls and feel like I am making up a bit for the past five years where I was not able to be quite as involved.  I love that I know their teachers, their friends, their friends’ mothers; that I am there to hear first hand what made them happy or sad or mad at school today; that I have the time to dedicate to really helping them with their reading homework; that I have the time to prepare healthy meals; that I am able to present with our girls especially since Randall has to travel so much for work.

So I can honestly say that during this first month of school we have all learned a lot.