Last week I surprisingly got four days off. From Saturday through Tuesday. There was a wedding in Naples so the family was heading down on the boat and while I was really tempted to go for experience's sake, I got greedy and took four wonderful days off instead. Without regret.
So Saturday I finally went to Anguilara, a lake town just North of Rome where Melissa (my Australian, non-live-in coworker) lives. I made it to her house with a little difficulty. After the first bus to the train station, I got off the train at her station. In a text she'd previously told me to get to her part of town when I got off the train there would be a yellow bus and I should get on that and then hop off at a specific spot. When I arrived at the train station there was an orange bus, so naturally I refused to get on it because it wasn't yellow. I know I'm horrible with directions so I tend to do exactly how I'm told or the exact way I know, even if it's not the most direct or quickest. Fifteen minutes later a grey bus showed up in the exact same spot the orange bus had been. You better believe I didn't get on that one either. In my defense, I've gotten pretty good at figuring out the bus system in Rome. Even if I've never taken a certain number bus or been in that part of town I can usually figure out a way to cross paths with a bus I do know. I'm not helpless, just directionally challenged. But this was a different town and there were no bus stop signs, just a big oil spot on the side of the rode from where the bus pauses so frequently. So at this point I texted Melissa to tell her my dilemma. Turns out she'd made a mistake and either of the buses I'd let go without me would have taken me where I needed to go. Thirty minutes later the next bus, which actually was the first bus I gave up, came along and I finally got where I needed to be.
Melissa and her husband, Adriano, live with another couple, Marta and Georgio, in a tiny but very cute apartment. As we were walking up to the house Adriano warned me not to be afraid because they are into meditation (which I already knew) and so they have a huge picture of their guru right when you walk in the door. That part I did not know but probably wouldn't have been afraid but the fact that he thought to warn me, while considerate, was mostly just funny to me. For lunch we had a traditional Tuscan meal of rabbit. (It was very delicious and when I told the triplets about it on Wednesday they immediately thought we'd eaten their pet rabbit, Luca. Glad to know they think I'm a barbarian.) I also had my first and hopefully last taste of sardines. After lunch we said good-bye to Marta and Georgio then Adriano, Melissa and I headed off to Lake Martignano, the smaller, more private and lesser known lake just east of Lake Bracciano. Apparently Lake Bracciano is where Tom Cruise got married or has a house or something. Maybe I should brush up on my pop culture? Anyway, it had been a little cloudy all day but we had one perfect hour of sunlight to lay around the lake and it was perfect. Obviously, by the lack of pictures, I forgot my camera again. Sorry mom.
After leaving Martignano and the ominous clouds we walked back into town and I got to see the big lake (Bracciano), old town Anguilara and much to my never failing delight, have a gelato.
Sunday after church I went home with the Vitalone's for lunch and then Vivi and I headed out to Fregene. We spent a fabulous afternoon on the beach, stopped for a snack (at my request) of pizza before returning to the beach house. Riccardo, Vivi's brother, and several of his friends came out and we all watched the Italy v. Spain Euro 2012 match. (**UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2012.** That's straight from wikipedia for those of you lacking in soccer knowledge.) It was a great time, they all kept apologizing to me for getting so into the game and yelling at the t.v. I told them it was fine, it was just like American's and American football. They seemed less apologetic after that. The match ended in a tie which was pretty exciting considering Spain has been the undefeated champion for awhile. At least that's what I was told. I'm not claiming to have lots of knowledge on the subject, I just like watching.
After that Vivi and I went out for dinner to the only pub in town for what she considers the "absolute best bacon cheeseburger." It was good but I've had better. Then we got the traditional Fregene dessert I can't remember the name in Italian but the little translation is, "little whores". I'd google it but I'm afraid of what might come up. Essentially it's donut holes smothered in Nutella. Crass name or not, nobody heard a single complaint from me. We decided to sleep in Fregene and spend sometime at the beach the next day before heading back to Rome Monday afternoon. My heart and soul were happy.
Wednesday Merci and Edward left and I almost cried. Even though Merci called me Nikki (which I hate) but since she's fairly temperamental I just went with it as an endearing thing. They'd been fired a couple weeks ago but given time to organize other arrangements/give Alessia time to find a new couple. So an hour or so after they left the new couple arrived, Jessica and Jeremy. They are also Filipino but young and sweet. Jessica is fluent in Italian and English and Jeremy is fluent in neither. So they're a good tag-team. I guess after their "orientation" to the house they weren't required to start working which was nice for them. Later that evening Alessia told me she was so tired from doing all the cooking and cleaning and laundry that day (like a normal person). I tried to keep my laughter to myself.
This past Friday morning I was informed that afternoon at five we'd be heading out for the boat. Turns out it wasn't "our" boat but a friend's boat. She was called Bugia, which I think means "lie", and she was fantastic. Huge and beautiful and most definitely a yacht. I don't know much about boats or yachts or sailing or anything in this area, but I can tell you I'd like to never buy a house and I'd be quite content to just live on a boat. If for no other reason than to watch everyone stumble around like they've all been drinking. I'm mostly kidding about that being a valid reason, just a bonus I guess. I was able to get a few pictures before my camera died. Sorry mom. Don't worry, Alessia, like a good mom, took lots of pictures and I think I'm actually in the foreground of some of them this time. We spent the weekend anchored just off of the Island of Ponza which was weird. Saturday we went in for a walk and it was such a strange place to me. It was like a carni camp crossed with Pleasure Island from Pinocchio (which I guess isn't that outrageous since Pinocchio is Italian, maybe Ponza was the inspiration?) crossed with safety and overrun with ridiculously wealthy people. I guess it just threw me since everyone there was so wealthy I would have thought it'd be more luxurious but it wasn't. At least the part we walked through. Maybe because everyone stays on their yachts Ponza doesn't need to be super nice. I don't know. ANYWAY. The kids got loaded up on candy and Marco slipped the game operator a fiver when Leo didn't win a prize at the water pistol game so Leo still thinks he did. And another thing that was crazy was that Marco knew EVERYBODY. Granted they were mostly from Rome I think and I guess when you and all your friends are filthy rich and you all have yachts it's customary to bump into each other at a well known yacht docking island port. But like I said, I don't know much about such things. But it was seriously like he was the big man on campus (except campus was an island and he had his wife, four children and foreign nanny tagging along) pausing to say hello to people and shake hands, oh and also the double-cheek kiss. That's not very campus typical either.
The weekend went well, the kids wasted most of their energy swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and when they got tired of that we could go out exploring in the little boat. We passed a lot of places I'm pretty sure were Jurassic Park. When that got tiring there was always the tv with cable included. But the water, first, don't you dare call it the ocean, they'll correct you in a heartbeat, it's the sea. But anyway, it so gorgeous!! So blue and SO clear! In the shallows it looks like a melted gatorade slush and where it's deeper it looks like the sky at twilight. God truly is wonderful, perfect and creative. I couldn't stop thanking him for everything I saw.
Oh have I mentioned that staying on the boat was like staying in a five-star hotel? There was a fantastic staff of four who cooked our meals, cleaned everything including our rooms, kept our towels dry and folded, drove us around (in the mini boat) and kept the friend/boat owner's four year old child from jumping over board or causing the boat to sink. Between the seven of us (six Di Paolas and me) we stayed in three beautiful guest bedrooms complete with their own bathrooms and showers. There was also the indoor living/dining area and the outdoor dining area. And on the front deck (maybe by the end of the summer I'll know all the correct terms? except in Italian..) was a huge padded area covered with terry cloth ideal for a daily afternoon nap in the sun. It. Was. Perfect.
The only thing missing was you :)
I got a tan without getting burned which is always excellent and my annual almost Rogue-ish super blonde semi white sun highlights are in. (Please ignore that X-Men reference unless you appreciated it and then please feel free to enjoy it. Also, don't doubt that I am in fact a 22 year old woman and not a 12 year old boy).
Summer 2012 is well underway and it looks like it will be a fantastic one at that.
I love that you're loving your summer! So, this post is helping me fine-tune our few days together next month. I'll cross Ponza off our list. ;-)
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