Thursday, May 15, 2008
This Month in Florentine Braheem
* Primavera...Finally! (Some nice photos to back it up!)
* Coming out of Retirement (My recent speaking gig and a Livy's big race!)
* The Arrival of the Linke Family and a gorgeous day in the Country
* The Arrival fo the Heslers (Anna's Parents)
* Notes from the Cheap Seats (Inculding one that will make Kirk proud!)
* Meet Our Friends (Profiles of our friends here in Italia including some funny notations!)
* Lo Sport (The Big Game that left us Down!)
* Coming out of Retirement (My recent speaking gig and a Livy's big race!)
* The Arrival of the Linke Family and a gorgeous day in the Country
* The Arrival fo the Heslers (Anna's Parents)
* Notes from the Cheap Seats (Inculding one that will make Kirk proud!)
* Meet Our Friends (Profiles of our friends here in Italia including some funny notations!)
* Lo Sport (The Big Game that left us Down!)
Primavera "Finally!"
Apparently, Italians are no different than Americans when it comes to superstition. We have our Groundhog Day (February 2nd) and the Italians have April 3rd! I don’t know if this particular day on the calendar has a name, but all be damned if they don’t swear by its results. The story is pretty simple, f it rains on the 3rd of April, you can expect forty more days of rain and lots of it. Well, guess what, it rained on April 3rd and true to form it kept on raining! In total, I would estimate that we had twenty days of rain in April and on most other days it threatened to do so. The result was a tiring string of days where our body’s craved sunshine and we wondered if spring would ever arrive. I’m pretty sure that I’ve never been this white in my life!
On April the 22nd we had a glorious day of sunshine. The next days followed suite and Primavera finally began. It was sooo worth the wait as the countryside of Tuscany burst into an array of color with a backdrop of emerald green reminiscent of Ireland. We made it a point to venture into the rolling hills of Tuscany many times to experience the stuff that post cards are made of. Those that have been to Tuscany know that there are few places on earth that are more magical to explore and are more blessed with natural beauty.
Those that have not been, need only to close their eyes and imagine meandering down a long country road…. On one side are grape vineyards as far as the eye can see, having just given birth to the soft tender green leaves of spring. On the other side are rolling hills blanketed with long green grass, returning you to a childhood memory of stained jeans from freely rolling down them. As the narrow road makes its way up over the hill, off in the distance you see rows of cypress trees lining a path to a stone house that is several hundred years old. As you continue to drive, the fields of wild flowers are amazing. Poppies are not orange like we see each spring in California, but rather a bright red and mix with yellow and purple flowers to create a colorful contrast to the bright green grass. As you glance above, it appears as though an artist has taken her brush to the bright blue sky and has painted pink and silver clouds so divine you are compelled to reach up and try to touch them. As the road bends around the corner, you have a hard time believing your eyes as the landscape turns to a brilliant yellow. A field of mustard flowers dozens of acres long causes you to reach for your sun glasses as the sunshine glistens off the millions of pedals. Horses graze freely in the pasture off to the left and the remains of what must be an ancient Roman wall casts a shadow onto the rolling hillside. In the distance you see a man sitting on the side of the road. It’s as if he was waiting for only you, with his crates of perfectly round and shiny Sicilian Oranges. As you peel them, you notice they are dark red inside and juicier than any orange you have ever tasted.
You can open your eyes now. I have provided you with some photos to complete your day dream…
The hard thing for Anna and I is trying to figure out how we can recreate “The Country Drive” back home. It’s not as if California is an ugly state by any stretch (It’s no Tuscany either!) but the distance proximity doesn’t lend to such spontaneous excursions. We have at our disposal literally dozens of drives on any given day, that are within sixty to ninety minutes and some even less. The hillsides of Tuscany are checkered with literally hundreds of small villages that don’t even show up on a map, each of them with their own charm, history and allure for exploration. Indeed it will be tough to recreate the experience of the Sunday afternoon drive with the family like we have here.
For now, here in Toscana, we take in what Mother Nature has given us, a wonderful landscape and a bounty of color for the arrival of her Spring…
On April the 22nd we had a glorious day of sunshine. The next days followed suite and Primavera finally began. It was sooo worth the wait as the countryside of Tuscany burst into an array of color with a backdrop of emerald green reminiscent of Ireland. We made it a point to venture into the rolling hills of Tuscany many times to experience the stuff that post cards are made of. Those that have been to Tuscany know that there are few places on earth that are more magical to explore and are more blessed with natural beauty.
Those that have not been, need only to close their eyes and imagine meandering down a long country road…. On one side are grape vineyards as far as the eye can see, having just given birth to the soft tender green leaves of spring. On the other side are rolling hills blanketed with long green grass, returning you to a childhood memory of stained jeans from freely rolling down them. As the narrow road makes its way up over the hill, off in the distance you see rows of cypress trees lining a path to a stone house that is several hundred years old. As you continue to drive, the fields of wild flowers are amazing. Poppies are not orange like we see each spring in California, but rather a bright red and mix with yellow and purple flowers to create a colorful contrast to the bright green grass. As you glance above, it appears as though an artist has taken her brush to the bright blue sky and has painted pink and silver clouds so divine you are compelled to reach up and try to touch them. As the road bends around the corner, you have a hard time believing your eyes as the landscape turns to a brilliant yellow. A field of mustard flowers dozens of acres long causes you to reach for your sun glasses as the sunshine glistens off the millions of pedals. Horses graze freely in the pasture off to the left and the remains of what must be an ancient Roman wall casts a shadow onto the rolling hillside. In the distance you see a man sitting on the side of the road. It’s as if he was waiting for only you, with his crates of perfectly round and shiny Sicilian Oranges. As you peel them, you notice they are dark red inside and juicier than any orange you have ever tasted.
You can open your eyes now. I have provided you with some photos to complete your day dream…
The hard thing for Anna and I is trying to figure out how we can recreate “The Country Drive” back home. It’s not as if California is an ugly state by any stretch (It’s no Tuscany either!) but the distance proximity doesn’t lend to such spontaneous excursions. We have at our disposal literally dozens of drives on any given day, that are within sixty to ninety minutes and some even less. The hillsides of Tuscany are checkered with literally hundreds of small villages that don’t even show up on a map, each of them with their own charm, history and allure for exploration. Indeed it will be tough to recreate the experience of the Sunday afternoon drive with the family like we have here.
For now, here in Toscana, we take in what Mother Nature has given us, a wonderful landscape and a bounty of color for the arrival of her Spring…
Coming Out of Retirement (Pep Rally!)
I’m sure most if not all of you know by now, that I have dabbled in professional public speaking. It’s been nearly a year since I spoke in front of my last audience in Las Vegas (Nearly 3500 people). The days of Power Point presentations and practicing in front of the mirror seem so long ago.
Last September, when the kids started school, we were asked as parents to volunteer for various school activities and fund raisers. I signed up to help with sports day, thinking that I could put some of my love for sports, as well as my coaching experience to use.
Nearly seven months went by before I received any indication of a need for my involvement. In early April I received an e-mail indicating that in just four days there was a meeting that required my attendance and that the big day (Sports day) was in just three weeks! Ahhh, the spontaneity of Italians!
I arrived at the school expecting to be assigned various events to assist in planning. Sports Day at ISF is similar to a decathlon with the school being divided into four teams (About 100 kids on each team) and participating in ten planned events spanning the course of five hours. As it turned out, I was the only parent that showed up from the list of volunteers and quickly found myself in a meeting with five other moms who comprised the PTA for the school, along with the PE Teacher, Ms. Ianonne! After sitting through twenty minutes of heavily debated discussion regarding what fruit would be best for the kids at snack time, how many trash cans we will need at the field and what the strategy would be if it rained, I finally spoke up and asked “Is there anything related to sports that you need my help with?”
The ladies looked a bit puzzled by my question and then asked what I had in mind. I explained that I have coached kids the past four years in various sports and would like to help in this capacity. I was then informed that the PE teacher had all the events planned and assigned to the teachers for execution on the day of the festivities!
The next subject of critical importance for discussion was how to ensure a strong turnout for the event. The ladies were worried that since Sports Day was scheduled for a Wednesday before a four day weekend that many parents would hold their kids out of school for the day and take the opportunity to go out of town. It was at this point that I sensed my opportunity and raised my hand…
I explained to the ladies that I thought that it would be wise to make the children their ally. If we could get the children fired up about sports day and send them home to their parents as a lobbyist on our behalf, that we stood a much better chance of success.
They loved the idea but weren’t sure where to go with it. This is when I came up with the idea of a school pep rally. “We can seat the kids together in the auditorium with their respective teams and teach them cheers. We can share the importance of being a gracious winner and of teamwork and to honor the game with sportsmanship”, I explained. “Afterwards we can loop in the art teacher and have the kids make banners in art class so they will be thinking of the big day for the next two weeks!”
They ate it up. In fact before the meeting was over I was not only assigned to organizing the pep rally and hosting it, but was also asked to be the Chairman of Sports Day. I accepted, not having a clue as to what it entailed regarding responsibility :>)
As the pep rally drew near, I found myself getting a bit nervous. I have never spoken at a pep rally before! Heck, I have never spoken to over two hundred grade school kids either and hadn’t a clue as to what I was going to say, much less what cheers I would teach them. The weekend before, I decided to draw upon my experience by creating a Power Point Presentation to guide me through my fifteen minutes in front of the kids.
I know enough about Power Point to be dangerous, but hit a few snags while creating my slides (Many of which entailed clip art sports shots taken from the internet, of great sports moments, crazy looking fans and the pinnacle of sportsmanship, a photo of Aaron Afflalo (UCLA) picking up a crying Adam Morrison (Gonzaga) off the floor following a heartbreaking loss in the NCAA Tournament.) The cool thing was that Trey helped me whenever I got stuck in Power Point! The kid literally knows the program better than I do at this point!!!
The rally itself was a huge success. I talked to them about teamwork, pride in their efforts and honoring the games and their rules. I explained to them that there are no losers on the field as long as you do the best you can, and that the real prize goes to the team that respects their opponent and honors the game by being both a gracious winner and loser. We had the kids screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs at 9:00 am. The crescendo was a cheer that I created joining all of them together in unison at rally’s end, where they cheered for their school as a whole. It was a blast.
One week later, came the big day at the field. The kids had a great spirit and the events went well. The highlight for me was watching Trey and Olivia compete and have fun. I was in charge of the 800 meters (A pretty long distance for 7, 8, 9 and 10 year olds at a half mile!). The first and second graders ran a quarter mile at 400 meters.
Without question, the moment that I will never forget was Olivia running the 400. I have always been blessed with good foot speed. I was the only kid on my little league ten year old baseball team with the green light to steal whenever I wanted, was the fastest kid four straight years on my high school basketball team and ran cross country in high school with my fastest ever mile being 4:52. With all that said, I can assure you that my daughter doesn’t have one single running gene of mine in her body. To say that Olivia is slow would be like saying that Italians use tomatoes in their food. Top that off with the fact that she hates walking, much less running and loves to talk more than anyone I know and you have the makings of one hell of a spectacle when watching her compete in a track event!
Soon after the start of the race, I noticed that she was pulling up the rear in a big way. I had instructed all of the kids to pace themselves before giving the signal to take off, but Olivia’s pace out of the blocks would have made the infamous tortoise feel like Carl Lewis! I decided that I needed to get involved and began running the inside track and cheering her along as she made her way around the first curve.
I told her that she needed to catch the girl in front of her (Now about 50 meters ahead!). She just kept running with her long skinny tongue hanging out. As we made our way to the half way mark, she asked me if I would hold her hand! I told her that it was against the rules and the she needed to keep running! Around the final curve we passed Trey and several other kids on the blue team who were cheering Olivia on. Trey shouted to me “Dad, how can you expect her to run fast when she wont stop talking!”
To say that she came in last place would be an understatement. The second to last kid finished with Olivia still having more than 25% of the track to circle. When she crossed the finish line, she as always had a big smile on her face. I will never forget that run as long as I live!
Last September, when the kids started school, we were asked as parents to volunteer for various school activities and fund raisers. I signed up to help with sports day, thinking that I could put some of my love for sports, as well as my coaching experience to use.
Nearly seven months went by before I received any indication of a need for my involvement. In early April I received an e-mail indicating that in just four days there was a meeting that required my attendance and that the big day (Sports day) was in just three weeks! Ahhh, the spontaneity of Italians!
I arrived at the school expecting to be assigned various events to assist in planning. Sports Day at ISF is similar to a decathlon with the school being divided into four teams (About 100 kids on each team) and participating in ten planned events spanning the course of five hours. As it turned out, I was the only parent that showed up from the list of volunteers and quickly found myself in a meeting with five other moms who comprised the PTA for the school, along with the PE Teacher, Ms. Ianonne! After sitting through twenty minutes of heavily debated discussion regarding what fruit would be best for the kids at snack time, how many trash cans we will need at the field and what the strategy would be if it rained, I finally spoke up and asked “Is there anything related to sports that you need my help with?”
The ladies looked a bit puzzled by my question and then asked what I had in mind. I explained that I have coached kids the past four years in various sports and would like to help in this capacity. I was then informed that the PE teacher had all the events planned and assigned to the teachers for execution on the day of the festivities!
The next subject of critical importance for discussion was how to ensure a strong turnout for the event. The ladies were worried that since Sports Day was scheduled for a Wednesday before a four day weekend that many parents would hold their kids out of school for the day and take the opportunity to go out of town. It was at this point that I sensed my opportunity and raised my hand…
I explained to the ladies that I thought that it would be wise to make the children their ally. If we could get the children fired up about sports day and send them home to their parents as a lobbyist on our behalf, that we stood a much better chance of success.
They loved the idea but weren’t sure where to go with it. This is when I came up with the idea of a school pep rally. “We can seat the kids together in the auditorium with their respective teams and teach them cheers. We can share the importance of being a gracious winner and of teamwork and to honor the game with sportsmanship”, I explained. “Afterwards we can loop in the art teacher and have the kids make banners in art class so they will be thinking of the big day for the next two weeks!”
They ate it up. In fact before the meeting was over I was not only assigned to organizing the pep rally and hosting it, but was also asked to be the Chairman of Sports Day. I accepted, not having a clue as to what it entailed regarding responsibility :>)
As the pep rally drew near, I found myself getting a bit nervous. I have never spoken at a pep rally before! Heck, I have never spoken to over two hundred grade school kids either and hadn’t a clue as to what I was going to say, much less what cheers I would teach them. The weekend before, I decided to draw upon my experience by creating a Power Point Presentation to guide me through my fifteen minutes in front of the kids.
I know enough about Power Point to be dangerous, but hit a few snags while creating my slides (Many of which entailed clip art sports shots taken from the internet, of great sports moments, crazy looking fans and the pinnacle of sportsmanship, a photo of Aaron Afflalo (UCLA) picking up a crying Adam Morrison (Gonzaga) off the floor following a heartbreaking loss in the NCAA Tournament.) The cool thing was that Trey helped me whenever I got stuck in Power Point! The kid literally knows the program better than I do at this point!!!
The rally itself was a huge success. I talked to them about teamwork, pride in their efforts and honoring the games and their rules. I explained to them that there are no losers on the field as long as you do the best you can, and that the real prize goes to the team that respects their opponent and honors the game by being both a gracious winner and loser. We had the kids screaming and cheering at the top of their lungs at 9:00 am. The crescendo was a cheer that I created joining all of them together in unison at rally’s end, where they cheered for their school as a whole. It was a blast.
One week later, came the big day at the field. The kids had a great spirit and the events went well. The highlight for me was watching Trey and Olivia compete and have fun. I was in charge of the 800 meters (A pretty long distance for 7, 8, 9 and 10 year olds at a half mile!). The first and second graders ran a quarter mile at 400 meters.
Without question, the moment that I will never forget was Olivia running the 400. I have always been blessed with good foot speed. I was the only kid on my little league ten year old baseball team with the green light to steal whenever I wanted, was the fastest kid four straight years on my high school basketball team and ran cross country in high school with my fastest ever mile being 4:52. With all that said, I can assure you that my daughter doesn’t have one single running gene of mine in her body. To say that Olivia is slow would be like saying that Italians use tomatoes in their food. Top that off with the fact that she hates walking, much less running and loves to talk more than anyone I know and you have the makings of one hell of a spectacle when watching her compete in a track event!
Soon after the start of the race, I noticed that she was pulling up the rear in a big way. I had instructed all of the kids to pace themselves before giving the signal to take off, but Olivia’s pace out of the blocks would have made the infamous tortoise feel like Carl Lewis! I decided that I needed to get involved and began running the inside track and cheering her along as she made her way around the first curve.
I told her that she needed to catch the girl in front of her (Now about 50 meters ahead!). She just kept running with her long skinny tongue hanging out. As we made our way to the half way mark, she asked me if I would hold her hand! I told her that it was against the rules and the she needed to keep running! Around the final curve we passed Trey and several other kids on the blue team who were cheering Olivia on. Trey shouted to me “Dad, how can you expect her to run fast when she wont stop talking!”
To say that she came in last place would be an understatement. The second to last kid finished with Olivia still having more than 25% of the track to circle. When she crossed the finish line, she as always had a big smile on her face. I will never forget that run as long as I live!
The Arrival of the Linkes and a Day in the Country
For those of you who have not met Steve and Diane Linke, they are our good friends from San Diego. In fact, Anna and Diane are best friends and have been for over twenty years. This was their first trip to Italy and they brought along their three children (Ryan (5), Vanessa (3) and Gabriella (2)). This of course was a particular treat for Trey and Olivia who had been waiting patiently for many weeks for their arrival.
When the five kids are together, an interesting dynamic takes shape. Trey becomes not only the elder statesman of the group but also in many ways the leader, a role that he seldom assumes. Ryan is very much like Trey and looks up to him. You could lock the two of them in a room with a bucket of Legos and their DS video games for days and all that would be required is that you shove some food under the door once and a while! Ryan’s younger sister Vanessa (3) seems to have a crush on Trey and follows him around most everywhere. As Anna says “She’s smitten”! Olivia loves to mother little girls and adored having Gabriella around for the nine days that the Linkes visited us. It’s so cute to see Livy, taking care of “Gabs” as they call her. Its like she has her own personal little baby doll with her.
Getting adjusted to the time change is always difficult when coming to Europe. It takes me about five days personally to get into a normal sleeping pattern. For the Linkes it was just as difficult especially with three little children. This of course can cause you to get a slow start to your holiday. Once they settled in, they did some damage when it came to site seeing, visiting the Uffizi Gallery and seeing The David in Florence, while also visiting Sienna, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca and The Cinque Terra!
Steve shares with me the passion of photography as a hobby and he could not have come to Tuscany at a better time. Spring was at its peak and the weather was absolutely ideal for photo taking and he ate it up.
I have a feeling that Anna and Diane wished that they could have had a bit more one on one time together, but with so much to see and so little time, they settled for what they could get, taking advantage of the “Boys Night Out” when Trey, Steve and I went to the Fiorentina game by knocking down a bottle of wine after getting the kids to bed early!
Of course, as all of our guests will attest, the castle was one of the highlights for the Linkes as was the many great meals that we were able to enjoy together.
We managed to make our way up the coast to Carrara (Where we had visited with Anna’s folks as well) and this time were able to enter the caves for a tour of how the marble is mined in this region, a fascinating experience. One of my “Highlight moments” was when Steve and I zipped around on our motorinos for a photo shoot of the city. This included Steve convincing me to climb “Giotto’s Bell Tower” with him. I had not yet scoured the bell towers 417 steps and upon arrival at the top I was mesmerized by the awesome view of the city. The bell tower is a part of the Church of Santa Maria Di Fiori (What you may think of as the Duomo) and runs adjacent to the giant Cupola (Dome) that is so famous the world over. The photos tell it all!
The best time of all was the day before the Linkes left for Venice. We were invited by a friend of ours (Massimiliano, one of the guys that I ran in the half marathon with) to come to his villa in the countryside for lunch. Many Italians own country villas where they escape the heat and the crowd of the city during tourist season. It’s such an advantage to only be only 30 minutes from the rolling countryside where you can take advantage of your second home each weekend. Massimiliano is the owner of La Vecchia Bettola our favorite local restaurant, and where we had Anna’s surprise birthday party.
I know that the Linkes were a bit nervous as to what to expect, not having been to a country house in Italy before and not wanting to impose with their three children. As it turned out the situation could not have been better. We made the 30 minute drive through the Tuscan back roads to an area called San Cascano. San Cascano is a part of chianti and checkered with wineries through its rolling countryside.
The country house is on a large parcel of land that I would estimate spans three acres and is complete with five horses, a swimming pool, a small ATV for the kids to ride and a veranda coming off the main level of the house that boasts 180 degree views of the Tuscan hills. The view was our backdrop for what amounted to a four hour lunch in paradise. In total there were five families and about thirty people invited to the villa that day, making for one of the more memorable Sundays since we arrived. The kids had a blast playing with each other and us adults enjoyed taking in the views while drinking wine, eating fresh asparagus, prosciutto, grilled egg plant, raw shrimp and mussels in tomato broth. All this of course was in the company of good people which always makes the food taste even better!
The best part was that it was the highlight of the Linkes time with us. So many people come to Florence and Tuscany each year as tourists to see its sights, but so few ever get a chance to have a long meal in the countryside with Italian families while enjoying each others company. Its an experience that stays with you for ever, making you wonder why we don’t live life this way in America.
Following is an interview with Steve and Diane Linke…
An interview with Steve and Diane Linke –
Q1: Two words: The castle…
S&DA: “The castle was more than I expected and to your point, you can’t put into pictures or words what the castle is like. The surrounding and large properties around it make it so special. It has so much character. Ryan (My son) thinks that it’s really cool! It’s just so unbelievable, no words can describe it.”
Q2: You have managed to see a lot of Italy in the past nine days. What are some of the highlights?
S&DA: “The top of the list has to be yesterday (The villa in Tuscany for lunch with Italian people). The whole experience of going to a villa for lunch, relaxing and taking in the views of the countryside was indescribable. It all ties into our best dinner experience as well at La Vecchia Bettola, for the same reason, the warmth of the people. We loved the Cinque Terra, it was so beautiful taking the boat from village to village.”
Q3: Thus far what about Italy has surprised you the most?
S&DA: “The cost of gas! The geography really surprised me as well. It was so beautiful and everywhere you turn there is so much beauty. It’s so green and wooded.”
Q4: Diane, as Anna’s best friend, you have had a lot of discussions with her regarding her love for Italy and not wanting to go home. Now that you have been here, do you understand her sentiments?
DA: “Absolutely! I don’t want to leave! I’m just worried that she’s going to be really depressed and will have a tough time relating to people in the states.”
Q5: Steve, you have played soccer your whole life, including to this day. How was your experience going to an important Italian soccer match?
SA: “I think there is nothing like it in the US. The crowds and the enthusiasm for national pride was intense. I’ve never been at a sporting event that had so much emotion and enthusiasm behind one team. It even exceeded when the Chargers were in the Super Bowl. Even after they lost, the crowd applauded their team. The emotion was intense. One of the additional highlights was riding on the motorino through the city at night to and from the game. It was really cool.”
Q6: Do you think that you will return to Italy some day?
S&DA: “Next year when we come to visit you!”
Q7: Diane, describe your time with your best friend after not having seen her that much in the past year?
DA: “I feel like Anna is in her element here. She seems so happy and comfortable. She’s more open and welcoming to people here. I can’t believe how well she speaks Italian.”
When the five kids are together, an interesting dynamic takes shape. Trey becomes not only the elder statesman of the group but also in many ways the leader, a role that he seldom assumes. Ryan is very much like Trey and looks up to him. You could lock the two of them in a room with a bucket of Legos and their DS video games for days and all that would be required is that you shove some food under the door once and a while! Ryan’s younger sister Vanessa (3) seems to have a crush on Trey and follows him around most everywhere. As Anna says “She’s smitten”! Olivia loves to mother little girls and adored having Gabriella around for the nine days that the Linkes visited us. It’s so cute to see Livy, taking care of “Gabs” as they call her. Its like she has her own personal little baby doll with her.
Getting adjusted to the time change is always difficult when coming to Europe. It takes me about five days personally to get into a normal sleeping pattern. For the Linkes it was just as difficult especially with three little children. This of course can cause you to get a slow start to your holiday. Once they settled in, they did some damage when it came to site seeing, visiting the Uffizi Gallery and seeing The David in Florence, while also visiting Sienna, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca and The Cinque Terra!
Steve shares with me the passion of photography as a hobby and he could not have come to Tuscany at a better time. Spring was at its peak and the weather was absolutely ideal for photo taking and he ate it up.
I have a feeling that Anna and Diane wished that they could have had a bit more one on one time together, but with so much to see and so little time, they settled for what they could get, taking advantage of the “Boys Night Out” when Trey, Steve and I went to the Fiorentina game by knocking down a bottle of wine after getting the kids to bed early!
Of course, as all of our guests will attest, the castle was one of the highlights for the Linkes as was the many great meals that we were able to enjoy together.
We managed to make our way up the coast to Carrara (Where we had visited with Anna’s folks as well) and this time were able to enter the caves for a tour of how the marble is mined in this region, a fascinating experience. One of my “Highlight moments” was when Steve and I zipped around on our motorinos for a photo shoot of the city. This included Steve convincing me to climb “Giotto’s Bell Tower” with him. I had not yet scoured the bell towers 417 steps and upon arrival at the top I was mesmerized by the awesome view of the city. The bell tower is a part of the Church of Santa Maria Di Fiori (What you may think of as the Duomo) and runs adjacent to the giant Cupola (Dome) that is so famous the world over. The photos tell it all!
The best time of all was the day before the Linkes left for Venice. We were invited by a friend of ours (Massimiliano, one of the guys that I ran in the half marathon with) to come to his villa in the countryside for lunch. Many Italians own country villas where they escape the heat and the crowd of the city during tourist season. It’s such an advantage to only be only 30 minutes from the rolling countryside where you can take advantage of your second home each weekend. Massimiliano is the owner of La Vecchia Bettola our favorite local restaurant, and where we had Anna’s surprise birthday party.
I know that the Linkes were a bit nervous as to what to expect, not having been to a country house in Italy before and not wanting to impose with their three children. As it turned out the situation could not have been better. We made the 30 minute drive through the Tuscan back roads to an area called San Cascano. San Cascano is a part of chianti and checkered with wineries through its rolling countryside.
The country house is on a large parcel of land that I would estimate spans three acres and is complete with five horses, a swimming pool, a small ATV for the kids to ride and a veranda coming off the main level of the house that boasts 180 degree views of the Tuscan hills. The view was our backdrop for what amounted to a four hour lunch in paradise. In total there were five families and about thirty people invited to the villa that day, making for one of the more memorable Sundays since we arrived. The kids had a blast playing with each other and us adults enjoyed taking in the views while drinking wine, eating fresh asparagus, prosciutto, grilled egg plant, raw shrimp and mussels in tomato broth. All this of course was in the company of good people which always makes the food taste even better!
The best part was that it was the highlight of the Linkes time with us. So many people come to Florence and Tuscany each year as tourists to see its sights, but so few ever get a chance to have a long meal in the countryside with Italian families while enjoying each others company. Its an experience that stays with you for ever, making you wonder why we don’t live life this way in America.
Following is an interview with Steve and Diane Linke…
An interview with Steve and Diane Linke –
Q1: Two words: The castle…
S&DA: “The castle was more than I expected and to your point, you can’t put into pictures or words what the castle is like. The surrounding and large properties around it make it so special. It has so much character. Ryan (My son) thinks that it’s really cool! It’s just so unbelievable, no words can describe it.”
Q2: You have managed to see a lot of Italy in the past nine days. What are some of the highlights?
S&DA: “The top of the list has to be yesterday (The villa in Tuscany for lunch with Italian people). The whole experience of going to a villa for lunch, relaxing and taking in the views of the countryside was indescribable. It all ties into our best dinner experience as well at La Vecchia Bettola, for the same reason, the warmth of the people. We loved the Cinque Terra, it was so beautiful taking the boat from village to village.”
Q3: Thus far what about Italy has surprised you the most?
S&DA: “The cost of gas! The geography really surprised me as well. It was so beautiful and everywhere you turn there is so much beauty. It’s so green and wooded.”
Q4: Diane, as Anna’s best friend, you have had a lot of discussions with her regarding her love for Italy and not wanting to go home. Now that you have been here, do you understand her sentiments?
DA: “Absolutely! I don’t want to leave! I’m just worried that she’s going to be really depressed and will have a tough time relating to people in the states.”
Q5: Steve, you have played soccer your whole life, including to this day. How was your experience going to an important Italian soccer match?
SA: “I think there is nothing like it in the US. The crowds and the enthusiasm for national pride was intense. I’ve never been at a sporting event that had so much emotion and enthusiasm behind one team. It even exceeded when the Chargers were in the Super Bowl. Even after they lost, the crowd applauded their team. The emotion was intense. One of the additional highlights was riding on the motorino through the city at night to and from the game. It was really cool.”
Q6: Do you think that you will return to Italy some day?
S&DA: “Next year when we come to visit you!”
Q7: Diane, describe your time with your best friend after not having seen her that much in the past year?
DA: “I feel like Anna is in her element here. She seems so happy and comfortable. She’s more open and welcoming to people here. I can’t believe how well she speaks Italian.”
The Arrival of the Heslers
In early April, Anna’s folks visited us for ten days following their three week stint in Malta. It was the first time that Anna’s dad (“Brunz” as we affectionately call him) had been to Florence and it represented the return for Rita to the castle.
Our time together was spent at a nice slow pace, the way Italy was meant to be experienced. Anna’s folks showed an amazing amount of “Spunk” in making the journey here (In total they were in Europe for nearly six weeks!).
We visited many of the usual places in Florence and some of our favorite local restaurants, but it was the “Off the beaten track” places that stood out as highlights, as well as our time together over dinner at the castle, courtesy of my cooking lessons with Marcella. One night that stands out in particular was preparing dinner together with Marcella (Roast Veal, Fresh Asparagus and fried artichoke hearts). The desert that night involved the contributions of Rita who helped prepare the best canolli that I have ever had.
Carrara Marble is perhaps the most famous marble in the world. Its a white marble with thin grey veins and is found often in some of the more elegant hotels in the world. It also happens to be the marble that Michelangelo used when carving his masterpiece, “The David”. The town of Carrara is located about 90 minutes North of Florence and the as you drive by on the highway, you would swear that the mountains that create the backdrop for the town were just dusted with a fresh blanket of snow. With a closer look you realize that it’s not snow at all, but rather the exposed mountainside that has excavated for its precious stone for several hundred years.
We had waited for the last seven months to make this journey with Anna’s folks so Trey could experience the day with his grandfather who is an expert on this sort of stuff (Brunz has his degree in geophysics). It was quite a unique experience to see how the marble had been quarried from the mountainside. I have often wondered how there could be so much marble in the world from this one place, but after having visited Carrara it all became quite clear as the quarries are huge.
Following our time in Carrara it was off to Marina Di Pisa for lunch at our favorite fish restaurant that we have written about before. As usual we were treated like kings upon our arrival by our hosts Mario and Dino, the bothers that own La Taverna Dei Gabanani. Shrimp, calamari, sea bass, tuna were all a part of what was a nine or ten course lunch (You kind of lose track after a while especially when you are drinking so much wine!)
Following the meal, Brunz (Often a man of few words) looked up at us and simply said “Well that was about the best meal I’ve had in a long time!” Nothing else need be said, mission accomplished!
The kids loved having their grandparents there for the ten days and were very sad when they left. It was wonderful to see Anna’s mom and dad enjoy so much quality time with them and the kids ate up the attention.
On the final day of their time with us, Brunz surprised me by requesting to go with me to meet Marcella at San Lorenzo market. Marcella and I were meeting to do our weekly shopping before preparing another big meal and Brunz enjoyed his trip the pervious week at Italy’s largest food market so much that he wanted to return. The kicker was that he wanted to go on the motorino together!
Now imagine this sight, (Well you really don’t have to as the photos will help crystallize it for you) Brunz on the back of my motorino riding through the streets of Florence in mid day traffic, with Anna’s pink helmet on! There is simply no better way to experience this amazing city than on motor transportation and I think that he enjoyed every minute of it! Following our shopping, we had a bit of lunch with Marcella and then followed it up with a gelato. Not a bad day!
Well, enough of my tales of the Hesler’s time with us. I’ll let them fill you in from their perspective…
An interview with Edward Hesler –
Q1: Brunz, its been a long time since you have been to Italy. As you prepare to leave, what are some of the best memories that you have of your trip here?
EA: “Most recently riding on the motorino with Tim. It was the first time I have ever ridden on the back of one in such heavy traffic with a helmet three sizes too small that was pink! I also think that the countryside was so beautiful. I also liked the city of Venice. It was such an unusual place. I’m glad we took the train there for the day.”
Q2: You had some pretty good food while you were here. What were some of your favorite meals and as an accomplished chef, why do you think that the food is so good here?
EA: “Well I guess the raw fish (Pesce Crudo) that you and Marcella made today was just outstanding. All of it was terrific! Of course the seafood that we had that day in Marina Di Pisa was one of the best meals I have had in a long time.”
Q3: Brunz what are your thoughts on being able to see your two grandchildren and your daughter for ten days? What are some of your best memories of your time with them?
EA: “Well, it was just nice being around them. They were gone most of the day in school, but in the night we got to help them with their homework. Olivia gave me a great tour of the property. She showed me her favorite tree and took me into the basement. I liked that.”
Q4: Brunz, you’ve been traveling for nearly five weeks now. Are you looking forward to getting home soon?
EA: “Definitely!”
An interview with Rita –
Q1: In the ten days that you were here, the most surprising thing that I heard you say, was when you asked Anna “Why don’t you stay here for another year?” I know how much you have missed us. Why did you make such a suggestion?
RA: “Because you want to stay here for another year. It doesn’t matter how we feel. It matters how you feel. I really didn’t mean it though :>)”
Q2: Mom, you were here in November. Did the castle look the same this time around and was it the way you remembered it?
RA: “It was about the same for me. Nothing changed much. I still loved looking at all the wonderful views, it’s such a beautiful place. The sunset is simply marvelous. I enjoyed every minute of it. You could see it from three sides of the castle and in every location it was amazing.”
Q3: When you left last time, you new you would be back to see the castle and Florence again. How does it feel this time knowing that you won’t be back any time soon?
RA: “Oh, I don’t know. I think that I would like to see somewhere else. I really enjoyed all the great architecture, especially today. I really enjoyed it.”
Q4: How was it to spend time with your grandchildren and daughter for the past ten days?
RA: “It was wonderful, exciting funny, loving. Trey is getting funnier and funnier, it was really nice to see.”
Our time together was spent at a nice slow pace, the way Italy was meant to be experienced. Anna’s folks showed an amazing amount of “Spunk” in making the journey here (In total they were in Europe for nearly six weeks!).
We visited many of the usual places in Florence and some of our favorite local restaurants, but it was the “Off the beaten track” places that stood out as highlights, as well as our time together over dinner at the castle, courtesy of my cooking lessons with Marcella. One night that stands out in particular was preparing dinner together with Marcella (Roast Veal, Fresh Asparagus and fried artichoke hearts). The desert that night involved the contributions of Rita who helped prepare the best canolli that I have ever had.
Carrara Marble is perhaps the most famous marble in the world. Its a white marble with thin grey veins and is found often in some of the more elegant hotels in the world. It also happens to be the marble that Michelangelo used when carving his masterpiece, “The David”. The town of Carrara is located about 90 minutes North of Florence and the as you drive by on the highway, you would swear that the mountains that create the backdrop for the town were just dusted with a fresh blanket of snow. With a closer look you realize that it’s not snow at all, but rather the exposed mountainside that has excavated for its precious stone for several hundred years.
We had waited for the last seven months to make this journey with Anna’s folks so Trey could experience the day with his grandfather who is an expert on this sort of stuff (Brunz has his degree in geophysics). It was quite a unique experience to see how the marble had been quarried from the mountainside. I have often wondered how there could be so much marble in the world from this one place, but after having visited Carrara it all became quite clear as the quarries are huge.
Following our time in Carrara it was off to Marina Di Pisa for lunch at our favorite fish restaurant that we have written about before. As usual we were treated like kings upon our arrival by our hosts Mario and Dino, the bothers that own La Taverna Dei Gabanani. Shrimp, calamari, sea bass, tuna were all a part of what was a nine or ten course lunch (You kind of lose track after a while especially when you are drinking so much wine!)
Following the meal, Brunz (Often a man of few words) looked up at us and simply said “Well that was about the best meal I’ve had in a long time!” Nothing else need be said, mission accomplished!
The kids loved having their grandparents there for the ten days and were very sad when they left. It was wonderful to see Anna’s mom and dad enjoy so much quality time with them and the kids ate up the attention.
On the final day of their time with us, Brunz surprised me by requesting to go with me to meet Marcella at San Lorenzo market. Marcella and I were meeting to do our weekly shopping before preparing another big meal and Brunz enjoyed his trip the pervious week at Italy’s largest food market so much that he wanted to return. The kicker was that he wanted to go on the motorino together!
Now imagine this sight, (Well you really don’t have to as the photos will help crystallize it for you) Brunz on the back of my motorino riding through the streets of Florence in mid day traffic, with Anna’s pink helmet on! There is simply no better way to experience this amazing city than on motor transportation and I think that he enjoyed every minute of it! Following our shopping, we had a bit of lunch with Marcella and then followed it up with a gelato. Not a bad day!
Well, enough of my tales of the Hesler’s time with us. I’ll let them fill you in from their perspective…
An interview with Edward Hesler –
Q1: Brunz, its been a long time since you have been to Italy. As you prepare to leave, what are some of the best memories that you have of your trip here?
EA: “Most recently riding on the motorino with Tim. It was the first time I have ever ridden on the back of one in such heavy traffic with a helmet three sizes too small that was pink! I also think that the countryside was so beautiful. I also liked the city of Venice. It was such an unusual place. I’m glad we took the train there for the day.”
Q2: You had some pretty good food while you were here. What were some of your favorite meals and as an accomplished chef, why do you think that the food is so good here?
EA: “Well I guess the raw fish (Pesce Crudo) that you and Marcella made today was just outstanding. All of it was terrific! Of course the seafood that we had that day in Marina Di Pisa was one of the best meals I have had in a long time.”
Q3: Brunz what are your thoughts on being able to see your two grandchildren and your daughter for ten days? What are some of your best memories of your time with them?
EA: “Well, it was just nice being around them. They were gone most of the day in school, but in the night we got to help them with their homework. Olivia gave me a great tour of the property. She showed me her favorite tree and took me into the basement. I liked that.”
Q4: Brunz, you’ve been traveling for nearly five weeks now. Are you looking forward to getting home soon?
EA: “Definitely!”
An interview with Rita –
Q1: In the ten days that you were here, the most surprising thing that I heard you say, was when you asked Anna “Why don’t you stay here for another year?” I know how much you have missed us. Why did you make such a suggestion?
RA: “Because you want to stay here for another year. It doesn’t matter how we feel. It matters how you feel. I really didn’t mean it though :>)”
Q2: Mom, you were here in November. Did the castle look the same this time around and was it the way you remembered it?
RA: “It was about the same for me. Nothing changed much. I still loved looking at all the wonderful views, it’s such a beautiful place. The sunset is simply marvelous. I enjoyed every minute of it. You could see it from three sides of the castle and in every location it was amazing.”
Q3: When you left last time, you new you would be back to see the castle and Florence again. How does it feel this time knowing that you won’t be back any time soon?
RA: “Oh, I don’t know. I think that I would like to see somewhere else. I really enjoyed all the great architecture, especially today. I really enjoyed it.”
Q4: How was it to spend time with your grandchildren and daughter for the past ten days?
RA: “It was wonderful, exciting funny, loving. Trey is getting funnier and funnier, it was really nice to see.”
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