We had a wonderful time visiting Matthew and Emily in Italy recently. It was nice to spend some time with them exploring various towns in northern Italy, and we were even able to celebrate Halloween together!
When we arrived in Milan, had breakfast (spremuta and a croissant!), and then found a couple seats to sit and read and sleep. We picked up our rental car at 10:00 and then drove to Pinerolo. The apartment where we were staying is in a beautiful area that is classic Italian! Tiny cobble stone streets and alleys — it was very pretty and cool! The apartment is pretty nice too… Not too shabby, especially for Italy! We walked around for a bit. It was overcast and misty, but thankfully not too cold. We saw the duomo and city square, the neighboring shops, the cathedral at the top of the city (where we were able to go inside), and even stopped to get some focaccia!
Matthew and Emily came over about 2:30. Their mom dropped them off and it was good to see them when they arrived! We then played laser tag (that we’d brought — so fun!) and then Emily did our Halloween makeup — I was a witch with a spider, bat, and pumpkin drawn on, and Tom was a creepy skeleton. She did a pretty good job! Matthew went with his friends in the evening, but Emily went to dinner with us. We picked her up about 7:30 after she was done trick-or-treating with her mom and then went to a local restaurant for dinner. They were all set up for Halloween and thankfully we got a table! Emily stayed over with us in the evening, so we ended the night playing card games and chatting.
Friday was a good day — busy and full and lots of memory making! Emily woke up not long after us and then we all got ready for the day. We then went to pick up Matthew, and we were on the road to Pisa about 10:00am. The drive down to Pisa was so beautiful! We drove along the coast and it was so pretty. Italy is very green along the coast and it was just beautiful scenery after beautiful scenery!
While driving to Pisa, we drove along the coast and there were a ton of tunnels we drove through. Like, a TON. As we were driving through them, I noticed that as long as I could see the light at the end, I was fine. When I couldn’t, I started getting anxious and a little sick. This made me think of our lives and trials. If we can see the figurative “light at the end of the tunnel” we know we can make it through, even if the road gets windy and dark. But, if we lose that vision and the light, we start to question things. One thing I realized also is that with the gospel, we can always have that light. The gospel reassures us there is light at the end of the tunnel, but even if we momentarily forget that and don’t see the light at the end, the Savior can still be with us and shine His light right where we are. We can always focus on the Savior and that’s what will give us the ability to push through when the roads of life get windy and dark. Satan would have us feel that when were in the middle of a tunnel, we’ll never make it to the end. He tries to block our light and make us discouraged by the tunnels in our lives, but Christ is always there shining His light for us to follow and assuring us that we can make it out to the other side. Life will inevitably have tunnels and trials, and sometimes they’re the most effective way to get to our destination on the other side of the mountain. How grateful I am to know though that despite the length of the tunnel or the size of the mountain, the Savior will always be near, walking beside me and shining His light on my path. Just a powerful reminder that really hit me today!
On our way to Pisa, we stopped in the Leguria region at a place called Sestri Levante to get lunch. It is right on the Mediterranean Sea and such a cute little iconic Italian town. We got lunch, what else — pesto! It was so delicious! Seriously, best pesto I’ve ever had. Pesto (genovese) in Leguria, the capital and birthplace of pesto — amazing! We then walked around a bit, saw the Mediterranean on the other side of the little peninsula we were on, and then we started walking back to the car. As we did, we saw a gelato place and decided to stop. I’ve never had gelato in Italy before, so it was a fun experience! And, SOOO delicious! I got lemon and raspberry, Tom got mango and strawberry, Emily got strawberry and mixed fruit, and Matthew got hazelnut. And, the girl working there totally made the cones into roses — it was so cool! Almost too pretty to eat, but definitely too delicious not to eat! Very, very, very yummy… All the hype about Italian gelato being the best is totally right!
After our little detour to Leguria, we headed for Pisa. When we pulled into the town, you could kind of see the tower and it looked kind of small and not that crooked. I was a little surprised! We walked over to it though and needless to say, it is quite crooked and really kind of neat!
Of course we had to take the obligatory touristy pictures of touching the tower… So fun!
It was also cool to walk around the square and see the duomo (cathedral), the grounds, and a mausoleum. We were able to go in the mausoleum and it was so neat! Cool art on the walls that they’re restoring and stone headstones in the floor and statues and stone coffins — just so much history and art that is really fascinating!
We arrived at the villa where we’re staying about 7:30, and boy was it beautiful! It is such a pretty property and the lady who owns it was so nice! It sits up against a stone wall that used to be a cave, and they’ve done such a good job with it. It’s amazing! It’s called “The Old Cave” and we will definitely be coming back!
We checked in and then went to dinner at a place called Il Castillo di Signa. The lady we’re renting from recommended it, and she even made us reservations! It’s in a part of town that has very little parking, so the owner actually comes and picks you up and then brings you home! Talk about service! The food was good — we all got pizzas. The kiddos got pizza with hot dogs and French fries — so funny! It was really yummy and apparently it’s a Trip Advisor favorite. Definitely good!
We got back to the villa, unpacked, and then played a few rounds of Old Maid (the kids love it!) before heading to bed. It was a great day!
Saturday was a rainy day, but we certainly made the best of it and the rain didn’t slow us down! We were up before the kids, so while Tom showered, I got ready and then went and read my scriptures outside. It was a beautiful morning in such a beautiful setting! It’s not every day you get to do your scripture study in the Tuscan countryside! It was a wonderful way to start the day!
We played outside on the property and explored a bit — there’s so much to see and it’s so beautifully done! They have a basketball court, a coy pond, stairs and pathways up the mountain, gardens, and so much more. We played basketball, hide and seek (the basketball), and explored all over. It’s just beautiful! We also spent some time playing with the Christmas gifts Grandma Bowcut sent — the kids loved them, and we did too!
After exploring and then playing around the property, we headed to Firenze/Florence. First we stopped at a market to get some groceries so we can cook at home. The market was so fun! Very different than American markets. We then went to the train station to catch a train to Florence, but when we arrived, we realized we’d looked at the wrong one so we’d just missed it! We found the right one though and it was leaving in a half hour, so we ran and got some lunch at a cafe and ate in the car before getting on the train. They took cash only, but thankfully there was an ATM nearby. We got on the train about 1:30 and took a quick ride to Florence. The train station there is so busy. We got off and headed into the city and it was beautiful!
Our first stop was the main Duomo and it was stunning! It’s huge and so detailed and pretty — it certainly takes your breath away. We thought to try and go inside, since it’s free, but the line was incredibly long and wrapped almost entirely around the building, so we decided to just keep walking. We saw a ton of shops, from very high end to street vendors and everything in between. Many of them had their windows decorated in amazing ways, some even for Christmas! It was fun to walk around and take it all in.
Our next big stop was Pontevecchio, which is an old and iconic bridge in Florence. It’s really cool and was so, so busy! We got some fun pictures from a few angles, and we even snuck in a pic with a kiss when the kids weren’t looking. 🙂
Next we went to the main square where they have a lot of museums, including the museum where the David is. It costs money to see it and there was a HUGE line, so we didn’t go inside, but they have a replica lot front. They also have lots of other statues and art that are in public places… It’s amazing! We then kept walking around — Matthew wanted to go to see the Apple store in Milan, so I walked around the square a bit while they went in.
We then walked to another church, where we got some fun pictures! Matthew had the idea to take a panoramic and have the subject move so it’s at different places in the same picture. They turned out so well and funny! Such a clever idea.
We then walked back to the train station, passing a lot of cool streets and alleys and even more churches.
At one of the churches we saw, there was this statue that at first appeared to be a homeless person laying on a bench. As you got closer, you could see that the person under the blanket was actually the Savior, and there is a plaque with the scripture from Matthew about “inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren.” It was incredibly powerful and brought tears to my eyes.
We rode the train back and got home about 7:30. It was POURING rain as we were getting home. Tom then made dinner — carbonara pasta, which was so yummy! The kids and I played Jenga and die this crazy puzzle we bought in Florence. After dinner, we played laser tag for a bit, which was a ton of fun! We then played a few card games (Old Maid and Slap Jack) before heading to bed. It was a long, busy day but so fun making new memories together!
Sunday was another busy full or incredible experiences! We all got ready for church — surprisingly on time! We then headed to the local meeting, which was starting at 9:30am, but when we arrived, we found out it was stake conference! Bummer! We chatted with some of the members — one sweet lady was convinced she remembered Tom from his mission, but he was too kind not to tell her he didn’t serve here. 😉 Unfortunately the stake conference takes in quite a huge area, so there wasn’t another church we could go to for church the sacrament. Oh well though — the Lord knows we tried! Hopefully next time.
After church, we decided to go into the town called Vinci, which is where Leonardo da Vinci is from. The lady who were renting from recommended it, and it was fairly close to the church. So, we headed up there and the drive was absolutely stunning! So many rolling green hills full of wineries and olive orchards. It was gorgeous — pictures couldn’t even do it justice! It was stormy and overcast, but still really beautiful.
We got to Vinci and Tom dropped us off at the museum and went to park. As he caught up to us, it started pouring! Seriously, so much rain this trip! He and Matthew then went to buy museum tickets while Emily and I sat in the cathedral, during which they started a mass service. After we got tickets, we started at the museum about Leonardo’s scientific and anatomy work. Wow, was it incredible! We have such a newfound respect for this great man. He is known for his paintings, but his inventions and study of science are probably even more impressive and worthy of recognition. The way he studied the body and figured things out is incredible. For example, they didn’t know back then (because how could they) that veins originate in the heart. They figured it was either the heart or the liver, and most thought the liver since it is such a large organ that is in the middle of the body. But, Leonardo figured out that veins originated from the heart and had really sound reasoning for how he figured this out. It’s just so impressive! And the machines he built? Amazing. As we learned more about him, he reminded us of President Russell M. Nelson — someone with a desire to learn and the incredible capacity to do so. It was just really neat to learn about this whole other side of Leonardo da Vinci!
After the science and anatomy museum, we walked over to the castle where he spent some of his time. We then stopped to grab lunch, and we did so just before the rain started really coming down. It had been raining on and off all day, but it really started coming down hard while we were eating lunch. Thankfully we were inside! Tom and Emily had lasagna, Matthew had the pasta with wild boar bolognese, and I had the pasta with spicy tomato sauce. We also shared a bruschetta and these fried dough things. Really yummy food!
We then drove over to Leonardo’s home where he was born. It was an old building far away from town, but he was an illegitimate child of a fairly high profile father, so it’s not surprising they sent the mistress away to have the baby. While there, we got to watch a video about his life that was about 20 minutes long and really interesting! As part of the video, they take from his writings and mention his idea that the blessing of age and time passing is knowledge. Knowledge is the only thing that doesn’t decrease, diminish, or deteriorate with time, unlike everything else. Apparently he didn’t like getting older, but he did appreciate that he was able to keep learning. Such a good perspective! After his birth home, we went to a museum where they have replicas of nearly all his paintings. It was cool to see the progression of his skill as he got older. There were a few that I just loved — the Last Supper, the Mona Lisa, and Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and John the Baptist. I’ve never been much of a fan of the Mona Lisa, but seeing an accurate replica of it up close was quite stunning. And the Last Supper — so beautiful. Finally, the one with the Virgin and Child is so beautiful. It shows Mary with her mother, Anne, and Christ. The look on Anne’s face as she looks at her daughter and grandchild is just perfect. Such a powerful painting! It was a really neat experience and a cool way to end our Leonardo tour!
When we got back to the property where we were staying, the property owner was arriving. He gave us a full tour of the property, which was awesome. It’s such a beautiful place and there was a gorgeous sunset tonight. It was stunning!
Tom made dinner tonight (penne with a really delicious tomato sauce) and we ate and then played games. We played Tenzie, Yahtzee, and Slap Jack. We were laughing so much when playing Slap Jack — it was so much fun! The last game went on for a very long time, but finally we called it because it was getting late. It was such a fun night!
Monday was our last day with the kiddos and we definitely made the most of it! Tom made pancakes for breakfast — so yummy! The kids loved it and ate a ton — he had to make a second batch! We then cleaned up and then went to play outside. We’d mentioned to the kids we were going to leave early, but they wanted to spend as much time on the property as possible! We played basketball, badminton, frisbee, and just explored around. It was a beautiful morning and we had so much fun!
We headed back down the coast to Genova, which was one of Tom’s favorite areas on his mission. We parked at the aquarium and then headed into the city. I guess it’s called “the gut” because the streets are so windy and tiny and confusing. It’s crazy but really cool! We walked through the streets, saw a few churches and cool buildings, a really awesome fountain, and then Christopher Columbus’ home! It was a neat city and fun to see some places that brought back memories for Tom from his mission.
While walking through “the gut” Tom even found the building where they used to meet for church services — it was impressive how well he navigated the streets! Also, there were so many scooters there… It was insane! After walking around for a bit, we got some gelato (so, so yummy!) and then headed over to the duomo. It was open so we were able to go into the cathedral. It was so cool and pretty!
After Genova, we headed back to Pinerolo. There was the most beautiful sunset as we were driving! We were also counting the tunnels we went through and taking guesses as to how many we went under — 86! Matthew won the guessing game. We were also playing car games with Emily while Matthew slept — naming words that start with each letter of the alphabet, naming things of each color, etc. It helps her with English and me with Italian, so it’s a win-win!
We got back to Pinerolo about 7:30pm and checked in at the apartment where we were staying. We then took the kiddos to dinner at Burger King, which recently opened in their town and the kiddos were excited to go. Boy, was it busy! After dinner, we went to the kids’ home so Matthew could show us this bike he’s been building. It’s pretty cool! He’s a really talented kid. It totally lit him up to show us, so that made it fun. We then went back to the apartment we were renting and played Slap Jack and Old Maid until the kiddos’ mom came to pick them up. It was sad to say goodbye, but we talked about when we got to see them next and hopefully it’s before too long. They are great kids and this visit went really, really well! We’re already looking forward to the next time we get to be together and have loved the memories we made together the last few days!
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