5 Days and Counting...

Travel in the summer of 2022 is more open? Really? Yes, it's more open and more expensive and hotter, almost everywhere. And it's still a bit dicey. As we were about to find out. No restrictions from the USA for travel, no restrictions for entering Italy, except for the requirement to wear FPP2 masks on public transportation. Easiest way to meet that requirement? Amazon!

To combat the heat, we could do what Spanish ladies have done forever and charmingly, batted a beautiful fan. 

Instead we will be sporting neck fans and cooling towels. Not so romantic looking but hopefully it will keep us from having heat strokes. 

The fan is quiet so even in a tour it will not interfere with listening to a guide. There are eight of us landing in Rome on August 3: seven adults and one child. We will head for the Anahi Hotel and then to the I Love Rome Hop-on Hop-off bus. This will give us an overview of all the wonderful sights to behold in the eternal city. Yes, the eternal city so named by Tibullus in the 1st Century BC and if you were over 2,000 years old most of us would think you were pretty eternal. So our first day in Rome will be spent "roaming' but by bus.

In order to make the most of our three days in Rome we have also booked a small group tour of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on our second day and the Colosseum on our third day. We have booked only skip the line small group tours which last about an hour. I think with the heat this will be plenty and will also allow anyone who wants more time to be able to explore on their own.

Now we are excited and beginning to pack for our two week adventure full of family and a wonderful event. What would bring us to Italy during the hottest summer ever? A wedding! Yes, the wedding of Elana Mosca and Alan Luna. A fly and a moon...nuff said. The wedding will be in Cortona at the Il Rifugio villa. https://www.sojourninitaly.com/ We are all so excited, a small family wedding in a beautiful Tuscan villa. But wait, there's a fly in the ointment--the bride has Covid! Another fly, the groom has Covid! That's the bad news. The good news, they'll both test negative by the end of July, all of 4 days away. After the quarantine they need to wear their masks for an additional five days. The bride has said that she is going to put her mask on with Gorilla glue! We will all be wearing masks in the airport and on the plane.

So we are packing and planning and hoping that all goes well. 

We are optimistic that this will be a lovely time for all. There are plenty of events planned, not just the wedding but wine tastings and wine dinners and shopping and wine and art and wine and architecture, and wine...stay tuned!