buongiorno italia!

It's no secret that Kurt and I love to travel. We also love a good party. So when a couple NYC friends decided to get married in Rome (the bride's hometown), we booked our tickets without much hesitation. What a great excuse for an Italian vacation, right? (If you recall, we made a pretty similar trip back in 2010 for--you guessed it--another wedding. See all those posts here but please excuse the teeny photos!) We leave in less than 3 weeks (eep!) and are very excited about the 16 day journey. We're sticking to Italy and visiting the following places:

Rome

Naples

Pompei

Positano

Capri

Salerno

Rapallo

Merate

Milan

Lecco

Bergamo

Monza

Villasanta

Until we leave, I will be freaking out about packing (what's the weather like in October?!?!) and trying to cram as much Italian from the DuoLingo app I can (not sure how useful "the monkey eats bananas" is going to be but I'm sticking with it). And of course I always get the urge to buy new things before a trip (my old stuff just doesn't seem Italy worthy) so some shopping is probably in order.

If you have any travel tips or favorite spots, please pass them along. I'm all ears! 

Day 13: Zurich-Amsterdam-NYC

And so begins our last day in Europe. It was full of mixed emotions. I was sad to leave such beautiful places and ultimately end our vacation ( I couldn't fathom going to work the next day!). However, it was comforting to know I was heading for my own apartment and bed back in Brooklyn. I could return to being settled and no longer have to carry all my possessions on my back.

A wall of beer at the Zurich airport. Kurt was in heaven.

The Zurich airport is clean and modern and light years beyond JFK. I feel like it functions as a public shopping center too because most of the shopping and restaurants are located before you go through security. We stopped into the grocery store there and it seemed like locals were buying food for their week. The airport is pretty extensive, so it took us a while to find where we were going. Eventually, we located the correct security gate (where there was no line) and began stripping down to go through the metal detector. We start ripping off our shoes and the guards laughed at us, saying you only have to do that in America. They were so nice and friendly. Maybe they get more vacation than the sour airport workers at any NYC airport...

At our gate, we enjoyed a nice snack of beer and gummy bears.

Kurt was thrilled to be flying his airline all day (Kurt Lee Martig).

Kurt always makes me nervous when we fly because he covertly takes out his camera during take off and landings. One day we are going to get yelled at by a flight attendant. Until then, I will admit he gets some nice shots. This is a view of Lake Zurich as we depart from Switzerland.

We had a layover in Amsterdam for a few hours. The Dutch are all about tulips. They were selling them everywhere.

Snack #2 of the day was cheese and crackers and a pitcher of beer (I said a few hours!).

Isn't that a nice Heineken pitcher? Kurt admired it quite a bit...maybe even enough to bring it back to New York as a souvenir. He did it under the guise that "Erik will love this!" Maybe we even took the glasses too... :)

Once we boarded our flight from Amsterdam to NYC, we still had quite a long day ahead of us. Luckily, they served us some pretty tasty food. My travelling word to the wise, always get the vegetarian option. You never want to eat airplane meat and the pastas they give you are usually good. Unlimited drinks on KLM aren't half bad either. Kurt and I definitely took advantage of that. At one point, Kurt even went to find the flight attendants in the back to ask for another Heineken. FREE!

We enjoyed a movie together and an episode of Friends. Mainly I just slept. I was exhausted from almost two weeks of constant running around. It was such an incredible trip though. I can't believe we did it (and that we are still speaking to each other once we returned!).

Ironically, we have been back in New York for a month as I write this final post about our travels. It feels like we went years ago. I am lucky to have seen so many amazing places and met so many interesting and gracious new friends. We hit a few bumps along the way but it made the good times that much sweeter. Kurt was an amazing travel partner. I hope he'll allow me to tag along on many more adventures around the world. I'm an excellent navigator!

Ciao grazie!!!

Day 12: Monza to Zurich

Claudio's parents kindly took us to the train station in Monza where we had a short ride to Milan. Once in Milan, we had a little bit of a wait until our train to take us to Zurich. We would spend the night in Zurich and catch a flight around noon from there to New York, ending our European adventure :(

The Milan train station is pretty impressive in itself.

The train ride from Milan to Zurich is beautiful, and we were lucky enough to enjoy it twice. This time it was late afternoon, so we got some dramatic shadows from the setting sun.

"The Lizard Bathroom" (i.e. a blatant abuse of green penny tile...I think it might have even been on the ceiling!)

Even though our trip was drawing to a close, it wasn't smooth sailing yet. Our train was not scheduled to get to Zurich until close to 11pm. However, the hostel we had arranged to stay at only held check-in until 10:30pm. Kurt foresaw this conflict and emailed the hostel about the issue before we even left the states. Their response was to call the day we were set to arrive and let the receptionist know. Someone would either wait up a little longer or tell us where to locate the key. This all sounded good and fine, but when we decided to call from the Milan train station, the phone number we had on our reservation was wrong. We thought to look it up online but then Kurt's computer was dead and there is no such thing as free Wi-fi in Europe (except at McDonald's...even then, it's not technically free). Our train was about to leave, so we had to get on it. We crossed our fingers that somehow it would work out in Zurich.

It did not. Once we arrived in Switzerland, we found the hostel easily but, of course, the door was locked and no one was around. We found a pay phone and the correct number and no one answered. Great. We halfway expected this to happen, so we had been working out alternate plans and we moved on to Plan B (I think Plan E was to sleep in the train station until we had to head to the airport the next day). We found a Starbucks, bought a little something, and used their internet to look up alternate hotels or hostels in the area. We made a list of ones that seemed reasonably priced and set off to try them one by one until someone would take pity on us and give us a room. We struck out at 5 or 6 places! Apparently there was some sort of triathlon the next day and most hotels were booked. We were getting tired and I was almost convinced we were never going to find anything. Plan E didn't sound half bad as long as I could take off my heavy backpack!

After wandering around some more, we came across a small hotel we hadn't seen online. Kurt suggested we try it. In all reality we had nothing to lose. There was a cute old man at the front desk. Miraculously he had one room available. We'll take it! I didn't even care how much is cost. I wanted to sleep. He checked us in and we headed for our room. It wasn't anything special (or gross, for that matter). It was a simple room with two twin beds and the what we called "the lizard bathroom." It even ended up being pretty inexpensive. What a day, though!

Day 12: Italy in HD

I stole that title from Kurt. He's much more clever than I am. Regardless, we woke up on Saturday morning, our last day in Italy, to crisp, blue skies. The storm from the day before had really done a great job of clearing the air. I cannot describe to you how excited Kurt was about the clarity. Apparently, it was hardly ever like that when he lived there and we absolutely had to go back to Montevecchia for the view. To show you the difference, look at the next two pictures. We unintentionally took a photo from the same point, the first from Thursday and the second on Saturday.

Isn't it insane how crisp the mountains look?! The first picture is "normal" for the area too. I feel like I cheated the system a little bit. Kurt lived there for almost a year and rarely saw such views. I was there for a few days and was lucky enough to witness it!

It was such a beautiful sunny morning as we drove to the top of Montevecchia. The rain had even cooled the temperatures a bit. It was such a gorgeous day, it made me not want to leave Italy!

View towards Milan

Foothills of the Alps

After we took in all the gorgeous views possible, Kurt and I set off to visit his first host family and have lunch at their house. The parents, Darrio and Rosi, live in such a fun apartment complex. There was a nice pool and tennis courts practically in their backyard. One son, Diego, lives next door with his wife Clea and their two sons, Tomasso and Filippo. The other son, Matteo, also lives nearby. We had a delicious lunch and I got to hear all sorts of stories from Kurt's exchange.

The visit made me realize how gratifying but ultimately terrifying it would be to do an exchange. I felt so out of sorts the few days I was there. I can't imagine being thrown into a family who you know nothing about and can barely communicate with. You could not have asked for a better starter family but I'm sure it was a trying experience. It must really stretch your ability to adapt and reconsider your comfort zone. I wish I had even been open minded enough to consider such an opportunity. Do you think a family would be interested in a 24 year old architect?! Am I past the age limit?! But I want to live in Europe!

Anyway, after we left the Mascazzini's house, Kurt and I stopped by his second host family's house. Unfortunately, we were running short on time and only his host mother was home. We visited with her and her friend shortly. His host mother really didn't speak any English, so she and Kurt mainly caught up in Italian. I can generally follow some conversations a little bit (especially when I know Kurt's responses) but she spoke so quickly I could not keep up. We couldn't stay long and had to leave to head to Monza to meet Claudio's parents. We were returning the car they trustfully let us borrow and then heading to the train station. Sadly, we had to leave Italy behind :(

Day 11: Pizza

I apologize for a lack of images from this day. Nothing seemed as monumental as the previous day's wedding and not quite photo worthy. I'll try to piece together a reasonable account of our day anyway...

We had big intentions to travel Bergamo this morning but should have known that we don't rise early, particularly after a long night of revelry. It was a grey and cloudy day, so we took our time getting ready in the morning and headed to visit Davide around midday.

Davide is currently in between jobs and living at home with his parents. His father is retired and also at home during the day. We didn't have a good way to contact them, so we just decided to drop by. We found both of them at home in their pajamas while their wife/mother was at work. After some chit chatting, we decided it was lunchtime and we should have pizza (Kurt and I hadn't had any yet! Can you believe it!?). I was prepared to go to a restaurant in town, but Davide and his father are such homebodies, they suggested we go to the grocery store, get some supplies, and make a pizza at home.

The image above is the store we visited. It reminded me of Wal-Mart because they carried everything you could ever need in one place. I thought only Americans reveled in the big box store but we saw this chain everywhere. Their signage was out of control though. It seemed like everything was on sale (saldi) and they were molto excited about it.

I think we went a little overboard with the toppings. You could buy the pizza base with dough, cheese, and sauce. I can't even remember all the things we added, but it was overflowing and very delicious. We stayed and talked with Davide and his father for quite a while. They are both sweet and fun to spend the afternoon with. After we left their house, we had plans to meet the newlyweds, Claudio and Manuela, and go to some sort of festival or fair in Monza.

We met at their house around 7pm and needed to kill some time, so the locals took us on a short driving tour of Parco di Monza. Then we wandered around the town for a little while.

Monza was really interesting. I liked it a lot. It was dense but still laid back. The older architecture was beautiful but modern buildings fit in seamlessly. The size and traffic wasn't overwhelming. There was good shopping but Monza is only a short distance from Milan if you were looking for a more metropolitan experience. Plus, the park is one of the largest in Europe and maybe even the largest one enclosed by walls. Everything you could want!

As we walked around the town, you could hear some thunder rumbling in the distance and the clouds were beginning to look ominous. We should have stayed closer to the car because all of a sudden the bottom fell out of the clouds and it started pouring! All four of us sprinted towards the parking area. Once we got close enough, Kurt was a trooper and ran the rest of the way to retrieve the car while the Claudio, Manuela, and I took cover under an awning.

The deluge put a damper on our plan for the festival, so our next plan of attack was dinner. While our lunchtime pizza was delicious, it was a thick-crust style, and I was really craving a paper thin, wood fired one. Claudio suggested one of his favorite pizza places near Monza which sounded perfect. We hoped a) the rain would let up and b) we would find a close parking space. Neither happened, so we had to make a break for it again and run from the car to the restaurant.

The pizza menu was slightly overwhelming. They had every possible combination you could imagine--and even ones you would never think of! I debated between a few but landed on a spinach and ricotta version. I don't think I was creative enough for our Italian hosts and Claudio called my choice "a sad pizza." I just wanted something classic and simple. It was delicious. I devoured it before there was a chance to take a picture. Sorry.

It was a very laid back evening. We got to spend a little time with the newlyweds before they set off on their whirlwind honeymoon around the world. The rain was actually refreshing. Our entire trip had been so hot, the rinse was needed. By the time we left the restaurant, the storm had passed and Kurt was thrilled to see that the sky had cleared. Normally, the air around Milan is very smoggy and polluted but the storm had cleared the haze. We were really excited about touring around the next day to get some great views of the mountains. Look forward to pictures!

Day 10: Reception

After the ceremony, we drove to a town called Lecco where the reception was being held at the Castello di Rossino. It was so picturesque. I was in awe. The castle is on top of a hill that overlooks the lake and some of the town. On the other side of Lake Lecco is Lake Como, where many fancy celebrities have houses. Sadly, I did not run into George Clooney at the party, but it was still beautiful.

View towards Lake Lecco.

Arguing about how to take a picture.

The newlyweds! Manuela even had these awesome white-framed glasses to go with her dress. Genius!

In addition to European churches, I am also jealous of European castles.

There was pretty much only one goal for the evening, and that was eating. As soon as we arrived, there was champagne and hors d'oeuvres. Then we moved into the courtyard for a little buffet and found our seats. After that we were served maybe 3 or 4 courses. I can't even remember! There was a meat and a rice...maybe they had a pasta mixed in there. Those Italians sure know how to put some food away. I was struggling to keep up but somehow managed to survive. It was all so delicious! (Plus, I was oblivious to most of the conversations going on, so the next logical thing to do was focus on the plate in front of me.)

I am sad to report that there was no dancing at this wedding. They played music though. Italians love popular American songs from 5 or 10 years ago. They also can't get enough of Michael Jackson! One of the few Italian phrases from Claudio I understood was (and Kurt may have to correct this), "Lui non e'morto (he is not dead)" while Thriller was playing.

To drown my lack-of-dancing sorrows, there was wine. I will say, not as much as I had expected though. By the end of the evening, Kurt had to travel around to other tables to scavenge unfinished bottles. After we had consumed as much food as our bodies would allow, there was a separate room (I'm telling you, castle envy!) for grappa and coffee.

And how could I forget the cake?! Delicious. Kurt had 2 slices.

One tradition that transcends cultures is the throwing of the bouquet (no garder toss though). It's just as embarrassing in Italy though--possibly even more so. Somehow I was extracted from the sidelines and got roped into the group of single ladies. I did not catch the bouquet. I did not try to catch the bouquet. Kurt had been put through enough terror with the questions of When are you two getting married? on our trip. I figured I would save him the added stress and let that bunch of flowers go to someone else. I could have totally had it though :) No one else went for it!

Another Italian/American difference: they don't smile in pictures! I bet we look goofy with our cheesy grins, but it's your wedding day! Don't you want to remember being happy?! Even when the families were taking pictures back at the church, everyone was so stoic. It was an interesting contrast. I can't see a camera without smiling. It's a reflex.

Isn't Kurt's suit awesome?! It was his dad's and has been resurrected for two weddings already this year. Heaven forbid someone get married in the winter...

The wedding was great! Totally worth transversing an ocean. I wish Claudio and Manuela all the best! They have been together 11 years and are finally married. Such an adorable couple!

Day 10: Ceremony

Hooray for weddings! I really enjoy them, but Kurt does not particularly care for them. What's not to like about a big party centered around food and wine (and generally dancing) and love?! Absolutely nothing. He's just a big stick in the mud. At least he was a little bit excited about this one. I mean, we did come all the way from New York for it!

Well, we woke up Thursday morning at Riky's house, the site of the previous night's over-indulgence. Everyone who lived there had left for work already, so Kurt and I just got up and headed back to our hotel. Sleeping on a couch in a bachelor pad won't be the most restful night of your life, so we took a nap and decided to take it easy until our ride was coming to pick us up for the wedding at 3. That is,until we realized that Kurt's suit was still at the cleaners! It wasn't that far away but the dry cleaner closes for a couple hours around the middle of the day. We were convinced he would be closed and wouldn't open in enough time for us to get ready for the wedding. It would be painfully ironic that we went to all that trouble to retrieve our lost luggage and then not have the most important pieces from it!

We drug our tired and sunburned selves to Villasanta, where we had left the suit, crossing our fingers for good luck. We approach the shop and.....ugh! it's closed! But wait.....he opens again in about an hour. We did some calculations in our heads and figured we had enough time to have a bite to eat in town, grab the suit, and run back to the hotel to get ready. It was cutting it close but thankfully it all worked out fine. 3 o'clock rolled around and Claudio's cousin Patrizio arrived to escort us to the chapel.

Claudio and Manuela got married at this lovely church in Villasanta. I'm jealous of European churches. Even small little towns have incredible buildings. Even small, modest ones have more quality and detail in them than any mega church in the states. Bigger is not always better.

It starts getting closer to 4, when the wedding is supposed to start. I want to go inside and get a good seat but everyone keeps milling around in front of the church. Kurt inquires. Turns out, they are all waiting for Manuela to arrive. Technically, they should go in but Italians are too stubborn and want to be the first to see the bride in her dress (someone else's explanation, not mine). Finally, a fancy car pulls up and she gets out. Everyone applauds then bolts inside for their prime seat.

It was a Catholic ceremony (of course), so there was an entire mass. I knew what was going on at times but couldn't understand much of what was being said. Kurt and I spent most of the time picking out what made an Italian wedding different from an American one.

a) The bride's arrival. I feel like most American brides get ready at the church (or at least hide out there shortly until it's showtime) and then make their big entrance as they walk down the aisle.

b) Italians don't have much of a wedding party. The bride and groom each had a couple of friends up there with them but there were no matching dresses or rented tuxes. They served more as witnesses which leads me to...

c) At the conclusion of the mass, the priest, the couple, and their attendants go off to the side and sign the marriage license. It's kind of a big, official thing too. I may be wrong about this one, but I feel like in America, all this is done behind the scenes.

d) There's no kiss at the end! Some people may value vows and rings but I don't feel like it's official until you hear "You may now kiss the bride!" It was anti-climactic. There also wasn't a big exit. The families hung around in the church for pictures and guests sort of slowly filtered out.

Even if I did speak more Italian, I think I still would have been a little lost. It's fun to sift through the cultural differences though.

Now this part I know! The bride and groom finally made their exit into the courtyard. There were rice and rose petals ready to be thrown. Claudio volunteers regularly with the Red Cross, so some of the crew was there with the ambulance to sound the siren as the newlyweds exited the church.

I liked this tradition. There was a balloon outside the church with smaller balloons inside of it. The bride takes a dart...

...and sets them all free! It's kind of cheesy like releasing doves or butterflies but I thought it was cute.

After some visiting in the church piazza, everyone got in their cars to head to the reception site--a castle north of Villasanta. On our way out of town, we saw this sign on an overpass. (Sorry for the poor photo. It's hard to take pictures in a car!) It says Clody (heart) Manu. Oggi sposi....capolavoro!!! Kurt may have to help me here, but it means something along the lines of Claudio loves Manuela (obviously). Today are spouses (had a wedding/ got married)...masterpiece! Or at least that's what Google tells me. Their friends hung it for them! How cute is that?!

Next up: the reception!