September Can't Come Soon Enough

Next month, I am taking a trip to Italy with one of my best friend's. This past year has been filled with numerous stressful days of work, constant volunteer efforts (which I love being a part of), and school...I feel as though this break trip is going to be well deserved. We have been planning it for the past 6 months and neither one of us can believe it is just a few weeks away!

My friend and I have known each other since college and we couldn't be better paired for a trip like this with any one else. We have the some love for reading, history, people, and traveling.

We have been literally counting down every single day for the past 3 months.

Our travels will having us staying in 4 cities. Our first stop will be to Soave, Italy. Where the famous Soave white wine is made. We will be arriving as the annual La Festa dell'Uva kicks off. Otherwise known in English as the "Grape Festival".

During our time there, we will also be exploring the Medieval Village that encompasses the town. We are very excited to see this ancient walls which are still in tact.

From Soave, we will be ditching our rental car, which driving should be an adventure all its own, and taking a train to Rome. I have visited Rome before with family on my first trip to Italy. Though with Rome's vast history, it will be a treat to see it again. I also happen to know that my friend is very eager, understandably, to see this magnificent city as well.

Our next stop will be to Verona where Shakespeare's classic, Romeo and Juliet, is set. I am eager to see the amphitheatre where summer opera's are held. Sadly, we will not be able to catch a performance, though this city will have plenty of other treasures for us to explore and take in.

Of course, we will also most likely make our way over to see Juliet's fictitious tomb and home.

From Verona, we will travel to Italy's largest lake, staying in town at it's southern tip, named Desenzano.


This photo of Desenzano Del Garda is courtesy of TripAdvisor

While staying at Lake Garda, we plan on traveling to several resort towns around the lake. Sirmione, being one of them, where entrance to the town is over a moat and through a castle! If time also, we will head to Gardaland, which is an amusement park. We hope to spend part of one day enjoying the views of the lake and do some swimming in it as well.


This photo of Desenzano Del Garda is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Our last stop will to Venice. Here we plan on sitting at the Rialto bridge with a couple of glasses on wine and reflecting on our journeys through our tip, while watching gondola's pass by. It will be a nice way to unwind while watching a city like no other on earth.

My Big Fat Italian Family

Throughout this course, I have made mention of my very large, Italian Family. Being that my mother is from a family of 15 children!

The Sgambati family consists of my grandfather Stephan, grandmother Opal,10 daughters (Mary, Theresa, Kathy, Annina, Stephanie, Emilia, Elizabeth, Opal, Francesca, and Carolyn), and 5 sons (Stephan Jr., Bobby, Anthony, Sam, and Carl).

My mother happens to be the "middle" child, 7 before her and 7 after. She was actually born on my grandfather's birthday! This is the reason they named her after both of them, Stephanie Opal.

Being that this family is so large, any one could make the assumption that there many grandchildren as well. This assumption would be true! There are 46 first cousins in the Sgambati family! With in these 46 grandchildren, there is one set of twins, and a set of quadruplets!

My grandparents have been very happily married for 63 years,and have lived in the same upstate NY city for most of these years. With in this city is the church they were married in.

Most of the family lives in the area, with 2 in Chicago, and 1 in North Carolina. Just as in the movie, each gathering or holiday is large event. Some might consider it a bit overwhelming, as you can ask my husband or anyone else who has attended Thanksgiving dinner for the first time, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My favorite part of these holidays is to sit on the couch and listen to everyone around me. The laughing, the teasing and joking, it is very relaxing for me...I can't imagine a holiday being any other way.

Letting my Imagination Run, and Fly!

Letting My Imagination Run, and Fly! by samoriaz on Storybird

If I was a Time Traveler, I would....