DAY 1: Roma, Italy (May 4, 2008)

We arrived in Roma, Italy at 6pm. We finally made it!!! Our carry-on was with us, but we had to fill out a lost luggage form about out checked luggage. Talking with the airport customer service agent was Richard's first chance to use the tiny bit of Italian he learned, but the agent knows English much better than Richard knows Italian so, of course, the conversation is in English :)

Filling out a "lost luggage form" in a foreign country about luggage lost in another foreign country gave us almost no hope of actually getting our luggage, but we did it anyway and then went to find our Globus Monogram host.

We found our friendly host, and she quickly arranged our transport to the Cicerone Hotel.

We are exhausted from a long day, well, actually, day and half, but since we were on Roman time now we decide to stay up a little longer and go out to eat before getting some rest for the days to come. We venture out for our first night in Italy, and around the corner from the hotel we find a wonderful Italian ristorante, Ristorante il Pizzic8, for dinner.

Talk about a wonderful place for our first authentic Italian meal! We sat ouside at a nice little table and finally, finally relaxed! The weather was in the mid 60's with a nice breeze, the clear sky was a beautiful deep blue. We couldn't believe we were sitting on the streets of Roma, listening to everyone around us speaking Italian, eating authentic Italian food when just a few hours earlier we were in Birmingham, Alabama! It is still surreal to me.

What we had for our first authentic Italian meal:

  • Antipasto di Mozzarella Bufafa {mozzarella bufafa is totally different from the states; its actually refreshing.}
  • Primo: Spaghetti Carbonara {i wish i could cook pasta this perfectly. It was perfect. And the taste... OMG!}
  • Primo: Fettucine al Bolognese
  • Pan Dolce Con Fragole e Panna {sponge cake with strawberries. looking at the photo, you would think that the cake was is rich with the frosting, but it isn't, it is just the perfect sweetness and it is extremely light. And I'm not one for sweets. But it is delicious.}
  • Caffe Latte

Roman Italian meals are simple within their ingredients, so that you can taste the fresh ingredients witihin each entree.


Antipasto di Mozzarella Bufafa

Fettucine al Bolognese

Spaghetti Carbonara

Pan Dolce Con Fragole e Panna

Leaving for Italy

I'm totally psyched about leaving for Italy. I can't believe the time has come. It is surreal. Am I really going? or is it all a dream?

Well, it is a day of extreme emotions. From totally psyched to being feedup to amazement. Well, we arrived at the airport at 9am but didn't department until 4:45pm, if that explains the feedup part. Let's just say, don't fly United, if you are flying out of a small airport. We missed our connection to Rome and will be missing 9 hours out of our first day due to ... United was out of printers ink. That is all I have to say.

But when we have arrived to Rome, how amazing. All the bad stuff that happened didn't matter anymore. We had arrived at our destination, Rome, and it is beyond what we would have every imagine. We were suppose to arrive at 9am but got there at 6pm. So, we checked-into our hotel, went to the local pharmacy to get some items due to missing one luggage via British Airway's Terminal 5, and went to eat at our first authentic Italian restaurant.

Preparation

The following were essentials for our trip:

  1. Moleskine City Books:
    • The Moleskine City Book combines a notebook and city-specific map features into a helpful guide for any journey.
    • Key Map & Zone Maps allowed us to plot out our destinations and routes.
    • Tabbed Sections allowed us to fill in important contact information.
    • Removable Sheets allowed us to journal.
    • And there are pages for notes, folder pocket to insert additional information, and much much more.
    • Compact and light to easily stow away in our little backpack or purse.
    • We purchased one for each city.
  2. Samsonite Spinner Hardside Luggage:
    • Spinner wheels for maximum maneuverability and rolling comfort. (With minimum effort, you can roll your suitcase upright.)
    • Hardside for durability.
    • We had two different sizes. One large suitcase to check-in and one to carry-on, in-case our large suitcase got lost (which it did for one day).
  3. Waist Safe:
    • Keeps passports out of sight.
    • Lightweight and light materal to fit perfectly under your clothing.
    • Interior pocket holds credit cards.
    • Adjustable elastic strap.
    • Stress-free (No worries of pick-pockets.)
  4. Cameras (one per person), Crumpler Camera Bag & "Several" SD Cards
    • A SLR Camera is a must. I wouldn't have gotten all my beautiful shots, without my Nikon 40x.
    • A compact camera for lightweight carry and video-needs.
    • My Crumpler Camera Bag is compact, light weight and well-padded. I was able to store my SLR camera, extra filters, SD Cards and accessories.
    • Several SD Cards: It is good to have at least one card per city.
  5. Merrell Sneakers & Nike Dri-Fit Socks:
    • Uppers of genuine full grain and synthetic leather with ample breathable mesh ventilation.
    • Great support. Vibram® Siren™ sole adds stability and traction you need for off-road running, speed hiking or trail biking.
    • Q-Form® triple-density molded footframe promotes healthy alignment for a woman’s stride.
    • Good socks are just as important as good shoes. (My husband bought me some cheap socks to take with us, and I ended up throwing them away and just using my Nike's Dri-Fit socks.)
  6. Pitotubes:
    • TSA compliant bottles.
    • Leak free and shatter proof.
    • Pump technology reduces product waste by as much as 75% over traditional bottles.

Other Items:

  • Traveling Iron: European hotels don't provide irons.
  • Euros: It will cost you commission to take out money from the ATM and from the money exchange stores.
  • Earplugs: If you are planning to go to Venice, pigeons can be loud during your sleep.
  • Extra Zip-lock Baggies: You may need to bring home some purchased items that need zip-lock baggies.

Monograms is the way to go!

We have enjoyed every experience with Monograms.

  • First-class hotels: wonderful hotels, rooms and located within the best spot of the city in order to easily walk to your detinations.
  • Hostess: Defintely hostess with the most-ess. Our hostesses were the most awesome and helpful locals. They assisted every step of the way, you were never without a hostess when transporting from airport to hotel, hotel to train, on the train, train to hotel and hotel to airport. They knew all the great eats in town. They could answer any of our questions. They arranged mostly everything that we wanted. And one of the best hostess, Mama Maresa from Roma, got our lost luggage within 24 hours. She was the best. She protected us, with her heavy handbag (inside joke), every step of the way.
  • Tours: Half-day tours are included for each city, which covers all the highlights of the city. And additional optional tours can be purchased.
  • Tour Guides: Passionate and knowledgeable tour guides. Our favorite is Andrea in Firenze. He has a true love for Italian art and architecture.
  • Free Time: Tons of free time to do what we wanted to do instead of being on a big-group schedule 24/7. Therefore, we were free to plan our own adventures and eat in the restaurants that we wanted to.

Photo Album & Slideshow



Words can't express our experience in Italy. The trip was beyond what we could ever image. We have fallen in love with Italy and will miss her greatly. Yes, Italy is a SHE because of her beauty :) .