It seems like it takes forever for a vacation to get here, but once it does it goes by like a snap of you're finger.

I hope you guys have a safe trip home.

Glad you are having a fantastic time DC
Italy is the best country i have ever been to on holiday!
We went to Naples and Sorrento a couple of years back!
Went to Capri,visited Pompeii and climbed Mount Veseuvius!
Wonderful memories!
I will go back there again soon!
Enjoy it all my friend

Yogi,

We hired a boat to take us around Capri. Unfortunately the Blue Grotto was not accessible due to the high tide. But the boat took us all around the island to different grottos and caves. The water is simply beautiful. At one point my daughter and I even jumped off of the boat to swim into one of the grottos. It was such an experience. The town is so quaint, beautiful and has some really great trattorias with some fantastic food. Some really nice little shops too. My wife even found a place that made her custom leather shoes.

Capri, Amalfi and Taormina are simply gorgeous!

DC, did you go to the top? Although I've been to the Vatican several times, I have never had the courage to make that climb. Mr. Babe always does it, and last time he got the kids to join him. I just sit back and enjoy the photos they take.

What did you think of St. Peter's Chair?? Isn't it just amazing? You can never believe how huge it is, until you realize that each of the bishops that hold up the chair are like 8 feet tall.

And what did you think of La Pieta? How beautiful is Mary? And the way that he sculpted Jesus is just awe-inspiring.

Did you go to St. Peter in Chains and see the statue of Moses as well?

That old saying about how time flies when you're having a good time is soooooo true.

You'll have to start a "show and tell" thread with pictures when you get back.

I can't help but noticing you didn't say "that mader her A PAIR of custom leather shoes" ...how many did she get

Hey DC,

I sent you a pm. You may have driven right by my family's villa in Cosenza. If I knew you were going I would've given you the keys.

Didn't I tell ya' about the Teatro Massimo? Goosebumps, right?

Well, have a great trip and stay off the internet for God's sake. You're in Italy!

DC what an amazing trip! Cannot wait to see your pics.

No sightings of Lavinia? She works near the Piazza Navonna. Your descriptions of Italy hearken back to our trip there 5 years ago. A stunningly beautiful country with historical sites that conjur up images of the Roman Empire.

When you see the wall around Rome you understand the saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Glad you've had a wonderful time. I look forward to the pictures.

Ok, Cardi's back home!

On our last night in Roma we went to a cocktail/dinner party in a Villa.

I just cannot believe what a fantastic trip it was. Most definitely one of thee, if not thee, best vacations that I've ever been on. Such a beautiful country with such an interesting history.

Molto Bene!

DC, Welcome home. As you slowly recover from you jet lag, I hope that you will download and share some of your favorite photos with us. Personally, I can't wait to see them.

I will post some photos as soon as I re-install my Kodak program to my computer. I had my computer cleaned out and need to re-install the program.

We got up at 5:30am Italia time to leave for the airport. So techinically it is now 11:36PM Italia time for my body. But I am going to try and stay up until about 11:00PM USA time tonight to try and get my body clock right back in sinc again.

I am in a sad mode right now as I really loved being in Italy. But at the same time it feels good to be home. When you leave the USA and go to another country it makes you realize that you take many of the everyday conveniences that you have back home for granted.

Ice Cubes and Air Conditioning especially!

Back to the real world bro.

No air conditioning? Are there no asthmatics in Italy. I don't think I'd last 3 days.

What was the exchange rate?

There is air conditioning. HOWEVER, it is not as strong as it is here in the states.

Plz post tons and tons of pics, DC.

I'm glad you guys had a safe trip, buddy.

You got that right, DC. And my relatives have NONE. And I've been reading about the heat wave in Europe. As beautiful as it is, when we were there in 2001, we couldn't wait to get out of the Sistine Chapel. It was so crowded that you literally felt like you were crammed into a sardine can, and it was so horribly hot. The Vatican Museum was an oven.

We couldn't wait to get to Sicily and the beaches.

You were there in '43?

I'm impressed!

Signor V.

I look good for my age, don't I?

Fresh from Don Cardi's camera, for our viewing pleasure:

This hotel, built into a mountainside, was the home of the Cardi's in Taormina (the village used as the site of Corleone, Don Vito's hometown) in the movies:




Teatro Massimo, the opera house in Palermo. If it looks familiar its because thats where Mary bought the farm and where Pacino filmed his awesome silent scream:




The Grand Hotel in Palermo, where the Cardi Family stayed. Lucky Luciano also stayed (and lived there) some 50 years earlier:

A "brighter" view of the Teatro Massimo (you can make out the steps of the opera house here.... Don Cardi was warned not to make out on them!):

And one last one of the opera house (touched up a little to clarify some details):

Thank you SC, my most valued and trusted friend, for posting my pictures for me.

A little story about my stay in Taromina and The Godfather.

The town used as Corleone, Forza D' Agro, was only about a 10 minute drive from our Hotel in Taromina. On my second day in Taromina I set out to go to the town. Some of you may not be aware of it but due to the record heat wave, there were many brush fires throughout Sicily, with some really raging out of control. Unfortunately the main road to Forza D' Agro was closed off because the firetrucks and other emergency vehicles needed to use it to access the areas surrounding the village that had fires blazing. So I was not able to get into the Village.

It's really such a beautiful theater. You really cannot appreciate it's beauty until you see it in person.

There wasn't a guy there making annoying donkey noises, was there?

Is that an invite for your next trip there?

It sounds like you had a great trip... I'm happy for ya.

So??? Where are all the stories?????

What kind of stories do you want?


The first night in Taromina, we were in the lounge at the hotel, and I was out on the terrace having a drink and the piano player and I began talking. He asked me if I liked the music of Nino Rota! I began laughing and one thing led to another and it turned out that he was a personal friend of the owner of the Villa that was used as Don Tomassino's Villa in the movie. He took my e-mail address and promised me that he was going to e-mail me pictures of the Villa both inside and out. We'll see.



When we were on our way over from Sicily, we made a stop to a small town, up in the mountains of Calabria. We went to this restaurant that was something out of an old Italian movie. The grandmother was cooking in the kitchen, the grandfather was serving the homemade wine. The sons and daughters served us antipasta that consisted of various italian cheeses, prisciutto di parma, cappicola ( which by the way is completely different than the capi that we get in the states) and dry sausage. Then we were given home made pizza. Then a dish of home made spaghetti ogla oil that was simply to die for. For dessert we were given a home made tirumisu, a double espresso, and a platter of assorted melons. As we were having dessert 3 little children came out to entertain us by playing the accordian. They played many italian folk songs and finished with The Godfather theme. I felt like I was taken back in time to my roots as my family originated from the Calabria region. It was such a fantastic experience in that small town family restaurant. Something that I will never forget!

Darn, I can't see them. They only come up as red x's for me. It might be my work computer.

How nice. The opera house looks well kept and beautiful and the hotel looks modern compared to what I visualized I guess.


It sure sounds like you've done and seen a lot during your vist DC. Thanks so much for sharing the pictures.

TIS

The Vatican :



That's me walking:



The Colosseum :





Swimming off the Island of Capri




Bed in a Brothel from the ruins of Pompeii





Streets Of Pompeii

DC - Sorry to say that all I'm getting are those little red X's too.

But I'm sure it will all be straightened out soon. And, for now, I can be happily envious reading your vacation stories and viewing the pictures SC posted for you.

Welcome home!

Signor V.

Thank you Signor.

I don't know why you cannot see the pics, I can see them. Is anyone else besides Beth and Signor having a problem?

Welcome home dc im pleased you had a good time,and i also cannot see the pictures either.