Summer vacation, here we come

I’m outta here, folks. Taking a real, bona-fide vacation, the first one in many moons. Where to?

To the mother country!!

Roma, bella Roma!

Lots of memories in Rome, the most recent being the conception of my darling daughter. Yeah, I’m bringing some pretty powerful prophylactics this time around because we don’t need a Terzo in the picture at present. All that red wine, and rolling rs, and gelato con panna, it can make a couple do crazy things.

So Primo’s been to Rome when he was about a year and a half old, but this will be Seconda’s first time AND Rome’s first time meeting Sec. There is no way that the eternal city is ready for this little firecracker.

We’ve been brushing up on our Italian in preparation for the trip and today she informed me:

“‘Grazie’ is how you say grits in Italian, so if you’re hungry for grits, you have to say GRAZIE!”

Here’s what the kids are looking forward to about Italy:

Eating gelatos every day topped with free panna (whipped cream).

Eating bombas with massive amounts of crema packed inside.

Staying up later than remotely reasonable.

Scratchy alley cats.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

Eating gelatos every day topped with free panna (whipped cream).

Eating bombas with massive amounts of crema packed inside.

Eating pizza with paper-thin crust and crusted carciofini on top.

Drinking the only perfect cappuccino in the world.

Villa Borghese with the kids, standing in the center of the Pantheon, lighting a candle and saying a prayer at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, going for a midnight dip at the beach on Ferragosto, and basically everything else except the jet lag and having to chase Sec around while Vespas and Smart Cars dart past.

Here’s what David’s looking forward to:

The gelatos, the bombas, the pizza and the cappuccino.

Having adventures as a family.

Drinking Nastra Azzurro.

(“And the BJs” he just said, sitting next to me on the couch).

So for the next two weeks or so, you’ll be hearing a lot of radio silence over here, interrupted maybe by the occasional dispatch from Rome.

Wish us luck!