Tuesday, May 17
Arrival in Italy
After exiting the plane we met a staircase that lead down to a bus that would transport us to pick up our luggage- which was a seamless process. The airport was small, but extremely busy. There we were met by our first SAI guide, Jordan. Minutes later, a 50-seater tour bus pulled up to take us to our next destination.
Borgo di Tragalita
Borgo di Tragalita is a top wedding destination located in the scenic Village of Tragliata.
"This wedding venue was unlike anything I have ever seen, and I felt so thankful in that moment to be there in such a beautiful country," said Hannah. "Even the trees looked different and the birds sang a different song, which made it feel so real that I was in another country. The first thing I noticed when we got off the bus was this shed with a large painting on the doors, and that was the first time I saw 'art' in another country."
Desiree enjoyed visiting Borgo di Tragalita. "I loved that they had different packages for different groups of people (Americans vs Italians). This venue made me rethink my desire to get married in Disney!" | Jeanine said that being in Borgo di Tragalita was an eye opener in terms of the amount of planning and marking worldwide. |
Here, we had our first meal together- the first of many incredible food adventures to come. We had an assortment of meats, cheese, and bread, two types of pizza, potatoes, vegetables, paccheri pasta with buffalo cheese, tomatoes, and chicken with peppers, baked potatoes, and finally apple cake with raisins. And of course, wine, wine, and more wine. Kendal loved the authentic Italian food, but it was so much that she couldn't finish it all. Too bad it wasn't Kendal-sized portions! Carl had high compliments for the food quality and exceptional service. "I really enjoyed the cheese and honey—it was my first time experiencing that combination. The espresso at the end of the meal was great too. I felt like I was going to go into a food coma!" |
We were still jet-lagged, and now full, so we all zonked out on the way to our hotel. Waking up in the heart of Rome, we were center stage of all the action. Frank thought the streets of Rome were crazy. "I only saw about one stop sign," he said. "Though their system seemed out of control for my liking, it apparently worked for them. If only the Stockton police were in Rome...there would be a million tickets and pullovers!"
Borgo di Tragliata website:
http://www.tragliata.it/#
Borgo di Tragliata website:
http://www.tragliata.it/#
Guided Tour
Our tour guide Fabio, who also happened to be an archaeologist, took us to the Piazza Navona where we saw fountains sculpted by Bernini and trompe l'oeil (fool the eye) painted windows on the buildings surrounding the square.
Kelly loved the Pantheon. "Through years of history classes and taking an AP European History in high school, I have seen this image time and time again. For the first time I could see, first-hand what I had been learning about for so long. It was like stepping into one of my history books and being a part of history."
Mid-way through our tour, we stopped for our first real Italian gelato experience. Carl was surprised the taste was so rich. "I thought it was going to be quite similar to ice cream, but boy was I wrong!" Hannah got mascarpone nutella with fresh whipped cream on top and a heart-shaped wafer-- she says it was heaven.
"My favorite part of that tour was visiting Piazza Navona because at that point I was still slightly homesick and it reminded me of the first time I was in Italy with my family," said Desiree.
Fabio also showed us these old, small fountains that constantly have water running out of its spout and back into the ground. If you cover the main spout with your fingers that it would come out of a whole on top and would work as a water fountain, so of course we all tried it!