The trip home

Our last night in Italy was spent at the Hilton in Rome. We thought that Jodie would appreciate knowing that the good people at Italian office of Hasbro have partnered with the Hilton Rome and the kids were treated with these little welcome boxes complete with Hasbro toys. Clearly they did their job since not only were the kids entertained, but Anna spent the evening pointing out which Littlest Pet Shop critters she would like from the catalog that came in the box.

We also experienced the beginning of our re-entry into American life at the Hilton Rome. We swam in the pool with a families from Illinois and Colorado. It was odd to exchange stories with other Americans. It was the most English we had heard since Assisi and our evening with Father Luke. It was both refreshing and difficult at the same time. The English language doesn't hold a candle to the beauty of Italian.

The flight on Saturday morning was fabulous. The kids sat in their seats for the entire nine hours. Not a single walk was taken down the aisle of the plane...shocking! Christopher even found time for a nice little nap.


When we arrived home we were reminded that we are incredibly lucky to have wonderful friends and family who not only cared for our home, our fish, our mail and our plants, but they also welcomed us home with banners and flowers. We were provided with such peace of mind knowing that our friends and family were keeping the various pieces of our life in Boston in order.

We felt that it would be appropriate to close out this journey with some of the most beautiful scenes from our time in Tuscany. We saw many, many beautiful things every day in Siena, and some we were lucky enough to capture.

The view from our kitchen at Borgo Villa Risi

The Chianti countryside

The kids definitely became closer during their time in Italy

A road in Ferentino

When we opened our door in the morning, this...

...and this is what we saw. It was amazing every morning.

The beautiful beach at Follonica

Village in the Alps

Vernazza, Cinque Terre

Monterosso al Mare, Cinque Terre

Sunflowers on the way to Castiglione della Pescaia

Lightening storm over San Lorenzo a Linari

Two trees grafted together hundreds of years ago on the property at San Lorenzo a Linari

Outdoor walkway in San Francesco Basilica in Assisi

Grapes growing near San Lorenzo a Linari

The view from our apartment the morning we left Tuscany

The sky over Siena on our last night in the city

Until our next adventure...