Tuscan Afternoons { When You're Not in Tuscany }

When I woke this morning, it was weirdly hazy.

And it's funny because it was also warmer than usual, and as I stepped outside, I felt like I was somewhere else...

The warmth and the subdued light.

Then, this afternoon as I drove north along the Pacific Highway towards the Gold Coast I realised that it was smoke; there was obviously a rather large fire just to the south of Tweed Heads and as the sun started to set everything was turning to honey.

And I was in Tuscany. 

Beautiful, beautiful Tuscany! Ahhhhh, to travel when you are not travelling. Dreamy bliss!!

I pulled the car over to breathe it in and capture its glory. A few minutes later as I crossed the Tweed River the golden ball of sun slipped deeper into the smoke and turned into a perfect crimson sphere. There was nowhere to stop so that moment just stains my memory with its beauty right now... but I at least have this one to share with you.

When was the last time you were transported to another time and place? Tell me, tell me.
Amber. XO

15/365 In Transit

Milan Malpensa airport. Italy. 

13/365 Casa dei Bambini 2014

One of my personal dreams came true today... 

I found myself standing in the very room where Maria Montessori started her first Casa dei Bambini, or Montessori Children's House, here in the ghetto of San Lorenzo, Rome, 107 years ago. 

It was something I had daydreamed about, wished for, but something I felt rather certain wouldn't actually happen. But it did... it really DID! 

Ha! So seriously cool :))

I was even able to take some photos - yes, more than just this buzzer ;) - but I was nervous and trying to be respectful as it is still a working Montessori classroom. We leave Rome in the morning and have a lot of travelling ahead of us so I will post them with more of an explanation when I have the time to gather my thoughts.

But I had to share now. Blessed!

12/365 Connection

You are a complex little man L.

But somehow you never cease to show me your beautiful soul, even in the midst of turmoil.

And I love you endlessly.

The Pantheon | Rome.

p.s. I've decided to commit to a photo-a-day for 2014. I'm starting here with number twelve but will add in the first eleven retrospectively. The tag for these photos will be photoaday2014 :) Please let me know what you think. x

The Best Hot Chocolate in Europe?

Yep.

I think it might just be possible that I had the best-hot-chocolate-in-Europe today. 

Okay, it's a pretty grand claim, I know, so lets change that to MY personal best over the past 4 months ;) #itsahardlife but I'm not complaining!

Slightly irrelevant backstory:

T had to collect his MacBook from the Apple store (Boo dead laptops) this morning so the boys watched some TV (they've been obsessing over the Disney channel or "American shows" as they call them, since we arrived in Rome) while I finalized some flight bookings. 

Flights booked, the boys and I stopped in the Campo (we've rented a holiday apartment right off Campo di Fiori here in Rome) for nuts to snack on from one of the multitude of market stalks before winding our way through the Roman streets to the Trevi Fountain. Which was heaving with people, and beautiful still, which is saying something. It was the boys first time and they were both struck by its grandeur. 

But we didn't stop for long; we had set a time to meet T by the Zoo in the Villa Borghese, the wonderful heart-shaped lungs of Rome for some soccer and fresh air, and there was still a decent walk ahead off us. We ate a simple picnic together and as we gathered our things a fabulous thought sprang to mind - this is the time to go and have a cup of coffee by myself somewhere nice! The boys were happy to run off without me and have some dad-only time and minutes later there I was, spiraling down the path to the Piazza del Popolo - Alone. With a capital 'A'.

It only occurred to me later in the afternoon that I haven't actually gone out by myself for some quiet time in maybe 3+ weeks? The last time was probably in the week before we left Paris. This family-travelling business is truly an intense experience and some distance and perspective is good for everyone...

But back to the hot chocolate :)

Having done a little online-research I knew, roughly, where some of Rome's nicest hotels were. And one of them led just off from the Piazza. The Hotel de Russie. Perfect! I straightened my coat, ran a comb through my har (desperately in need of a trim - I haven't had one since we left Australia) and crossed my fingers I didn't look too scruffy for the doormen ;)

Once inside I stumbled across the lounge, drooled over the English-speaking newspapers selection (bliss!) and looked at the menu. Ahhhhhh, 7 euros for a cappuccino. That's at least $10 Australian and even though we've enjoyed some pretty fabulous extravagances on our trip we are really working on a tight budget at the moment... I hesitated, pondering the room, admiring its modern elegance and ummmm-ed. But I couldn't put down that newspaper. And decided it was worth it. 

I did however feel that ordering a 10 dollar coffee was a bit of a gamble; I've had some nice coffee recently, but I've also been disappointed by a lot of luke-warm Joe!  And I'm not a huge hot chocolate gal (which isn't to say that I don't like it, my kids both do too!) but I'll rarely order one for myself - except today - when I decided that something gluttonous was probably in order if it was going to be a bit of an expensive treat!

The waiter approached and I asked if the hot chocolate was a good choice. He assured me that it really was. Sold.

And he didn't let me down. Out came a silver jug full of thick, hot, creamy chocolate with a side of whipped cream as big as a breakfast bowl - the most remarkable thing ever - and a generous serve of biscuits. Enough hot chocolate to fill my cup 3 times over.

I was in heaven!!

Heaven in the form of chocolate-perfection, the International New York Times and some peace and quiet. Ahhhhhhh.

Please excuse the post-Villa Borghese grottiness, my Adidas need a clean I only notice now :) These, btw are fab travel shoes. Smart enough to wear into nice places but comfortable enough for all of the necessary cobblestone treks. And they look cool too.

So, that's the end of the story. I don't know if the waiter took pity on me and concocted a super-special hot chocolate or if that's the Stravinskij way. But I likey. 

Grazie!

Bar Stravinskij. Hotel de Russie. Via del Babuino, 9. Rome.

11/365 Eternal Grandeur

Blue-sky love atop the Trevi Fountain. Rome. 

9/365 Friends, Romans, Countrymen

I'm only vouching for the two in the middle ;)

Centurions. The Pantheon, Rome.

(Remember we visited the Patheon on our first day in Rome? Well, we did make it back to visit Raphael's tomb... and to get the much-anticipated Centurion photos. Look at those smiles).

8/365 Italiano

Blue skies and a soft breeze. Rome.

The Pantheon | Rome

Almost 1900 years after the Roman Emporer Hadrian - of Hadrian's Wall fame - visualized this grand Greek-inspired Temple of the Gods, the Roman Pantheon is still a truly imposing structure. 

“My intentions had been that this sanctuary of All Gods should reproduce the likeness of the terrestrial globe and of the stellar sphere…The cupola…revealed the sky through a great hole at the center, showing alternately dark and blue. This temple, both open and mysteriously enclosed, was conceived as a solar quadrant. The hours would make their round on that caissoned ceiling so carefully polished by Greek artisans; the disk of daylight would rest suspended there like a shield of gold; rain would form its clear pool on the pavement below, prayers would rise like smoke toward that void where we place the gods."

Hadrian. 76 - 138 CE.

Dominated from the exterior by the 16 columned portico, the internal dome is all soft womb-like contrast. A huge, ancient glass-topped, stone womb that is. 

The Oculus. 

Lovely was so busy taking photos...

... that it was me who spotted a stray Minion balloon pressing against the heavens!

Back outside, the boys loved these standby-Gladiators and wanted to have their photos taken with them... we didn't do it at the time but might just have to wander back before we leave Rome :)

Eating Gluten Free in Italy

Italy has, somewhat surprisingly, been the best country of our travels-so-far for eating out Gluten-free or Senza Glutine as it is called here.

France and Switzerland were pretty good for the GF supermarket-shopper but not wonderful for restaurant meals. The UK, Denmark, Germany and Czech Republic? Pretty average.

Here, a good percentage of cafes and restaurants seem to at least have a box of rice pasta in the kitchen that they can offer Mr-8 but finding somewhere offering PIZZA senza glutine is his most-favourite! 

Last night, our first in Rome, we found just that... a little pizza shop, conveniently only 100 metres from our apartment, that will never win any decor-awards but had created enough of a GF-buzz online for people to take notice. 

I was still skeptical when we ordered, but the lack-of-pictures don't lie. The pizza was GREAT! So great that we ate it all without taking a single photo. Lol. We also had a really nice mozzerella and salami salad but declined the gluten-free beer for budgetary reasons (good to know it was an option though).

What we couldn't decline however was the promise of gluten-free desserts, namely cheesecake and Tiramisu.

Wow. I'm not sure that L has had either in years! Exciting.

This time I made sure I pulled out the camera before they disappeared ;)

Unfortunately for us this place is now closed until January 24 so we won't be able to repeat this fabulousness but if you're in Rome post-January I recommend you track it down. And enjoy that cheesecake for me!

Voglia di Pizza. Via Dei Giubbonari, 33. Rome, Italy. 06 6875293

7/365 Three

My three. 

Hanging out on the Spanish Steps.

You know, trying to elude the squashy pig sellers. As you do.

Roma.

6/365 Universal

Santucci's celestial sphere from the Medici collection at Museo Gallileo in Florence. 1593.

A multitude of golden layers representing the pathways of the stars and planets circling around an earth-centric Universe. 

With half a day left in Florence we headed to the Basilica di Santa Croce to see the tombs of  Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei. Sadly it was closed for Befana which was disappointing but gave us a little extra time at the Museo Gallileo (and Institute of Science) which we choose over the Uffizi. We are all  feeling a little galleried-out post-Paris!

Museo Gallileo. Istituto e Museo di Storia Della Scienza. Piazza dei Giudici 1. Florence. Italy.

p.s. The museum also has a comprehensive virtual museum and portal for all things Galileo, if you want to learn more without actually going to Florence. I've added the link. x

5/365 Florence

We only had one night with you Florence. Between Lucca and Rome.

But everyone wished we could have stayed longer...

4/365 Lucca

Bike riding around the Medieval city walls of Lucca. Italy. Super-fun :)

3/365 Worldschool

This was what the first day of Year 3 (for L) and Year 5 (for Hug) looked like today! Saving the planet one Leaning Tower at a time.

Happy back-to-world-school babies :) x x 

1/365 Sugar Clouds

Lucca, Italy.

Fairy-floss Makes Everything Better | Piazza San Michele, Lucca

,

While I sipped warm (yes warm, not hot, what's with that Europe?) coffee at Maraviglia Alessandro on Piazza San Michele...

and admired the Art Nouveau surroundings,

the boys concocted plans of who would buy Lovely a Minion balloon (no-one unfortunately)

and talked me into paying for them to buy fairy-floss :)

It was pretty awesome I must admit... still warm in the centre!

And I was reminded that fairy-floss makes everything better. Even missing out on minions and drinking warm coffee. 

That might just be my 2014 Mantra :) Happy January 1st everyone! x

Grom! Eating Gelato in Winter | Lucca, Italy :)

I have a problem.

I keep taking photos - photos - photos. And not blogging them. Yep. That's it :)

See, I wanted to post chronologically... but that means today I need to blog about being in England - when actually - we are in Italy! And I just couldn't catch up quickly enough. Arghhhh!! Do you see the fix?

But I've finally worked it out - I'll backdate earlier posts! And restart posting current ones too. Phew. #firstworldproblems

So, now I present you - Gelato! Yes, we just ate some. And it was amazing. And here are the photos. Hot off the press. You're welcome ;) 

Apparently I don't - or, should we say didn't - know what GROM was. But T and the boys did! They had eaten this frozen food-of-the-Gods back on Rue Seine in Paris. And here was a store right on Via Fillungo in Lucca, Italy where we currently find ourselves. 

Luckily, it doesn't take much arm-twisting to get me interested in icecream. Even if it's only 4 degrees Celsius outside. It is New Years Eve and we are in Italy people!

Hug choose Limone and Cioccolato.

I love seeing food-intolerance charts positioned prominently in stores! Bravo Grom.

Mine was pistachio and extra-dark chocolate sorbet. Oh my. Crazy-good. T had Mandarin which was beyond-delicious too. Yum. L had Baci and Crema di Grom.

What is your favourite icecream flavor? x