Pack Twice

Looks like I can't truly compose on the iPad so the font will change as I transfer the blog to the iPad.

We are only one day out from Rider and his parents arriving from LA and seven days from the plane flight to Rome. Today I unpacked my suitcase and took out about one-third of the clothes. The extraneous items including art supplies, beach towel, hair dryer and such take up about the same amount of space as clothes. There continues to be a lot of room in the bag and plenty of room in the carry-on. I think I'm doing well...do I truly need two pairs of walking sandals? I think "yes". It's so wonderful to be able to change shoes in the afternoon when you've been walking in all day. Wasn't planning to take athletic shoes but they were recommended by BU. Therefore, I threw in a light weight pair of Reeboks. Also opted for flat, dressy sandals rather than any heels to wear with the plain, but stylish, black "magic" dress.

I also decided to take only black and tan pants and tops that mix with both plus three throw-on dresses for sleeping, swim coverup or general wearing and the aforementioned black magic dress for dress-up. In addition, two small, trendy sweaters..one in black and one in yellow.

Baby Rider has his own zip loc bag for the carry on with a couple of miniature books, toy with chewable parts, sanitizer wipes and pouches of apple/banana baby food. Betsy will have more toys but I thought somethings he's never seen might be more amusing. Today I'll need to practice operating the stroller so I'll be proficient at handling that chore.

Hopefully, there will be a computer to use at the villa. This blogging is tough on the iPad.

Finishing Up, I Think

Can't believe it but I'm packed except for makeup and toiletries and there is room in the suitcase! I've included a few art supplies of my own in hope I'll have a little time to try my hand at exploring the thrill of capturing Tuscany in a personal way.


Our neighbors returned from Italy yesterday and I culled a few words from their trip report:


1. Take money...Italy is still expensive especially the restaurants and trains. If you opt for saving money by not taking the "fast" trains, you also don't get air conditioning.
2. Be sure to slip that train/bus ticket in the yellow validating machine or risk getting caught and having to pay a 40 Euro fine even if you didn't know the drill. 
( By the way, instructions are written in English on the back of the ticket.)
3.The latest fabulous gelato is something with triple chocolate.
4. Bologna is a big and not too interesting city, Siena and Ferrara are lovely and Venice was mobbed so avoid the first and the last. 
5. Many items for sale in Italy and the duty free shops can be bought for almost the same price in the US and (in the case of Chianti) one doesn't risk having red-dyed clothes.
6. Air France First Class is the loveliest way to travel. (These people obviously have more money than we do.)


Since I'm a little ahead on the list, I think I'll take a couple of days off from thinking about Tuscany and resume on Tuesday!


Ciao.

Dwindling

You know you're getting close to ready when the only trip preparations were utilizing 1000 Places To See Before You Die to highlight Italian sites in Rick Steves' Florence and Tuscany and sticking those free address labels we all get in the mail on tour books, maps and phrase books! Check two more items off the list...


Betsy did forward information from BU that is supplied to parents of students studying abroad. Included were emergency contacts and phone numbers in Italy. More importantly,  I was relieved to know that she does have worldwide medical  and travel assistance provided through the university. I have some coverage through an American Express program which seems prudent. Hopefully, we'll need neither medical nor travel assistance.




(Actually, today I did some cleaning chores around the house that I doubt will be done again until August. Those chores took up most of the day after my water aerobics class. I do not leave beds unmade, dishes in the sink nor anything else undone when I travel. I also always wear clean underwear but that's another discussion that involves advice from my grandmother. )

Checking Off

Continuing to check off the list. Today Rider's new stroller arrived and had to be assembled. You would think that two reasonably intelligent adults could speedily dispatch such a chore. Guess again! The directions were in one booklet and  another booklet contained the step-by-step "pictures". It took a little while but was accomplished with no backtracking because of assembling incorrectly. Hooray! ( This scenario was eerily similar to Christmas Eves in the past.) It is a great stroller with reclining seat, sunshade, cup holder and is fairly easy to fold. However, I truly don't know who can do it with one hand as is claimed. Next...do we need a travel bag for the stroller? I'll be combing the internet for parental blogs about transporting strollers.


I didn't really consider that when you will be gone from home for seven weeks, your life (at home) doesn't stop so you must plan ahead accordingly. Tonight was a time to make airplane and hotel reservations for a wedding that will be in Connecticut in August. Also needed to order a couple of wedding presents for the events we'll be missing. Picked up the extra cash for the trip and revised my packing list to conform to some informational tidbits from the BU Tuscany Handbook. Evidently, our locale will be about 10 degrees cooler than Florence and down to the 50's at night necessitating a sweater or light jacket. This was a good day to complete totally inane items on the list including changing over the "lock" on the hairdryer to European current, double checking with the bank and credit card companies about their rates for using the cards in Italy and letting them know the dates of the trips. I also checked with USAA about my home-owner insurance policy to be sure that the ipad will be covered. Some people reading this will remember the debacle when Betsy and Steve had their laptops stolen in Costa Rica only an hour after they arrived for the wedding! 


Additionally, I told my sister where to find the emergency information 
list (passwords, credit card numbers etc.) in the house in case Paul is out of town and I can't find the one I'm taking. And I packed the extra key for the car as Paul will be in California when we return and will park the car in Atlanta, email me the location and Betsy and I will retrieve it so we can drive ourselves home. Nothing is simple.


Of course, Betsy and I talked today and she continues to check things off but her list is more complicated as the renters in the guest house moved out yesterday and she and Steve are preparing for new renters to move in just one day before they leave to come here. With the possibility that Steve will not be living in the house all summer, many things have to be made "automatic" like outdoor sprinklers, thermostats and lists of emergency contacts for the renters. I can only imagine the logistics it took to move Napoleon's Army when I contemplate the details this little jaunt has generated. 

To Phone or Not to Phone

Roby will be waiting to talk to Mimi!

We have had house guests the last two days but one of our guests really isn't a guest...our son, Paul who knows a lot about computer "stuff". So I pressed him into service to make sure my Skype is current on the iphone and to add it to my new ipad. Of course there is the choice to buy a phone in Italy and use it while there but it seems Skype is best. Plus I can have a real, video visit with Roby, our precious granddaughter, and others while I'm away. I have added phone numbers to the contacts but I'm hoping any friends who have the appropriate camera and Skype account will email me and I'll be able to video chat with them as well.


Also Paul did some "magic" to the iphone so I won't get email on the phone and have to pay for those transmissions. I will still get email on the ipad when I'm in a WiFi area. Honestly, I don't totally understand all this hocus pocus but I trust Paul! I understand that texting is very inexpensive but I don't text. Another option is to purchase an international calling plan from your phone service provider but "free" to another Skype account works for me and the per minute Skype rates are extremely reasonable.


Just a few things off the list today but every one counts. I purchased two 8GB San Disks so I won't have to risk downloading the numerous photos I plan to take on the trip and touched base with Betsy who will plan to take her small video camera to augment my digital. Sorted out the special plugs for the electronic gadgets including a "strip" plug appropriate for Italian current.(Some countries have different configuration for plugs and Italy is one of those countries.) There's usually not many electrical outlets in the buildings in Europe so a strip should be very useful. I also used a magic marker to note on my cords/plugs and such for the ipad/camera connectors. One would think I could remember all those details but I'm taking no chances.


Knowing that I need to take all my prescription medications, I've checked the numbers of tablets and will order needed prescriptions tomorrow. It seems safer to take all the drugs I'll need during the seven weeks in the original prescription bottles. Original bottles also satisfies the airport carry-on regulations.


We're a mere two weeks until "lift off"! 

Don't Blink

If you blinked, you missed yesterday's blog...actually didn't happen. We attended a wedding at Stone Mountain for the daughter of some old friends. Beautiful wedding and a lovely day! In any case, I did talk with another guest who, several years ago, traipsed off to Italy for five weeks by herself and lived to tell about it. Sounded like the worst things that happened to her was going to the market on the back of a Vespa and figuring out how to use the expresso machine in her apartment. We should be so lucky!


Today Betsy and I did some planning around luggage (valiges). Because she has to take specific art supplies ( and Little Swimmy diapers we might not readily find), we may not be able to keep to the aforementioned luggage plan but it remains workable. Our goal is to get there without paying for extra luggage which is "doable" with the allowance for international flights plus the allowance for Medallion members. I always tuck my small travel purse (for use in- country) within a purse large enough to hold the ipad, travel book, quart-sized makeup bag, etc. and then still have a carry-on possibility if necessary. This luggage thing is vexing but we can always use carts at the airport and porters if needed. I still have Euros from a previous trip we can use until we find the bancomat. Definitely will get Euros before we leave the airport avoiding the cambio (exchange) offices and the hotel. Rider (below) obviously has no worries about Mimi and Mom's packing dilemmas.

By the way, I have been working sporadically through Barron's Learn Italian the Fast and Fun Way.  There's a bit too much grammar for my purposes but it's colorful and some exercises are quite good. I truly should have spent more time on it. All this masculine and feminine seems superfluous though and I'm not concentrating on tenses either. Counting on the locals being able to know what tense I should be using! I now know how to buy an apple (mela) and tell Rider about a gatto. At least it is a start...  

Italy On My Mind?

Today I didn't spend much time thinking about Italy or doing things to get ready. Though I did make an Amaretto Peach Cheesecake which combines Georgia and Italy and indicates ,subconsciously, I do have Italy on my mind. On the " to do" list were several incidental banking/housekeeping chores and they were quickly dispatched except for completing a trial transaction with a new debit card.


The day started with us watching Betsy on HGTV 'Over Your Head'. The episode had nothing to do with the trip but it did feel like a visit to LA. 


While shopping, I bought some antibacterial spray to use on the food tray and other hard surfaces on the airplane. After reading recently about the sanitizing of aircraft seats, trays and bathrooms, even I ,who thinks a pacifier can be merely rinsed or wiped off in an emergency, am getting a bit more paranoid. It's preferable to not arrive in Rome with Octavius' Revenge. (I just made up that disease but you know to what I am alluding.)


 Cleaning the house, doing laundry, running errands and attending my water aerobics class filled the day. While in the car, I practiced with the Berlitz Common Phrase CD. Bene! Non parlo italiano.

Moms and Strollers

Today my preparation for Italy was a bit scant. I had to pick up Paul at the Atlanta Airport so I utilized my time in the arrival area to watch moms, dads and others traverse the airport with strollers, babies, children and assorted pieces of luggage. I believe if Betsy and I can limit ourselves to one large bag, one carry-on and a travel purse each plus a car seat in its' wheeled bag, a stroller and the baby, we can make the whole deal work out. However, it does seem a few medium bungee cords might be helpful! I did observe some people with backpacks but that's not my look and, besides, backpacks make my back ache. This was definitely "real-life" laboratory research.


Last night was a time to try out "packing cubes" and to assemble emergency items  i.e. wine opener, sewing kit, bandaids, plastic knife, fork and spoon, flashlight, SHOUT wipes, small rain poncho and antibacterial hand wipes. I also packed miniature packages of decaf tea and coffee which are often hard to find overseas. All gear was stored in a gallon zip lock bag. A few more gallon bags will be tucked in the suitcase; I always seem to find a use for them.


 I'm toying with bug spray though I've never heard of bugs being a big problem in Italy....

Details and Such

A handy, dandy document pouch for the car has arrived. I'm certain this trip is approaching rapidly. Betsy and I have thoroughly discussed the merits of umbrella strollers and have ascertained that the stroller has to be light-weight, have the ability to recline, storage under the seat and a tray. We've both looked at a myriad of strollers and found a Peg Perego P3 ( which is Italian and a lot like taking coal to Newcastle) on Albee's baby site which she has purchased and is having shipped here. One less thing to bring from LA. It's touted as easily closed with one hand and we will see. Personally, I'm much more interested if it can stand up to the punishment of cobblestones.


Considering the amount of luggage we'll have to deal with in Rome, I've booked a shuttle service to the hotel. Again I consulted the internet and determined I trusted Rick ( we're definitely now on a first name basis ). Airportshuttle.it has sent the confirmation and I imagine we'll be estatic to see the driver upon arrival.


Two tours have now been scheduled with romanempiretours.com. That company was chosen among several with good reviews ( and all in Rick's book ) because I emailed several and asked if the baby was a problem and they emailed back immediately and said they love babies. They surely know the way to a grandmother's heart. Also their scheduled days at the Colosseum/Forum and the Vatican matched our schedule best which was the real reason they won the booking.  Being prudent, I've left the first day open to pick up our Roma Passes at Termini, get acclimated and see a bit on our own. We'll definitely plan to stroll as long as Rider can hang on.


Today was the first cut at packing. I washed a few things and am drying them "flat" to see how much they wrinkle. Being a true Southern gal, I'm a stickler for ironing clothes that need it and I'm thinking I may not have much access to an iron. I do have the requisite traveler knits as the backbone of my wardrobe and am working with black, taupe and white with dashes of aqua and yellow. Naturally, being a certain age and (again) a Southern lady, appropriate "costume" jewelry has to be selected. I'm sure it'd be easier to not take jewelry but it's pretty difficult to catch me going anywhere without lipstick on and some jewelry that matches my outfit!


That's probably enough of all that talk. I'm beginning to feel as self-absorbed as that woman who wrote Eat, Pray, Love.

Hotels in Rome...Italy not Georgia

This blog continues with information about previous planning details. Mostly I'm writing this so I can remember particulars. Sometimes I can't recall what I ate for breakfast! 

For some reason I felt urgency to book a room in Rome ASAP once we had settled on the trip to Capitignano (www.capitignano.org ). We are planning to stay at a lovely villa and we needed to find a nice hotel that would be fairly central in Rome and safe as well.  Though it was only mid-March, I talked with my neighbor Pat, who has spent a lot of time in Italy through the years, about areas of Rome and her suggestions for hotels. I also Googled "hotels in Rome" and looked at Frommer, Lonely Planet and Rick Steves websites. It was apparent that we needed to narrow down the area of the city that would work for us and the number of 'stars' we wanted in a hotel. With the Euro at 1.4 to the dollar, it looked like we'd need to spend about $200 (or a little more) a night for a reasonable 2 star hotel. We weren't looking for a hotel with a lot of bells and whistles and don't want to spend our time in Italy with a lot of other Americans. Hopefully, we'll have diverse guests at our hotel and we'll be in an area that has small, family restaurants.  

At the time, I wasn't sure how we'd get from Fiumicino (Da Vinci) Airport to downtown so I decided to look fairly near Termini Station and within a few blocks of a metro stop. I found Hotel Sonya listed in Rick Steves' book and it also had very good reviews on Tripadvisor and other websites. Additionally, this hotel gives a special Rick Steves' price and a discount for cash (the discount for cash appears to be fairly common at the smaller hotels). Unlike, in the distant past, when I was trying to reserve a hotel room in Europe, this reservation was exceptionally simple via email and I quickly had a confirmation from Mr. Babul. Rick had mentioned (I now think of him as a personal friend I've spent so much time on his website and reading his travel guides!) that the breakfast is especially good and includes "cakes and other goodies" baked daily by Farhad. The hotel has WiFi and will even lend guests a laptop though we're taking our ipads. Plus there is an elevator and  the essential crib for Rider. With only 28 rooms, I'm hoping they will take special care of two ladies with a baby! Obviously, we'll be reporting on this "find" in later blogs.

One real concern is how to withdraw the necessary Euros to pay the hotel bill. I checked with my local bank to be sure their Mastercard (debit) will work and I ordered a new debit card from USAA. I'll be in touch with both banks to let them know I'll be traveling in Italy and give them the dates. Certainly, we don't want to have cards refused. I also got a card for Betsy as well that is tied to my account at USAA. Travelers' Cheques are now passe and some businesses don't take American Express so I'm sticking with Mastercard and VISA. I've made copies of the cards and the pins so I'll put that information in a place that will be separate from the cards and I'll leave a copy of the information in an easily accessible place at home. I always have my "waist belt" for special documents like my passport, money and such. While overseas, I try to withdraw enough money for several days to avoid too many withdrawal fees.

The currency calculator, metric convertor, Rick Steves' Audio Europe, Angry Birds (regular and Rio), Solitaire, Skype and various books have been downloaded to either ipad, iphone or both to insure I have entertainment and information (yes, I'm an optimist that the little guy won't take all my time). On top of all that, I  have looked through 1000 Places to See Before You Die and I practice my Italian phrases a little every day.

Was I ready? Not quite, after booking the hotel, I still needed to book transportation from the airport to the hotel, a hotel for the last night before we come home and any tours we want to take in Rome. Plus arrangements were required to autopay recurring bills that would arrive while I'm out of town...don't want a lot of late fees. By now there are lists of lists and I'm checking off items daily! What have I learned during this process-travel agents certainly earn their money.

How hard can it be?

Lots of websites to check deals to Italy. Recently, I had been seeing reasonable fares but, of course, when you plan for high season, the fares skyrocket. The options considered were to Florence, Pisa, Bologna or Rome from Atlanta. Also considered was flying to London, Zurich, Amsterdam or Munich from the US and then taking Ryan Air or a similar low-cost European airline into an Italian city. Additionally, on the burner, flying to a city and taking the train to Italy. Luggage and time were issues to consider with these alternatives.  


In the end, I discovered that virtually all flights to Florence et al involved a change somewhere, often in Paris, and a layover to boot. Yes, the price was less than a nonstop Atlanta-Rome trip but would you rather spend 9 hours in the air with a squirmy 9 month old or 17 hours en route with a tired AND squirmy 9 month old? Charles De Gaulle is not easy without a baby and definitely not appealing with one! Unfortunately, flight time back is 11.5 hours but still less than 17 or more. We can only hope that he will be exceptionally tired when we come home in seven weeks. Then there is always Benadryl which parents probably don't give babies anymore.


To the rescue came my personal White Knight ( and husband ), Paul, with his cache of Delta miles. He agreed to give us the miles for a nonstop flight from Atlanta to Rome. We now had the shortest amount of time to soothe a busy boy, would arrive in early morning saving an additional day in Rome and could book ( for a small extra fee ) the new Delta Economy Plus seats with extra room, more beverages and extended reclining seats. Quickly, I picked the two seats together option near the galley where we could walk Rider a bit to break up holding him. My sister, Lesle, who flies for Delta agreed to bid the trip and maybe get to travel with us. Hopefully, she'll hold the trip and provide extra hands to play with Rider. Hooray, all is good.


Note to others traveling with a 'child in arms': you are required to inform the airline of that fact and may have to pay a ticket fee for the baby though technically the baby doesn't get a seat. Of course, you can buy a full price ticket and reserve a seat but that was out of the budget for us. It would be fabulous if (a) the flight isn't full and we can snag an extra seat or (b) we get bumped up because of my medallion status. Neither probably is going to occur but one can dream.


The child must have a passport as well...a fairly recent US law.  Rider already had his passport from a previous trip to Mexico and the requisite, notarized document from his father allowing his mother to take him out of the country. I'm not certain if this letter is needed for Italy but was imperative for bringing him back to the US from Mexico. You can Google to find an example of the letter you might need. We found it on the US State Dept. website as I recall. Unless the child is traveling with both parents, the letter is necessary in some countries. Grandparents should take note and have this document as well as a medical permission form from the parents if you are taking a grandchild on trips. Even at home, it's a good idea to have the medical consent letter for those times you are babysitting minors. A hospital or doctor can refuse to allow you to make decisions about medical treatment without permission from the parents.


Being who I am, I think of as many continuities as I can. It must be a hold over from running a school for so many years where my job primarily was to "put out fires" from the unexpected vagrancies of life. What have I missed at this point? Hopefully, nothing and we are booked on a great flight to Rome. It was time to plan sightseeing in the Eternal City. I've been to Rome in the distant past but it will be Betsy's first visit and we need to hit the "must sees" while working around a baby's schedule. Could be tricky but definitely worth it as long as we plan in a lot of gelato shops.

The Next Hurdle

I once read that to establish a habit, one has to do it consistently for at least twenty-one days so I'm going to try to write something every day until we actually leave on the trip. Before I continue to write the "catch-up" though I will say yesterday I worked on getting in the spirit of Italy by practicing my Italian while eating quiche ( I realize that's French but the countries are neighbors so I decided quiche counts. Besides I had all the ingredients for quiche and I think it might be healthier than pasta.) I also drank wine out of a small tumbler. I seem to remember that in the more rustic cafes or tavola caldas, wine is served in tumblers rather than stemmed glasses but that may have been in Greece or France.


The next order of business after securing accommodations was to tackle transportation in Italy. Normally I would have used public transportation while in country. My husband Paul and I have driven in Europe but we more often rely on the public systems and find them pleasant and totally reliable. However, the villa is located about 10 minutes by car from the closest town and there is no public transportation. 


Since I had immediately purchased Rick Steve's Italy 2011 when we had started thinking about the trip, I read his section and found he recommended leasing a car if one is staying over 21 days. Of course, I didn't take that at face value so I used the internet extensively to investigate renting from European and American companies. I even checked out what Costco had to offer through their travel site and from sites I utilize for domestic travel. The conclusion was that it is truly less expensive to lease and both Renault and Citreon offer brand new cars delivered to Italy (at an additional charge) as well as to France. The cars come complete with all the extensive insurance one needs and 24 hour roadside assistance. After reading the horror stories on Rick Steve's Graffiti Wall of driving in Italy and hearing the same from friends and total strangers, I elected to book a car through Renault. This would seem to be fairly simple but again the baby came into play. In the past, I would have leased a fairly small car to avoid the big bills for fuel and to be able to scoot into the miniscule parking places that abound in Europe. With Rider in tow, we'll have more luggage and a car seat. One can rent a car seat from Renault but Rider has grown so quickly he has outgrown his infant seat and needs a new car seat. It seemed economical to purchase a new seat and take it to Italy. After all, Betsy still has to bring a seat to Atlanta anyway.


To digress, we decided it would be best if she and the baby flew to Atlanta and we all flew to Europe together. Besides, she wanted to come for a friend's wedding in North Carolina the weekend before we leave on the trip. Therefore, I investigated the best car seats and decided on Britax. Then I checked out the car seat laws in Italy and the car seat that Renault rents. I tried to ascertain which European models compared to models at Britax USA. Interestingly enough, neither Britax USA nor the European counterpart could tell me the equivalent models. My main concern was that the one purchased here could be installed in the Renault and her current car, a Honda Element. All this research took several days of emails and phone calls and,in the end, I decided on a model that says it'll hold the boy until he weighs 50 lbs.( He is already 32 inches tall and weighs over 27 lbs. at eight months!) The seat was ordered and sent to Betsy so she could use it until June. Reading blogs of parents who had traveled in Europe were helpful in deciding on the particular model. It appears that all the newest car seats install with the same ISOFIX system which is called LATCH in the US but the car has to be fairly new to have this type of system.


After purchasing a travel bag (with wheels) for the car seat, I feel we are ready to take the little fellow to Italy. Thankfully, Delta ships the car seat for free and it doesn't count toward our luggage allowance! This probably didn't have to be so complicated but it was troublesome. I also found out Betsy and I will have to have International Driver's Licenses to avoid fines in Italy. You can drive with an American license but will incur a big fine if the police do stop you so why take a chance when they can be purchased at AAA?


So we now thought we had a place to stay in Borgo San Lorenzo and I had signed for a leased car. It was time to move on to transportation from Atlanta to somewhere in Italy.

Getting Started

Why does this little fellow look so happy? Maybe because he and his Mimi
( along with his mother ) are preparing to spend seven weeks in Italy.

So...at the request of my friends and family ( O.K.-really one close friend ), I am going to diary my experiences of planning and executing a summer trip to Tuscany with our daughter and her eight month old baby.

Our daughter, her husband and their son live in Los Angeles and Grandfather and I live in the mountains about 70 miles north of Atlanta. She is "attending" online graduate school at Boston University. One of the requirements for the master's in art education is to either spent two weeks in Boston painting in a studio or spending six weeks in Tuscany plein air painting and studying art history. A difficult choice?

With it not being feasible for her husband to get away to Italy, I was asked to go and readily agreed.
However, the logistics of such a trip have been the root of many hours on the computer researching housing, transportation, tours ( 'winging' it with a baby is less than desirable ) and all the other assorted details that are entailed. Although I have traveled fairly extensively...one of my first overseas trips was to rejoin my parents in South America at age 6 about 60 years ago...planning a sojourn with a baby is a bit more complicated especially when this fellow can not be "slinged" or "back packed" as he weighs over 27 pounds and is the size of many two year olds.

Soon after the decision was made by Betsy to actually apply for the program, I got online to begin looking for accommodations. The BU website revealed that the university houses students at a villa about 35 minutes north of Florence near a town called Borgo San Lorenzo. Because we had successfully used VRBO ( Vacation Rentals By Owner ) for a previous trip to Costa Rica, I started there and at other websites geared toward rentals in Italy and particularly in the area around Borgo San Lorenzo. The first night, I looked at numerous entries with little knowledge of the area especially distances. Finally, I chose one that seemed a possibility and emailed for availability. The next morning, an email was received that indicated availability. An hour later, another email arrived with pictures of the villa and the property. As I was looking at the photos, I thought I had seen the swimming pool, tennis courts and the sweeping vistas somewhere before that email.

Quickly, I returned to the BU website and found that the villa was the same used by BU as their Italian headquarters. This certainly seemed serendipity to me and I rapidly replied to the agent to confirm that the apartment was indeed on the BU grounds. Within hours, a welcomed reply arrived from the owner of the property who informed me that not only was it the same property but that her husband is a professor of education at BU and her brother-in-law teaches the summer painting courses. She also is an educator which was pleasant news as I am a retired school administrator myself! The first pieces of the puzzle fell into place and the adventure seemed destined to be successful. Now Betsy had to be accepted into the program and all the other details had to be worked out before June for  us to spend an extended period of time out of the USA.