I was reminded recently that I am a little behind on my Guardia updates..so a few months late but better late than never :)
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Guardia at dusk
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My mom Grace, had never been to Europe but had always dreamed of seeing Italy and all the beautiful Italian sites she had seen in the movies of her time.. in fact, during one of the first dates she had with my dad, they watched "Rome Adventure", a classic from 1965. I can close my eyes and remember "Al di la" playing from the soundtrack to the movie on the record player in our home when I was a child. I really wanted to take her on this trip, but sometimes life throws you a bunch of banana peels, and you have to take the opportunities when they arrive.
Finally last October, after a couple of years of longing and wishing, we caught a little break and David, Grace, and I made plans to go back to our cozy home in Guardia! It was going to be such a very special trip since I was bringing my mom on her great adventure! I carefully planned our two week trip with eight days in Guardia with lots of day excursions and five days to cover a drive through Tuscany, Florence, Venice and Rome. It was an ambitious schedule but mom was up for the challenge, and I nervously hoped that it wouldn't be too much or not enough.
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| Its tradition to make a quick coffee stop at Autogrill before the drive to Guardia |
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| View of the castle as we get close to Guardia |
Our first stop was the Tana del Orso (of course!) for a delicious lunch prepared by my favorite cook and good friend Anna Orso. There were lots of hugs and laughter after such a long time without seeing everybody, It was such a happy reunion!.. all the nervousness of the trip disappeared as Guardia welcomed us with open arms!
Our wonderful neighbor Carmela had filled all my planters with beautiful flowers to welcome us and the house seemed to radiate joy!
Pasquale had the house in perfect shape as always! The beds were made and the kitchen essentials stocked, and this beautiful wedding gift he had given us 2 years ago that I had only been able to see in pictures was waiting for us!! The antique wine barrel table was simply stunning! and looks fantastic in the entryway!!
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| our cozy kitchen |
WE LOVE IT!!
We were so touched by everyone's thoughtfulness!!
We had a great time showing mom the midieval town of Guardia:
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Ponte Ratelo
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| Kerry this one if for you! |
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| Olives hanging from the vines |
And took a couple of day trips to places close to Guardia:
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| Sant'Agata de Goti |
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| The dog was just as confused as we were as to how we got into this jam.. somehow we made it out with the car in one piece!! |
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| The aqueduct on the way to Naples |
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| It was a little chilly on the boat to Positano |
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| One of many gelatos!! |
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| More Positano |
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| Vietre Sul Mar on the way home from Positano |
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| The ruins of Herculeneum |
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| After a day in the ruins, a dinner in Naples with Mt Vesuvius in the background |
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| Enjoying our wine and watching the sunset in Naples |
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| A coffee in the afternoon in Cerreto |
One last party at the Tana dell Orso to celebrate Pasquale's birthday before we left for the rest of the trip.
and a bit of Grace's adventure through the rest of Italy:
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| Montepuliciano |
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| Sienna |
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| A little shopping in Florence |
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| Ponte Vechio - Florence |
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| Florence by night |
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| Venice |
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| Venice |
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| St Marks Square - Venice |
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| Trevi Fountain - Rome |
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| The Vatican - Rome |
Last dinner in Rome - Ciao Italia!
At the end of the trip, I asked my mom what part she loved the most . without hesitation, she said Guardia was her favorite .. even though we had taken her to so many beautiful places, Guardia to her was the most beautiful because of the people. It meant so much to me that I could share Guardia with her and that she fully captured the essence of this beautiful town.!! For me Guardia has always had this magical charm that is hard to describe. It's a warm feeling you get from all the happy "Ciao's!!" you get from the neighbors in the piazza when you return home at the end of the day, it's fun nights at the Tana seeing old friends and meeting new ones, it's the beautiful views of the valley below while soaking in a sunset and a glass of wine on the terraza., it's the feeling of being home.
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| Saying hello to one of my sweet neighbors in Piazza Croce |
I'll be forever grateful to the Orso family who has always been so special to me, and welcomed by mom in and made her feel like she was part of the family! Grazie mille per tutti!!!
..and thanks to David for his patience while navigating us through all of Italy and made a dream come true for me and my mom. Love you! |
| At Leonesa (rock formation) just outside of Guardia |
My beautiful adventurous mom Grace is 87 years old and you would never know it by looking at her! She is probably going to kill me for sharing, however her age and her spirit are an inspiration to us all on how to live life to its fullest! I am so proud of her for jumping in with both feet and soaking in every slice of wonder that Italy has to offer.
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| Grace living her best life on a gondola in Venice on the Grand Canal (Rialto Bridge in the background) |
So for those of you that have been dreaming a little dream about taking a trip to a beautiful little place in Italy called Guardia Sanframondi or anywhere else.. I would say, it's time to stop dreaming and to put those dreams in motion.
Ciao Bella Guardia ..alla proxima!
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