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Much of our first week in Italy was spent relaxing in the villa, enjoying the pool, outdoor pizza oven and courtyard, and wandering around the property taking in the amazing views. We also took a few day-trips from our home base in Tuscany. We visited the amazing city of Venice, the leaning tower of Pisa and several of the medieval towns around the area such as Siena, Lucca, San Gimignano and Monteriggioni. We were all in awe of the architecture, history, landscape and charm of all of these centuries-old settlements. We were also treated to a tour and wine tasting at a local winery by our property manager, Barbara, who knows the vintner. Barbara also introduced us to Richard Fremantle; author, Renaissance expert and art historian, who treated us to a private slide show and lesson on the Renaissance and the history of Tuscany. What a special treat! Richard even met us in Siena and gave us some history of the city and pointed out some things of interest that we should see. Both Barbara and Richard made our stay so much richer and we are blessed to have made some lasting friends in Italy.
From Tuscany, we went on to Rome for four nights. Our time in Rome was busy; walking miles and miles every day while visiting the well-known tourist destinations such as the Coliseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps and Vatican City with St. Peter's Basilica in all it's glory. We also stumbled upon some other incredible, lesser-known (at least to us, anyway) attractions such as Castel Sant Angelo and the Capuchin Crypts, both of which were definitely worth a visit.
With Rome behind us, we headed to the Sorrento Coast for 3 nights. I had rented a little apartment in the outskirts of Sorrento which was meters from the Mediterranean Sea. The views, again, were breathtaking. The white, towering cliffs, azure waters and the sight of mighty Mount Vesuvius across the bay captivated us. It felt like paradise found; a retreat after the hustle and bustle of Rome. We spent one day touring around the Island of Capri in our rented motor boat where all three boys snorkeled in grottos and Ryan and Brennan jumped off 50-60 foot cliffs into the crystal clear waters. We also had the meal of a lifetime in a restaurant right on the coast. The boys were blown away with the service and the food, having never been to such a "fancy" restaurant! We also took a drive to Pompeii to see the ruins of the ill-fated city that was buried under 6 storeys of ash when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD.
The final leg of our trip led us to Florence, where we spent our last 3 nights. We had a lovely apartment that was close to the historical city centre so we walked everywhere. We did a lot of sight-seeing taking in the famous Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio and of course the statue of David. We also did a lot of shopping in Florence. I have to say I loved the abundance of leather shops!
Seventeen days later, we were on our way home. We arrived back in Winnipeg on Tuesday, September 9th. We are exhausted but filled with wonderful memories that will last a lifetime. Justin and I have planned to dedicate one wall in the basement to our Italy trip. We will frame pictures in various sizes and make the wall a collage to enjoy for years to come.
While it is good to be home, a few of us are suffering from jet lag and have come down with colds as a welcome home gift. However, we must move onward with living life as usual again. The twins are back at school (having missed the first 5 days) and they love high school! Justin has signed up for 'Acting for the Camera' classes at Manitoba Theatre for Young People and is excited to start on October 2nd. He dreams of being an actor in Hollywood someday, so this should help him get his feet wet and see if he really likes it.
Justin had his first '3-month' MRI and chest x-ray on Friday. Every time the wait for results is nerve-wracking. We received a call from his oncologist late on Friday night telling us that, although he didn't have the radiologist's report yet, he had seen the scans and he thought everything looked good! Thank the Lord! Justin looks great and feels great (except for the cold right now) and is moving on with life. He is looking forward to the Jets' season and has been given tickets to two games, the first one being the home opener, so he is pumped!
I imagine that I won't be posting as often, seeing as Justin is doing so well. I pray that it remains that way and that I will never have to chronicle a journey such as this again. I will, however, update every three months as Justin has his MRIs and chest x-rays because I know that all of you following his journey would love to hear that he is continuing to do well.
I would like to thank all of you who have followed Justin's Journey and have prayed for him or kept him in your thoughts, sent good vibes; whatever it is you do, it is all appreciated! As his mother, it is humbling to see the vast number of people who have joined forces with us to help us fight the fight and celebrate with us as we are VICTORIOUS over this disease; at least until the next scan.
Until then,
Trish ♥
