What can I say about an absolutely wonderful Italian trip? I will briefly mention a few highlights here:

• Naples was a fast-paced city growing out of the side of a mountain. It featured narrow, winding, hilly streets filled with old-style European buildings interspersed with gorgeous churches and numerous monuments, especially the square featuring the statue of Dante;

• We had a fabulous dinner at the home of Silvio’s parents, including several antipasto, eggplant parmigiana, croquettes, rice balls, and ziti. I grew up eating Neapolitan food, so this was a particularly good meal for me;

• Pompeii gave us a fascinating look at everyday Roman life. We spent four hours walking in the hot sun through dusty roads, smelling ashes much of the time which gave us a vicarious feel for Mount Vesuvius hovering over the entire city;

• Capri Town is a medieval-type town also built into the side of the mountain. However, the roads are so narrow cars are not permitted anywhere in the town proper. the town seemingly consists of one continuous building built along roads that are narrower, windier and steeper than those in Naples. It is an absolutely gorgeous place, seeped in history by its very structure. It was also very crowded, both with residents and tourists from all over the world, and filled with shops, hotels and restaurants everywhere;

• Fei Fei and Silvio’s wedding reception was spectacular! Fei Fei, Silvio, and their parents walked to the hotel from his parents’ house, looking so much like a wedding procession they had their pictures taken from both friends and random tourists. First we spent an hour outside having canapes and hors d’oeuvres, then went inside for an eight course meal: lobster, rigatoni with crabmeat, creamy risotto with zucchini, filet of fish with vegetables, sorbet, veal cutlets, wedding cake and pastries. It was all delicious and so much food to eat. Entertainment included several speakers talking about Fei Fei and Silvio, two slide shows, one of Fei Fei’s Tibet pictures and another consisting of slides Silvio took in Chengdu last year accompanied by both Chinese and Neapolitan music to the theme of so close yet so far, and singing by Silvio’s dad in Italian and Fei Fei’s parents in Chinese;

• Rome was a historical delight. There were thousands of tourists wandering the streets with open maps and cameras. Nearly everybody spoke English, especially at the restaurants and pizzerias, which was convenient. Highlights included the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, numerous piazzas with fountains and monuments of their own, the Roman Musee which contained many ancient sculptures and paintings, the Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the very impressive church Santa Maria Maggiore, Piazza Navona with its gorgeous fountains and artist’s haven, Piazza del Popolo, the Pantheon, Capitol Hill, and Victor Emmanual Monument (celebrating 50 years of Risorgimenti). And they were only the most famous places we visited. Some of the lesser-known spots were equally wonderful;

• We were in Italy for the entire second round of the World Cup, and the Italian mania was incredible to behold whenever Italy played. The entire country exploded with horns and cheers every time Italy scored a goal, and after they won a game nearly everybody was either in the streets or Circo Massimo cheering and waving flags. We enjoyed being there for the tournament, especially Italy’s incredible 120 minute semi-final game against Germany;

• the food: besides those delights mentioned above, I also ate tortellini y pomodoro, minestrone soup with rice and potato, calzone, ravioli, rigatoni a la mamma, noodles y funghi, Neapolitan pizza (which was much better than Roman pizza which was thinner and more cheese than tomato sauce) and, of course, gelati, which was absolutely delicious.

• I really enjoyed the lifestyle on Capri and am nurturing the fantasy of being a part of it myself someday, rather than the faster lifestyles of Napoli and Roma;

• the Italian people were always kind and accepting of us, even in non-tourist Napoli, although obviously moreso in Capri and Roma;

Viva Italia!