Italy

Our time in France ended with a drive along the Côte d'Azur. The water was blue, the sun was hot, and the view was stunning.

After a night in Turin, we drove to Venice, where we had the most amazing time. It is such a unique city!

Have we ever mentioned how invaluable Raija's scooter is?! We take it into every city and Raija scooters on it when she feels like it and otherwise we push her. This way her little legs do not need to keep up with us as much and we can cover more ground.

We took a gondola ride, which was such a fun experience. The rules of the (water) road are very flexible in Venice ;)

The town of Pisa was next on our agenda. Our campsite was in walking distance from the leaning tower, which meant we could walk into town.

One pretty neat hidden treasure in Pisa is a mural created by Keith Haring called Tuttomondo (1989). It is painted on the rear wall of the Sant'Antonio Abate church and it is one of the last public murals he did, before his death in 1990. It is also one of the few outdoor public works created by Haring for permanent display.

We continued our journey to Rome. The Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, and the Trevi Fountain were among the first sights we visited.

The St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican was as breathtaking as John and I remember it. To share the experience of walking here with our children, was amazing.

It was hot and sticky in Rome, about 35°C; staying hydrated was vital!

From Rome, we drove to Pompeii. I am not sure how to describe the welcome we got at the campsite, which was literally across the road from the archeological site. Mommy cat and her two kittens happened to live beside our site and mommy cat immediately knew we would take care of her and her litter while we were there. Obviously the kids were delighted with the cats, since we miss our own quite much. We called mom Napoli, and the little ones Pompeii and Vesuvius :)

We walked through the archeological site of Pompeii with a guide. It was the best choice we could have made, we learned so much from her. It is hard to imagine that this Roman city was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. And it is all so well preserved!

As you can imagine, by now, we feel that the subject of history in our kids' homeschooling has been covered rather well ;)

We finished our tour through Italy by staying on a farm in the province of Puglia for a few days. It turned out to be such a good choice!

Raija befriended one of the daughters of the owners and she had a chance to get a real Italian cooking class! Cloe and Raija became best friends, they had such a special bond.

All good things come to an end... Italy gave us so much, but it is time to continue on our journey. Greece, here we come!