Saturday, Apr. 29 (week 14 / day 97) Lonigo, Italy

From Rainy Rimini to Sunny Vicenza

Scramble eggs for breakfast & bacon-like strips that Paul had all to himself. We had to be out by 11am & might have stayed in Rimini for the afternoon but it was raining so we packed up & headed north towards Vicenza. This was a short travel day, less than 2 & 1/2 hours & we drove through the small town of Lonigo (about 20 minutes southwest of Vicenza) to find a restaurant. Good luck with that at 2pm! We ended up at the grocery store & feasted on chicken legs, potatoes & bread from the deli counter. We looked quite out of place: 7 Americans sitting outside the supermarket with their finger food picnic!

We got to our pace just before 3pm which was great because it is sunny, warm & beautiful here! Our host & her son greeted us & gave us a tour of their spectacularly remodeled family home, named "3 Lasagna," (the actual address!) built in 1736. Just gorgeous! We didn't even unload our things until later. We ended up in the backyard playing kickball for a couple hours in the warm afternoon sun. We had dinner & then played some more kickball...

packing up the van in Rimini

hey, this is easy!

picnic at the grocery store in Lonigo

kickball in the backyard at "3 Lasagna"

with all this grass, why not exercise?

more kickball!

the back entry into inside patio

Cannon in his "jail cell" windowsill

front of the "3 Lasagne" house

the indoor patio

the old pizza oven

pizza oven plaque

stairs up to the 2nd level

kitchen and dining room with another staircase

Sunday crepes with Nutella!

Friday, Apr. 28 (week 14 / day 96) Rimini Beach

Rimini Beach

The idea was to just get out of the city & recover a bit from the busy touring days in Rome...

better pic to follow when available

Paul's massive homemade burger

at least it's not pasta!

large porch, not much view

beach time!

flexibility & stretching class

finding balance

celebrating sand, waves & lots of space

Cannon at the beach playground

On top of the world

the warm sand was so nice!

San Marino

This little known country is the 5th smallest in the world...


old city San Marino on the plateau

cable car out of service

train car along the walking path

sunset in San Marino

Carley on top of the world

Rimini on the Adriatic Sea in the distance

finally a McD's stop!



Thursday, Apr. 27 (week 14 / day 95) Rome to Rimini

Colosseum Tour

Stacia booked this kid-friendly tour a few days before & is the best tour we've been on because our young guide, Agle, was enthusiastic, involved the kids with games, had little prizes at different times & spoke fairly good English!

Cannon wearing his toy soldier's helmet

the maze of stone beneath the missing Colosseum floor

outside the Colosseum

overlooking Rome from Palantine Hill (Colosseum far right)

Cannon & the Roman Forum

plump, tourist-friendly seagull waiting for a handout

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Agle explaining Roman architecture

our girls with new tour friends sitting on some ancient pillar

Cannon not caring about old rocks

these letter look placed here for effect

supposed location of Julius Caesar's ashes

end-of-tour pic with Agle & tour friends

headless street performers help Cannon perk up



metro pic: seasoned public transportation kids!



Locked out of the Apartment

We accidentally left our only apartment key in the doorknob on the inside & the door latches closed when you shut it. We knew we'd have to meet Enrico to get another key, but we didn't know we wouldn't be able to turn the key at all because of the key sitting in the keyhole on the inside. We had just met Enrico downstairs for an extra key & quickly texted him the situation. We sat in the small entryway for 10 minutes in despair as he searched for the right tool. He came up with the dental x-ray of the doorman who apparently had just got back. The thin but stiff x-ray film was just right to fit in the door jamb & release the latch. What a relief! We were sure we were looking at a $100 locksmith fee.

gelato while waiting for Enrico (before moment of despair)

despair on the stairs

Enrico arrives with x-ray in hand to save the day!

Goodbye Rome, Hello Rimini

After thanking Enrico profusedly & getting back into our apartment, we had 30 minutes to have lunch & speed-pack which we are getting pretty good at! We were out by 1:45, loaded in the van by 2:00 & on the road for our 4-hour ride to Rimini. We were going to stop to see Assisi but it was just too late in the day. Instead we made a 15 minute pit stop at a gas station & pushed on to our beach-side apartment...

Cannon & Kyra pooped out from our last morning in Rome