Day 1 - Rome to San Gimignano

Passport control and customs were a breeze and baggage claim was easy.  I commented to my oldest that it was nice that he was big enough and strong enough to help the Principal with the luggage claim.  We had checked 4 bags and the Principal’s tendonitis is noticeably worse.  So, the 6 of us, 4 suitcases, carry-on and backpack journeyed to the end of the gate and my in-laws were waiting for us just outside.
 

Off to the car rental place where Doodlebug took her first “Flat Paul” picture.  But more on that later.  The vehicle is probably the largest personal vehicle allowed on the road and given that most cars are teensy by comparison, riding in a vehicle made for 9 (3 rows, 3 seats across each and lots of luggage since MIL/FIL have almost as much as we do) makes you one of the largest things on the road by a longshot. 
 

Not that many of us noticed what a novelty we were because by the time we exited the Fiumicino area (think Rome airport-ish area) 4 people were asleep, and after another 30 minutes everyone but the Principal was asleep.  Lunch was about halfway to San Gimignano and afterward, DS1 announced that he couldn’t get enough of the countryside.

 

It truly is beautiful.  Rolling hills, lots of vineyards and olive groves, random herds speckling the countryside.  The kids snapped plenty of their own photos as well, but the scenic views of the medieval hill towns are just as beautiful as the paintings and pictures that you see in books (yes... you'll get to see some soon).  Reality makes you almost believe they’re not real, but it’s truly beautiful.

You’re not allowed to drive a vehicle into San Gimignano, but there are parking spaces all around the outer wall.  The Lord smiled on us with the perfect 30 min parking place for unloading, and then again as the Principal and FIL went out to move the Magic Homeschool Bus to a more permanent spot, the owner of the Villa we’re staying in said we could park it next to his garden area just inside the wall.  Blessings all around.

We’re staying in two apartments just inside the old city and most things in town appear to be in pretty good shape for being 900 years old.  They repair things in the same style as the original, so sometimes you have to check to see “what’s new”, keeping in mind that “new” can be 150 years old.

 

After unpacking we met a couple of locals, journeyed for a walk down a few streets and had our first Gelato of the trip. The kids have declared that one of their goals is to set the world record for consecutive days with gelato.  We come to the first dilemma of the trip as we enter Piazza Cisterna. The sign on the wall said, “Gelato World Champions”, but just 50 feet away in the same piazza was another gelateria that advertised “The Best Gelato in the World”.  There’s really only one fair way to decide this…

 

“We’ll be the judge of that!” the student body declares.

 

 

 

After wandering the city (and remembering that “not all who wander are lost”, per Tolkien) we (finally) found a supermarket (of sorts).  Supermarkets are a very new item in many towns in Europe, and the fact that San.G. has one is somewhat remarkable.  We purchased enough food for dinner, breakfast (minus the bread), and lunch for sandwiches for tomorrow. 

We then bought bus passes to get back around to the city not realizing that the bus was going to go all around this town and the next.  Oh well, more countryside, more streets with warning signs about how dangerous the cliff faces are, and plenty of locals helpful enough to remind us that we ARE on the right bus… we’ll get home eventually.

And so we did.  Unfortunately, the Principal and I both fell asleep through dinner (editor's note - hey! One of us had to drive with as few naps as possible) and missed taking an evening stroll with everybody else.  Thankfully, we’ll be here 2 more nights.