Ascoli Piceno with the Italian students

Buongiorno! My Italian is still horrible, but at least I know basic greetings. Okay - So today we took a tour around Ascoli, which is absolutely beautiful. It's a small city in the mountains on the east coast of Italy. Walking through this city is an experience that is unexplainable. The small quaint streets wrap and wind around beautifully colored buildings and then open up to fantastic open public spaces, or piazzas. Piazza de Popolo was the city's main civic center. It was crazy seeing how many people actually occupy the space throughout the day - old and young. It's definitely a popular space to socialize, meet up with friends, shop, eat, etc. The dense urban fabric is unlike any city in the U.S., especially Ohio. The cities are all designed for the pedestrian experience.

Basilica d. St. Cosmos and Damian

My family and I stayed at the Basilica d. St. Cosmos and Damian. Grandma Mikie hooked us up with a Franciscan friar/monk (Brother Mark) who gave us a fabulous place to stay in the basilica's guest house. The best part of the place was the AMAZING view from our bedrooms into the Roman Forum - which is the heart of Ancient Rome. It was a great location. Brother Mark was a great host, giving us a tour of the basilica and introducing my dad and I to Lemongello (sp?). Nothing like drinking with a monk. ;)

ciao ciao!

Arrivederci Columbo

Well - after flying out of Detroit in a full out blizzard last Friday, my Dad and I finally made it into Rome after a delayed flight, a missed connection, and lost luggage (which miraculously made it to the airport in Rome 5 hours after we landed)...Travel troubles aside, I knew I was going to fall in love with Rome the moment I landed. The first thing I noticed was how beautifully everyone dressed. Ohhh my gosh. If only American men dressed well - absolutely gorgeous! I also noticed that everyone wears black and has sweet Italian leather boots (clearly I knew I was going to like this place).

My dad and I took a taxi from Rome's airport to the Basilica d. Cosmos and Damian, where we were staying. It was the most TERRIFYING experience. In Rome, the lines on the street are absolutley disregarded. I was holding on for my life!! Along the way we saw at least 3 accidents involving the cute little smart cars (all flipped over of course). So after flying through the blizzard and driving 135 km/hra down an Italian highway... we finally met up with my mom, my sister, and my sister's friend Kelsey.

We finally were in paradise.