Casanuova di Ama

After a few lovely days in Firenze, we picked up our gigantic van and ventured out to the tuscan countryside.  I reaffirmed my hatred of GPS, but we eventually did make it to our villa.  It had lots of rooms, a large patio with table and grill, beautiful views, and a refreshing pool. 

One of my favorite things about this trip was getting to see my boys playing with their cousin.  They are still very young, so the concepts of sharing and playing gently are lessons still being learned.  However, they are getting to be old enough to really interact and get to know one another, and I love that they love each other.  My sister lives an ocean away, and we don't get to see each other as often as I'd like; so I'm very happy and grateful that our families were able to take such a big trip together. 

Other highlights:

• Have I mentioned that it was HOT in Italy?  Thank goodness for that awesome pool.  It felt so good to get cool and swim, and the boys had a blast.
• After our road adventures, my little guy has begun to exclaim "We made it!" at every stop.
• My little guy called the pool the "cool".  As in, "Mom, let's go to the cool."  Love. 
• The husbands took charge of grilling, and we ate some fabulous meals.  I discovered that grilled eggplant is incredibly yummy.  I never make it at home, because had been under the impression that my husband didn't like it.  Evidently, that is not the case, so I expect to see lots of eggplant on our grill next summer.
• Casanuova di Ama is a tiny hamlet with 12 houses, including a couple vineyards and olive oil producers.  I spent time one afternoon with my little one, watching a man unload a crate of wine bottles.
• We kept missing the sunsets but finally managed to enjoy a spectacular one while the boys jumped on the beds.