Our Italian Adventure

Well, it seemed like a good idea. We decided to add a buffer day at the end of the trip in case something completely messed up our schedule during our month-long vacation in Italy. Had I built the buffer day at the beginning, we could have flown to Rome one day later. This would have averted the potential disruption when ITA cancelled all of their Chicago Tuesday flights to Rome. Even placing the buffer somewhere in the middle might have made more sense. Live and learn. It wasn’t all bad having the buffer day at the end. We got to spend an extra day to unwind at the airport hotel, and figure out the routine we would need to have a smooth departure from FCO.

In any case, Monday, June 9th would be our longest travel day. Our first segment was our Tirol shuttle van which went off without a hitch. We arrived at the Bolzano train station with time to kill. Being lunch time, we crossed the street to grab lunch at the cafeteria. This was the same cafeteria we had enjoyed a nice lunch on our way to Ortisei. Ever heard of Whit Monday? We never had and apparently some of the locals haven’t heard of it either. The cafeteria was closed because of Whit Monday. It is Pentecost Monday of the Holy Spirit. We ended up having snacks at the train station.

Since the train from Bolzano to Rome Termini would be a five-hour journey, we had purchased business-class tickets to ride in comfort. We arrived in Rome around 6pm and took the Leonardo Express directly to the airport. The Hilton is directly on the airport grounds and is connected with a walkway to the terminals. The airport Hilton is extremely expensive to stay at in May, but we discovered a work-around. I signed up for the Hilton Honors card which would provide me with 300,000 points if I spent a certain amount within 90 days. No problem as I had to pay for our monthly Airbnb in Tucson which qualified us for the points. Instead of paying a total of around $650, we used those points to completely pay for the room. We had some drinks and a nice dinner at the hotel before turning in for the night.

Amy in business class

Tuesday, June 10th would be our last full day in Italy. We are spending it at the exciting Rome airport. We thought about going to the beach which is only fifteen minutes away, but we were traveled out. Instead, I checked out the terminal we would be flying out of on Wednesday morning. By talking with ITA staff, I nailed the process to make sure our check-in was easy. Not exciting, but since we had an early flight, it was nice to know the process and locations beforehand. With the recommended three hour check-in for international flights, we would need to wake up very early. Looking for other activities, we noticed there were outdoor paddleball courts. We decided to play some paddleball until we were told the hourly fee was $40 per person. Instead, we cruised around the terminals and had both our lunch and dinner at different terminal restaurants. We repacked our suitcases and enjoyed one unexpected surprise.

June 11th marked the full strawberry moon. It was more golden than strawberry looking when we looked out our room window. This moon gets its name from Native American traditions. It marked the time to pick the ripe strawberries.

Strawberry Moon

Our departure day started bright and early. We checked in with ITA and were able to enjoy a nice breakfast in the Lufthansa Lounge. Our flight boarded on time, and we were ready to fly home. Still ready, still ready. We sat on the plane and nothing was happening. Out my window, I saw mechanics arriving. First one, then two, and I believe at one point there were about five support persons on or around the plane. Then we saw two of them enter the plane and talk with the captain at length. This was not a good sign. I assumed the plane had developed a problem and we would all be deboarding. After an additional 10 minutes, they all left, and we pulled out of the gate! Since I’m still here to write this blog, apparently nothing major was wrong with the plane. The flight was 10 hours long, so we appreciated our business class seats. We had great food, beverages and watched various shows while also napping.

Our plane silently glided down to one of the many runways at the Chicago ORD airport. After a long taxi, we arrived at our gate and set foot in the United States for the first time since May 6th. We cleared customs without any difficulties and found our next terminal for the flight to Madison.

Our flight was smooth on this short segment. Once you’re in the air, it takes about 35 minutes to start the descent into Madison. Once at the Madison airport, we gathered our bags, and took a taxi home. While Amy recovered in about one day, I think it took me three days to finally get rid of the jet lag. Thank you Italy! You were as great as advertised and we’ll cherish this trip forever.

Italian Thimbles