Our first visitors!

Last week we had our first visitors here in Italy - a handful of Corneliuses! Terry, Jamie, and Taylor arrived last Saturday night in Rome and stayed for a week. Tyler and I actually arrived on the Friday night before, so we had Saturday on our own to wander around Rome. We really love Rome, especially in April when the weather is pleasant! We're starting to get pretty familiar with the city, which is a nice feeling. We walked all over the city center and saw the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trastevere, and other lovely Roman sites. Then we checked into an apartment near the Pyramid (on the south side of town) where we would stay for the next three nights with Tyler's fam. It was in a great location - close to the Metro, walkable to some places, but also pretty quiet.

Terry, Jamie, and Taylor arrived late Saturday night from Germany. Tyler and I were pretty happy to see some family for the first time in a while! We spent Sunday touring the ancient Roman sites (Forum, Colosseum, etc.), and in the evening went into Trastevere (a really nice neighborhood with lots of young people and good restaurants) for dinner. Monday we went to the Vatican and toured the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Cathedral. Our touring was of course interspersed with lots of great food (pasta, pizza, etc.) and wine.

Tuesday morning, Tyler and Taylor picked up a rental car and we took off for Tuscany. We stopped in Montepulciano for a walk around the town and a nice lunch. Then we checked into our Agriturismo outside of Pienza. It was so beautiful there! We stayed there for two nights, and both nights we cooked great meals at "home" which was a nice change from all the restaurants in Rome. On Wednesday we went to Siena where Tyler studied many years ago. It was especially fun for Terry and me to see this place that was so important to Tyler but we had never been to (Jamie visited there a long time ago). We wandered all over town and saw the fortress, the cathedral, the central piazza where all the young kids hang out, and even walked by Tyler's old apartment. We also stopped into a bar to use the bathroom and ran into one of Tyler's former teachers! It was such a crazy coincidence. She remembered him well and it was fun for them to catch up.

On Thursday we hit the road again and headed toward the coast. We stayed one night in Porto Santo Stefano and one night in Santa Severa. It was cool and cloudy on the coast, but we enjoyed some good food, good wine, and a couple walks along the beach. Terry, Jamie, and Taylor flew back to Germany early Saturday morning from Rome, and Tyler and I caught the train back down to Cosenza. We had a great week together and really enjoyed our little tour of central Italy. Tyler and I are improving our tour guide skills for our next visitors! Who's up for a trip to Italy?