Two Worlds

Titti and Domenico at cousin Anna's house. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Our friends Titti and Domenico returned to Italy a little less than a week ago, and we’re already missing them. But we have lots of photos to remind us of all the fun we had. One of the highlights of the trip was breaking bread with them at our house, my aunt’s house, and my cousin’s house. (For pictures of us at my cousin’s house, see the “NY Tourists Break Bread” photo album”.) Even though they were trying to watch their weight and eat healthy, we managed to sneak in a cheesecake and some cookies. Yum!

(From l. to r.) Francesca, Antonio, Rosaria, Mr. John, and Jaci at the entrance of EPCOT in Florida. © Photo courtesy of Disney's PhotoPass

Anyone who reads my blog — or knows me — is aware that Disney World in Orlando, Fla. is one of my favorite places on Earth. My brother used to work there and my sister and sister-in-law still work there. But for me Disney is still one of the best tourist spots. You feel like a kid again — and it brings back delicious memories of the annual vacations my family took there when I was younger. I grab every opportunity to return. Now, when I visit Mickey, I get to visit my siblings, too. (For pictures from this latest trip to Disney, visit the “Disney World 2009” photo album.)

In 2009, Disney was all about celebrations. People got in for free on their birthdays, and you could wear buttons indicating what you were celebrating — from anniversaries to honeymoons. Some of the restaurants would offer you special surprises for your anniversary, such as cupcakes or chocolate-covered strawberries. Disney also offered exceptional vacation packages that included 40 percent off meals if you purchased the dining package. I jumped at the chance to go on this vacation with the deluxe dining plan for our first anniversary. We headed there in mid December, and it was a dream, except for two days of bad weather and Antonio’s cold. We stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort, which was romantic and lovely but out of the way. It required a 20- to 30-minute bus ride to get to the parks. Our favorite restaurant was California Grill, which is atop the Contemporary Resort. We were able to see the “Wishes” fireworks show at Magic Kingdom from the California Grill’s terrace. Spectacular!

Sea shells down by the sea shore in New Jersey -- where else? © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with all things New Jersey. I guess after having spent five months in Italy, I’m longing for a little bit of my home. That’s part of the reason I suggested taking Antonio and his friend Ludovica, who is staying with us while she studies English in New York, down the shore to Point Pleasant Beach on a Saturday afternoon in November. The other reason was that the weather was particularly warm until very recently here on the East Coast. (See the “Down the Shore” photo album for photos from our day.) We looked for sea shells — and found a ton of them, did a little shopping at the Jenkinson’s Aquarium gift shop, and took a stroll in the town of Point Pleasant. All in all, it was the perfect day down the shore.

The song Jersey Girl (which, in true Jersey Girl fashion, I’m listening to Bruce Springsteen sing as I write this) tells the entire story. “Cause down the shore everything’s all right, you and your baby on a Saturday night. You know all my dreams come true when I’m walking down the street with you.” My husband is one lucky man to have found an Italian Jersey girl who brings him down the shore on a Saturday night! A lucky, lucky man!

From our room in Castello Aragonese, we could see the most brilliant of moons. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Castello Aragonese is a castle attached to the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples in Italy, that has been used as a fortress, prison, and love shack for royals. Today, it is a museum. Much to my surprise, part of the castle is also a hotel. (For pictures of the castle and its hotel, visit the “Night at Castello Aragonese” photo album.) My husband Antonio completely surprised me for our first wedding anniversary on Oct. 2, 2009, by bringing me to spend the night at Castello Aragonese. Even though my wedding dress from a year ago stood in my closet, I felt like quite the princess at the castle. We took in spectacular views of the town of Ischia Ponte from our window, including the most brilliant of moons, and we wandered the grounds. Then, we had a most delicious meal in the castle’s restaurant, which is open only to guests of the hotel. It was an unforgettable anniversary, and I can’t thank the hubby enough for his romantic gift. How did you celebrate your first wedding anniversary? Let us know in the comments below.

Antonio kisses Francesca on Oct. 2, 2008 after their wedding in Ischia, Italy. © Photo by Foto Elite

Today, Antonio and I are celebrating our first wedding anniversary. The year has flown by. I wrote a little bit about it and offered some advice by way of the features I’ve written for About.com on today’s Newlyweds blog. There, you’ll learn that Antonio has only told me to pack an overnight bag with little other information. I have a feeling we’re going to have a great anniversary — quite the romantic my husband, no? I’m feeling a bit nostalgic, so I’ll probably scroll through the photo album of our Italian nuptials, which took place one short year ago today. I’m happy to report that the wedding was last year in Ischia, when the sun at least came out for us in the afternoon. Today it’s pouring buckets of rain and it doesn’t look like it will let up anytime soon. “Sposa bagnata, sposa fortunata!”

Francesca and Antonio in a cave at Xel-ha, an ecological park in Mexico's Mayan Riviera. © Photo courtesy of the Gerenini family

My husband Antonio and I had two weddings, so we had two honeymoons — the first was a quick weekend trip to Florida’s Walt Disney World and the second was a week-long getaway to Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. I could really use a vacation right about now, and I was feeling nostalgic for Mexico this morning. So, I decided to make happy honeymoons the subject of my latest About.com Nelywed’s blog. Visit the blog, see another photo from our trip in February 2009, and leave a comment on the About blog. I can’t wait to see what you have to say.

Castello Aragonese in Ischia Ponte in Ischia, Italy. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

When I arrived in Ischia back in May, I was a bit homesick. To make myself feel better, I played tourist often. One of my first stops was Ischia Ponte, the oldest part of the island and home to Castello Aragonese. With less than two weeks to go before I return to the United States, I wanted to reminisce about the time I spent in Ischia Ponte at the start of my journey into married life in Ischia. You can take a tour of the town with me at the “Tour Ischia Ponte” photo album.

On one of my trips to Ischia Ponte (which is only about 15 minutes away by foot from where I live), I was joined by my American friends Lisa and Adam, who were on a honeymoon cruise that stopped in Ischia for a few hours. It was delightful bringing my American pals around the island home of my ancestors and husband. Back then, I wrote about Ischia as a honeymoon destination for About.com — and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Ahh, it’s nice to reminisce.

Cousins gather in Ischia, Italy during the height of tourism season in August. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

The people of Ischia are sighing with relief because the month of August is swiftly coming to an end. For Ischitani, August means work because the rest of the country heads to the beaches and mountains for vacation. That’s right. Just about the whole country, except for those who work in tourism like most of the Ischitani, have at least a few weeks off in August if not the whole month. If you can’t take off in August for some reason, then you usually get to take time off in July. Unbelievable, right? As an American, who barely gets two weeks of vacation per year, I can’t fathom how Italians can ever get work done with all their vacation time. How can the country earn anything if everyone takes off for the whole month at the same time? I guess that’s what “la dolce vita” means.

For me, August in Ischia wasn’t much different than June or July in Ischia. I work for American publications, and therefore I’m always on call and on the job. But I did get to see more of my relatives in my down time. One cousin, who lives in France but married a woman from Ischia, spent a couple of weeks on the island — and we all got together to break bread one night at another cousin’s restaurant (see photo above). And cousins from Australia and the United States are headed to Ischia at the end of the week for a long weekend that will have us all bidding farewell to yet another August in Italy.

I think Ischia, perhaps myself included, will need a vacation to recuperate after the August summer vacation.