travel

Italy Vacation – Where Is Ischia?

Posted on

FAMILY TRAVEL – VIAGGI

Castello Aragonese in Ischia with beach umbrellas - Di Meglio
Castello Aragonese is a symbol of the island of Ischia. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

My People, My Island

This is the first in a series of stories about traveling to the island of Ischia in Italy. 

Mine are the peasant people of Ischia in Italy. This island is considered a province of Naples in Italy. Ischia neighbors the more famous Capri. Another neighboring island, Procida, had its 15 minutes of fame when the charming film Il Postino was released. When my people left in the 1950s and 1960s, the island was suffering. World War II had decimated the economy of the entire country. And the spirit of the people was shaken. Italians are not ones for war. Truly, they are lovers and not fighters. Fighting Americans (many of whom were related) and changing sides took its toll.

Challenges Change the Islanders

Food and family are the top priorities in Italy. Back then, getting food on the table was difficult. My father disagrees. He doesn’t remember scrambling for a meal. But his older siblings have different memories. They were working the land to make ends meet. It was a tough life. In 1960, when my 13-year-old father left, everything changed. Tourism began to replace agriculture as the island’s prime business.

So, where is Ischia?

Well, it is the largest island in the Gulf of Naples. It is 17 miles southwest of Naples on the western edge of the gulf, according to the World Atlas. Foreigners travel by plane. Often, they have to take a flight to a European capital. Then, they take a shorter flight to Naples. During some times of the year, you can get direct flights from New York’s JFK.

You can easily access the island from Naples or Pozzuoli (birthplace of Sofia Loren). You simply have to take a boat or hydrofoil from either of those places. You go with the boat if you need to put a car or motor scooter on board with you. You go with the hydrofoil if you’re traveling without additional transportation. The hydrofoil, of course, is faster and takes about an hour. The boat will take about 1.5 to two hours. It all depends on whether you make a stop in Procida first.

What Makes the Geography Special

The island is actually a volcano. It last erupted 700 or so years ago. But in 2010 some experts warned it might blow again. No joke. Before you run away from Ischia, consider their final thoughts on the matter. The experts also said an eruption was not at all imminent. Still, they are monitoring it along with nearby Vesuvius.

These volcanic origins are not all bad. They provide rich soil for vegetation. You might credit it with the sweetest fruits and most delicious veggies you’ve ever eaten. Your body might also appreciate thermal waters and mud. Many athletes and ailing people come to Ischia for their healing powers.

For those who trace their roots to Ischia, it lives within the heart. It is where we find family and friends. It is where we find a slice of piece and Nonna’s parmigiana. Can’t beat that.

Di Meglio has written the Our Paesani column for ItaliansRus.com since 2003. You can follow the Italian Mamma on Facebook or Twitter @ItalianMamma10. For handmade crafts and party gear, visit the Italian Mamma store on Etsy.

Family Vacation New Jersey: Best Ways to Get There

Posted on

FAMILY TRAVEL – VIAGGI

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

Traveling to New Jersey might not necessarily be on your family’s bucket list. But it should be. Getting to the Garden State is half the fun, sometimes more. Before you can get here, you have to figure out the best means of transportation for your family and you. You have three basic options, and they each have pros and cons. Check out the best ways to get to N.J. for your family vacation:

Road Trip to New Jersey

Details: Mine is a big state. To drive from one end to the other, you will spend three hours or more in the car or bus. There are plenty of both rest stops and sites to see along the way if you’re interested. In fact, the road trip itself makes for a great vacation regardless of the final destination. AAA offers maps, tips, and discounts to members planning road trips.

Questions to Ask Yourself: Is the point of this trip to see New Jersey and nearby states or is it to arrive at a destination? Are you traveling with kids or elderly people, who might not be able to endure many hours in the car? What is your budget and can you afford the time it takes to travel and the amount of gas you’ll need? What are your travel preferences? From where are you coming?

Best Fit: Road trips like this are best for those who are up for an adventure. You never know what can happen, especially if you’re driving from a far-away location. If you have little kids and elderly people with you, the car might not be the best option, especially if you’re coming a long distance.

For your safety (not to mention pleasure), you should consider taking it easy and making frequent stops. There are plenty of rest stops and sites to see along the way. Families may want to stop to see the Statue of Liberty, the Land of Make Believe, or Great Adventure. There’s also Liberty Science Center and a slew of historical sites, including all those places George Washington supposedly visited. Nearby states, including New York and Pennsylvania, offer other fun stops. Most importantly, you have to be willing to put up with the inconveniences of the car, the potential for traffic, and the possibility of accidents, such as blown out tires and the like.

Visiting by Train

Details: Amtrak offers trains through the Northeast corridor. More than 20 years ago, I often took these trains from Washington, D.C., where I attended university to either Penn Station in New York City or Newark, N.J. They offer a chance for quiet reflection and some scenic views. It took about as long as a car drive would have.

Questions to Ask: Is this trip more about the destination or the journey? How long are you willing to travel? The train can be cost effective, depending on the type of ticket and the distance, but it can be costly; what is your budget? Do you want to stop along the way or see other cities? Do you have any train enthusiasts traveling with you?

Best Fit:  Of course, you have to be in an area from which trains to Jersey or a nearby city depart. You can even travel from Los Angeles to Newark, but it requires multiple train changes and layovers and more than a few days. It can cost as much as a plane, too. The point is you need to be looking for a more relaxed journey to your final destination. And you have to be able to take more time to get where you’re going. Also, the train stations are historic sites. But they can be dirty, and you don’t always find the best people hanging out there. Still, I never experienced any problems. I traveled during the day or early evening and passed through the stations just fine. Kids who are into trains might get a kick out of this to boot.

Flying In by Plane

Details: Visitors to New Jersey can fly into Newark, Philadelphia, or New York City (JFK or LaGuardia) and still have decent access to the state. Obviously, Philadelphia is best if you’re planning to visit more southern parts of the state. New York, on the other hand, is best if you’re going to be in the northern part of the state.

Questions to Ask: This is the costliest option in most cases, so is this in your budget? Do you need to arrive in the state quickly? How are your kids on flights?

Best Fit: This is a great option for families. You will arrive at the destination the fastest. You will need to rent a car or take a cab or bus to your final destination from the airport, especially if you flew into New York or Philadelphia. Of course, you have to budget for those additional costs. The plane is comfortable and safe. And you get the most time at the actual destination because you get there quickly. To be honest, whenever I can afford to travel by plane, I do it.

Di Meglio has written the Our Paesani column for ItaliansRus.com since 2003. You can follow the Italian Mamma on Facebook or Twitter @ItalianMamma10. For more handmade crafts and party gear, visit the Italian Mamma store on Etsy.

What To Do If You Have Alitalia Travel Plans

Posted on

FAMILY TRAVEL – VIAGGI

Alitalia Files for Bankruptcy…Again

Ischia in Italy - Di Meglio
Many people are wondering if they will end up missing scenes like this as a result of the potential grounding of Alitalia flights. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

Alitalia filed for bankruptcy for the third time. The news is causing shockwaves in Italy. The Abu Dhabi-based Etihad had come to the rescue in 2014, and before that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and a number of Italian companies had bailed out the national carrier in 2008, according to The New York Times. These efforts all failed. Now, Etihad has announced it has no plans to continue its investment, according to CNN.

How Italy Is Taking the News

Scouring Twitter amid news of the filing, you saw that Italians are sick and tired of bailouts. In fact, La Repubblica reported the results of a survey in which 77 percent of Italians were against helping.

One headline in La Repubblica read “Alitalia, un pasticciaccio tutto italiano,” which means, “Alitalia, a big, all-Italian mess.” In that story, Massimo Giannini compares happenings in the European Union to kick off the subject. “In Paris, you are voting to save Europe,” he writes. “In Italy, you are voting to kill Alitalia.”

What This Means for Alitalia Travelers

While Alitalia has suffered from an inability to compete with discount airlines, Ryanair and easyJet, for domestic passengers, it was still the go-to for many Italian Americans. Or at least many of the ones I know use it. Recently, many of my Italian friends and family visited the United States and traveled with Alitalia. Indeed, a few people I know have flights coming up in the next few weeks. So, what are Alitalia travelers to do? Discover the steps to take starting now:

  • Call Your Travel Agent

Many Italians I know still use a travel agent. Or you prefer an online agency, such as Expedia or Orbitz. Get in touch with your contacts or customer service to find out if they have any information. This is helpful even if they don’t have any news for you because you will be on their radar.

  • Call Alitalia Directly

If you don’t have an agent or simply prefer your independence, you can call the airline yourself. To reach support from the United States, call 800 223 5730. To reach it from Italy, call 892010. You can also call Italian support for the airline from abroad by dialing +39 06 65649. (Remember the + sign is the prefix you must dial from your point of origin, so you will need to look that up if you don’t have it.)

  • Keep Tabs on the Headlines

Should Alitalia flights be grounded, you will hear about it in the news. With so much going on in the United States and other places these days, you might have to look for the headlines yourself. Set up Google alerts, so any story about Alitalia is emailed to you. Scan the stories to learn what’s happening with flights and passengers. At the Alitalia website, you should also sign up for the newsletter. There’s a chance the staff will share information about canceled or grounded flights. That’s not a guarantee, of course, because some companies use newsletters just for promotion.

  • Have a Plan B

Recognize that travel with Alitalia is not the most secure at this point. So, be prepared for the worst. Alert family, friends, or chauffeurs who are going to pick you up at the airport that things might change in light of the bankruptcy. Brace yourself for some inconveniences. If you have kids, prepare them as well. Bring along extra snacks and distractions in case there are major delays.

Also, figure out if there are other travel options for you. Do not purchase a new ticket unless you are certain your flight is canceled and the airline won’t be doing anything to rectify the situation for you. One would like to believe they would protect consumers during this challenging time, but you never know in these circumstances. As they say in Italia, “In bocc’ al lupo,” or “In the mouth of the wolf.” It just means good luck. Really. But it seems perfectly suited to this scenario.

Di Meglio has written the Our Paesani column for ItaliansRus.com since 2003. You can follow the Italian Mamma on Facebook or Twitter @ItalianMamma10. For more handmade crafts and party gear, visit the Italian Mamma store on Etsy.

Lavazza to Bring a New Dining Concept to Italy

Posted on

FAMILY TRAVEL – VIAGGI 

Lavazza headquarters in Torino, Italy - Lavazza
Construction on Lavazza’s new headquarters in Torino, Italy is well underway. © Photo courtesy of Lavazza

Lavazza, one of the big coffee companies in Italy, is promising to bring imagination to the country’s restaurant scene while invigorating its hometown. Its new headquarters in Torino, which is slated to open at the end of 2017, is more than mere office; it’s also a destination for visitors. One of the biggest draws is CONDIVIDERE by Lavazza, a restaurant that is aiming to change the way people think about food and eating. Lavazza announced the restaurant concept early in March, so there are still few specific details. Learn about what we know so far:

Coffee to Jolt the Experience

Appropriately, coffee will take the main stage in the Lavazza restaurant. “Lavazza is strongly committed to creating a new restaurant where the coffee experience is at the forefront of every dish, making it a unique concept found nowhere else,” according to the press release. There is little explanation of what this means. But am I wrong to imagine coffee rubs on meat or espresso in desserts or even a hint of coffee in a pasta dish? I’ve had a gourmet meal in Ischia, where chocolate was used in a pasta sauce, and it was surprisingly delicious. Maybe Lavazza could make coffee and pasta – among Italy’s main food groups – marry and live happily ever after. Who am I to judge? Lavazza is, after all, the company that gave us coffee caviar. True story.

Lavazza Hires an Experienced Team

  • Chef Ferran Adrià

Interestingly, Chef Ferran Adrià, who co-created the concept for the restaurant, isn’t Italian. He’s Spanish. More than celebrity chef, Adrià was called a “gastronomic genius” by The New York Times. During his time as head chef of elBulli, which Restaurant Magazine named as world’s best restaurant five times from 2002 to 2009, according to the Times, he helped people reimagine food. Americans would know him as the guy who turned food into foam and made that a thing in foodie circles. When he shut the doors of his restaurant in 2011, people wondered why. It might have been money troubles and family in-fighting or it could have been the desire to avoid repeating himself; you can decide for yourself after reading the Times article. Either way, Lavazza now has him helping it, presumably to reimagine how people consume coffee and the traditional dishes of Torino and its region. 

  • Chef Federico Zanasi

Federico Zanasi is the chef at the helm, however. Italy’s La Stampa described Zanasi as “giovane e brillante,” which means “young and brilliant.” He comes from Hotel Principe delle Nevi, a five-star restaurant in Cervinia, which is alpine resort territory known for skiing. Indeed, Zanasi is the chosen one. Adrià, who had worked with him, according to La Stampa, selected him for the job. The restaurant is already promoting its commitment to “food democracy,” an idea that has galvanized many Americans recently but has long been a part of the Italian culture. Basically, it’s a belief that food should be food without chemicals or byproducts. Everything should be fresh. But it’s not just about being healthy; it’s also about making everything delicious in its simplicity.

  • Set Designer Dante Ferretti 

The trifecta of greatness would be incomplete without the set designer, three-time Academy Award winner Dante Ferretti. He’s developing the interior of the restaurant. It will be urban, modern, and colorful, and will perfectly reflect Zanasi’s concepts for the menu, according to La Stampa. His Oscar-winning touch brought us The Aviator, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Hugo Cabret. Now, he’ll bring his vision to a place where people will gather to eat. The interior will undoubtedly be a showstopper, but it’s not just about looking at what’s around your own table. The place is going to be like a character, one can imagine. There will be movement. In fact, the press release explains that guests will actually move from one setting to another to enjoy different parts of the meal. 

More Than Good Eats

The restaurant is more than a restaurant, of course. Yes, it’s also the Lavazza company headquarters. In addition, visitors will find the Lavazza Museum, which is being designed by Ralph Appelbaum, who designed the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Hall of Biodiversity at the American Museum of Natural History. A convention center and a farm-to-table dining hall for employees and students of the nearby Istituto d’Arte Applicata e Design (IADD) round out the offerings. Of course, a place like this wouldn’t be Italian if it didn’t include a “lush, green” piazza for people watching and gathering. There visitors will find artifacts from a 4th and 5th century A.D. paleo-Christian basilica that the company found during construction, according to the press release.

A Higher Purpose for Lavazza

Finally, the name of the restaurant, CONDIVIDERE, is significant. It means to share. This place is intended to be as much about new concepts in food as an affirmation of the human need to break bread together. Perhaps, Adrià put it best in his discussion with La Stampa, where he waxed philosophical about the place. “You will find a place in which you feel at ease and have the desire to be together,” he said, according to my translation. “The intention is to provide exceptional cuisine that brings to the forefront man’s need to socialize, share, and analyze what’s on the table in a show of love for food.” Now, that kind of thinking couldn’t be more Italian.

Di Meglio has written the Our Paesani column for ItaliansRus.com since 2003. You can follow the Italian Mamma on Facebook or Twitter @ItalianMamma10. For more handmade crafts and party gear, visit the Italian Mamma store on Etsy.

How a Trip to a New Jersey Farm Can Be Spiritually Uplifting for Kids

Posted on

VIAGGI – FAMILY TRAVEL

Alstede Farms - Di Meglio
Get thee to a farm in fall. It’s uplifting. © Photo by Francesca Di Meglio

That first crisp fall day brings with it hope. There’s something about breaking through the heat and the jewel-toned rainbow of leaves freeing themselves from the prison of branches. It’s a new school year with its fresh faces eager to learn. It’s the empty cornucopia, little by little, getting filled with bounty. It’s shorter days and cozy nights. And October is fall’s sweet spot, a time when it’s still possible to reinvent yourself and spend an entire day outdoors without either melting or freezing. That is the precise moment when the farms beckon you. For us that means heading to Alstede Farms in Chester, N.J.

New Jersey, the Garden State, is the perfect place to be at this most wonderful time of year. (You can learn more about different Jersey farms in my book, Fun with the Kids New Jersey). Visitors and natives alike have a plethora of places to go to take in the wonders of Mother Nature. While we have enjoyed a number of New Jersey farms over the years, we keep going back to Alstede because there is so much to do that every visit seems like the first one.

Here, kids can get up close and personal with farm animals. My son had a full-fledged conversation with a turkey, and peeked at a hen either laying on eggs or simply digging a hole for her weary body to find rest on our most recent visit. We saw kissing donkeys, playful goats, and working horses. My son and his cousins went on pony rides and seemed to float in air in the bounce house. They got giddy and waved at Nonna from the mini hay ride for the little ones.

Of course, the whole family hopped in the back hay-ridden bed of the big boy tractor pull, which offered the chance to glimpse at geese frolicking in a fountain and rows and rows of corn stalks. You can see tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and weepy sunflowers, all of which you can pick and bring home. (You pay by the weight of your haul.) In the fall, you’ll also see sleeping peach trees and whatever is left of the raspberries. It wouldn’t be a fall fest without music, photo props all over the grounds, and the ability for every kid to pick his own pumpkin to bring home. It’s the great pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

For my son, the pumpkin is like the Christmas tree. He oohs and aahs every time the Jack-o-Lantern lights up in the dark of night. While he has ignited his devotion to the season and his love of milkshakes and apple cider doughnuts at the Alstede Farms store, I don’t see that as the magical part of our annual visits. What is most remarkable about our trips to the farms is his discovery of nature and devotion to life. This exchange tipped me off.

Me: “What was your favorite part of today?”

Baby Boy: “Seeing the pumpkin beans [he means seeds], and the caterpillar.”

All that fun stuff and this was his response? What? Then, I thought about it. Amid the pumpkins, including that broken one revealing its seeds, we found a caterpillar covered in dust and camouflaging with the ground. As it burrowed into the ground, my nephew was about to step on it. My son cried real tears and furiously yelled at his cousin. Luckily, my niece had stepped in and kept her brother from killing the caterpillar. My son said, “Don’t kill him, don’t kill him. He lives here.” I keep telling him not to kill insects outside because we need them and the outdoors is their home. This was a small victory for mom, but a victory nonetheless.

A few days earlier, his class went on a field trip to Green Meadows Farm in Hazlet, N.J. There, his teachers tell me he was unafraid to pet chickens and try his hand at milking a cow. Certainly, the farms alone are not responsible for his reverence for animals and nature. My sister, the zookeeper, had something to do with it. His nonno, the landscaper, had something to do with it. His zio, the professional foodie, had something to do with it. All the Italians in our family, who cook from scratch and maintain their perfect little gardens, had something to do with it. We, his mom and papa, who have made preserving his life and helping him understand the responsibility of his place in the world, have something to do with it.

It is with that spirit that we will continue to head to farms and gardens and pick vegetables that we bring home and cook with our own two hand. We will always love animals and appreciate what they deliver – milk, food, love, and the life cycle. And we will try to do our part to save this planet that gives us so much. We shall try, at least, to reap what we sow.

Di Meglio has written the Our Paesani column for ItaliansRus.com since 2003. You can follow the Italian Mamma on Facebook or Twitter @ItalianMamma10.

 

See Ischia in All Its Glory

Posted on

Ischia collage © Photos by Francesca Di Meglio

Ischia, the small island off the coast of Naples in Italy, is truly a vision. Say what you will about the place (and I do often), but it’s stunningly beautiful. With a backdrop of tranquil sea and lush hillsides, you can’t help but fall in love. From the moment you get off the boat at Porto d’Ischia, your eyes won’t know where to look first. Known as the Green Island (l’Isola Verde), you will see flowers, plants, and vegetables at every corner. Of course, you’ll notice an eternity of blue-green sea in front of you, calling you to take a dip.

On the street, you see old ladies – dressed in black, no doubt still mourning their late husband – selling items, such as table runners, doilies or baskets, they made by hand. The young people on their motor scooters, dressed to the nines and probably smoking cigarettes, will catch your attention. The pretty boys – who are actually men – with their perfectly coifed hair and skinny jeans always get a second look. The teenagers shouting in Italian and making out on park benches cause a scene, especially when one of the nonni come to shoo them away. And the foreigners, who are becoming more common on the island, carry colorful towels, beach cover ups, and beaded jewelry that interrupt all the other stuff around you.

If you climb into the mountains, such as in Buceto or Epomeo, you’ll see pastel colored dots amid all that greenery. Some of those polka dots are restaurants or hotels. But many are the homes of the natives. If the sun is setting, you might notice the lights of the port or the twinkling reflection on the now endlessly dark sea. A stroll through Ischia Porto’s main drag, and you’ll see glistening jewels, colorful pottery, the usual souvenirs and postcards, famous Italian sheets and towels, designer leather bags, and elegant dresses, some with long trains and others with low-cut necklines.

Of course, as I’ve mentioned time and again, you will eventually see exquisite dishes, made with the freshest ingredients and prepared with love, for tourists and family and friends alike. Whether you’re eating the popular Coniglio Ischitano (Ischian rabbit), pizza, gelato, or the spectacular seafood, your eyes will first take in the deliciousness. Each dish is a thing of beauty, always.

With so many views – the Chiesa di Soccorso in Forio, il fungo (a naturally formed rock in the shape of a mushroom) in Lacco Ameno, just about every church you encounter, the gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, that sea, those hills, you will have a hard time deciding what is your favorite to see. But for those of us who come from Ischia, the sight of the open arms of our loved ones as we get off the boat or arrive at their home is by far the most beautiful. No contest at all.

Di Meglio uses the written word to help families create memories and stick together. You can follow her on Facebook at Francesca’s Newlyweds Nest and on Twitter @ItalianMamma10.

 

 

Zi Nannina in Ischia – A Delicious Experience

Posted on

Zi Nannina Food © Photos by Francesca Di Meglio

Food can be a revelation, especially for Italians. Like any art, taking it in can teach you things about yourself and perhaps the people with whom you’re breaking bread. The acts of chewing, slurping, sipping, savoring are all intimate and personal. And the food itself sends messages. When you’re eating ethnic foods, for example, you are tasting the culture of a place. You’ll note the spices and flavors that unite their people. You’re likely sampling the kinds of meals moms make for their kids in that part of the world. It’s an experience. If you’re eating your own country’s comfort foods, you are saying – often unwittingly – “I’m part of this community and this is our grub.”

That’s why most of the Italians I know can’t wrap their brain around America’s fast food culture. Don’t get me wrong. They like some of it, namely burgers (preferably from Wendy’s), but as a “do as the Romans type of thing” when they’re visiting the United States. It’s not at all shocking to me that Ischia, an Italian tourist trap by many accounts, has not had an infestation of chain restaurants or even a McDonald’s move in yet. None of the natives would give the place much business, and the tourists have come to expect something more. Besides the fact that almost every household on the island will boast that Nonna or Mamma’s cooking bests them all, they appreciate sit-down restaurants that revere food and hold meal time on a pedestal.

These guys invented the farm-to-table philosophies that American chefs are spouting today. But they never had a name for it. It’s just how people live and eat around here. The folks who moved to the United States and other parts of Europe and Canada and Argentina have continued the tradition (or at least my people in those new places have).

Our lives revolve around food. As soon as I arrive in Ischia, my husband and I have a list of must-have treats. Among them is a meal at what is arguably Ischia’s most elegant and romantic restaurant, Zi Nannina a Mare. The images above are all from this upscale dining establishment and you’ve often seen my photos of the view of Castello Aragonese from this restaurant (if you frequently read this blog). My husband is long-time friends with the owner and one of the waiters. It’s like a homecoming when we arrive. They pretty much know what we’re going to order before we say the words – the julienne di calamari (which is thinly sliced and lightly breaded calamari on a bed of arugula and topped with Balsamic vinegar and shaved Grana Padano cheese and sauté di frutti di mare (which are clams, mussels and other shellfish sautéed in white wine and oil with toasted bread for dipping) are our usual antipasto. We’ve also become big fans of the primo piatto of spaghetti with shrimp and almond and mint pesto.

Truly, the entire experience of eating with the wind blowing in your hair, overlooking the ocean (usually full of yachts, sunbathers, and swimmers) and the castle, which is the focal point of Ischia, is so Italian that you’ll want to wrap it all up to take home as a souvenir. Then, when you take into consideration the quality of the ingredients and execution of the dishes you’re eating, replete with 5-star presentation, you’ll feel validated in your recognition that this is unique. For real. It is the embodiment of an authentic Italian summer, and it’s unforgettably delicious.

Di Meglio uses the written word to help families create memories and stick together. You can follow her on Facebook at Francesca’s Newlyweds Nest and on Twitter @ItalianMamma10.

 

Gone to Ischia

Posted on

IMG_7089

As much as I hate to admit it, I come from a gorgeous place. Sure, there are no opportunities for work, and some would argue that the tourism industry has destroyed the culture, not to mention the environment, in Ischia, a small island off the coast of Naples that is the home of my ancestors and husband. And I’d never want to live here. Never. But to vacation here is bliss.

One look at those views (the one above being of Castello Aragonese from Zi Nannina a Mare’s restaurant) and you’re breathless. You pretty much forget everything else, and calm washes over you. Then, you eat the food – rabbit, mussels, clams, the fruits and veggies fresh from the thermal earth, and all the spaghetti, pizza, and gelato you can fit into your belly – and you’re certain you’ve died and gone to Heaven. Amen.

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been since I haven’t posted in such a long while, well, I’ve been here in paradise. In between working – writing for all my various editors in the States about things like applying to business school, moving, and getting married – I have been going to the beach and eating as much as I humanly can. (To be honest, sometimes more!) Anyway, I’m doing this all for you, dear reader. This way, I can report back. Expect more posts in the coming days replete with food porn pics and some scoop on Italian life and that dolce vita I keep promising you.

Di Meglio uses the written word to help families create memories and stick together. You can follow her on Facebook at Francesca’s Newlyweds Nest and on Twitter @ItalianMamma10.