We’re late getting out our last post. Is it because we’re going through seven months of mail? Is it because Robert is tackling a garden that went wild? Is because we don’t want the trip to be over? Probably all of those things and a few more.

The trip seems like a dream at this point. It is hard to believe we were able to do this trip and to stay for seven months. We weren’t eager to go home, but then we weren’t reluctant to go home either. In Italy we got used to changing locations frequently, and returning to San Francisco was just one more relocation.

During the trip we met so many people, and, most importantly, we connected with cousins who span three generations. Some we had visited on recent trips, but others Robert had not seen for decades. We also discovered new cousins linked by great grandparents. Through the cousins we learned a few juicy family secrets that had NEVER been discussed at the dinner table in San Mateo. Italians are welcoming and so we made new friends who started as our tour guides or Airbnb hosts but became much more to us. And lest we forget, Robert frequently sampled food not designed for the faint of heart.

We are thankful that Robert’s parents—Abe and Emma—took the family to Italy during the summer of 1962. It is amazing that the bonds formed then have become enduring relationships for Robert and Bonnie, which now include our cousin’s children and their children’s children. Staying with our cousins exposed us to family life in Italy and our long stays helped us better understand Italian culture, although we know we have only seen a glimpse of what makes Italians Italian.

Our trip home

On 13 November, we left Luciana and Marta’s apartment in Rome at 3:00 AM for a 6:00 AM flight. Robert owes Bonnie big time! Our taxi driver, a former student of Luciana, made it to the airport in record time (much to Bonnie’s distress about his speed). We flew Air France from Rome to Paris and then transferred to our flight to San Francisco. Downloads on the iPad are a good thing! Robert managed to see all of Season Two of Jack Ryan on the second leg of the flight. Bonnie had plenty of downloads ready, but watched silly movies, like a Bollywood comedy, supplied by Air France instead.

Places to visit next time

Yes. We have started to think about where we would like to go on our next trip to Italy. Several places have surfaced. And if you have any other suggestions, let us know. We will add to the list!

• Brescia
• Sicily again
• Torino
• Puglia
• Milan
• Valle D’Aosta
• Monastero di San Benedetto a Subiaco (RM)
• Friuli

It would also be nice to visit more of Slovenia. And Robert might bring his fishing gear.

What months to go next time

Until Bonnie gets Italian citizenship, our visits will be no more than 90 days because of the travel restrictions in the European Union. On this trip Bonnie applied for a Permisso di Soggiorno to stay for an extended period, but the paperwork and appointments were exhausting and confusing, and they hampered our movement. We probably won’t do that next time. So we need to plan carefully. We also need to consider both hot weather and rainy weather. To minimize them, the trip will likely be March-April-May-June or August-September-October-November.

Italian Comprehension

When people ask Robert what he finds most difficult about speaking Italian, he responds “i verbi,” followed by “le parole,” followed by “e come associare i verbi alle parole per formare una frase.” (Verbs, words, and how to use them to form a sentence.)

Our comprehension of Italian has grown exponentially. One of Robert’s goals was to understand EVERYONE speaking at the same time on a political talk show. He got to 90 percent! Not bad. He did try to watch a dubbed Gilmore Girls, but found it impossible to understand more than 50 percent because of the speed of their banter.

Speaking Italian, however, while better, still needs work. For Bonnie’s Italian citizenship, she needs to pass the level B1 EU language test. (Our cousin Leonardo must pass B2 level English when he finishes high school in Italy this year.) Bonnie needs some prep classes and Robert plans to join her.

Some Stats

Total Kilometers Driven

14,375 kilometers (8,932 miles)

Number of Places Visited

Roughly 60 cities.

Total Photos and Videos Taken

More than 8,600

What we found at home

Our neighbors have been great. They collected our mail and put it into cartons for each month we were away. When we returned, Bonnie hit the seven boxes immediately. The mail is sorted, and we should get through it all in another week or so.

Mother Nature had her way with the yard. A bit of weeding to do. Even without irrigation, the yard was able to support the vigorous growth of many unwanted plants.

Our next post—???

Well, that’s it until our next big trip! We hope you enjoyed reading our posts as much as we enjoyed compiling them. It has been an adventure.