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Report 283: Gelato Journey--A Family Odyssey in Italy!

By teresa mcmomx4 from TX, Summer 2003

Page 4 of 4: Part 4 - Southern Italy to Lucca

I failed to mention when we walked through the grounds of Selian for the first time that Hayden said " This is just like in "A to Z Mysteries" (a series he is reading) "where everyone eats together and they solve the crime! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!"

While we stayed at Seliano, we spent 5 hours at the Paestum museum and site of the ancient city. It was fascinating--some of the tombs were discovered by a 1st LT. in the Army during WWII. The Americans were going to build an airstrip and this LT., who happened to be an archeologist, halted all work. He successfully excavated at least two tombs and had the airstrip moved! The museum was difficult to follow, but worth the effort.

We also visited Herculaneum. We passed on Pompeii due to the size and the heat. We were also told by our British friends that the ruins in Herculaneum were better preserved. I cannot judge that comment, but I can say WOW! What a site. Here was a resort town for wealthy Romans at the time of Vesuvius' erruption. The site is very well preserved because the mud flowed into the town instead of raining down on it. There are pieces of furniture, many roofs still intact and many skeletons(viewing of only three). Only about 25% of the town has been excavated because the modern city rests on the surface. If you like ancient history, I highly recommend this site. In summer, you can see the site mostly in the shade and the crowds are somewhat less.

Point to remember--crime is bad in this area. The Police have a parking lot 50 yards up the street from the entrance. It was nice to leave the car knowing it was in this lot.

One of the joys of travelling with children, is that you interact with native children. This was true at Seliano. Our children became friends with the son of one of the cooks and they taught him "Go Fish". Simone's english was much better than my children's Italian. To help both learn, Simone spoke English and my kids spoke Italian. So, Go Fish became Via Pescare! It was amazing how quickly they picked up little phrases--some followed us throught the whole trip! The world became smaller for them that day.

We left Seliano reluctantly. New friends, great food and culture all in one place! Hard to beat, but we headed to Lucca for a weeks stay in a house. No more meals prepared with thought! No one making our beds! I failed to mention earlier that the housekeeppers even did our laundry without us asking. It was on the drying rack outside the room when we returned from one adventure. Ahhhhhhh---it was grand!

The drive to Lucca was much longer than we had calculated. We ate lunch Southeast of Rome at an Autogrill. It was okay, but the smoking drove us all nuts. Just north of Rome, we hit a cold front! What a blessing! We watched the temperature fall from 32 degrees Celcius to 19 in less than 30 minutes. To top that off, we entered a Hail Storm! We were so shocked. Fortunately, the hail was small and did not damage the rental car, but what a ride! Who'd uh thunk it! In the dead of Summer--HAIL!! We were to pick up friends at the Lucca train station at 7:00 and it was already 5:30! We were at least 2 hours away! Matt drove like a banchee and we all held on. To no avail! We arrive at 7:30 to find the station empty!

We went on to our villa that is perched on the hillside overlooking the valley thinking our friends would be there--but no. The train was late, so they had taken a cab, but to the wrong address! Our host at the villa was kind enough to lead us to them and lead us back--if he had not, we'd still be driving around today! Those roads were wild!!! We were all exhausted and slept well that night!

When I had mentioned to people that we were staying outside of Lucca, the response was "Why??" or "Where is Lucca???". But I am here to tell you this is the best location!! The tourists are present, but in such small amounts you don't notice them. There are wineries dotting the area and they are so accomodating. From this location you can drive to the mountains which are nothing less than stunning, go to the beach or visit Florence, Siena and San G. Granted, you are not in the "Tuscany" we all know and love, but you are not in the crowds either. I would stay here again, most definately.

We rented our four bedroom house from Maria Bandoni Rentals. It was built in the 1700's and was used as the wine making facility of the estate. It is in close proximatry to the main house. This house was built in the 1600's and could make you drool. It was four stories, flat facade save the double staircase that lead to the entry on the 2nd floor. Inside the entry hung a Murano glass chandelier as big as me! Pick my jaw off the floor, please. Come to find out, our host is a famous shoe designer, whose name I cannot find at the moment. He spoke no English, so my husband dealt with his wife. It was unbelievable.

The view was no less spectacular. It faced south and you could see to Monte Carlo to the east and almost to Lucca proper in the West. I will have pictures posted soon. The grounds were lovely, complete with a great swimming pool, a must for children.

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Report 283: Gelato Journey--A Family Odyssey in Italy!

Page 4 of 4: Part 4 - Southern Italy to Lucca

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