Best Life NOW! Blog

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. It is day 22!  The last post of La Dolce Vita. To sum up this trip, I found a couple quotes from others that say it much better than I ever could. I will leave you with a photo of the very best thing I saw on the way home.  In Heathrow airport, I spotted this fella - I never thought, traveling to Italy - or through Heathrow airport - that I would ever get to see a pirate.  Just another wonderful surprise that travel threw my way. La Dolce Vita is a state of mind.  I will always carry it with me. I hope this journey has been as interesting for you as it was for me! Ciao, Wendy

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. I'm going to share a collection of various photos from the trip with you today.  Enjoy! I thought this was the coolest store front. I don't have an Instagram account.  If you have one - follow this guy @arte_graco. We stopped at a rest stop - this was not a nice surprise. Coolest angel statue ever. Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. I want  you  to experience "the sweet life" as well.  So, for the next 22 days, I will be posting about a memory of Italy - and how I brought just a bit of "the sweet life" back with me. I had so much fun "photographing the photographers" on this trip.  I think I got some decent shots, for an amateur. Every time I turned around, there they were - my husband, brother in law and sometimes our nephew - getting the "perfect" shot. Little did they know, I was documenting all of their hard work. Thanks to the photographers in the family, we can enjoy all of the fantastic photos they took.   Like the one below.   Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. I want  you  to experience "the sweet life" as well.  So, for the next 22 days, I will be posting about a memory of Italy - and how I brought just a bit of "the sweet life" back with me. http://www.bougainvillea.it Did I mention that we met the nicest people in Italy?  Everywhere we went, friendly people - the locals and the tourists like ourselves. We spent a lot of time here - and enjoyed some delicious meals - and gelato.  Our beloved Bougainvillea .  I took the picture that you see above very quickly (that's my finger to the right) as we were on our way to catch a boat to Capri.  I wanted to remember this place so that we could stop on our way back. We stopped on our way back.  And almost every day for 5 days.  Sometimes twice a day. Did you know they have

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. I want  you  to experience "the sweet life" as well.  So, for the next 22 days, I will be posting about a memory of Italy - and how I brought just a bit of "the sweet life" back with me. We had to walk right past this farmer's market in Italy.  I think we were on our way to visit a museum with the group, and oh how badly I wanted to stop. I thought, how delicious it would be to get to wander around each day and pick out ingredients for your meals. To top it off, they had tables of beautiful flowers for arrangements in your home. Next time I am at the supermarket, I'm going to pick up a bouquet of flowers to bring a little la dolce vita into my home. Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. I want  you  to experience "the sweet life" as well.  So, for the next 22 days, I will be posting about a memory of Italy - and how I brought just a bit of "the sweet life" back with me. http://www.buccellatotaddeucci.com/home.htm I've been mis-pronouncing my married name for 22 years.  To be fair, my in-law's have been too. We found this out when we visited the family bakery in Lucca.  Steve has a cousin that owns the bakery. The owner of the bakery, and our cousin, on the left, Giulio Taddeucci,  and my father-in-law outside of the family bakery in Lucca, Italy. We also found these really cool signs that say, "I love Taddeucci."  So my husband thought it would be a great idea to get everyone's picture that married into the family with the s

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. I want  you  to experience "the sweet life" as well.  So, for the next 22 days, I will be posting about a memory of Italy - and how I brought just a bit of "the sweet life" back with me. Before we left for our trip, we were watching Rick Steves travel videos.  On one video, he traveled to the Isle of Capri to visit something called The Blue Grotto.  I decided I wanted to add that to our trip and Steve reluctantly agreed (he hates water.) It was truly breathtaking. The journey to the Blue Grotto and the entry inside was - well, not. First we got on a boat that took us to the vicinity of the grotto.  Then we were transferred onto a smaller boat because there were some on the larger boat not wanting to go into the grotto.  (They missed out!)  Then we were transferred int

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. I want  you  to experience "the sweet life" as well.  So, for the next 22 days, I will be posting about a memory of Italy - and how I brought just a bit of "the sweet life" back with me. I never thought about my pharmacy needs before I went to Italy.  I had packed all of our over the counter medications and sunscreen so we were good. What I forgot to pack - was the sunburn lotion.  Because we did.  Get sunburned - even with the sunscreen. No fear - there is a farmacia on every corner.   We found the closest farmacia and had a tube of lidocaine before you knew it. The other thing we didn't pack?  Cough drops and kleenex.  Who knew that two of the party of ten would come down with a cold.  No fear - find the nearest famacia.   The other thing I was fascinate

Welcome to La Dolce Vita - "The Sweet Life" - 22 Days in Rome.   In Italy, life is slower and sweeter.  I want to bring "the sweet life" into  my  life. I want  you  to experience "the sweet life" as well.  So, for the next 22 days, I will be posting about a memory of Italy - and how I brought just a bit of "the sweet life" back with me. We had wisely planned to stay in a really nice room at a hotel when we arrived in Sorrento for 2 nights.   That was an outstanding decision.   By day 14 of the trip, I was in need of a rest.  Heck, after the drive from Rome to Sorrento, I was in need of a rest! This chaise lounge was where I planted myself for much of the afternoon and into the evening. We ordered room service and happily enjoyed our meal and the view.  (That is Vesuvius off in the distance.) As the sunset moved in, my husband got some great pictures  from the balcony. Sometimes you need a night in.

We took a boat ride past five medieval villages along the coastline and stopped at Monterosso.   Monterosso is a beach town.  I loved it.  It reminded me of the beach towns in our area - Long Beach, New Buffalo, Southlake. I have to back up and tell you about the boat ride. The world is smaller than you think. On the boat, I sat next to a bride.  She and her husband had been married at the Vatican a few days before they began the tour.  They also just moved to Valparaiso - which is about 30 miles away from where we live! I also got her husband's contact information because he runs a company that, among many other services, offers to help with home clean out haul away.   The world is smaller than you think. Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

It has been a very long, very good day.  So this is going to be the most efficient post in this series. Interesting to note that on day 12 of the trip, I was feeling like it had been a very long day - and trip. Anyway, I want to share this photo with you.  This was one of the hotels we stayed at on the trip.  It was one of my favorites - not just because of the beauty of the hotel but because of the jasmine growing on the building. I wanted to bottle the fragrance.  Every time we walked anywhere near the lobby - well, it was like heaven. Since we've been home, I've been noticing the lovely smells in the air.  The air after it rains, blooming flowers, bread baking. Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

I love creepy things.  Not scary creepy, just creepy.  (Trust me, there is a difference.) We stumbled upon these creepy statutes in a park in Rome. Aren't they great? We found this statute on the Island of Capri.   Last but certainly not least, is this creepy tree.  While not a statue, it still ranks right up there for me on the creepy meter.  I love the way the lights play off of it and the shadows hit the wall. I hope I haven't creeped you out with this post.  I suppose this may not be "The Sweet Life" that I have been talking about finding in Italy, but in a way, finding these great things was pretty sweet. Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

Strolling around in the evening, we found two great bands.  Each taking turns playing classical and classic music.  They each had a beautiful canopy over them and plenty of seating in front.  Enjoying a gelato under the stars listening to beautiful music - that was a real treat. Earlier in the day, we walked down the Bridge of Sighs .  And we did indeed, sigh. We walked past some amazing store windows.  (Notice the gown and headdress in the photo.) Of course, we took a gondola ride.  I did mention in passing to my family that I wondered if any gondola's ever tipped.  I never got my question answered and luckily I never found out. Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

I didn't realize how much I enjoyed Venice until I began looking for pictures to post.  Evidently it really made an impact on me.  *Spoiler alert!*   (There is going to be a Venice - Day 3 post tomorrow.) Our guide in Venice, Marco. Marco was a great tour guide - knowledgeable, funny and well, good looking (I mean, come on ladies - am I right?) At one point during the tour, in the square there were many, many pigeons.  Marco referred to them as the rats of Venice. He said he was also happy we were visiting Venice since it's sinking.   Indeed it is. We came across this creepy face - so of course I had to take a picture.  *Spoiler alert!*  There will be many more creepy statue posts to come. Inside Doges' Palace.   More about this here. As a child, one of my favorite cartoons was The Smurfs.  Imagine my surprise when I found "Smurf gelato." "Puffo" gelato.  I didn't try it - but I did take this photo! Venic

Venice was one of my favorite cities.  Surrounded by water, it is truly unique. To get anywhere, you need a boat.  Have an emergency - the "ambulance" is a boat.  Need to move into an apartment?  You will be loading your furniture onto a boat. My favorite hotel from the entire trip is the Hotel Gabrielli .  It is beautiful - and that is such an understatement. The hotel has a long history, beginning in the late 1800's.  To my knowledge, it has always been a hotel.  Can you imagine all of the history this hotel has been a part of? Since I've been home, I've been noticing more of the history around me.  The old homes that I used to pass without noticing, I now study and think - I wonder what kind of tales this house has to tell. Do you notice history in your life?  Are you curious? Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

Verona.  The setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.   Juliet's balcony. It was a rainy, dreary day when we visited Verona.  Perfect weather, in my opinion, to visit Juliet's balcony - considering the tragic ending to Shakespeare's tale. If you have seen Letter's to Juliet , this location is pivotal in the story line. Every day, you will find hundreds of letters to Juliet stuck to the wall behind her statue.  Letters asking for Juliet's advice and guidance.  Here's the  amazing part of this story - the letters get answered.    A group of about 15 secretaries, the Club di Giulietta, divides them up according to their languages and romantic problems, and they answer them. Secretaries have been doing this since about 1940, when one of the caretakers of Juliet's house and tomb, inspired by  George Cukor 's 1936 film  Romeo and Juliet , began answering the notes and letters that had been piling up for years. When I saw the

Shrines, shrines, everywhere there's shrines!  (Get it?) In Italy, there are shrines everywhere.  They are mostly dedicated to Mary, however we did come across a shrine for the Italian sculptor, Bernini. Many of the shrines, especially dedicated to Mary, had fresh flowers.  I wondered who it was that provided them.  Some of these shrines are hundreds of years old.  To carry on a tradition of placing a bouquet of flowers at a shrine is heartwarming. Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy

I was seriously obsessed with how the locals did their laundry while I was in Italy.  Almost every building I saw, had laundry hanging out of it.  I really wish I could have found out how they did their laundry - hand washing or did they have compact washers in their teeny, tiny apartments? My obsession may have had to do with the fact that for 22 days, I could not operate my beloved washing machine.  I know it's nuts but I am one of those people that enjoys doing laundry.    What's something you love doing - but no one else you know does?  That little quirk of yours makes you, you!  Embrace it. Ciao ......  till the next post! Wendy