Bolgheri

5-1-2009

Today is Friday and it's a holiday in Italy. Of course, the Italians NEVER stay in the city on a holiday, so today Camilla, Federico and I packed the car and headed to Camilla's cousin's house in Bolgheri with the children. Bolgheri is a seaside town and is well-known for the wine produced in the surrounding countryside and also for the stables where famous horses are kept. Camilla's cousin's name is Katerina and her husband, Guido, purchased a huge horse farm in Bolgheri ten years ago and converted the farm into a winery.

There was a lot of traffic heading out of Rome, and we were stuck in the car for hours with no end in sight. Peter was crying and the girls were frustrated. Anna had to use the bathroom, but we were locked in, no restroom to be found in bumper to bumper traffic. Finally, she had to go so badly she was crying. I had to hold a plastic bag open for her to pee in. Looking back, it was extremely comical. Mamma mia! The things I do for these kids ...

We stopped for lunch and everyone was able to have a bathroom break at last. We all ate a panino and a gelato and I even drank a Coca Cola. I hardly ever drink soda here, so when I get to have one I really enjoy it. Did you know that the coke in Italy doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup? The soda in Italy (and probably all of Europe) is made from pure sugar cane. Hmm. Interesting.

Today in the car Camilla told me she watched a documentary about the economic crisis in the US on television. Apparently this documentary said that many people in the US have lost everything and now live in tents. I couldn't help but laugh. I told her that many people have lost their jobs, but that I don't know one single person who is now living in a tent. I dunno ... I think there is more poverty in Italy than in the US. I also think that there are fewer wealthy and upper middle class families in Italy. This doesn't mean that I don't think that the USA is facing hard times.

Anyway, we arrived in Bolgheri around 4 p.m. Katerina has four children and we spent time with this family in Cortina. The children's names are Virginia, Marie-Gulia, Alberto and Madeline. Ludovica and Marie-Guilia have a special bond and it's really cute to watch them together. The house here is amazing. I'm not even surprised anymore. I have a feeling that Katerina and Guido have a ton of money, and I think Guido owns and operates something like ten wineries around Italy. They primarily live in Milan. Guido's vineyards are a lot more modern and technical that Federico's vineyard, and because of this they lack a certain charm. The vineyards here are hooked up to hoses and they have machines that monitor how much sun and water the plants are getting. CRAZY. I think Guido suffers from OCD. Camilla told me he has to have everything in order and that he can't stand chaos.

I played with the children outside and helped Camilla make beds and unpack the car. The next day we went to the beach and had a picnic. It was a nice weekend away, but as usual, I was happy to get back to Rome!