Italy Itinerary - April 2011
Rome - Abruzzo/Teramo - Venice

We are planning a return trip to Italy in April 2011.  Our trip will start out with a visit to Abruzzo.  From there we will take the night train to Venice for a day and a night, then we'll head to the "Eternal City" and the hills of Rome for the remainder of our visit.

Fun, Family, Food and Adventure await us all!

#1 (Wednesday - Thursday) Fly into Rome; travel through the Apennine Mountains to the Abruzzo region and Teramo near the Adriatic Sea Coast.

#2  (Thursday - Sunday) Tour the Abruzzo region for 4 days, visiting the land of our grandfather, Mario De Federicis, and our Italian cousins in Teramo.

#3 (Sunday night - Tuesday morning) Travel to Venice.  This part of the trip will be fast and furious as we take the night train and arrive in Venice early Monday morning.  We plan to spend all day Monday and early Tuesday here, which will give us plenty of time to enjoy the major attractions including the Grand Canal, St. Mark's Square and Basilica, the Rialto Market, and romantic gondola rides.

#4  (Tuesday) Leave Venice and travel by train to Rome.  Some of you may want to consider an optional stop in the beautiful Renaissance city of Florence since there is a direct train line that runs between these three major cities - Venice - Florence - Rome .  If you choose to do this, it would make the most sense to stay for a day or two in this exciting city located in the heart of Tuscany before continuing on to Rome.

#5  After a few exciting days in Rome, we plan to spend the last day of our trip in Velletri, an ancient village in the hills south of Rome.

A Wedding and a Change of Plans

Our trip to Italy this year has had a change of plans.  My brother, Danny, who recently retired at the age of 43 (shown here dancing with Margarita at his retirement party in September), just got engaged!  He and my sister-in-law-to-be are planning an October 2010 wedding - the same time of year we were planning to return to Italy.  I am very excited for them, and can't wait for the wedding.  Our trip has only been postponed slightly, and is now being planned for April 2011 - and Danny and Margarita are considering going with us. 

Danny, who retired as the PBA president for the NYS Troopers, is enjoying his retirement at his home in Saratoga Springs.  Margarita is doing her residency in a hospital in Albany, and their wedding is planned for October 30th of this year. 

We are all very excited about a big family wedding in Saratoga, so the year will go fast and before you know it, it will be 2011!  Watch for more updates on the wedding and the trip.