Ahhh... Italiahhh

My husband and I just returned from our much anticipated trip to Italy. This trip, as you'll recall, was in honor of our 20th Anniversary.

Twenty big ones, Baby!

As you also know, I made sure I went in to the trip managing my pie-in-the-sky expectations, especially in light of our honeymoon troubles two decades ago. I promised myself that I would fully participate in making the vacation experience enjoyable, keeping my vision of perfection flexible.

Street performers in Rome

But thankfully I didn't have to work too hard, as Italy did most of the work for me. My husband and I were able to relax and have the time of our lives.  Everything really WAS perfect.

Alright, mostly perfect.  On our last night in Rome, my sweetie couldn't sleep from the music blasting from the night club down the street, so you can imagine how hard the next day of overseas travel was for him. I myself slept like a bambina, as I was still under the effects of Dramamine, my medicine of choice for the ferry ride earlier that day. But apart from that, all was absolute ...

Paradiso

Spaghetti that is sweet, spicy and just a tad creamy.

Insalata di Frutti di Mare

The food.  The wine.  The beauty all around us.  Being together, sleeping in, having our own schedule without any whining... and I cannot emphasize the absence of whining enough... made for a brilliant holiday.

Insalata Caprese

How can they make gazpacho taste soooo good?

What made it really relaxing was knowing that our two kids were well taken care of by their loving aunts, uncles and grandparents.  They kept them so busy with fun activities that, according to numerous accounts, there was no whining whatsoever!

(I was ALMOST jealous.)

Here are some of the many pictures I took along our journey from Rome to Capri to Positano, then back to Rome to fly home.

Positano, The Amalfi Coast

Mornings were pure drudgery...

Fresh fruit on the veranda...

Beautiful floral arrangements...

Cappuccino

Evenings were even worse...

Sunset on the Isle of Capri

View of Positano at dusk

Bellissima notte

"When the moon hits your eye
Like a 
big pizza pie
That's amore."

Now THAT'S  Sangria!! (And a Mint Julep for The Mister.)

And I couldn't recall the last time I'd had a cocktail at 1:00 in the afternoon.

Steps down to a private little beach. We launched kayaks from here.

At Capri's Orsa Maggiore: A room with a VIEW

Fragrant flowers outside our albergo on Capri

Captain Ivan took us around the island

Exploring Capri by sea

Me thinking I'm SOMETHIN' tooling around the island!

Gorgeous turquoise and sapphire water

Loved all of the little coves and caves

La Fontelina

A restaurant accessible by boat or a short hike. You know what we chose!

Hubby and Captain Ivan looking for a good swimming spot

Beautiful cave formation

Relaxing at Il Ricci after our relaxing afternoon of boating (and we think we spotted Gerard Butler here!)

A natural bridge in the stone

View from cliff above

Cute boutique

Bougainvillea spilled out everywhere

High end shopping in Capri Town (I bought nothing.)

Capri Terrace

Intricate design is everywhere

Terraced garden on the property of our hotel in Positano.  All produce is grown on site.

Honeysuckle and flowers were everywhere

Taking time to enjoy the Mediterranean views from the hotel terrace.

Looking out over Positano

I just wish pictures could capture the wonderful 

scents and sounds.

My favorite color combo: turquoise and salmon

Ravello

Lunch poolside in Ravello

Enjoyed the crisp, cool air of the mountains warmed by the sun.

Breathtaking views!

Too much rugged beauty to speak of.

If we didn't have two children and a dog at home to take care of, I doubt we would've returned home!