It’s Great to be Back!

Yesterday, my mom and I left SFO for a two week trip back to my mom’s hometown of Ispra, along the beautiful shores of Lago Maggiore. The purpose for this trip was to bring my mom back so that she can celebrate a giant birthday party for all the 80 year olds in her home town! She is the Class of 1931…not high school class of 1931….but birth-year class of 1931. In Italy, that is how you identify yourself….sono della classe del … (I am from the class of….) Many of her coscritti (fellow 1931-ers) will be here; many of whom she hasn’t seen in more than 50 years!

We had a non-stop flight to Zurich on Swiss Air, a quick one hour layover, and then a hop-skip-and a jump over the Alps into Milan! The flight was incredibly timely and perfect…thanks to the Swiss for their precision!!!

Upon arrival in Milan, beautiful familiar faces greated us as we walked out of the “holding cell”. Of course, we walked through the “nothing to declare” line…they are really trustworthy here in Italy. They leave it totally up to you whether you want to declare your goods or not…gee, I wonder how many customers they actually get in the “something to declare” line!!! Guess they save on customs personnel that way! Ha!ha!

Being with my Italian family immediately brings me back to my childhood…I relinquish all responsibility and fall into their supportive arms! It’s wonderful! My cousin and his wife brought us to their home for some homemade tortellini in broth…a light dinner because they knew that after a long flight, we needed to have a light meal. It was perfect, and delicious! The tortellini were gorgeous, with a filling of sausage, meat, and prosciutto. The broth was made with the highest quality beef bones, and extremely light! Sorry, I didn’t take the time to take any pictures before I gobbled it down!

After dinner and some catch-up chatting, we came to our home away from home…The B & B al Lago near Ispra’s historic center. We wanted a place in town, as we are not renting a car and needed to be within an 80 year old’s walking distance range! This is a tiny place with only 3 rooms…but the rooms are spacious, clean, and modern! We even have air-conditioning! The only funky thing, and hopefully not too big of a drawback, is the crazy shower! It is in the corner of the bathroom, with a very modern shower head….BUT NO DOORS OR CURTAINS! There is a drain on the floor, a little tle lip encompassing the “shower area” , but without any doors or curtains, I’m not exactly sure how the rest of the bathroom won’t get wet when the water splashes off your body! I haven’t tried it out yet…perhaps there is some miracle of Italian engineering that will lay all my fears to rest!

I am writing this blog post at 3 am…darn time change! Can’t wait to see what tomorrow (or today, actually…I am so confused!) brings! I am so excited to experience everyday life in “my” hometown.