Seren and I spent one of our last mornings here in Pavia visiting the old church that we pass by daily. I’ve written about it before, called Basilica di San Michele Maggiore, but haven’t had the chance to go inside and had wanted to after reading about its history. The church is one of the most ancient in Italy and dates back to the 11th century. It was destroyed in a fire in 1004 and its current construction was completed in 1155. One of the most amazing relics in the church is a cross that dates back to the 7th century (see picture). It was a beautiful church and such a nice way to start our day.
We then strolled around town visiting our local friends and saying good bye. These are the people & places that helped to make our daily existence here in Italy so unforgettable. What I will remember the most about the time has, without a doubt, been the people…they are all so extremely friendly and helpful. The pasta lady single-handedly kept the Fowler family alive with her amazing food. If I could convince her to come back to the states with us so that all of you could experience her food, I would. We gave each other big hugs and kisses and promised to come back one day to visit her again. The gelateria down the street, is by far, the best one around and always has a line out the door. While waiting for our gelato this evening a nonna managed to feed Seren some! After trying a different flavor everyday, we finally narrowed down the top two favorites to be ‘bacio’ which is chocolate with bits of hazelnut (kind of like nutella) and ‘pistacchio’, both out of this world! The green grocer, the waitress at our favorite café and the ladies at the bakery all fell in love with ‘serena’, as they would call her and make her smile & laugh with their ‘ciao, ciao’ and ‘bella’ remarks.
We are leaving this Saturday morning and will be extremely sad to have to leave this beautiful country. I have a new appreciation for the food & people of Italy and if I had to sum it up into one word, it would be ‘simple’. The food was so uncomplicated…a few key ingredients, that were all organic and fresh, tossed together or prepared by local hands and poof! Some of the best food we’ve ever had! The people too, are in so many ways, simple. -- choosing to focus on enjoying life with their families and friends. And not just saying it, but actually practicing it daily, while not feeling guilty for it. And as many know, they are passionate…showing their emotions with such ease and authenticity. It has been amazing being surrounded by all these things and hopefully, we can continue to practice what that we’ve learned here.
We will also cherish all the amazing memories and pictures of our time here with Seren. Although she won’t be able to remember any of this, I’ll always remember this special time when we were able to experience another culture, place and time as just us, our little family.
And lastly, but most importantly, is that we could share this with all of you. We feel so fortunate to have had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and better even to have been able to share it with you in this unique way – so thanks for checking in periodically and for your positive feedback! We’ll hopefully be able to see some of you soon and hope that you are well.
La Dolce Vita!
Ciao!!
- The Fowler Clan -
We then strolled around town visiting our local friends and saying good bye. These are the people & places that helped to make our daily existence here in Italy so unforgettable. What I will remember the most about the time has, without a doubt, been the people…they are all so extremely friendly and helpful. The pasta lady single-handedly kept the Fowler family alive with her amazing food. If I could convince her to come back to the states with us so that all of you could experience her food, I would. We gave each other big hugs and kisses and promised to come back one day to visit her again. The gelateria down the street, is by far, the best one around and always has a line out the door. While waiting for our gelato this evening a nonna managed to feed Seren some! After trying a different flavor everyday, we finally narrowed down the top two favorites to be ‘bacio’ which is chocolate with bits of hazelnut (kind of like nutella) and ‘pistacchio’, both out of this world! The green grocer, the waitress at our favorite café and the ladies at the bakery all fell in love with ‘serena’, as they would call her and make her smile & laugh with their ‘ciao, ciao’ and ‘bella’ remarks.
We are leaving this Saturday morning and will be extremely sad to have to leave this beautiful country. I have a new appreciation for the food & people of Italy and if I had to sum it up into one word, it would be ‘simple’. The food was so uncomplicated…a few key ingredients, that were all organic and fresh, tossed together or prepared by local hands and poof! Some of the best food we’ve ever had! The people too, are in so many ways, simple. -- choosing to focus on enjoying life with their families and friends. And not just saying it, but actually practicing it daily, while not feeling guilty for it. And as many know, they are passionate…showing their emotions with such ease and authenticity. It has been amazing being surrounded by all these things and hopefully, we can continue to practice what that we’ve learned here.
We will also cherish all the amazing memories and pictures of our time here with Seren. Although she won’t be able to remember any of this, I’ll always remember this special time when we were able to experience another culture, place and time as just us, our little family.
And lastly, but most importantly, is that we could share this with all of you. We feel so fortunate to have had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and better even to have been able to share it with you in this unique way – so thanks for checking in periodically and for your positive feedback! We’ll hopefully be able to see some of you soon and hope that you are well.
La Dolce Vita!
Ciao!!
- The Fowler Clan -
1 comment:
A fabulous blog! You had us enjoying your experiences all month. Thanks for sharing in such a wonderful way.
Talk to you soon. Safe trip home.
Love, Mom and Dad
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