Bella Italia: Part 2

Orvieto

Halfway between Rome and Florence is a little city on the hill called Orvieto. It used to be a bigger city but the edges keep falling off. It also used to have so many people living in it, that the people dug out tunnels beneath the city to use as a second layer of living space. How smart is that? It's like finishing your basement, but for the whole town.

Over 1,300 tunnels weave their way under buildings and streets, most of them accessed through private homes that now use them mostly for wine storage. But back in the day, they used those caves to raise pigeons, press olives into oil, and harvest rocks for building materials. I bet some weird stuff went down in those tunnels.

Pigeon Holes

Florence & Pisa

From Orvieto, we drove the remaining few hours (with traffic) to Florence, where we proceeded to eat and sweat in equal measures for the next 2 days. We had incredible meals - caprese salads, pasta dishes, pizza, and gelato - and walked and shopped the streets around the Duomo. Some of my favorite times were running in the early morning before it got too hot and before the streets got too crowded. I ran across the Ponte Vecchio before the shops were open, and looped across the other bridges connecting the two sides of the Arno.

We took a day trip to Pisa (Dylan's favorite part of the trip) and did what tourists do at that big leaning tower - we took pictures pretending to hold it up. We also got to climb its tilted spiral staircase to the top, which is something we weren't allowed to do back in 1996 when I was last there. Apparently, the half of a degree that they were able to straighten the tower back up with over a decade of minor adjustments makes it safe enough for thousands of visitors a year to climb now. Seems sus, but hey, worth it for a good photo.

Back in Florence - once again, Michelangelo stole the show during a visit to the Accademia, where our guide Tonya explained his life, his sculpting process, and the unparalleled talent that is on display throughout his work. I found the series of sculptures, The Prisoners, to be as interesting as David, himself. To see the process of his work midway through and unfinished gave a little glimpse into the way the figures "escaped" from the stone through his chisel. I was also fascinated by the story of the man claiming to be Michelangelo, who tried to hammer apart David's foot 20 years ago before they added an alarm perimeter. That must have been quite a scene.

Venice

It was crowded. It was hot. And the canals are just so cool. It's such a different way of life on those narrow waterways, navigating the city by foot and boat, with water levels always within inches of a door or window. The islands (over 100 of them connected by small footbridges) are flooded at least twice a year. Just like Florida.

We took a tour of the Doge's Palace, rode a Gondola, watched a glass-blowing demonstration, ate more pizza and gelato, swam at the hotel pool, ate dinner on a pirate ship, and settled into that feeling one gets at the end of a trip when you're trying to keep your feet where you are, while simultaneously being pulled back to life on the other side of the ocean. 

The trip ended with a boat ride directly to the airport from our hotel, a vastly better experience than traveling to JFK. And that captured so much of what this trip was - appreciating the peak moments where they occurred - sometimes in a museum, sometimes on a water highway. And always in a bowl of pasta.

Bella Italia: Part 1

After our trip to Asia in 2019, I remember asking our kids what the best part was. We had spent 2 months exploring remote villages, visiting animal shelters, riding tuk-tuks, weaving silk, paragliding, and countless other experiences that "should" have been a favorite memory. Each of them answered the same: Disney World in Hong Kong. It was then I realized that we each get to have our own experience, even when we're having the same experience. There is no should.

For the last week, my mom, Dylan, and I have been traveling around Italy on a tour with 30 other people and a guide named Marco. The "Italia Bella" tour by Tauck gently prodded us through the sites and streets of Rome, Orvieto, Florence, Pisa, and Venice. We saw sites dating back to BC. We walked over hundreds of tombs where saints and popes and artists were buried. I won't remember most of what I heard through the audio box that channeled the voices of local tour guides at each destination. But I will certainly remember a lot about this trip. Here it is - without the shoulds.

Rome

We arrived the day before our tour started, walked to the Coliseum, took some wrong turns through the archaeological ruins, and threw coins in the Trevi Fountain. We walked back to the hotel to nap. It was hot. So, so hot. 

My mom began what would be a week-long recap of her 1967 European travels with her college friends. Not surprisingly, many of the 2,000 year old ruins haven't changed in the last 57 years. Nor has her ability to remember each and every detail of that trip.

We walked across the Tibre river to Trastevere (literally meaning "across the Tibre river"), a quaint area of narrow winding streets, graffiti'd walls, and bistros. We could have spent more time there but had to get back to start the tour by 2pm, which meant a taxi ride back to the hotel.

For the next few hours, we rode a bus around Rome. I learned that the Colosseum has (mostly) withstood earthquakes and vandalism. I marveled at the architectural ingenuity of the times. I appreciated the Romans' commitment to having a good time through sports, bathhouses, and lion fighting. I wondered if it was this hot in the 1500s. And what Galileo might have done about global warming.

We went to St. Peter's Basilica. I left there confused about the story of Christianity and who decided to make a Jewish guy the symbol of a new religion that would later fight against its own origins. I'll look that up when I get home.

The highlight of this city for Dylan, much like Disney World, was shopping at Brandy Melville. I think exploring something familiar in a place that is unfamiliar holds a special kind of intrigue. And so do tiny t-shirts that say Rome on them that will always bring her back to that epic double-story shopping dream.

For me, the highlight was a visit to the Sistine Chapel. Because Tauck is fancy, we were treated to a private after-hours tour of the Vatican. I will remember the majority of the Vatican for the stifling heat, even after the sun went down. There was also a lot of old art and tapestries but I was concentrating on breathing and minimizing the contact of my clothing on my skin.

But then we entered the Sistine Chapel. And it was air-conditioned. 

It was also breathtaking. The colors and imagery and dimension and scale of this room were something I hadn't expected. Michelangelo really does live up to the hype. I sat for a long time trying to take in each portion, but it would take days or weeks to absorb it all. I kept thinking of that scene in Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams tells Matt Damon "I'll be you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel".  It's one of those things that defies explanation. And of course, we weren't allowed to take pictures so I can't even try.

The next day we were off to Florence, by way of Orvieto...

A Day With The Yankees

Do you know that feeling when you wake up from a great dream and stay very still so you can hold onto the story just a little bit longer before it evaporates into the daylight? That’s what it felt like as I drove home Wednesday night after spending 12 hours in the bright light of the New York Yankees during their annual HOPE Week celebration.

How it happened

Last year, 17-year-old Max Freyman wrote a blog post about a fundraiser he organized at Camp Baco in memory of his dad. They posted that blog on their social media and one of the Baco alumni passed it along to her husband, who works for the Yankees. Shortly after, Experience Camps was selected as an honoree of the Yankees' annual HOPE Week initiative.

What went down

We invited 11 of our camper families in the NY area to join us for an all-day experience of surprise and delight. We arrived at Dave & Buster’s that morning to find that the Yankees had rented out the entire space. Kids were given game cards and set loose in the arcade. We gathered everyone for welcoming remarks, and in walked 10 Yankees players, who had all volunteered to spend the morning hanging out with our campers. They each paired off with 1 or 2 kids and went back to the arcade to get to know each other through the common language of Mario Cart and air hockey.

After lunch, everyone circled up for an impromptu “sharing circle”. Campers raised their hands to talk about their people that died and what it was like for them to go to camp, where everyone gets it. 

Yankees pitcher, Clay Holmes, spoke of how courageous it is to be open about your feelings and how important it is in professional sports to talk about mental health. Outfielder, Jahmai Jones, shared his story of losing his dad when he was 13, and how he wished there was something like Experience Camps for him back then. I did interviews with Bruce Beck from NBC and with the YES Network. MLB.com reported the story here.

We arrived at batting practice that afternoon and were escorted onto the field directly in front of the Yankees dugout. We had a front-row seat to each player walking out onto the field, signing balls for the kids, and warming up for the game. Manager, Aaron Boone, stopped to say hello, and the players who had joined us that morning went out of their way to greet the kids like old friends.

And then this happened…

At the end of batting practice, Jahmai Jones called me over and said, “you’re going to throw out the first pitch”. To which I replied, “no, I’m not”. I spent the next 5 minutes lightly hyperventilating and finally agreed to do it. Fortunately, I would be joined by six of our campers who I figured would distract everyone from my unpredictable throwing arm.

But first, more surprises. They lined us up on the field as the announcer introduced Experience Camps and showed a video of our morning at Dave & Buster’s on the Jumbotron, and then Haley and Julia Steinbrenner walked over with a giant check made out to Experience Camps.  Another guy appeared and presented me with a Lifetime Achievement Award from Americorp signed by President Joe Biden. I was somehow totally unaware of the stadium filled with people around me. I couldn’t believe this was all happening.

Then they hustled me and the 6 campers out onto the field, we counted to three and together threw out the ceremonial first pitch into the gloves of 7 Yankees lined up across from us. Camper, Levi, who was standing next to me, was determined to “bring the heat”. My goal was to not hit a by-stander. We both succeeded.

We got to watch the game from our seats (section 214B in case you’re curious) amongst the 60 campers, family members and ExCamps friends we were allowed to invite. The Yankees lost to the Orioles in extra innings, but most of us were sound asleep with smiles on our faces by that point, holding on to the dream.

....

Bonus Reel

Witnessing Tyler, Jake and Marc's excitement for the VIP treatment, and hanging with the incredibly kind Steinbrenner Family.

Jake and Tyler pre-batting practice

Jake and Tyler getting signatures from players

Geri, Jake and Marc's first view of the buffet in the Legacy Club

Lobster & crab legs & sliders, oh my!

The Steinbrenner Family