Christmas With Family and Friends

Our children (Conor, Lily, and Owen) and my sister (Ger) joined us for Christmas in Rome! Ger was supposed to arrive late Monday, December 19, but her flight (connecting from Seattle through Istanbul) was cancelled and she ended up spending the night at a Ramada Inn in Istanbul on the day the Russian ambassador was assassinated in Ankara ... She got to us the next day and we went out to lunch together to celebrate. 

Aunt Ger with formaggio

Then we looked forward to Lily arriving early evening on Wednesday, December 21, but her flight left Oakland (where she was visiting her boyfriend, Luke) four hours late and she missed her connection to Rome and spent the night in London. Sigh. Okay but the boys were to arrive later that night. However, when we checked Conor's flight, we could see it had left Los Angeles so late that he would miss his connection (also in Istanbul). Sigh. Owen did arrive on time, after a 12-hour layover in Paris and a little sightseeing trip of his own into town. 

The next morning (December 22, are you confused yet?), Conor arrived and we walked over to the Vatican to check out the tree and creche outside San Pietro.

Finally, that evening, Lily arrived! 

It's been hard to take many pictures or post with all the comings and goings, but we visited the Vatican museum on December 23. It is a totally wild place. 

And we had new friends over for a little cocktail party at the house to meet the kids and Ger that evening. Rose and Wayne (Seattlelites who introduced us to Caravita), Steve and Luisa (who we met there), and Gail and Louie (who we met through an expat group). 

We rested most of Christmas eve, then went to evening Mass at Caravita.



We had dinner afterwards with Wayne and Rose and also Steve and Luisa, who were both headed to All Saints Anglican church to play the organ and solo, respectively, for midnight Mass there. The dinner was excellent, especially Wayne's octopus and potato, fish being traditional in Italy for Christmas Eve. 

Christmas morning, the still very jet-lagged visitors, got up late and then we opened presents.

Then went to Christmas lunch (what else?)...

The chef recommends ... Happy holidays!

Bacala on toasts and artichoke flan ...

That night, we walked through Piazza Navona. 

Christmas market and carousel at Piazza Navona

On December 26, we went to the Roman Forum and Coliseum. 

Today, December 27, we took a private tour (with Context Tours) that focused on the Risorgimento, the movement that ultimately lead to 1870's final unification of Italy and establishment of a democratic government. Many thanks to our excellent guide, Richard, who is here reading from the 1848 Constitution engraved on the wall in the background that looks over Rome from the Janiculum hill.

One last shot (no pun intended): a "Pio Nono," the name given to the cannon balls rained down on the republicans by French troops defending Rome and Pope Pius IX (Pio Nono in Italian) on a plaque outside a church at the top of the hill.