November 2019 An Italian Heat Wave The Montefortes Sweat, Eat, and Walk Their Way Through Italy www.MonteforteLaw.com (978) 653-4092 Practical wisdom, trusted advice.
There’s no better place to spend an unbearable heat wave than Italy. This August, the Monteforte clan headed across the pond to Italy where we spent three days exploring Rome before boarding a cruise ship for our annual family cruise. We flew from Boston to Rome in early August, and, by the time we landed in the historic city, we had been awake for more than 24 hours. But, despite our sleepy internal clocks believing it was the middle of the night, Italy was just beginning its day. So, we checked into our hotel, soaked up the air conditioning, and began our Roman tour. However, we soon learned that air conditioning is a luxury not available across the city. Because it’s an older city, many of the restaurants, museums, or historic sites don’t have more than a rinky-dink window air conditioning unit. By the time we reached our hotel at night, we reeked of the day and collapsed into the cool air. Thankfully, the heat was the perfect excuse to indulge in gelato every chance we got, and we even made a cool connection with a local shop. We found Cremeria Monteforte prior to landing in Italy, and we knew we had to check it out. We don’t believe we are closely related to the owners, but it was a surreal experience to meet and talk with the little grandma who
ran the place. We even snapped a photo of her with the kids and one near the storefront sign.
France, and Spain. It was amazing to wake up in the morning, walk along a different street in Europe each day, and board the ship each evening for an amazing dinner and activities. Between touring the fragrance capital of the world in Marseille and taking in the eerie sight at Pompeii, this trip was filled with plenty of adventure. While writing this, I am still processing everything we saw and did. It still hasn’t fully sunk in that we toured Europe. Next year, the plan is to tour Greece and the surrounding region, and I already can’t wait for the memories and jokes that will come from that trip. I still smile to think of some of the memories we made this time around — like the time I grabbed a young woman’s hand thinking it was my daughter’s. The woman didn’t let go, and my family couldn’t let the situation go, either. It’s okay. Being the butt of family jokes is alright with me, especially when it happens in Italy.
Overall, I feel like we ate our way through Rome. Everywhere we went, we saw little markets or grandmas making fresh pasta. It was the freshest, best food we have ever had, and, if you ever get to Italy, eat every chance you get — you cannot go wrong. As everyone knows, Italy is home to some of the world’s most magnificent history and culture. Of course, we had to visit the Vatican, which was gorgeous and impressive. We joined a tour group to avoid waiting in the four-hour line, and we were treated to works by Michelangelo and other famous creations. Once again, no air conditioning, so we had to maneuver through a sweaty crowd in a room packed wall-to-wall with people. Thankfully, the views were worth it. And finally, we threw coins into the famous Trevi Fountain. Folklore claims if you throw a coin into the fountain, you will return to Italy someday. That’s an opportunity we would love to take again!
-Michael Monteforte Jr.
After three days in Rome, we boarded the cruise ship and took in sites across Italy,
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