218 – Part 1. Arriving in Wales / Louise and Melinda’s Wales Holiday

Melinda and I had been planning our trip to Wales for some time. Paul and I had not been able to get back to the UK for over 2 years, and was feeling really homesick, and was really missing my family, especially our grandchildren. I am not good at traveling on my own, however my American friend, Melinda, who lives in Minturno, kindly offered to accompany. This was to be her first trip to Wales. So we were counting down the days until our joint holiday.  We flew to Bristol, England via Easyjet.

Melinda and me, Louise

Unfortunately there are currently no direct flights to Cardiff airport, which would have been our preferred destination. Our Bristol flight was due to land at around 7pm, so rather than rushing to pick up the hire car late that evening, we had opted to book a room for that night in a little guesthouse in the nearby village of Winford situated in the Chew Valley. We hired a taxi at the airport which dropped us and our luggage off at The Oaks B&B.

Beforehand I had done my homework, and I knew it was only a short walk from here to the village pub, which went by the name of the Prince of Waterloo, where we both ordered a Fish and Chip and Mushy Peas Supper. How I had longed for fish and chips whilst living in Italy !!! And we were not to be disappointed, it was delicious. Melinda, who loves to sample new beers ordered a pint of Cornish Tribute which also went down very well.

Our twin room at The Oaks Bed and Breakfast was very comfortable.

We found the owner to be very kind and helpful. She told us that previously she and her husband had run the Prince of Wellington pub.

Melinda making friends with the pub’s cat

The following morning, after a good breakfast, Melinda and I had a little time on our hands, so we decided to go for a walk and explore the village.

A taxi picked us up and deposited us at the car hire depot at the airport. For a month or more I had been practicing my driving skills. We have been living in Italy for 11 years now, and during that time I have hardly driven at all. Italian drivers can be quite scary, however I really wanted to hire a car for our Wales trip, so I had to force myself to overcome my fear.

We hired a Toyota Yaris, which was a little strange to drive at first but I soon began to get the hang of it. On that day I wanted to avoid motorway driving so we took a cross country route which eventually got us to Aust, where we crossed the River Severn and the River Wye over the Old Severn Bridge

CC BY-SA 2.0 –  flickr photo by jamie taylor

We had now entered my beloved Wales.  We then headed into Chepstow and on to the small nearby village of Itton where our first holiday cottage was located. This charming cosy country abode was to be our home for a week. The owner of the property, Helen, made us feel very welcome.

“Clare’s Cottage” was beautifully decorated, warm and well equipped.  The cottage also had a beautiful garden.

There were some lovely free range chickens running around the garden.

We soon made friends with some of the neighbours !!!

*

Highly recommended !!! A great position for exploring the local towns and beautiful countryside of Monmouthshire.

More information about “Clare’s Cottage

*photos by Melinda Abbott

All other photos by me © Louise Shapcott

(except where  photos have been rightfully accredited to the photographer / owner)

#cottage #wyevalley #itton #monmouthshire

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Tre Cancelle Farmhouse Apartments Near Sperlonga / Itri, South Lazio, Italy

208 – Alison, Shannon and Niamh’s Summer Break at Tre Cancelle – Part 2

Recently we have had the pleasure of getting to know a lovely Italian family who live in Italy, although Santo originates from Sicily. They have a large family with two grown up sons, Ivano and Jordan, three daughters, two of them are in their teens, Miriam and Sharon, and then there is the piccolina  Ysabel who is just 5.

We thought it would be a good opportunity for Shannon and Niamh to meet Anna, Santo and their girls.  Shannon had studied Italian for a couple of years when she was at school, so has some knowledge of the language, although perhaps a little rusty.

Anna, Santo and their daughters popped in to see us one afternoon so that they could meet the Shannon, Alison and Niamh. Anna speaks English fairly well, and Miriam and Sharon are also keen students and would like to develop their language skills.

Niamh, Alison, Shannon, Anna, Santo Miriam, Ysabel, Aneurin and Max

Anna invited us to their home in Itri for “afternoon tea” which was lovely.  Anna then said she would like to teach us how to make pasta and so we organised a date, time and the venue, which was to be Tre Cancelle.  Sadly Alison wasn’t going to be able to take part in this, as her two week holiday had just about come to and end and before long she was winging her way back home.

On the designated afternoon Santo, Anna and the girls arrived and Anna was keen to get started.  Sharon and Miriam started to prepare the meatballs and the tomato sugo, in which they were to be cooked.

To make the pasta Anna used 2 kilos of Italian 00 type flour, also known as farina di grano tenero, and 12 eggs.

(I would just like to point out that this made a huge quantity, so perhaps it would be better to at least halve the quantity). 

I thought Anna would use an electric mixer to blend the pasta mixture, but no !!! Anna stated that it was better to get your hands in there, so as to be able to feel the consistency of the dough.

At first it became a sticky mess !!!

However, as they continued working the dough by kneading and stretching the mixture it gradually began to come together and eventually  form a smooth soft ball.

Then this was left to rest for a little while.  Anna had brought along her manually operated pasta machine.  I have one too, however I must admit it sits right at the back of one of my kitchen cupboards, and to my shame I have only used it once.

The dough was then divided up into small lumps.

Little Ysabel wanted to help too.

The rollers of the pasta machine had been set to the thickest setting. One by one the lumps of pasta dough were coaxed into the machine’s roller mechanism.  Then as the handle was turned it began to churn out strips of pasta.

This was just the first rolling.

The strips were then laid out on a clean surface to dry for a few minutes.

The pasta roller mechanism was then adjusted to a slightly thinner setting and the pasta strips were once again fed into the machine, which duly churned out slightly longer and thinner strips of pasta.

Once again the pasta had to be laid out on a clean surface to dry for a few minutes. We were running out of space in our kitchen !!!

The roller was adjusted once more and the pasta rolled out.

Now ….  Was the pasta thin enough? 

No, Anna thought it needed one more rolling !!!

“Che pazienza !!!”

Finally the sheets of pasta were of the right thickness.  So the next step was to feed the strips through a different set of rollers which had a cutting attachment that had been adjusted to make tagliatelle.

Brava Anna !!!

Mamma Mia !!!  Pasta Galore !!! Tante tagliatelle !!!

The tagliatelle were left to dry out a little. We had made such a large quantity that we bagged some up to put in the freezer.

A huge saucepan was put on the gas hob and filled with water.  A little salt was added. Once the water was bubbling the tagliatelle were added a little at a time.  This freshly made pasta only needed a few minutes to cook and then the pasta was drained in a colander.

The meatballs were removed from the rich tomato sugo.

 The sauce was added to the drained tagliatelle

and the pasta tossed so that all of it was evenly coated. 

The meatballs and a little extra sugo were served on top with of course

a generous sprinkling of parmeggiano.

Buon Appetito !!! Mangia !!!

We all ate “al fresco” out on the terrace.

Buonissimo !!!

Niamh, Shannon and Anna

Miriam, Sharon,

Niamh, Shannon and Anna

Miriam, Santo, Sharon,

Niamh, Shannon and Anna

Thank you to Anna, Santo and their girls for sharing this fun packed afternoon and evening with us. 

It was such a wonderful experience for us all.

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Sisters !!!

Some of the other things that Shannon, Niamh and Alison achieived / enjoyed during their stay here at Tre Cancelle included:

Helping Paul to re-build a dry stone wall, helping to prepare the apartments for guests, helping me (Louise) with some jewellery making,  a trip to the beach at Sant’Agostino, wandering around the local markets of Gaeta and Fondi, sunbathing and cooling off in the swimming pool, and of course sampling ice-cream.

The girls are real animal lovers and have numerous pets at home.

They also helped out with the horses

which were proving to be ardent escapologists.

Paul has been feeding a stray cat for several months now, a big white fluffy thing and just recently, during the girls’ stay, two more cats have turned up here, The girls have named them “Starla” and “Chester” and we’ve also caught a fleeting glance of a little kitten.

Shannon and Niamh also helped to bath the dogs, and generally spoiled them by giving them lots of treats, fuss and attention ……

….. especially Max.

Sorry Paul, I just had to sneak this picture in !!!

Just to say “Thank You” girls for all your help,

your great company and for sharing with us your fun and laughter !!!

Niamh is to return to Tre Cancelle

soon with her parents and other sisters Caitlin and Bethan.

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Soon after getting back to the UK,

Shannon and Alison attended their graduation ceremony

and they are both about to start their new jobs.

Well done girls and good luck with your future careers !!!

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Tre Cancelle Farmhouse Apartments Near Sperlonga and Itri in South Lazio

207 – Alison, Shannon and Niamh’s Summer Break at Tre Cancelle – Part 1

In June we welcomed Shannon, Niamh and Alison to Tre Cancelle.  This was not to be their first visit, especially for Shannon and Niamh who have stayed with us many many times now, in fact we are practically like family.  The three girls had just completed their exams, Shannon and Alison had just taken their finals at university and Naimh her ‘A’ Levels. They now had some well deserved time off and we hoping to relax a little and unwind from the stresses and strains of the last new months. Shannon and Niamh, who are sisters, were to stay for a month with us, and Alison for 2 weeks. They very kindly volunteered to help with a few jobs around Tre Cancelle during their time with us.

Alison, Shannon, Niamh

The grass and weeds in the olive groves had grown almost waist high, and if left like this would become a definite fire risk during the hot and dry summer months.  Since his heart problems Paul does not have the energy to strim all the grounds, so Pietro had recently brought back some of his horses to graze under the olive trees and at the same time do a little natural fertilization !!!  This time there were 6 mares, and old Pino came back just for a few days.  Alison is a lover of horses so she was in her element.

The girls’ visit coincided with Kay and Elsie being here for a few days. Last year Kay and Elsie drove to Tre Cancelle from South Wales.

Here is Kay relaxing in the pool.

We were all invited to have lunch with our American friends, Pat and Melinda, at their apartment in the characteristic Medieval town of Minturno.  Their property has a beautiful sun terrace with a magnificent panorama of the Campania coastline and plains.

Elsie and Kay

The following day Shannon and Alison were on tenterhooks as the results of their final exams were due to be published imminently.  Suddenly we heard high pitched screaming and screeching !!! The girls were elated !!! Both Shannon and Alison had obtained first class honour degrees. 

We decided to celebrate with a bottle of bubbly to congratulate them both on their wonderful achievements.

Shannon and Alison’s visit also coincided with the arrival of our grandson Aneurin, his Mum Emma and another of our good friends, Michäel.

We all decided to celebrate being together by going for a meal at one of our favourite restaurants in Campodimele. Pat and Melinda have nicknamed it as the “Gas Station”. They decided to tag along with us too.  I have written about the “Casareccia” restaurant before,  Maria’s food there is simply divine !!!

Alison, Shannon and Niamh were inspired to do some cooking of their own.  Our amareno cherry trees had a bountiful crop this year.  The girls and Aneurin helped to de-stone them.

Some were to be used to make jam. Some were bagged ready to go into the freezer and some were set aside to make a bottle or two of cherry liqueur (see more about making liqueurs below).

This was the girls’ first attempt at jam making.

They also had a go at making some lemon marmalade.

They baked a cake or two …..

….. and then tried their hand at making scones to go with the jam.

The scones came out of the oven more like biscuits.  Shannon named them the “Scones of Death” !!!  Paul still devoured them anyway and lived to tell the tale !!!

Now moving on to Making Liqueurs. 

Melinda was keen to have a try at making some home-made liqueurs, and she started using some of our amarena cherries, and some white mulberries that had been gifted to us by Frank. I had never seen white mulberries before. Shannon was more than happy to assist Melinda.

photo by Lazaregagnidze   CC BY-SA 4.0

The cherries were washed and then dropped one by one into a large wine bottle. When each of the bottles were approximately two thirds full neat alcohol was added until it covered all the fruit. The fruit in the alcohol then has to be left to steep for between 30 or 40 days.  Ideally you need to shake the bottles from time to time.

After this period the mixture must then be strained and filtered to remove the fruit from the liquor.  Next between 300 and 500 grams of sugar  is slowly dissolved in a pan containing a litre of warm water to make a clear syrup, Then this must be left to cool thoroughly.  The infused alcohol is then diluted with the sugar syrup using about the same amount of syrup to alcohol, however some people may elect to add a little less if they want the liqueur to pack a real punch.

Melinda and Shannon carried out the same procedure with the mulberries.

Next – Walnut Liqueur

This liqueur is traditionally made on the feast day of St John the Baptist which falls on the 24th June. So we took 24 green immature walnuts from our tree. These then needed to be cut into quarters and placed into a larger bottle with a wider neck, such a demi-john or kilner jar.  A cinnamon stick, a vanilia pod and 5 cloves were then added and enough alcohol to cover the fruit, and were then set aside to steep as above.

Next – Cedrino Liqueur

In our garden with have a cedrino or lemon verbena bush, the leaves when crushed between one’s fingers give off a wonderful lemon aroma.   We gathered 120 cedrino leaves and dropped them into a large wine bottle.

We then added the rinds of 4 lemons and topped the bottle up with a litre of alcohol and left it to steep.

Let’s wait and see how all the liqueurs come out !!!

Melinda can’t wait !!!

photos except where indicated are © me, Louise Shapcott, Shannon White and Melinda Abbott

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Last year Last year Kay and Elsie drove to Tre Cancelle from South Wales:

182 – Kay and Elsie’s 2014 Mega Road Trip To Italy

A previous post about the Casareccia Restaurant:

177 – Ristorante La Casareccia In Campodimele

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Tre Cancelle Farmhouse Apartments Near Sperlonga and Itri in South Lazio

205 – Aneurin’s Italian Holiday 2015

We haven’t been able to make a trip back to the UK for some time now, and I must admit that sometimes I do feel homesick, with regard to seeing our family, especially our grandchildren.  So we were delighted to hear that Emma, Michael and youngest grandson Aneurin had booked flights for a little Italian holiday. 

They spent the first few days in Firenze where they stayed in a lovely BnB called Casa Palmira which they would highly recommend.  They also greatly enjoyed taking in many of the beautiful sights of Florence.

They all then drove down to Itri.  My goodness how Aneurin has grown.  He is now 4½ years old, and quite tall for his age.

 We celebrated their arrival with a meal at the Bellavista Restaurant.

Aneurin just loves pizza !!!

And Italian chocolate ice-cream !!!

He loves having his photo taken while he is pulling funny faces !!! He has such a charming character. I could see him perhaps becoming an actor or some sort of performer in years to come.

Aneurin loved his frolicks in the pool even though it was a little on the chilly side for some !!! The weather has been quite cool so far this summer.

Chiara came to play, however her Mamma thought it was too cool for swimming in the pool. It seems that we Brits are of sturdier stock !!!

As you can see Aneurin seems to have no fear !!!

Also 5 year old Isabel and her family paid us a visit.

Alas, Aneurin’s  five days in Itri passed so quickly,

and too soon we had to say our good-byes.

We miss you and our other two fine young grandsons,

Jamie and Tommy, so much !!!

We hope we can manage to organise a trip back to the UK

perhaps in the Autumn.

Sending love and hugs to you all

Nonna and Nampi

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All photos by me © Louise Shapcott

#holiday #itri #italy #TreCancelle

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Tre Cancelle Farmhouse Apartments Near Sperlonga Beaches and Historic Itri, South Lazio, Italy

202 – Our New 2015 Video For Tre Cancelle Farmhouse and South Lazio Italy

I (Louie) have been beavering away once again on the old computer.

Using  my own photos I have  put together a

new 2015 Video Slideshow of our Tre Cancelle Farmhouse.

Please do take a look – We hope you will enjoy it ………..

2015 “Tre Cancelle” Farmhouse Holiday Apartments

We also have a video about this beautiful and interesting region of

South Lazio in Italy:

“Beautiful South Lazio”

This beautiful mountainous / coastal region of South Lazio (within the provinces of Latina and Frosinone) is rich in history, architecture, culture and natural beauty.  Indeed it is blessed in many ways :

The beautiful coastline of the Riviera Di Ulisse / Ulysses Riviera (sometimes also know as the Costa Pontina or Pontine Coast) is considered to be one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in Italy.  

Sperlonga Coastline

It takes its name from Greek mythology.  According to Homer’s ancient work the “Odessey” and Virgil’s later work the “Aeneid”, the legendary Greek hero Odysseus / Ulysses, having fled from the Aegean following the fall of Troy, for 10 years navigated the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea and eventually set foot on these golden Italian shores.  

Odysseus / Ulysses

This picturesque Riviera Di Ulisse, with its numerous golden sandy beaches, rocky coves, hidden caves and sheltered harbours, and the pretty seaside resorts of Sperlonga, Gaeta, Formia, Terracina, San Felice and the Pontine Islands, is noted for its temperate climate, and rainless summers.

Sperlonga

Gaeta

The rocky cliffs are a haven for Free Climbers.

Yet close by are the dramatic Aurunci, and Ausoni, mountains which border the Southern Appenines and the Abruzzo National Park.  This is an area of outstanding natural beauty, with a diversity of landscapes:  Pretty medieval hill towns; verdant tranquil hillsides; olive groves; rivers, lakes; craggy peaks and protected nature reserves.

Itri Nestling In The Aurunci Mountains

View of Bella Itri

South Lazio is ideally positioned midway between Rome  and Naples making it an ideal base for taking day trips to these noble historical cities and also to  Pompei, Herculaneum and Vesuvius, to Montecassino,  to the Royal Palace of Caserta and Anzio.

The South Lazio area is popular with Italian visitors during the month of August, however out of season it reverts to a peaceful setting that is still largely undiscovered by international tourists.

So …

Come And Discover Beautiful South Lazio !!!

For more details about our

2 Comfy Farmhouse Holiday Apartments

and other local Holiday Villas  

please go to our Website at :

http://trecancelle.shapcott-family.com

 

All photos by me © Louise Shapcott

#holiday #apartments #sperlonga  #itri #italy #vacation #homes #rentals #villas #SouthLazio

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184 – August Ferragosto

“Ferragosto” falls on the 15^th August and is to celebrate the feast of the Assumption.  It is roughly equivalent to the British August Bank Holiday, and when the whole of Italy grinds to a halt.  In more affluent times many Italians would take the whole of the month of August as their holiday, still many shops and business post up notices “Chiuso Per Ferie”, meaning closed for the holidays. However in these days, with the present problems and the “crisi” in Italy many families can only afford to take a week or so as holidays, some only a day or two around Ferragosto. 

Augustus Pontifex Maximus

It’s name is derived from the Latin phrase “Feriae Augusti” as  its origins date right back to pre-Christian times when the emperor Octavian Augustus declared the period to be a a day of rest back in 18 BC.  Other Roman summer festivals included the “Vinalia Rustica” or the “Consualia” which celebrated the harvest and the successful end of the agricultural season.

Italians spend Ferragosto celebrating with family and friends and always a large meal is somehow included. This year we were very kindly invited to join our friends Pauline and Filippo, who also live in the countryside around Itri.  This is the view from their house.

It seemed that most of their family were also invited. 

These lovely ladies are in their late 80’s !!!

Of course there is always an animated conversion.

Preparing the Barbecue

Of course, it goes without saying, that there were copious amounts of delicious food …..

By the end of it we were fit for bursting !!!

Then it was somebody’s great idea to start again and to go and make some more !!!

“Mamma Mia !!!”

“Pizze Fritte”

“Mangia !!!”

Thank you to Pauline and Filippo and all the family for including us in their Ferragosto celebrations.

Happy Holidays !!!

All photos by me © Louise Shapcott

#ferragosto #italy #holiday #itri #latina

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Tre Cancelle Farmhouse Apartments Near Sperlonga Beaches and Historic Itri, South Lazio, Italy

183 – Aussie Cousins Come To Visit

It was an absolute delight to have my cousins Cathy and Jeff come and stay with us during the month of June. They had left Australia to visit family in the UK and spend to some time in Wales, a place Cathy loves dearly, where her parents were both born.  Then prior to coming to us they had spent a couple of weeks on a farm in Umbria visiting old friends and helping to look after their flock of sheep.  When they arrived here at Tre Cancelle they came with a wonderful Peccorino cheese which was utterly delicious.

It had been 16  long years since we had seen Cathy.  These photos were taken on her last visit with her mother. Sadly Aunty Betty is now is in her 90’s and in a nursing home.

Aunty Betty and Cathy on their last visit

Cathy doing her Boadicea impression !!!

However it seemed like no time had passed at all as we all got on so well.  Their visit coincided with that of our most frequent visitors, namely Kay and Elsie who are  always good fun to be around.

My Aunty Betty and Uncle John had decided to emigrate to Australia in the 1960’s at the time when there was a scheme which encouraged the British to relocate to Australia.  They were enticed by promises of employment and housing, a more relaxed lifestyle and a better climate.  For the assisted passage adults had to pay just £10 each and children traveled for free.  Such families became known as the “ten pound poms”.   

I can remember that they came to stay with us at Woodside before the set off on their new adventure.

Andrew, me Louise and Cathy

Cathy, Andrew and me Louise

Me Louise, Cathy, Andrew

What an incredible experience it must have been for my cousins travelling around the world by ship. 

The family eventually settled in Melbourne and there they made a good life for themselves.

So, back to the present …………..

Cathy

Cathy is a superb cook and was keen to get into the kitchen. 

She produced the most wonderful vegetable lasagne that I have ever tasted.  “Delizioso !!!” “Squisito !!!”  “Brava!!!”

Indeed we enjoyed some wonderful meals together out on the terrace “al fresco”.

Jeff is a very talented artist and he took me and Elsie up to the Bellavista, where there is a marvellous view of Itri and its ancient castle, to do some sketching – it was really enjoyable.

This is Jeff’s finished sketch.  Just Beautiful !!!

 This is another that he did of the view from our terrace.

Cathy and Jeff, Kay and Elsie kindly helped us around the place, weeding and watering the veggie patch, even helping to bath some of the dogs.

One day we drove down to the nearby coastline and we showed them some of the wonderous delights that  Sperlonga offers.  This is one of my favourite places and I always make sure I have my camera at the ready.

Looking down to the Grotto of Tiberius

and the Roman excavations and Museum.

Sperlonga’s beautiful sandy Levante Beach

We came across a newly wedded couple who were having their photos taken in the romantic setting of the old town.

“Che principessa !!!”

One evening we all went out to our preferred little restaurant that is tucked away in Campodimele – The “Casareccia”. 

Elsie and cousin “Caterina”

Me, Paul and Kay

Maria’s dishes never fail to satisfy us.

Jeff

Bella “Caterina”

So Cathy and Jeff, please don’t leave it another 16 years before we get to see you again. 

We really hope it will be much sooner than that !!!

All photos by me © Louise Shapcott

#emigration #australia #TenPoundPoms #casareccia #campodimele

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Tre Cancelle Farmhouse Apartments Near Sperlonga Beaches and Historic Itri, South Lazio, Italy

169 – Summer Family and Friends

We had a  hot and busy summer, and Paul was very pleased as he managed to recruit some extra helpers to assist him with chores around Tre Cancelle.

Firstly our cousin’s son Alex volunteered to come and lend a hand for a week, and his stay coincided with a visit from our youngest grandson, Aneurin, and his Mum Emma.  Paul soon put them to work !!!

More fencing was required as Pino, our horse, was becoming a dab hand at escaping from his enclosure on a regular basis.  There was lots of wood to be collected from the groves, from the trees that had been pruned back in the Spring.  Both Emma and Alex worked like Trojans, despite the heat, and little Aneurin did his bit too by helping to fill up the wood shed.

We were happy to welcome the return of the White family, who are regular visitors to Tre Cancelle. (You may recall that they helped us last summer when a wild fire came dangerously close to our olive grove) – https://trecancelle.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/146-fire-at-tre-cancelle-august-2012/

Sadly Andrew could not make it this time, as he was recovering from heart surgery.  Jenny and the girls, Caitlin, Niamh and Bethan thoroughly enjoyed helping to look after Aneurin and fussing over Max, who had recently become a house dog, having been bullied by one of our adoptees, ie Henry.

Once again the pool came into its own ……..

Many happy evenings were enjoyed whilst dining together “al fresco”.  One evening Emma gave a cookery lesson for the girls and they all made pizza …..

Very tasty it was too !!!

We managed to fit in a quick visit to Atina with them all ……

and a quick visit to see cousins Mario and Mara.

Sadly too soon it was time for the Whites to make their way home.

We wish you could have stayed longer !!!

Meanwhile we enjoyed some more extra special time with Aneurin and Emma.

Cheeky Monkey !!!

Thank you to everyone for making our Summer such a happy one !!!

All photos by me © Louise Shapcott

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Tre Cancelle Farmhouse Apartments Near Sperlonga Beaches and Historic Itri, South Lazio, Italy

168 – Jamie and Tom’s Italian Holiday

We were so happy to be able to invite our two eldest grandchildren Jamie and Tom and their Mum Vicki to come and stay during July, they had had a tough year and really needed a break.  Jamie, 11,  had just finished at primary school and was going up to senior school in the coming September.

However, the weather during their stay was extreme to say the least, hot and humid with temperatures reaching up to almost 40 deg C, totally energy zapping.

Thank goodness we had the pool for them to cool off and play in. 

We invited up our  friends children who moved from the UK to live in Itri three years ago, and they got on so well and great fun was had !!!

During their stay with us Tom celebrated his 9^th birthday for which we held a little party. 

Tom was especiallyl impressed with his special ice-cream birthday cake from the Fiocco di Neve.

The evening before their last night our friends Pauline and Filippo kindly invited us all to have supper at their home. 

Pizza by the metre !!!

Thanks to Pauline and Filippo for a lovely evening !!!

Sending our love to you all.

We miss you !!!

xxxxxxxxxxxx

All photos by me © Louise Shapcott

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Tre Cancelle Farmhouse Apartments Near Sperlonga Beaches and Historic Itri, South Lazio, Italy