Our Italian Vacation--July 1999
Part 2
Mirabilandia
So what is a Mirabilandia? Some folks may call it the Italian
answer to Disneyland. For us it is a neat theme park where we
could spend a day outside and have fun. Plenty of activities for
the both the large and small kids in our group. Roller coasters,
water rides, food, shops, and a very large Ferris Wheel were just
some of the activities we enjoyed on a bright and sunny day.
For the day, our group of folks became one larger. Barbara,
Daniela's seven year old niece and Alex's new pen pal, came along
for the day. That's her with Alex and cannon. If fact, Barbara
and Alex spent much of the early part of the week together. For
example, while we were looking at churches, Barbara and Alex were
playing together with Daniela by the seaside.
At the end, we knew it had been a good day by the sounds the
kids were making in the car. Snores!
More Mirabilandia
Pictures
San Leo
On the top of a mountain peak, near the cities of Rimini and
Riccione, lies the town of San Leo. In the third century, Saint
Leone decided to spread Christianity from this mountain top to
the neighboring areas. Over time, a village, several churches,
and an impregnable medieval fortress were built here. At one point,
this was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy--in 963.
For us, it was a chance to see more churches and another large
stone fortress. Far from being boring or redundant, it was wonderfully
different and enjoyable.
Riccione
Riccione is a resort town on the coast of the Adriatic where
people come to relax, to see, and to be seen. It is also the town
of Fabrizio's family. It was here that we spent a few days relaxing,
seeing, and being seen.
Although the town is famous for the beaches, they also have
AquaFan. AquaFan is a large water park filled with pools, slides,
and water rides. We spent a day there playing in the sun and water.
Being a rather wet place, we figured it would not be a good place
for cameras. It turns out we were correct. Even my "water-resistant"
wrist watch could not withstand the water. So, we don't have any
pictures. That doesn't mean we didn't have fun, though. We did.
Riccione also has a dolphinarium that holds dolphin shows
each day. Alex was one of the lucky visitors who was selected
to go on stage and pet the dolphins. We have the movie of the
show and have attempted to pull some pictures from it. The European
format doesn't work well with our US video capture equipment and
so we have the black and white version here. If you really want
to see the color version, grab a plane and come on over...
Bologna
Today, Bologna is one of the largest city in the industrialized
north of Italy and a hub of international trade. But it has always
been an important town. A center of trade, art, education, and
government since 200BC it is the home of one of the oldest universities
in Europe.
It is also the home of several beautiful churches and some
of the best eating in the world. You know all those wonderful,
creamy "Italian" dishes we eat in the US? This is their
home and they are even better here than you could ever imagine.
Yeah!
The churches of Bologna run the gamut from small crusader
chapels to large Basilicas located on hill tops. As you may well
guess by now, we did our best to see as many as possible. The
churches here are a bit different than we've seen earlier in the
week. They are more of the Renaissance and filled with beautiful
carvings, statues, and marble. An intricate and beautiful contrast
to Ravenna.
More Bologna Pictures
But It's Really About Friends
We hope you find the pictures of our first trip to Italy interesting.
For us it was truely fantastic. But if we leave you with the impression
that it was just about churches and history, then we've left you
the wrong impression. It was really about family and friends.
Sharing the sights and the sounds and the tastes of the lives
of others.
For the entire week, the Daniela and Fabrizio shared their
families and cities with us. And we loved every moment and every
memory. It is impossible through pictures to show how much this
really means, but we can try. Here are a few of our favorite memories
from our first trip to Italy.
(The image below is a java applet
that identifies each of the people in the photo. If the image
does not appear after you move your mouse over the picture, please
click here for just the picture)
