The family table at a vineyard in the Umbria region of Italy. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

The anniversary of the first living nativity that exists across the world even today. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

La Pietà depicts Mary cradling Jesus, while Joseph stands behind her and Mary Magdalene sits at their feet. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Los Alamos

After many, many years of saving money and finally having the time to go, my husband and I traveled to Italy. He was smart enough to learn some Italian before we went left. I always feel that if you have learned something valuable to share, one should do it.

One phrase he researched was, Poso salutare il tuo cane? It is essentially, May I greet your dog or in other words, may I pet your dog? He is brilliant! When you are away from your dogs, you are wishing you could pet one. Then you can learn to ask their name and BOOM instant friends. More on this topic later.

We started in Milan and worked our way to Rome. In a word, it was magical. First, it was like walking through the history books. The photos you’ve seen, the stories you hear, many started here.

I will begin with something trivial, Starbucks. Now, I am the last person you know who would ever be considered posh, glamourous or in the know. I happened to learn just days before we left that there was a Starbuck’s Reserve in Milan, one of only five in the world. I knew we had to go. I brought every gift card ever given to me and one day we set out for it.

It was like the Disney World of coffee. I had an Oleato, yes coffee made with olive oil, when in Rome, right? My husband had a chocolate milkshake made with gelato. We also had an Italian cream bun that I really wanted to try, a Maritozzi. Coffee beans whirled through pipes across the roof and into a grinder for the freshest coffee ever.

As we traveled through Italy, one thought constantly returned to me, blessed are the history keepers. This thought encompassed the documents, the paintings, the sculptures and so much more. We saw The Last Supper, The Last Judgement, La Pietà and David. There were so many works by Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael and too many to recall. We strolled the halls of the Vatican, saw where the smoke emanates when they elect a new Pope and walked the path of the College of Cardinals. We stood in the Sistine Chapel, directly under the section where God touches the lifeless Adam.

We did the touristy things like taking a Gondola ride, held up the Leaning Tower of Pisa and toured vineyards and olive fields. We took 4,000 photos, anyone up for a slide show?

We visited Otzi the Iceman at the Museum of Archeology in Bolzano. My mind went instantly back to Chamisa where my kids went to elementary school. I know Otzi because of our local history hero Petr Jandacek, who portrayed him to children for years. I don’t know him well, but I was so excited to tell him I had been there and seen Otzi. If you love history or science, ask one of our local teachers if you can buy their class a lesson that allows them to visit the museum online. www.iceman.it.

The two things I loved the most were personal moments. My family is Italian and Irish and my parents would swoon at the fact that I have traveled to Italy. This will sound silly, but everyone had my nose. If there was one thing my father left me it was his nose. I marveled in the three opportunities we had to eat at enormously long, family-sized tables. We were on a Rick Steves’ tour and our guide Stephanie and driver Dino were like family.

We visited the (Selva) Forest Neighborhood, learned about the Contrada of Siena or the Palio. Once again, we were made to feel like family. If you like horses, this is a story and a destination for you. The race is run two times a year and we were enamored with seeing what being part of a true “neighbourhood” means and is determined forever by where you are born. Find out more at www.visitsienaofficial.it.

While visiting one vineyard, we heard that as in America, staff was hard to find at some points. At our agri-tourismo in Umbria, we knew we would work for free to help him bring in his harvest if he ever needed it. He also raised dogs that took the top prize in Italy and the World. It was Heaven on Earth. At another vineyard my husband found a friend in Bruno, who we would later see when he rolled over that he was indeed Aleyceia.

Finally, while visiting Assisi, I found out 2023 was the year that we celebrate the 800th anniversary of the first living nativity. It was requested by St. Francis in Greccio and still lives on to this day. Through research I discovered that Pope Francis blessed those who will perform the honor of the living nativity in 2023 – and reminded them all why it is important. www.vatican.va.

I wish you safe travels in 2024.

Aleyceia and Bruno are two dogs that greet visitors at a winery and olive farm in the Umbria region of Italy. Here  Chad Lauritzen, left, of Los Alamos is petting Aleyceia. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

This is the perfectly kept body of the Iceman as he sits in the Museum of Archeology in Bolzano. The science today is able to recreate what he would look like, determine how he died (it was murder), what the grain seeds were in his pocket and even what ailments he suffered at the time of his death. Virtual trips for classes to the museum can be purchased to see the amazing science. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

What the Iceman (Otzi) would look like as created through science today. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen