The Last Supper

Newark Airport, The Sheraton Hotel

It’s late. Around midnight. I am euphoric and exhausted from this evening spent in the city – the “Last Supper” with my family gathered around us. My brother Fred and his wife Elaine, my cousins Clo with her Joe, Evie and Jim, Chrissy & Vinney, Annie and her son Anthony from the Bivetto side of the family; Rose and Guy from the Lore side (my mother’s father) and Lydia, MarieJo and Antoinette from the Fabrizio’s (my mother’s mother) and my friend Elizabeth. The only other times that all the parts of your family gather like this is a wedding or a funeral!

I am so thrilled that so many of them came all the way into Manhattan from all areas of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to have dinner with us on the night before our departure for Italy, to wish us well and say farewell. We are so grateful to each and every one of them for all the love and good wishes. It was a magical night, filled with good conversation and laughter and we couldn’t have wished for a better send off.

Tomorrow our fight leaves at 4pm. We expect to get to the airport early and go through all the security points etc, drop off the rental car and just wait to take off. Italy is 6 hours ahead of New York and the flight is 8 hours. We should be in Rome by 8am Saturday and then off to Perugia either by bus or train. We’ll figure it out as we go along. Much like the next two years. No big plans, except to just BE. To take every day as it comes and live simply. To travel around as much as we can. We will miss friends and family but hope they will come and visit. We will keep in touch as much as is possible, not really sure how we are going to work out the Internet and the telephone but certain that all of that will work itself out.

I’m not sure how much I will sleep tonight.

The next time I write it will be from Italy.

Arrivederci,
Rosamaria e Roberto