The years fly by!

Next week my oldest son will begin school. Thinking back to his very first day makes me realize I have nothing to worry about.

When he first begin it was me that was worried and concerned, he loved it, for him it was a smooth transition. Now I think to myself why was I so concerned? My main concern was that he would have difficulty communicating with others.

Even though we live in the country-side of Italy, at home we speak entirely English. For my son's first three years of his life we spent ever day, or almost everyday together. Mainly all Italian he would learn would be from my husbands family.

To my surprise and happiness, once he began attending school all day, he immediately began speaking Italian fluently. At this point I am now completely confident everything will go amazingly well this year!

Now when my two year old begins in a year, that may be another story!!

Take a look back at his very first day here.  

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An Italian Town Rich With.....

... Art, Beauty, History, and so much more!  Would you like to be transported  to an Italian Medieval town?  The tour may last two hours, but you will be guided to some amazing locations that are filled with history.  

Located about 140 km southeast of Bologna and about 45 km south of Rimini you will find the beautiful city of Pennabilli.  It's name derived from a comination of the names of two castles, Penna (now Roccione) and Billi (now Rupe). It is located in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna in the Province of Rimini.


Amazing facts of Pennabilli:

- Tonino Guerra was a resident of Pennabilli.
To read more about this amazing poet visit

- On the morning of June 15, 1994 His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama, visited Pennabilli.
Click here to find out more about Pennabilli and Tibet.


- On February 24, 2011 Pope Benedict XVI visited Pennabilli.  

- The area of Pennabilli is 69.6 km².  Which means if you were to have almost nineteen Pennabilli's you would have the city of Los Angeles, California.  This is an interesting fact and it is amazing to know in the city of Pennabilli, there exists FIVE museums!

Museums:

I Luoghi dell'Anima
It begins from the mind of the poet - writer Tonino Guerra, installations, almost each of them located outdoors, it is made up of seven themes:

    1.)  The Orchard of Forgotten Fruits: it preserves endangered species of local fruit-trees

    2.)  Sundial Path:  The way of sundials proposes building facades embellished with seven sundials

     3.)  The Stone Garden:  hosts seven "ceremic carpets"

    4.)  The angel with a mustache:  Moustached Angel located in the Chiesetta dei Caduti

    5.)  Sanctuary of thoughts:  embellished by oriental- garden sfor meditation and inner dialogue
Take a look at my first visit here!

    6.)   Refuge for Forsaken Madonnas:  contains a collection of sacred images once decorating the shrines placed at the crossroads of country roads in the Upper Marecchia Valley

    7.)  The Madonna of the Rectangle of Snow:  situated in the woods it is a small church allegedly built under divine direction
     
   
  Il Mondo di Tonino Guerra
The world of Tonino Guerra is the title that the poet has chosen to define the space in which  his poetic and artistic work are presented.
 
Mateureka
A space used to inspire the visitor to deepen their knowledge of mathematics. You can even take a virtural tour, visit their site!!!

Museo Diocesano
The museum was first established in 1962 by Msgr. Antonio Bergamaschi, bishop of San Marino-Montefeltro (1949 - 1966), to preserve the works of art coming from the churches of the diocese.  After several years of closure,  the museum was opened to the public on July 8, 2010.

Museo Naturalistico
The Museum and Nature Center is located in the heart of Val Marecchia and is home to many species of wildlife dioramas containing the most representative of the area.

Continue the Adventure- September 30th, 2012:

The unique characters, amazing scenery, and the history which one is exposed to is not contained in the two hour tour, it will continue in the hearts and minds of whoever is fortunate to experience it!