day 1: 16 November 2020/ giorno 1: 16 novembre 2020

Welcome to Naples!! Hello friends! We safely arrived in Naples, Italy last night. It was a longer trip than expected because we had a 12 hour layover in Germany! The worst part was having a very limited choice of things to eat because everything was still closed due to the virus. Here’s a glimpse of our first view of Naples and the view we will be looking at for the next 16 days in quarantine. Naples went into another lockdown just yesterday. But the dreary weather, coronavirus, and quarantine won’t affect our outlook on what will still be an amazing adventure here. We will keep everyone updated as the weeks go by and eventually have some more beautiful photos and memories to share!

day 4: 19 november 2020/ Giorno 4: 19 Novembre 2020

Napoli is the regional capitol of Campania, a region in southwestern Italy. Campania is currently in a red state due to Covid. More restrictions have been put in place this week: There is a nationwide curfew from 10pm-5am. Movement into, out of, and within the region is PROHIBITED unless transiting for work, health reasons, essential items, religious services, or in-person education. This means that if we leave our home for any reason, even to go for a walk in the vicinity of our home, we must have a self-declaration form in our possession stating that we are traveling for one of the reasons above. We are also likely to encounter checkpoints throughout the region and, therefore, should keep travel to a minimum. As per Italian decree, you must be able to justify your travel to local authorities and approval with be at their discretion. Gatherings with people who are non-cohabitants (those who live outside of your home) are prohibited both inside AND outside of the home. This includes parks, fields, etc. Luckily, someone brought us a taste of Italia to enjoy in our room- pizza napoletana!! And it is So I’m sharing a photo with you so we can all dream together of one day venturing and exploring wherever life takes us. 

Day 5: 20 November 2020/ Giorno 5: 20 novembre 2020

Two things were delivered today. The first delivery I received was my son’s schoolwork for his new school. It weighs as much as my 6 yr old. I preferred the second delivery- Italian wine. Someone must’ve known I could use a glass, or 4, of something stronger than water today! Happy Friday!

day 7: 22 november 2020/ Giorno 7: 22 novembre 2020

COFFEE!! We finally got coffee delivered today! Not the terrible hotel brand that tastes like water, but actual Italian coffee- STRONG!! Now maybe I won’t have trouble getting through the day! (I love my coffee if you don’t already know…)

Day 11: 26 November 2020/ Giorno 11: 26 novembre 2020

 

I don’t remember the last Thanksgiving spent with family and the last one Steve was with us was 3 years ago because we went to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. If we do celebrate holidays they usually aren’t even on the exact day and it’s not unusual for us to skip holidays all together. This year we’re in Italy and they do not celebrate Thanksgiving like Americans, so I didn’t really expect to do much- especially in quarantine. But an unexpected visitor showed up to our room last night, bringing a bag of Thanksgiving foods so we could enjoy a taste of home. A day prior to our unexpected visitor, we learned the MWR program on base would prepare and deliver a Thanksgiving dinner order to our room on Thanksgiving Day since we are unable to leave or visit the store to get things to prepare for the holiday!! So we had ordered a dinner for each of us! Now, Thanksgiving Day and we have TWO full meals to enjoy The support system we have encountered here in this short time is unlike any before and we are extremely grateful! Thankful we can spend this day together as a family of 3. Thankful we did not get sick during our travels! Thankful we can enjoy a bit of normalcy in this crazy time! Wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving wherever you are!!

 

Day 12: 27 November 2020/ Giorno 12: 27 Novembre 2020

The night before Thanksgiving we were moved from our hotel room into a villa. They sound pretty fancy but are in fact just regular rooms that boast more space because of their apartment-like set-up. It’s still part of the hotel, but definitely a step up, giving families more room to spread out. It’s great having actual rooms, a full size kitchen, a desk for work, and a separate living area. But there always seems to be animal-like hair everywhere, no matter how hard I clean! And everyday is like going through life with the “Sunday Morning Show with Jane Pauley” theme song playing live in the background thanks to our neighbor who plays the trumpet (regularly and often). But hey, it’s only temporary, right?!

day 15: 30 November 2020/ Giorno 15: 30 Novembre 2020

Today marks the first official day of FREEDOM!! Well… kind of… We are no longer in quarantine but still remain in an intense lockdown. At this point, I don’t care. We are now able to at least go outside our room, visit the grocery store- which is American and on base, but hey, can’t be picky at this point- and go into other public places- where everything except essentials are roped off, but again, can’t be picky. Everyone has been affected by Covid in some way, but whoever you are and wherever you are, just stop and take a deep breath. After staring at a running track out of a window for two weeks, I’m soaking up the fresh air, beautiful afternoon skies, and rugged landscape. We’ve remained healthy. We’ve remained positive. Here’s to finally getting our adventure started in Italy!

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