Dad's Grand
Italian Adventure

1

✈️ Take-off Night

🛫Wheels Up: Cincinnati to Atlanta

Wednesday 6:00 PM → 7:35 PMDelta 1008~1 hr 35 min

Did you know?

• This is the little "warm-up" flight — a quick hop before the big one.
• Atlanta's airport is the busiest in the whole world — more people change planes there than anywhere on Earth!
• Dad waves goodbye to Ohio — the adventure starts the moment the wheels leave the ground.

Up, up and away! ✈️

2

🌊 The Big Ocean Crossing

🛬Across the Atlantic to Rome

Atlanta 9:15 PM → Rome 12:40 PM ThursdayDelta 298~9 hours, overnight

Did you know?

• The plane soars right over the whole Atlantic Ocean while Dad is fast asleep.
• Flying east, Dad "loses" 6 hours — he leaves at night and lands on Thursday afternoon. Time travel, kind of!
• It's a giant journey: about 5,000 miles across the ocean in roughly 9½ hours — the plane zooms along near 550 miles per hour, about 8 times faster than a car on the highway! 🛩️

Across the big blue ocean! 🌊

3

⛪ Buongiorno, Roma!

🏛️Landing in Ancient Rome

Thursday land 12:40 PMFiumicino Airport (FCO)then off to the train

Did you know?

• Rome is over 2,700 years old — and tucked right inside it is the world's tiniest country, Vatican City.
• St. Peter's Basilica here is the largest church in the whole world, built over the place where Jesus's follower Peter is remembered.
• The very first Christians had a secret sign — a simple little fish — to quietly tell each other "I'm a friend." 🐟

Buongiorno, Roma! ⛪

4

🚄 All Aboard

🚄The Red Arrow Train to Florence

Thursday afternoonFrecciarossa high-speed train~1 hr 30 min

Did you know?

• "Frecciarossa" means "Red Arrow" in Italian — and it really is bright red.
• It zooms up to 186 miles per hour — faster than a race car!
• From the train window, Dad watches vineyards, hills, and tiny stone villages whoosh by in a blur.

All aboard the Red Arrow! 🚄

5

🌙 Night One

🏨Florence & a Secret Garden

Thursday nightPalazzo Castri 1874spa & garden

Did you know?

• Florence is where the Renaissance began — a time long ago when art and ideas exploded.
• The hotel was built in 1874 — over 150 years old — and it has a hidden green garden tucked inside.
• After flying all night, your Dad gets to rest here before the real exploring begins.

A garden to rest in 🌙

6

🗿 Friday Morning

🗿Giant David & the Great Dome

Friday morningAccademia (David) + the Duomo

Did you know?

• The statue of David was carved from ONE giant block of marble more than 500 years ago — and he's 17 feet tall (taller than two daddies stacked up!).
• The Duomo's enormous dome was the biggest in the world when it was built, and at first nobody knew how to build it. A clever man named Brunelleschi figured it out.
• Brave climbers can go up 463 steps to the very top of the dome.
• Long ago — about 1,800 years — Florence's first Christian saint was a man named Minias. A beautiful church, San Miniato, was built in his honor on a hill above the city, and it still stands today. ✝️

Firenze, bella! 🗿

7

🚗 On the Road

🚗Driving into Tuscany

Friday afternoonFlorence → Siena by car

Did you know?

• Dad picks up a little rental car and drives through the Tuscan countryside.
• Out the car window, Dad sees rolling green hills, rows of grapevines, and skinny pointy cypress trees standing like green pencils.
• The road winds and curves all the way to the old walled city of Siena.

Winding through the hills 🚗

8

🏠 Home Base

🏰Our Little House in Siena

Friday to ThursdayVia di Galluzza, inside the old walls

Did you know?

• Siena is wrapped in tall stone walls built in the Middle Ages.
• The streets are so old and narrow that cars aren't allowed in the middle — everyone walks on bumpy cobblestones.
• Siena's most beloved person was a brave woman named St. Catherine, who lived here about 700 years ago and became one of Italy's most famous saints. The very neighborhood where Dad parks the car is named after her. ✝️
• This cozy little house is where Dad sleeps all week — he comes back here every night.

Home base in the old town 🏠

9

🐚 Saturday

🐚The Shell-Shaped Square

SaturdayExploring Siena on foot

Did you know?

• Siena's main square, the Piazza del Campo, is shaped like a giant seashell or fan.
• Twice every summer, riders race horses bareback around the square in a wild contest called the Palio!
• The tall bell tower has about 400 steps, and the cathedral floor is covered in pictures made of colored marble.

The shell-shaped square 🐚

10

🗼 Sunday

🗼The Town of a Thousand Towers

SundaySan Gimignano + tiny round Monteriggioni

Did you know?

• San Gimignano is nicknamed the "Medieval Manhattan" because families built tall stone towers to show off who was richest. 14 towers still stand!
• It's home to a gelato shop that has won the Gelato World Champion title — maybe your Dad will taste-test for you. 🍦
• On the way is Monteriggioni, a teeny town shaped like a perfect circle with a castle wall all the way around.

Towers and gelato! 🍦

11

🍇 Monday

🍇A Tuscan Farm Feast

MondayTenuta Casanova, Castellina — private tour & lunch

Did you know?

• A "tenuta" is a big Italian farm estate. This one grows grapes and has its own olive trees.
• They press their own olives into golden olive oil — Dad gets a special lunch made right on the farm.
• This area is called Chianti, and its mascot is a proud little Black Rooster. 🐓

Buona vita on the farm! 🐓

12

🎨 Tuesday

🏯A Castle Full of Hidden Art

TuesdayCastello di Ama, Gaiole + lunch in Radda

Did you know?

• A "castello" is a castle! This one sits high in the Chianti hills.
• It hides a secret: modern art sculptures are tucked all around the gardens and cellars, like a treasure hunt.
• Afterward, your Dad has lunch in the tiny village of Radda — one of the three "Black Rooster" towns at the very heart of Chianti.

A castle full of art! 🎯

13

🌄 Wednesday

🌄The Postcard Hills

WednesdayVal d'Orcia — Montalcino & Pienza

Did you know?

• The Val d'Orcia has the most famous scenery in all of Tuscany — wavy golden hills with a single row of cypress trees. You've probably seen it on a computer screensaver!
• The little town of Pienza is famous for pecorino cheese, made from sheep's milk. 🐑
• Montalcino sits on top of a hill with an old stone fortress that can be seen from miles away.

The postcard hills 🌄

14

🏡 Thursday

🏡Arrivederci! The Long Way Home

Thursday train to Rome → fly home via Atlantalands Cincinnati 9:21 PM

Did you know?

• "Arrivederci" (ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee) means "until we see each other again" in Italian.
• Dad takes a long train ride across Italy back to Rome, then a big plane across the ocean to Atlanta, then a smaller plane up to Cincinnati — and this time he gets the 6 hours back!
• What a travel day! From leaving Siena to landing in Cincinnati is almost a whole day — close to 20 hours of trains and planes, and about 5,500 miles all together. 🌍
• He'll come home with a suitcase full of stories... and maybe a surprise or two. 🎁

Home again, home again! 🏡❤️