Remember how I said I’d be MIA for a couple of weeks? Well, it was code for Mamma Mia, the Italian way to say WOW!!! I spent 10 days in Italy with my sons, Chris and Nick, my daughter in law Mackenzie, and our mascot Lon (short for Lontra, which means “otter” in Italian). 

We had a trip I will never forget with So. Many. WOWs. Here are some highlights. 

1. We had the best pizza ever. We flew into Naples, or Napoli, as the Italians say, which is the birthplace of pizza. The driver who picked us up from the airport told us the history of the Margherita pizza, which happens to be my favorite. It’s named after Queen Margherita of Savoy. The queen was visiting Napoli in 1889 with her husband, King Umberto I, and a pizza maker named Raffaele wanted to honor her with a pizza. (I like this guy.) The ingredients chosen were tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella to mimic the colors of the Italian flag—smart and a delicious combination. 

We ate at Pizzeria Laezza, which Mackenzie found on TikTok (this will be a theme). We ordered the Margherita pizza (duh), a Queen Pizza, which is a double-decker pizza with prosciutto (I have no idea why this is called the Queen Pizza, unless Margherita couldn’t eat just one), and limoncello (another theme). On the walk from the hotel to the restaurant, I found a very large feather. I’m sure my dad sent it; Italy was one of his favorite places.

2. We sailed the Amalfi Coast. Yep, like The Talented Mr. Ripley but without the murders and lying and the creepiness. The water is SO blue, and we swam in it. The views of the coast are amazing. We even saw the Li Galli Islets, where, according to Greek mythology, the sirens seduced sailors. I held on tight to Nick just in case. We had limoncello, fresh anchovies (I didn’t know I like them), pasta, pasta, and some pasta. And gelato. And bread. We also learned that if you don’t order dessert, they bring you some anyway. Score!

3. We went to Sorrento. I fell in love with the city. I think I love it as much as Paris. I’ll have to go back to Paris just to be sure. The owner of our Airbnb met us at his beautiful home, which was the best Airbnb I’ve ever stayed at. He shared some homemade limoncello and olive oil that he makes from the lemons and olives that grow on his main property. The home overlooked one of the busy town squares, and we were within walking distance of everywhere we wanted to go. It was the perfect location in the perfect city. We shopped and ate for four days straight. One of my favorite restaurants was Ristorante La Favorite O Parrucchiano that Mackenzie found on TikTok. It’s situated inside a lemon grove. The food was deliziosa. 

4. We visited Pompeii and hiked Mount Vesuvius. We toured the ruins of Pompeii. The city has such a steeped history, and it felt humbling to see how the people lived and died. There were also some eyebrow-raising things, like a sex menu. And hundreds of phallic symbols embedded in walls and streets, like an X-rated Where’s Waldo game. After lunch, we visited Mount Vesuvius and hiked to the crater. When you experience the overwhelming size of the mountain and think about the power it holds inside, you feel very small. And sweaty. And a little unsure of your decision to hike up it, especially after visiting Pompeii.

 

5. We learned how to make classic Italian dishes. On our last day, we took a cooking class that Mackenzie found on (you guessed it) TikTok. It was one of my favorite activities. Chef Cristiano was so engaging. We got a little lost on our way to the shuttle, and he called my phone to find out where we were. Through the entire class, he enthusiastically shouted out “Vozza Family!” and “Mamma Vozza!” to make sure we were keeping up. It was fun to hear Italians say our last name, with the Zs pronounced like they sound in “pizza.” We learned how to make gnocchi, eggplant parmesan, and tiramisu. And we had more limoncello. Chef kiss!!

I could go on and on, but there’s only so much about someone else’s vacation people want to hear. So, I’ll park the WOW! bus right here. The trip taught me some lessons, though, and I’ll share them in my next post. 

What was the best vacation you ever took? And what wowed you this week?