Out in the gym, and the downloading works! I can get my weights on.  Add some cardio. Streeeetch.  Down again, and good morning Griffin, and Jason. And shortly hi, Kat who wonders if I want to Zentangle again.

Why not?

I go with a black card today. Kat tells me to think of a word. As they’re right there, I go with mountains. After a little consideration, she comes up with idea of doing the four elements. Mountains are earth. Ziggle out the frame, and four quadrants. She instructs to do peaks. I choose a silver pen and do my best at peaks. Sharp ones, softer ones while she shows me how to make them look in front or in back of each other. Onto air. She sees that as spirals with tails. Okay, fun. (I try to make mine NOT look like sperm.) Water, divide a quadrant in half and do wavy lines sort of diagonal on either side. Fire is two horizontal rows of triangles in different sizes, then connecting the triangles in each line with more. Do little lines.

Time for highlighting with the gold pen. Shade in some spaces in the mountains, draw little stars inside the spirals and wherever else you please, shade in some spaces between the wavy lines for water, add some gold to fire.

And we have Zenned.

Time to clean up, get dressed, and work awhile. Kayla’s already at it, making sure everybody gets paid. And just as I shut down, the girl walks in, all ready for the fun parts of the day. Perfect timing. Down in the kitchen, Lauren’s scrambling up some eggs for her and Logan. The kitchen smells like bacon. Mmmm. Kat has Pool Guy today, and they’re ready to hit the water by the time the rest of us head down to Torno.

Down, down, down the narrow stone steps and into the alley. There’s a little shop that does nails and massages. They also have a few shiny things in the window display.

I select and buy a few. Christmas may be months away, but it’s still coming!

Colt’s thinking gelato. Which makes me think of gelato. Over to Bar Italiano where we’ll eat again tonight. Papa is doing gelato, Mama is doing coffee—which Logan, Lauren and Jason want. Daughter (maybe) is busy serving as the place is already busy.

It takes some doing—hand signals, pitiful Italian, reasonably better English. Jason wants a cafe mocha. But mocha is understood as chocolate. He gets a cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles. Sounds pretty good. I go to pay. Papa’s trying to count the scoops, the coffee. Mama helps on the coffee. Kayla, who did one of those Learn Italian deals in prep for the trip, gives him the number of scoops.

Pay, enjoy, make a reservation for dinner.

Wander to the little church. Very pretty. Lots of rose marble on the altars. Stained glass, frescoed ceiling. Light a candle. Wander out again.

There are endless steps leading up and up and up some more. Not climbing those unless there’s something up there besides residential. So up and up and up go Logan and Jason.

Reports are there’s an actual street, and farther along a kind of farmer’s market. I think BW shouldn’t climb for that. Those who want can climb another day. Instead, we sit on the wall by the lake. A good spot for pictures. There’s shade and a breeze. Wander back to climb our way home. Jason is the key master and opens the gates as we go.

In the pool at home, the clever Kat has fashioned a kind of awning out of one of the pool rafts for shade. So she can sit or float on another out of the sun.

This is why when the Zombie Apocalypse comes, she’s in charge.

I make a well-earned Bellini. Logan settles down in the TV room to read, Kayla and Colt are for the pool. I alternate basking and more downloading. While Kayla’s coating on the sunscreen, we discuss what JR’s family might want in the way of food and drink when they’re here for a couple days. There’s a wine store, so we have some vino in our supplies. Need more hot dogs as the third generation boys are mowing through them. More sodas, more this and that. We’re going to need another run to the grocery anyway.

As the afternoon moves along, I realize, despite gelato, I’m hungry. Enjoy a peach, but need more. Cheese and crackers sound just right so make a plate—not Kayla-pretty charcuterie—to share.

I have enough programs downloaded to hold me awhile. Kayla’s going up to shower and get ready for dinner. I’ll think about that shortly. BW says he wants to take the ferry to Como the next day—which all depends on weather as there are storms in the forecast. I’m not about the ferry as I’d be sick before we got to Como. But Kayla has proved herself an excellent driver in Italy.  Logan’s still reading, and the rest of us do what’s needed to head down again for dinner.

Down, down, down. Logan continues to read as he goes. Our little restaurant is extra busy tonight. They push our three tables together. We’re under the shade of a pergola smothered in leafy vines. We discover the house sparrows enjoy the greenery. And us. One all but lands on Griffin’s head. Then perches on the end of the table for a moment. They sing, they swoop.

We’re going to try the hotel’s rooftop restaurant one night, and why not try that when JR’s family’s here? They don’t open until 7:30, a little late for us, but we’re on vacation. Kat checks the menu. They have steak, so I already know what JR, Logan and Colt will order. We’re booked, party of 13, Sunday night.

We eat; the sparrows visit. More discussion on Wednesday’s plans. And there’s always room for gelato. Or apricot pie for those—not me—who want different. And a gorgeous fruit salad—Macedonia di Frutta—for Kat.

Back up and up, and after the first flight, my quads are weeping. The second? Hamstrings burning. I think my legs are insisting one trip down to Torno a day is enough already. I’m not alone, as Kayla is chanting lactic acid, lactic acid.

I feel you!

There’s some talk about a card game, but we all sort of flop in the greatroom. More serious discussion on plans. There’s now a team ferry—BW, Kat, Griffin, Logan, Lauren, Colt. And a team car. Me, Jason, and Kayla at the wheel. Team Car will head to that street fair. Team Ferry will join us. Will they ride the funicular?  Take a bus? A cab? There’s also a big church, and how about that? Grocery store? Ferry or join Team Car on the way back?

Around and around it goes.

As Kat says, it’s like herding cats with opinions.

The teen and the twenties crowd into the TV room for Mario Cart. BW searches the greatroom TV for soccer. The rest of us head to bed.

And about midnight, I’m woken by booming. What IS that? I lie there listening, and think: Sounds like fireworks. Can’t be. Nearly midnight. Is this indeed the long-anticipated Zombie Apocalypse? Somebody get Kat!

But, no. When I go out on the balcony to check, fireworks, not zombies. The sky to—if my direction’s right—south west is lit up. Boom, and boom again. Bang badda boom! I have to watch as I’m already standing out here. What kind of celebration? I wonder. Maybe a wedding? Whatever, it’s very pretty, very unexpected. Seriously elaborate.

When they’re over, I climb back into bed. Takes awhile, but I find sleep again.

And up on a breezy morning. Little ripples on the lake. The bell tower’s chiming, gulls calling. There are two boats, one sail, one motor, moored with buoys near the dock. How, I wonder, did their sailors get to land?

Definitely time to get to the gym as today’s bound to be an adventure. Go, Team Car!

Nora

---

After my greatroom workout, where Griffin occasionally joins to show me his moves, Jason shows me how to download from my streaming app. I still manage to screw some of it up, but I believe I have my arms and shoulders routine on there for an attempt at the gym this morning.

Kat’s setting up for some morning Zentangle. I’ll give this a shot, along with her and Kayla, especially since no straight lines are required. Following Kat’s instructions, I make six quadrants on my little white card, then start to fill one in with little crescent shapes. Just over and over and over. And it’s actually, surprisingly Zen. Lauren joins in. She and Kayla, already familiar with the process, do their own thing while I’m filling my quadrants with wavy lines or little circles or triangles as Kat instructs. It’s quiet and relaxing.

A very nice bridge between cardio and writing.

I get another couple hours work in on this stay-home day. Kat, Kayla, Lauren, and I think Colt, head to the grocery for additional supplies, and the makings for lasagna.

By the time I shut down, we’re well supplied, Griffin is again Pool Guy with his dad. I believe I’ll have a Bellini and sit out to my daily bask with BW.

Kayla makes a couple pretty charcuteries, and yum. Others come to bask and enjoy. Colt eats two hot dogs, happily with the find of yellow mustard.

Time to check out the kitchen to find everything I need to make a couple casseroles of lasagna. I end up hunting back in the secondary kitchen, find a chef’s knife, the big pots.

I peel a bulb of garlic; Kat minces. I go out and cut fresh rosemary from one of the lovely bushes; Kat chops. Lauren grates parm for those who like it sprinkled over their serving.

Now to figure out the stove. After a few failed attempts, the garlic sautéing. Lauren opens the wine I’ll use for the sauce. She and I have a sip, deem it good.

The tomato paste comes in tubes. Interesting. Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze some more. Our shoppers bought six tubes, in case. I use five, and Kat finds a rolling pin to get every drop out of the tubes. She’s also crushed the onion flakes to make a powder. In go the spices, the herbs, the wine.

Stir, stir, and looking good.

I use cottage cheese instead of ricotta because I prefer the smoother, milder cottage. This comes in small cups, and they bought the store out. Empty them all into a bowl and mix that with the mozzerella Kat’s shredded, add some pepper and basil. And into the fridge it goes.

Time for another Bellini, alternate basking with checking sauce and stirring, adjusting the heat. Lauren sets a pretty table; Kat makes a pretty salad. And we do all this in an unfamiliar kitchen with unfamiliar tools.

A couple hours of this, and I taste the sauce, deem it good. Lauren backs me up. Now I study the lasagna pasta. It comes in small boxes as it’s half the length and maybe half again as wide as what we get at home. Set the big pot onto boil. And boy, that takes awhile. Finally adding the pasta which almost immediately begins to break apart.

What the what!

Kat reads the box, which says it takes 20 minutes to cook. That can’t be right! Then the oh shit bulb flashes on. You’re not supposed to boil this pasta. Good thing our shoppers bought several boxes.

Start layering the two casseroles, and feel fine when I see my proportions are going to work out. Top them with sliced mozzerella.

We thought we’d preheated the oven. However. Everything is symbols, and when you press a symbol, the display’s, naturally, in Italian. We use a translator, but it’s still not getting as hot as we want.

Jason comes in, adds his thoughts. Lauren’s slices bread, and as instructed, butters both sides, sprinkles with garlic powder and basil. How will we figure out how to work the broiler?

It’s taking longer than planned. People are hungry! I keep turning up the heat, watching the oven. I finally hit on it, and we have lasagna. While it rests, we try to figure out the broiler. Oh, and the top shelf of this oven is actually a pan, removable, not a slide-out rack.

Out to the table with the salad, then with the casseroles while I watch that bread like a hawk. And finally, out to the table with the bread. Griffin doesn’t want salad, and is given the task of taste-testing the lasagna. The boy is very fond of his nana’s lasagna. He takes his first bite. And it gets multiple thumbs up. Whew!

And despite oven and pasta chaos, it’s a damn fine meal. With about a quarter of one casserole left for somebody’s lunch.

Lots of clearing up, and a lazy glass of red for me.

We’re going to play double-deck Hearts. Kat opts out to knit. It’s Lauren’s first game of Hearts, so instructions along the way. We’re only playing to fifty. Now Kayla is a shark at Hearts—just like her nana taught her—but the cards are against her. It’s a pretty lively game, certainly a noisy one. Kayla tips over, and Jason wins by not taking a single heart throughout the game.

Time for bed!

Warm this morning, and the waterfowl are noisy. A couple of boats cruise by, and here’s the ferry about to dock in Torno. We’d planned—some of us—to walk down and explore today. But Kayla, the responsible business manager, remembered today’s payroll. If she finishes her work, we’ll do that exploring. Otherwise, there’s tomorrow.

Nora

I get a little cardio just walking out, around, up the long slope, then up the stairs to the gym.

It’s a pretty cool space with the front opening to the lake with big windows, and the back wall formed by the rugged, rocky cliff. They have little cactus plants sitting on various rock ledges.

We’ve got a treadmill, a bike, an elliptical, but I’m for the weights.

I soon discover there’s not enough WiFi to run my streaming program, but that’s okay. I’ve done these routines often enough to carry on by memory.  I get going, and before too long, Lauren comes in. She takes a look at my tablet, the program, and agrees. Not enough juice. But suggests I try downloading some of the routines.

We’ll look into that.

But for now, I lift, and she takes a long walk on the treadmill.

Mission accomplished, and with that done, it’s back down and down and around for some much appreciated caffeine. Kayla and Colt are having some cereal; Griffin’s done with breakfast. I go up to clean up for the day. When I wander back down just to see what’s what, Kat, Kayla and Colt are doing some Zen Doodling. Kat brought all the pencils and supplies for that. I’m invited to join, but decline as I’m going back up to work awhile.

I have a pretty little desk by a big window. Immediately discover I need to sit on one—make that two—pillows as the desk is high, the chair low. But it’s nice and soft on my butt, so no complaints.

I have a quiet and productive three hours in my nice writing nook, decide this is a good place to stop. Down I go for a well-earned Bellini, and it’s sublime.

Logan, Lauren and Colt are already in the pool. And so is BW. Griffin’s ready to join once he’s in his vest. I think about it, but it’s just so nice to sit here in the shade of the big umbrella and watch. Here’s Kayla, ready to spray on sunscreen. And Kat’s about to venture out to see how far a walk it is to our town of Torino.

I think I’ll have a peach to go with my Bellini.

Music’s playing, the fam minus Kat are in the pool. Off and on, someone curls up under an umbrella or stretches out in the sun. Then back in. Griffin? He never comes out.

And here’s Kat to report it is indeed walkable, and we’re booked for a big outdoor table in the local restaurant for dinner.

I get some chips, sit and watch the lake. BW joins. More basking. Kat basks awhile, too. Then Kayla comes to sit with her grandda. It’s amazing none of us run out of things to talk about. Griffin and his daddy remain in the pool hanging together on a raft.

The day just cruises by.

Colt estimates Griffin’s been Pool Guy for about five hours as everyone’s finally out and we’re cleaning up for the walk down to dinner.

One of the excursion boats blows its horn. It sounds like it has a bad sinus infection.

Through two gates and down many narrow stone steps and we’re in the alleyways that say Italy. Brick paths, stone buildings, big gorgeous doors. Voices, kids riding little Hot Wheel type trikes and having a really good time. Neighbors chatting, And out to a sunny piazza. There’s a water bus station, and beyond, boats on the lake. People at tables eating and drinking.

In-town views from [top to bottom]: Kayla, Lauren, Lauren and BW.

They’ve put three tables together for us, and labeled them Pong—for Kat. Our server has excellent English which makes it simpler for the Yanks. Turns out five of us want the pizza. I go for pasta tonight. It’s all so pretty and pleasant. One of the tables wobbles, a lot, so we brace it—oddly with the deodorant Logan has in his bag. Hey, it works.

And here’s the food. Looks great, smells, great, tastes great. I think of the five margarita pizzas there’s close to a pie left to go home. So will half my pasta. But there’s gelato! Decisions, decisions on flavors. You know, I’m not fond of strawberry ice cream, but strawberry gelato’s in a different universe. I get a scoop of that with a scoop of vanilla. The perfect combo!

The walk home’s welcome. Lots of stops for pictures. There’s a salon where Lauren plans to get a pedicure. And surely there will be shops. Must explore.

But tonight, we climb home, then all sit out to bask as the light softens, and the lake—busy with pleasure boats all day—quiets. There’s a rosy halo over the hills to the west signalling the end of day.

This morning, I hear ducks, and geese—it has to be geese. The occasional cry of a gull. The lake is smooth as glass under cloudy skies. Some are pretty dark, but they’re moving along with clear skies behind them. Water’s lapping against the boats moored below my perch.

I’m going to gear up and work out in the TV room, then I’ll see what the gang wants to do today.

Nora

---

A new round of #randomkatnessmagic

A long flight but a smooth one, and I’ll take it. Nine of us boarded the plane. JR just started a new job—Yay, JR!—and will join us later in the trip. But for the flight to Milan, it’s me, BW, Jason, Kat, Griffin, Logan, Lauren (his lovely girlfriend) Kayla and Colt.

I manage to catch about four hours off and on sleep, and I’ll take that, too.

Hot is the word when we land, but it’s July, after all. The bleary travelers pile into two vans—two weeks means a lot of luggage—and we’re whisked off to our hotel. Memories are coming back to me. BW and I visited Milan years and years ago at the invite of my Italian publisher. We stayed in this same gorgeous hotel.

Check in is easy-peasy, and we’re offered to sit in the lounge and enjoy a drink while our mountain of luggage is dealt with. Oh yes, please!!

And I remember doing an interview in this airy, sumptuous room with its crystal chandeliers and pale pinks and creams.

A little champagne to smooth out the edges from a flight over the Atlantic, and we scatter to our rooms. Unpack the section I’ve cleverly organized for our short stay in Milan.

Clean up, freshen up, and change into something cool for our wandering around the city, and some lunch. Jason opts to stay back and get some sleep, so Kat and Griffin come down, Griffin does love hotels, and declares our suite big and fancy. He’s not wrong.

And the efficient Kat begins a google search for a restaurant that will suit the eight of us.

And here’s Colt, and here’s Kayla. Logan and Lauren will catch up with us, so off we go.

Milan is busy and urban, and its many fashionable shops tempting. I’ll have to carve out some time for some shopping. But now, we’re hungry! After the flight, the walk is just great, despite the heat.

We hit the big shopping area with its stunning glass roof, colorful tiled floor. [Laura note: The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II] Griffin wants to go fast, and has my hand, pulling me along so he can keep up with his cousins. We—or Kayla—is following Google Maps to the restaurant we have in mind, but weirdly, the connection’s going in and out. We find another that looks promising with outdoor seating, and they can take the eight of us.

Ah. Now we sit in big cushy chairs and fan ourselves with the pretty provided fans. No pizza today, which is a sad for me and Colt, but there’s pasta! And wine. And delicious bread along with cheerful service. The servers wear jackets in the same colorful patterns as the fans. It’s just adorable.

And here’s Logan and Lauren who managed to find us. Spaghetti for me, and though I can’t eat half of it, it’s just fabulous. Honestly, the first bite reminds you why the Italians should be in charge of food for the entire world.

By the end of the meal, Griffin’s finally fading. Kat and BW head back with him, and the rest of it hit the gelato stand right next to the restaurant.

Boy, oh boy, as if pasta wasn’t glorious enough, now there’s gelato. Strawberry for me, and it tastes like summer in a cone. We lick and make yummy noises before wandering and poking into a shop or two.

Kayla and Colt discover Pokeman cards, and are joyful to add to their collection.

It’s great fun for me to walk around Milan with my grandchildren, watching them enjoy the sights, the sounds. And it’s sweet to me how well the siblings get along and look out for each other.

Logan sees a DiVinci display at a museum. Why not? And it’s fascinating, mostly centered on his inventions and engineering. Lots of his sketches and replicas of his way-ahead-of-his-time machines.

Then it’s back to the hotel. Kayla’s proven her exceptional sense of direction to me before, so I follow.

BW’s napping, so I sit in the parlor. I have a book, I have my IPad, and a nice place to sit.

Dinner is discussed on our What’s App for the trip. The vote is unanimous for room service. We’re all pretty travel weary. Kat takes all our orders and makes it so.

More incredibly cheerful service as two tables filled with domed plates are brought in. With a surprising lack of chaos, all that’s organized. We relax, we eat and enjoy.

And solidify our plans for tomorrow’s trip to The Duomo—preceded by pizza.

I’d vowed to make it until nine so I’d get a good start on putting my body clock on local time.

Just make it.

Sleep great, wake ridiculously early, but that’s okay.

I crush some candy for awhile, scan some headlines. Now I write this blog, which Laura will post when she wakes up—six hours behind me. Then as the clever Jason helped set me up, I’ll work out in the parlor, streaming from my tablet to the TV.

I’ll clean myself up for the day while BW meets Kayla and whoever else decides to have breakfast.

We only have a handful of days here before we head to Como, so we have to pack as much of what we want to do into that short time.

And as always, it’s lovely to be back in Italy.

Nora

---

Note from Laura: As is tradition, may I present the first bit of #randomkatness for Italy 2026.