Sofia among the nuns

Concerned that Sofia might be feeling under-appreciated, we took her to visit Maria's colleagues at work. She seemed as curious about them as they were about her.

As soon as she turns 16, I'm getting her one of these outfits to wear outside of the house.

Spoleto

On a very cold and wet New Year's Day, or as it is more poetically known locally, Capodanno, Spoleto is still beautiful and evocative - even if it seems to be suffering from a hangover.

Norcia, Umbria

Simone and Marzia took us to Norcia, in Umbria, for New Year's Eve. This lovely, sleepy town is famous for two reasons; it's the birthplace of Sts. Benedict and Scholastica (the brother and sister duo), and it has really fantastic, hearty food. Saint Benedict's statue, below, seemed to be posing with a very bright Venus and crescent moon on New Year's Eve.

In a nearby village

We stayed in an old farmhouse near Norcia, with Simone and Marzia. The house was part of an ancient village which is now mostly deserted; in fact only a religious hermit and one couple live close by. About half of the dozen or so structures in the village are now completely abondoned. Some are crumbling to ruins. In Simone's family's place - where we stayed - the lowest floor of three, which used to be a place for the animals, is now the kitchen and living room. We feasted there until the early hours of the New Year on the beautiful local food. We cooked just about everything in the fireplace, even the pasta. . . It was freezing outside and only a little warmer inside, thus Fede's wardrobe. She was wearing nine layers on top.

Christmas Day

'Twas the night before Christmas. . .

Il Battesimo

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Sofia's baptism

It was a beautiful day. By some minor miracle the rain finally let up and we had a day of full sunshine for the first time since we got to Rome. The basilica where Sofia was baptized is ancient and beautiful - so much so that we felt very lucky indeed to be able to celebrate this early rite of passage in such a place. The people, the location, the weather; everything and everyone seemed to have conspired to make this a beautiful and unforgettable experience.

That evening at Maria's

It was a wonderful day; a long day. Sofia by this point was saying basta. Fair enough.

After the baptism

A celebratory lunch. Auguri, best wishes.

Sofia in her baptism dress

Maria had just dressed Sofia for her baptism, and we were all very impressed by how adorable she was.

The Rain in Rome

It has been an extraordinarily wet month or so in Rome. It's rained everday day since we got here, so much in fact that the Tiber has been threatening to flood its banks - but fortunately hasn't yet. Some boats haven't been so fortunate; a few have broken free of their moorings and have lodged against some of the city's ancient bridges.

Christmastime in Rome

Via (dei) Condotti, the most famous pedestrian shopping street in Rome, is chaos. A highly caffeinated, disorderly mob pushes and bumps along in free-form disorder; at regular intervals police cars, fire trucks, taxis, or street cleaners - inexplicably - drive right through the middle of it. Below: At the beautiful Trevi Fountain Anita Ekberg was mysteriously absent.