Italy with Lucille and Marge - A tale to consider when traveling with family

In my mid-twenties I had traveled in Asia and Europe a few times and fancied myself both worldly and adept at adjusting to the culture of the “locals.” I was the first in my immediate family to engage in such “exotic” travel, so I was extremely excited when my cousin Marla decided to have her wedding in Florence, Italy – at Easter no less. What an amazing opportunity to get the rest of the family to become European savvy! I immediately called my mother, Lucille, at her home on Long Island and exclaimed how fantastic it was going to be that we were all going to get to experience Italy together. I volunteered to arrange our trip and to be the tour guide for what I was certain was going to be the mother-daughter bonding experience of a lifetime. Lucille was game, although clearly had some trepidation about “flying over the ocean.” “What would she do if she had an asthma attack on the plane?” There was nowhere to land! Aunt Marge would certainly have to come too, so that she didn’t have to fly alone. Despite my typical response of simply suggesting a valium, in my exuberance I said yes!, whatever it takes! Bring Aunt Marge and we will all traipse through the Italian countryside together. I was delusional.

And so the planning began. We would be there for ten days. We would come and go from Florence, where the wedding was going to be held at City Hall the day before Easter Sunday. My partner and I would meet Mom and Aunt Marge at the Florence airport within an hour of each other. Since I knew how to book flights “on the Internet” I would also play travel agent for the entire family. Little did I know this would be the least of my trials. How hard could it be? I’d pick a couple of cities, tick off some of the must do sites, visit with a friend in Rome for an additional personal touch and wrap it all up with a party with the extended family in Florence. Perfect! Conscious of the ladies unease in a foreign land, I asked Mom if they would prefer to stay in one place in Florence and take day trips around the country, or if they would be willing to travel around with less restrictive plans and choose their hotels and destinations each day.