Romi and Chris were so excited as their parents were taking them to Italy. They had always observed Italy on the map and it looked really funny shaped like a boot. Near the toe of the boot is an island named Sicily. Towards the north, there is another island Sardinia. Both the islands are a part of Italy.

They remembered excitedly how dad was telling them the places that they will be visiting when they reach Italy while packing their bags.  After that they hit the bed and continued talking until they fell asleep.

The next day was brighter than usual, and Romi hopped out of the bed and ran to the window. Then, she ran to wake up her younger brother.

“Wake up! Sleepyhead, we have to get ready otherwise we will miss the flight to Milan, Italy” said Romi.

The next second Chris was wide awake. They got ready and ran downstairs to surprise their parents.

“Ready already?” Smiled Dad.

As their flight neared Milan they saw the Italian Alps, tall and snow-covered mountains.

Milan, the fashion city of Italy looked just beautiful. They visited Cathedral of Milan, the most beautiful church they had ever seen. It was a beautiful city with great food. At lunch time, they went to a restaurant and ordered their favorite food pasta. To their surprise pasta was not on the menu.

“Milan food includes  Risotto alla Milanese (yellow-saffron rice), Ossobuco (veal shank) and Cotoletta alla Milanese (fried beef chop), most of the times pasta is not on the menu”, explained the restaurant owner.

Romi and Chris looked at each other.

“You should try new food guys, explore while travelling,” said their mom.

Risotto alla Milanese was amazing. Romi and Chris looked forward to special things of Rome as they boarded their train to Rome via Pisa.

Romi and Chris exclaimed when they saw the funny tall building. “I told you Romi, there is a building in Italy that is about to fall”, said Chris.

“This building has been like this for almost 100 years silly, it is not going to fall for another 100 years,” Romi was quick to answer back.

Mom and dad simply enjoyed their squabble.

After spending a day in Pisa, they moved further down South to the biggest city of Italy, Rome. It is also the capital city of Italy.

The train stopped, and Romi and Chris were woken up by dad. The looked outside and there it was. A city famous for its history and architecture. They had read about a very famous Roman, Julius Caesar, in their English class.

They went to visit the Colosseum, an arena where the gladiators played. The circular brown stone building that is huge.

Next on the list was  Saint Peter’s Basilica, in Vatican city. The family was mesmerized by the beauty of the city and the church. Romi stopped in wonder as she entered the Sistine Chapel. It was covered with beautiful paintings.

“They are the paintings of a famous artist, Michelangelo,” mom explained.

The day ended, and they were back at their hotel, Romi and Chris were so exhausted that they were sleeping even before mom ordered the Pizza.

The next day they visit the center of the Rome, the fountain of Trevi. The water gushes out of the fountain and flows into a round shallow pool.

“Why is the fountain full of coins?” Chris questioned.

“There is a legend that if you throw a coin in this fountain you will surely come back to Rome”, said dad.

Romi and Chris quickly throw the coins in the fountain.

Back in train they ride down south to the main land. Their next destination was Sicily. After getting settled in the Ferryboat that would take them to Messina, the port town of Sicily.

Dad told them that the stretch of water between Italy and Sicily was called Straits of Messina. ” There is a legend..”, he said. “Again a legend!” Romi and Chris cried in unison.

“Yes! In olden times, the sailors were afraid of crossing this stretch because they thought that a monster named Scylla lived here”, dad said laughingly.

Romi and Chris were scared. “Of course, it is not true’”, mum added.

They enjoyed the country side near an active Volcano Mt Etna and ate pasta to their heart’s content. Soon it was time to go back to Rome where they had to take a flight back home.

Back in Rome, the kids were excited that their wish came true as they were in Rome the second time.

Their parents were so happy to see them this excited.