On the street where you live

Lets go visit the Criscione's. See the building on the corner? That is where they live. See all of the cars? Every night they have to find a place to park their car. Along with everyone else that lives close by. Gio takes a bus to work in the Center of Milan. It takes about 15 minutes to get there. Quite often the transit workers like to strike. Today is one of those days. But they usually only strike from 9 A- 4PM so people can still get to and from work. There is a grocery store behind me about a block. So Rachael can put the kids in a stroller and roll down to the store for milk and bananas. Right behind their house is the green metro. It is a rail system. This city is easy to get around IF you get your bearings and know where you are. It is built like a big spirograph. Not the circle ones but the oval ones that go in crazy spiral circles.


This is the entrance to the building the Criscione's live in. The doors to many buildings in Italy are big heavy wood doors. (not the glass ones where Rod is standing but the wooden ones folded back against the wall) They are open during the day when the door man is there. But at other times there is a small door cut into the bug wood door for entrance. I think it is very charming as you walk down the street too see what is behind the big wooden doors and into the courtyard & entrance. Also, this building has some fun character. It has corbels and stone pillar balconies. SOme of the other buildings arent as nice. Inside of the big doors looking back into their courtyard where people keep their bikes. The trash containers are back there too hidden behind a wall. The little room to the right is Lido the door man's office. It is so cute to see little Lottie run past this office-- look up to see if Lido is there and then regardless, wave and yell "Cioa Lido!!"

This is the evelator shaft that is in the center of the left wing. It is a small elevator that fits 4 adults or 3 adults and Rod's camera case. Charlotte prefers to take the stairs. So that means Mimi takes the stairs with Charlotte. The Criscione's live on level 3 which in USA terms means the 4th floor (Terra plus 3).

This is the entrance to the Criscione home. I love how Rachael does a wreath that makes it feel more like back home. When Lottie was born we put a little pink mouse in the wreath she had up at the time. Traditional Italian protocal calls for a big bow in either pink or blue to signify a birth in the family. I think they are kind of tacky but we havent come up with an option this time.