Adventures with Julia

The end of our week at the Villa

October 5, 2023 8:56 am

Friday, September 29, 2023

This was our last full day at the Villa. A few people went on excursions, and others found another beach nearby to swim in. Jean and a few others tried to erase the scratch Terry had managed to put on his rented car. The extra coat of mud made all the difference. Can hardly tell where the scratch was.

The scratch is barely visible and the rental agency never even noticed.

The rest of us hung out at the Villa. The puzzle got finished and was given to Catherine and Martin, who had spent the most time working on it and are taking it back their home in Fingal Bay, Australia. Mark and I hung out around the grounds, had lunch on site and visited with people as they came around. It was a relaxing afternoon.

The evening entertainment was created by all the participants and choreographed by Terry. Mark and I were kept in the dark. First up during the cocktail period was a history talk about the Villa given by the owner’s wife, Gabriella. We were all captivated by her story and several of us accepted her invitation to walk the property in the morning before departing. A few things we learned were that the property is 250 acres and the family has owned it for 200 years. Originally it was built in the 1300 BC by the Greeks. It was later overtaken by the Romans and other cultures before becoming a monastery in the late 1700’s. In the early 2000’s the current owner remodeled the buildings into a rental facility, which is how we came to use it. They still occupy a portion of the property for their own personal residence.

Gabriella sharing the history of the Villa with us.

Once Gabrielle was finished, the presentations began. First up was Julie and Ken doing a roast that converted to a toast and made everyone laugh. Then there was Jean, who read a book she had made for us. It was beautiful and touching. Roxanna and John humorously shared their 20 years of history with us. She touched on a lot of mostly happy and fun memories.

Julie and Ken open with a roast that turns into a toast

Harry and Mary Jane gave a delightful poem about their relationship with us. Then we all recessed to the pretty dinner table set up in the garden under twinkling lights.

Between courses several people took a turn sharing. Hilda sang Volare with the assistance of Judith. We all joined in on the chorus.

Liz played a song she wrote for our birthdays

Al spoke and simultaneously provided sign language and managed to make us all understand his English translation about his and Lynne’s joy in our longtime relationship. Catherine and Martin did a Q&A game about Australia that most of us flunked. Mark and I are convinced we should make a trip down under to visit our friends and get to know more about Australia. Scott stood up and gave a talk about the value of relationships. Mimi gave an extemporaneous and then recited a limerick she had written. Cheri talked about her appreciation for our gift of the week.

Terry had a Q&A game to see what people knew about us. It was no surprise that Roxanna knew the most. Liz played her guitar and sang a song she wrote for the occasion. It was clear that the table was overflowing with love and joy. Even the table setting was a labor of love provided by our chef Francesca. She ended the dinner festivities with a beautiful homemade Sicilian birthday cake. The cake was delicious, but the party was not over yet. John had made a video of our week’s activities and we all retired to the living room to watch all 17 minutes of the delightful video. I sure hope I did not miss anyone. We were so engaged in enjoying the evening that we did not take any notes and very few photos, I am sorry to say.