Well, the suitcases are out and airing. I have started to go through the summer clothes and sort out what I need to launder and pack. The excitement and the tension are building daily and soon we will be heading to the airport.
This trip to Italy is a massive deal for our family. We love Italy, we have been fortunate to have been a few times. My husband and I have always preferred to travel over material things.
As some of you will know my husband was told in August that he has Motor Neurone Disease (you can read the article here). He kept working until the week prior to Christmas. Walking was starting to become a challenge and the walking stick was no longer supporting him. Leaving his job of almost twenty years was heart-breaking for him. He really loved working as a sales consultant for a leading furniture company and having to accept he could no longer work was the hardest thing for him.
When we were told my husband had MND my children and I decided we needed to take Edward back to his beloved Italy while he was still well enough to enjoy it. Everyone has saved hard in order to do this. All other luxuries have gone by the board in order pull this trip off.
Usually, my husband packs our bags when we go on holiday. He is a much tidier person than I, so I am hoping I get it right. I don’t want to have to deal with a heavy suitcase.
I realise that a lot of people probably think we should not be doing this trip, but we have had the blessing and OK from our GP and my husband’s specialist.
As we are travelling with a wheelchair and my husband cannot walk we will be faced with some challenges for sure.
The airlines nowadays are highly equipped to help passengers with a disability, who knows he might even get an upgrade.
It is a long-haul to Italy, so we are having a two-night stopover in Hong Kong. We have no plans to do anything as I want my husband to rest. Some of our family travelling with us may take in a bit of Hong Kong. I am pretty sure my grandson will want to make beeline for the toy shops.
From Hong Kong, we fly straight to Rome, and then we catch a train up to Florence where we will spend three nights in beautiful Fiesole. Fiesole looks so pretty, it overlooks Florence. It has a wonderful old amphitheatre which we are hoping to get to see.
From Fiesole we are taking a private car ride to lovely Lucca. We have booked an apartment for a month. This time I made sure we had no steps to deal with. The rest of our family from Bangkok and Brisbane arrive after we have been there two weeks.
We also have very good friends in Lucca who happen to be opera singers, so we are really looking forward to meeting up with them and hearing some lovely music. Last time when we were in Lucca they took us up into the hills behind Lucca to a wonderful concert which was held in a beautiful old church. Friends of ours, who were also in Lucca, came along as well. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Before the concert, we had dinner at a roadside restaurant. The food was just divine, and traditional – it made the whole experience just out of this world.
Lucca is an enchanting walled town and is starting to become quite a popular tourist destination. Many people go for a passeggiata (a stroll) around the wall as part of their daily routine.
Lucca is the birthplace of Puccini so you can hear his wonderful music all over the town. Every day you can go to a free Puccini concert.
In the summer Lucca has a massive music festival which attracts many overseas acts such as Elton John, and Robbie Williams. The town expands about three times its normal size, which has to be good for business, but I prefer it when it is a little less busy. We made the mistake in 2015 of renting an apartment on the edge of Piazza Napoleone where the concerts were being held. This time we are well away from it.
For our family, Lucca feels like our home away from home. We feel like locals, I love going to buy the groceries and trying out all the new and exciting food that is on offer. By the time we get home our waistlines have certainly expanded. The wine is also very reasonable. The reds are very good but I am a white wine drinker so find it a little harder to get something to equal the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Pizzas are so reasonable as well and the traditional wood fired Pizza Margherita is so simple with just sauce and cheese, but it is oh so yummy.
I have to say I am nervous about this trip, travelling with my husband in a wheelchair as far as Italy is not going to be easy, plus he will not have his transfer chair or electric wheelchair and other equipment. However, we cannot let this daunt us. I want us to create special family memories for us all and especially my husband.
My head seems to be in a constant whirl of making sure I am remembering everything we need to take. I have PostIt notes all over the place.
I will let everyone know how this works out and I hope us taking on this challenge will also encourage other people who have mobility issues not to put travel off. Life is to be lived and challenges are there to be overcome. We have one chance at life and we need to make the most of it. Time to work on the bucket list I think.
Lucca, here we come.
By Kay Rayner
Writer and film producer
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