A surprise for Grandpa’s birthday

Granpa Giannetto turned 70 last March 5th, so we surprised him with something he could have never expected.

We meet in Milano

Travelling from the UK to Sardinia, where Grandpa Giannetto lives, is tricky at this time of the year: we have to take two planes at funny hours, and that is even trickier when you travel with a toddler. That means a no-go. BUT!

As aunt Sara and uncle Michele live between Tuscany and Marche regions, the best solution would be to meet all together in a city that Grandpa likes, and that’s easy for everyone to reach, with direct flies and fast trains: Milano.

Grandma Patrizia played it well: she persuaded Grandpa to go to Milano for a romantic birthday weekend (March 5th was, in fact, a Saturday), and we all travelled to Milano on the same day (Friday). Grandpa was initially reluctant, and little did he know Lavinia was waiting for him in his hotel’s hall. We’ll never forget the face he pulled when he saw her out of the blue!

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang at the apartment where we stayed: Grandpa thought it was a food order coming in, but instead it was aunt Sara, uncle Michele and Giubba the dog.

Franz, Michele, Sara and Grandpa then went to San Siro stadium to watch Inter Milan vs Salernitana: as an ex-football player, he loved it. That was the cherry on top of Grandpa’s eventful birthday eve.

The birthday celebrations and Carnevale

We went to a fancy restaurant to celebrate Grandpa on Saturday – we had traditional, glorious Milan food, and Lavinia had also two slices of chocolate cake!

We also got lucky to be in Milano on the last two days of the Carnevale Ambrosiano (that’s the traditional Carnevale celebrated only in Milano), so we dressed Lavinia as a chef – it was the easiest costume to put into our carry-on luggage.