So many memorable celebrations!

Nothing is better than having a family member (and photographer) who can capture a perfect moment into a priceless Norman Rockwell painting! We've had so many memorable, special celebrations this season; we'd love to share a few! From birthdays to baptisms, a quick visit from family and a special "love trip" - we are embracing every incredible opportunity and loving every minute!

We LOVE the José family! Christine was baptized by her wonderful husband, and it was truly unforgettable! Their faith is powerful, and it is a joy to be blessed by their goodness.

Their beautiful daughter Justin is one of our GANS (Young Single Adults) - and she is one of the sweetest, kindest people you would ever meet! We just LOVE her.

Next finally came a belated birthday celebration for both Justin and Paola after Institute. We LOVE them both so very much! These incredible GANS have stolen our hearts, and we will love them forever! This fun picture captures our wonderful Napoli group. They are really great at supporting one another in their important moments.

We love supporting our GANS!

Our beautiful GANS Samantha wanted to go to see the ballet Giselle, before she had to go back home to the states. (She will be moving to Napoli in a couple of months.) Of course she didn't want to go alone...

We were so happy to accompany her to the ballet! And my sister Becky and her husband Shane had come over from London for a few days, to get out of the rain - and we had to twist their arms to come with us!

The Teatro San Carlo (Napoli Opera House) is stunning. I do think I liked the ballet better than the opera.

The Opera House is across from the famous Galleria shopping area, which we always like to show our guests.

And of course Napoli, is one-of-a-kind. The city is it's own living, lively culture you need to experience. (Both photo credits to Shane.)

Pompei is also truly unique.

We took Becky and Shane to this themed restaurant near the Pompei ruins - where they give you an authentic experience eating in a decorated ancient ambiance, wearing togas, and enjoying "typical"? food served at the time of Christ.

It was actually so fun!

It was something straight out of a movie.

We snapped back to modern day the next morning when we got phone calls of missionaries in need. We went to Caserta to look at the leaky water heater and try installing a device to help them get better cell service. While Cliff and Shane worked on that, Becky and I helped the sisters declutter, rearrange their spaces to have a better flow, and clean their kitchen and bathroom. We shared lots of love and good wisdom on the blessings of having a house of order, which brings you peace and helps you feel a good spirit.

Next we ran down to Castellamare to help the sisters who couldn't get in their apartment, because the condominium changed the door code and didn't give it to them. I saw a man go in the main door with a key, so I hurried over to explain the sisters' predicament. He was so kind; he took his key off his keyring, told me where to go to get one made, and told us which apartment to ring to return it. That was a beautiful tender mercy, and we all felt so grateful!

Then it was off to Institute and Ylenia's birthday party! Isn't this just the happiest photo!

Ylenia is SO lovely, and it was the sweetest thing when her grandmother came with these beautiful flowers! She has the most wonderful family; they are so kind and have been our dearest friends throughout our mission! Her mom has been so ill the last six months or so. If you want to offer up some needed prayers, please pray for Monica C in Napoli.

Oh how we LOVE Justin, Paola, Luisa, Isamar, Ylenia, and Peter!!!!!!!!!!

The next morning we headed off to take a quick jaunt over to the island of Capri. This photo captures where we live. Just behind Cliff is our wonderful little apartment. The Gelo Convenienza you see behind me is a fresh/frozen fish store. Behind that, where you see the big sign CITTÁ della SCARPA, is a shoe outlet.

To get to Capri, it's a 40ish minute drive to Sorrento, where you take a 25ish minute ferry to the Island. It was a beautiful and mild winter day, so Capri was a good choice.

It was nice to go in the winter, because there were no tourists. We took a little boat around the island, and you could see everything much better than in the summer, because there were not any giant yachts surrounding the whole island. Capri is truly a beautiful place!

Next we were off to celebrate Franca's birthday. We LOVE Franca and her family so much! They live in Teora, this little town that is an hour and a half from everything. Since the Castello di Limatola (Christmas Castle) was opening up on her birthday, I knew it was a sign that we should have her birthday celebration there. We met up in Casertavecchia (this picturesque old town) to walk around a bit and enjoy the yummy cupcakes Franca had made. They were literally the best cupcakes I have ever eaten!

Isn't she so adorable? She is literally a breath of fresh air!

Enjoy these photos; no description needed! The whole place looks like a postcard.

We have loved living here during the Jubilee year of hope (except for the big crowds). You could feel a renewal of faith in the air; it was something really historic and special. The next one will be in 2050.

Photo credit to Shane. Basically, all the really great photos were taken by Shane.

We will definitely miss these stately pine trees.

Our next birthday stop was the Limatola Christmas Castle, one of our favorite places, ever!

We LOVE Marco, Franca's brother. He and Annamaria have the most hysterical rivalry about which of them is our favorite. It's worth coming to Italy to watch, and to see the Christmas Castle!

Here's a little history on "Presepe" - which are classic in Napoli, and more widely used as decor than a Christmas tree. The Neapolitan presepe (Nativity scene) originated from the general Christian tradition started by St. Francis of Assisi but blossomed in 18th-century Naples into elaborate, miniature worlds blending sacred and daily life, featuring realistic figures of ordinary people alongside the Holy Family, evolving from earlier Baroque influences and aristocratic displays, culminating in the famous workshops on Via San Gregorio Armeno in Napoli, better known as the "Christmas Street."

Tombola is the Napolitano version of "bingo", and they play it during the Christmas holiday. I saw this elegant, silk tombola basket (which is in the colors of our house) - so I thought it would be a perfect, practical souvenir!

Our few days together flew by, and we rushed from the Christmas Castle to the airport, and the Hintzes were off.

We are still celebrating the baptism of our dear GANS friend Sirvan. He is so stalwart and good! He often will walk 3 hours to attend Institute! We just LOVE and admire Sirvan and are so happy he is part of our GANS family!

We celebrated our wonderful GANS and new convert Alessio (who moved from Napoli to Perugia) watching his Saturday Stake Conference talk on line.

And we enjoyed more time with our wonderful GANS.

Then the next morning we ran up to Rome for Alessio's ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood.

It was so fun to see Sorella Barcellos again!

And Sorella Demmerly...

And Sorella Gillins...

And as always, our neighbor from home, Sorella Baxter!

Just as before his baptism, Alessio was nervous before his ordination. But afterward, just like after his baptism, he was peaceful and glowing!

He is such a great man! We LOVE Alessio!

Can we just say how much we LOVE our dearest friends, the Parkers! They were so gracious to host us when we needed to spend a night/s in Rome. They made us feel so welcome, with such kind gestures of love and friendship.

Since it was Sunday, and the driving restriction was lifted, we took them on a Montagnoli style night drive through historic Rome. As mission health adviser for Rome & Milano and finance for the mission, they were always so swamped and didn't get to take time to look around.

It was fun to show them some of our favorite places.

We love the little Domine Quo Vadis Church on the Appian Way. It has a very peaceful, sweet feeling.

Historical note: The Church of Quo Vadis in Rome marks the spot where St. Peter, fleeing persecution, met the resurrected Christ, asking "Domine, quo vadis?" ("Lord, where are you going?") and Jesus replied He was returning to Rome to be crucified again, prompting Peter to return. This small chapel on the Appian Way contains a replica of stone footprints believed to be Jesus's, with the original preserved nearby (in the church by the Catacombs of St. Sebastiano).

It is said that Peter asked to be crucified upside down out of humility, feeling unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus.

This moving masterpiece of the Risen Lord, sculpted by Michelangelo, is in the Quo Vadis Church. It is one of my absolute favorites.

I feel more moved in this sacred space, than in the grand cathedrals we often visit.

Next we headed to Bari to visit and say goodbye to some very special people we dearly love! It's crazy to think our mission is winding down. We met Marco and Roberto for gelato at our favorite spot in Bari, near the castle.

We have known these boys their whole lives; now they are great men, and we are so proud of them!

We of course loved seeing the Christmas lights in Bari.

Seeing the castle reminded us both of fond mission days while serving in Bari when we were young missionaries. Cliff served there February-August 1987, and I served in Bari January-April 1989. We didn't know each other as missionaries, but we both knew and loved the Valentini family. In July of 1989 when Ettore and Lucia came to visit me, they invited Cliff to my house - and all we needed was that introduction. In Italian, love at first sight is called a "colpo di fulmine" or lightening strike. The dictionary describes this idiomatic phrase as a "sudden, powerful, and undeniable romantic attraction, as if struck by lightning. It's a deep, instantaneous connection where love hits powerfully and changes everything, much like a thunderbolt." Call us romantics, but that is how it happened! We were married the following May.

We stayed with our dear new friends the Standings, who are the GANS (YSA) missionary couple in Bari - and happen to live in the same apartment building as Raffaella & Enzo (Roberto/Alessandra). Sorella Standing also happens to be the older sister of our neighbor Darin, who lives across the street at home in Utah; small world!

It was very important for us (especially for Cliff) to spend time with the Gallones, who were like a second family to him when he was a young missionary. We came to say goodbye to Fratello Gallone before he passed away a few years ago, and we wanted to check in on Sorella Gallone to make sure she knows how much she means to us; Nicola too (of course). It is fun that Nicola is the Bishop of the Poggiofranco ward, where he and Cliff played soccer on p-days as young adults.

We have stayed very close to the Gallone family and the Valentini family over the years. We consider ourselves related.

We love them all so deeply.

We loved having the wonderful Standings join us and get to know everyone. They are fantastic missionaries and a great blessing to the Puglia!

Of course we couldn't leave Bari without getting some focaccia! Doesn't this photo just make your mouth water?

This photo is so classic. Cliff always said he never understood his dad until he lived in Italy. You could have dropped him in any piazza in Italy, and he would have fit right in.

We drove out of the city along Lungomare, which is impressive every month of the year.

We've come full circle. Bari is such an important part of our love story. Had we both not served there as young missionaries and known the Valentini family, we doubt our paths would have ever crossed. We have loved this special season here as older adults, now as each other's missionary companion, finishing out our long awaited dream of serving a full-time mission together, in this beautiful land we so deeply love.

With all of this in mind, we bought tickets earlier in the year to see one of our favorite Italian artists in concert - Claudio Baglioni, at Christmastime. He was all the rage when we were young adults, and we have been listening to his music for years. The concert was in Brindisi, not too far from Bari. We were there for just 24 hours, so we made it count. The view in this photo is from our hotel room in the old city, overlooking the harbor.

We had never been to Brindisi - and we quickly fell in love with it's charm and history.

This photo takes in so much history. On the right side is Coldwell Banker, the real-estate company my mom worked for during my teenage years, growing up in Vienna, Virginia. The ruins in front are ancient, from before Christ. And the modern building with the purple-ish light is the theatre where Claudio Baglioni performed.

We found it all fascinating!

The concert was not what we expected, given that it was just the artist, moving from piano to piano, talking quite a bit in between each song.

It wasn't until the last of the 3 hour concert that he played all the songs everyone knows - and brought down the house. That last hour was AMAZING! Our favorites were "Amore Bello" and "Piccolo Grande Amore."

We checked out of the hotel and took long looks around, locking the meaningful memory away.

We drove past these incredible places as we headed out of the old city, and we took turns hopping out of the car to take a peak and a picture.

Brindisi was our hidden treasure, unlocked at the perfect time for this significant milestone!

We headed back toward Bari, passing by Noicattaro, where our dear friends, the Valentinis once had lived. Floods of memories rushed through our hearts. We felt so grateful to have had these treasured days.

On the road home, we loved passing miles and miles of olive orchards, which are also significant to our mission and to our faith. Just as olives were crushed under heavy stone wheels to produce precious oil, Jesus was "pressed" in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating drops of blood as he took upon himself the sins, pains, and sicknesses of humanity. The olive tree is symbolic of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, who lovingly prunes, digs about, and nourishes His trees. He is deeply involved in the lives of His children, working tirelessly to gather them and help them bear "good fruit". Olive trees, leaves, and the fruit are deeply symbolic in the architecture, decor, and landscaping of the Rome Temple.

The olive imagery is not merely decorative; it is a profound and living sermon on the love of God, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the promise of eternal life and peace for all who walk His path. 

Four prominent olive trees (preserved from the land's original olive orchard) stand as pillars on the Rome Temple Piazza - representing the gathering of Israel from the four corners of the earth.

The olive trees on the Temple Piazza and the olive branch motifs in the stained glass, the chandeliers, and even in the carpet - are tender reminders of the Great Atoning Sacrifice of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ.

In ancient times, olive oil fueled lamps to provide light; thus, olive oil also represents the Light of Christ, bringing enlightenment and healing to our souls. Olive oil, the purest of all oils is also used to anoint the sick who are given a priesthood blessing of healing. Olive trees are remarkably resilient, capable of surviving harsh, dry, and rocky Mediterranean conditions. Even if an olive tree is chopped down, new shoots will spring from its roots, suggesting everlasting life. This miraculous regeneration makes the olive tree a perfect symbol of the Resurrection. It reminds us that through Christ, we can be born again, and that our loved ones who have passed on will rise again. The olive trees and motif used in the temple are symbols of the covenants we make, which bring peace to the soul and bind families together forever. 

We are so grateful for these truths. If you desire to know more about the temple or the role Jesus Christ can play in your life, missionaries throughout the world would love to share. Or you can begin your journey through https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist.

All our love to each of you who are walking with us on our faith journey.

Sorella e Anziano Montagnoli

Martha & Cliff