After months of planning, selling, packing, and preparing, the day of our big journey to Italy finally arrived. It felt surreal, like the culmination of years of dreaming and months of intense effort all bundled into a single, emotional day.
The trip itself was a two-leg journey. The first flight was from RDU (Raleigh-Durham International Airport) to FRA (Frankfurt), followed by a four-hour layover before our second flight to FCO (Rome Fiumicino). The animals—our two big dogs and our cat, Monday—were the biggest source of stress, starting well before the trip even began.
Booking the animals was far from smooth. After securing our tickets, we had to call to reserve space for the animals in the cargo hold, as space is limited. We wanted all three in the hold because Monday, our cat, becomes very upset when traveling in a car. Lufthansa’s process for this was far from well-oiled. I called at least ten different times, receiving conflicting answers each time. At first, they “confirmed” all the animals in the hold for both flights, but later, they said nothing was confirmed and made me redo the process, uploading paperwork all over again. Eventually, the dogs were confirmed in the hold, but Monday’s status remained uncertain. In the end, the dogs traveled in the hold without issue, but Monday had to be picked up in Frankfurt and continued the journey in the cabin. The inconsistency and communication difficulties (not helped by our strong accents) made it a frustrating process.
Trip Day
The day of the trip started very early. We cleaned up the house, finalized details for a yard sale scheduled for a week after our departure, and coordinated last-minute logistics. One critical task was meeting our UPS driver to collect the endorsed health certificates for Draco and Monday, which had been sent from Missouri the night before. From there, I picked up our friend David, who had agreed to drive the rented U-Haul—loaded with the kennels—to the airport.
At the airport, Lufthansa charged us a fortune for the animals. While the cost would have been fine if the service matched, it was far from seamless. After lots of tears, kisses, and goodbyes, we boarded the plane.
That’s when my tracking obsession kicked in. Throughout the flight, I kept checking the app, which indicated that one of the animals hadn’t been loaded. Despite calling multiple flight attendants for updates and receiving conflicting answers, one attendant finally reassured us after speaking to the pilot—all the animals were indeed on board. We relaxed, the flight was smooth, the food was okay, and we arrived in Frankfurt on time.
Frankfurt Stress
Upon landing, my heart sank when I received a notification that one of the “packages” hadn’t been loaded. It was Monday (the cat). We rushed to baggage claim and found her kennel sitting alone in the middle of nowhere. Thankfully, she was fine! I went to the office to confirm the status of the dogs, who were supposed to transfer directly to the next plane. They assured me that if there were any issues, I’d be notified via phone (which, of course, didn’t inspire much confidence).
When it was time to check Monday in for the next flight, we discovered yet another issue: her kennel was fine for the hold but not allowed in the cabin. Cabin rules required a soft carrier. Fermin had to buy a new soft bag at the airport for an eye-watering €90. Despite the chaos, Monday was a saint during the final flight. A kind flight attendant even came to let us know both dogs were safely in the hold. I confirmed this on the app as well, which finally put us at ease.
Rome Arrival
The flight from Frankfurt to Rome was short and uneventful. Upon arrival, we were relieved to find the dogs well cared for—fed, watered, and safe. The kennels, however, were so massive they couldn’t fit in the elevator to the train station. Thankfully, we found a couple of guys who helped carry the kennels for us and agreed (for a small fee) to dispose of them afterward.
- Sorry about the lack of pictures but we were too stressed out …
The train ride to Fara in Sabina was a breath of fresh air. It was clean, on time, and calm, with the dogs on their leashes receiving plenty of hugs and kisses.
When we arrived in Fara in Sabina, Gustavo, Gianni, and Numa were waiting to pick us up in a Mercedes-Benz van. We all piled in, sharing stories and drinking mate as we drove to pick up our apartment keys.
After dropping everything off at the apartment, we headed to the Centro Storico to Gustavo and Natalia’s home, where they welcomed us with an incredible lentil stew.
Over dinner, we shared laughter, reflections on the trip, and plans for the days ahead. Exhausted but happy, we returned to the apartment and fell into bed, ready to begin our new life in Italy.
The trip was chaotic and emotional, but we made it—and that’s what matters. It was the beginning of something much greater: our new chapter in Italy.
Stay tuned for our next post: First Days in Poggio Moiano!
With love,
Sandra, Fabian, Fermín