Facilities Space Planning and Interiors Manager Julie Lamberti used her five-year Trip of a Lifetime benefit to fulfill a longtime goal of visiting Italy.
Julie’s paternal grandparents lived in the Calabria region of Southern Italy before moving to the United States around 1930, leaving Julie – and her parents – with the dream of someday visiting the area.
Julie and her parents had started planning a trip to Italy in February 2020, but COVID delayed their plans. Then, just about the time it felt safe to start traveling again, Julie’s dad’s health started to decline, and it was decided that a trip that far would no longer be possible.
The idea of visiting Italy was always in the back of Julie’s mind, though.
So, when it came time to plan her Years of Service trip, she decided to expand on the original trip she and her parents had been looking forward to, booking a Viking ocean cruise that would take her not only to Italy but also to Spain, France and Monaco.
“I like that on a cruise I only need to unpack once, but every morning I get to wake up in a new place,” Julie said. “I’d been to Ireland once before, but nowhere else in Europe, so I called this trip my European sampler platter vacation.”
Beginning in Barcelona, Julie and a friend from her church explored La Boqueria, a market filled with more than 200 booths offering nearly every type of food imaginable. From there, they met up with a small tour group to visit Park Güell, which took 14 years to build, and La Sagrada Família, a Catholic church that has now been under construction for more than 140 years.
“I hope to one day travel back to Barcelona to see La Sagrada Família when it’s complete,” Julie said.
Day two was spent exploring Tossa de Mar, a small seaside village, which Julie said was “absolutely beautiful” and a destination she would consider going back to if she ever wanted a quiet, relaxing vacation.
Unexpected weather prevented the ship from docking in Sète, France, giving Julie a welcomed day to rest after coming down with a cold.
The next few days were spent touring Marseille, France, and Monte Carlo, Monaco, including several visits to local pharmacies where Julie purchased what she affectionately referred to as “souvenir cold medicine.”
Luckily, by the time they reached Italy, Julie was feeling better.
“Florence captured my heart,” she said. “I studied interior design in college, and I saw so many buildings and statues that I studied way back when – the Basilica di Santa Croce, the Duomo di Firenze, the Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery.”
Their viewing of the Leaning Tower of Pisa just so happened to fall – no pun intended – on the 850th anniversary of the day construction began on the tower.
Before heading to Rome for the last two days of their trip, Julie and her friend took 4x4 vehicles up the side of a mountain in Carrara, Italy, to see a Carrara marble quarry.
“I wanted my dad to be able to live vicariously through my trip,” Julie said, “so I took a lot of pictures - 1,629 to be exact.”
In Rome, Julie wandered through the Villa Borghese Gardens and took a Rome-in-a-Day tour that allowed her and her friend to see “all the things” – the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Vatican Museums.
“I am so thankful that Arthrex continues to offer the Trip of a Lifetime benefit to employees as a way to reward their years of service,” Julie said. “It opens up a world of possibilities when dreaming up future vacations.”
For every five years of employment with Arthrex, employees are eligible for a company-paid Trip of a Lifetime to recognize their dedication. Look for more Trip of a Lifetime highlights on the Arthrex Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.