Philadelphia! Read online

  “Perfect,” Zia said. “Now carefully place it in the center of the iron.”

  “Yes, stai attento—be careful, Alfie,” Mom added. “The iron gets very hot.”

  Alfie set his ball of dough onto the iron. Then Zia closed it and looked at the clock. “It only needs about thirty seconds to bake.”

  “Wow!” Alfie said. “That’s fast.”

  Mom got a cooling rack from under the stove and put it on the counter. “The pizzelles can cool on this.”

  Zia lifted the iron lid and peeked inside. The pizzelle was golden-brown with the beautiful snowflake pattern etched into it.

  “They’re such pretty cookies!” Emilia said. “I can’t wait to try one!”

  Alfie totally agreed with his sister. It took some serious willpower not to reach out and grab the first pizzelle from the iron!

  One by one, the family continued making the Italian pizzelles together.

  “I think the best pizzelles I’ve ever had actually came from a small bakery in South Philadelphia,” Zia said as she put away the rest of the cookie ingredients. “Well, aside from the ones we make, of course.”

  “Have you been to Philadelphia, Mom and Dad?” Alfie asked.

  “No, never,” Dad said.

  “We tried to go once, before the kids were born. Remember, Mauricio?” Mom asked. “But there was that huge snowstorm and all the airports were shut down.”

  “I remember,” Dad said. “And we talked several times about going back and just never did. I’ve always wanted to visit.”

  “Me too,” Emilia said. “Philadelphia has so much history! The Declaration of Independence was signed there, and the Constitution was written and signed there, too.”

  “And the Liberty Bell is there,” Alfie added.

  “That’s right,” Mom said. “When did you visit Philadelphia, Zia?”

  “It was a few years back,” Zia replied. “I visited some Italian friends who moved there quite some time ago. Historically, there has always been a big population of Italians in Philadelphia.”

  “Did you like it there?” Emilia asked.

  “Very much!” Zia said. “The people are so friendly. It is called the City of Brotherly Love, after all.”

  “Maybe we should go to Philadelphia on our family vacation,” Alfie suggested.

  “I think that’s a great idea,” Dad said.

  “Let’s put it on the list!” Mom said as she finished wiping down the countertop.

  “I think we’re ready for some pizzelles,” Zia said. She piled a bunch of the thin, wafer-like cookies onto a plate and took them over to the dining-room table. Alfie followed with a stack of napkins. He couldn’t wait to try this new Italian treat!

  “Zia, Alfie, and I were talking this morning, and we were wondering if we could start planning our family trip,” Emilia said as they sat down at the table.

  “Yes, yes,” Mom said casually. “We will do that soon.”

  “But when?” Alfie pushed.

  “Once things at the office die down a little bit,” Dad said. “Like Mom said, we’ll do it soon.”

  Alfie and Emilia exchanged a frustrated look. Zia gave them a small, encouraging smile.

  “Well, dig in, everybody,” Zia said.

  They each took a cookie from the plate. Alfie inhaled the subtle scent of the anise. He took a bite, enjoying the slightly crispy, slightly chewy texture of the waffle cookie. “Yum!” he said. “It’s sweet and buttery.”

  Everyone nodded in unison, too busy chewing to talk.

  “So good,” Dad finally said. “Reminds me of being a kid back home.” He closed his eyes as he took another bite.

  Alfie closed his eyes, too, to savor the rest of his cookie. For a split second, just as he started to get that familiar dip and flutter in his stomach, he thought maybe the pizzelles were going to transport them back to Naples. But he was wrong!

  When Alfie opened his eyes, he was on a city sidewalk. But it wasn’t a tight, narrow sidewalk lining a cobblestone street like he’d seen in Naples. It was a redbrick sidewalk with old brick buildings and trees on either side. A couple walked past, speaking English. Emilia stood next to Alfie and touched his arm. Alfie knew she was also trying to figure out where they might be.

  “Where are we?” Alfie heard behind him.

  “What happened?” another voice added.

  Alfie and Emilia whirled around to find their parents and Zia standing on the sidewalk behind them!

  “You’re here!” Alfie cried.

  “You came with us!” Emilia added. “Thank you, Zia!”

  Neither of them could believe it. And by the looks on Mom’s and Dad’s faces, they couldn’t, either!

  Zia smiled wide. “I thought it would be a fun surprise for Alfie’s birthday. One last adventure before I go—for the whole family.”

  “This is the best surprise ever!” Alfie said, hugging Zia around the waist.

  Mom held out her hands. “I don’t understand what’s going on!”

  “Are we in Philadelphia, Zia?” Emilia asked.

  “Yes, we are.”

  “Yay!” Emilia cheered. “I’m so excited!”

  “But how did we get here?” Dad asked, turning in a circle and staring up at the buildings surrounding them.

  “Magic!” Alfie and Emilia cried together. “Zia’s magic.”

  “Magic?” Mom and Dad repeated.

  “Zia has sent us on a bunch of adventures using the magic in her cooking. But this is the first time we’ve all gone together!”

  With Zia’s help, Alfie and Emilia quickly filled their parents in on some of the places they’d visited thanks to their great-aunt’s recipes.

  Mom’s mouth dropped open. “I always knew your cooking was special, Zia, but I didn’t know it was this special!”

  “Well, now you know,” Zia replied. “So let’s have a little family adventure in Philadelphia, shall we?”

  Mom gave Zia a quick hug.

  “Y-yes. Okay, sure!” Dad said, still getting his bearings.

  “But where will we stay?” Mom asked, worry entering her voice. “What will we do?”

  “Leave that to us,” Alfie said, motioning to Emilia and Zia.

  “That’s right,” Emilia said. “We’ll take care of everything!”

  Mom’s face started to soften. “You’re so grown-up all of a sudden!”

  And with that, they started down the sidewalk, taking in the heart of historic Philadelphia surrounding them.

  Alfie squinted up at the afternoon sun. It felt strong and warm for late spring—like summer was just around the corner. They walked down the peaceful brick street. The sidewalks were clean with big trees planted all along the way. Some of the redbrick buildings had wide windows with small square windowpanes. They looked like they might have been old factory buildings at one point, but now some were apartments and others were small shops. Alfie liked the feel of the quiet old neighborhood. After a few blocks, they ducked down another narrow side street and continued on for a bit before stopping to look around. That’s when Alfie noticed the sign behind him: THE LIBERTY HOTEL. “Why don’t we stay here?” he asked, gesturing to the gold plaque on the redbrick building.

  “The Liberty Hotel,” Zia repeated. “That sounds familiar for some reason . . . Let’s take a look.”

  They entered the small lobby of the building and looked around. Old marble floors lined the space, with a few big plants in ceramic planters against the walls. A worn velvet couch sat off to one side, and a large polished wood desk stood in front of them. There was a sign on the desk that read “Welcome to the historic Liberty Hotel. This building was constructed in 1826.”

  “Emilia, look,” Alfie said, pointing to the sign.

  Emilia read the sign and smiled. “Whoa! That’s the same year Thomas Jefferso
n and John Adams died. They both died within hours of each other on the Fourth of July.”

  “How weird,” Alfie said, looking around the room.

  “I have been here before!” Zia suddenly exclaimed. “I knew it was familiar. My friends brought me here for dinner. This is a very well-known historic hotel in Philly.”

  Dad tapped the bell on top of the desk. A minute later, a man appeared from another room. “Good afternoon!” he said. He had a warm, friendly smile and looked to be around Alfie and Emilia’s dad’s age. “Welcome to the Liberty Hotel. I’m John.”

  “Hi, John,” Mom said. “I’m Arianna Bertolizzi. This is my aunt Donatella, my husband, Mauricio, and our kids, Alfredo and Emilia.”

  Alfie bristled a little bit at the use of his full name, but he waved and smiled all the same.

  “Nice to meet you all!” John said. “What can I do for you?”

  “Do you have any rooms available?” Zia asked.

  “Absolutely,” John replied. “How many would you like?”

  “Three rooms would be ideal,” Dad said.

  John nodded and opened a book on the desk in front of him. “We can put you on our Constitution floor. We have a single room and then two double rooms with an interior door that connects them.”

  “That’s perfect,” Mom said.

  “Great,” said John, writing the Bertolizzis’ names in his book. “My family and I run the hotel, so you’ll meet my daughter and my wife during your stay. We serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the hotel restaurant, and if there’s anything at all that you need, please let me know!”

  “Thank you so much,” Dad said, handing John his credit card. He turned to Zia and whispered, “Good thing my wallet was in my pocket!”

  “I’ve got money, too,” Alfie chimed in. “I always carry my allowance money with me now, just in case.” He grinned at Zia.

  Mom and Dad laughed. “That’s smart thinking, son,” Dad said.

  John held out three keys. “You’re on the third floor. The elevator is just over there, to the left of the plants. Can I help you with any luggage?” he asked, scanning the space around them.

  “Oh . . . ,” Mom said.

  Alfie could tell she didn’t know what to say, so he jumped in. “Our bags are in the car. We’ll get them later.”

  Mom and Dad gave Alfie a look. Maybe his fib came a little too easily!

  “Okay, great,” John said. “Enjoy your stay. And again, if there’s anything you need, please let us know.”

  They walked over to the elevator. It was an old wooden model with a metal grate that creaked as it opened. They squeezed into the small space, and Dad closed the metal grate behind them before pulling the lever for the third floor. The elevator paused for a moment before it moaned and groaned and began a very slow climb to their floor. Alfie could see the floors pass by through the grate as the elevator made its way upward. He was a little unsure whether they would actually make it, but a minute later they were stepping out.

  “Whew!” Mom said. “Maybe we’ll take the stairs from now on.”

  “No way!” Alfie said. “That was so cool! It must be the original elevator.”

  “Elevators weren’t invented until the 1850s, so they must have put this in later,” his sister corrected him. She smiled at her brother. “But it’s still really neat.”

  “Still crazy!” Alfie replied.

  Dad led the way down the hall. He handed Zia her key and then unlocked the other two doors. Alfie and Emilia walked into their room. Alfie thought it looked a little worn, and he could see some paint peeling near the ceiling. “It’s not as nice as the suite we stayed in when we were in Maui,” he said to Emilia.

  “That was pretty nice,” Emilia said with a giggle. She walked over and smelled the fresh flowers in a vase on the nightstand. “But I like it here. This building has much more character.”

  Alfie noticed a framed child’s drawing on the wall. Emilia was right. Despite looking a little rough around the edges, this hotel had a cozy, comfortable feeling—like staying at a friend’s house. And it had a nice view. He could see between several buildings to one of the rivers in the distance.

  Alfie and Emilia went into Mom and Dad’s room. Zia joined them from her room. “What a quaint hotel!” she said.

  Mom nodded. “It’s very comfortable.” She sat down on the edge of the bed. “And it’s good that it’s the weekend—although I did tell my boss I’d be in for a few hours tomorrow. I guess I’ll just give her a call . . .”

  “Don’t worry!” Alfie said. “Whenever we get home, it’s like not a minute has passed since we left.”

  Mom’s and Dad’s eyes widened.

  “Wow,” Mom breathed, looking a little in shock. “I just . . . I don’t know what to think!”

  Zia sat down next to Mom and patted her hand. “It’s all perfectly safe, Arianna. I promise.”

  “But how does it work?” Mom asked.

  “A chef never reveals her secrets. You should know that by now!” Zia said with a wink. Mom smiled. “And Alfie’s right,” Zia continued. “When we return home, it will be the same time that it was when we left.”

  “We don’t know how she does it,” Alfie said with a laugh.

  “Yeah,” Emilia added. “She’s never even really admitted it before!”

  Dad wrinkled his brow, like he was trying to figure it all out. But then he stood up and grinned. “Well, then, let’s go see what Philly has in store for us, shall we?”

  “Yes!” Alfie and Emilia cheered.

  The Bertolizzi family found the staircase and took it back down to the lobby. Alfie liked the worn, creaky, carpet-covered steps and the smooth wooden banister. He imagined all the people who had climbed these stairs since 1826! He knew Emilia was thinking the same thing. She walked slowly, taking in every detail.

  Down in the sunny lobby, they headed for the front door of the hotel.

  “Hello!” a voice said from behind them.

  Alfie and Emilia turned first to see a girl about their age standing behind the reception desk. She had long shiny brown hair and a big friendly smile that matched her dad’s.

  “I’m Emma,” she said. “My dad told me that you just checked in.”

  “Hi.” Emilia stepped forward. “I’m Emilia. This is my brother, Alfie, our parents, and our great-aunt Donatella.”

  Alfie was relieved Emilia didn’t use his full name this time.

  “Nice to meet you!” Emma said. “Welcome to our hotel.”

  “We’re very happy to be here!” Mom said. “How old are you, Emma?”

  “I’m eleven and three-quarters,” Emma replied.

  “Me too!” Alfie said. “Well, actually, my birthday is in a couple of days, so I guess I’m almost twelve.”

  “Happy almost birthday!” Emma said. “Where are you off to?”

  “We’re not actually sure,” Emilia answered. “We were just going to explore the city, but we don’t know much about it.”

  “Do you need a tour guide?” Emma asked. “I’d be happy to take you to some of the sites. I love showing our guests around!”

  “That would be wonderful, Emma. Thank you,” Zia said.

  Emma’s face lit up even more. “Great! I’ll just let my parents know.”

  Emma dashed into the back room and returned a minute later with a small purse slung across her body. “All set. Let’s go!”

  Emma led the way out of the hotel and over to a busy main street in the opposite direction of where the family had arrived. “Our hotel is in the middle of a historic district called Old City,” she explained. “The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are basically right around the corner.”

  “Wow,” Emilia sighed. “I can’t imagine living this close to so much history.”

  Emma flashed a smile. “It’s pretty cool.”
/>   They walked a few blocks, enjoying the sun and the mix of older brick buildings like they’d seen earlier and newer glass-and-steel structures. Before long, they came upon a square with a couple of large buildings that were a mix of the two—redbrick and lots of glass. It was the Liberty Bell Center.

  “I’m so excited!” Emilia said, jumping in place.

  “Philadelphia was made for you!” Alfie laughed. “In case you hadn’t noticed, Emilia loves history,” Alfie explained to Emma.

  Emma laughed, too. “Looks like it!”

  Emma led the family into the building. They toured the center, taking in all the pictures, illustrations, and videos of the bell throughout the years. There were photos of Civil War generals, abolitionists, and civil rights leaders who used the bell as a symbol for liberty.

  After that, they walked into the big glass room where the bell was displayed. Inscribed around the top it read: “PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF.”

  “It’s huge!” Dad said. “I didn’t realize it was so big.”

  Mom pointed to a sign. “It says here that the bell weighs two thousand pounds and is twelve feet in circumference.”

  “That’s one big bell,” Dad said.

  “There are two cracks in it!” Alfie whispered, pointing to the massive bell.

  Emilia nodded vigorously. “I just read about this in history class! When the first crack happened, the repair workers actually widened it with rivets to try to keep it from spreading. But then a second smaller crack appeared, and the bell couldn’t be rung anymore.”

  “Wow,” Alfie said. “All that work for a bell they couldn’t use.”

  “The bell used to hang in Independence Hall across the street when it was the Pennsylvania State House,” Emma said. “We can go there next.”

  “Great!” Emilia said. Alfie smiled at his sister.

  They entered Independence Hall just in time for the next guided tour. The family quickly got in line and followed the guide through all the rooms and halls.

  “It took workers twenty-one years to build this entire hall,” the guide said as he led them down a corridor. “They worked on it as money became available. It was finally completed in 1753.”