Friday morning brought the unenviable task of having to pull away from San Giovanni and Tuscany. We got on the A1 and drove the two and a half hours south, back to Fiumicino Airport to return our Fiat Grande Punto. Though it was a very uncomfortable car, it for some reason was a teary ( OK, not really ) goodbye as we left it in the parking lot at the airport.
We took a taxi to our short term rental in Rome at 80 Via Labicana. From the map, we knew we were close to the coliseum, but I don't think we were prepared for how close we actually were. Our drive in was harrowing, confirming what everyone has said about driving in Rome. It is Florence on steroids. The streets go every direction except straight, and the cars again just sort of drive where they want. The scooters are everywhere. We were really glad we had decided not to attempt driving in Roma Centro.
We got to our apartment, got our things up the lift ( the kids love the lift because it has a gate and two doors you have to close on your own ), and went to get lunch and explore Rome for a bit. We had some sandwiches at the tabaccheria right below our apartment, and it promptly started pouring rain. Apparently whenever we enter an Italian city, it must rain to welcome us. The rain persisted in varying strengths for a few hours, then about four or so it started to clear.
We made our way to Trestavere, a neat little neighborhood across the Tiber river from the rest of Rome. We had read about a gelateria there that was supposedly out of this world, Gelateria De La Scalla. We found it after getting a decent city map, and my oh my was it good. I had banana for the first time, and it was fabulous. Everyone agreed that this was our new favorite.
We took a walk back across the river and wandered through Piazza Navona and Campo Di Fiori. Piazza Navona was great because there were lots of things happening. The street performers were out in full force, and we enjoyed watching various musicians and performers do their thing.
We came back to the apartment after that and got dressed for dinner. We took a short cab ride back to Trestavere and La Lucia for some pasta. Shelley and Charlie had tortellini, Margaret had some fabulous pasta with panchetta in it, and I had some pasta that had a combination of crack cocaine and other fabulous ingredients. We sat outside and ate dinner till close to 11 o'clock. There were people everywhere as we wandered back to a main road and caught a cab back. Rome was just getting started as we were turning in.
The kids did a fabulous job of hanging in there for a very long day, and crashed as soon as we got back to the apartment. A day well spent.
Today we are going to the Vatican and St Peters. We can't wait.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Day Twelve - Podere Ampella
We spent Thursday hanging out at our new favorite home away from home. We went and had pizza for lunch at Il Paradiso in Trequanda, then spent the afternoon washing clothes and enjoying the sunshine. I took a nap out on the lawn while Shelley and the kids were reading.
We had planned to go to Monte Oliveto to hear the monk's services, but we decided to skip it. We were getting ready to go have dinner when some of our neighbors staying in the same villas came over to chat. They are a very nice German family whose son had taught our kids to play boccie earlier in the week. We got to talking, opened a new bottle of wine, and ended up sitting there eating meets and cheeses and watching the sun go down. It was a great way to end our time in Tuscany, a trip that I don't think any of us will soon forget.
We had planned to go to Monte Oliveto to hear the monk's services, but we decided to skip it. We were getting ready to go have dinner when some of our neighbors staying in the same villas came over to chat. They are a very nice German family whose son had taught our kids to play boccie earlier in the week. We got to talking, opened a new bottle of wine, and ended up sitting there eating meets and cheeses and watching the sun go down. It was a great way to end our time in Tuscany, a trip that I don't think any of us will soon forget.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
It smells like Biloxi, Mississippi
So, I had pretty much written off Venice. It was niggling at me to be so close and not see it. When Scott proposed we go, I jumped at the chance. I knew it would be a long day for everyone, and just hoped it would be worth it, Like Florence, I have heard mixed reviews about Venice, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
The drive in was ugly. I just didn't think any part of Italy should be ugly. It's even ugly as you are walking into the city. On the drive across the causeway, I said out loud, "It smells just like Biloxi, Mississippi." That's not something I wanted to utter while here. I was just thinking we were on a fool's errand when I rounded the corner and actually saw the city. I knew then it would be a special day. We kind of went bass-ackwards though the city, but it was like we were the only people there. Around every corner was a photo waiting to happen. We started to follow signs to San Marco and emerged on the grand canal by the Rialto bridge. Ah-here is where all the people are! We plunged into the throng and made our way to the end of the town. You are cramped all the way through Venice with tiny, almost claustrophobic streets until you come out into huge St. Mark's square.
I have seen a lot of things that amazed me, but this may take the cake. The sheer size of everything, the music playing, etc. It's like nothing I have ever seen before. It brought tears to my eyes. You just want to run through it yelling "I'm in Venice!" We usually abhor touristy things, and the gondola ride was outrageous, but we did it anyway.
I hate to think we almost missed Venice. Having said that, I don't know I would go back. I think it's one of those places that you should see, but it's not really a place I want to hang out. So, like others, I guess I have mixed reviews about Venice.
I've spent a little time today making some plans for Rome. I can't wait. The only bad thing about going to Rome is it means our trip is drawing to a close.
Look kids, olives, grapes
Whew-I have some catching up to do. We are spending the day lazing about, washing clothes and doing some re-grouping before we take on Rome.
A few things to add about our second day in Florence. Margaret and I did get to do some shopping, and went across town to the perfumerie at the Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella, where the nuns have been making perfume since 1612. It was the most beautiful place I have ever shopped, to say the least. We had a great time sniffing everything and peeking through a gate at the back of the shop into the courtyard of the convent. I bought some perfume for myself and some soap for Margaret. We also sprayed room spray on ourselves and were about to buy some....when the nice salesperson let us know what it was. The perfume is in the other room. Oops! We got lost in translation. I did buy some of the best smelling perfume. On that note, Italian men all seem to smell really good and dress nicely. They have earned their stereotype.
I had misplaced my lip gloss, and can not stand to have dry lips, so Margaret and I ducked into a farmacia and bought blistex from the most beautiful Italian pharmacist. Seriously, I could not stop staring at her.
It was a very tiring day, and I was a little grumbly about hiking up the Piazzale Michelangelo, then walking all the way across town to the car. Scott really wanted to do it and I am so glad we did. The view was stunning. I had heard pretty mixed review about Florence, but our experience there was great.
Montepulciano was beautiful, but as Charlie said when we pulled in "Haven't we already been here?" The hill towns do start to run together a bit. He had been excited to visit Adamo since we saw him on a Rick Steve's video. It was one of the best experiences of the trip. He was welcoming and funny and so worth going to see. When he said "American?, Adamo famoso in America," I knew it was going to be good. BTW, I know it's a bit of sacrilege around here, but I think I like the Vino Nobile better than the Brunello, but we will keep that to ourselves for now. I did buy some gorgeous, red, suede driving shoes at Maledetti Toscani (handmade Italian shoes since 1848). I could drop some serious dough in there...
All in all, wonderful days. Sitting on the back patio with a glass of wine (and no mosquitoes) watching the pink and purple sunset has been one of the best parts.
Day Eleven - Venezia
When we were driving home from Montepulciano on Tuesday, we decided we would go to Venice Wednesday. We are staying about four hours from Venice, so we knew it would be a really long day. However, the kids seemed excited about it, so we got up early yesterday and headed out. For the first day since we have been here, we did not start the day with a treat from Signora Maria.
The drive to Venice allowed us to see some different terrain. Once we got north of Florence and started toward Bologna, we went through ( literally ) some decent mountains. I don't know what range it was, but it was our first time experiencing driving in the mountains in Italy. The A1 through the mountains barely seemed wide enough for two cars to be on, much less all of the trucks that travel on it. There were many times where I held my breath and just gunned it to get past a truck as it wandered into our lane. This was made all the more interesting by the ever-present super fast German car coming up behind me and wanting to pass. I had a death grip on the steering wheel most of the time. Once we got through Balogna, the terrain flattened out as we got closer to the coast. It reminded me a lot of Virginia and North Carolina. I would say this part of the trip was the most unattractive part of Italy we have seen.
We got to the outskirts of Venice and were plunged headlong into confusion. It seemed that there were three signs pointing different ways, all saying "To Venice." We ( of course ) chose the wrong one initially and wound up in some industrial area. I won't lie. There were a few expletives uttered ( sorry, kids ). We found our way back to the right road and headed for the Tronchetto parking deck just off the causeway. It was easy to get into, but a bit of a hike into the city. We figured out on the way back that there was a tram to the garage. Oh well.
The Tronchetto parking deck was our first clue that we were in for an expensive day. It was 21 euros to park for the day ( roughly $28 ). Venice was really the first city where it was obvious you were trapped and had to spend money. EVERYTHING cost money in Venice. Churches required a ticket, most things were quite expensive, and it just had the feel of a tourist trap. We later learned that Venice has only 48,000 residents, but I imagine on an average day there are far more tourists than residents there. After we got across the bridge and into the old part of the city, we just sort of wandered through the streets. Both Shelley and I were struck by the beauty of this city. It was a perfect day to be there ( about 80 and sunny ), and the colors of the city shone everywhere. Venice does not smell that great ( fish and other smells tend to waft up at times ), but the city was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was really strange to be in a city, with a lot of other people, and no cars. The streets were extremely narrow, and most of them were one way or dead ends of some kind. We kept walking and eventually found a great spot for lunch, Trattoria al Bari. We sat outside and watched people go by as we ate.
After lunch, we headed for the Rialto bridge. This is one of the more famous spots in Venice, and it was stunning. All of the scenes from movies and TV shows came to life as we watched water taxis and gondolas pass beneath us. We found a great gelateria called 'Mejor' as we ducked back into the maze of streets, and continued just wandering around.
We eventually got to Piazza San Marco, easily the most recognizable spot in Venice. There were thousands and thousands of people there, music was playing, and the scenery stunning. We went down to the waterfront and saw all of the gondoliers and water taxis, then went into Basilica San Marco. The ceiling of this church was literally gold. It was beautiful. The floor of the church was a beautiful patchwork of marble, broken up here and there by the undulations from the ever-shifting earth below. Back outside, we decided not to climb the tower ( it was 8 euros per person ), but spent some more time exploring the square. What an amazing place.
As we started back through the city, the kids really wanted to ride a gondola. It is the definition of a tourist trap, but we decided we would not care a year from now how much it cost and would love the memory. We went for a gondola ride through the canals of Venice. It was both relaxing and fun. The kids absolutely loved it, and I have to confess that I did as well. Our gondolier did a great job of pointing out the landmarks, as well as telling us the palaces where famous people had lived ( Mozart, Goethe, among many others ). I can see why artists would choose to live in a city like this.
After we got back from the gondola ride, we started the long trek to the car. Venice is really, really difficult to find your way through, which at the end of a long day was at times frustrating. We found one last gelateria, Il Doge, in Campo Santa Margherita. It was the consensus pick of the trip for tastiness.
We ended up spending about seven hours or so in Venice. For me, it was enough. I am sure you can spend days there, but there were a lot of people and the streets were sometimes wide enough for just one person. I got a bit claustrophobic at times. That being said, everyone was really glad we made the trip. It would have been a huge miss to not make it over there.
The drive home was as, if not more, nerve fraying than the ride over. The only thing worse than navigating the mountains during the day was doing it at night at the point of exhaustion. We made it back at about 11 or so last night and collapsed into our beds, content in spending a great day in a truly unique city.
We are spending today around Podere Ampella. The kids want to swim, and we have a few things to get done before we head for Roma first thing in the morning. We hope to have internet in Rome at our apartment, but are not sure.
Until next time, check out the new pictures we are uploading today
The drive to Venice allowed us to see some different terrain. Once we got north of Florence and started toward Bologna, we went through ( literally ) some decent mountains. I don't know what range it was, but it was our first time experiencing driving in the mountains in Italy. The A1 through the mountains barely seemed wide enough for two cars to be on, much less all of the trucks that travel on it. There were many times where I held my breath and just gunned it to get past a truck as it wandered into our lane. This was made all the more interesting by the ever-present super fast German car coming up behind me and wanting to pass. I had a death grip on the steering wheel most of the time. Once we got through Balogna, the terrain flattened out as we got closer to the coast. It reminded me a lot of Virginia and North Carolina. I would say this part of the trip was the most unattractive part of Italy we have seen.
We got to the outskirts of Venice and were plunged headlong into confusion. It seemed that there were three signs pointing different ways, all saying "To Venice." We ( of course ) chose the wrong one initially and wound up in some industrial area. I won't lie. There were a few expletives uttered ( sorry, kids ). We found our way back to the right road and headed for the Tronchetto parking deck just off the causeway. It was easy to get into, but a bit of a hike into the city. We figured out on the way back that there was a tram to the garage. Oh well.
The Tronchetto parking deck was our first clue that we were in for an expensive day. It was 21 euros to park for the day ( roughly $28 ). Venice was really the first city where it was obvious you were trapped and had to spend money. EVERYTHING cost money in Venice. Churches required a ticket, most things were quite expensive, and it just had the feel of a tourist trap. We later learned that Venice has only 48,000 residents, but I imagine on an average day there are far more tourists than residents there. After we got across the bridge and into the old part of the city, we just sort of wandered through the streets. Both Shelley and I were struck by the beauty of this city. It was a perfect day to be there ( about 80 and sunny ), and the colors of the city shone everywhere. Venice does not smell that great ( fish and other smells tend to waft up at times ), but the city was unlike anything I have ever seen. It was really strange to be in a city, with a lot of other people, and no cars. The streets were extremely narrow, and most of them were one way or dead ends of some kind. We kept walking and eventually found a great spot for lunch, Trattoria al Bari. We sat outside and watched people go by as we ate.
After lunch, we headed for the Rialto bridge. This is one of the more famous spots in Venice, and it was stunning. All of the scenes from movies and TV shows came to life as we watched water taxis and gondolas pass beneath us. We found a great gelateria called 'Mejor' as we ducked back into the maze of streets, and continued just wandering around.
We eventually got to Piazza San Marco, easily the most recognizable spot in Venice. There were thousands and thousands of people there, music was playing, and the scenery stunning. We went down to the waterfront and saw all of the gondoliers and water taxis, then went into Basilica San Marco. The ceiling of this church was literally gold. It was beautiful. The floor of the church was a beautiful patchwork of marble, broken up here and there by the undulations from the ever-shifting earth below. Back outside, we decided not to climb the tower ( it was 8 euros per person ), but spent some more time exploring the square. What an amazing place.
As we started back through the city, the kids really wanted to ride a gondola. It is the definition of a tourist trap, but we decided we would not care a year from now how much it cost and would love the memory. We went for a gondola ride through the canals of Venice. It was both relaxing and fun. The kids absolutely loved it, and I have to confess that I did as well. Our gondolier did a great job of pointing out the landmarks, as well as telling us the palaces where famous people had lived ( Mozart, Goethe, among many others ). I can see why artists would choose to live in a city like this.
After we got back from the gondola ride, we started the long trek to the car. Venice is really, really difficult to find your way through, which at the end of a long day was at times frustrating. We found one last gelateria, Il Doge, in Campo Santa Margherita. It was the consensus pick of the trip for tastiness.
We ended up spending about seven hours or so in Venice. For me, it was enough. I am sure you can spend days there, but there were a lot of people and the streets were sometimes wide enough for just one person. I got a bit claustrophobic at times. That being said, everyone was really glad we made the trip. It would have been a huge miss to not make it over there.
The drive home was as, if not more, nerve fraying than the ride over. The only thing worse than navigating the mountains during the day was doing it at night at the point of exhaustion. We made it back at about 11 or so last night and collapsed into our beds, content in spending a great day in a truly unique city.
We are spending today around Podere Ampella. The kids want to swim, and we have a few things to get done before we head for Roma first thing in the morning. We hope to have internet in Rome at our apartment, but are not sure.
Until next time, check out the new pictures we are uploading today
Day Ten - Montepulciano
We spent the afternoon Tuesday in Montepulciano. It is one of the better-known Tuscan hill towns, primarily for the wine produced there, vino nobile. It, from what I can gather, is considered to be some of the best wine in Italy. We had lunch at Il Paradiso in Trequanda on our way out of town, the new favorite eating place of our kids.
The town itself required a good bit of climbing as the hills were very steep, much like Cortona and a few others. One of the more interesting things about Montepulciano was the amount of artisans and craft stores. There were many local craftsmen working on everything from glass sculpture to mosaics to paintings and drawings. We stopped for a few minutes and watched a man building a mosaic of one of Van Gogh's paintings. He had just a hammer, the original painting, and what looked to be a very sharp stationary axe blade. The man would take the tiny bits of glass and chip off very small pieces of the tile and place them on the template. The amount of attention to detail was astounding. We went from there up to the town square and climbed the civic tower. The tower, as well as the village, was modeled after Florence, and it showed throughout most of the town. We wandered through a few of the churches and other buildings, and found a nice play area for the kids to run around in for a few minutes.
As we made our way back down toward the car, we went into Contucci Wine Cellars. We met the winemaker there, a man named Adamo. Adamo has been making wine in Montepulciano since 1953, and was one of the most friendly people we have met on our trip. We sampled the variety of wines he had available and bought a bottle of the vino nobile to enjoy back at the house. Adamo has been made famous by Rick Steves, as he was featured in the guide to the city. Adamo asked us where we were from, and when we told him, he said "Adamo famoso en America!" Not long after we had gone into the tasting room, an American living in Italy came in. She struck up a conversation with Adamo about the past, and he proceeded to tell us about his experiences with the US Army liberating Italy. He told of the soldiers picking the kids up onto the trucks and giving them chocolate when they had no food. The kids sat there completely wrapped as he told the story through the American interpreter. I don't know how long we sat and listened, but we could have sat there all day. He was a treasure to listen to.
We had gelato on the way out, which was ( again ) delicious. I have not yet grown weary of our daily tradition.
Montepulciano was the last of the towns around here we will be visiting. While some of them run together, there were a few that stood out. We loved Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino, all for different reasons. As we get home and review all of the pictures and begin to put the trip back together, it will be fun to revisit each of the towns.
The town itself required a good bit of climbing as the hills were very steep, much like Cortona and a few others. One of the more interesting things about Montepulciano was the amount of artisans and craft stores. There were many local craftsmen working on everything from glass sculpture to mosaics to paintings and drawings. We stopped for a few minutes and watched a man building a mosaic of one of Van Gogh's paintings. He had just a hammer, the original painting, and what looked to be a very sharp stationary axe blade. The man would take the tiny bits of glass and chip off very small pieces of the tile and place them on the template. The amount of attention to detail was astounding. We went from there up to the town square and climbed the civic tower. The tower, as well as the village, was modeled after Florence, and it showed throughout most of the town. We wandered through a few of the churches and other buildings, and found a nice play area for the kids to run around in for a few minutes.
As we made our way back down toward the car, we went into Contucci Wine Cellars. We met the winemaker there, a man named Adamo. Adamo has been making wine in Montepulciano since 1953, and was one of the most friendly people we have met on our trip. We sampled the variety of wines he had available and bought a bottle of the vino nobile to enjoy back at the house. Adamo has been made famous by Rick Steves, as he was featured in the guide to the city. Adamo asked us where we were from, and when we told him, he said "Adamo famoso en America!" Not long after we had gone into the tasting room, an American living in Italy came in. She struck up a conversation with Adamo about the past, and he proceeded to tell us about his experiences with the US Army liberating Italy. He told of the soldiers picking the kids up onto the trucks and giving them chocolate when they had no food. The kids sat there completely wrapped as he told the story through the American interpreter. I don't know how long we sat and listened, but we could have sat there all day. He was a treasure to listen to.
We had gelato on the way out, which was ( again ) delicious. I have not yet grown weary of our daily tradition.
Montepulciano was the last of the towns around here we will be visiting. While some of them run together, there were a few that stood out. We loved Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino, all for different reasons. As we get home and review all of the pictures and begin to put the trip back together, it will be fun to revisit each of the towns.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Day Nine - Firenze ( Part Two )
After going through a day of withdrawals by not having some of Signora Maria's delicious breakfast treats ( how dare she be closed on Sunday! ), it was back to business as usual this morning. Every time I go in there, we exchange pleasantries and she inevitably rattles off a paragraph of stuff where I am completely lost. My typical response is to just nod and smile, because I have no idea what she is saying. At least she still smiles when I walk in the door.
I had to make a stop at the local grocery store on the way back from the bakery to pick up a few items. When I got back, we all ate our breakfast and piled into the car for another journey to Florence. The weather today was about 80 degrees and sunny, with barely a cloud in the sky. A big difference from our last trip into the cradle of the Renaissance! We ran into a bit of traffic on the way in, but otherwise it was for the most part uneventful. We still had some issues getting to the parking garage, but that was mainly due to my faulty memory about which way we had to turn in a particular spot. A trip around the traffic circle and all was well. I had the itch to say "Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament", but resisted.
We proceeded into the belly of the beast and found ourselves at a place called Verrazano's for lunch. It is about a block from the Duomo, and we had read about it as a spot for a lunch with a different twist. The waiter at Verrazano's was very very good. He was American, but fluent in Italian, French and a few other languages. His mother had worked for Harvard for 40 some odd years in Florence, and most of his family is still there. We traded barbs about the Yankees and Red Sox, as well as the Lakers and Celtics, then settled in for a great lunch. He recommended a focaccia sampler that had small sandwiches, each made with a few different ingredients. I could not tell what all of them were, but one of the more interesting ones had fresh peas on it. I am not a huge fan of peas in any form, but the sandwich was quite good. The kids had a soda that is a native lemon soda ( I have the name written somewhere ) that has almost no sugar in it. It had a twist of some lemon grown here in Italy in it to sweeten it, and it was very good as well.
After lunch, we split up. Shelley and Margaret went shopping for a few things, and Charlie and I just sort of wound our way through the city. Charlie had decided he wanted an Inter-Milan jersey after the victory the other night, so we found one of those along the way. After a couple hours, we reconnected and headed for Grom, a gelateria close to the Duomo. The line was huge when we got there, and we soon found out why. It was very creamy and really flavorful. I tried pistachio for the first time and now have a new item to add to the list of flavors I enjoy.
We spent the rest of the day walking through Florence, stopping for a bit at Piazza Del Vecchio. After that, we went across the river and climbed the hill to Piazzola Michaelangelo. This is the spot where ( I am guessing ) most photos of Florence are taken, and the view is amazing. For the first time, we got a feel for the relative size of the Duomo and how far above the rest of the city it towers. The rest of the city was awash in the late afternoon sun, and provided a great backdrop to just sit and enjoy a few minutes of downtime.
After we came back down the hill, we headed for the car and back south on the A1. As we left the city, I said "One great city down, many more to come." I hope we can make it so. We get to Rome on Friday, where we hope to add another to the list.
I will be uploading pictures in the morning from the last few days. I realize a lot of what we write here is a bit monotonous. It's really been our kind of vacation, with some busy, some not so busy, and a lot of great food. Hopefully it is still somewhat interesting. As we get to the end, we will take some time to write about how we traveled, what we looked for, etc. to hopefully help anyone else out that is thinking about a similar trip.
Until next time, buonanotte.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)