Posted by todd on September 20, 2011 under Europe, Italy | 
Saying goodbye to new friends is hard. We spent the morning with Sue, Bill, Jim and Millie. While the official tour is over, a number of folks are staying a few extra days to wring the most of out of Italy before returning home. We hopped on the metro (logistically much easier with six than with 28), and made our way to Saint Peter in Chains a church (not surprisingly) dedicated to St. Peter . It contains the Moses statue by Michelangelo and the chains from the legend. These chains were ostensibly used to bind Saint Peter in Jerusalem.
Not too far away is San Clemente. Another church yes, but this church (like just about everything in Rome) is built on top of many layers of civilization. The difference here is that the’ve been excavating for many years.
This ancient church was transformed over the centuries from a private home that was the site of clandestine Christian worship in the 1st century to a grand public basilica by the 6th century, reflecting the emerging Catholic Church’s growing legitimacy and power. The archaeological traces of the basilica’s history were discovered in the 1860s by Joseph Mullooly.[1]
We went down some steps and entered into the 4th century complete with some artifacts and rooms of the early basilica. Down another layer and we were in a dwelling from around 100 AD. It’s quite fascinating, well worth a visit if you get a chance.
We had some time so we opted to walk back by the Coliseum and the Trevi fountain on the way back to our hotel. We said a fond farewell to our traveling companions and hopped in a cab to the airport.
Traffic in Rome is crazy, yet somehow it works. The whole notion of lanes is mostly lost on the drivers here with everyone darting in and out every which way. We briefly thought about taking the train to the airport but the door to door service of a cab is worth the 40 euro cost.
I’m a bit paranoid when it comes to air travel and would rather wait at the airport than stress about being late. Deanna puts up with me and we arrived at the airport well before we could even check in. Oh well. We flew on EasyJet which is one of the discount airlines in Europe. It cost us 97 euros for the two of us to fly from Rome to Nice. Not bad if you ask me.
Posted by todd on September 19, 2011 under Europe, Italy |
One can’t travel to Rome and not see the Vatican. Like other Roman icons, the Vatican has been written about, and portrayed thousands of different ways in movies, plays etc. It’s the centre of the catholic church and is a place of pilgrimage for millions of people every year.
How can I explain what it’s like to be in the Vatican museum? Try this. Call 40 of your closest friends and invite them over to your house. Now pile into your closet. Stand in your closet for four hours. This is what it’s like. Wall to wall people a mass of humanity. It’s really hard to appreciate all the wonderful artwork in that environment. We were so fortunate to have Robin to do her best to navigate through the museum, stopping at important pieces relaying the history and the stories that really help us ‘art challenged’ folks connect to the art contained in the Vatican museum. Without her, it would have been a very miserable experience. With her, it was manageable if not fun. The Vatican museum tour ends at the Sistine chapel, arguably the best work of art completed by an individual on the planet. It’s a bit hard to appreciate with all the people but spending a bit of time and seeing the incredible detail that Michelangelo painted is very awe inspiring. I don’t have pictures of my own (you’re not supposed to take them), so I’ve check out the wikipedia article I’ve linked to above.
We then wandered around Saint Peter’s Basilica after completing the museum. It’s over the top. I can’t explain it any other way. The mosaics are beautiful and the scale of the place is staggering. 60,000 people can be in the basilica at one time. Just try an grok what that might look like. 60,000.
We headed back to the hotel for a quick break before meeting everyone for our last group dinner of the tour. Robin took us to one of her favorite restaurants with the unassuming name of Target. It was one of the best meals of the trip. I had a rosemary steak with potatoes. Deanna had a salad and a carbonara pizza with an egg in the middle. I know, I know, eggs don’t belong on pizzas unless you live in Quebec, but she liked it. We shared a chocolate cake for dessert that was very tasty.
It’s hard saying goodbye to everyone. In a short period of time we became very good friends with a number of really great people. We have a standing invitation for anyone from the trip to come stay with us. Hopefully that will happen.
The Italy portion of the trip is basically over. We fly to Nice tomorrow and head out on our own. It will be a different experience but something I’m looking forward to. More about that when we get to Nice.
Ciao Italia it’s been awesome. We’ll be back one day.
Posted by todd on September 18, 2011 under Europe, Italy |
Ah Roma. What can said about the wonder and splendor of Rome that hasn’t been written before. Rome was the centre of the western world and continues to be a keystone in the areas of art, fashion, religion, culture, cuisine and just about any other facet of life one can think of.
We arrived in Rome around lunch time, with just enough time to dump our bags, grab a quick sandwich and hop on the subway system to meet our local guide Francesca Caruso, for our ancient Rome tour. I have actually heard Francesca in a number of the audio shows that Rick Steves’ produces. She’s a native Roman but speaks fluent english as her mother was born in California. She has a magical gift for making the city come alive, not an easy task as the depth of what can be found here is quite overwhelming. Rome has had inhabitants for well over 2000 years. It’s full of iconography that is very common place. Things like the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Forum are locations that you’ve no doubt seen many many times, in books, movies and in photos. Seeing them up close and in person is both inspiring and a bit overwhelming.
A bit footsore after four hours of tramping around, we had a bit of time to grab dinner on our own. We joined three other couples (Matt, Marry, Millie, Jim, Bill and Sue) for a quick bite.
After dinner we rejoined the larger group back at the Pantheon for a night walk through some of the sights of Rome. Rome at night is very cool. All of the fountains are illuminated as are the piazzas. We headed over to Piazza Navona which contains the fountain of the four rivers by Bernini. In addition to the usual group of guys selling all sorts of garbage (fake handbags, glowing spinning things that they throw into the air), this one had a large selection of artists selling what looked to be very nice work. We didn’t have too much time to look at them but from what we saw they looked very nice.
Our walk took us to Trevi fountain which is also best observed at night. It’s at this fountain where the tradition of throwing a coin over your left shoulder will ensure that you come visit Rome again in the future. Robin treated everyone to a gelato at one of her favorite spots. I had crema and caramel and Deanna had honey and lemon. I should probably do an entire post on gelato. It varies quite a bit between towns and each one is good in a different way. This gelato was more creamy than ones we’ve had in the past, more like ice cream. Other gelato tended toward more like a creamy sorbet but not really. It’s hard to explain. You’ll just need to come to Italy and try them for yourself.
Fortified with gelato, we walked up the Spanish steps and back to our hotel. Exhausted after a very inspiring day.
Posted by todd on September 17, 2011 under Europe, Italy |
We passed another fine morning in the town of Orvieto which is just a few minutes down the road from our agritourismo. It’s a very pleasant town, perhaps my favorite of the hill towns we’ve visited. Each town has it’s own feel and character. I can’t really put my finger on it but there was something about the town which felt quite livable. It was busy, however it was very easy to find a quiet street to wander down. After visiting the cathedral which was interesting, Deanna and I wandered around town and headed down to the roman fort which was basically a park with lots of trees and a commanding view of the surrounding Umbrian countryside.
We grabbed a quick gelato, looked at some of the local potery and met the group for the return trip to the hotel. Lots of folks were looking forward to a dip in the pool and the Bocce tournament that Robin is organizing. We’re meeting at 6:15 for an Rome orientation which is the final destination on the Italy portion of our trip. Hard to believe that this portion of our trip coming to a close.
We ended the day with another marathon dinner. We started with mixed cold cuts like prosciutto followed by freshly made pasta with green beens and tomatoes. The main course was veal in a mushroom sauce with spinach. Dessert was a fruit topped pudding/custard. All were great and way too much food.
Posted by todd on September 16, 2011 under Europe, Italy |
Today we headed out from Siena on our way to an agriturismo in Umbria. Enroute, we stopped at Assisi to see the Basilica of St. Francis and spend time in the town. I much preferred the town of Assisi over San Gimignano, the medieval town we visited yesterday. Assisi is much more picturesque, with interesting cobblestone streets that head off into all sorts of directions and the town just feels more like a real town whereas San Gimignano just felt inundated with tourists.
We spent a bit of time walking around town before being met by a local guide who took us on a walk through town and into the Basilica. The frescos that detailed the legend of St. Francis were impressive and having a local guide discuss them in some detail was very helpful.
We then headed out on the bus for the couple hour trip to our agriturismo. The scenery was spectacular as we wound our way up into the hills of Umbria. The agriturismo we’re staying at is a working vineyard that produces some award winning wines and olive oil in an organic sustainable way. After checking into our luxury room we were treated to a wine tasting and four course dinner. Dinner consisted of salad, followed by risotto, pork done four ways with potatoes and dessert. A great meal made even better by dining outside on their beautiful patio.
Posted by todd on September 15, 2011 under Europe, Italy |
With a bit of a heavy heart we say so long to the Cinque Terre and head into Tuscany. Our first stop is San Gimignano, a town that’s kept a lot of it’s charm and history. It was a very important stop on the trade route in the 13th century. Today, it’s a very important stop for tourists. Lots of them. It reminded me a bit of Carcasonne in the south of France. Not sure exactly why, maybe just the feel of it. There is a park at the top of the town that commands some fantastic views of the Tuscan country side. Those views are worth it alone. It has some beautiful pottery and like Venice and Florence, leather goods of all shapes and sizes. We grabbed a sandwich and ate it at the town square. I’m sure it would be a very nice spot to stay in the evenings with fewer tour groups around.
From there, it was a short hop into the town of Siena. You know that colour in your old box of crayola crayons “Burnt Siena”? Well, this town is where that comes from. The name originates from the local rock that is used to build a number of the buildings and in the evening, they are a wonderful brown, particularly striking against the blue sky.
We spent the morning with a local guide that took us through her town. Siena was a very important stop along the trade route and is famous for it’s Palio which is a horse race that is held twice a year on July 2nd and August 16th. There are 17 districts (contradas) in Siena that participate in the race (10 at a time). Each contrada is represented by an icon of some kind; goose, porcupine, unicorn, etc. These races are a crazy spectacle in which 20,000 people cram into the town square to watch jockeys and horses race three laps around the track. The winners get a banner and more importantly bragging rights for the year. This race has been going on for centuries and is something that the locals are totally nuts about. It’s common for fist fights to break out between local contradas in the build up to these races, however it’s interesting to note that the crime rate in Siena is basically zero. Anthropologists have studied this and are trying to figure out why even with these friendly rivalries, that Siena is essentially free of a lot of problems found in other urban centers. It’s quite fascinating. We got to have a look at the “turtle” contrada. They have a chapel and small museum (that few people get to see), related to the history of their participation in the Palio.
We wound up our tour with a visit to the Basilica. It contains many important works of art and took 200 years to construct. Eight different generations of builders worked on it.
Deanna decided she needed to do something with her hair. The humidity was not agreeing with her and she asked the guide if she knew somewhere to go. She directed us to the shop where she gets her hair done. They didn’t speak any English, but Deanna was able to convey what she wanted and 40 minutes later came out with a very cute hair cut that she (and everyone in the tour group) really liked.
We stopped at a local grocery store and picked up some prosciutto, cheese, crackers and some salad and headed back to the balcony at the hotel for a little picnic lunch.
We wrapped up the day with a visit to a stained-glass shop. Like the mask maker in Venice it was amazing to see true artists at work. This shop is owned by two brothers who have been making stained glass for over 25 years. They had a number of pieces in various stages and they were amazing.
Posted by todd on September 13, 2011 under Europe, Italy |
After a hearty breakfast we headed out for a great day of hiking along the paths between the towns of the Cinque Terre. It was a beautiful day, in the high 20s and maybe low 30s in the sun by mid afternoon. We started from our town of Monterosso Al Mare at about 8:45 for the 90 minute hike to the next town, Vernazza. This is the hardest part of the hike with lots of up and downs. The trail is very well maintained but is very very busy. Even at that somewhat early time, there were many folks on the trail. It was a good hike and we were ready for a bit of a break when we got to Vernazza. After a bit of a rest, we headed on to the town of Cornigila. It wasn’t as tough of a go but the trail was a bit more exposed and was quite hot. We had lunch in the garden patio of a restaurant in town. It was a tasty meal of spaghetti. From there we had to take a train to Manarola as the trail between Corniglia and Manarola was closed for repair. This was no big deal as by this time we were pretty tired. The last stretch of Manarola to Riomaggiore was a short 20 minute saunter along a paved trail. Nothing like the first two legs of the hike in the morning. We took a ferry back to Monterosso and got back to the hotel about 4:30.
It was a great day in a very beautiful part of the world. You should plan to come here some time. You won’t be sorry.
Posted by todd on September 12, 2011 under Europe, Italy |
Back on the bus and a fairly short drive to Florence. We stopped for lunch at an Autogrill and was surprised by the quality and quantity of food available.
We arrived mid afternoon and after checking in, headed out for a 2 hour walking tour with Robin. We walked around the main square where the gothic Duomo (Cathedral) is. We also walked down to the Uffizi gallery to see a number of statues by various Renaissance artists. Very cool to se a number of them just out in the open. Some of the statues are reproductions with the originals safely ensconced inside to preserve them, while others are the originals.
We ended our tour at the Accademia museum which houses Micaelangelo’s David. It’s an amazing work of art. 17 feet tall carved out of marble. It’s something to behold for sure.
After the tour the group went for dinner and had a local specialty. Bistecca ala fiorentina. Tasty beef steak served on arugula and olive oil rosemary potatoes.
The next day was MUSEUM day. One of the benefits of the tour is we don’t have to wait in line for anything. In fact, we were actually the very first group to visit the Uffizi gallery on Sunday. We had a local guide who was outstanding. The gallery is huge and contains some of the most important art in the world. there are over 40 rooms and dozens of collections. Our guide concentrated on a few of the key pieces and explained why they were important. It was the best museum experience Deanna and I have had. The pace was great, the content was amazing and we learned a lot.
To whet your appetite, here are a few of the pieces in the museum you’ll most likely recognize:
After the Uffizi tour we went on our own to the Galileo Science Museum . Another great museum filled with old medial instruments, maps. telescopes and a whole ton of really interesting things. It’s well laid out, and has great descriptions. The web site is well done, I would recommend it if you’re a science fan at all.
We wrapped up the morning with a walk over the very busy Ponte Vecchio bridge. It’s the only bridge in Florence to survive the German retreat in WWII.
The group got together for a pot luck picnic dinner which was a lot of fun. Folks bought things from the markets, wine, cheese whatever and we sat outside and enjoyed a beautiful Florence evening.
Posted by todd on under Europe, Italy |
Venice is a beautiful city that is (and the irony isn’t lost on me here) over-run by tourists. Particularly when the cruise ships come in at night. However, when the cruise trips leave and the day trippers move on, it’s really quite pleasant.
We spent the morning with Elizabeth, a local guide who showed us a bit of back street Venice. The city is built on a lagoon on top of millions of pillions that have been driven into the sea bed and have since petrified. It’s a constant battle to keep the levels of the canals right. They change with the tides, storms and the levels of the sea. Too much water and everything floods, not enough, getting goods into the city can be hard.
It would be a very expensive city to live in. All the goods need to be brought in by boat and then hand delivered to the various shops that supply the city. A non stop flow of everything the city needs. The logistics of keeping things running must be crazy.
After wandering through a couple of Campos (squares), we attended a mask making demonstration. The fellow that did this work was a true artist. Masks are found all over the city and have a rich history in Venice. We ended our guided tour at St. Peter’s The Venetians stole the bones of St. Peter from Constantinople and built the church around them. It’s very impressive to be sure. It’s typical for a regular tourist to wait 60-120 minutes to get into the church. We got to walk right on in as we were with the organized tour group. Score.
After wandering through St. Peter’s we headed to the fish market which, as the name implies, is an open air fish market but they have a large vegetable and fruit market too. We bought some peaches and snacked on those. We headed over to the Frari Church which contains some of the best insitue works from some of the most famous Renaissance Venetians (Donatello, Giovanni Bellini and Titan).
At this point we had been on our feet for about six hours so we decided to head back to the hotel for a little break before heading out to the Doge’s Palace. Gelato was had on the way back 
The Doge’s of Venice were basically the local government for 400 years. It’s a grand palace connected to St. Peters. Filled with an extensive array of period art and artifacts it was a very good introduction into the power and influence the individual Doge’s had. The system of government was one of a collection of senators but some were more equal than others. Justice was dispensed and convicted prisoners were marched over the bridge of sighs, so named as they would never see the beauty of Venice and would sigh as they crossed it to the prison.
We had dinner with Jim and Millie at a place just behind St. Peter’s. Deanna and I opted for pizza again which was pretty good.
After diner I headed out to a Vivaldi concert with a few other folks from the group. The performance was by Interpreti Veneziani. The program consisted of three pieces by Vivaldi, a short intermission and then a piece by Gioachino Rossini and Tommaso Albinoni. It was fantastic, defiantly a highlight.
Posted by todd on under Europe, Italy |
Today we’re heading out of Florence for a couple of days in the Cinque Terre. Can’t. Wait. Before we get to Montoroso though, we need to do the obligatory stop at Pisa to see the tower that leans. I say obligatory as it’s something that needs to be done however in the grand scheme of things, is not really something high on the list of things to do. It’s on the way so no big deal. What is a big deal is the mass of humanity that is here. My goodness. I’m glad we’re just stopping for an hour or so.
We pulled into Montoroso about 2:00 pm. My goodness this is a beautiful place. The town is on the sea and heads up into the hills. We’re staying in the old town and our view is just absolutely fantastic. We look over the town and the sea. I’m not leaving. Nope, you can’t make me. I’m staying here.
Deanna went for a swim and was happy to report the water was chilly but fantastic. I’ll take her word for it 
We all met for a group dinner at the Hotel Pasqualle restaurant. The restaurant isn’t normally open but they open it up for our tour group. It’s a family run business. We were treated to a pesto making demonstration followed by the best meal we’ve had so far in Italy. We had some local white wine from the Cinque Terre followed by a pesto lasagna that was indescribably good. That was followed by a flakey white fish similar and a dessert made with a raisin liquor called Sciacchetrà . It was a beautiful night with almost a full moon. A great evening.
