Today, Monday, we take leave of the Rivera and begin the first leg of our trip home. We again breakfasted with the ladies we have come to know, and learned one lady is a chef at a winery in Evergreen, Colorado. We exchanged business cards and thought we said goodbye but not quite yet. Next came pictures on the steps of our pension with the beautiful gardens in the background. Andreas, the 30+ year old son, of the owner took pictures and was in some of them as well. He is another one of those extremely handsome Italian guys with lots of charm to round out the package. He helped us with our bags down the many flights of stairs, packed the car and after hugs ‘Italian style’ we were on our way to Rapallo just a couple miles away to drop the car.
But first I had one final mission to accomplish and that was to get sand from the Rivera beach for the soil collection I have been doing for Trisha. John dropped me by the beach and circled round in the traffic, I scooped up the sand, he came around to pick me up and we were off. Judy & I stayed with the luggage and I bought our final train tickets while John returned the rental car a few blocks away. We had just enough time to not panic and I can now say John is finished hauling bags up two long flights of stairs at train stations, for this trip or any in the future. When we arrive in Rome there will be no stairs and it will be taxi drivers or bellmen from here till we get home.
Today is a beautiful, sunny day and the Mediterranean is a beautiful blue. We met a very nice young couple from Minneapolis who were at the early part of their ten day Italian trip and I couldn’t help be a little envious.
Our trip took us along the coast for at least an hour and a half through the famous Cinque Terre area and Pisa before it turned east and headed inland toward Rome. And so I am writing during the least picturesque part of our 4-1/2 hour train ride and wondering what we will do, what we will eat and what kind of wine we will enjoy on our last night in Italy.
We chose a Courtyard Marriott that is within about seven miles of the airport so had about a half hour cab ride from the train. The ride in the cab took us by the coliseum, and so many other beautiful old buildings once again it took my breath away. I closed my eyes and prayed I may return one day.
And so our last night was in a lovely Marriott and we reveled in the famous Marriott Heavenly beds. This time we have separate rooms so we have lots of space and beautiful showers, no sliding into the bathroom sideways. To be honest it feels much like we are already back in the US and maybe that is a good thing as it will make reentry a little easier.
So what did we have for our last supper? My heart was set on final Bruscetta and it wasn’t on the menu so the waiter asked the chef and he was happy to make it. Although the food was good, it was as I mentioned more Americanized, so the only thing worth mentioning is the Bruscetta and a bottle of Prosecco which was divine.
It is a rainy morning in Rome as we prepare for our final departure and after a great night’s sleep we are getting ready to head to the airport for a 1:30 p.m. flight to London where we will have about a 1-3/4 hour layover. We will leave Heathrow at 17:00 (5:00 p.m.) and arrive at 19:50 p.m. (7:50) New York time. Of course for our bodies it will be about 5:00 in the morning the next day but we have a hotel right by JFK and expect to be able to get a fairly good night’s sleep before catching our mid-morning flight out of JFK for San Diego and Minneapolis . We adjusted to the nine hour difference in time when we arrived and are hoping by planning our return this way we will experience minimum jet lag.
This has been an incredible month of amazing experiences. Emotional on so many levels from awe, to giggles to tears and we feel extremely blessed. Allore, we will take our leave.
Arrivederci
The Traveling Trio
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Random Jottings from the Traveling Trio
Judy trying to figure out the water for the sink when the ‘faucet’ is operated with a pedal on the floor;
Carol being sure she was locked in the bathroom and wondering really how long it would take before John & Judy would come looking
Judy coming from the bathroom to say she needed help ‘flushing’
Carol & Judy’s first time walking into a bathroom with a man already in there. They hadn’t yet realized many bathrooms were co-ed.
The time that Judy casually said she was going up to the room at the Rome Hilton and when we followed a few minutes later we heard quite a ruckus with a lot of Italian being spoken and one person with a Minnesota accent repeating “Rosingana….” Turns out she had forgotten the room number and was trying the key in different rooms until housekeeping offered to help (in Italian of course). They couldn’t figure out her room number and were all in a cluster/fluster about the time we walked into the flurry.
Once again Judy had the staff going at the Venice Hilton when she left us in the breakfast room to go up to our room. We got off the elevator and heard the stir so we knew what was up this time and we all got a laugh over it.
One trip to the toilette as Carol was leaving and passing through the tiny sink area she met a man coming in. Because of the tiny space they were squeezing by as you do in a narrow hallway which landed Carol’s butt in the sink. The sink was motion activated and her butt was just enough motion to turn the water on. Her reflex that her butt was going to get wet caused an automatic hip thrust in the direction of the gentleman just as he passed by.
Realizing that some toilets are simply Porcelain rectangles in the floor!!!!
Experiencing many toilets with only porcelain and no seat, like a guy has permanently left the seat up
Breathtaking handsome men of all ages everywhere.
A different sense of style, and very classy for both men and women
Unbelievable food that will change the way we think of Italian food forever. We will expect fresher and lighter in the future.
Bruschetta (not pronounced Brush-shetta but Brush-ketta) comes in many different forms
We have a desire to learn to cook using healthy seasonings and olive oil with little to no butter or salt. We want to learn to create real Italian food at home versus the Americanized version.
Wine!!! How could it be so good 99% of the time, no matter what? How are we going to manage drinking domestic wine when we return home?
Pizza, not being big pizza eaters coming home with a new appreciation and desire to recreate what we have eaten, especially the Pizza Margharita.
We love the culture of eating for the joy of it, not to get it done. Learning to sit at the table and enjoy our wine or our coffee with no thought of when we will get or when we will ask for the check.
Never being asked if we want the check no matter what,it is considered rude.
In a tiny town and restaurant in the mountains in Tuscany when John moved some of his flatware (set across the top of the plate) and the owner/server politely picked it up and placed it back to where she had it set. She did this very gracefully while she was talking with us, but it was obviously important.
Notes to self or anyone else traveling in the future:
Never ever bring big suitcases. Always have a jacket that will handle a bit of rain with a hood and a vest so you can layer. For women, bring microfiber clothes that don’t wrinkle, rinse out and dry in the room overnight. Two or three pants with a matching jacket is plenty with about 4-5 light weight tops. Men all microfiber shirts and pants are more difficult but can be done at hotels for a fee.
Bring a little laundry detergent, lots of zip locks for various reasons, a couple of garbage bags, and envelopes to keep receipts and souvenir tickets. Purchase the vacuum sealed laundry bags (from travel site online) which condense dirty clothes into a tiny package.
Be sure you have electrical appliances that will convert from 110 to 240. If you don’t have that you will need a transformer to convert the power. Purchase converters that will convert your plug to fit their outlets. Check if your hotels have hairdryers, and if so don’t even think about dragging one with you.
Don’t bring pill bottles, use the little stackables.
Jewelry is unimportant and just extra weight
When taking long train trips pack a picnic. We found most Italian trains did not have dining cars
Don’t use the restaurant table as a way to rest your shopping stuff if you are not going to sit down as Judy did because you will politely be asked to sit or move on.
Don’t expect signs to be specific or to point in the right direction, instead only a general direction.
Don’t worry about what you eat because you will walk it off
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Adorable babies everywhere in great carriages that allow them to face Mamas and Papas so they can talk while they are strolling. Rain is no problem there is always a handy little zip up plastic cover.
The kindness and graciousness of the Italian people was beyond anything we anticipated.
We loved the Italian language, the musical sound of it and we all wished we could speak it.
The passion of the people no matter if they are talking politics, wine, food they are passionate about it!
Wonderful lightly stewed cherry tomatoes at breakfast
Freshly squeezed Sicilian Blood Orange juice at breakfast (OMG)
Allore
Grateful
Carol being sure she was locked in the bathroom and wondering really how long it would take before John & Judy would come looking
Judy coming from the bathroom to say she needed help ‘flushing’
Carol & Judy’s first time walking into a bathroom with a man already in there. They hadn’t yet realized many bathrooms were co-ed.
The time that Judy casually said she was going up to the room at the Rome Hilton and when we followed a few minutes later we heard quite a ruckus with a lot of Italian being spoken and one person with a Minnesota accent repeating “Rosingana….” Turns out she had forgotten the room number and was trying the key in different rooms until housekeeping offered to help (in Italian of course). They couldn’t figure out her room number and were all in a cluster/fluster about the time we walked into the flurry.
Once again Judy had the staff going at the Venice Hilton when she left us in the breakfast room to go up to our room. We got off the elevator and heard the stir so we knew what was up this time and we all got a laugh over it.
One trip to the toilette as Carol was leaving and passing through the tiny sink area she met a man coming in. Because of the tiny space they were squeezing by as you do in a narrow hallway which landed Carol’s butt in the sink. The sink was motion activated and her butt was just enough motion to turn the water on. Her reflex that her butt was going to get wet caused an automatic hip thrust in the direction of the gentleman just as he passed by.
Realizing that some toilets are simply Porcelain rectangles in the floor!!!!
Experiencing many toilets with only porcelain and no seat, like a guy has permanently left the seat up
Breathtaking handsome men of all ages everywhere.
A different sense of style, and very classy for both men and women
Unbelievable food that will change the way we think of Italian food forever. We will expect fresher and lighter in the future.
Bruschetta (not pronounced Brush-shetta but Brush-ketta) comes in many different forms
We have a desire to learn to cook using healthy seasonings and olive oil with little to no butter or salt. We want to learn to create real Italian food at home versus the Americanized version.
Wine!!! How could it be so good 99% of the time, no matter what? How are we going to manage drinking domestic wine when we return home?
Pizza, not being big pizza eaters coming home with a new appreciation and desire to recreate what we have eaten, especially the Pizza Margharita.
We love the culture of eating for the joy of it, not to get it done. Learning to sit at the table and enjoy our wine or our coffee with no thought of when we will get or when we will ask for the check.
Never being asked if we want the check no matter what,it is considered rude.
In a tiny town and restaurant in the mountains in Tuscany when John moved some of his flatware (set across the top of the plate) and the owner/server politely picked it up and placed it back to where she had it set. She did this very gracefully while she was talking with us, but it was obviously important.
Notes to self or anyone else traveling in the future:
Never ever bring big suitcases. Always have a jacket that will handle a bit of rain with a hood and a vest so you can layer. For women, bring microfiber clothes that don’t wrinkle, rinse out and dry in the room overnight. Two or three pants with a matching jacket is plenty with about 4-5 light weight tops. Men all microfiber shirts and pants are more difficult but can be done at hotels for a fee.
Bring a little laundry detergent, lots of zip locks for various reasons, a couple of garbage bags, and envelopes to keep receipts and souvenir tickets. Purchase the vacuum sealed laundry bags (from travel site online) which condense dirty clothes into a tiny package.
Be sure you have electrical appliances that will convert from 110 to 240. If you don’t have that you will need a transformer to convert the power. Purchase converters that will convert your plug to fit their outlets. Check if your hotels have hairdryers, and if so don’t even think about dragging one with you.
Don’t bring pill bottles, use the little stackables.
Jewelry is unimportant and just extra weight
When taking long train trips pack a picnic. We found most Italian trains did not have dining cars
Don’t use the restaurant table as a way to rest your shopping stuff if you are not going to sit down as Judy did because you will politely be asked to sit or move on.
Don’t expect signs to be specific or to point in the right direction, instead only a general direction.
Don’t worry about what you eat because you will walk it off
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Adorable babies everywhere in great carriages that allow them to face Mamas and Papas so they can talk while they are strolling. Rain is no problem there is always a handy little zip up plastic cover.
The kindness and graciousness of the Italian people was beyond anything we anticipated.
We loved the Italian language, the musical sound of it and we all wished we could speak it.
The passion of the people no matter if they are talking politics, wine, food they are passionate about it!
Wonderful lightly stewed cherry tomatoes at breakfast
Freshly squeezed Sicilian Blood Orange juice at breakfast (OMG)
Allore
Grateful
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Riveria
As we take leave of this beautiful hillside villa our host, Andreas, was there to bid us “arivi derci’, but before we were in the car out came Mama who has been ever present during our visit and who’s preserves we have been enjoying at breakfast. She is certainly in her 80’s but in great shape and always full of smiles. With a wave of his arm, Andreas said, “And here is the woman who has made all this possible”, as Mama came out to say goodbye. So with invitations to come back in the fall to join them harvesting the Barbareso, Nebbiola, and Barolo grapes in their vineyards across the hillside we hugged and took our leave.
As I have written in past notes, but will mention again, Judy and I are continually amazed at how well John navigates these highways and little narrow roads with poor signage and a less than dependable GPS. He (Giovanni) continued to dazzle us as we left Alba and headed to the coast at Santa Margharita Ligure. We packed the remains of our in room picnic of the night before for our lunch on the road and off we went confident in our drive’s ability to get us there with little problems.
When we stopped for our picnic we chose a little ‘wayside rest’ off the auto strada where there were a couple of campers and autos. We noticed there were no tables but thought we could make do and then noticed that the other folks were sitting perched on curbs with their picnic so we joined them. The wayside rest toilettes were bushes if you found the need. Our picnic, including our wine, was delicious and memorable. John and I couldn’t help reflect on the comparison of these rests and those in Norway where everything was so perfect with little tables with covers over them and of course lovely bathrooms. Not to suggest one is better only that they are so polar opposite.
We found ourselves with a mis-communication with our rental car service (Europe Auto) so when we arrived on Saturday, May 1st, a major European holiday, they were not open. We had no option but to keep the car and will not be able to return it until Monday as we leave to return to Rome. It isn’t a big worry to us, but I am only mentioning it because I think if we were to rent in advance as we did on this trip we would pick a well known American service such as Avis or Hertz simply for the ability to communicate more readily.
Our plan was to go to Portofino this evening and then the Cinque Terre tomorrow but once we hit the streets of Santa Margarita we revisited our plan and decided it was more rushing than any of us would like and that we would prefer to enjoy Santa Margarita this evening and then Portofino tomorrow. We all felt that we have the flavor of the Cinque Terre here plus we had traveled the Amalfi coast so why not relax and enjoy versus push ourselves. I think the more relaxed Italian culture is soaking into us!
It was fun to check out the street markets and shops and then stop at a wine bar for a couple of glasses of wine in between shopping. This area is famous for Foccaccia breads so when we were served our wine we were pleasantly surprised to be presented with a lazy susan with little trays of cheeses and various Foccaccia. I think our favorite was one with onions baked in on the top somehow and no trace of cheese. The little place seemed like a local place and was a highlight for all of us.
Following more window shopping we ended with dinner at a sidewalk restaurant with traditional food. We are pretty rigid judges of food at this point so on our scale Judy gave it a 2 and John a 5. We did, however, have a great time because as usual we met people near us and had a good time getting acquainted. In this case it was a couple from New Orleans area. They are our age and he is an engineer. This was not their first trip to Italy but this time they were on a pilgrimage with 11 other people and a priest to see the Shroud of Turin. They had some amazing experiences to share about this trip and past trips to Italy and other parts of Europe, we really enjoyed it. So we made our way back to our once again humble little place and did our best to get a good nights rest.
This morning we have our chance to return to Portofino, a place we held so close to our hearts form our honeymoon. We were taking our time and John got online to do some business. He happened to see an email from his deceased cousin, Carol’s husband John. We are not in closed contact with John but for some reason my John opened it and Italian music began to play and along a slide show and a comment that he “wished his Carol were here and he missed her.” After facing cancer twice John and I are always silently thankful for each day. The return to some honeymoon spots certainly ranks way up there with things we are thankful for. And so as we thought about his cousin we and took a few tearful moments to quietly be grateful once again that this John was not missing his Carol, and that we were blessed to be here together.
Although it was a bit overcast and cool we decided to take a ferry around the little peninsula to Portofino for some shopping and lunch. It was a fairly choppy sea but we were very close to shore so it was not an issue. The coast from this prospective was beautiful of course, just like the pictures. The three of us shopped and just soaked in the beauty of this tiny little postcard village perched on the Mediterranean. John & I had a big splurge lunch here fourteen years ago but were not able to identify the ‘spot’. In the end we chose a great place right on the water and enjoyed a long Italian lunch. Before our return to Santa Margharita we found the little shop of Anna Branca, an artist we had visited in the past. The one souvenir we purchased of any value on our honeymoon was one of her water colors of the famous little village which hangs in our home today. We found the shop and were surprised she was so much older, imagine that! It was great to stop back there, this time we bought a couple of small prints and a little one for Judy.
Portofino is a tiny little harbor and so it shouldn’t be surprising that we ran into our New Orleans dinner companions of the previous evening. And of course we ran into our group of three ladies twice at Portofino so by now we are on a first name basis. By this afternoon Judy was showing these ladies the treasures she had bought and getting gently asked to not use the cafés table to display her wares.
On our return we decided to take a short (about 4-5 mile) taxi ride which is quite spendy but very beautiful and a totally different perspective from our ferry ride. It was a rainy night so we enjoyed some wine in our room and walked to our favorite wine bar for a bite of dinner. When we got to the door I said “wouldn’t it be funny if the three ladies were in here?” We walked in and there they were at the first table. We all had quite a laugh and they wanted us to join them at the next table but it was reserved so we grabbed another, shared some food and returned to humble pension for our last night in Santa Margharita.
Tomorrow, Monday, we will begin our day with a return of our car in Rapallo and a then a train to Rome where we will spend our last night at a wonderful Marriott with heavenly beds!
As I have written in past notes, but will mention again, Judy and I are continually amazed at how well John navigates these highways and little narrow roads with poor signage and a less than dependable GPS. He (Giovanni) continued to dazzle us as we left Alba and headed to the coast at Santa Margharita Ligure. We packed the remains of our in room picnic of the night before for our lunch on the road and off we went confident in our drive’s ability to get us there with little problems.
When we stopped for our picnic we chose a little ‘wayside rest’ off the auto strada where there were a couple of campers and autos. We noticed there were no tables but thought we could make do and then noticed that the other folks were sitting perched on curbs with their picnic so we joined them. The wayside rest toilettes were bushes if you found the need. Our picnic, including our wine, was delicious and memorable. John and I couldn’t help reflect on the comparison of these rests and those in Norway where everything was so perfect with little tables with covers over them and of course lovely bathrooms. Not to suggest one is better only that they are so polar opposite.
We found ourselves with a mis-communication with our rental car service (Europe Auto) so when we arrived on Saturday, May 1st, a major European holiday, they were not open. We had no option but to keep the car and will not be able to return it until Monday as we leave to return to Rome. It isn’t a big worry to us, but I am only mentioning it because I think if we were to rent in advance as we did on this trip we would pick a well known American service such as Avis or Hertz simply for the ability to communicate more readily.
Our plan was to go to Portofino this evening and then the Cinque Terre tomorrow but once we hit the streets of Santa Margarita we revisited our plan and decided it was more rushing than any of us would like and that we would prefer to enjoy Santa Margarita this evening and then Portofino tomorrow. We all felt that we have the flavor of the Cinque Terre here plus we had traveled the Amalfi coast so why not relax and enjoy versus push ourselves. I think the more relaxed Italian culture is soaking into us!
It was fun to check out the street markets and shops and then stop at a wine bar for a couple of glasses of wine in between shopping. This area is famous for Foccaccia breads so when we were served our wine we were pleasantly surprised to be presented with a lazy susan with little trays of cheeses and various Foccaccia. I think our favorite was one with onions baked in on the top somehow and no trace of cheese. The little place seemed like a local place and was a highlight for all of us.
Following more window shopping we ended with dinner at a sidewalk restaurant with traditional food. We are pretty rigid judges of food at this point so on our scale Judy gave it a 2 and John a 5. We did, however, have a great time because as usual we met people near us and had a good time getting acquainted. In this case it was a couple from New Orleans area. They are our age and he is an engineer. This was not their first trip to Italy but this time they were on a pilgrimage with 11 other people and a priest to see the Shroud of Turin. They had some amazing experiences to share about this trip and past trips to Italy and other parts of Europe, we really enjoyed it. So we made our way back to our once again humble little place and did our best to get a good nights rest.
This morning we have our chance to return to Portofino, a place we held so close to our hearts form our honeymoon. We were taking our time and John got online to do some business. He happened to see an email from his deceased cousin, Carol’s husband John. We are not in closed contact with John but for some reason my John opened it and Italian music began to play and along a slide show and a comment that he “wished his Carol were here and he missed her.” After facing cancer twice John and I are always silently thankful for each day. The return to some honeymoon spots certainly ranks way up there with things we are thankful for. And so as we thought about his cousin we and took a few tearful moments to quietly be grateful once again that this John was not missing his Carol, and that we were blessed to be here together.
Although it was a bit overcast and cool we decided to take a ferry around the little peninsula to Portofino for some shopping and lunch. It was a fairly choppy sea but we were very close to shore so it was not an issue. The coast from this prospective was beautiful of course, just like the pictures. The three of us shopped and just soaked in the beauty of this tiny little postcard village perched on the Mediterranean. John & I had a big splurge lunch here fourteen years ago but were not able to identify the ‘spot’. In the end we chose a great place right on the water and enjoyed a long Italian lunch. Before our return to Santa Margharita we found the little shop of Anna Branca, an artist we had visited in the past. The one souvenir we purchased of any value on our honeymoon was one of her water colors of the famous little village which hangs in our home today. We found the shop and were surprised she was so much older, imagine that! It was great to stop back there, this time we bought a couple of small prints and a little one for Judy.
Portofino is a tiny little harbor and so it shouldn’t be surprising that we ran into our New Orleans dinner companions of the previous evening. And of course we ran into our group of three ladies twice at Portofino so by now we are on a first name basis. By this afternoon Judy was showing these ladies the treasures she had bought and getting gently asked to not use the cafés table to display her wares.
On our return we decided to take a short (about 4-5 mile) taxi ride which is quite spendy but very beautiful and a totally different perspective from our ferry ride. It was a rainy night so we enjoyed some wine in our room and walked to our favorite wine bar for a bite of dinner. When we got to the door I said “wouldn’t it be funny if the three ladies were in here?” We walked in and there they were at the first table. We all had quite a laugh and they wanted us to join them at the next table but it was reserved so we grabbed another, shared some food and returned to humble pension for our last night in Santa Margharita.
Tomorrow, Monday, we will begin our day with a return of our car in Rapallo and a then a train to Rome where we will spend our last night at a wonderful Marriott with heavenly beds!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Piedmont and tracing the Rosingana roots
This trip from Aosta to Alba I wouldn’t recommend to anyone unless you have a bit of train experience under your belt. At some point in the day I began to question if we were a little crazy. Aosta is a very small train station maybe four tracks and Alba has about the same number. We were traveling on regional trains two of which were comprised of a single self-powered car. We changed trains twice with many stops at tiny little one track towns. For a good portion of the time we were on trains that served as school buses for high school kids from one small hamlet to another and the final leg of the journey John stood between cars managing the bags as there was no place to store them while Judy and I wedged ourselves amongst the bodies oozing hormones. At one of our stops I went to find the Toilette and you guessed it….those same floor toilets only this time multiple with privacy doors of course. I wasn’t going through that again but did have time to get my traveling compadres so they could give a look at what I had endured in Aosta. They were shocked, and yes I did take a picture.
But it got better! When we arrived at the station there were empty cabs but it took some searching to find a driver and when we did it was obvious he would prefer to sit and kibitz with fellow drivers than take us to the Euro Auto. Finally, after a rip off fare, we reached the car rental somewhere out in an industrial area. We had arranged this on line and pre-paid so things were moving forward until we asked for a GPS. They were glad to oblige but had no clue how to be sure it was set for English. John loaded our Alfa Romeo allowing Judy just enough space to wedge into the back seat, multiple Italians gathered to figure out the GPS and finally we heard English audio and off we went. Well, it wasn’t that easy because although the language was English the screen options are in French, and the GPS that we named Niles is more confused than we are most of the time.
We booked a stay at an agrituristica perched on the hillside overlooking the old city of Alba. An agrituristica is a popular lodging choice in Italy (and I’m guessing other parts of Europe). They are working farms or vineyards and are required to make no more than 40% of their revenue from the hospitality business and the balance from agriculture. Our hosts at Villa La Meridian have vineyards and orchards and have converted the former stable and peasant quarters into nine charming units of various sizes and configurations.
Piedmont is not a region that we hear as much about in the US compared to Tuscany for example. The main reason we planned this in our itinerary is that John’s paternal grandparents immigrated from tiny villages in Piedmont very near Alba. We learned after planning the trip that some of the best wines in Italy, and arguably the world, come from this region – Barolo, Barbera d’Alba and Barbaresco. They are wonderful big bodied wines which usually to me mean they are going to jump up and take a bite out of me but not these wines. And of course our dear Judy loves the biggest and badest there is, Barolo! For someone who has only begun to develop a taste for wine in the past couple of years this girl has quite the palate.
Not only are the wines beautiful but the countryside is amazing. Huge rolling hillsides covered with either orchards or vineyards. The area is famous for its truffles, namely the very expensive and rare white truffle harvested in the fall; the before mentioned beautiful red wines, and orchards of fruits and nuts which are seen in the area cuisine. Which brings me to another interesting thing that not only do the wines change but also the cuisine from region to region. You may have noticed that we talked a lot about food while in Rome and Tuscany and then not so much. That was because there really was nothing notable. In recent days we experienced Valdostan style in Aosta and in this area it is Piemontese. We see more meats than in the south and less cheeses for example. This area is the furthest north and more rugged and the cuisine reflects some of those differences. Ciao for now…..
Allore, we ventured to the old city after breakfast and found the information office, gathered some stuff and shopped a bit and then headed up to a nearby hilltop village, Grinzane di Cavour located in a very well preserved castle. We tasted some of the beautiful red wines and then onto an awesome lunch. We have found that the Italians are not terribly offended if we Americans don’t each order antipasti, followed by primi and finally secondi. Thank goodness because it seems impossible to me! So I chose only primi of a light tagnellini tossed in something wonderful with a bit of sausage and diced raw pistachios. Judy opted for something on the secondi side of the menu, beef rump incased in hazelnuts (local crop) and black truffle mashed potato. John started with primi pasta of hand rolled thick spaghetti (Pici) in a light sauce with sliced duck. He finished with roast lamb chops and baby white potatoes roasted with anchovies. I’m no judge but he and Judy said it was the best lamb they had ever wrapped their lips around. Now I am not the one to order dessert that is usually my partners in crime but this time I wanted a bite and was assured they would help me. My choice was Zuccotto Con Mousse Alla Liguirizia e Crema Di Banana. I know it is a mouth full but it was a hollow muffin size sponge cake filled with light licorice mousse and finished with a drizzle of banana cream! It was so good and once again I told our waiter I wanted to try to pronounce and order this dish and he was impressed. I was embarrassed and blushing, but it was fun. Gosh if we stayed here for 6 months we may be speaking Italian.
After such a beautiful lunch we came back to our room to rest and enjoy our view and a good book. To close the day we decided to go into town and shop a bit and maybe…just maybe grab a glass of wine. We chose our wine bar out of what seemed like hundreds and noticed people with plates of what we would call crostinis with various toppings. When our waiter arrived we ordered our wine and John asked him “What is the name for those…” while indicating the plates of crostinis. The waiter responded with a smile/wink “We call that gratis con vino” (free with wine order). We enjoyed the teasing which reminds me that we have found 99% of the people here very friendly, kind and helpful. Of course people in the service industry, but most particularly every day citizens we encounter with questions or even those that we have shared Laundromat space with always a nod and a “Buon giorno” or an “Arrive derci”. Those who can’t speak English try very hard to help and always with apologies that they don’t speak English and those who do apologize that they don’t speak better English! We have found ourselves in Italian/English charades on curbsides across Italy. The people have been the real treasure and so we close anxious to search the area for traces of John’s ancestors in the morning.
This is such a quiet and beautiful spot to spend a few nights and mornings are most beautiful. Our view is green as far as you can see and there birds are singing all day. We wake with their songs and as it is getting dark I am still enjoying their music.
We set out today after breakfast with our maps and GPS for some small villages within about 30-35 miles of Alba. Staying off the Auto Strada we could appreciate the dozens of villages either by driving through or from either side on the hilltops. From Asti (as in Spumante) we wound our way to the first village on our list, Montafia where we thought John’s paternal grandmother was born.
Let me set the stage for you, as we pulled into the small piazza there was a little café and in front sat a good half dozen gentlemen kibitzing away, much as we have seen in other small villages. The hands were flying and their musical voices just made me want to sit there and listen for awhile. You can imagine when we parked and walked across the tiny street to the Muncipio office they took notice. The clerk in the office, though very friendly, spoke no English but tried to help. We had names written down and she searched for John’s grandmother’s name with no luck. We then showed her the name of the nearby village where we thought Luigi Rosignana was born. She said “Rosignana? You are Rosingana?” held up her finger for us to wait and out the door she went. In a moment in came one of the gentlemen from the café across the street and she proudly introduced “Rosignana…..Rosignana!” Of course this gentlemen, Ugo, likely in his 80s spoke no English, but talked on and on anyway with John picking up a word here and there. He looked at our list of names and so forth, and finally headed out the door saying to wait and something about English. We waited a few minutes, thanked the Senora and left the office joining the group across the street who are anxiously searching to find someone who spoke English. Eventually an unsuspecting gentlemen came by on his way to a doctor appointment who spoke pretty good English and he put his business aside and spent likely 15 minutes with us translating and trying to sort things out. In the end, when he apologetically had to take leave for his appointment, we were not totally able to determine John’s relationship to Ugo but suspect he is a cousin at some level. This much I know, Judy and I will never forget the entire experience. John certainly will not it was a special time for him.
We moved on to another village, Piova di Massano, where we now suspected his Grandmother was born. As it turned out we were unable to find any information in this village but we did find the church of course at the top of the hill with absolutely beautiful landscape below from every vantage point. John had a chance to walk around to reflect and remember his Nona knowing that when she was a girl she played in these forests and fields. His Nona who spoke no English and who he fondly remembers calling him her “little goo gots”. He never knew for sure what that meant but it always brings a smile. It was a special time; we took pictures but there is no one barring a professional that can capture these landscapes, so it remains in our memories.
As John was growing up adults used to remind he and his piers that they should be good because they were cousins of a saint. I even remember Grandma talking about Saint Bosco and when I first met. This saint being, Saint John Bosco who founded the Salesian Order had been a juggler as a boy and had a vision to be a missionary and care for children. Just as St Francis stood for animals, Saint John Bosco stood for children. He thrived in the 19th century and is responsible for the care of thousands of orphans and poor children worldwide in the past and still today. We were thrilled to find the place of his birth and the seminary where missionaries are trained which included a museum and beautiful cathedral. John, having heard about this man his entire life and having a spirit for mission, was deeply moved by the experience of seeing how the choices of one young boy could impact the world for generations and to think that in some way he had a family connection to all that.
And so after a day of history and reflection we ended our day, and soon our time in Piedmont, with a Traveling Trio picnic in our room. I know, we should be out drinking fabulous wine and eating truffles in a fine restaurant, but call us boring we choose some cheese, salami, olives and wine in our little hillside vineyard. Tomorrow on to the final leg of this trip, Santa Margarita Ligure and the Italian Rivera!
But it got better! When we arrived at the station there were empty cabs but it took some searching to find a driver and when we did it was obvious he would prefer to sit and kibitz with fellow drivers than take us to the Euro Auto. Finally, after a rip off fare, we reached the car rental somewhere out in an industrial area. We had arranged this on line and pre-paid so things were moving forward until we asked for a GPS. They were glad to oblige but had no clue how to be sure it was set for English. John loaded our Alfa Romeo allowing Judy just enough space to wedge into the back seat, multiple Italians gathered to figure out the GPS and finally we heard English audio and off we went. Well, it wasn’t that easy because although the language was English the screen options are in French, and the GPS that we named Niles is more confused than we are most of the time.
We booked a stay at an agrituristica perched on the hillside overlooking the old city of Alba. An agrituristica is a popular lodging choice in Italy (and I’m guessing other parts of Europe). They are working farms or vineyards and are required to make no more than 40% of their revenue from the hospitality business and the balance from agriculture. Our hosts at Villa La Meridian have vineyards and orchards and have converted the former stable and peasant quarters into nine charming units of various sizes and configurations.
Piedmont is not a region that we hear as much about in the US compared to Tuscany for example. The main reason we planned this in our itinerary is that John’s paternal grandparents immigrated from tiny villages in Piedmont very near Alba. We learned after planning the trip that some of the best wines in Italy, and arguably the world, come from this region – Barolo, Barbera d’Alba and Barbaresco. They are wonderful big bodied wines which usually to me mean they are going to jump up and take a bite out of me but not these wines. And of course our dear Judy loves the biggest and badest there is, Barolo! For someone who has only begun to develop a taste for wine in the past couple of years this girl has quite the palate.
Not only are the wines beautiful but the countryside is amazing. Huge rolling hillsides covered with either orchards or vineyards. The area is famous for its truffles, namely the very expensive and rare white truffle harvested in the fall; the before mentioned beautiful red wines, and orchards of fruits and nuts which are seen in the area cuisine. Which brings me to another interesting thing that not only do the wines change but also the cuisine from region to region. You may have noticed that we talked a lot about food while in Rome and Tuscany and then not so much. That was because there really was nothing notable. In recent days we experienced Valdostan style in Aosta and in this area it is Piemontese. We see more meats than in the south and less cheeses for example. This area is the furthest north and more rugged and the cuisine reflects some of those differences. Ciao for now…..
Allore, we ventured to the old city after breakfast and found the information office, gathered some stuff and shopped a bit and then headed up to a nearby hilltop village, Grinzane di Cavour located in a very well preserved castle. We tasted some of the beautiful red wines and then onto an awesome lunch. We have found that the Italians are not terribly offended if we Americans don’t each order antipasti, followed by primi and finally secondi. Thank goodness because it seems impossible to me! So I chose only primi of a light tagnellini tossed in something wonderful with a bit of sausage and diced raw pistachios. Judy opted for something on the secondi side of the menu, beef rump incased in hazelnuts (local crop) and black truffle mashed potato. John started with primi pasta of hand rolled thick spaghetti (Pici) in a light sauce with sliced duck. He finished with roast lamb chops and baby white potatoes roasted with anchovies. I’m no judge but he and Judy said it was the best lamb they had ever wrapped their lips around. Now I am not the one to order dessert that is usually my partners in crime but this time I wanted a bite and was assured they would help me. My choice was Zuccotto Con Mousse Alla Liguirizia e Crema Di Banana. I know it is a mouth full but it was a hollow muffin size sponge cake filled with light licorice mousse and finished with a drizzle of banana cream! It was so good and once again I told our waiter I wanted to try to pronounce and order this dish and he was impressed. I was embarrassed and blushing, but it was fun. Gosh if we stayed here for 6 months we may be speaking Italian.
After such a beautiful lunch we came back to our room to rest and enjoy our view and a good book. To close the day we decided to go into town and shop a bit and maybe…just maybe grab a glass of wine. We chose our wine bar out of what seemed like hundreds and noticed people with plates of what we would call crostinis with various toppings. When our waiter arrived we ordered our wine and John asked him “What is the name for those…” while indicating the plates of crostinis. The waiter responded with a smile/wink “We call that gratis con vino” (free with wine order). We enjoyed the teasing which reminds me that we have found 99% of the people here very friendly, kind and helpful. Of course people in the service industry, but most particularly every day citizens we encounter with questions or even those that we have shared Laundromat space with always a nod and a “Buon giorno” or an “Arrive derci”. Those who can’t speak English try very hard to help and always with apologies that they don’t speak English and those who do apologize that they don’t speak better English! We have found ourselves in Italian/English charades on curbsides across Italy. The people have been the real treasure and so we close anxious to search the area for traces of John’s ancestors in the morning.
This is such a quiet and beautiful spot to spend a few nights and mornings are most beautiful. Our view is green as far as you can see and there birds are singing all day. We wake with their songs and as it is getting dark I am still enjoying their music.
We set out today after breakfast with our maps and GPS for some small villages within about 30-35 miles of Alba. Staying off the Auto Strada we could appreciate the dozens of villages either by driving through or from either side on the hilltops. From Asti (as in Spumante) we wound our way to the first village on our list, Montafia where we thought John’s paternal grandmother was born.
Let me set the stage for you, as we pulled into the small piazza there was a little café and in front sat a good half dozen gentlemen kibitzing away, much as we have seen in other small villages. The hands were flying and their musical voices just made me want to sit there and listen for awhile. You can imagine when we parked and walked across the tiny street to the Muncipio office they took notice. The clerk in the office, though very friendly, spoke no English but tried to help. We had names written down and she searched for John’s grandmother’s name with no luck. We then showed her the name of the nearby village where we thought Luigi Rosignana was born. She said “Rosignana? You are Rosingana?” held up her finger for us to wait and out the door she went. In a moment in came one of the gentlemen from the café across the street and she proudly introduced “Rosignana…..Rosignana!” Of course this gentlemen, Ugo, likely in his 80s spoke no English, but talked on and on anyway with John picking up a word here and there. He looked at our list of names and so forth, and finally headed out the door saying to wait and something about English. We waited a few minutes, thanked the Senora and left the office joining the group across the street who are anxiously searching to find someone who spoke English. Eventually an unsuspecting gentlemen came by on his way to a doctor appointment who spoke pretty good English and he put his business aside and spent likely 15 minutes with us translating and trying to sort things out. In the end, when he apologetically had to take leave for his appointment, we were not totally able to determine John’s relationship to Ugo but suspect he is a cousin at some level. This much I know, Judy and I will never forget the entire experience. John certainly will not it was a special time for him.
We moved on to another village, Piova di Massano, where we now suspected his Grandmother was born. As it turned out we were unable to find any information in this village but we did find the church of course at the top of the hill with absolutely beautiful landscape below from every vantage point. John had a chance to walk around to reflect and remember his Nona knowing that when she was a girl she played in these forests and fields. His Nona who spoke no English and who he fondly remembers calling him her “little goo gots”. He never knew for sure what that meant but it always brings a smile. It was a special time; we took pictures but there is no one barring a professional that can capture these landscapes, so it remains in our memories.
As John was growing up adults used to remind he and his piers that they should be good because they were cousins of a saint. I even remember Grandma talking about Saint Bosco and when I first met. This saint being, Saint John Bosco who founded the Salesian Order had been a juggler as a boy and had a vision to be a missionary and care for children. Just as St Francis stood for animals, Saint John Bosco stood for children. He thrived in the 19th century and is responsible for the care of thousands of orphans and poor children worldwide in the past and still today. We were thrilled to find the place of his birth and the seminary where missionaries are trained which included a museum and beautiful cathedral. John, having heard about this man his entire life and having a spirit for mission, was deeply moved by the experience of seeing how the choices of one young boy could impact the world for generations and to think that in some way he had a family connection to all that.
And so after a day of history and reflection we ended our day, and soon our time in Piedmont, with a Traveling Trio picnic in our room. I know, we should be out drinking fabulous wine and eating truffles in a fine restaurant, but call us boring we choose some cheese, salami, olives and wine in our little hillside vineyard. Tomorrow on to the final leg of this trip, Santa Margarita Ligure and the Italian Rivera!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Return to Aosta
Returning to a place that has been very special after some years have passed can be a set up for disappointment, but it was not so with our return to Aosta and Hotel Milleluci. This time we were able to share this special place with Judy and she of course loved it. The rooms, much like we remembered, were beautifully decorated with traditional furniture, wood beamed ceilings and in our case two balconies overlooking the village with straight on up close views of the Alps. The Inn is run by Momma and two daughters, one named Cristina who we were most acquainted with on our honeymoon. Her daughter with whom she was pregnant with when we were here is now taller than she and of course 14 years old. She laughed remembering how embarrassed John was when we arrived and she grabbed our bags and headed up the stairs (pre-lift times) with John running behind trying to help.
You find yourself whispering when sitting in the common areas, it is just that peaceful. And so we settled in which is an easy thing to do here. One of the additions over the years is a nice spa area with sauna and Turkish baths, indoor and outdoor hot tubs and areas to relax. This evening John & I took advantage of the spa and Judy was tired and opted to rest with a book. As we ended the day we could see the ‘ladies’ with members of their family baking the cakes and breads for our morning breakfast. The smells were wonderful and a nice way to end the day.
Alore, for the past couple of days John has been trying to fight off a flu bug or cold and this morning following breakfast he opted to stay at the Inn and left us ladies to go to the village and shop. We met him for a light lunch and considered taking the bus ride to Courmayeur-Entreves and then a daring cable car ride across Mont Blanc and down to Chamonix France. This ride was one I could never convince John to consider but Judy was game. As it turned out, however, this was something we should have planned in advance and begun first thing in the morning. Instead of a major adventure we settled for a stroll waiting for shops to re-open at 3:30. I may not have mentioned but most shops close at 12:30 or 1:00 until 3:00 to 3:30 and then remain open until 8:00. But this varies greatly depending on the size of the towns. Many restaurants close about 3:00-4:00 and reopen between 6:00-7:00 for dinner. After nearly three weeks we have adjusted and come to understand these customs.
I mention above that we gave up the major adventure and that really isn’t accurate. We, or more particularly I, did have an adventure while we strolled the streets of Aosta. Unlike my sister who seems to be able to manage these things better, I occasionally need a bathroom relatively frequently and don’t/can’t wait too long. I shared with Judy I needed to search in earnest and so we decided on a tidy little Café. We ordered a glass of wine and I quickly asked for a toilet while Judy took our drinks outside. I was directed out the back, down the hall and that opened into an alleyway and there I saw a little door that said Toilette. I was thinking, “This might not be good” but it wasn’t something I could negotiate so I gingerly proceeded. When I opened the door my eyes must have been like saucers! There was no ‘stool’ there, only a simple raised rectangle of porcelain about the size of a toilet and raised about an inch off the floor with a hole in the back. An old fashioned outhouse would have been preferable. I couldn’t believe it but had to figure something out so I did and with that I will leave out any further detail. Let me just saying being raised in Minnesota and spending a lot of time in the woods I had some experience that I never anticipated using while on a trip to Italy. When I returned and began to tell Judy my story we giggled till we couldn’t breathe! All the time we are giggling we were trying not to let anyone notice. Judy just kept saying, “I don’t mean to laugh at you but I’m glad it was you and not me!” I understand that.
We returned to join John at the hotel and decided to enjoy the spa in the late afternoon prior to dinner so off we went. When we walked in there was a couple in the indoor hot tub and the lady was topless. I understand the custom of spas in Europe as does Judy so we gingerly proceeded, albeit quickly, through to the outdoor tub. When we came in I convinced Judy to come with me to the Turkish bath and as we got to the door she said, ”there are two pair of shoes there and one of them is men’s” and I assured her it would be fine not knowing that for sure. We walked in and before I could sit, she was gone! She saw that lady with no top on and wasn’t going to take a chance that the guy was au natural. Lucky for me he was not. I ended up visiting with this couple for some time and finally joined Judy in the cool shower. As we were drying and preparing to leave a young man entered clad in a robe and we nodded a greeting. Judy was busy getting ready to go and I was sure she was occupied and didn’t notice him so I thought this could be pretty funny. He dropped his robe and of course was naked and I was watching Judy because I was sure she would turn to grab her robe and there he would be and I would have a big laugh at her reaction! How many times have I said, “Hey Jud did you see that?” and she says “No…where?” But this time she had noticed him and told me she saw that robe and wasn’t taking any chances. So my chance for another case of the giggles was foiled.
This evening we opted to return to the place John and I had eaten while on our honeymoon, Veccha Aosta which is set between the Roman walls. Typically, I’m not a big Risotto fan but this evening I opted for that and no other course. It was different and very good. Judy loved her pheasant salad and we all loved John’s beef dish. We didn’t write down the name of the dish but it is roast soaked in local red wine for three days and slow cooked for 3-1/2 hours while periodically adding red wine. It was amazing, but I think the thing I will remember the most was our visit with our waiter, Daineri. Our first encounter suggested he may be a bit of a curmudgeon so I asked John if he thought I should play the old ‘flirt/charm’ card and he said he thought we needed it. I started by telling him that of course I didn’t speak Italian and I wanted to try to pronounce the item I was ordering and needed his help. His first response was “Madame why you say you do not speak Italian, when we received your reservation it said Rosingana. My accountant in Torino was name Rosingana?” Of course I responded that was my husband and I was Norwegian. At this we agreed I would try to pronounce my order in Italian and he immediately began to break his frown and I proceeded to attempt my pronunciation. I was nervous and embarrassed but he said I did beautifully and we were off and running. By the close of the evening he was walking us to the door and we could hardly break away.
Our time at Hotel Milleluci passed quickly and we captured our last views of the Alps both with the moon and morning light, said good bye to Cristina hoping to return in far less than fourteen years and off we went to the train for one hell of a journey to Alba in the region of Piedmont.
You find yourself whispering when sitting in the common areas, it is just that peaceful. And so we settled in which is an easy thing to do here. One of the additions over the years is a nice spa area with sauna and Turkish baths, indoor and outdoor hot tubs and areas to relax. This evening John & I took advantage of the spa and Judy was tired and opted to rest with a book. As we ended the day we could see the ‘ladies’ with members of their family baking the cakes and breads for our morning breakfast. The smells were wonderful and a nice way to end the day.
Alore, for the past couple of days John has been trying to fight off a flu bug or cold and this morning following breakfast he opted to stay at the Inn and left us ladies to go to the village and shop. We met him for a light lunch and considered taking the bus ride to Courmayeur-Entreves and then a daring cable car ride across Mont Blanc and down to Chamonix France. This ride was one I could never convince John to consider but Judy was game. As it turned out, however, this was something we should have planned in advance and begun first thing in the morning. Instead of a major adventure we settled for a stroll waiting for shops to re-open at 3:30. I may not have mentioned but most shops close at 12:30 or 1:00 until 3:00 to 3:30 and then remain open until 8:00. But this varies greatly depending on the size of the towns. Many restaurants close about 3:00-4:00 and reopen between 6:00-7:00 for dinner. After nearly three weeks we have adjusted and come to understand these customs.
I mention above that we gave up the major adventure and that really isn’t accurate. We, or more particularly I, did have an adventure while we strolled the streets of Aosta. Unlike my sister who seems to be able to manage these things better, I occasionally need a bathroom relatively frequently and don’t/can’t wait too long. I shared with Judy I needed to search in earnest and so we decided on a tidy little Café. We ordered a glass of wine and I quickly asked for a toilet while Judy took our drinks outside. I was directed out the back, down the hall and that opened into an alleyway and there I saw a little door that said Toilette. I was thinking, “This might not be good” but it wasn’t something I could negotiate so I gingerly proceeded. When I opened the door my eyes must have been like saucers! There was no ‘stool’ there, only a simple raised rectangle of porcelain about the size of a toilet and raised about an inch off the floor with a hole in the back. An old fashioned outhouse would have been preferable. I couldn’t believe it but had to figure something out so I did and with that I will leave out any further detail. Let me just saying being raised in Minnesota and spending a lot of time in the woods I had some experience that I never anticipated using while on a trip to Italy. When I returned and began to tell Judy my story we giggled till we couldn’t breathe! All the time we are giggling we were trying not to let anyone notice. Judy just kept saying, “I don’t mean to laugh at you but I’m glad it was you and not me!” I understand that.
We returned to join John at the hotel and decided to enjoy the spa in the late afternoon prior to dinner so off we went. When we walked in there was a couple in the indoor hot tub and the lady was topless. I understand the custom of spas in Europe as does Judy so we gingerly proceeded, albeit quickly, through to the outdoor tub. When we came in I convinced Judy to come with me to the Turkish bath and as we got to the door she said, ”there are two pair of shoes there and one of them is men’s” and I assured her it would be fine not knowing that for sure. We walked in and before I could sit, she was gone! She saw that lady with no top on and wasn’t going to take a chance that the guy was au natural. Lucky for me he was not. I ended up visiting with this couple for some time and finally joined Judy in the cool shower. As we were drying and preparing to leave a young man entered clad in a robe and we nodded a greeting. Judy was busy getting ready to go and I was sure she was occupied and didn’t notice him so I thought this could be pretty funny. He dropped his robe and of course was naked and I was watching Judy because I was sure she would turn to grab her robe and there he would be and I would have a big laugh at her reaction! How many times have I said, “Hey Jud did you see that?” and she says “No…where?” But this time she had noticed him and told me she saw that robe and wasn’t taking any chances. So my chance for another case of the giggles was foiled.
This evening we opted to return to the place John and I had eaten while on our honeymoon, Veccha Aosta which is set between the Roman walls. Typically, I’m not a big Risotto fan but this evening I opted for that and no other course. It was different and very good. Judy loved her pheasant salad and we all loved John’s beef dish. We didn’t write down the name of the dish but it is roast soaked in local red wine for three days and slow cooked for 3-1/2 hours while periodically adding red wine. It was amazing, but I think the thing I will remember the most was our visit with our waiter, Daineri. Our first encounter suggested he may be a bit of a curmudgeon so I asked John if he thought I should play the old ‘flirt/charm’ card and he said he thought we needed it. I started by telling him that of course I didn’t speak Italian and I wanted to try to pronounce the item I was ordering and needed his help. His first response was “Madame why you say you do not speak Italian, when we received your reservation it said Rosingana. My accountant in Torino was name Rosingana?” Of course I responded that was my husband and I was Norwegian. At this we agreed I would try to pronounce my order in Italian and he immediately began to break his frown and I proceeded to attempt my pronunciation. I was nervous and embarrassed but he said I did beautifully and we were off and running. By the close of the evening he was walking us to the door and we could hardly break away.
Our time at Hotel Milleluci passed quickly and we captured our last views of the Alps both with the moon and morning light, said good bye to Cristina hoping to return in far less than fourteen years and off we went to the train for one hell of a journey to Alba in the region of Piedmont.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Jeweled City to the Alps
After some wandering and shopping today John offered to take us on a gondola ride and following some arm twisting we were on our way. Oh my, it was wonderful! Quietly drifting through the canals, some very narrow and under low bridges and seeing places we may not see if we had been walking. This accompanied only by the Gondoliers calling out to each other in their mysterious language followed by some bantering with each other. Every Gondolier is dressed the same with black pants and black and white shirts and all gondolas are identical carrying much symbolism and tradition. We later learned that being a Gondolier in Venice requires an education and one could suppose a screening for only the best looking as well. A Gondolier is respected and holds a prestigious and well paying position.
Once we finished the beautiful ride, Masses had finished and we were able to get into St Mark's Basilica. We have seen many cathedrals in Europe but this one is unique in that instead of frescoes it is totally covered with beautiful mosaics all of 24 karate gold. In the front lay the stolen remains of St Mark. Ah, there are so many stories about the incourageable, passionate, impractical and ever proud Venetians from centuries ago to present day and these present day citizens remain passionate about, and proud of their city. Although today living in the city carries many challenges including a high cost of living they love their heritage.
After a bit more shopping and a stop for some Prosecco, we caught our 'Taxi tour' around Venice which proved to be less than what we had hoped for and would recommend anyone coming to Venice to pay for a Gondola tour instead.
We spent the night in the lounge again for a lite dinner and prepared for our journey to Valle de Aosta tomorrow. John and I really never thought of returning to Venice but once this trip began to take shape, John heard Judy say she had dreamt of seeing Venice one day, so it became part of the plan and we were able to share her dream with her.
Allore, (the word most used by Italians at the front of a sentence)on to Valle de Aosta in the heart of the Italian Alps. Today we will take a train from Venice to Bologna, with a change to Turin, and a final change to a regional train to get to Aosta. As I have said in this journal in the past, this is not for the faint of heart. We are very good at reserving and then finding the right bin (track), and where our assigned car will arrive on our track, and finding our seats. But there is the three rather large suitcases and a couple of small carry bags that have to be dealt with each time we change trains. We have a system to team up to get the luggage on the train and up above the seats in the luggage rack. Me with a bad back and John with weak shoulders and we won't allow Judy to touch them, although she consistently tries. But it seems at every turn God provides an angel for us.
On the first leg of the journey, he was in the shape of an extremely good looking business man, who noticed us and offered to help us board; and on this final leg it was a young man who just appeared passing through our car with his dog and immediately asked if he could help us. Guess they figure we are pretty old, but whatever, if it works we are happy for the help.
We are in the final leg of the journey to our beloved Aosta with our last bottle of Brunello opened, toasting to our stay in the Alps. The train is beginning to climb into the Alps and we have opened all the windows as we have the car to ourselves. The ride into Valle de Aosta is one vista after another of castles atop the smaller mountains and vast snow covered peaks of the Alps on all sides. I don't know what I enjoyed more, the view itself or watching my sister run from one side to the other side, sticking her head out the windows looking for the very best view. I couldn't hear her actually squeal, but I felt it. She looked like a young girl. It was wonderful!
And so we arrived in village of Aosta. It is at least as beautiful as we remembered it and every bit as charming. We simply grabbed a light bite in the village and caught a cab up the mountain to our special place, Hotel Millelucci. This was a place that was not in our guide in 1996 and we found it quite by chance on our honeymoon. When I returned home, I wrote to Frommers recommending they check the Millelucci out and today he lists it as one of his 'best finds for Inns in Italy'. It is so beautiful perched on the side of the mountain with breathtaking views of the Alps from our balcony. Of course there are more rooms now, a lift, and even a lovely spa. The views from either of our balconies are those that likely come once in a lifetime if you are lucky and we have been very lucky twice!
And so we end our journal good evening and wishes for a visit to Aosta to everyone of you!
Once we finished the beautiful ride, Masses had finished and we were able to get into St Mark's Basilica. We have seen many cathedrals in Europe but this one is unique in that instead of frescoes it is totally covered with beautiful mosaics all of 24 karate gold. In the front lay the stolen remains of St Mark. Ah, there are so many stories about the incourageable, passionate, impractical and ever proud Venetians from centuries ago to present day and these present day citizens remain passionate about, and proud of their city. Although today living in the city carries many challenges including a high cost of living they love their heritage.
After a bit more shopping and a stop for some Prosecco, we caught our 'Taxi tour' around Venice which proved to be less than what we had hoped for and would recommend anyone coming to Venice to pay for a Gondola tour instead.
We spent the night in the lounge again for a lite dinner and prepared for our journey to Valle de Aosta tomorrow. John and I really never thought of returning to Venice but once this trip began to take shape, John heard Judy say she had dreamt of seeing Venice one day, so it became part of the plan and we were able to share her dream with her.
Allore, (the word most used by Italians at the front of a sentence)on to Valle de Aosta in the heart of the Italian Alps. Today we will take a train from Venice to Bologna, with a change to Turin, and a final change to a regional train to get to Aosta. As I have said in this journal in the past, this is not for the faint of heart. We are very good at reserving and then finding the right bin (track), and where our assigned car will arrive on our track, and finding our seats. But there is the three rather large suitcases and a couple of small carry bags that have to be dealt with each time we change trains. We have a system to team up to get the luggage on the train and up above the seats in the luggage rack. Me with a bad back and John with weak shoulders and we won't allow Judy to touch them, although she consistently tries. But it seems at every turn God provides an angel for us.
On the first leg of the journey, he was in the shape of an extremely good looking business man, who noticed us and offered to help us board; and on this final leg it was a young man who just appeared passing through our car with his dog and immediately asked if he could help us. Guess they figure we are pretty old, but whatever, if it works we are happy for the help.
We are in the final leg of the journey to our beloved Aosta with our last bottle of Brunello opened, toasting to our stay in the Alps. The train is beginning to climb into the Alps and we have opened all the windows as we have the car to ourselves. The ride into Valle de Aosta is one vista after another of castles atop the smaller mountains and vast snow covered peaks of the Alps on all sides. I don't know what I enjoyed more, the view itself or watching my sister run from one side to the other side, sticking her head out the windows looking for the very best view. I couldn't hear her actually squeal, but I felt it. She looked like a young girl. It was wonderful!
And so we arrived in village of Aosta. It is at least as beautiful as we remembered it and every bit as charming. We simply grabbed a light bite in the village and caught a cab up the mountain to our special place, Hotel Millelucci. This was a place that was not in our guide in 1996 and we found it quite by chance on our honeymoon. When I returned home, I wrote to Frommers recommending they check the Millelucci out and today he lists it as one of his 'best finds for Inns in Italy'. It is so beautiful perched on the side of the mountain with breathtaking views of the Alps from our balcony. Of course there are more rooms now, a lift, and even a lovely spa. The views from either of our balconies are those that likely come once in a lifetime if you are lucky and we have been very lucky twice!
And so we end our journal good evening and wishes for a visit to Aosta to everyone of you!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Transition and Funny Stories...
There are a lot of ways to remember a trip and this morning we hit the jackpot. Our little villa was a bit more than a half hour away from the city where we had to drop our car and catch the first train toward our final destination of Venice. Well, we did have another stop on the way and that was to find a post office to ship 4 boxes back home. We had some extra things that seemed important when we left the states and after dragging them on/off trains they had lost their importance. And then of course there were ‘some’ souvenirs. We purchased boxes days prior and diligently had them ready to take on our final day trip from the villa. It seems, however, that all the Posts in smaller villages close at 1:30 daily. The best laid plans now left us having to post these 4 boxes before we dropped the car and got to the station. We have been mustering through for the past week with no GPS so we used MapQuest and had written directions. The problem is it is very difficult, if not impossible, to find the street signs. We found ourselves in the middle of rush hour on a rainy morning with a train to catch and we were hopelessly lost. Finally we found the station and from there John hired a cab to drive to the Post with us following and from there to the car drop and from there to the station! It was comical to imagine and Italian cab driver using his signals and driving slow enough for us to follow. It must have been agony for him but he did it.
We hought we were home free, but not yet. When we arrived in the Post Office with our 4 boxes and walked up to the counter we saw fairly quickly this wouldn’t be so easy. We speak only a few words of Italian and the staff spoke no English. I’m sure they thought we were crazy! We hadn’t written return addresses on the labels for which we were chastised and asked to go to the back and complete. Then we had the customs form to complete for each of the boxes. Finally after a small fortune Judy had hers done. Now it was our turn to step up. The lady continued to shake her head, reweigh the boxes, go in/out of the back and back to her calculator. John is getting tickled about this even though our time is ticking to get the car returned and catch our train. He told the lady….”it is ok”. She said “Noh…! And motioned him to step over to the scale, grabbed some package tape and motioned for him to help her as she bound two of our boxes together so tightly they could go around the world and back. Judy was beside herself with impatience and had to go to the car, John was working with the lady flipping that box over and over as she taped and taped and taped. I was in the back with a bad case of the giggles. Finally they were done and she proudly calculated the charges and was satisfied that it was better this way. When we were finished John said “Grazia Mille” which translates to “thank you very much, and now, she finally smiled a big smile and off we went! I’m sure they were talking about those crazy Americans the moment we left! After all this our cab was patiently waiting, we followed him to the car rental drop, John took care of the paperwork while the cab driver stacked our bags in his little car and off we went to the station with plenty of time! We will be recalling this story with a chuckle for a long time!
We caught our train from Arezzo to Florence and as luck would have it we found ourselves in a compartment with one young man who was a professional soccer player. He was born on the Ivory Coast and moved to Italy when he was about 5 years old and had a very interesting accent. Of course when we arrived in Florence and needed to change trains this young man asked if he could help us! What a God send.
We are comfortable on our two hour ride to Venice now and as I write, John is sitting across the aisle from me visiting with a man who is likely the most amazing looking man I have ever seen in my life! Judy has been noticing the good looking men all across the country but this one takes the cake ladies! Whew! No one should be quite that good looking. John thought it was important that he studied at UCLA for a time and is an orthopedic surgeon, but ladies.....it really didn't matter what he did. I won't even try to explain.
We arrived at the station in Venice and grabbed a cab (boat) for our hotel, the Molina Stucky Hilton. It was obvious that we were not going to tour the city any more this day so we settled in and went to the Executive Lounge for drinks and finger food which we planned to make our dinner. The Lounge provided a breathtaking view across the waterway of the city and the Prosecca was flowing freely for the three of us! It is usually me who is moved to tears, this time it was Judy’s turn to tearfully express how she was living a dream. It was wonderful to see her joy and so we ended another great day!
We hought we were home free, but not yet. When we arrived in the Post Office with our 4 boxes and walked up to the counter we saw fairly quickly this wouldn’t be so easy. We speak only a few words of Italian and the staff spoke no English. I’m sure they thought we were crazy! We hadn’t written return addresses on the labels for which we were chastised and asked to go to the back and complete. Then we had the customs form to complete for each of the boxes. Finally after a small fortune Judy had hers done. Now it was our turn to step up. The lady continued to shake her head, reweigh the boxes, go in/out of the back and back to her calculator. John is getting tickled about this even though our time is ticking to get the car returned and catch our train. He told the lady….”it is ok”. She said “Noh…! And motioned him to step over to the scale, grabbed some package tape and motioned for him to help her as she bound two of our boxes together so tightly they could go around the world and back. Judy was beside herself with impatience and had to go to the car, John was working with the lady flipping that box over and over as she taped and taped and taped. I was in the back with a bad case of the giggles. Finally they were done and she proudly calculated the charges and was satisfied that it was better this way. When we were finished John said “Grazia Mille” which translates to “thank you very much, and now, she finally smiled a big smile and off we went! I’m sure they were talking about those crazy Americans the moment we left! After all this our cab was patiently waiting, we followed him to the car rental drop, John took care of the paperwork while the cab driver stacked our bags in his little car and off we went to the station with plenty of time! We will be recalling this story with a chuckle for a long time!
We caught our train from Arezzo to Florence and as luck would have it we found ourselves in a compartment with one young man who was a professional soccer player. He was born on the Ivory Coast and moved to Italy when he was about 5 years old and had a very interesting accent. Of course when we arrived in Florence and needed to change trains this young man asked if he could help us! What a God send.
We are comfortable on our two hour ride to Venice now and as I write, John is sitting across the aisle from me visiting with a man who is likely the most amazing looking man I have ever seen in my life! Judy has been noticing the good looking men all across the country but this one takes the cake ladies! Whew! No one should be quite that good looking. John thought it was important that he studied at UCLA for a time and is an orthopedic surgeon, but ladies.....it really didn't matter what he did. I won't even try to explain.
We arrived at the station in Venice and grabbed a cab (boat) for our hotel, the Molina Stucky Hilton. It was obvious that we were not going to tour the city any more this day so we settled in and went to the Executive Lounge for drinks and finger food which we planned to make our dinner. The Lounge provided a breathtaking view across the waterway of the city and the Prosecca was flowing freely for the three of us! It is usually me who is moved to tears, this time it was Judy’s turn to tearfully express how she was living a dream. It was wonderful to see her joy and so we ended another great day!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Closing time in Tuscany
A quick one hour train ride from our little villa and we were in the glorious city of Florence. We called ahead and booked our tickets (very helpful) for the Uffizi where we were able to see works from some of the masters such as Michael Angelo, Raphael and Leonardo Da Vinci. From there we spoke with a street vendor and inquired on the best local spot for lunch. He accommodated us with a referral to a nearby place where we once again dined with the locals. It was a great time! I think sometimes we are as intrigued with the personalities as we are with the food they are offering. After lunch we had a reservation at the Accademia to see Michael Angelo’s ‘David’. I don’t pretend to be a great art connoisseur but I certainly can appreciate something as majestic as ‘David’. This was our second time seeing him and the impact was a strong as the first.
We strolled through some of the streets of Florence including Ponte Vecchio and the River Arno before we grabbed a cab back to the train station and our ride back to Castiglion Fiorentino. I must say having a place of our own to make dinner, if we choose, and relax has been a great experience. Although we have eaten rather sinfully during the day we are able to regulate our dinner with fresh veggies and salads. Did I mention we have no television other than BBC News? So wine and a book always close the day!
We extended our time in Tuscany by one day and today was our last day. We decided to stick to the countryside and took a fairly short road trip to Pienza and Montalicino. Pienza, famous for their Pecorino cheese and Montalcino for their big red Brunellos! It was interesting because we only stopped at Pienza because I had read about it in the Frommer’s guide. Truth be told six months ago I don’t think any of us had heard of Pecorino cheese, but once we acquired a taste for it we thought it would be cool to stop for a taste. It was easy to find this little village perched on one of the famous Tuscan hills. As usual we parked and began the hike ‘up’ to the old town itself. We all chose this spot as a favorite over some of the more highly traveled towns/villages. A beautiful little town with walking lanes filled with plants and lovely apartments up top. Elegant as it appeared there was of course the ever present laundry hanging out the window. No Italian landscape would be natural without it.
We decided to lunch here versus Montalcino and found a great little spot. Ok, here we go with the food again but it can’t be helped. We started with shared antipasti of pear and Pecorino cheese drizzled with local honey. Wow, gotta try this at home! John decided to have Pici (thick spaghetti) because he thought it was likely a regional thing, so I joined him. His sauce was ‘ok’ but mine was one of the best we have ever eaten. A simple tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes and enough garlic to give it a little kick. Judy decided to have lasagna because this was something she had not had since we arrived and we all agreed it was wonderful and better than any recipe we had tasted. As if this were not enough we closed our lunch with Vin Santo (sweet wine) and Biscuits (we call Biscotti) which we shared. Now that we have totally filled up we headed out and on to Montalcino looking forward to what it may offer. The town itself was no where near the charm of Pienza but there was the Brunello! Again we parked and hiked up to the town, and in this case the fortress, where the recommended tasting room was located. We were greated by a Blond woman speaking English! It turned out she is Danish, got tired of her job one day and took a 6 months leave. She came to this area without speaking the language and started working at the winery. After her 6 months she returned to Denmark but only lasted 4 months at which point she quit and moved to Italy. What an adventure, but it got better. She met an American and they married atop this hill in Multiciano two years ago. How cool is that? They live in LA but he is working in Switzerland for a time so she came back to visit old friends and work for awhile. And I thought I was an adventurer!
Much or most of this wine we couldn’t get in the states and because they had a tough winter and did not have many tourists they offered free shipping…..you know the rest of the story!
But besides the food, wine, charming villages and people the natural beauty will be a lasting memory. The rolling hills are so green they look like they have been photo shopped, and then sprinkle in fields of bright yellow mustard and patches of red Poppies and you pretty much have it! Except of course the villages, castles and villas perched atop so many of the hills. We have taken many pictures but acknowledge there is no way we can begin to capture these vistas so we will be content for the most part with our memories.
Sadly, its time for us to close this chapter of our adventure in Tuscany with it's unique beauty, charm, food and wine and it is time for John to turn in the keys for awhile as well! He is becoming a crazy Italian driver! Tomorrow we will be jumping (not literally) a train and moving on to a very different scene in Venice.
We strolled through some of the streets of Florence including Ponte Vecchio and the River Arno before we grabbed a cab back to the train station and our ride back to Castiglion Fiorentino. I must say having a place of our own to make dinner, if we choose, and relax has been a great experience. Although we have eaten rather sinfully during the day we are able to regulate our dinner with fresh veggies and salads. Did I mention we have no television other than BBC News? So wine and a book always close the day!
We extended our time in Tuscany by one day and today was our last day. We decided to stick to the countryside and took a fairly short road trip to Pienza and Montalicino. Pienza, famous for their Pecorino cheese and Montalcino for their big red Brunellos! It was interesting because we only stopped at Pienza because I had read about it in the Frommer’s guide. Truth be told six months ago I don’t think any of us had heard of Pecorino cheese, but once we acquired a taste for it we thought it would be cool to stop for a taste. It was easy to find this little village perched on one of the famous Tuscan hills. As usual we parked and began the hike ‘up’ to the old town itself. We all chose this spot as a favorite over some of the more highly traveled towns/villages. A beautiful little town with walking lanes filled with plants and lovely apartments up top. Elegant as it appeared there was of course the ever present laundry hanging out the window. No Italian landscape would be natural without it.
We decided to lunch here versus Montalcino and found a great little spot. Ok, here we go with the food again but it can’t be helped. We started with shared antipasti of pear and Pecorino cheese drizzled with local honey. Wow, gotta try this at home! John decided to have Pici (thick spaghetti) because he thought it was likely a regional thing, so I joined him. His sauce was ‘ok’ but mine was one of the best we have ever eaten. A simple tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes and enough garlic to give it a little kick. Judy decided to have lasagna because this was something she had not had since we arrived and we all agreed it was wonderful and better than any recipe we had tasted. As if this were not enough we closed our lunch with Vin Santo (sweet wine) and Biscuits (we call Biscotti) which we shared. Now that we have totally filled up we headed out and on to Montalcino looking forward to what it may offer. The town itself was no where near the charm of Pienza but there was the Brunello! Again we parked and hiked up to the town, and in this case the fortress, where the recommended tasting room was located. We were greated by a Blond woman speaking English! It turned out she is Danish, got tired of her job one day and took a 6 months leave. She came to this area without speaking the language and started working at the winery. After her 6 months she returned to Denmark but only lasted 4 months at which point she quit and moved to Italy. What an adventure, but it got better. She met an American and they married atop this hill in Multiciano two years ago. How cool is that? They live in LA but he is working in Switzerland for a time so she came back to visit old friends and work for awhile. And I thought I was an adventurer!
Much or most of this wine we couldn’t get in the states and because they had a tough winter and did not have many tourists they offered free shipping…..you know the rest of the story!
But besides the food, wine, charming villages and people the natural beauty will be a lasting memory. The rolling hills are so green they look like they have been photo shopped, and then sprinkle in fields of bright yellow mustard and patches of red Poppies and you pretty much have it! Except of course the villages, castles and villas perched atop so many of the hills. We have taken many pictures but acknowledge there is no way we can begin to capture these vistas so we will be content for the most part with our memories.
Sadly, its time for us to close this chapter of our adventure in Tuscany with it's unique beauty, charm, food and wine and it is time for John to turn in the keys for awhile as well! He is becoming a crazy Italian driver! Tomorrow we will be jumping (not literally) a train and moving on to a very different scene in Venice.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Lucca and tracing roots
Heaven could be a day trip through Tuscany from Arezzo to Lucca! We have learned that a day can start with clouds and a low fog and it can arrive at an amazing sunny and beautiful day by noon in Tuscany. An approximately 80 mile drive landed us at the gates of Lucca an ancient walled Roman city dating back to beyond 56 B.C. and Julius Caesar’s time. First, our driver Giovanni (John) amazed us maneuvering on the autostrada and the narrow streets of Lucca….without a GPS! Later in the evening when we were back home safe in our little villa and toasting our day he admitted that it was ‘a bit stressful’ but he felt he now had the hang of this driving in Italy!
Today we stuck to our Frommer’s travel guide when we chose our spot for lunch. We ended up at Trattoria Da Leo, a place that Frommer said was a local hangout. He (they) were right! It was pretty obvious that we were amongst the locals and that’s what we enjoy. Rather than going into the details of the food I’d prefer to share the color of the experience, not only aesthetically in terms of the décor but the clientele. Picture tables full of obvious working class on a lunch break, a student or business man here and there, an occasional dog barking (inside the café) and a waiter bursting into song whenever……It was the bomb and the food and wine were good as well. As is common here we had to ask and wait for our check and when it came it was not from the two people who served us. It was from the person who seated us and it was strictly the honor system. Us recounting what we had and he writing it upside down on the brown paper table cover. One hell of an experience!
From Lucca we drove to nearby Marlia where John’s family on his mother’s side came from. We were able to explore the area and the beautiful Tuscan landscapes and wonder how bad it must have been for his grandparents to leave this place. As we walked through the beautiful church and cemetery John was touched by the connection he felt while walking where his ancestors walked. Judy and I couldn’t help but notice how most people we encountered looked like they could be one of his family members. It was a cool experience.
The drive back with the sun over Tuscany was breathtaking with villas and castles on every hill. The colors and the experience is impossible to describe. Once again we enjoyed watching the lights of the village twinkle from our small villa as we prepared our dinner, sipped our wine and recounted the day.
Today we stuck to our Frommer’s travel guide when we chose our spot for lunch. We ended up at Trattoria Da Leo, a place that Frommer said was a local hangout. He (they) were right! It was pretty obvious that we were amongst the locals and that’s what we enjoy. Rather than going into the details of the food I’d prefer to share the color of the experience, not only aesthetically in terms of the décor but the clientele. Picture tables full of obvious working class on a lunch break, a student or business man here and there, an occasional dog barking (inside the café) and a waiter bursting into song whenever……It was the bomb and the food and wine were good as well. As is common here we had to ask and wait for our check and when it came it was not from the two people who served us. It was from the person who seated us and it was strictly the honor system. Us recounting what we had and he writing it upside down on the brown paper table cover. One hell of an experience!
From Lucca we drove to nearby Marlia where John’s family on his mother’s side came from. We were able to explore the area and the beautiful Tuscan landscapes and wonder how bad it must have been for his grandparents to leave this place. As we walked through the beautiful church and cemetery John was touched by the connection he felt while walking where his ancestors walked. Judy and I couldn’t help but notice how most people we encountered looked like they could be one of his family members. It was a cool experience.
The drive back with the sun over Tuscany was breathtaking with villas and castles on every hill. The colors and the experience is impossible to describe. Once again we enjoyed watching the lights of the village twinkle from our small villa as we prepared our dinner, sipped our wine and recounted the day.
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Adventures in Tuscany Begin
Positano to Tuscany: Today Vincenzo picked us up first thing in the morning ready to take us to the Napoli train station with a stop off at Pompeii. Vincenzo.... How do I describe him and the experience we had getting to know him? He did far more than one would expect of a driver. We spent a lot of hours with Vincenzo and we really got to know each other, learned a lot about our individual cultures and families. If our readers have an opportunity to go to this part of the world we would wish for you that you have someone like Vincenzo to help you and in the end become your friend.
On our way to Napoli we planned a tour of Pompeii. Again we had a mild rainy day but managed to maneuver our umbrellas and dodge tour groups. We won’t bore you with the details of the visit as we are sure you all have read about Pompeii. Of course we found it interesting and shocking to see how well preserved some portions of these ruins were, but John felt that Paestum was grander and thought that seeing that area first may have impacted our response to Pompeii.
Once finishing our walk through Pompeii Vincenzo was there to pick us up and off we went to Napoli train station. When we arrived, Vincenzo parked near the station and told us he would be right back. We assumed that he was picking up a luggage cart and patiently waited for him but soon he returned with a bottle of wine in his hands which he presented to us as a gift. We closed this portion of our journey with the exchange of email address and phone numbers with our new friend and an “Arrive Derci”. Once again I was full but Vincenzo chastised me with “Madame…..no…no..Please” So I cleaned up my act, hugged and we went on our way.
I have read a lot about Napoli and the general thieves in the area so was very cautious as we entered the station. As we entered and were checking the board for our track I was approached by an older man who was grabbing at my ticket and wanting to ‘help’ us. We seriously did not need help! Before I knew what was happening he was rolling my suitcase…….along with me! I looked back and Judy and John had given theirs up to this old guys ‘co-workers’. I never gave mine up until we reached our car at which point I let him lift it up the stairs for me, at this point I figured why not. Before we knew what happened we had these three guys on the train with us with our bags and their hands were out. John was going to tip them 7E which would have been appropriate in the USA but this old guy, the leader, continued to argue with him that they needed 5E each. I didn’t hear this going on, but would have told the old guy to back off and leave us alone. So John gave him 15E and two of the three left leaving the last old guy standing asking for his. We finally sent him on his way and got settled into our compartment.
We had to change trains in Rome and once again had a strange experience. First, let me explain that we looked like a bunch of gypsies. Somehow the one bag we had each started with had developed into a bunch of other odds and ends of bags and it was a lot to manage. When we climbed the steps of the train there were three younger women in the mix, jamming up the entrance and I assumed they were confused about which car they were to be in. In this case the 1st class car had actual compartments with a narrow aisle running alongside so we were blocked by these women. At one point my small little purse flipped open dropping our train tickets and one of the women said “Senora…..” and gave me the tickets. Still at this point I thought they were confused girls not knowing where to go. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, they were out of my way and I made my way to the compartment to join Judy. When we reached the compartment we learned that it would be full with 6 passengers and no space for luggage. Note to self to travel even lighter next time. Hurrying to get settled John found a compartment that was not full and a young man, Luigi, who was in the compartment graciously lifted the bags onto the rack. The bags were too heavy and the racks so high that John could not have done this himself. So Vincenzo and Luigi’s kindness cancelled out the actions of the other folks we had encountered over these few hours.
When, John joined us in our compartment he filled us in on what had taken place with the three young women after we left him. One young woman, who later we figured was the leader, gave him his wallet back (which he didn’t know was gone), as if it had fallen out, and asked him for a tip for food. Wow, I thought I was pretty savvy but I didn’t see that one coming at all!
After all this drama the ride into Tuscany was beautiful. We shared the ride with a young Manhattan and Colgate University student who was on holiday. She was having a time of a lifetime studying abroad for a semester in Ireland and on the off time traveling to places like Rome, Paris, and Florence to hook up with school chums. It sounded so awesome. And so we sipped wine and nibbled our way from Rome to our stop in Arezzo, picked up our rental car (less the GPS we had ordered) and made our way to our home for the next week. It is a beautiful Villa just a few kilometers from Cortona, for those of you who are familiar with “Under the Tuscan Sun”.
Tuscany day I: Today was a much needed domestic day. We all desperately needed to do laundry and we needed to stock up on food as well. Our promised internet access at the villa was not working so that had to be dealt with. It happened today was the day for the open market in our nearby village so we took advantage of that. Judy bought Tripe but hasn’t convinced John or I to try it yet. From the market John & I maneuvered our way to the top of the old village tower to the library to use the internet. This doesn’t sound like a big deal folks but when you don’t speak the language it can be a challenge. With that said, one way or the other we always manage to communicate enough to get what we need. Then off to find a grocery store and if you have shopped in other countries you know how much fun, and I mean that seriously, that can be. Next was a Laundromat and for that we used our little phrase book, wrote it down and showed it to someone in the coop. Vividly recalling our experience at “Mr Bubble” in Salzburg a few years ago, we anticipated an adventure. In this case fate shined on us! When we arrived at the laundry I immediately recognized some English being spoken and sure enough the only people in there were two college students who were here studying Architecture for a semester. They showed us the ropes on the machines and we visited for a long time. They said they appreciated having a chance to speak English so it was good for all of us. We closed our night with a home cooked dinner, beautiful wine and a fire in the fireplace feeling blessed.
Tuscany Day II: We woke up to a cloudy day today but headed out to the beautiful hill city of Montepulciano about 30 miles away from us. It isn’t the easiest thing to jump in a car and drive in a foreign country, especially with no GPS, but after a day John was feeling quite comfortable. It is a beautiful old city with streets running pretty much straight up and down but for those of you that are wine drinkers, this is heaven. We wound our way on the little streets and dropped in at wine and olive oil tasting spots. This area is famed for their Nobile wines, the only place in the world that produces this wine and they have been doing so for centuries. Oh my….it was delicious. And to go along with the tasting they offer up various savories of baguettes with roasted tomatoes, cheese and…..well you get the picture. It was a great day! We wound our way back to our little villa looking forward to dinner in an out of the way spot recommended by our host. This is a place we would never find on our own and was only open a few days a week. Vecchio Rota is tucked away in a little piazza in a small village. When we entered the smells were amazing. There was a group of three waiting to be seated and I would guess we stood for at least 5 minutes waiting for someone to appear. We could hear the sounds and smell the food but saw no one. Finally someone appeared from the kitchen and seated us. The owner, Maximo, most colorfully explained everything on the menu one by one as we sipped our regional house wine. Judy said his descriptions were like an opera. We came here because we heard about his pasta (his Nonna’s recipe) with pears and Pecorino cheese. We had to try this and of course GNOCCHI! And Judy said it was the best Gnocchi she had ever had but she said whichever she is eating is the best at the time. Truth be told, this was quite amazing. Once again, this sounds like a food journey and in some respects the food and wine are a big contributor to a trip to Italy but the people and the scenery are the best. We closed our night with a book, a last glass of wine by the fire.
Today our goal as to explore hidden Tuscan villages in the mountains north of Arezzo. We read a book written by an American woman who eloquently described the area the highlights and of course the specialty food. The author described the area as one of natural beauty peppered with towns perched on cliffs overlooking vast valley vistas. She noted a few restaurants that preserved the recipes from centuries past that used only local ingredients including wild game, sheep cheese (Pecorino), a variety of wild mushrooms and of course the best regional wines. It was a hard pick but at random we decided on the small village of Moggiona. This village could only be reached by an insane series of hairpin turns and this time we didn’t have Vincenzo we had Giovanni (better known as John) who proved to be a master.
The village consisted of a half a dozen buildings and one of them was Il Cedro operated by Mariangelo. Her mother is the cook and is using her grandmother’s simple recipes. Their specialty is Tortelli di pitata, simple potato stuffed ravioli. Seem bit overkill in the starches? We thought so too but had to give it a try. It as well as the other dishes were wonderful except to Judy’s chagrin there was no gnocchi! We speak no Italian and expected to have to fumble our way through this lunch so were pleasantly surprised to find that Mariangelo was willing and able to speak some level of English and to help us understand what was offered. There was no menu. And so it went another beautiful lunch in a café that would hold 25 people and a million dollar view. We closed our meal with an amazing dry pound cake, much like a sweet biscuit and Vin Santo (local sweet dessert wine). I usually pass on the dessert but not this time! The drive down the mountain was so colorful with bright greens, and various shades of Terra Cotta. It was good to get back to our little home away from home and light a fire and pick up a book. We have now successfully adapted to the Italian way relaxing meals with lunch never earlier than 1:00 and dinner no earlier than 8:00. So this evening, after some relaxing, we enjoyed homemade chicken soup (made by the Norwegian) accompanied by Judy’s fresh salad. We feel so blessed to toast to another wonderful day in Tuscany.
On our way to Napoli we planned a tour of Pompeii. Again we had a mild rainy day but managed to maneuver our umbrellas and dodge tour groups. We won’t bore you with the details of the visit as we are sure you all have read about Pompeii. Of course we found it interesting and shocking to see how well preserved some portions of these ruins were, but John felt that Paestum was grander and thought that seeing that area first may have impacted our response to Pompeii.
Once finishing our walk through Pompeii Vincenzo was there to pick us up and off we went to Napoli train station. When we arrived, Vincenzo parked near the station and told us he would be right back. We assumed that he was picking up a luggage cart and patiently waited for him but soon he returned with a bottle of wine in his hands which he presented to us as a gift. We closed this portion of our journey with the exchange of email address and phone numbers with our new friend and an “Arrive Derci”. Once again I was full but Vincenzo chastised me with “Madame…..no…no..Please” So I cleaned up my act, hugged and we went on our way.
I have read a lot about Napoli and the general thieves in the area so was very cautious as we entered the station. As we entered and were checking the board for our track I was approached by an older man who was grabbing at my ticket and wanting to ‘help’ us. We seriously did not need help! Before I knew what was happening he was rolling my suitcase…….along with me! I looked back and Judy and John had given theirs up to this old guys ‘co-workers’. I never gave mine up until we reached our car at which point I let him lift it up the stairs for me, at this point I figured why not. Before we knew what happened we had these three guys on the train with us with our bags and their hands were out. John was going to tip them 7E which would have been appropriate in the USA but this old guy, the leader, continued to argue with him that they needed 5E each. I didn’t hear this going on, but would have told the old guy to back off and leave us alone. So John gave him 15E and two of the three left leaving the last old guy standing asking for his. We finally sent him on his way and got settled into our compartment.
We had to change trains in Rome and once again had a strange experience. First, let me explain that we looked like a bunch of gypsies. Somehow the one bag we had each started with had developed into a bunch of other odds and ends of bags and it was a lot to manage. When we climbed the steps of the train there were three younger women in the mix, jamming up the entrance and I assumed they were confused about which car they were to be in. In this case the 1st class car had actual compartments with a narrow aisle running alongside so we were blocked by these women. At one point my small little purse flipped open dropping our train tickets and one of the women said “Senora…..” and gave me the tickets. Still at this point I thought they were confused girls not knowing where to go. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, they were out of my way and I made my way to the compartment to join Judy. When we reached the compartment we learned that it would be full with 6 passengers and no space for luggage. Note to self to travel even lighter next time. Hurrying to get settled John found a compartment that was not full and a young man, Luigi, who was in the compartment graciously lifted the bags onto the rack. The bags were too heavy and the racks so high that John could not have done this himself. So Vincenzo and Luigi’s kindness cancelled out the actions of the other folks we had encountered over these few hours.
When, John joined us in our compartment he filled us in on what had taken place with the three young women after we left him. One young woman, who later we figured was the leader, gave him his wallet back (which he didn’t know was gone), as if it had fallen out, and asked him for a tip for food. Wow, I thought I was pretty savvy but I didn’t see that one coming at all!
After all this drama the ride into Tuscany was beautiful. We shared the ride with a young Manhattan and Colgate University student who was on holiday. She was having a time of a lifetime studying abroad for a semester in Ireland and on the off time traveling to places like Rome, Paris, and Florence to hook up with school chums. It sounded so awesome. And so we sipped wine and nibbled our way from Rome to our stop in Arezzo, picked up our rental car (less the GPS we had ordered) and made our way to our home for the next week. It is a beautiful Villa just a few kilometers from Cortona, for those of you who are familiar with “Under the Tuscan Sun”.
Tuscany day I: Today was a much needed domestic day. We all desperately needed to do laundry and we needed to stock up on food as well. Our promised internet access at the villa was not working so that had to be dealt with. It happened today was the day for the open market in our nearby village so we took advantage of that. Judy bought Tripe but hasn’t convinced John or I to try it yet. From the market John & I maneuvered our way to the top of the old village tower to the library to use the internet. This doesn’t sound like a big deal folks but when you don’t speak the language it can be a challenge. With that said, one way or the other we always manage to communicate enough to get what we need. Then off to find a grocery store and if you have shopped in other countries you know how much fun, and I mean that seriously, that can be. Next was a Laundromat and for that we used our little phrase book, wrote it down and showed it to someone in the coop. Vividly recalling our experience at “Mr Bubble” in Salzburg a few years ago, we anticipated an adventure. In this case fate shined on us! When we arrived at the laundry I immediately recognized some English being spoken and sure enough the only people in there were two college students who were here studying Architecture for a semester. They showed us the ropes on the machines and we visited for a long time. They said they appreciated having a chance to speak English so it was good for all of us. We closed our night with a home cooked dinner, beautiful wine and a fire in the fireplace feeling blessed.
Tuscany Day II: We woke up to a cloudy day today but headed out to the beautiful hill city of Montepulciano about 30 miles away from us. It isn’t the easiest thing to jump in a car and drive in a foreign country, especially with no GPS, but after a day John was feeling quite comfortable. It is a beautiful old city with streets running pretty much straight up and down but for those of you that are wine drinkers, this is heaven. We wound our way on the little streets and dropped in at wine and olive oil tasting spots. This area is famed for their Nobile wines, the only place in the world that produces this wine and they have been doing so for centuries. Oh my….it was delicious. And to go along with the tasting they offer up various savories of baguettes with roasted tomatoes, cheese and…..well you get the picture. It was a great day! We wound our way back to our little villa looking forward to dinner in an out of the way spot recommended by our host. This is a place we would never find on our own and was only open a few days a week. Vecchio Rota is tucked away in a little piazza in a small village. When we entered the smells were amazing. There was a group of three waiting to be seated and I would guess we stood for at least 5 minutes waiting for someone to appear. We could hear the sounds and smell the food but saw no one. Finally someone appeared from the kitchen and seated us. The owner, Maximo, most colorfully explained everything on the menu one by one as we sipped our regional house wine. Judy said his descriptions were like an opera. We came here because we heard about his pasta (his Nonna’s recipe) with pears and Pecorino cheese. We had to try this and of course GNOCCHI! And Judy said it was the best Gnocchi she had ever had but she said whichever she is eating is the best at the time. Truth be told, this was quite amazing. Once again, this sounds like a food journey and in some respects the food and wine are a big contributor to a trip to Italy but the people and the scenery are the best. We closed our night with a book, a last glass of wine by the fire.
Today our goal as to explore hidden Tuscan villages in the mountains north of Arezzo. We read a book written by an American woman who eloquently described the area the highlights and of course the specialty food. The author described the area as one of natural beauty peppered with towns perched on cliffs overlooking vast valley vistas. She noted a few restaurants that preserved the recipes from centuries past that used only local ingredients including wild game, sheep cheese (Pecorino), a variety of wild mushrooms and of course the best regional wines. It was a hard pick but at random we decided on the small village of Moggiona. This village could only be reached by an insane series of hairpin turns and this time we didn’t have Vincenzo we had Giovanni (better known as John) who proved to be a master.
The village consisted of a half a dozen buildings and one of them was Il Cedro operated by Mariangelo. Her mother is the cook and is using her grandmother’s simple recipes. Their specialty is Tortelli di pitata, simple potato stuffed ravioli. Seem bit overkill in the starches? We thought so too but had to give it a try. It as well as the other dishes were wonderful except to Judy’s chagrin there was no gnocchi! We speak no Italian and expected to have to fumble our way through this lunch so were pleasantly surprised to find that Mariangelo was willing and able to speak some level of English and to help us understand what was offered. There was no menu. And so it went another beautiful lunch in a café that would hold 25 people and a million dollar view. We closed our meal with an amazing dry pound cake, much like a sweet biscuit and Vin Santo (local sweet dessert wine). I usually pass on the dessert but not this time! The drive down the mountain was so colorful with bright greens, and various shades of Terra Cotta. It was good to get back to our little home away from home and light a fire and pick up a book. We have now successfully adapted to the Italian way relaxing meals with lunch never earlier than 1:00 and dinner no earlier than 8:00. So this evening, after some relaxing, we enjoyed homemade chicken soup (made by the Norwegian) accompanied by Judy’s fresh salad. We feel so blessed to toast to another wonderful day in Tuscany.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Trios adventure in Poistano
Positano Day I: Monday morning, a week since we left California, and we are on our way to the central train station in Rome. Our destination today is Napoli where we will meet a driver who will take us further south to Positano perched on the Almalfi Coast. It was Judy’s first experience with European trains, and although not a long ride, she was pleased. She left Rome kicking and screaming but it seemed when our drive progressed down the Almalfi coast she adjusted quite quickly. If you have seen pictures of this coast line you will understand why her adjustment was easy. It is one of those very special places in the world. We were referred to Casa Celeste by a former member of Francesca’s staff who came from Positano. It is perched right on the cliffside with full views of the coast and offers million dollar views. Our driver couldn’t take us to our pension because it was just a little walk way and not drivable. Breakfast is served everyday by Mama, another tiny little 80 some year old lady. The down side is it is a pension and with that said you can pretty much figure out the rest. Folks, this is no Hilton Waldorf Astoria so the transition is a little tough. But it is ‘charming’ and I’m sure it will be basis for some great stories. Let’s start with Judy washing her laundry in the bidet this evening and hanging it on the line from our balcony with the clothes pins conveniently provided by our hosts!
It may seem that we are talking about food a lot but we ARE in Italy! Truth be told we eat two meals a day and today our dinner was here in Positano with a spectacular view. We were referred by our host to a great spot that we later learned was owned by “Mama’s” grandson. Nevertheless it was a great referral. We stuck to the house wine and scored again. Judy had Gnocchi (we have to get her off this fix at some time), while I had homemade spaghetti w/clams in a sauce unsurpassed by any I have had. John opted for Tagliano (fettuccini noodle colored black with squid ink) tossed with sliced sea snails. John & Judy finished with some kind of Lemon Cream Cake that they assured me was the bomb! We shopped after our late lunch/early dinner and then walked home to our humble abode. We are on the ‘upper side’ of Poisitano so you can (or maybe you can’t) picture the hike we had back. Let’s just say we didn’t feel at all guilty about the pasta. As we walked into our little pension “Mama” greeted us with an enthusiastic “Prego….Prego….” insisting we join them on her patio, overlooking the Mediterranean and beautiful Positano. We obliged and were treated to a shot of her homemade Lemoncello. Not bad for our first post-Rome day.
Positano Day II: We woke up this morning to a rainy day, and some of Judy’s clothes missing. When we showed up for our humble breakfast of toast and coffee our hosts returned her shirt which had been found on the road (lane) below. Speaking of breakfast, we had been anticipating Mama’s breakfast and learned she had left on a pilgrimage to the Shroud of Turin so Papa and son were left to man the house and we were left with loads of toast and coffee. Now our humble but charming pension had become cold, with shredded rags for towels, no soap and finally no breakfast. We have begun reaching to find the charm!
Of course we were not happy about the rain but had a day planned to spend on the coast. Some of you know we are pretty good at rolling with the punches and today was no exception. We arranged for the same driver that drove us from Napoli, Vincenzo, to pick us up and off we went rain or shine. Our destination, Paestum the site of ancient Greek ruins dating back to 550bc. When we arrived in Pasestum Vincenzo took us to a place for lunch, and he joined us. He recommended the antipasti, the pride of the region, Buffalo Mozzarella. You can only imagine when our waiter arrived with a platter of 4 mozzarella balls that were the size of a soft ball each. I don’t know what John was thinking but Judy and I looked at each other wondering what the heck we were going to do? So we had to do as the locals do and began to make our way through this huge antipasti. If you have never experienced the mozzarella served this way the milk actually runs out with the first cut. And, little did we know (call us naïve) that it is really made from buffalo milk….once again our eyes got big and Judy said “I want to meet the guy who milk these buffalo! And so the giggles began…….
The three of us donned our umbrellas, and braved the rain and a plethora of pubescent Italian and French school kids, to walk where the ancients walked. Paestum is among the best preserved Greek ruins rivaling those in Greece itself. The temple of Neptune dons 40 columns, is 2500 years old and almost completely intact. Although we did not have a sunny day it was described to us that on sunny days the temple gleams like gold in the sun and so we imagined. Once leaving the ruins Vincenzo drove us slowly, and necessarily so, along the spectacular Almalfi coast back to Positano. Vincenzo is a man who “loves his job” and that is a direct quote! Not only that, he loves the area and loves to share it with folks like us. Just making this drive takes a master but he made sure we “made a picture” at the exact points he thought would be best. Our first stop filled me up again and the tears came. Vincenzo was immediately concerned with what could be wrong with me and said “No…no….no Madame…..” Judy and John, being used to this reaction, tried to reassure him that I was fine and that is just what happens to me once in awhile. Each stop after that he asked me to promise I wouldn’t cry, but I think secretly he understood and appreciated the reaction. He fussed and worried over us and our arrangements to get to Tuscany and just generally took care of us for ten hours. This last portion of our day on this drive is likely impossible to describe but an attempt would be to picture yourself on a narrow road on the edge of cliffs requiring mirrors to see around the upcoming corners, and once turning the corner another breathtaking view, one after another and another. We loved every minute and could only wish that all of you reading this have an opportunity to make this same drive one day. It was a long day and we had little time to freshen and find a place for dinner so we picked a place near our pension. Again the food was amazing. We have learned that this area is well known for it’s cherry tomatoes and the locals know it! These unsurpassed tomatoes are used in the best bruschetta, Margarita Pizza or Caprese Salad we have tasted and it doesn’t seem to matter where we order it. The area is also known for their lemons which translate into anything sinful including Lemoncello and decadent desserts. And let us not forget the ever present and superb regional wines. Finally, on our return back to our pension, which was feeling more and more humble as the hours progressed, I convinced John to take a look at another spot for our final night. We stopped in at a real hotel yards away from where we had stayed the past two nights and found a delightful room offering what one should expect plus a better view than we had at the pension. This with a full breakfast at 5E less than the previous lodging. We booked on the spot and moved the next morning. Ahhh……life is good. Closing this day wishing you all a day on the Almalfi coast in your future.
Positano Day III: Today was moving day to Hotel Posa Posa. We learned this rather odd name was related to a legend which I won’t try to repeat in this writing. We were like kids in a candy shop after our more than a bit humble pension for the past two nights! After settling in we purchased tickets to Capri (pronounced CAP-re) which was a short 45 minute ride. It was a great ferry ride and the island was beautiful but very heavily touristy and filled with groups with little matching stickers on their shirts as identification. We learned from a cab driver that the locals call these folks goats because they are being shepherded around. Although we couldn’t imagine being so close to Capri and not going there we felt the beauty of the Almalfi coast far surpassed anything about Capri. If you have seen pictures of this coast line you know the houses and hotels are perched on the edge of the cliffs and our hotel was one of those at the top so our walk/hike back from the beach relieved some of our guilt over what we had recently been eating. We decided this evening’s dinner would be a light picnic in our room and stopped in route in a little shop to pick up some bread, salami, cheese and of course wine. The old lady running this shop was, shall we say, a bit on the crabby side. It would not be an exaggeration to say she was hardly 4-1/2 feet tall with a 6 foot attitude. She tickled us so much! Little did she know how she enriched our shopping experience with her attitude. When we arrived in our room we simply perched on our bed with a straight on view of the Almalfi Coast and enjoyed a picnic accompanied by great regional wine. As we closed our evening all three of us found it difficult to anticipate leaving Positano in the morning.
It may seem that we are talking about food a lot but we ARE in Italy! Truth be told we eat two meals a day and today our dinner was here in Positano with a spectacular view. We were referred by our host to a great spot that we later learned was owned by “Mama’s” grandson. Nevertheless it was a great referral. We stuck to the house wine and scored again. Judy had Gnocchi (we have to get her off this fix at some time), while I had homemade spaghetti w/clams in a sauce unsurpassed by any I have had. John opted for Tagliano (fettuccini noodle colored black with squid ink) tossed with sliced sea snails. John & Judy finished with some kind of Lemon Cream Cake that they assured me was the bomb! We shopped after our late lunch/early dinner and then walked home to our humble abode. We are on the ‘upper side’ of Poisitano so you can (or maybe you can’t) picture the hike we had back. Let’s just say we didn’t feel at all guilty about the pasta. As we walked into our little pension “Mama” greeted us with an enthusiastic “Prego….Prego….” insisting we join them on her patio, overlooking the Mediterranean and beautiful Positano. We obliged and were treated to a shot of her homemade Lemoncello. Not bad for our first post-Rome day.
Positano Day II: We woke up this morning to a rainy day, and some of Judy’s clothes missing. When we showed up for our humble breakfast of toast and coffee our hosts returned her shirt which had been found on the road (lane) below. Speaking of breakfast, we had been anticipating Mama’s breakfast and learned she had left on a pilgrimage to the Shroud of Turin so Papa and son were left to man the house and we were left with loads of toast and coffee. Now our humble but charming pension had become cold, with shredded rags for towels, no soap and finally no breakfast. We have begun reaching to find the charm!
Of course we were not happy about the rain but had a day planned to spend on the coast. Some of you know we are pretty good at rolling with the punches and today was no exception. We arranged for the same driver that drove us from Napoli, Vincenzo, to pick us up and off we went rain or shine. Our destination, Paestum the site of ancient Greek ruins dating back to 550bc. When we arrived in Pasestum Vincenzo took us to a place for lunch, and he joined us. He recommended the antipasti, the pride of the region, Buffalo Mozzarella. You can only imagine when our waiter arrived with a platter of 4 mozzarella balls that were the size of a soft ball each. I don’t know what John was thinking but Judy and I looked at each other wondering what the heck we were going to do? So we had to do as the locals do and began to make our way through this huge antipasti. If you have never experienced the mozzarella served this way the milk actually runs out with the first cut. And, little did we know (call us naïve) that it is really made from buffalo milk….once again our eyes got big and Judy said “I want to meet the guy who milk these buffalo! And so the giggles began…….
The three of us donned our umbrellas, and braved the rain and a plethora of pubescent Italian and French school kids, to walk where the ancients walked. Paestum is among the best preserved Greek ruins rivaling those in Greece itself. The temple of Neptune dons 40 columns, is 2500 years old and almost completely intact. Although we did not have a sunny day it was described to us that on sunny days the temple gleams like gold in the sun and so we imagined. Once leaving the ruins Vincenzo drove us slowly, and necessarily so, along the spectacular Almalfi coast back to Positano. Vincenzo is a man who “loves his job” and that is a direct quote! Not only that, he loves the area and loves to share it with folks like us. Just making this drive takes a master but he made sure we “made a picture” at the exact points he thought would be best. Our first stop filled me up again and the tears came. Vincenzo was immediately concerned with what could be wrong with me and said “No…no….no Madame…..” Judy and John, being used to this reaction, tried to reassure him that I was fine and that is just what happens to me once in awhile. Each stop after that he asked me to promise I wouldn’t cry, but I think secretly he understood and appreciated the reaction. He fussed and worried over us and our arrangements to get to Tuscany and just generally took care of us for ten hours. This last portion of our day on this drive is likely impossible to describe but an attempt would be to picture yourself on a narrow road on the edge of cliffs requiring mirrors to see around the upcoming corners, and once turning the corner another breathtaking view, one after another and another. We loved every minute and could only wish that all of you reading this have an opportunity to make this same drive one day. It was a long day and we had little time to freshen and find a place for dinner so we picked a place near our pension. Again the food was amazing. We have learned that this area is well known for it’s cherry tomatoes and the locals know it! These unsurpassed tomatoes are used in the best bruschetta, Margarita Pizza or Caprese Salad we have tasted and it doesn’t seem to matter where we order it. The area is also known for their lemons which translate into anything sinful including Lemoncello and decadent desserts. And let us not forget the ever present and superb regional wines. Finally, on our return back to our pension, which was feeling more and more humble as the hours progressed, I convinced John to take a look at another spot for our final night. We stopped in at a real hotel yards away from where we had stayed the past two nights and found a delightful room offering what one should expect plus a better view than we had at the pension. This with a full breakfast at 5E less than the previous lodging. We booked on the spot and moved the next morning. Ahhh……life is good. Closing this day wishing you all a day on the Almalfi coast in your future.
Positano Day III: Today was moving day to Hotel Posa Posa. We learned this rather odd name was related to a legend which I won’t try to repeat in this writing. We were like kids in a candy shop after our more than a bit humble pension for the past two nights! After settling in we purchased tickets to Capri (pronounced CAP-re) which was a short 45 minute ride. It was a great ferry ride and the island was beautiful but very heavily touristy and filled with groups with little matching stickers on their shirts as identification. We learned from a cab driver that the locals call these folks goats because they are being shepherded around. Although we couldn’t imagine being so close to Capri and not going there we felt the beauty of the Almalfi coast far surpassed anything about Capri. If you have seen pictures of this coast line you know the houses and hotels are perched on the edge of the cliffs and our hotel was one of those at the top so our walk/hike back from the beach relieved some of our guilt over what we had recently been eating. We decided this evening’s dinner would be a light picnic in our room and stopped in route in a little shop to pick up some bread, salami, cheese and of course wine. The old lady running this shop was, shall we say, a bit on the crabby side. It would not be an exaggeration to say she was hardly 4-1/2 feet tall with a 6 foot attitude. She tickled us so much! Little did she know how she enriched our shopping experience with her attitude. When we arrived in our room we simply perched on our bed with a straight on view of the Almalfi Coast and enjoyed a picnic accompanied by great regional wine. As we closed our evening all three of us found it difficult to anticipate leaving Positano in the morning.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Rome with the Traveling Trio
Rome Day I: We slept in this morning, likely a bit of a time adjustment, and were too late for breakfast so opted for a couple sandwiches in the free stuff lounge before heading out to St Peter’s Square in the Vatican. This ‘square’ is a huge circle with an obelisk in the center. Two encircling colonnades topped with statues of 140 saints welcomed us amongst millions of visitors over the years. At one end of the square the stairs the largest church in the world, St Peter’s. We decided to take a guided tour and learned that the church was built on the site of Peter’s execution and grave. In centuries past the exact location of his grave could not be disclosed for fear of desecration until the 1940’s, during an excavation under the church, an actual grave with inscription that said “Peter here” was found. We had a little time prior to our tour and met a young Minnesota woman who had come to Rome to study and just never went home! She took us on a quick tour under the church to o see various coffins of Popes including John Paul I & II and John the 23rd.
When the tour formally began and we stepped foot into the church it took our breath away. It is huge measuring more than two football fields long! There are numerous priceless artworks that we were able to enjoy including Michael Angelo’s ‘Pieta’. We were all a bit surprised to see Popes who had been awarded sainthood displayed in glass caskets under altars that was a new one for us!
Above the main altar is the famous cupola designed by Michael Angelo, it is so tall that the statue of liberty would fit in it with 30’ to spare and to say it is beautiful would be a vast understatement. After closing the tour we took an elevator about half way up to get a closer view of the master’s painting which offered a perspective from above of the entire main altar area. We ended our day we made our way to “Old Rome”, an area called Trastevere! Getting there was memorable to say the least. Again, it is “Old Rome” which seems redundant but picture riding in a cab down one lane cobble stone streets with cars parked randomly on either side of the ‘lane’ meeting traffic from the opposite direction either by scooter, car or foot. Talk about masters! These cab drivers are surpassed by none I have experienced. After some strolling and taking in the atmosphere we chose a place for dinner and of course it was the perfect place…..LaScala! Simple but delicious food and the best house wine we have ever wrapped our lips around. The food, notably the shared antipasto and gnocchi in light Olive Oil, Mushroom, Onion, and a bit of Pecorino cheese were an amazing accompaniment to that wine! We closed our first full day in Rome full of food and wine and retired to our beautiful room with a view.
Rome Day II: Another beautiful morning at the Hilton Cavalieri and we took our time to enjoy it! This time we were able to enjoy an exquisite breakfast with multiple Cappuccinos. We love the European breakfasts which usually include some typical American faire with a lot of additional mouth watering choices. Some of my favorite at the Hilton was green beans and little grape tomatoes lightly sautéed in Olive Oil. We are in love with the grape or cherry tomatoes here and from what we have heard it will only get better. After our leisurely breakfast we headed to the Vatican to see the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The museum has endless stairs, hallways and rooms full of statues, tapestries, paintings, frescoes and you could spend hours or perhaps days there. By the time we got to the chapel we were beginning to get burned out. If we had a chance to do this over again we would have likely gone directly to the chapel and followed that with our choices of the other parts of the museum. With that said, Michael Angelo’s Sistine Chapel was incredible. He did the ceiling frescos with stories from Genesis, the panels depicted creation to the story of Noah. On one end wall is the stunning last judgment. Interestingly enough other famous masters completed the walls but they paled to Michael Angelo’s nearly three dimensional works. As if the Sistine Chapel were not enough for one day we continued on to the Coliseum and from there to the Pantheon with a stop off in a wonderful piazza for a rest accompanied by another beautiful wine. We were looking forward to finding a spot for dinner near the Pantheon where we could see this amazing Roman temple lit at night. We did find a great place to dine, however a portion of the Pantheon was under renovation so the lighting was not that which one sees on postcards. Nevertheless, it was wonderful. After a full day of this history and beauty we settled down in a nearby sidewalk café to enjoy people watching, the view, good wine and dinner. Our wine arrived and when it seemed things couldn’t be more perfect we heard the angelic voice of a street performer coming from the piazza. In a moment I reached my saturation point of dreams coming true. Sitting here, in Rome, with my sister and my husband….in this place sipping wine and now this voice……it was just too perfect and when that happens for me, the tears begin to spill….happy tears of course! John is used to this, it just happens sometimes when I get ‘full’. So it was that kind of day. Speaking of getting full, we managed to get physically full as well. We shared another antipasto just as good as the night previous followed by shared margarita pizza and an amazing fresh tagliani tossed in a little butter, pecorino cheese and black pepper. As if this were not enough Judy and I indulged ourselves in the spa prior to bedtime. She in the hot tub portion and I in that amazing Turkish bath!
Rome Day III:
Sunday, our last day in Rome, started with a beautiful breakfast at the Hilton and some housekeeping in preparation for our departure on Monday. We shuttled to the center of Rome and gave the on/off Green bus a try. It worked for us for a bit but was not as effective as these kinds of tours have been in other cities. We left the bus near the Spanish Stairs and then wandered the city through the famous high end shopping area, the Champs d’ Elyse of Rome, working our way to Trevi Fountain. John read about a wine bar in our Frommer’s travel book in this area and we were anxious to give it a try. Wow! We had a chance to buy some amazing wines by the glass, namely Brunella, Nobile Montepulciano, and Barbera d’Alba. If you are a wine drinker you can appreciate how cool it was for us to enjoy these wines by the glass at a very reasonable price. Something we would not have an opportunity to do in the states. Eventually, we dragged ourselves away from the wine bar and came upon the Piazza Cologne, a square around the Italian Parliament and official offices and from there the Trevi Fountain. Judy and I actually didn’t recognize the fountain at first somehow we didn’t remember it as huge and beautiful from the movie “Three Coins in a Fountain”, but of course that was quite a few years ago. Probably one of my highlights on this day was a simple human interaction with a shopkeeper. We noticed a tiny little shop not even close to the size of our closet with a tiny little old lady minding the shop. I would guess she was 4-1/2 feet tall on her tip toes and easily 85-90 years old. It was a baby shop so of course I went in looking for something for our two new little babies, Lyla and Jocelyn. There was just room enough for Judy to join me and the shop was full. Judy pointed out an adorable and unique music box and I decided I wanted two of those for the babies. Now the test began, me asking for a second box and this little lady searching and talking away to me, asking the age of the babies and I’m not sure what else. What I do know is that by the time the transaction was finished (which did take a while) she was patting my arms and saying over and over “Buona sera….buona sera…..Ciao…Ciao….” And once again I was touched at the realization of how you can connect with another person so different than yourself despite a huge language barrier and have an amazing experience. Yes I was full once again!
Our Roman friend from Francesca’s told us we must go to Ivo Pizzeria when in Rome and so we ended our time in this fine city back in the Trastevere eating pizza like none we could have imagined nor could we explain to you in words. We can only say, until you have eaten pizza in Rome you really have not eaten pizza. This evening we returned to our room to prepare for our next adventure filled from all the food and wine, yes, but most importantly from the entire Rome experience.
When the tour formally began and we stepped foot into the church it took our breath away. It is huge measuring more than two football fields long! There are numerous priceless artworks that we were able to enjoy including Michael Angelo’s ‘Pieta’. We were all a bit surprised to see Popes who had been awarded sainthood displayed in glass caskets under altars that was a new one for us!
Above the main altar is the famous cupola designed by Michael Angelo, it is so tall that the statue of liberty would fit in it with 30’ to spare and to say it is beautiful would be a vast understatement. After closing the tour we took an elevator about half way up to get a closer view of the master’s painting which offered a perspective from above of the entire main altar area. We ended our day we made our way to “Old Rome”, an area called Trastevere! Getting there was memorable to say the least. Again, it is “Old Rome” which seems redundant but picture riding in a cab down one lane cobble stone streets with cars parked randomly on either side of the ‘lane’ meeting traffic from the opposite direction either by scooter, car or foot. Talk about masters! These cab drivers are surpassed by none I have experienced. After some strolling and taking in the atmosphere we chose a place for dinner and of course it was the perfect place…..LaScala! Simple but delicious food and the best house wine we have ever wrapped our lips around. The food, notably the shared antipasto and gnocchi in light Olive Oil, Mushroom, Onion, and a bit of Pecorino cheese were an amazing accompaniment to that wine! We closed our first full day in Rome full of food and wine and retired to our beautiful room with a view.
Rome Day II: Another beautiful morning at the Hilton Cavalieri and we took our time to enjoy it! This time we were able to enjoy an exquisite breakfast with multiple Cappuccinos. We love the European breakfasts which usually include some typical American faire with a lot of additional mouth watering choices. Some of my favorite at the Hilton was green beans and little grape tomatoes lightly sautéed in Olive Oil. We are in love with the grape or cherry tomatoes here and from what we have heard it will only get better. After our leisurely breakfast we headed to the Vatican to see the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. The museum has endless stairs, hallways and rooms full of statues, tapestries, paintings, frescoes and you could spend hours or perhaps days there. By the time we got to the chapel we were beginning to get burned out. If we had a chance to do this over again we would have likely gone directly to the chapel and followed that with our choices of the other parts of the museum. With that said, Michael Angelo’s Sistine Chapel was incredible. He did the ceiling frescos with stories from Genesis, the panels depicted creation to the story of Noah. On one end wall is the stunning last judgment. Interestingly enough other famous masters completed the walls but they paled to Michael Angelo’s nearly three dimensional works. As if the Sistine Chapel were not enough for one day we continued on to the Coliseum and from there to the Pantheon with a stop off in a wonderful piazza for a rest accompanied by another beautiful wine. We were looking forward to finding a spot for dinner near the Pantheon where we could see this amazing Roman temple lit at night. We did find a great place to dine, however a portion of the Pantheon was under renovation so the lighting was not that which one sees on postcards. Nevertheless, it was wonderful. After a full day of this history and beauty we settled down in a nearby sidewalk café to enjoy people watching, the view, good wine and dinner. Our wine arrived and when it seemed things couldn’t be more perfect we heard the angelic voice of a street performer coming from the piazza. In a moment I reached my saturation point of dreams coming true. Sitting here, in Rome, with my sister and my husband….in this place sipping wine and now this voice……it was just too perfect and when that happens for me, the tears begin to spill….happy tears of course! John is used to this, it just happens sometimes when I get ‘full’. So it was that kind of day. Speaking of getting full, we managed to get physically full as well. We shared another antipasto just as good as the night previous followed by shared margarita pizza and an amazing fresh tagliani tossed in a little butter, pecorino cheese and black pepper. As if this were not enough Judy and I indulged ourselves in the spa prior to bedtime. She in the hot tub portion and I in that amazing Turkish bath!
Rome Day III:
Sunday, our last day in Rome, started with a beautiful breakfast at the Hilton and some housekeeping in preparation for our departure on Monday. We shuttled to the center of Rome and gave the on/off Green bus a try. It worked for us for a bit but was not as effective as these kinds of tours have been in other cities. We left the bus near the Spanish Stairs and then wandered the city through the famous high end shopping area, the Champs d’ Elyse of Rome, working our way to Trevi Fountain. John read about a wine bar in our Frommer’s travel book in this area and we were anxious to give it a try. Wow! We had a chance to buy some amazing wines by the glass, namely Brunella, Nobile Montepulciano, and Barbera d’Alba. If you are a wine drinker you can appreciate how cool it was for us to enjoy these wines by the glass at a very reasonable price. Something we would not have an opportunity to do in the states. Eventually, we dragged ourselves away from the wine bar and came upon the Piazza Cologne, a square around the Italian Parliament and official offices and from there the Trevi Fountain. Judy and I actually didn’t recognize the fountain at first somehow we didn’t remember it as huge and beautiful from the movie “Three Coins in a Fountain”, but of course that was quite a few years ago. Probably one of my highlights on this day was a simple human interaction with a shopkeeper. We noticed a tiny little shop not even close to the size of our closet with a tiny little old lady minding the shop. I would guess she was 4-1/2 feet tall on her tip toes and easily 85-90 years old. It was a baby shop so of course I went in looking for something for our two new little babies, Lyla and Jocelyn. There was just room enough for Judy to join me and the shop was full. Judy pointed out an adorable and unique music box and I decided I wanted two of those for the babies. Now the test began, me asking for a second box and this little lady searching and talking away to me, asking the age of the babies and I’m not sure what else. What I do know is that by the time the transaction was finished (which did take a while) she was patting my arms and saying over and over “Buona sera….buona sera…..Ciao…Ciao….” And once again I was touched at the realization of how you can connect with another person so different than yourself despite a huge language barrier and have an amazing experience. Yes I was full once again!
Our Roman friend from Francesca’s told us we must go to Ivo Pizzeria when in Rome and so we ended our time in this fine city back in the Trastevere eating pizza like none we could have imagined nor could we explain to you in words. We can only say, until you have eaten pizza in Rome you really have not eaten pizza. This evening we returned to our room to prepare for our next adventure filled from all the food and wine, yes, but most importantly from the entire Rome experience.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
We left San Diego on Monday and Judy from Minneapolis arriving within minutes of each other at JFK. Easy ride into the city checked in at our time share at the Hilton at Rockefeller Center for a couple of days because we love the city and thought this plan would provide a more gradual time change adjustment. Our first night we just strolled around a bit then John surprised us with a twilight carraige ride in Central Park. We closed the evening with light dinner at RUE 57 right near the park and our hotel. It was a great beautiful evening in New York
Tuesday was a slow relaxing day because I was feeling quite sick. I could not convince my traveling team to go out and about without me so the we got no further than the Stage Deli for my chicken matzo ball soup. Ummmm, nothing like that soup!
By far the highlight of our short time in NYC was seeing “A Little Night Music” starring Katherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury. If you are unfamiliar with the show you will remember it by the song, ‘Send in the Clowns’. A revival of the Steven Sondheim musical of the 1970’s it was ‘tastefully’ naughty and funny. We all loved the show! Although I was sick with some kind of flu I was not going to give up my ticket and so glad I hung in there. The following day we flew out of JFK at 10:30 p.m. The plan of leaving at that hour made for a fairly normal sleep as we had hoped. We flew British Air so arrived at Heathrow for a two hour layover just in time for breakfast on Thursday and to Rome prior to dinner. The two days in New York coupled with the timing of our flights eliminated most signs of jet lag!
The Hilton Cavalieri, although on the hillside and a cab ride away from ‘the thick of things’ is a real jewel and likely one of their top properties. We were given a real VIP greeting with private check in and escort to our room which is absolutely beautiful. From our balcony you can see across all of Rome and it is breathtaking! They are serving wine and a constantly changing array of finger foods from 11:00-11:00 and we have been taking advantage of that. OMG the wine…..is beautiful to behold folks! Their breakfast is one of the best we have experienced in Europe, where one finds oneself wanting to linger awhile over a second café latte.
Thursday evening before bed we took our tired old bodies down to check out the indoor portion of the pool spa area and WOW! John & Judy loved the spa but I found my perfect spot in the next room in a very large Turkish Bath. This steam filled room was equipped with a large spa size tub of very cold water to cool down in before enjoying more steam. Oh folks it was nirvana!! Well, for me it was. Let’s just say the traveling trio didn’t agree on this experience. John got one toe in and said “Hell No!” while Judy went in and looked like she was going to have a heart attack before she could get out! I on the other hand was in/out four-five times feeling like a new woman (for a few minutes at least) each time. So I guess there is something to be said for that Norsk bloodline.
It was a great ending to 15 hours of travel and our first night in Rome!
Tuesday was a slow relaxing day because I was feeling quite sick. I could not convince my traveling team to go out and about without me so the we got no further than the Stage Deli for my chicken matzo ball soup. Ummmm, nothing like that soup!
By far the highlight of our short time in NYC was seeing “A Little Night Music” starring Katherine Zeta Jones and Angela Lansbury. If you are unfamiliar with the show you will remember it by the song, ‘Send in the Clowns’. A revival of the Steven Sondheim musical of the 1970’s it was ‘tastefully’ naughty and funny. We all loved the show! Although I was sick with some kind of flu I was not going to give up my ticket and so glad I hung in there. The following day we flew out of JFK at 10:30 p.m. The plan of leaving at that hour made for a fairly normal sleep as we had hoped. We flew British Air so arrived at Heathrow for a two hour layover just in time for breakfast on Thursday and to Rome prior to dinner. The two days in New York coupled with the timing of our flights eliminated most signs of jet lag!
The Hilton Cavalieri, although on the hillside and a cab ride away from ‘the thick of things’ is a real jewel and likely one of their top properties. We were given a real VIP greeting with private check in and escort to our room which is absolutely beautiful. From our balcony you can see across all of Rome and it is breathtaking! They are serving wine and a constantly changing array of finger foods from 11:00-11:00 and we have been taking advantage of that. OMG the wine…..is beautiful to behold folks! Their breakfast is one of the best we have experienced in Europe, where one finds oneself wanting to linger awhile over a second café latte.
Thursday evening before bed we took our tired old bodies down to check out the indoor portion of the pool spa area and WOW! John & Judy loved the spa but I found my perfect spot in the next room in a very large Turkish Bath. This steam filled room was equipped with a large spa size tub of very cold water to cool down in before enjoying more steam. Oh folks it was nirvana!! Well, for me it was. Let’s just say the traveling trio didn’t agree on this experience. John got one toe in and said “Hell No!” while Judy went in and looked like she was going to have a heart attack before she could get out! I on the other hand was in/out four-five times feeling like a new woman (for a few minutes at least) each time. So I guess there is something to be said for that Norsk bloodline.
It was a great ending to 15 hours of travel and our first night in Rome!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Day 1 San Diego to NYC
Arrived at JFK within minutes of Sister Judy's arrival from Minneapolis and with minimal maneuvering we connected, grabbed a cab and were in our room by 4:00! Our time share at the Hilton at Rockefeller Center offers a room with a view of Central Park. It is a beautiful day, likely warmer than Temecula,the trees are blooming and there are spring flowers everywhere. Tomorrow is promising a 80+ degree day! Planning to go out and about a bit tonight, will update later.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
San Diego
We are beginning our journey with a rumble and a shake! As we arrived at our hotel in San Diego, preparing for our early Monday morning flight to NYC, we were welcomed by folks running out of the hotel saying "don't go in there is an earthquake" We began to experience the familiar sway and since that time have had some sways and shakes (after shocks of a 6.9 about 10 miles north. Hmmm....just had another!) After all the planning, research and packing we are now bonafide EXCITED!
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