Italy 2010

As we write this latest entry into our Italy 2010 travel log, we do so from the City of Rome, where we arrived around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon. The trip from Amalfi was fairly uneventful, until the last 1000 meters or so where the GPS had a meltdown and we travelled every road within 200 meters of our actual destination, landing safely only after asking 4 different people. While Rome exploits will populate the next entry, suffice it to say that most old buildings don’t have elevators, and if you’re staying in a 5th floor apartment, eat your Wheaties!!!!

We arrived on the Amalfi Coast late Saturday afternoon, after the aforementioned stop in Pompeii. While the title of this section kind of gives it away, the final 15 – 20 km, on the twisty, turny, narrow coast road is quite an adrenalin rush!! The road runs along the coast, and, while beautiful, is extremely narrow and has quite a bit of traffic. You know from an earlier post, that the cars in Italy are quite small, which in the case of a road like this, is quite advantageous. There are however, vehicles called buses…lots of them!!! They beep their horns a lot and over the few days, we de-coded a bit of what their beeps mean. 3 coming up to a sharp corner means: “If you are coming the other way, too bad sucker, start backing up!!!” Seriously, how the buses maneuver is quite fascinating to watch, although not when you have a front row seat!!!

Our stay on the coast was actually in a small town called Minori, which is between Maiori and Amalfi. It really was the perfect little community – had a pasta shop, a butcher, and a grocery store, where you could buy all the necessary supplies for great meals at the apartment. There were also some really nice restaurants and a great beach. Two nights were spent at a great little family owned and operated restaurant right beside the town’s beautiful church and main drinking fountain. Their specialty is pasta, with particular attention paid to ravioli, so the whole family was quite pleased and impressed with what we saw and ate. As a “note to file,” we have found the best meals at these sorts of establishments…not the really touristy ones.

Our experiences with beaches are interesting. If you don’t like crowds, Mediterranean beach towns could be a challenge. Most of the beaches have neat lines and rows of umbrella’s and chairs for rent. There are public access sections dotted along however these are quite small. As such, if you want sun, sand and water, get ready to be elbow to elbow! If you want sun and water, there are other options as you can rent kayaks or paddle boats and go and find your own secluded spot.

Regardless, the water is great and Peter and Dad enjoyed some more snorkeling, seeing lots of the same fish as in Cinque Terre, as well as a few more. The snorkeling is quite different than we are used to in, say PEI, where many more treasures, such as sand-dollars are readily found.

Our plans while on the coast were quite packed. We wanted to go to Amalfi and Positano, take the boat to Capri, and drive to Salerno and Paestum. We decided however, other than driving to Amalfi and then taking the boat to Positano, that “nesting” in Minori was the best thing for us to do. Amalfi and Positano were really nice…Positano, you may know, is also part of the “Under the Tuscan Sun” movie…..however, we felt that the other communities might be similar and, as such R&R was more important. Our accommodations were great, with a spectacular Infinity Pool overlooking the ocean that the whole family spent quite a bit of time in relaxing. Our last night there was also “Patron Saints Day” so there were festivities into the evening, followed by one of the most incredible fireworks displays we had ever seen. Fireworks were set off from shore, floating on the water and off a barge, with the combined effect being simply marvelous.

One of the added bonuses of staying where we did was lemonade!! Lemon trees covered the property and the boys quickly discovered how to make fantastic lemonade! The area is also known for its “Limoncello,” a lemon based liquor that puts a bit of a fire in your every part of your body it touches!!! Restaurants like giving you a small glass at the end of the meal then, I am sure, the staff hide behind corners and watch facial expressions as the liquid is consumed!! From the what’s up with that file, while you trip over lemons in Italy, there wasn’t a lime to be found. Under normal circumstances, this would be fine however they sell Corona in grocery stores…..Corona but no limes…can someone explain to me why would you do that!!!!

All in all, the stay on the Amalfi Coast was just what the doctor ordered – there was lots and lots of quiet time simply to relax. Re-charging the batteries was probably a good idea, in light of jamming Rome into the last 2 ½ days of our Italy 2010 vacation. These activities will form the next posting.

The Ford Kuga erupted out of the villa at 8:50 Saturday morning en-route to Pompeii. So ended our week in southern Tuscany, where Danielle and Andrew re-acquainted themselves with towns seen previously, and new experiences and discoveries were made by all.

Our day-tripping on our 2 last full days in Tuscany took us to Montalcino, Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvieto.

Our day in Montalcino was really to focus on wines….Brunello di Montalcino’s to be exact – Andrew’s favourite Italian wine. We started our day by driving to the estate of Castillo Banfi, to visit their museum and to just get a feel for an active winery. We did not actually partake in a tour, having enjoyed wine tours in the past, however, were certainly left with a great appreciation for how this winemaker is so successful. They do have a great restaurant (lunch and dinner) and if you are interested, make reservations ahead of time. From there, it was off to Montalcino, specifically to visit Enoteca Osticcio and get re-acquanted with enigmatic owner Tulio. Regretfully, Tulio was not there however his son was, so Danielle and Andrew hunkered down to a tasting flight…boys ate the cheese….(Pete actually sampled a 1999 Brunello and thought it, well, yucky!!!)…to choose a few bottles to bring home. Drink we did and chose we did, so it will be nice to share with friends on our return to reality.

On our last day in Tuscany, we headed off for Civita di Bagnoregio and Orvieto, the latter actually situated in Umbria. Civita di Bagnoregio is, as described by Rick Steves, Italy’s ultimate hilltop town. It is accessible by a bridge, obviously of fairly recent construction (1966), and is, to say the least, quaint. It really only takes about 15 minutes to walk one end to the other, and it is certainly worth poking your head into the various and sundry shops and eateries, as the people are very friendly and helpful. We actually purchased some fantastic salami, made locally, that you would likely not see anywhere else in your travels.

Most of our time in Civita was actually spent in Trattoria Antico Forno, a nice little restaurant/B& B, owned by former jewelry salesperson, Franco Salva. Franco is the owner, chef and, well, basically Civita’s biggest salesperson. He manages the town’s website (www.civitadibagnoregio.it) and is a wealth of information. We know this because he sat with us for a good part of our meal and chatted about his experiences and the town’s history. The restaurant is adorned with many pictures of people who have visited, with one prominently displayed being Rick Steves, who Franco has obviously come to know quite well. One point Franco stressed with us was how hard it was to get the Italian youth to work in establishments such as his. In fact, his two assistants, Nina and Gina, were sisters from Romania!!

After lunch, which ended at 2:30, it was off to Orvieto, where our main objective was to tour some of the caves that exist beneath the town. Orvieto itself it built on a plain of volcanic ash and was a major Etruscan town centuries before Christ. While we were not there long, we were immediately impressed with the town, its Duomo, its shops and its atmosphere.

We purchased tickets for an hour tour of some of the caves. There was a map in the entrance to our tour, depicting 400 separate caves. Apparently now, there are upwards of 1200 located, most of which are quite small and are associated with the various Orvieto dwellings. Our tour was in a slightly larger grouping of caves, which included an olive oil press, a mine, and a couple of caves that used to keep pigeons. We also saw a 130 foot deep Etruscan well, which, to this day, they do not understand how people were able to actually breath down at the bottom!!!

One of the things that is quite interesting is how much of the development of the town had defense in mind. The fact that wells were dug was to ensure if, under siege, the town had its own water source. Also, the afore-mentioned pigeons, were a major food source and, again, were the town under siege, could help sustain the population. Not only could the pigeons come and go as they pleased, and therefore, feed themselves, they also proliferated by laying eggs every 28 days….who knew….well a few more people apparently now know this important garden party fact!!!

As noted at the beginning of this post, we headed off to Pompeii, for the last leg of our vacation – a quick tour of Pompeii, 4 nights on the Amalfi Coast and then 3 days in Rome. The 425 km drive from Tuscany to Pompeii was fairly uneventful. And, while we didn’t make the “180” club, the Kuga was fairly comfortable clipping along at 160 km….only when Danielle was dozing!!! It remains to be seen whether or not Andrew picked up all the photo-radar camera’s!!! There are nicely advertised, which does help…as do all the break lights that go one as one approaches these stealthily placed “traps.”

Arriving in Pompeii, we were immediately struck by the fact that it wasn’t only ruins!! The modern city of Pompeii is a bee-hive of activity and we quickly decided the site of a major psychological experiment. Every 2nd or 3rd interchange had successive signage so you would turn one way on the suggestion of a sign, only to not see one at the next intersection!! Perhaps this was just us however it made for a slight blood-pressure elevation for the driver who was trying to get to a particular location, by a particular time to meet our guide, Gaetano Manfredi.

Arrive we did, somewhat on time, and had a fantastic guided tour of these very impressive ruins. Interestingly, it was not what any of us expected, for various reasons. Peter, for one, still expected to see lava coming from Mount Vesuvius, Andrew was expecting a much smaller excavation. To say we were all impressed goes without saying. Having Gaetano point out various points of interest made for a very enjoyable tour. What hits you immediately is how advanced the city was. It was clearly a major trading port – our entrance used to be on the water, which is now quite some distance away - and was designed to be a major destination point for travelers. The main streets are symmetrical, with houses flanked by shops all the way along. The various classes are clearly identifiable by the size of house however, in all aspects of life in Pompeii, all residents, with the exception of the slaves, had equitable access to all aspects of life. This ranged from the games and the arts, to the baths so well preserved. There are bakeries, wine-bars, markets, brothels, courts and dwellings all still readily visible. Colours were very important, with the town obviously brilliantly festooned at its hey-day with paintings and colourful marble. The fact that the town also had indoor plumbing just blows you away. All the streets were paved with stone, with one and two-way streets clearly visible, as were pedestrian only parts of the town. In fact, signage is still visible that denotes this fact…really amazing!!! If you are traveling the area, a visit to Pompeii, at least in these blogger’s minds, is a must!! Having a guide makes it that much more enjoyable and is recommended if at all possible.

After our 3 hours in the sun in Pompeii, it was back to the car to head to the Amalfi Coast. A subsequent blog will overview this part of our trip but suffice it to say, if we thought we had to keep an eye on mopeds in Florence, driving the Amalfi coast road brings attentiveness to a whole new level!!!!

We are nicely through “hump day” of our week at Tenuta La Campana and, in fact, are over halfway through our Italian junket!!

The focus of our first few days here has been day-tripping. In no particular order, we have visited Pienza, Siena, Montepulciano, Cortona, and Asciano. Each town has its strengths and specific beauty however all have more in common than not. Towns here are all built on hills, for defensive purposes when it was all about survival of the fittest!! All have wonderful “Centro’s,” usually anchored by a church or, in the case of Siena, by the City Hall and its 330 foot tower. All have great boutique shops, restaurants, café’s, souvenir shops and HISTORY!!

Most have parking challenges galore and, as we found out today, if you park in yellow-lined parking spots, you run the risk of receiving a 112 euro ticket!! Danielle and Andrew are trying to determine if the penalty should come out of wine money (Andrew), or shoe money (Danielle). On the surface the readers may think it a slam dunk as Andrew, after all, parked the car. Danielle however, did guide him into the parking spot as it was a “left-shoulder” parallel park. She did therefore, have the ability to call the landing off. Regardless, don’t park in yellow-lined areas!!!! But park you must, and on these hilltop towns it is a real treat! If you ever wonder why Italians drive small cars, look no further than parking the darn things.

Day-trip planning is quite important if you are going to get full value out of your travels. If you don’t already know, most shops…and gas stations!!!!....close each day between 1:30 and 3:30. As such, arriving in town for noon for lunch puts a major crimp in shopping (some might think this a good thing!!). Plan to arrive early, time your lunch as the shops begin to close and then, if travelling to another destination, do so during this mandatory “slow down period”…..unless, of course, you need gas!

In planning your visits, make sure you read up on the sights. Danielle did a wonderful job researching our various destinations, so we knew what we were looking for at each stop. It doesn’t mean you have to script every day, but far better to consciously miss something than not realize, until it’s too late, that something wonderful passed you by.

A tour of the Palazzo Piccolomini in Pienza, of the magnificent Duomo in Siena, including the crypt and the baptistery, a visit to the Pratesi Shoe outlet in Montelpuciano, and, just drinking in the beauty of Cortona, the town made famous….or more famous….by the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. It is also really cool, as your time unfolds, to link the history of the various towns and regions. For example, the Duomo in Siena includes the Piccolomini Library that presents numerous, breathtaking fresco’s depicting Aeneas Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II. The Piccolomini family, as you may recall from 3 lines ago, were from Pienza. Aeneas is in fact responsible for how Pienza looks today, including having its named changed from Corsignano to Pienza, after Pope Pius.

One of the “different” things we attempted this week was a cooking class at the Scuola di Cucina di lella cesari ciampoli, or the Siena Cooking School, hosted by Lella Cesari Ciampoli, on Monday. 3 generations of Australians from Melbourne, a couple from Seattle, and the Williams/Bruyere clan spent 3 hours attempting to help prepare a meal fit for a Piccolomini!! While we will not bore the readers with too much detail, suffice it to say: we are likely some of the few people who have had deep fried sage; if you rub a garlic clove on the toast prior to completing bruschetta, the flavour is that much more enticing; olive oil is not in short supply in Italian kitchens; making your own Pici noodles (a very thick spaghetti) assures family strife; making cantuccini biscuits is quite a “rigormoroll”(it’s easier just to give everyone an Aero bar for dessert!); and, where a recipe calls for between 2 – 20 cloves of garlic, you know which end of the scale the Italians will fall!!! All-in-all, the evening was a lot of fun, albeit not all the clan had themselves pegged at the same spot on the enjoyment continuum!! For those interested in reading up more, visit www.scuoladicucinadilella.net.

The weather our entire trip, so far, has been hot. 33’ C is the temperature we have faced most days although we understand it may be a tad warmer back home…yikes!! The temperature did however cause Greg to frequent a Siena Hair Salon to lighten the load and he now has hair shorter than any time we can remember over the past 6 years.

Irregardless of where our travels took us, each day so far has ended for the Williams’ boys with a swim, under the stars, in the pool at Tenuta La Campana. Rumour even has it that 2 of the 3 may have skinny dipped and that one of the 3 stole bathing suits and towels however this is a family blog, so nothing more need be said.

The next entry will overview our last few days in beautiful Tuscany which, drum roll, will include day-tripping!!!

If any of you have ever seen the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun,” you will already know a bit about the scenery we are experiencing in this leg of our vacation. While the movie was filmed in Cortona, it could have just as easily been filmed in any of the numerous, beautiful little towns that dot the Tuscan countryside.

Our foray into Tuscany from Florence had its first stop in Greve, so we could experience one of the really enjoyable aspects of Italian life – their markets!! If you are travelling the area, check the market schedule, as they move around from town to town, and make it a point to go to at least one. They are great for stocking up on picnic items, for purchasing colourful, inexpensive linens, and, for truly appreciating an important part of Tuscan life.

Our next stop was briefly in Castelina in Chianti, specifically the winery where Danielle and Andrew stayed during their 1st trip to Italy. This visit left us with a few less euro’s as we decided to sample some of the Chianti wines the region is so famous for. Much of the drive through this part of Tuscany is actually on what is called the “Red Rooster” route, which depicts the many wineries in the area that produce Chianti. With a reference to the road, it is important to share a couple more of “Andrew’s European Driving Tips,” namely cyclists and motorcyclists. With cyclists, quite simply, there are a lot of them!! They are all colourfully decked out in the latest aerodynamic cycling gear and can be regularly seen puffing up or zipping down the many twisty, hilly roads. The roads are really ideal for cycling….we suppose to cyclists….however they are not necessarily conducive to cars travelling both ways AND cyclists. Bottom line, pay attention!!!

With respect to motorcycles, really pay attention. While this is not a comment directed at those motorcyclists just out to enjoy the Tuscan scenery, it is definitely a comment directed at the local riders who fly around from place to place. Basic rule….they own the road!! They will crowd you until you move, will pass you when they shouldn’t and, if short on their daily intake of grappa, will kick your car when they fly by. A couple we met in Florence was actually reviewing their insurance when we met them as they had had a run-in with one of these obnoxious individuals. Be that as it may, it is a reality all through Italy – and France for that matter – so be wary.

We arrived at our Villa, located at “Tenuta La Campana” at around 3:00 p.m., and were met by our very friendly host, Paola. The Villa is part of a larger complex and is located on top of a hill between Monteroni D’Arbia and Asciano, just south of Siena. For those interested, its website is www.tenutalacampana.it. The scenery is very soothing, except for the fact that the fields were being harvested the first couple of days we were there so it was like being back home with the gentle hum (!!!) of Combines throughout the day. Irregardless of the noise, the complex itself was perfect and included a nice pool as well as tennis court that kept the boys engaged. In fact, a really nice daily ritual became a late night swim where we could gaze up at the clear sky and drink in the beauty of the stars across the Tuscan sky.

With a full kitchenette, we could avoid restaurants every night and were able to prepare our own meals. A precursor to this however, is the Italian grocery store, in our case, located in Monteroni. Here you really have to park your North American expectations as it is quite different….not different bad, just different. You make one particular mistake only once….when you pick out fruits and vegetables, the customers are to weigh and “sticker” them. This really is a great idea as it speeds up the check-out process, except in those instances where you don’t do it properly!! All the produce is grown locally and is extremely fresh - fresh to the point where you need to consume it quickly. Italians go to the grocery store often for small purchases, as opposed to at home where we go weekly and stock up. Once you get comfortable with the language and that nothing looks the same, grocery shopping is a really quite a neat experience.

Our plan has us staying a week at Tenuta, with day-trips to the beautiful towns close to our accommodation the focus of the week. The next post will introduce you to some of these towns.

Our only full day in Florence began by trying to convince Greg that breakfast was as good a reason as any to get up. Alas, this failed so the morning started with a bit of a rush. Most parents learn quickly that schedules and travelling with teenagers can at times be at odds!!!

A combination of bus and quick walking allowed us to arrive at the Art Viva office in time to check in for our 3-hour "Original Florence Walk" and, surprise, surprise, get a sandwich for Greg!! Our tour group included another family from Canada (Alberta), a family from Australia, a family from the United States and a couple from Great Britain. Our tour guide, Hillary, was originally from Massachusetts, and had moved to Florence to pursue her love of art.

Having someone who knows the city introduce you to some of the history is fantastic. Hillary was a wealth of knowledge and was quickly pointing out the architectural differences between the various periods of Florence’s evolution. Founded by the Romans, it is not uncommon for buildings to have the “Roman Arches” as part of their façade. Architecture during the medieval times was designed for protection, not necessarily aesthetics, while buildings constructed during the renaissance were very symmetrical and visually appealing. One interesting difference between medieval and renaissance architecture were the “ty-ups” for horses. Most residences and meeting places had rings on the outside of the buildings…for some reason they were 3 times larger on renaissance buildings!! A quick google search revealed that horses stayed roughly the same!!

Florence’s economic and civic history is also very much influenced by Guilds. They were free professional or trade associations, with the 7 major ones being: Judges and Lawyers; Cloth Merchants; Bankers and Moneychangers; Wool; Doctors and Apothecaries; Silk Weavers and Vendors; Furriers and Tanners. When reviewing the architecture, various coats of arms on the buildings would depict which guild the family in question belonged.

One of the best known and most prestigious Italian families, the Medici’s, were by far the most interesting and influential. The Medici ruled Florence for over 300 years and everywhere one looked during our tour, one could see their influence. As discussed on our tour, even the famous Duomo is the site of one of the greatest conspiracies history has ever known. The Pazzi family, with the support of Pope Sixtus IV, attempted to eradicate the Medici family while they attended Easter Mass in 1478. The Medici brothers, Lorenzo and Giuliano, were both targets of this assassination, with Giuliano being killed and Lornzo, who was dubbed Lorenzo the Magnificent by the population of Florence, surviving. To say the Pazzi family had a rough go of it after the assassination would be an understatement!!

Overall, the Walking Tour was a great success. Pete asked lots of questions and the back and forth interchange with our guide made it enjoyable for all ages. There was even a break during the tour where, notwithstanding that there wasn’t a Timmies steeped tea, half milk in site, we could all relax and re-charge for the remainder of the walk.

After our walking tour, we headed to the San Lorenzo District to see what leather goods may be available. While we mentioned mopeds earlier, one also thinks of leather when you think of Florence. It is really important, based on our experience, to do your research ahead of time and know what you are looking for. There are no shortages of vendors ready to make you a deal and the pressure to buy can be intense. The main lesson is to come prepared and be ready to barter, and walk away. “Fortunately,” it was too hot for Danielle to shop…a first….so we managed to escape with just having purchased a belt for Greg!!

After a relaxing lunch, we wandered around Florence, browsing the many and varied shops, and worked our way back to Hotel David in time to see the conclusion of the Brazil – Holland football match and to catch happy hour. This was not necessarily a good time for the Williams’ family as Peter had been walking the streets of Florence with a Brazil flag draped over his shoulders!!! It goes without saying he wasn’t impressed with the final score.

This is actually a good time to segue to the World Cup for a second. Given Italy’s early exit, one would think that the country would be in mourning. This couldn’t be further from the truth as Italians are very loyal to their local club teams. In so much as many clubs had no representation on the Italian National Team, there appeared to be little allegiance to the national team. There was however huge passion for the sport and every game, regardless of who was playing was well watched and enjoyed by the numerous Italian football fans.

Our dinner choice for the evening was Ristorante Acqua al 2 and it was, quite simply, the best restaurant we had frequented while on our trip. They have what we might call a “tasting menu” for the primi and secondi plates and we would so recommend these if you visit this restaurant. Danielle selected the pasta tasting menu - assagio di primi -and sampled 5 different pasta dishes, all unique and reflective of different Florence cuisine. All dishes – pasta and beef – were extremely well prepared and of fantastic value.

On our way back to the hotel, we came across a free concert in the Piazza de Signoria, right beside Michelangelo’s David, which was a wonderful way to end our brief time in Florence.

Our next blogs will depict our adventures in Danielle and Andrew’s favourite part of Italy…no, it isn’t Trieste….namely, Tuscany.