Day 15 - Rome wasn't built in a day-but it was conquered by Kat and Rich in a Day

Early morning wake up call for our visit to another country...Vatican city. No passport required. We did something completely unlike us, and booked with a tour agency, because we were warned by our hotelier that Saturdays at the Vatican mean very long lines, and we might not be able to do anything else all day. So we were herded to a bus with many other tourists, given our identification stickers, counted off like kindergartners on a field trip, and hustled over to the Vatican Museums. We also had to wait for all 49 people to go to the bathroom, get coffee and snacks at the cafe, get their headphone systems all lined up, etc. This is not our kind of travel. Still, all in all we are glad we got in to see the Vatican collections, and in particular, the Sistine Chapel. It was restored in the late 1990s, and Michelango's masterpiece is vibrant and alive with God's creation of earth and humankind. We also got into St. Peters Basilica - we've seen a lot of churches in Italy, but this is by far the largest. It also houses priceless art and artifacts. We ditched the tour, and set off on our own after that, and made it to the Colleseum and Roman Forum sites for the afternoon. Though both sites are only relics of their former selves, it was still pretty amazing to stand to all this preserved antiquity, knowing Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Nero, Caligula, etc. also trod this same rocky pathway. One thing Rich and I have found interesting most everywhere we've been through Italy is the offhand way pillars, columns, and other building debris is just lying around in a field - no sign, no explanation - like so much antique garbage. Rich thought this picture sums it up.

A true Roman dinner - complete with caffe and dolci, and then on for our last Italian gelato, and it was back home. Tomorrow we return to the US - it's been a fascinating journey. Hope you've all enjoyed it too!


Ciao,
Kat (and Rich)

Day 14 - All roads (and tracks) lead back to Rome

Breakfast in Venice, and a quick shopping trip around the market to buy a picnic for our travels, and it was goodbye to Venice. We were back to the trains, and on our way back to Rome for the end of our journey. We left in the morning, and didn't get into Rome until 3, so it was another day of travel. Time for Rich to do some photo maintenance, and Kat to read and nap. And eat our picnic - which was delicious. In addition to cheese and some sort of pizza sandwich, we had some peaches - which were absolutely delicious. My brother Phil had told me that though the food is often simple here, it just tastes better, and I agree. We haven't had a bad meal since we've been here (unless you count the sometimes minimal breakfasts that have been included with our hotels). With another evening in Rome, we did some further exploring, getting to the Parthenon (and the famous gelato shop Gioletti) before dark. We also took in the Capechin Crypt - we are unable to take photos, but check out this link for the macabre details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_Crypt

After dinner, we did some nightime wandering, taking in some of the famous sites like Trajans column and the Colloseum lit up for maximum spectacle. We walked by this enormous monument, and figured it must be important, but our guidebook tells us it's a tribute that Victor Emmanual built for himself in the mid-1800s to celebrate his unification of Italy - but most Romans think it's a bit of an atrocity, calling it the "Dentures" or "the typewriter" We also learned that it's the largest equestrian statue in the world, and that Mr. Emmanual's mustache is 5 feet wide. That's some mustache.

We have an early morning wakeup call tomorrow to get to the Vatican Museum, St Peters and the Sistine Chapel. We're also hoping to take in the Forum/Colloseum by daylight. Arrivederci.

Day 13 - Venice and Beyond

Another beautiful 80 degree day in Venice. We talked to our hotelier about how best to get to Murano, the Venice island known for it's glass. He (very exuberantly) said that he could now offer us the same opportunity that the fancier hotels get - which is basically to get a free water taxi ride to Murano and a tour of a glass factory if we submit to a sales pitch. Since our tour book warned us that we'd probably get the sales pitch anyway, even if we took the public water bus there instead, we said yes. It turned out to be a good decision. We had a water taxi to ourselves...they are really kind of like limousines, and then had a nice tour of some glass makers making glass chandelier pieces. Then it was a tour of their galleries, which were really like a glass museum, full of absolutely stunning pieces. Well out of our (and probably many Kuwaiti tycoon's) budget, so the tour ended at the "trinket" gallery - lots of glass beads, pieces of "candy" and bizarrely plain Christmas ornaments. We opted out, and were shown the door, but really, it wasn't painful - the limo to the island was great, the tour was nice, and the galleries were beautiful. One quick "no" and we were off to explore. What we learned is that this indeed an island of glass - every store offered up jewelry, vases, glassware and more. The public art is all glass - even the street side saints (present in every city we've been to in Italy) have offerings of glass flowers instead of real ones. This was my only day of shopping...as Rich's mom can attest, he isn't one for shopping on vacation. But we didn't linger long. We were off to Burano, another island - this time via vaporetto water bus. This island is known for lacemaking, but from what we've been told, most of what is for sale comes to Burano via China and Taiwan. What Burano is also known for is it's charmingly painted houses - similar to what we saw in Cinque Terre or Amalfi, but with more vibrant color choices. It was a very pretty town. After a very expensive but delicious lunch including the local seafood risotto, and some boat peeping (which is a vacation hobby for Rich) we hoped a big ferry back to Venice. Time for our daily gelato fix - and this was one of the real winners of the trip - really good stuff. Which is good, because navigating anywhere in Venice is close to impossible. Streets change names midway, but may not be labeled anyway, and things that look like just the empty space between 2 buildings are really streets that are listed on your map.

A stop back at our hotel (built in 1288), and then it was off for more of the chichetti pre-dinner snacks. Then some exploring, using our vaporetto pass, and finally dinner canal side by the Accademia bridge. Ciao, Venice. Til we meet again.

Day 12 - Kat's Birthday in Venice

Okay -it's already quarter to twelve, so I'll make this brief....we did everything. The Venice Fish/Produce Market, St. Mark's square, the Guggenheim museum, a neat exhibit that recreated Leonardo DaVinci's many machines from the drawings in his Codexes, lots of wandering lost on canals, a tour of the Grand Canal via Vaporetto (a bus...and a boat). My birthday was busy. We haven't taken a gondala ride, but to be honest, to me it looks kind of like a Disney ride, with the gondolas lined up almost like they were on a cable under the water. We caught lots of interesting moments on film - from ambulance boats, to this workaday delivery, with the driver tossing boxes to the back of the boat, and then him tossing it to the "land."














For anyone following at work, I was busy here in Venice overseeing the delivery of our goods...someone report the old logo box to the Xerox police....It was a beautiful sunny day in a city like no other. A birthday I'll remember forever.

Day 11 - The long commute -and arrival in Venice

This trip has been wonderful....but not very restful. Every morning it's the same routine...Rich wakes up, calls me a sleepyhead, asks if it would help if he takes a shower first, he turns on all the lights. This morning, he was even packing before I could be roused. But we made our 9:30 train even taking time for pastries from the Canoli Brothers, so my lazy morning ways weren't too troublesome. We arrived back at our car for the cross-country commute - literally from one coast to another. All was going well...perhaps too well. Somewhere outside of Bologna, we hit a very serious traffic jam. So serious we were tied up for over an hour, with emergency helicopters landing on the other side of the highway. The Italian truck drivers were aware of what we were in for right away, instantly hopping out of their trucks and getting together to smoke and shoot the breeze. Did I mention it's like 80 degrees here? A long hot wait on the highway...but with gratefulness that our luncheon picnic may have delayed us sufficiently to prevent us from being up ahead in the pileup. Or maybe it was just my morning laziness.

We did finally arrive in Venice around 5:30 pm, turned in our car - and entered the world of water. I love it here - it's marvelous, full of boats, decaying palaces, gondolas and canals. It's completely unique, and even having seen videos and pictures doesn't really convey what it's like to actually be here in this improbable water city.

We had arrived just in time for the local chicetti habit - that's having little finger foods with a glass of wine around 7 pm (because of course Italians don't even think about dinner until at least 8 or 9 pm) It was fun picking and pointing to the appetizers we wanted, and a nice way to explore the food of the region, which is heavy on artichokes and seafood. Twilight only makes the city more attractive. Rich was the first to be baptised by the pigeons - maybe it will be my turn tomorrow. Ciao from Venice.

Day 10 - Rich's Birthday-Cinque Terre

Breakfast with the Canoli Brothers - 2 Sicilians with big personality who run a restaurant/bakery in Vernazza. We had some yummy pastry for breakfast - a birthday treat for Rich. Then it was train to Riomaggiore for the start of our hike. The trail in the Cinque Terre follows the sea through five towns on the Mediterranean shore, just south of the Italian Riveria. The 5 towns are all charming, painted in the pastel colors of much of the coastal housing in Italy.

The first 2 towns were fairly easy hiking, but then the going got rough. The trail was steep in places, and long and some degree of Celcius that translates as VERY HOT. But it was rugged and beautiful...Rich described it as Maine's Marginal Way with cactus. It also had lots of German tourists wielding walking sticks and hiking aggressively. We found Manarola to be the most beautiful...it was hard to stop taking photographs.


In addition to all the colored houses it was surrounded by vineyards and olive trees and roses. Rich also liked the boat storage - you just pull them up to your doorstep.
We had lunch in Corniglia, along with some gelato, and then hit the trail again. After much sweating and stopping to let the aggressive German hikers pass, we finally arrived back in Vernazza. After a brief respite to post other days travels here on the blog we went down to the sea for a dip, and returned to our room in time for Rich to get a long distance birthday serenade from his Mom. The water was a bit colder here than Capri, but it was nice to soak after our strenuous day. We had dinner in the only town we didn't hike too, which is a bit more upscale. We walked along the sea in the twilight afterwards, before heading back home for an early night (and this post). We considered a beer for the road from this vending machine, but decided to just head home.

Tomorrow, it's more vehicular travel...destination Venice.

Day 9 - San Gimignano and arrival in the Cinque Terre

Back on the road in the Golf. Today we stopped in another hill town, this time San Gimignano. This town is famed for it's many medieval towers - I think 11 in all. There used to be over 60, and they kept the rich owners safe from marauding and feuding villagers. This town was very picturesque, but also pretty touristy, full of trinket shops and tourists. Still, we managed to have a nice simple lunch - a wild boar prochiotto sandwich for Rich, and vegetable bruschetta for Kat, with the local white wine.

Then the final stretch to La Spezia, where we parked the car for free, and hopped the train to our Cinque Terre destination town of Vernazza. The Cinque Terre is a region of five hillside towns on the northern Mediterranean coast (Vernazza is #4 of 5). It's more rustic then the Amalfi coast towns, and though occupied with many American tourists, they are more the backpacker type, and not the cruise ship/tour bus crowd we ran into further south. Our room is 63 steps up from
street level (Kat got lucky and the owner of our Italian rental room carried her bag up all the flights of stairs....Rich wasn't so lucky with his bag!). The harbor is steps away, and we've had a pleasant evening getting to know the town.
This is the birthplace of pesto, and Kat had that for dinner, while Rich experienced some stuffed mussels and fried cod cakes. Food is as regional as was predicted by our pre-trip reading. Once you leave Tuscany, you leave the wild boar behind and enter seafood territory.

The Cinque Terre is a destination for it's coastal hiking, and that is the plan for tomorrow. It was some delicious gelato for dessert (Pesce and Coco for Kat...Peach and Coconut, and Lampone and Ananas for Rich...Strawberry and Pineapple), and
then the writing of this, and now we're planning to rest up for the long hike tomorrow.

Day 8 - Tuscany

Day 8 - Tuscany
Early morning Orvieto market in the piazza, with artichokes and tomatoes piled high. We bought some wild strawberries for the road, and then hopped in the car for the drive to Siena, in Tuscany. We did make a stop along the way in the hilltown of Multipulciano, famed for it's Vino Nobile red wine. Getting to the piazza center of this town is a good steep climb, but we were rewarded with a free wine tasting. And a second, on our way back down the hill. We bought some wine and cheese for happy hours to come, and got back on the road to Siena. We arrived, and unlike our previous hotels, this one is very modern and upscale, but outside the fortress wall of the city, so it was back to public transportation, and a bus into the center of Siena. This is the town the crayon color is named for, and every building is seemingly colored that burnt siena crayola color we are all familiar with. It was later in the afternoon by the time we got here, and with limited time for "tourist" attractions we bought tickets to climb the clock tower in the center of town and explore the civic museum. We climbed the 800 steps to the top of the tower for a commanding view of all of Siena



....and then the rain started. Actually, a full scale thunderstorm. The tower is actually closed to tourists during storms, but of course Italy is chaotic, so it's not like
anyone was following the weather and could warn us not to climb to the top of the tower (and did I mention that it's built with no real foundation, and it's a wonder that it stands at all?) So here we are, at the top of an insecure tower, seeing some lightening striking in the distance.



We made a hasty descent, surrounded by the sounds of the storm. Luckily, we still had an hour left to explore the museum. This place is famous for it's fresco of good versus bad government, with the "good" government in bright light, with happy dancing ladies in the town, and business proceeding in an orderly fashion, and "bad government" represented by a horned moneylender and bloodbath in the streets. After the museum, we still had some time to kill before the rain let up, and we explored a free art exhibit in the covered area surrounding the central clock tower courtyard. This area was also popular with the Siena youth, who were blasting their boombox emo music and playing that game where you slap each others hands, trying to pull your hand away before your opponent can slap it. Some stupid youthful activities are apparently universal. (the true youthful experience in all of Italy, however, is soccer. Give some kids even 3 feet of space, and and impromptu soccer game will commence).

Luckily the rain stopped, and were able to wander Siena undeterred.

 Our dinner was in a place renowned for pasta. The Italian in charge spoke very little English, and based on scant information pretty much ordered the meal for you. Lucky for me, the lack of meat aspect was communicated, and I was served a delicious homemade spinach tortellini. Unluckily for Rich, my vegetarian wishes extended to him too, and he was given no opportunity to order on his own. Still, it was good food, and a true Italian experience that didn't feel put together for tourists. Kat's gelato stop on the way out of town prevented us from catching the last bus, so it was a long walk back to the hotel. But nothing compared to our Amalfi coast wanderings.

If only the diet here wasn't so carb heavy, I'm sure I'd come home 20 pounds lighter from all the walking.

Day 7 - Driving to Orvieto

More travel today - sometimes it feels like all we do is buy public transportation tickets, which in Italy you have to buy at a tobacco shop. We are constantly on the lookout for tobacco shops, which is strange for us dedicated non-smokers! A funicular to the port, a ferry to Sorrento, a bus to the main level of Sorrento...and then finally, freedom in the form of a VW Golf. Today we picked up our rental car - and we appear to have been upgraded from some sort of mini Italian Lanzia to a VW Golf.

Our (large, oversized, American) luggage fit, which was good news. Then we hit the roads. When I asked Rich about his day of driving, he said "Italians are XXXXing crazy"...and I concur. No spaghetti sized inch of road is too small for a scooter to try and pass you, and once you hit the main large highway, the "Autostrada", you run into what we've heard referred to as the Italian straddle...the highway is two lanes, but really the Italians just hover over the middle line waiting for an oppportunity to pass. There are lots of automated speed traps here, but our GPS is really paying off, as it seems to know where these are, and warns us accordingly. Though Rich was rarely over the limit - but the many Porches and Fiats that pass us must surely come home to many a traffic violation fine. A high point of driving is the that the Italians love eating too much to relegate rest stop food to fast food...the "Auto Grills" as they are called have all the typical courses any true Italian would expect. We sat near people eating T-bone steaks with all the appropriate sides. Here is the shared lunch we opted for


- actually quite tasty. It was about 4 hours (with stop) from Sorrento to Orvieto, where we are

stopped for the night. Orvieto's claim to fame is an incredible church that is covered in the most elaborate gothic artwork you can imagine, and houses a holy relic claimed to be a miracle that turned bread into the body of Christ (corpus christi).

The town itself is Medieval, and we've certainly noticed an increase in the lack of English speakers and tourists. It's actually pretty quiet here, which is a nice change from the hubbub on the Amalfi coast.

 The cuisine changed too - from an emphasis on fish and pizza in the Neopolitan south, to a truffle and wild boar-based cuisine here in Umbria. We sampled both (you can guess who ate what....) and were very happy with our meal tonight. (And there was more gelato as well - today we took it as Italians do, earlier in the evening). I think it will be an early tonight - tommorow, we do some driving into Tuscany.

Day 6 - Blue Grotto and Capri

An early ferry to Capri Island, this time to stay for the night. Have I mentioned yet that dragging luggage on cobblestone streets with crazy scooter drivers practically running you over is a bit stressful? Once on Capri, though, it was easier – still cobblestones, but mostly you don’t have to share the narrow alleys with bus drivers, scooters and the 3 wheel delivery trucks that are everywhere here in Italy. Capri is upscale – the funicular from the port dumps you off at Prada and Ferragamo. We made it to our hotel, and met the nicest Italian so far, who gave us a nice orientation of the island, and offered us some nice cold lemon soda – very welcome, as it was pretty hot today.

We’re staying in Capri, but much of the tourist action is in Anacapri– the other town on the island. So another bus, pizza in town, and then a ride up the chair lift (single file) to the top of Mt. Solaro, the highest point in Capri. The view was spectacular (the chairlift? not so much…)

But we didn’t perish, and Rich’s hat survived the journey (unlike, apparently, many other visitors, as the ground beneath the chair lift was littered with lost headgear).We walked to a nice garden for some photos

, and then headed down to the Blue Grotto. We already knew that it was possible to swim into the grotto after hours and avoid the tourist trap prices and lines, but our hotel manager tipped us off that because full season here isn’t yet going, the boat drivers cut out early So we were able to swim into the grotto around 4 pm instead of 6, and the light was great to experience this natural wonder. Once inside the cave, the water is spectacularly blue. And we had to completely to ourselves, at least for awhile. The pictures don’t do it justice, but here’s a shot of Kat floating in the grotto.

Back to Capri town, and we encountered a parade – actually the Festival of Saint Vincent. All of the local nuns, church leaders, and some sort of band paraded through Capri carrying a big silver saint.
Typical of Italy, it was chaotic and disorganized, but very enjoyable (and for Rich, who doesn’t much care for parades, blessedly brief). A nice dinner in a family-owned restaurant with delicious antipasti, and some reconnaissance to discover the best gelato (actually, Rich followed some nuns, and indeed, much to my surprise, they led us straight to a gelato shop). Finally, a fireworks display over the sea. Another lovely day in Italy.

Day 5 - Captain Rich

We were successful in securing a vessel for the day from Renaldo and Maria – they even provided a cooler for a picnic lunch. Captain Rich set off for a tour around Capri. The Mediterranean, at least here, is surprisingly calm, and so very blue. We saw some spectacular scenery, as the coastline of Capri is full of craggy peaks and rocks. We also some spectacular lines to enter the famed “Blue Grotto” of Capri, with tour boats full of tourists lined up for their hour wait for their 5 minute 25 euro experience in the grotto.

 I haven’t mentioned before, but Italy is full of chaos – in the driving, in the hours that restaurants and shops keep, but also in the rules of engagement for waiting in lines. This is a country where being aggressive pays off.

We took a swim in the sea, and discovered that we’re very buoyant here…no need for life jackets (which is good, because another part of the Italian experience is lax regulations concerning personal safety – not sure we had any life preservers on board). After our swim, it was off to the Faraglioni Rocks, also famous in Capri. Rich successfully navigated our boat through the opening in one of the rock formations, giving us a view from up close inside of the rocks.

Back in Sorrento for our final dinner, we found a nice family restaurant, and dined al fresco, serenaded by a trio singing the famous Italian songs by streetlight. All we needed was to share some spaghetti, and it would have been a scene from Lady and the Tramp. Some late night gelato (and yes, it’s every day if you’re keeping track) and it was off to bed.

Day 4 -Pompeii

Rich says I have to tell you that he let me sleep in this morning….til 9 am! Yesterday’s hiking took its toll. Then we caught the local train to Pompeii where we spent the day navigating this incredible archeological site, preserved by the lava from the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD We spent a couple of hours looking at the temples, houses, brothels and bakeries of ancient Pompeii, preserved remarkably well. You can even get a look at their plumbing, with lead imported from Britannia (predating 79 AD of course) leading from the aqueducts to the residences. Here is a picture of the ruts created by the chariots traveling these busy Pompeii streets



After Pompeii, we walked down to the port in Sorrento, where Rich spent some time interviewing boat rental salesmen. Tomorrow we plan to rent a small boat and take a trip around the Island of Capri, and look at the coastline from the water. Now, I intend to head out to dinner (and hopefully gelato #4)

Day 3 - Amalfi Coast

51,911 - that’s the number of steps I took today, according to my pedometer. Just so you know, on average I get about 7000, my high for New York City 2 years ago was around 29,000. So today, I’ve done A LOT of walking. But the scenery does keep you pressing on! Our day began with a bus ride to Amalfi, down the famed Amalfi coast. The cliffs by the sea are spectacular, and it was nice that we didn’t have to do the driving on these crazy narrow roads, especially with crazy Italian scooter drivers. Amalfi is much smaller than Sorrento, but very scenic – seemingly built right into the hills. Rich particularly enjoyed the fountain.


But Kat got him back with Italian Viagra.




We did a little hike above the town to some remnants of the papermills that used to supply paper for the Pope. Then we walked from Amalfi to the next town, Atrani, through narrow corridors built into the cliffs. These small corridors literally had people living on both sides, like an apartment building. Hard to describe, but something I’ll never forget. Atrani was even smaller than Amalfi – a nice lunch in the piazza there, and then some walking by the sea. Then it was back to Amalfi where we picked up a ferry to Positano. This is yet another town perched on the cliffs of the Amalfi coastline, with more upscale shops, and steeper climbs.


From there, a bus from Positano back to home base Sorrento – too full for seats, so we had to stand the whole way, practically surfing the crazy windy road back to Sorrento. More gelato walking back to the hostel – I’m 3 for 3, and hoping the gelato a day habit continues.

More walking around town, and a fine dinner up the hill overlooking the bay.