Ciao, Bella!

This is the final post for our Italian adventure. In reflection, we had a wonderful time in Italy, not perfect, but very good for the most part. It was a break both of us desperately needed, and came at just the right time after a long hard summer.

Our favorite location was Cinque Terre: the towns, particularly Monterosso, were charming, and the views were inspiring. In the unlikely event we ever get back to Italy (too many places in the world to see) Cinque Terre will be at the top of the list of places to revisit.

Kathi can't really pick one particular 'thing' as her favorite, but I think mine was the Colisseum/Ancient Rome. Seeing the ruins, and what was still standing after two millennia, gave me insight into just how advanced and practical the ancient Romans were. She enjoyed that, but San Gimignano appealed to her as well, though we didn't spend long there. The narrow winding streets, the sense of history, and the views really made the little town attractive.

But now we are safe and home, the flights were long and boring, but we made it. And with that, arrivederci, family and friends!

Ah... Venice, aka, the Land of the Lost

We boarded a train early Tuesday morning, leaving Cinque Terre behind, on our way to Venice.  We changed trains in Milano, arriving in Venice around 5pm.   Once again our lodging, Santa Chiara Hotel, (a renovated 500 year old palace), was just a short walk away.  After checking in, we began our first foray into the city, hoping to make our way to the most famous spot, Piazza San Marco, which includes St. Mark’s Basilica.  Armed with a map, our goal was to keep the Grand Canal on our left and make our way walking down narrow streets and crossing quaint little bridges over the many winding canals.   But after several attempts to find our way there, we gave up, as it was getting dark and decided to get dinner instead at a restaurant we had passed by earlier.  Unbelievably, while we were eating, we spotted one of our classmates (from Indianapolis), entering this same restaurant.  She and her daughter had also just arrived in Venice.   After chatting for a while, we found out they had managed to find Piazza San Marco, further explaining that the way was easier if you began your walk on the other side of the Grand Canal.  Good to know!

Armed with this information, Wednesday morning we began again and this time we were able to locate the piazza!  Unfortunately, we found it at the same time as the cruise ships dumped thousands of tourists into the square!!   We left the square, but returned later in the afternoon to begin our previously purchased “walking tour”.  At the end of the tour we had our requisite gondola ride.  I loved it, Jeff, who is not a fan of the water, not so much.:)

After the ride, we began our trek back through the streets to our hotel.  We walked and walked and walked (!) and unfortunately we got lost (again!!) this time ending up in an area that was about as far as you could get from our hotel and still be in Venice.  So we gave up and found a water bus which took us back to a stop near our hotel.

The magic of Cinque Terre

We left Florence in the morning taking a fast train (over 185mph!) arriving in Milano after only an hour and a half. Next we caught a slow train, making lots of stops, enroute to Cinque Terre, arriving in Monterosso around 5pm.  We walked to our b&b which was right along the coast and not too far from the train station.

We checked into our very lovely b&b, and to our delight, were told that we had been upgraded to a deluxe room, (free of charge!) which meant a room on the 2nd floor, facing the sea...BEAUTIFUL !!

Monday morning we left the b&b  to check out all five cities that make up Cinque Terre: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore.  Our plan was to hike from Monterosso to Vernazza, and then maybe hike to the next city. After the first hike over the mountain, we opted to ride the train to the next three cities instead. The trek was fun (but exhausting) and the views were spectacular!!! The towns themselves varied in character from a small port (Vernazza) to a mountaintop village (Corniglia). All were quaint and lovely, though lots of tourists. Of the five, our favorite was Monterosso, a small  beachtown, where we stayed and had both evening meals.

Speaking of, one of our best meals was in the older part of Monterosso at a lovely traviatta. The food was delicious and the service excellent. Afterward we strolled along the beach and sat, watching the waves crashing on the rocks and the beach.

This morning we reluctantly checked out of our beautiful room and b&b, happy to be on our way to Venezia, but sad to leave behind the fantastico Cinque Terre.

Firenze, city of Michelangelo and the turista

Saturday and our last day in Florence.  We've had a chance to wander around a bit each day, but all of today is dedicated to seeing this city.  Florence has the narrow, cobblestone streets, but it also has lots of piazzas (squares) throughout the city.  Pensione Pendini (our hotel) takes up 2 floors of a building that faces the Piazza Della Republica.

We start our day with a visit to the Galleria dell' Accademia (Academy of Fine Arts).  This building is filled with paintings and sculptures, including Michelangelo's David.  Prior to entering the building we are told "no picture taking"! So I was not able to take a picture of the famous statue, but not to worry, because I snapped a picture of the statue in the Piazza della Signora, which is a copy of David.  Which to me looks exactly the same:)

Overall, our impression of Firenze was mixed. On one hand, the architecture, the art, the history was impressive and enjoyable, many photo ops as it were. On the other, it was even more crowded than Roma, which is saying a lot, the streets filled with tourists (though basically happy and congenial tourists) from early morning until late late at night. It was very difficult to find any empty spaces for photos or even just to walk. But it's also the perfect hub for seeing much of central Italy. All in all, a positive experience.

Prancing ponies and sweet vinegar

Another relatively early wake up today, don't these tour companies know we are on vacation? We meet Stefano at 8 am for the nearly two hour drive to  Maranello, home of the prancing horse (Ferrari). But Stefano is typically Italian and loves to talk so we are not bored in the least. There are only four of us today, compared to 44 yesterday to Siena so only a small van with Stefano doing double duty as driver and guide. A very nice Australian couple is with us, Michael and Keira, and we make friends quickly.

First stop, the home of Ferrari, Maranello, and it truly is Ferrari country. We saw innumerable mainly red Ferrari's of many vintages, including prototypes being tested, unpainted and still partly covered in plastic. We arrived at the museum and were suitably impressed by the history of Ferrari and the variety of priceless cars. One funny thing, the security at the museum was even greater than what we've seen at any of the museums of priceless art we visited, absolutely NO touching of the cars, I assume on pain of death, at least from the attitudes of the employees. We were given a chance to test drive a Ferrari afterward, but the price dissuaded both Michael and me.

After Maranello we visited Modena for a lesson on true balsamic vinegar, very impressive and tasty, and we purchased a bottle for anyone who wants to taste the difference between the stuff they feed us in the U.S. and actual balsamic vinegar. Afterward we had a delicious traditional lunch on top of a mountain in the Parma region with my new favorite wine, Lambrusco, then visited a Parmesan cheese producer and saw more cheese than I've ever seen in one place. Then the long ride home, quieter, arriving back in Florence around 6 pm.

The longest day...so far

First thing in the morning, we once again made our way to the train station to meet our tour bus.  Unfortunately, this time we were unable to spot our tour bus as it was a different tour company from the day before.  So we began running (almost) back and forth from one side of the train station to the other, crazy Americans, accosting random Italians for assistance!  (Also I should mention that I already had several blisters on my feet from all the previous days walking, so I was not a happy camper.). We finally found the right person to ask and located our tour guide.  Not an auspicious beginning....but we were happy that we didn't miss the tour.

First stop- San Gimignano, a truly charming, small medieval city with narrow cobblestone streets and lots of small shops.  We were given about an hour an a half to wander the city on our own.  Then back on the bus on the way to lunch and wine tasting at a chianti winery.

After lunch, we headed to the city of Siena, a much larger city than San Gimignano, but with the same charm.  However, it was once again very HOT and the streets were CROWDED with people, motor scooters and cars. We had a walking tour, showing us the significant sights and then were left to wander on our own.  By this time we were dragging, so we were happy to get back on the bus.  However, the tour had one more stop.

We drove to an outpost/castle, now a tiny village of about 50 people, which was on top of a mountain.  I don't remember the name of the village and we only stopped long enough to walk around the village and take a few pictures.

Back on the bus for the drive "home" to Florence, arriving at around 7:30.  A very very long day!!!

A little to the right...no no too much! Mama Mia!

After a very nice breakfast at our hotel, we decided to spend some time in our room setting up the blog on the ipad.  After an hour of much swearing and grumbling ( by the tech guy) we gave up and decided to go out and explore the city before we had to leave for our Pisa trip.

After a quick gelato (always yummy!!) we headed to the train station to find our tour bus.  After a short wait, we boarded the bus and we're on our way.  After about an hour we arrived at the city of Pisa.  Our tour guide cautioned us before we left the bus telling us to stay close to her as we would be easy targets for the pickpockets, disguised as little girls!!  So, of course, every little girl we saw was suspect:). Fortunately we didn't see any little girls who weren't being dragged around by their parents.

We had a quick walking tour of the city, which included a look at "miracle square". This square included a baptistery, church and bell tower, better known as the leaning tower of Pisa.  We were able to go inside the tower and walk the approximately 250 steps to the top.  Once again it was a very hot day in Italy, but inside the tower it was cool.  And the views from the top were awesome.

After about an hour an a half in Pisa, we got back on the bus, returning to Florence at about 7pm.