Italy, the last day

It is 6 a.m. on the east coast. We have arisen, broken our fast, trained to the


airport, tracked down our VAT refund, and are now toasting our return to the states with shrimp cocktail and prosecco (we scored first class for the return flight!!). We are on the flight now as we bring this glorious celebration of our marriage and Lynne's birthday to a close.

Yesterday we arose having several errands in mind after we packed for the high speed train trip to Rome from Venice. A last vaporetto ride to the train station found us staring at 15 steps to enter. We could only guess Italians didn't travel with wheeled suitcases and that there is no Italian ADA.

The train covered over 300 miles in just more than 3 hours including several stops along the way. We tilted on turns and moved at speeds up to 175 miles per hour towards Rome, buzzing through tunnels and across hill and vale. It was very easy travel ... we now understand why many see Europe by train.




Since we were last in Rome two weeks ago, the weather has turned and we encountered 80 degree temperatures. Although we were disappointed to not see more sun during our vacation, we were certainly glad for the moderate spring temperatures; it was great "walking around" weather. After arriving in Rome we dashed to the shoe store for the final footwear purchase (see photo for shoe shopping summary) and after a late lunch, found that we were ready to unwind rather than tour more. We ended our last full day with a stroll through the Borghese gardens and a quiet dinner outside near the hotel.
Ciao one last time from romantic Italy!

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Location:Roma

Italy, day 15

Last full day in Venice, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYNNE! The weather looks like it may give us another good day. We head out after partaking of the same B&B breakfast options in search of Italian shoes, but instead find ourselves


at the fish market, gaping at the day's catch. Some we did not recognize, but the octopus, scallops in the shell, squid, branzione (sea bass), and the


remaining half of a swordfish being sliced into steaks were all unusual sights.


After window shopping for a while, we entered the Ca'Rezzonico museum holding paintings and sculptures mostly from recent history (1700 & 1800's). One floor of the house was decorated with period furniture and marvelous chandeliers, all beneath frescoes ceilings, many of which had been painted elsewhere and brought here.

We found shoes (2 pair for Farley while Lynne's are being held in Rome) and headed to the Grand Canal just down from the Rialto Bridge for lunch, with


sunny skies, large crowds and lots of boat traffic. A drizzle started during lunch but we shrugged it off and vaporetto-ed quickly back to St. Marks to recover our VAT. A brief stop back by the B&B, and it was off to the glass-making island of Murano in the late afternoon rain.

We hurriedly went through the glass museum, with artistic creations from recent decades displayed with glass from the first century. Popping into yet another church, we were amazing by colorful, beautiful floor mosaics. You


just never know what amazing sights you will find at the next stop!


We then stopped at a few stores, settling on some rocks glasses before deciding to head back to Venice to get out of the rain. We remembered our last Murano visit when the cold wind and rain combined with the high tides to cover about half the sidewalks in town with water. Today, the water level was a good 18 inches below our feet.

Dinner at Algiubagio restaurant capped off the evening and the birthday, even though dinner had to be moved indoors due to the weather. But it was a fabulous last dinner in Venice with scallops and ravioli and Italian beef, served with a tasty Venetian white wine.
A birthday ciao to all!

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Location:Venice, Italy

Italy, day 14

Happy Labor Day, Italy! Seems we have hit the high holiday season, first with Rome's April 21 birthday, then Liberation Day across Italy on April 25, and now another national holiday. Our innkeeper warned that most everything would be closed today, but the slow economy and tourism focus seem instead to have kept most businesses open.

After breakfast we headed to a behind-the-scenes tour of the Doge's Palace


off of St. Marks Square. The Doge was the head of state, and while the "public" part of the palace is quite ornate, the worker bees operated in less ornate quarters, and the courts and prison operated out of the same complex. We entered through the secret door, to floors half as tall as the outer rooms, and offices that make cubicles look quite attractive.

The "second doge" was a commoner who was treated regally, as he was actually in charge of all the administrative activity in and around the palace, Venice, and its far flung territories. He and his staffed worked in these common spaces by day, recording the history of each day's events. At night, the building took on a more torturous tone, as prisoners were questioned, sometimes painfully so.

Casanova was imprisoned and escaped from here, and poets such as Lord Byron wrote about the Bridge of Sighs, the enclosed passageway over the canal connecting the main prison with the palace.

The balance of the day was spent touring around the rest of St. Mark's


including the Basilica and Correr Museum, full of paintings and sculptures and a number of rooms recreated to provide a view into life in the 1500's.

We had a lovely dinner outside and then attended a concert -- Vivaldi in Venice, so awesome. A long stroll back to the B&B thru St. Mark's Sq at night makes us appreciate the utter charm of the city but not the souvenir vendors!
Ciao!


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Location:Venice, Italy

Italy, day 13

We loaded up the rental car one last time and headed for Venice. We cut north and drove through Verona (where they have installed a fake balcony for Juliet) before paralleling the Alps as we headed east to our final destination. A quick airport stop to turn in the car (thanks for everything little Lancia!) then we boarded the boat to arrive fittingly in Venice by water.


The Ponte Chiodo B&B in Venice is a great choice, as numerous canals


intersect outside our window providing great views, and valperetto (water busses) stops are nearby. We headed over for some cicheti and an ombre
(small appetizer plates and a short glass of wine) by taking a gondola across


the canal while standing up (called a traghetto). We then set our course for some old houses, museums and, of course, churches. One primary destination, the Frari Church, was having a free concert tonight, so we decided to save the entry fee and head back later for the concert. In the meantime, we strolled the streets under SUNNY SKIES (at least they were briefly sunny) before ending up in St. Marks Square. We started back for the concert after grabbing an Aperol Spritz and a Campari Spritz and a few more cicheti.




The chorale groups from Sweden and Norway were very talented. Some international competition is in town (not Idol) and we benefitted as the concert took place in a massive church near statues by Donatello, chapels decorated by
Bernini, and in front of Titian's The Assumption of Mary behind the altar. Centuries old masterpieces intertwining with current day renditions, such is the way in Italy.
Ciao!


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Location:Venice,Italy

Italy, days 11 & 12

We left Santa Margherita Ligure as the locals were taking advantage of the cloudy rather than rainy morning, launching all shapes and sizes of boats. We headed across the Apennines (Italian Alps) to the flatlands around Parma, a noticeable difference from the beautiful landscapes of Tuscany and Ligure.

A quick stop in Parma included a visit to the Marie Louise museum (second wife of Napoleon) where we saw pictures, portraits, dresses and war memorabilia. Across the street was the real place, or what was left of it after


being bombed in WWII. And of course, there were churches ...

We arrived at Reggio Emilia mid-afternoon and were welcomed by Andrea,


Sanne and their two children in their beautiful 6th floor home. We took a


long stroll around town before stopping for dinner where Lynne finally found


a profiterole.

Today was filled with an extensive food tour, as we visited a parmigiano reggiano maker, a Parma ham proscuittiao, and a balsamic vinegar ager. The reggiano was the most hands on, as we watched the head cheese


maker in this family business pry loose the cheese from the copper cone in which it was formed just this morning after aging overnight (the cream is skimmed the morning before, then more milk added later in the day). They took care draining and inspecting the cheese using large cheesecloths while applying the official sticker, and then the remaining waste, whey and other liquids (used either to make ricotta or is fed to the pigs (after any remaining cream is skimmed off)), are pumped away. Then the cheese is put into a mold to continue draining for the rest of the day. It is then taken to be


"bathed" in a cold sea salt water bath for 30 days, before being transferred to the aging room at least 1 year, sitting on wooden shelves. It transforms from white to golden while it ages as an 80 lb. block of cheese (which started as about 160 gallons of milk). Gold seal cheese has aged 30 months


or more, silver 24 months, and red at least 18, IF it is approved by the consortium. If unapproved, it becomes "outlet store" quality, which reduces its value by about 25%. Parmeggiano can continue to be aged for years/decades, and can only be made by law in the region surrounding Parma, Reggio Emilia, and Modena, despite the use of the name by some very large food conglomerates.

Parma ham, or prosciutto di Parma, is only made in Parma, using only certain pigs who have been fed a diet of cereal and feed mixed with the whey by-product above. The hind leg is salt cured for seven days, scrubbed


and salt cured for another 15 days, and then tied to a wooden shelf to age for at least a year. Any exposed meat is covered with a lard and pepper mixture to assist the curing. During the curing process the leg loses over half its weight as moisture disappears. Each leg is stamped on the farm, tattooed at the slaughterhouse, medallioned at the ham factory, and double branded with a crown when approved by the consortium.

Finally, balsamic, which was not what we expected at all, though we didn't really know what to expect. Vinegar from grapes, the must (coarsely crushed grapes) is slowly boiled for a day and a half, then placed in a used French wine barrel (with a small hole in the top to let in air) and allowed to ferment for two years. It is then placed in a combination of five specially made barrels, each slightly smaller than the last, where the aging continues FOR TWELVE YEARS. During the aging, as evaporation occurs, each barrel is "refilled" to three-quarters full from the next larger barrel ( with the largest


being refilled from the next fermented batch. Now vinegar, if no further aging is desired, it is put into really small barrels made of all different types of wood for another 8 months. It is then tested by the consortium, who take the vinegar and mix and bottle it for you if it is approved. 220 pound of grapes has now turned into just a few liters of vinegar over the twelve year period. Again, the red (12 year), silver (20 year) and gold (25 year) seal process is used.

The balsamic we buy is an abbreviated process and combined with other wine vinegar before being bottled and sold. Tradizionale balsamic 12 year is pretty thick, with a distinct vinegar taste. 20 year is really thick, and very smooth. 25 year almost needs to be coaxed out of the bottle, and has a consistency of hot fudge. It has a surprisingly sweet taste for vinegar. At $40, $60 and $80 per 3.3 ounces, respectively, tradizionale balsamic is not for the faint of pocketbook.

These are growing export businesses for Italy, as 25% of Parma cheese is shipped, and 30% of hams, but only a very small amount of the balsamic. Exports are growing as fast as the consortiums can allow production expansion while maintaining quality, as the Italian market is, not surprisingly, already saturated.
Ciao!

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Location:A stop at Parma and on to Reggio Emilia

Italy, day 10

We stand corrected. We thought we awoke to rain yesterday, but that was just a drizzle. This morning, it is raining! With an ominous forecast for today and tomorrow, we kicked Cinque Terre to the curb, and decided to roll the


dice and drive to Portovenere, another small fishing town at the tip of the peninsula.

It proved a very good decision, as the pounding rain slowed to a shower just before we arrived, and did not pick up until after our departure. The town was beautifully quaint, with narrow walkways between buildings harboring shops of all varieties, luscious gardens adorning resident's small backyards, and brightly colored buildings along the waterfront, many serving food for the day's tourist excursions. Two churches, one right at the edge of the


ocean, and another high above the town, stood out, while the entire area gained protection from a very large fortress at the top of the hill standing sentinel over the port's entrance.

As we headed back for our Saturday night dinner in Italia, we were met with more driving rain for much of the trip to the hotel. There was so much rain that the muddy runoff carved a path into the sea as it poured from the hillsides through Rapallo, a neighboring community. We had a delightful dinner focused away from seafood at Oca Bianca, and then prepared for our departure to Parma.


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Location:Santa Margherita, Portovenere

Italy, day 9

We awoke to a cloudy, rainy morning and a forecast for rain. So what are honeymooners to do? Put on a rain jacket and get on with the day! We hopped on a ferry via Portofino to San Fruttuoso to visit an isolated abbey


otherwise only accessible by foot through the mountains. Known for a Jesus statue under the water at the port's entry, we were captivated by the natural beauty. So were 50 high schoolers on a field trip!

We took the next ferry back to Portofino to visit this upscale resort town.


The vibrant building colors and sweeping hillsides make it easy to see why this is a getaway for the rich and famous. Everything was priced accordingly! We took time to visit the local church as we have often on the trip (every church seems to be beautiful in its own way). We admired the 10 foot


bronze double doors protecting the beautifully carved interior wooden doors, an impressive entry for the splendid duomo.

The rain had stopped and the skies lightened, so we decided to hike back from Portofino to SML, and headed off on a well marked trail (or so we were told). We made it to the next little town after missing only one turn, and then headed away from the sea along the trail. In this case, away was the same as up the mountain. The path had stairs to make the hike easier ... 100 steps, 200 steps, more hundreds of steps, we were pretty tired of climbing when we came to an unmarked cross path, and decided not to take it but instead continue up more steps. After another long climb, we could turn to the left and still more steps, or turn to the right on a wide but unpaved path. The sign listed three locations to the left and one to the right, and none were SML. Knowing the sea was to our right, we took that option. Bad choice! It did get us back to the sea and the main road, but nowhere near SML, after we scaled down the mountain on loose dirt and leaves and rocks, weaving along property fence lines and not so friendly switchbacks on a narrower and narrower trail. Once we reached civilization again, we stuck to the main road for the rest of the hike back to the hotel.

We spent the afternoon catching up on email and watching much activity in the harbor from our balcony. The local fire fighting plane was executing practice dips to the sea to scoop up water, the dumping it once airborne. A lovely 5 masted sailing cruise ship (never seen a sailing cruise ship before) was anchored just offshore. Several VERY large catamarans have been brought here; apparently there is a regatta tomorrow. The local boat club was out again for practice, this time in one and two-person sculls. Lynne thought navigating the


James was tough ... Here they have to dodge ferry boats and the fishing fleet. We later wandered over to the far side of this port town, grabbing a happy hour drink and checked out the boat club storage shed as they packed up after practice, and gaped at some really nice sailing and motor yachts.
Ciao!


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Location:Santa Margherita Ligure

Italy, day 8

Happy Liberation Day in Italia!

A last minute flurry of emails finalized the plans for our Carrara marble quarry tour. Gabriel (our tour guide) picked us up at the B&B and then collected a


couple of Brits, and into the mountain we went. Turns out there are three valleys separating mountains made up solely of marble, and that these mountains have been quarried since 170 BC. There are currently 188 active quarries producing 5 million tons of marble slabs per year, plus another 2.5


million tons of waste. The waste can be found in calcium enriched products, toothpaste, osteoporosis drugs, and many other surprising places.

We bumped and bounced in the land rover as we saw the active quarries and caves (they weren't so active today since it was a national holiday) and learned of hand chiseling and technology improvements (they now use diamond studded wires to cut the marble). We rose to 1,100 meters above


sea level just miles from the Mediterranean coast where 1,200 trucks per day roll out of the quarry with blocks as large as 5 cubic meters. We walked in marble dust mud and saw a team shooting the upcoming H&M catalog. All in all an amazing 3-hour tour of the world's best marble deposit.

We then headed to Santa Margherita Ligure, a small town on the "Italian


Riviera" and just up the coast from Cinque Terra. We will be here for three days, so decided to mainly chill today with wine on our balcony and a


leisurely walk around town with many Italians on a one-day holiday. We did get to see the SML 4-man rowing team work out in front of the hotel which made Lynne very happy.

Ciao!


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Location:Carrara & Portofino

Italy, day 7

After breakfast, we took a quick tour around the farm property, which includes 14 apartments, a pool and roman bath in addition to the restaurant. From the parking area we could see forever, including a view of San Gimignano and the Italian Alps near Lucca. We were sorry to leave this lovely accommodation and scrumptious dinners but we bid Niño and Roberto and Paolo and Cheeto the dog arrivederci and hit the road.

San Gimignano is highlighted as a tourist trap by Rick Steves, but Lynne's


extensive research (seen here comparing notes with a local, while the unibomber plots nearby) provided us with a wonderful self guided tour and several shopping opportunities. Once boasting about 60 towers (down to about a dozen now), the walled hilltop city (aren't they all?) threw fear into the hearts of would be attackers, but could not scare away the plague of 1348, which started a downward spiral that only tourism has relieved. We enjoyed Neapolitan pizza for lunch, but found the Vernaccia wine not to our tastes.





The views of the town from up close and at a distance are still breathtaking.

Back on the road again, we decided to skip Pisa and its one tower tourist attraction, and instead head straight to the marina outside Carrara. There will be a lot more tomorrow, but we were quite surprised to find the city used marble slabs for the port's riprap as well as sidewalks. The cast off


remnants no doubt. We then strolled to dinner for what turned out to be our first language-challenged dinner. A fresh seafood restaurant had been recommended, where English was only spoken via a traveller's dictionary used by the chef to describe tonight's offerings. My frutti di mare salad of clams, shrimp, squid, mussels and cuttlefish was fantastic! And the Chef's surprise addition of fresh anchovies cooked in white wine and lemon juice ... Let's just say it is the only time I have ever enjoyed an anchovy. Lynne was less than impressed ...

Tomorrow, quarrying marble ...

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Location:San Gimignano/Carrara Marina

Italy, day 6

Even a good night's sleep was not enough to ward off a cold for Lynne, but we awoke to a sunny morning with lots of fog beneath us, and a wonderful




breakfast at the B&B. We then headed off to Siena with some rather shaky directions, but we made it work and found our destination.
We toured the very large Duomo contoured in dark green and white marble stripes on the outside, and used our iPad to guide us on a tour of marble floors, colorful frescos, carved choir seats and sculpted pulpits on the inside, all from hundreds of years ago.












We then headed to Il Campo for lunch, looking across a giant courtyard at a bell tower stretching to the sky. They even have horse races in the square each year it is so large! It was a bit crowded for an April Tuesday, hopefully a good sign for the upcoming tourist season. A quick lunch of tagliatelle and stewed wild boar, and we were back to the museum of the Duomo, but not without shopping for shoes along the way.
We toured the museum, which includes a passageway to the top of the wall built as part of the long-since abandoned plans to enlarge the cathedral,




which offers sweeping views for miles around. We then headed to the crypt, which was only discovered beneath the cathedral 15 years ago, with more frescoes and 7th century ruins. We can only guess that they have lost more beauty across Europe than we have created in our short 500 year history in North America.
We arrived back at the B&B to have a glass of wine, a game of cards, and watch the sun set. We dined for a second night at the B&B, where the son of the owner must be an aspiring chef. DEEEEEELISH! Tonight was a vegan muffin topped with Parmesan cream sauce (it's much better than it sounds), pasta bolognese, seared local beef (like a London broil only very tender), and panna cotta with hot dark chocolate sauce. Lynne then hit the hay early trying to beat her cold after being a trooper all day long.
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Location:Traveling north

Italy day 5, Civita/Montepulciano/Siena

It was going to be a travel day, and it started early as we did a run to the airport by train to pick up the rental car. Trains in Europe do not always run on time ... Lesson learned. After battling a bit with the GPS, we headed off for Bagnoregio and Civita. After a quick spin through the Monday farmer's


market in Bagnoregio, we headed across the windy pedestrian bridge to the
island town of Civita. Absolutely charming, with Etruscan caves, blooming


gardens, no vehicular traffic, and the requisite church in the town square. Lunch was in a peaceful courtyard setting and was one of our best.


As we headed on to Montepulciano (Farley had a hankering to go back), it looked like we would get away from the rainy morning that started our day in Rome. Just look at the pretty flowers ... And the HAIL from the


thunderstorm that greeted us at this hill town. We visited the glass artist, hot chocolatery, leather maker and copper shop from our visit three years ago, and found a mosaic artist practicing his trade. Soaked from the rain that would not stop, we headed on to Antico Borgo Poggiarello in Monteriggioni (our overnight accommodations outside Siena), but not without catching a couple of rainbows in the valley as the clouds finally broke.

After many turns and some directional stress and even a dirt road, we found our B&B hiding in the hills, with a great view of sunset. Better than the view


was the dinner, prepared on-site with fresh fried veggies, porcini pasta, and steak rolled with prosciutto and cheese, followed by cantucci (biscotti dipped in van santo) and coffee. Fantastico!

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Location:near Siena, Italy

Rome, day 4

Night 3 finished off with a fabulous meal at That's Amore, a less traditional Italian restaurant but so tasty. Lynne's pizziola steak and my grilled seafood were the best meal so far, followed by a stroll home.

A slower start to Day 4 after conferring with our wonderful hostess, Julia, about the day's events ... Happy Birthday, Roma (that's amor backwards). April 21 is a day full of festivities as Rome celebrates its founding. We bussed to Circus Maximus and watched a parade of legion after legion of


roman soldiers, dancers, consuls and kings. Look out, tourists, they mean to protect the royals in any manner necessary!

Watching the re-enactors pass in front of the Colosseum and Constantine's Arch and the entrance to the Forum (the arch way back in the background)


made history seem more real somehow.

We then wandered through the Jewish Ghetto as a couple emerged from their wedding (we celebrated our 9 month anniversary today so it touched us) before we grabbed pizza for lunch just off Via Florida (Go Gators). A quick trip by the Trevi Fountain in the daytime (way too many people) and adjusting our rental car set us up for our last evening in The Eternal City.

Late in the afternoon we headed back to Circus Maximus and watched reenacted clashes between Barbarians/Christians/slaves/Roman military


men. It was nicely done, we were glad to be here for this special day. Do you want to guess who won each and every confrontation?

We metroed to Piazza del Popolo and climbed to the Pincio Terrace, with


amazing views across much of Rome and the Vatican, and even the large crowd gathered for the concert celebrating Rome's founding. We then walked back to BBQueen via the Spanish Steps, stopping at La Botte on


Sistina for an excellent anniversary dinner.

Tomorrow we hit the road for Bagnoregio/Civita and Montepulciano before finishing our day close to Siena. Ciao to Rome for now, and to you as well!


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Location:BBQueen, Rome, Italy