8 Search Results for ""under the tuscan sun""

• Nap Time in Cortona

  • From: vbmc327
  • Description:

    We visited Cortona in the fall, and on the way out of town, I spied this man taking a nap. Although it's not the best photograph I've ever taken, I love the "catching-the-moment" quality of it. It makes me think of Ferlinghetti's poem with the line "Underwear on a clothesline, a great flag of freedom." Cortona is the town where "Under the Tuscan Sun" takes place.

  • 3 months ago
  • Views: 213

• Under the Tuscan Sun

  • From: mccabefamily
  • Description:

    We stayed a few nights in Castellina in Chianti, Tuscany. The vineyards were beautiful, the wine & food were delicious, and the Tuscan scenery was breathtaking.

  • 5 months ago
  • Views: 221

• Paradise Found in Piemonte Ita

  • From: myrnaarroyo
  • Description:

    When planning our first trip to Italy, it was difficult to decide where to go first.  Of course we had to do Rome, that was a must.  But, having watched "Under the Tuscan Sun" way too many times, I was longing to see some of the small villages of Italy.  When I was researching my trip, I found a small section in my guidebook that discussed Piemonte (or Piedmont) Italy.  The book suggested that this area of Italy was every bit as beautiful as Tuscany, and famous for Barolo wine and chocolate.  I had sampled Barolo wine before, only once, as it is pretty pricey, and that is where the idea for our side trip to Tuscany was born, the search for Barolo.

    We like to travel independently, which was a good thing, because there is not a huge amount of tourist infrastructure in this region of Italy.  However, through some internet searches I was able to locate a nice villa where we could affordably stay in a small village of Azeglio in Piemonte.  It is near Ivrea, and between Turin and Milan. 

    We flew from Rome to Milan on Ryan Air.  (A cheap option for getting around Europe, if not the most comfortable) and picked up a rental car in Milan.  On the drive to our villa we got to sample one of Ialy's Autogrills (a great and quick option for good food and coffee on the road).  Nothing like the roadside fare you get in the US, although they do have Burger King!

    Driving on Italy's autoestradas was interesting.  The roads are wonderful and smooth, and fast, however you have to be prepared for numerous tolls, which luckily all take credit cards. 

    

     

    At Villa d'Azeglio, we were met by our charming hostess Susana who took us up to a luxurious one bedroom apartment on the second floor of the villa.  I was extremely pleased.  She gave us some restaurant recomendations and some directions to local sights and left us to settle in.  After the high price we paid for hostel room in Rome, this was a bargain!

    

    At Villa d'Azeglio, we were met by our charming hostess Susana who took us up to a luxurious one bedroom apartment on the second floor of the villa.  I was extremely pleased.  She gave us some restaurant recomendations and some directions to local sights and left us to settle in.  After the high price we paid for hostel room in Rome, this was a bargain!  We even had a balcony!

     

    Not tha we spent much time in the Villa.  Mainly it was a place to sleep and have coffee in the morning before heading out to explore the countryside.   The first day we opted to drive north towards the Aps, and stop at the town of Aosta.  We used the National Geographic Traveler guide to Piemonte, Italy.  (Note:  It was difficult to find many tour books covering this area, it is really not touristy.  In fact, we were some of the few english speaking tourists in most of these towns.  Which just added to our adventure, since I only speak about 50 words of Italian.)  The drive was lovely, we drove past vineyards and villages and castles.  We stopped a little restaurant on the way for lunch, where they only have two choices on the menu, and had a lovely little lunch.

    (to be continued)

     

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 481
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• Postcard From Tuscany

  • From: blairherzog
  • Description:
    To say we took a lot of pictures of cypress-lined roads in Tuscany would be an understatement. But this is a a famous Tuscany view, on lots of postcards, and it was pretty hard to find. So when we found it, we had to make the most of it. :)
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 1486

• Affordable Bliss: A Tuscan Ho

  • From: caringinthemoment
  • Description:

    A romantic Tuscan honeymoon must be on  everyone's "bucket list," that eternal list of things to do before one dies.  It also seemed the only fitting vacation for a couple of wine-loving, fifty-somethings who love the fun and adventure of travel.  But nothing could prepare us for the incredible warmth of the Italian people, the challenge of driving the Tuscan countryside, the wonderful food and of course, the reason we all come to Tuscany.....Wine!

    In September 2008, Tom and I used 175,000 frequent flyer miles and housing award points to help make such a trip affordable in the light of the unfavorable euro-dollar exchange rate.  After a 26 hour travel day and getting lost along the way (the first of many times!), we arrived in Central Tuscany at the height of the grape harvest.  Because our trip was inspired by the book and movie, we started our honeymoon "Under the Tuscan Sun" with a stay in beautiful Cortona.  Walking the streets of this  walled city brought the story to life.  Centuries old buildings, barns and fields of grapes and olive trees reminded us of the bounty of Italy we enjoy every day at home.

    After a leisurely morning at Il Sodo, our B&B, we traveled two hours to the incredibly romantic walled city of Siena, also in Central Tuscany.  Here we spent two wildly wonderful days, filled full of joyous sensual pleasures including music, great food and wine, and the blessings of a city filled with florid art and architecture.  Click on the video link; we captured

    the music of the street musicians and the hubbub of hundreds of Italians and tourists from all corners of the earth, visiting the Piazza Il Campo.  We also were amazed at the color of the sky: Here, Il Campo, the government seat of the city, shines beautifully at the Blue Time,  that incredible 90 seconds of vibrant sky that comes just before dusk fully settles.  What a moment!

    The first evening in Siena, we were astounded to find two shops sporting Route 66 logos promoting their businesses.  As central Illinoians from Springfield, we ARE the capital city of Route 66!  This became a running joke....and a happy, unexpected reminder of home sure to make us smile.

    Our B&B, Agritourismo Marciano, was within walking distance of the Siena city gates.  It is both a guest house and a working vinyard, overlooking vinyards and groves of ancient olive trees.  We were told by our host and vitner, Christian, that the grapes "are in harvest now," but the olives would have to wait until late October.  Food a Marciano was wonderful and the stay, convenient and well-priced.  Here is a still life from the furnishings in our beautiful and romantic room. 

    Three touristy days were enough for us.  We travelled another 140 km nothwest to the Aupuin Alps region of northern Tuscany, where we had arranged to rent a guest house through an on-line booking agency.  This was the scariest part of our trip; what would the house be like?!  We'd seen photos but....how can one really tell?  But this WAS a honeymoon, and we wanted to cook and hike and rest so we decided to try this for housing for a week.  What an incredible surprise!  Casa Grande 2, a small guest house positioned on the property of a larger villa, was located high above the little town of Corsonaico.  The directions actually included instructions like, "Turn right at the Virgin Mary."  (Which one?!)  When we arrived, we discovered a modern, delightful one-bedroom casa, an incredible mountain view, a fully flourishing herb garden and some unexpected Tuscany bounty.  After this photo was taken, these veggies ended up in a confit to compliment some wonderful steak.  The little house was entirely solar, and our first night there, we experienced one of Tuscany's famous thunderstorms....complete with banging shutters and bright lightning!  It was wonderful.

    Casa Grande 2 is about 15 minutes by car from the beautiful walled city of Lucca.  Lucca is small and flat, with the town centered around what used to be a Roman coliseum; bicycles are popular here.  An unexpected rain sent us scurrying for cover, only to realize we had stumbled, literally, into a state sponsored wine tasting!  For three euros ($4.50) we got to taste 3 ounces each of four local wines, and a souvenir wine glass, perfect for tasting.  When the rain finally subsided, we moved on but not without capturing the post-drizzle beauty of one of Lucca's city streets...and perhaps the best single photo of the entire trip.

    A highlight of the trip was our partial walk of the Cinque Terre.  A national treasure, this path has been used for many centuries to connect five coastal Tuscan towns.  We hope you will come join us on that walk by visiting our Budget Travel page, and feel the Mediterranean breezes, experience the joy of reaching the towns, and in the end, collapsing with us in our little villa.

    

    The final day of the trip, I happened upon a fantastic vinyard and quietly took 100+ photos of the afternoon sun warming the heavy, ripe grapes.  This seemed such a fitting end to a fantastic Tuscan honeymoon.

    All in all, the trip was affordable; the two largest expenses were the rental car (for $800, a Mercedes "green machine" getting 53 miles/gallon, thank heavens, because diesel cost $9 per!) and the villa housing, averaging $150 a night.  We spent $3000 for 12 wonderful days.  Two important travel hints:  BUY COLLISION on the rental car (don't ask) and be sure to rent a GPS system.  Italy's streets change name from block to block, roundabouts are common, and getting lost is often part of the lived experience. 

    So, yes, it can be done on a budget, leaving a lifetime of precious memories.  And guess what?  I didn't gain a pound!

  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 1349

• Southern Tuscany - - For the L

  • From: georgewbrown
  • Description:

     

    So, Ashley is again to blame. She made the inevitable mistake of asking how Italy was. That is not a simple yes/no, good/bad answer. Eleven days is a long time, another continent, a wild adventure and a gorgeous wife deserve their due credit. I actually started this yesterday, didn't finish, and completed it today. I think I am in a better mood, better rested today because I like my writing better. Its long - - I am sorry. Bear with me as it gets better . . . . .

     Italy was amazing, as you would expect it to be. But, this year, I think we got a better feel for it than last year, for the towns, the people, what we like and what we don't. We claim we will not go there next year. Not that we don't like it, in fact the exact opposite, but the world is large and time is limited . . . . we will see.

     We left Thursday, slipping away from work to catch the 5:00 flight out of Atlanta. By slipping away, I mean P dragging me and me cowering so my office would not know how much time I was taking. Not only had all of the Friday flights filled up, but we didn't even get to fly to Italy. Instead, we flew to Zurich, Switzerland. For several reasons, I was okay with this: first, new stamp for my passport - - yes, I am becoming one of those people who "collects" stamps - - - funny. the customs officer waved us through without a stamp. I pouted. P on the other hand just asked if he would stamp out passports (it is the law, isn't it????). Now why didn't I think of that? Second, picking up our rental car in Zurich means we paid in Swiss Francs - - a much better exchange rate than Euros. Third, we flew business class (why isn't this first class anymore?). The flight, ah, the flight, lets see, start with a glass of champagne, then, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to accompany the bowls of warmed nuts (no peanuts in there either - - - just the good stuff - - well except for that brazil nut). Then, a filet with béarnaise sauce, green beans and potatoes. Of course, a Pinot Noir to accompany the filet. Then, an ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce and nuts while watching a movie (I cannot remember which because there were so many to choose from) on our individual television screens. I wonder what those in the back of the plane were watching and eating . . . Oh yeah, did I mention the multiple breakfast options as we fly over France. I selected the Mimosa - - breakfast of champions (to honor the French of course). Boy, I love business class.

    Anyway, Paulette conned our doctor into giving us a prescription for Ambien to try and help us sleep. It’s tough to do on a plane. I say conned, but I think she actually just called his office, said "I think we are supposed to say we are having trouble sleeping or something. But, we really just want to sleep on a plane. Will you prescribe us drugs?" She is kind of straight forward with customs officers and doctors - - - not so much with lawyers. He did. My wife is good, maybe too good (do I give in like that so easily????) So, a little afraid, we each took half a pill. Paulette zonked. I slept, restlessly for maybe 3 hours - - maybe. So, we leave Atlanta at 5:00 p.m., sleep 3 hours, fly 8 1/2 hours and get of the plane in Zurich at 8:30 in the morning. Hmmm, just lost some time in there, didn't we? So, off to the car rental place. We got a little Renault - - kind of cool actually. But, in line to sign the paperwork, I hand over my credit card and Paulette gives them her name as the driver (not good in Chip's brain). I say, "Shouldn’t that be in my name????". She says no. Okay, no. Why not? Oh, you made the reservation. I guess that trumps like, paying for the whole trip, doesn't it? Anyway, off we go (Paulette driving). Next issue, we left our good Michelin maps at home. So we are using Eurocar's map to try and get from Switzerland to Italy, me navigating, Paulette driving (and navigating too - - - if you don't like my navigating, let me drive and I will let you navigate . . . .). ANYWAY, the drive goes well, no mishaps until we get past Milan and decide, largely based upon my snoring and the drool slowly dribbling from the corner of Paulette's mouth, that it is time to stop for lunch, some air and a little walking around to wake up. Hint, when overly tired and hungry, one tends to be irritable . . . only compounded by running over curbs in parking lots (and nearly old Italian men). Did I mention P was driving? That being said, we found a great little lunch spot, struggled mightily with out limited Italian and had a nice lunch. Other than massive traffic around Firenza (Florence - no, it’s not called Florence in Italy), the drive was thereafter uneventful. But, the traffic ran us behind and I sent us down the wrong road (see I should drive and she should navigate). By dark, my cell phone rings and it’s the lady who owns the Agritourism place where we are staying wanting to know where we are (cannot wait to see the cost of answering that phone call). She speaks very little English and lives at their nearby winery. Her mother, who lives at the Agritourism, speaks no English. Paulette, I know you are driving but here, talk to this woman. I cannot understand a word she says. Five minutes later, my keen eye spots the mailbox for which we are looking (chock one up to Mr. Navigator) and we are there. After brief introductions (me Chip, you something I cannot pronounce) we drive 1 minute into town, drool on ourselves a lot, have dinner and crash into deep slumber.

    Saturday, we get up at a descent hour and think we are going to Arezzo for one of the largest antique markets in the area (by we, I mean my wife. I navigate, she directs). Somehow, nonna (grandmother), manages to let Paulette know the market is actually Sunday. Since it is a 2 hour drive to Arezzo, we are thrilled to not go. We end up going into Montalcino where we will be spending 6 days. This is your classic Italian hilltop town with a medieval walled fortress and several bell towers. The streets are all stone and so narrow that one car can barely drive through. Yes, I am in heaven. We find a bar for an espresso, the life-blood of Italians, and wander around town. The fortress is really cool, we get to climb to the top of one of the towers (where of course we meet people and stand talking for like 3 days) and can see for miles in all directions. The hills in southern Tuscany are different than the Piemonte (Piedmont) area we visited last year. This is Brunello region, Brunello di Montalcino being one of the most expensive and best wines in the world. Looking out, you see hills of grape vines and equally, hills plowed under, ready for planting next spring. Whatever they grow was harvested already and tilled under. Imagine fields of dark brown, alternating with fields of grape vines, stretching a far as you can see, appearing to be tilled to at least three feet. If you stepped in, you might sink in this rich soil - - just like quick sand. Good place to hide a body, say of the driver who won't let the navigator drive. But, I digress. The grape vines, though mostly harvested, were beautiful as well, slowly changing from green to gold and amber red, seemingly before our eyes as though to click by the days we were there. One thing about Montalcino, it was great, but its notoriety for Brunello brings with it unwanted consequences. The aforementioned fortress, is now an Enoteca, those notorious wine bars springing up all over Italy (cluttering might be a better description), offering light lunches, wine tasting and an expanse of wine for tourists to purchase, conveniently (annoyingly) boxed in two's and three's for the low, low price of . . . . . Anyway, a fortress turned into an Enoteca, tragic in my opinion. Now if that weren't one of the 501,203 Enotecas in Montalcino (population of about 500 - - so what is that ratio????) the town might have been perfect. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, I would not likely go back. But, I enjoyed it.

    Now, the highlight of Saturday . . . . . the owner of the Agritourism place managed to tell us (okay, Paulette - - - I don't think I ever understood a word she said) about a "festival" in nearby Camigliano, a celebration of the harvest. This would mainly be locals as it is a very small town. So, in the car at 7:00 and off we go (slightly dragging still from jet lag . . . and enough wine already that my 97th espresso of the day cannot overcome). Down the big road, to the right, more pot holes than road (was that a even a road by definition?), finally to a "town", maybe fifteen houses, a few buildings, okay a few more but tiny even by Italian, in the middle of nowhere, please God don't let these be cannibals, standards. Surprisingly, there are many cars so we park and walk, wandering until we come upon tents set out, a dance floor, workers milling around cooking food and many, many wine bottles being opened. But, very, very few people and apparently no one who spoke English. Back to that whole being tired and hungry leads to irritability. Now add that to me - - not being know for enjoying standing around with absolutely no earthly idea how to communicate with these people or what I am doing. I am not sure how long we waited nor how many people Paulette asked "parli ingles?" These people were not highly educated, more the farmers from the community. I stood there saying to myself, trying to smile in that, I want to go eat and to bed, way, that my wife will make this evening the highlight of our trip. I know she will. I was not disappointed. Finally, one old man pointed Paulette to Lisa "angel in blue jeans" Annicchiarico (yeah, try to say that last name). Lisa is from Vancouver though her parents are from Italy. She moved to Montalcino 6 years ago and, more importantly, speaks English better than I do, at least when drooling from the corner of my mouth from fatigue, hunger and boredom. Turns out, you needed tickets and reservations. But, as most non-Americans are (sorry, but it is true), they opened their collective arms and welcomed us in (or snook us in depending on your vantage point). The food that night was made by the people in the town. They had been cooking for two days non-stop. Lisa had a hand in the ragu (by the way, did you know classic ragu has liver????? YUCK!!!!!!!!! But tastes darn good!).  We had tagliatelle with ragu, grilled chicken and (drum roll please) Tuscan white beans with garlic, sage and olive oil (maybe my new favorite food - - in fact P made some last night). The food was amazingly cheap (even as the Euro exchanged at $1.39 - - - better than the $1.54 when we decided on Italy- - worse than the $1.34 today) and even more amazingly good. Oh, that wine being opened, yeah, we made a dent. After eating, there was a disco (dance, not Bee Gees and other cheesy '70s music). But, Italians don't eat till late and start to dance even later. So, how to pass the time, okay, another bottle of wine, a couple of glasses of muscato (dessert wine as sweet as honey) and, because I was freezing (yeah, October evening in Italy are very cool - guess I didn't need that swimsuit after all dear) P went to some dude in German military clothes (more on him later) to order two grappa. What is grappa? Imagine grain alcohol made from grape skins, leaves and stems - - heck the neighborhood cat might be crushed in there. Anyway, one sip, searching the ground for my left eye which popped out from the intensity, and three guys start clearing everyone out of the disco. Apparently, you had to have a 5 Euro ticket to get in which they politely accepted from us and left us as the only people there. Guess it was easier to leave us than try to communicate we had to leave, only to turn around and walk right back in. Soon, multitudes crowded in. Where they came from, I have no idea. But, imagine a couple of hundred white people dancing to '80s American music - - - and me being one of the better dancers! (Yeah, ouch!!!!!!!) But, by about 1:30 am, both my eyes had fallen out, P had finished my grappa and chugged hers, so, we climbed in the car to drive back to Montalcino. By the way, when driving "under those circumstances" it is wise not to let the person who chugged grappa drive. Even better the "chugger" should refrain from having her bright lights one (highly illegal) when passing THREE carabinieri - - that's like state troopers or at least cops with really, really big guns. I will not mention who was driving. But we made it home . . . I think. I do know that I woke up in bed the next morning. In the long run, P pulled it off, dragging me to the middle of nowhere, tired, irritable and against my desire, and making it the best night of our trip. But, don't quit reading just because this was the highlight. We still have David's wiener to tantalize you . . .

    Speaking of beds, in case you haven't been to Italy, or Europe for that matter, they could use a few Serta mattresses. I think my desk would be more comfortable to sleep on and my computer might make a better pillow. These guys would think of a '70s sofa bed as luxurious. Seriously, I think by the time we left Montalcino, I needed back surgery or at least a chiropractor.

    Sunday, bright and early - - okay, not so early, we left for Arrezo. Leave it to the stupid navigator (I won't tell you who was navigating but it wasn't the same person driving the night before), but, we almost ended up in Prague. To my, I mean the navigator's defense, Italian maps don't bother show things like roads or names for the few roads they do show. Roads sometimes have numbers. But, if the maps don't show the numbers, what good are they? (Quit snickering dear - - we didn't get lost too many times). So, you end up stumbling from one town to the next navigating towards the next town between you and your destination - - leading to a lot of zigzagging. (Kids, Big Ben, Parliament - - - please tell me your remember National Lampoon's European Vacation - - we sure did). In the hill country, this is compounded by roads going back and forth to climb mountains and my constant screaming of "STOP - - - I want to take a photo!" Anyway, we finally arrive in Arezzo. The antique dealers are spread throughout the city - a rather large city at that, centered on the main piazza. P finds several old glass wine stoppers that are really cool. Meanwhile, I focus on several old wine bottles to complement my purchase from last year in France. I try to haggle (difficult when venders say numbers so quickly that you have to have them write them down) on one of three large bottles. Not wanting a repeat of last year's bottle between my legs for the 10 hour flight home, I decide to continue looking rather than plop down 35 Euro (why doesn't this keyboard have a "Euro" key?????). Up the hill, we find three slightly smaller, magnum sized green bottles, one with an old ceramic stopper. P asks the price (I still cannot remember how to ask in Italian. Spanish yes, Italian, well, that is one of the reasons I took her along). 10 euros. 10? Yes, 10. Could you write that down? Him waiving a 10 Euro note - - somewhat annoyed or annoyingly. Really, 10???? So much for bartering . . . . its mine!!!! (and home intact I might add). Wait a minute, when did that parking meter expire??? Oh yeah, we do need to look at EVERY single piece of jewelry between here and there. So, we get to the car with no ticket (despite the jewelry) and start homeward only to find a festival in a town we passed through on the way. I am not sure how, but since we passed through earlier in the day, thousands have arrived, a ferris wheel is erected and I think a small roller coaster was installed. Parking is car to car for miles. So, what do we do? Make a space and head toward the festival!

     

    Now, by festival, I really mean market combined with amusement park. These were the highlight of our trip to France last year. I am not sure why, but, this was not a highlight. Imagine a very, very bad flea market in the darkest hills of Georgia - - - they sell the same crap, down to the bootleg CDs and DVDs. But, the Italians supplement it with underwear, lingerie and so many people, you cannot walk through the booths without first being intimate with everyone around you. My height, abnormal by Italian standards, serves me well. One fun thing they have is what I like to call the "meat trucks". Trucks designed with one entire side that opens, lined with cold cases and have meats of all descriptions - - like a traveling butcher. I remember these in France, but Italian meat trucks have porchetta, basically an entire pig stuffed with herbs, spices and pig parts (yeah, don't ask but I don't think the pig had a tongue any more), cooked and thinly sliced for sandwiches. Italians seems to think this is the best thing since salami and eat them like crazy despite the well place pig head right next to their sandwich. P almost gagged, seriously. (We the pigs eyes still there or included in the stuffing and I won't even go there with it's innards) So, we skipped the porchetta and got a salami then bailed out due to the massive crowd. Luckily, upon our return to town, we managed the last table in a restaurant we tried to get in Friday night (sorry dude, we were first). Dinner was amazing: a liter of house red and three courses of heaven on a plate. For the life of me, I cannot remember what we ate (honey, notebook next trip please). But, it was incredible. Then to bed. By the way, if Italy is so romantic, why don't we . . . . never mind, I remember, jet lag.

    Monday, still in Montalcino. But, today we are off to Cortona. University of Georgia has a study abroad program in Cortona complete with its own campus. This actually turned me off a bit despite my reading "Under the Tuscan Sun" (completely different from the movie by the way - - - READ THE BOOK!), centered in Cortona. But, P's mom highly recommended it. So, off we go. Again, I suggest, a detour to Montapulciano (one of my favorite wines) or that we stop in any of the 30 assorted hill top towns we pass through on the drive. But, my wife, believing in her mom and being much wiser that I, drives onward (no, I have not touched the driver's seat yet). Luckily, we had a couple of friends who spent the summer in Cortona. Their suggestions? Gelato at Coccoa, the one and only one, gelateria (we were forbidden from eating Gelato anywhere else in Italy - - strong endorsement), lunch at one of two restaurants (we skipped the four hour, 150 Euro, 15 course meal) and a 30 minute walking tour. First lunch. Above the main piazza, Il Loggiata, used to be the fish market but now is a restaurant. It overlooks the piazza and 14th century main hall and was ideal for lunch. As I later found out reading my book, Frances Mayes ate there often. Its fun reading a book about where you have been - - - I guess why Jenean so strongly recommended the town and the book. Before shopping, we decided to take the walking tour, out of town, through a gorgeous tree lined park looking out across the valley far below us to a lake disappearing amongst the hills (yeah, it was a pretty walk, level too), around the tennis courts (clay Mom) and up the "hill" past Bramsole, Mayes' now infamous house and up to a church on top of the hill. Funny, we knew we were to pass Bramsole. But, which house? It’s not like they posted a billboard saying, here is the house Mayes wrote about. I was trying to remember the description from the book. The, round a turn - - - there she was. No doubt about it. Oh yeah, on the way, a small bar was recommended to us. Being that we were exercising and all, we stopped for a biere (beer). Eleven or so old men were gathered around a table on the patio, four playing cards, 7 telling them how to do it. (Why not a second deck of cards and game? I guess its more fun to watch and complain) And, a dog - little dog, guarding the entry. Literally, remember the dog from Men in Black (come on, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith - you remember)? It stood in front of the door with this incredulous look. P tried to reason with it. As good as her Italian was becoming, it didn't work. I stepped over (there is beer in there you know) and she joined me. We sat, watching the men, them watching us, scratching little Mr. Incredulous' backside.

    Now, remember that 30 minute walk? I have never been accused of walking slowly, but that walk took a good two hours, bare minimum. We took one shortcut as the road switched back and forth . . . leading to little more that scrapes and a nice walk down a gravel road to get back to the road we had just left - - - maybe P should not navigate after all . . . .  P ended up with at least 22 Band-Aids on her feet later that night (artistic right to exaggerate noted). But, the "church" at the top of the hill was amazing. First, we were there completely alone (except the monk P was convinced was crouched in hiding, watching us, ready to leap at my slightest move towards my camera). Filled with magnificent frescoes and 10 - 12 paintings from the 1400's, this place was beyond description . . . . at least until we got to the alter, a convenient resting place for a 600 year old saint who used to wander the streets of Cortona beating herself and refusing to eat so she could feel Christ's suffering (no comment Paulette!) Now, when I say, "resting place", I mean, she is there - literally, in glass, right in front of you, kind of like a porchetta but not being made into a sandwich (am I going to Hell for that one????). Catholics are freaky, so say the least but a 600 year old dead body in a glass box??? Come on now! So, back to Cortona. The path back down to the city was constructed entirely of rock and so steep, I thought I might trip and end up about 1,500 meters down. The amazing thing is the old people we passed on their way up. It struck me, these Italians, as religious as they are, climb that hill for every church service. You will have to see the pictures hopefully to understand. No wonder they are in such good shape. So several hours into our 30 minute walk, we arrive back in the main piazza. The good news, drum roll please, my wife is too tired to shop!!!!! So gelato at Coccoa, lemon for me, white mint for Paulette (okay, hers was better so I ate a lot of it). Back to the car and release the hounds - - - our aching feet! (What is that smell?) An aside here. As we walked, seeing each house, looking for Mayes' house Bramsole, I tried to remember the description from the book. We later learned she had sold the house due to the notoriety achieved by the book. But, when we came around a turn, I had no trouble emphatically stating that was Bramsole. It leapt from the book at me and only continues to do so as I continued reading the next few days. I hope the movie (thanks Martha) does some justice to Cortona and the house. If I were to live in Italy, it might have to be Cortona - - a magical and amazing city. That night, we met Lisa for dinner. She took us to her favorite local place. Restaurants charge a coperto or cover charge in Italy - - basically for bread and the right to buy their food. We learned that night that really, the coperto doesn't apply to locals or their guests. Dinner again, was amazing.

     

    Tuesday came and we met Lisa again, this time to see the abbey of Sant'Antimo and hear the monks' Gregorian chants. This abbey is a highlight of the area, first built around 1000 when Charlemagne was traveling and his men became sick. He promised God he would build a church if they got better. They did. Presto, thousand year old church. But, the best is the chanting. This is one of the only, if not the only, churches in Italy where monks chant daily. It was pretty cool and the architecture of the church was inspiring. After the monks, interestingly - one looked out of place, wearing what in my brain was a white sweat suit while the others wore traditional robes, a choral tourist group gathered in the front and sang. Ends up, men can go and stay there while on spiritual journeys - - - hmmm, not to fond of Catholic priests these days, think I will just visit. For lunch, we broke down and went to an Enoteca. To out delight, the food was amazing. We struggled through ordering in Italian. Then, after lunch, I decided to try a flight of 5 Brunellos. The server quickly broke into perfect English to tell us all about the wines . . . . making us practice our Italian I see. Later that day, Lisa took us on another adventure as we drove back towards Camigliano. Turns out, it wasn't exactly a dead end road. There is a several mile long gravel dead end road off of it, leading to a wonderful vineyard owned and run by none other than the guy in a German uniform who gave P the grappa Saturday night . . . small world. Of course, he speaks no English but makes pretty darn good wine. Lisa translated for me (P by this time is fluent in Italian). We bought a few bottles of both Brunello and Rosso di Montelcino and avoided the grappa. We did take a wrong turn on the way, going down another road that ended at an amazing old abandoned farm house on top of a hill, looking out for miles across valleys and other hills. I think P made an offer on that (great, another house). That night, we had Lisa over to "our" place for dinner.

    Until part 2 . . . .

     

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• Tuscan Pizza and Chianti (and

  • From: LTBergren
  • Description:

    Continued from Tuscan Pizza, PART 1...

    Chianti near Chianti...

    Even though it was still raining the following day, Velma--what we dubbed our GPS’s voice--helped us reach the Chianti region, an hour away, and we toured the medieval Castello di Meleto--somewhat decrepit and in need of repair in areas, but a good glimpse at what these hilltop castles look like on the inside--and had a lovely wine tasting while chatting with tourists from So. California and Germany, as well as a U.S. military couple living in Naples. We purchased several bottles and then enjoyed the castle’s pretty gardens, the most romantic part of this location, (http://www.castellomeleto.it/tuscany-castle-siena-farmhouse-chianti.asp), before returning to our side of Tuscany for more grocery shopping and meal preparation—this time a fantastic chicken pasta in red pepper cream sauce—and wine before a crackling fire.

     

    Firenze...

    The next day we arose early and hopped a 7am commuter train in Montevarchi to Florence (a lovely way to enter and exit another big city that is difficult to navigate), and spent the entire day there. We saw Michelangelo’s David in the Academia (highly recommend you purchase tickets for the Academia and Uffizi like this—ticket lines can be murder, especially during high season, and you can circumvent some trauma by going to web site http://www.tickitaly.com/ ), and moved on to climb the winding Duomo (church) stairs for the most magnificent views in Firenze. While we found the churches of Rome and Venice (and elsewhere in Tuscany) more interesting and beautiful on the inside, this is an iconic church with the largest of dome ever built at the time (completed in 1436), and still the largest masonry dome. To be able to get close to her frescoes inside the dome was intriguing—you catch a glimpse of how the artists achieved scale—and then to climb to the top through tight stairways that resemble secret passageways (great for kids!), between the two layers of the dome, was a unique experience. For lunch we ate bad tourist pizza that did not remotely compare to our homemade version at the Odina, and moved on to the Uffizi for a brief Lay-Your-Eyeballs-On-Famous-Paintings tour, then walked Firenze’s streets.

    
    One of Three Memorable Meals We Didn't Cook Ourselves...

    Weary from our day of touring, we moved north to the famous Il Latini trattoria, which I had seen on Rachael Ray’s show and was convinced we had to try (6r Via del Palchetti; Tues-Sun 7:30-10:30, reservations possible by calling +39 55 210 0916, but be prepared to still be patient and wait—they’ll bring you a glass of wine after 7:45). We arrived at 7pm and waited outside with the crowds for it to open, like people at a zoo watching the staff eat family style underneath a hundred prosciutto ham hocks hanging from the ceiling, and probably making fun of the hungry tourists salivating outside. Everyone jockeys to get inside and then are seated family-style—we happily landed at a table for four, but reportedly, part of the fun is joining locals and other tourists at larger tables. Our waiter arrived, pointed to the house Chianti sitting in the center and poured our first glasses, then pointed to the hams, asking if we wanted antipasto. The waiters here are notorious for avoiding menus—the first time we went, we just looked at him, said in sign language and lame Ital-glish phrases that essentially boiled down to “bring us what you think is best, but make sure we get a couple of those steaks,” and then were treated to one of the finest meals of our whole trip—antipasto, house wine, foccacia, house wine, white bean soup, house wine, massive 3” thick bistecca alla fiorentina (split one or two!), house wine, and then cantucci con vin santo—dessert and dessert wine the waiter forced on us (okay, he just gestured toward a tray of golden liquids in dainty glasses and we, unable to stop grinning, just nodded). The maitre d’ came by, measured our bottle of house wine to see how much we had drunk, nodded with admiration, and scribbled out our bill . Once outside, we were glad to be stumbling back to a train vs. a car. We were fairly sober—just still miserably full-- by the time we hit our train stop and made the serpentine climb up the hills to our home away from home. Several antacids later we were blissfully back to sleep in our fine Odina beds. NOTE: We returned here for my 40^th birthday a year later, (yeah, it was THAT good and memorable) and got even more food—next time, I’d just stick to antipasto, white bean soup, bistecca and dessert, despite how your waiter might push—the massive platter of roasted meats is just plain over the top, the house pasta is so-so, and those two additions really jacks up the bill. Trust me, you’ll get enough food! Check out the "bistecca" photo above with my husband's hand--that's just TWO steaks!

     

    Sienese Pasta...

    We slept in a bit the next day, then ventured farther afield, and made the 1.5 mile trip to Siena. It’s a not-to-be-missed medieval city, once a major competitor to Florence in terms of military might. “The Nine” (a governing body of nine elected officials from the most important families) once ruled here—you can see many of their old palazzos, right on Il Campo—a magnificent, shell-shaped piazza—with nine rays that were bricked in c.1430; but there are also vibrant family neighborhoods and lots of soccer going on. We hiked up the campanile for another birds’ eye view a la Firenze--this time of fantastic rolling green Tuscan hills, the old walls of the city and the tight quarters within. In the distance, you could see the zebra stripes of the fabulous city Duomo. We climbed down, toured the old Pubblico museum, gobbled dfown some fabulous pasta around the corner in a small trattoria, then moved on to spend a good amount of time in the ancient church. Most of the inlaid marble floors were uncovered (sometimes, they’re covered for protection) and there are ancient choir books viewable under glass in a side music room. Be sure to spend time checking out the carved pulpit, which took several sculptors years…

     

    A Sword in the Stone...

    Just outside Siena (by about an hour—pretty drive) is San Galgano, which features the roofless ruins of a 14^th century Cistercian abbey and they say has a buried sword in a stone (that part of it was closed when we were there, but check it out on YouTube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gioJ2scFDM ). The legend (which might have served as inspiration for Arthurian legend) is that St. Galgano, a crusader knight, came home from afar and promised to serve his God, and never to fight again—and then immediately sank his sword in the stone as a promise. It was San Galgano that supplied Siena with her clergy, and there was a large scriptorium here, where they laboriously created treasured copies of the Bible by hand. Even though we couldn’t see the sword in the stone (one of the hazards of traveling off-season), wandering the ghostly, quiet ruins and envisioning this elegant beauty in her heyday made San Galgano a worthwhile stop...and hungry for dinner at the Odina.
    

     

    Tuscan Castle Ruins Hike...

    The last day, we awakened to a bright, crisp morning, with sun streaming through our windows. Following the advice of our innkeeper, and the few-and-far-between small arrows nailed to trees, we hiked to the castle ruins above us, along narrow and winding forest trails that boar hunting truffles might favor, past small homes, circumventing olive groves…until it opened up and we could see the wide, verdant expanse of the valley below us, the rolling and heavily forested Chianti hills on the far side. You could almost see all the way to Siena. We could envision this castle lord surveying the acres below, watching the fog roll in and sock in the valley floor, then dissipate and perhaps reveal a troop of soldiers on horseback. Now there is little but rotting timbers and a few stone walls left, but it’s a trip back in time to visit—as well as a lovely view.

    We packed up our things and regretfully departed the Odina and Toscana. Only the leftover pizza for our lunch en route to Venice made us feel better about leaving!

     

    **CAR RENTALTIPS:

    • Renting a car out of Rome? Get a cab to the airport and rent from there—trust me, it’s MUCH less stressful than dealing with Rome’s confusing and congested roads!
    • People honk at you on the freeway if you’re going too slow, even if you’re in the slow lane. Ignore them. There are several speed-trap cameras between Rome and Tuscany, and arriving home to a ticket will be a bummer.
    • You can rent a car with GPS, but you might want to bring your own from home, already loaded with the Italian software and your principal locations. You’ll know how to use it from the get-go, and you’re certain to avoid time-consuming detours, which might save some trauma (although getting lost can be part of the fun—depends on your personalities). Just stow it away or carry it with you so it doesn’t get swiped. (Also stow away maps and other tourist paraphernalia that make your rental more of a target to thieves.)
    • If you’re driving like we were, only between Rome and Venice, know that dropping your rental car in Piazzale Roma (Venice) can be confusing; don’t park in the parking garage; park outside on the congested street, where it feels totally wrong, until you hear from the rental car guy where he wants the vehicle.
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• Our Honeymoon in Italy - June

  • From: ktmae55
  • Description:

    We went to Italy on our Honeymoon. We were married in Detroit so we first flew to Chicago and then on to Pisa, via Madrid. Over the years I have developed a pretty intense fear or flying so I took two xanax, a sleeping pill and, upon waking mid-way through the flight, had a few small sips of wine. We arrive in Pisa around 10 the next morning and waited about an hour for the train to Manarola.

    We shared a pizza and a pint of beer – our first official meal on the honeymoon! Then we boarded the train to Manarola. After about an hour, the terrain began getting hillier. We went through a very long tunnel and suddenly came out to a beautiful view – a near sheer drop off of a cliff down to the sparkling blue Ligurian Sea. We got off the train in Manarola and followed the directions up, up, up to the near top of the seaside cliff and found our cute little hotel – Arpaui. It was actually more of an apartment – just a place with 4 separate rooms and a terrace that faced the sea. No front desk or room service and the woman who let us in didn't live there and spoke hardly any English. But we managed to communicate with gestures, paid her the 200 euros for 3 nights, and then settled in.

    Our view was amazing – a picture perfect scene. Once we looked down out of our window and saw the clear blue sea and people jumping into it off the rocks we got a second wind, threw on our suits and ran down to the water. We found a small lagoon area off to the side of town where the water was calm and clear. Dan jumped in first, while I stood there afraid. Finally the voice in my head said "you are on your honeymoon, now jump!". I did. The water was cold but it was so refreshing after the long travel. We drew a crowd splashing around and eventually were joined by some boys from Chicago who had been traveling around for the last 3 months. We took turns jumping off the rocks while enjoying the beautiful scenery around us.

    After we washed up we headed into town for dinner. We ate at a little bistro where the waitress spoke English and we were served complimentary pesto crostini to start. Cinque Terre is famous for its pesto, which is said to have originated here along with foccaccia. I bought a jar to bring home (and now wish I would have bought 10!) I had the pesto gnocchi and Dan had the swordfish pasta, both of which were delicious. We finished up with some gelato and then retreated to our beautiful deck to watch the sunset and talk to some Australians who were in the room next to us. We woke up at 4am and peeked outside our window which looked out into the sea, and saw the lights of the other towns. It looked so magical and almost surreal. I just kept saying that I couldn’t believe we were actually there.

    

    After sleeping a bit more, we went into town for breakfast of café (espresso) and nutella pastry and then set out to do the hike. There are 5 towns, 3 to the north of ours and one to the south. We hiked north to the first town of Corniglia - easy until we hit the stairs. Corniglia is up off the sea so it was about 400 stairs up to the town. I thought I was dying. Then we did the very difficult hike on to Vernazza which took us about 2 hours. There were all these “super hikers” on the trail with hiking sticks – I hated them.

    Halfway between the two towns there was a bar so we stopped for a beer (and I wondered how that guy gets to work each day!) and then had some yummy lunch of pesto foccaccia in the town of Vernazza. We were really tired so we took the train to the next and north-most town of Monterosso. Monterosso is the beach resort town – they have more expensive hotels and they are the only town with a beach. While we were there it started to rain so we took the train back to our town. The other towns were nice, but we loved Manarola and are so glad we stayed there.

    When we got back to Manarola the clouds had lifted and the sun was shining again. Exhausted after the hike we swam for a bit, then washed up and then went to dinner. This time our waiter spoke no English, but somehow we managed to order wine and mussels (a first for me but again I wanted to try something new and I was so glad I did). Then we struck up a conversation with 2 Italian women who spoke English. They helped me order the sea bass with the head and skin removed. Dan ordered lasagna. My fish came, but it still had the head and skin on and unfortunately our friends had already left. I was grossed out but Dan removed it and it was so good - worth the trouble of cleaning it ourselves. Dan's lasagna was also the best lasagna we've ever had - the sauce was so light and the pasta layers were so thin. For dessert we had the best tiramisu either of us have had. That meal still lingers in my memory for being so amazing.

    After dinner we headed across the street to the bar. On our way in we met two women from Chicago. They had struck up a conversation with 2 Italians, one of which was the owner of the bar. He pulled out his guitar and played while one of the women sang and soon it turned into a full blown sing-a-long with us, the Italian men, the 2 Chicago women, 3 girls from Ireland, a local couple from Manarola, the bartender, and later our waiter from dinner all singing along to U2, Beatles, Billy Joel, and other American classics.

    

    They also treated us to a traditional Manarola song that was just beautiful. The bar was supposed to close at 10, but the owner closed the doors and let us stay until about 11:30. On they way out we were told to be very quiet. They said if you are too loud in the streets late at night, the locals will pour water on your head out their windows. Dan and I walked (quietly) down to our hidden lagoon and then decided to take a midnight swim.

    The next morning we were a bit hung over so we just wandered around Manarola, took the walk to the one south town of Riomaggiore (a very short, easy flat walk). While we were on the walk we saw a tour group and heard this rather large German woman say indignantly "I did not pay all this money to walk around looking at rocks!!!" which became a running joke of the trip . Then we took the train back north to Monterosso and the boat back to Manarola to get a view of the towns from the water. Upon arrival we learned there is no dock in Manarola – the boat pulls up to the rocks and a ladder is extended with wheels on the end of it. Whenever a wave hit the ladder bobbed up and down on its wheels on the rocks. It was slightly scary exciting the boat! For dinner we hit the local market for some buffalo mozzarella, pesto bianco and a few more slices of the local foccaccia (it was addicting). We ate it up on our veranda, watched the sunset, and then went to bed early.

    The next day we said good bye to Manarola. I was so sad to leave. I could have spent the whole honeymoon there. I love it's laid back vibe, friendly fun people, great food, and wonderful views. Dan and I really want to go back there and stay for at least a week!

    We took an early morning train from Manarola and got into Florence around 11am. We stored our bags at the train station and wandered around Florence. We stayed near the train station and saw most of the tourist sights. We also wandered a market and fell in love with this amazing piece of leather luggage. After a light pizza lunch we took the bus 20 minutes into the countryside to our B &B – La Limonaia. Apparently, if you call ahead Guilio will come get you from the bus stop, but we walked. It is not a far walk at all, but it was difficult with luggage and I was starting to get worried that this B &B was a bad idea. We were out of breath when we arrived, but once we saw the place we knew we had made the right choice – it was so cute and had a great view of the Tuscan countryside.

    Christina, one of the owners, showed us around the place. It was very charming and what you would expect of a traditional Tuscan villa. It was very old - apparently Galileo had lived there briefly! She told us her friend Cristian was coming around 7 to talk to us about wine and we would have our aperitif at that time. We booked the 4 day honeymoon package so it was included in our stay. We assumed aperitif meant a glass of wine and maybe some cheese. We were so wrong! Around 7 we entered the wine bar and met Guilio and Cristian, who is a sommelier and a cellar master for Fattoria le Sorgenti vineyards, where we would do the wine tour on our trip . Also, he was really cute! I felt bad thinking that on my honeymoon, but there was no denying Cristian was one hot Italian! We were given a printed listing of our itinerary for the next 3 days. We enjoyed some mini sandwiches and some grissini (breadsticks) with proscuitto and talked to Cristian about the wine. All was delicious and we assumed that was it for the night. Wrong again. After Cristian left, we moved to a table for more wine and several courses - a Tuscan cold quiche (pretty good), some marinated veggies and artichokes, tuna stuffed peppers with sun dried tomatoes (not for me), and my favorite, some goat cheese topped with the most amazing herbs and some of Guilio's olive oil (soooo yummy). Then we had some Vin Santo (sweet dessert wine) with chocolate chip cake and then some port wine from Sardinia. After that we certainly didn't need to go out to eat as we had planned, so we went for a short walk around the countryside.

    The next morning we woke up to a huge breakfast spread of cakes, fruits, cheese, meat, breads, muffins, coffee and juice. We had a bit of time to relax afterwards and get ready for our cooking class with Donatella. Donatella (Christina called her “Mama”) spoke no English so Christina had to translate. We learned how to make the pasta dough and roll it out. It was so fun. I had a hard time mixing but was really good at rolling it out, and Dan was the opposite. So I guess we make a good team – he mixes I roll. Then we made ricotta and spinach ravioli and some tagliatelle. We also made the sauce for each - tomato for the tagliatelle and butter and sage for the ravioli. We sat down and were served an aperitif and wine, then each pasta course, then more Vin Santo and some biscotti for dipping. All was very delicious and I can't believe how simple it was.

    Then we changed and got ready for our spice tour with Pierre. We were picked up and driven to his farm and walked around learning about the herbs that he grows. It was interesting but I have never really been into cooking with herbs and spices so I zoned out a bit at times. Dan loved it, but city girl that I am; I wasn't as enthused about the many flies and birds flying around me. I tried to not act like I was miserable and afterwards Dan said "sorry you had to deal with that" and I said I was trying not to let him notice and he said "I just know you. Bugs and dirt aren't really your thing". But after the tour, we sat down to sample the many herbs and herb/salt blends with some wine and cheese. This part was definately “my thing”! Wow, they were so good so we bought 5 jars of various blends for only 19 Euro. I had been converted and now I can't wait to cook with all the herbs and spices!

    That night, we were on our own for dinner so Guilio drove us into his small town to a beautiful restaurant that had a terrace overlooking the countryside. We had crostini, salad, wine, potatoes, steak and ravioli for only 50 euros. We shared a cab home with the other couple who was staying there who was also on their honeymoon and also from Chicago!

    The next morning we were up early for another great breakfast, this time with an omelet of cheese and those delicious herbs as well and then off to the wine tour. Guilio drove us, the other couple, 3 girls from Florence, and Cristian around the vineyard for a tour of the grounds and some wine education. We also met the owner of the vineyard who was out working in the field. After the tour, it was time for the vineyard lunch. After the lunch, we got dropped off in Florence for the afternoon. We got some more lunch, just a snack really, and went back to find the leather luggage that I had wanted. We haggled a bit on the price and were able to get it at a really good deal and now I have a beautiful Italian carry-on! We were both tired by about 6 so came back to the inn to get ready for our special private candlelit vineyard dinner.

    This was the highlight of the trip !!!! Guilio drove us up to the top of the vineyard hills, overlooking all of the Fattoria le Sorgenti vineyards where we could see Florence in the distance. We pulled up and at the top of the hill, under a tree was a table set with candles just for us. Cristian and (I can't remember his name!) the vineyard owner's son were there manning the grill. Cristian poured us some sparkling chardonnay and we had bread and olive oil, tomato crostini, and a salad topped with olive oil and some of Pierre's herbs. I was in ecstasy.

    

    Then came the meat - the best lemon grilled chicken I have ever had, along with sausage, ribs, and pork, and enough to feed 4 people easily! All served with the vineyard's award-winning Scirus wine. The best wine I have ever had in my entire life! We really enjoyed talking to Cristian, but the men also gave us ample time alone to enjoy the sunset and then we had more wine and some yummy chocolate cannoli for dessert. It was one of the most romantic and memorable experiences of my life! We were served wine by the man who made it, our food was cooked at the vineyard by the owner's son, and the food was seasoned with the herbs of the man we met the day before! I felt like it was a dream, all this was just for us?! It made me feel like we were millionaires, when actually we had only paid $250 per night for the entire package!

    The next day we slept in and then had more wonderful breakfast, chatting with Christina about life, Italy, Tuscany, politics, and more. One of my favorite things about staying at La Limonaia was talking with Guilio and Christina. They are such warm hearted amazing people. They have such pride for their country and for what they do. They have created such an amazing place. They also do a bunch of other tours – a truffle hunt, pizza making class, cheese making, etc.

    We spent our final day in Tuscany doing some shopping. I got a 5 Euro pashmina and Dan got 5 Euro sunglasses. I bought a really cute dress and a jacket at Zara for 100 Euro. Then we headed back to the inn to rest up for our final dinner. At 7, other couple joined us for dinner in the wine bar. We had pecorino cheese served with saffron honey and then, ecstasy – some more cheese served with truffle infused honey. Oh my god!!!! Guilio agreed to sell us two jars after we could not stop raving about it. Then we had a cold bread soup (actually pretty good), veal with tomato sauce and some artichokes (tasty), and a really good Brunello wine. For dessert it was a fantastic chocolate chip gelato cake and some sweet port-like wine.

    The next morning we sadly said good bye to La Limonaia and to Guilio and Christina. This is an amazing special place and these are such welcoming people. This is another place that we really want to come back to!

    The next morning we took the train to Venice. We got off the train in front of the Grand Canal and got so excited! We quickly realized however, that our map to the hotel was completely useless. We argued and bickered and wandered aimlessly and asked for directions and took wrong turns and sweated and groused for about an hour before finally finding our B & B, tucked in a courtyard off a square, down a narrow twisty alley, over a bridge about a 5 minute walk from the Rialto bBidge. Then our B & B was up 4 flights of narrow, winding stairs. By the time we arrived we were drenched in sweat and cranky. This was our least favorite B &B. the host weren't all the friendly to us and to get to the hotel portion, we had to walk in their house which was very odd and uncomfortable. We got checked in and showered and changed and set out around 4 to get some food.

    

    Venice is odd. It's beautiful and amazing but it’s also hot and crowded and the people are kind of rude (when you have 70,000 residents against 11 million tourists per year I suppose you get cranky) and it was much dirtier that I expected. There was trash on the ground and in the canals and there was a lot of graffiti.

    As soon as we left the hotel we got lost. We found a square to sit and have a beer and a slice of pizza for 3 Euro. We quickly found out that if you are willing to stand and eat, or maybe eat outside walking or sitting on the ground you can get food really cheaply. But if you want to sit and eat, expect to pay a fortune. After the pizza and beer we wandered some more, stopping at bars along the way for a prosecco for me and "spritz" for Dan. The spritz is white wine, soda, and campari and most places charge 1 Euro for a glass. Finally we stumbled (almost literally after all those spritzes and processos) into a cichetti bar. Cichetti is like Italian small plates. We asked for cichetti for 2 and got 2 HUGE plates of bread, veggies, meats, and cheeses for 22 Euro. We pigged out and then decided to walk around some more, since we had no idea where our hotel was. Then we randomly found it all of a sudden! In Venice there are signs everywhere pointing the way to either the Rialto or San Marco so Dan decided to go to Rialto and find our way from there to our hotel. He figured no matter where we were in Venice we could find Rialto and from there we could find our hotel. So we did that, and on the way back to our hotel we found a crepe shop and got a delicious nutella and gelato stuffed crepe for 3 Euro.

    The next morning we had a light breakfast at the B &B and then set out to explore Venice. I had just read "City of Falling Angels" and wanted to find some landmarks from the book so we found the Santa Maria Della Salute church, the Fenice opera house, and then just walked around San Marco and various neighborhoods of the island. We of course got lost a lot again but it was fun. We had some pizza, fries (we had a craving!) and wine for 27 Euro for lunch (so much because we sat at a table. They charge a cover charge of 1 -2 Euro per person but then you don't tip. Also they charge for water – sometimes as much as 4 Euro! Our pizza was 11 Euro, the fries were 5, wine was 7, water was 2, and cover was 2) and then we headed home and took a nap and a shower.

    Around 5 we got up for more prosecco, spritz, and cichetti. This time we found a string of cichetti bars and ordered per piece instead of just saying a plate for 2. Over the course of 3 hours we had some mini sandwiches, some deep fried potato balls, a deep fried crab claw, and lots of cheese and proscuitto and lots to drink, and spent about 40 Euro having a great time in all these little bars where we were the only people speaking English. Then somehow we took a wrong turn and ended up on the side of the island we had never been on. It’s funny in Venice how you can be surrounded by tourists and then one wrong turn down a narrow twisty street and you are completely alone. There was NO ONE around and we even saw a parking lot with cars! You know you are lost in Venice when you find the place where the cars are! Then luckily we found another bar, had another drink, and got directions back to Rialto. By this time it was 11 and everything was closing so we stopped by the crepe place for more dessert and then headed home.

    The next morning we had breakfast and then set out to figure out how we would get to the airport in the morning. We went back to the train station to the tourist office and ended up buying a 24 hour transportation pass. To get the most of it, we hopped on a water bus (the only kind there is on the island) and went to Murano, the island famous for it’s beautiful blown glass. We walked around and looked at the glass shops and bought some glass wine stoppers and then had lunch. Gnocchi in cheese sauce for me and mushroom ravioli for Dan with a bottle of water, for 19 Euro. Then we went back to the B & B and took a looooong nap. All this walking was really tiring us out! We got up at 5 and went down for a slice of pizza and a spritz, did some window shopping at Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, and all the other super pricey stores. Then we stumbled upon an amazing little pastry shop. We had a prosecco and spritz with some free bar munchies and then had 2 mini dessert pastries that were soooo yummy. It was our pre-dinner dessert. Then we wandered for about an hour trying to decide where to eat. I wanted fish and Dan wanted lasagna but we didn't want to spend more than 50 euros on food and wine. When you get wine in a bar it is 1-2 euros per glass. If you can find "house wine" it is less than 10 Euro for a liter. But all the nice sit-down dinner places only have it by the bottle for 15 Euro or more, plus 4 Euro for water, and 4 Euro for cover change. That's over 20 Euro and you haven't even ordered food yet!!!

    We finally found a place that seemed reasonable and ordered a 7 Euro bottle of wine and 2 Euro bottle of water (I swear my Venice water bill was about 50 Euro and we did not budget for that!!!) and Dan ordered a 7 Euro salad. Dan ordered a taglioline with white veal ragu and I ordered swordfish with fried zucchini flowers. Dan's pasta was good, but not 18 Euro worth of good. The zucchini flowers were actually good, but I knew as soon as I saw my 20 Euro swordfish that I was not going to like it. It was all black parts and when I cut into it, it was very raw, even red in some parts. YUCK. We waited and waited for our waiter to come back. Finally a different waiter came back to take Dan's now empty pasta bowl. He was about to take mine when I pointed out that I didn't eat any of it. He got our waiter who came and asked what the problem was. I tried to explain that it was raw and he said that fish should be medium and I said yes but not raw. And that is didn't taste very fresh – it was fishier than swordfish should be. He got very mad and took the plate away and next thing we know the Italian speaking owner of the store comes out to our table holding the GIANT raw fish on a plate screaming "fresca" at us and waving the plate around. We didn't know what to do so we just kept saying that we didn't like it. Then the waiter came and took away our bread and put down the bill, a polite way of kicking us out I suppose. What we should have done was stormed out, but instead we paid the 60 Euro bill and then I went and got a 2 Euro slice of pizza. I was soooo mad. I was embarrassed and frustrated and Venice had taken its toll on me and I started crying. So we decided not to go to San Marco for a drink, or to take a 100 Euro gondola ride and instead went back to the crepe place and took it bad to the room where Dan cheered me up with impressions of the fat German tourist (I did not pay all this money, to have a fish waived in my face!)

    We were up the next morning at 5 to get to the airport, fly 2 hours to Madrid and then fly home. I took more xanax and sleeping pill so it all went by very quickly. Overall it was a wonderful honeymoon. Manarola was magical, and Tuscany was amazing with such wonderful people. Venice was neat to see, but it wasn't my favorite place. I think I would go back to Venice at some point, but I am in no rush. I would like to see it in winter when it is very quiet as it was beautiful when no one was around at 5am. I would also lower my expectations and not plan to have a “fancy” meal. Venice is not known as a culinary destination, yet because of the crowds they can afford to charge a lot. We tried to avoid the touristy places on the Grand Canal but I think we got much better food for our money and had much more fun when we just ate at the cichetti counters with the locals.

     

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