Lucca

Lucca was recommended as a non-touristy walled city. The city wall is completely in tact. They have paved the top (the rampsets). We rented some bikes and circled the city Sunday morning.

Lucca is a walking city. The "roads" are barely wide enough for a single small European car. As we walked to our hotel Saturday afternoon, we got caught in a people jam. The crowd did not appear to be tourists but rather locals, or at least Italians, out shopping.

Several areas had booths set up selling various kinds of goods. In the center of what used to be a Roman amphitheater they were having a flower show. It was fun to see the variety of flowers. Some we recognied; others we didn't.

We had an excellent dinner of Luccaese soup (thick vegetable) and a shared calzone. The house wine was excellent!

We spent the majority of Sunday strolling through the city. At one time it had 180 towers. Today there are a couple dozen. Towers were built by wealthy merchants. The first story served as their shop. The next few stories (single room each) were living space. The top story was the kitchen. All floors were connected by an exterior wooden staircase.

We climbed to the top of a bell tower. The hand-wound Swiss mechanism has rung the bells every quarter hour since the mid-1700s! We got a great view of the city and heard the bells up close and personal.

Sunday afternoon we took the train to Pisa airport to pick up our rental car for the week in Tuscany. I was feeling a bit intimidated. Rick Steves describes driving in Italy as a video game for keeps. To further complicate matters, route numbers are either non-existent or meaningless. You navigate by knowing the next town or city you're going through.

The lady at the rental counter told is to follow the signs to Florence. Unfortunately, there are two different routes. One goes through Lucca and the other doesn't. We knew something was wrong when the sun was setting in the east!

We finally got on the right road and took the exit to Lucca. Now the fun really began! First, we needed gas. This is the only time I have rented a car in my life that had less than a full tank (1/4 to be exact). It being Sunday, the gas stations are self-service. Of course it couldn't be like the US where you swipe your card at the pump. They only take cash in certain increments and you pay at a central location where you specify the pump. We were really confused and about ready to leave when a young couple pulled up and offered assistance.

Gas accomplished, our next task was to find an entrance through the wall into the old city. Our marriage almost ended there! We felt such relief when we got in. Little did we know the challenges that still lay ahead. As I mentioned, the streets are VERY narrow. We needed to find the shortest one-way route to our hotel. We were doing pretty well until we got to the end of a piazza to find it blocked at our street by concrete planters. Actually, it was ALMOST blocked. The car was surrounded by people in the square. I had had it and wasn't about to go back. So with a very large audience I navigated through the narrow opening on to our street that was packed with people. It took 10 minutes to go a couple hundred feet. An older Italian couple started to scold us, but when we explained our destination they actually ran interference for us.

The final challenge was getting the car into the garage. Suffice it to say it's a two person job and involves folding in both mirrors. What a challenge!

To contrast the excitement, we had dinner that night in the garden of a quaint restaurant. The food was amazing. It started with potato leek soup with eel and ended with caramel rice pudding.

Tomorrow, exiting Lucca successfully and introducing Tuscany.

Ciao,
Barb

Cinque Terre to Pisa

We got up early Saturday morning to visit our final site in the Cinque Terre -- the castle on the ridge literally just above our room. The bright, sunny day provided a beautiful panorama of Vernazza and the surrounding hills and sea. We're sad to leave, but know we'll be back.

We caught the local train to La Spezia where we connected to a regional train for Pisa. It's a holiday weekend in Italy (WWI Liberation Day) and the train was packed! For most of the trip we didn't get beyond the vestibule. At each stop more people boarded until we could barely move. Fortunately it's only an hour to Pisa.

In Pisa, we took the local bus to the Field of Miracles, the location of the Tower, Duomo, etc. We had been warned how touristy it was. There were tacky souvenier stands lining the walks.

We walked across the entire area in search of a WC. (Italians must not drink much as toilets are scarce.) Fortunately, the far side of the square was much less crowded. We found a nice little cafe in view of the tower where we enjoyed Foccacia Caperse (with cheese & tomatos) while we read about the re-engineering of the tower.

We decided not to climb to the top of the tower as it was a 2 hour wait. Instead we chose to tour the Duomo. The architecture of the buildings is called Pisan Romanesque. The carved white marble almost looks like lace. We must be becoming Duomo snobs. We both agreed the interior of this one was not impressive.

At this point we'd had enough of Pisa. It was back to the train station for the 1/2 hour trip to Lucca.

Stay tuned,
Barb

Cinque Terre Continued

We got up early Friday to tackle the final leg of the coast trail. Before beginning our hike we walked past the train station to the town entrance where driving visitors leave their cars. This is less than a 5 minute walk. Everything is very compact. Our real destination was a little restaurant recommended by Rick Steves. The owners, two Sicilian brothersl, are known for their hospitality and excellent pastry. We were not disappointed. The brother who is the pastry chef was in bed, of course, but we were greated warmly by Massimo. We ordered cappuccino and a pastry. When we declined his offer for orange juice, he INSISTED that we at least try it. So he brings out a pitcher of red juice. I assumed that it was tomato and that we had a language problem or that he was offering tomato since we declined orange. Regardless, I tasted it and to my surprise, the blood red juice was the best orange juice I had ever tasted. I promptly ordered a glass! Massimo was very pleased at my surprise and delight! He grabbed a fresh orange and sliced it open to display the color. He then spent several minutes explaining to me that they use only the best ingredients and the food is MUCH better than the restaurants with the water views. Bob and I agreed that if everyone in Sicily is as passionate as Massimo, we want to go there! Oh boy, another excuse to come back to Italy!

Breakfast complete, we began our hike. The views again were spectacular. The trails are very crowded, mostly with Germans and Americans. We got to Corniglia mid-day. We picked up some fruit to supplement some left over foccacia and had a picnic on the square.

After lunch, we decided to take the local train to Riomaggiore where we could catch a boat to Porto Venere. We had not seen the area from the water and the weather was again gorgeous (mid-70s) and the seas calm. It was a wonderful 1/2 hour trip. The coast in this area is unpopulated and has steep cliffs in white and red marble.

Porto Venere is a resort town with a large marina and some impressive yachts. We were supprised to find a huge ancient (1200s) castle at the entry to the harbor. We worked our way up the cliff visiting the various buildings. It's so funny that a fortress of this vintage didn't even get a mention in the our tour books.

Our trip back to Vernazza involved a bus to La Spezia and then the local train. It's all a bit of an adventure. Even those who don't speak English are very helpful. Somehow we all manage to communicate. Everyone helps everyone else.

Exhausted from our long day, we went straight to dinner at Trattoria del Capitano, located on the waterfront in Vernazza. Our waiter, I'm sure one of the owners, was a bit crusty. When I asked if we could get spaghetti with pesto (not on the menu), he said, "Of course! This is NOT New York!). I ordered a local specialty, Tegame alla Vernazza , which is anchovies with potatoes and tomatoes. The anchovies are fresh each day and are not salted. It was excellent as was the house wine made by "the house".

Thus the end of another wonderful day in Italy. The time is going way too fast! Saturday it's off to Pisa and Lucca. We will be sorry to leave Cinque Terre, but I know we'll be back.

Blessings to all of you,
Barb

Cinque Terre

The train from Milan to the Cinque Terre (Five Lands) is three hours. The climate changes dramatically as soon as you reach the coast in Genoa. There are palm, orange and lemon trees everywhere!

We left the regional train at Monterosso to catch the Cinque Terre "milk run" to Vernazza, where we are staying. Vernazza is the second of the five towns from the north.

At the TI, we got directions to our hotel. This was totally unnecessary since the town has one main street and one piazza (square). We checked in along with another couple from DC. The receptionist/barmaid said "follow me". She led is outside and up two flights of stone stairs. She handed us the keys and a map and pointed up. I later counted a total of 80 steps to our building and then up another 2 flights to our room!

Our room looks out over the main square. But across the hall is a passage to a private cliffside garden overlooking the Ligurian Sea. I'll say more about the garden later. After we caught our breath, we explored the small but picturesque harbor. We had dinner that night at the trattoria associated with the hotel. Vino Bianco is a local specialty. I had that along with the catch of the day. I have no idea what the fish was, but it was grilled perfectly and tasted wonderful! Of course, all meals come with excellent bread served with local olive oil. It was a meal to remember.

Thursday morning we took the train (10 minutes) to Monterosso, the farthest north town. Thursday is market day. It's like Walmart on wheels. We picked up some fruit and focaccia for a snack during our hike of the first leg of the coastal trail which runs from Monterosso to Vernazza. Don't let the word coastal fool you. This two hour hike gives you an excellent view of the coast from a ridge high above.

The hike was spectacular! The Cinque Terre is among the top five most beautiful places we've ever been. The hike would have been strenuous except we stopped so often to gawk or take pictures. The vegetation is very interesting with olive, orange and lemon trees and grape arbors throughout the vastly terraced hillsides. The steep terraced hills reminded us a bit of the Yangtze River in China. There are wild flowers galore (including wild snapdragons). There are numerous varieties of blooming succulents including huge agave cactus. I know there's lots I'm forgetting. You'll just have to wait for the pictures. We took plenty!

We ended our first leg back in Vernazza just in time for lunch. We pulled up a step in the square
and ate our focaccia and fruit. We rewarded our morning's work with a gelati. It was yummy!!! I don't know how they get it so creamy!

Since the next leg of the hike was another two hours, we decided to skip ahead by taking the train to the third town and hiking on from there. (All five towns are connected by rail, bus and hiking trail. It's about 7 miles total. The first two legs (from the north) are about two hours each. The final two legs are 45 and 20 minutes respectively.)

So we hiked from Corneglia to Monterosa and then from Monterosa to Riomaggiore. Each town is very quaint and has its own flavor. We poked around the shops in each town and decided to buy local specialties for a picnic dinner. We got olives, pesto, anchovies, cheese, tomatos, focaccia and, of course, a bottle of the local vino bianco. Remember that private garden I told you about. Well, we got there just before sunset. It was perfect!

Today was an equally amazing day. But I'm too tired to write more. Perhaps I'll have some time on the train to Pisa tomorrow.

Buna Sera (sp?),
Barb

Milan Day 2

We were up at the crack of dawn Wednesday hoping to catch Leo's Last Supper. Unfortunately, we were not able to get in. Oh well, I guess we'll just need to come back to Milan. Darn!!

We rode the packed subway back two stops to the Duomo (cathedral). It is the 4th largest in Europe after London, the Vatican and Seville. The interior of the Duomo is awesome, in the truest sense of the word. The large columns are the size of giant redwood trees! The stained glass is brilliant! The mosaic floor stunning. I'm running out of superlatives and haven't described the paintings, ornaments or carvings yet.

As impressive as the inside is, it is nothing compared to the outside! The cathedral was built over 400+ years, from 1386-1810. It is Gothic architecture-very intricate-and almost more gaudy than Gaudi's cathedral in Barcelona. Actually, after having seen Gaudi's cathedral still under construction, it gave us a great sense of the work involved.

Unlike other cathedrals we've visited, we were able to climb to the rooftop. (We could have taken the lift but chose to climb. Justifying more gelato later!). Not only did we have a spectacular view of Milan, but we could see the flying buttresses, gargoles, hidden staircases, etc. that aren't visible from the ground. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it's made from pink marble which has just been cleaned. Magnificant does not do it justice. We spent a couple of hours on the roof alone and took lots of pictures.

We had intended to visit the Duomo museum, but it is closed for renovation. Instead we stopped at McCafe (yes, owned by McDonalds) for a capuccino. Starbucks look out! Great cappuccino at half the price. Then we strolled through the 5 story upscale arcade with the glass dome to the opera house plaza with the statue of Leonardo. We decided to walk the 2 or so miles back to our hotel. It started with window shopping through Milan's version of Rodeo Drive-Versace, Gucci, etc. On the fringes we got to our kind of stores, but didn't really see anything unique. Milan has great shoes, but they seem very expensive. The cheapest are about 40 Euros or $55 for very casual shoes.

We successfully navigated the ticket window at the train station. With an hour to wait we bought some foccacia and enjoyed an impromptu picnic. We boarded the 2:00 train for the Cinque Terre. I was going to tell you about that part of our trip, but am too tired from a day of hiking the coast trail. Guess you'll have to tune in tomorrow.

Hope you are all well.
Ciao,Barb

Milan

The city of Milan is about a 50 minute bus ride from the airport. The trip into the city looks very much like any American city. And from the looks of the vegetation, the climate is a bit cooler than Atlanta. The weather when we arrived was about 70 degrees, partly cloudy and windy.

We took the airport shuttle bus to the central train station. Thanks to Rick Steves we quickly found the TI (tourist information) where we picked up a one day Metro pass and a city map. From there, we walked to our hotel which was about 1\2 mile away. Conveniently, there is a Metro stop right outside our hotel.

We had not made plans for this afternoon, assuming we would miss our connection in Paris. One possibility, however, was to try and see DiVinci's Last Supper. Reservations are required, but sometimes you can get in if someone doesn't show. We took the Metro an easy 7 stops, but no luck. We overheard the ticket agent say you could get reservations for early June!!
I LOVE Italian men! They flirt with you, with their eyes no matter how old you are. When I lamented to our ticket agent that we were leaving in the morning, he looked very compassionate and suggested we return at 8 AM when they often have no shows.

We found a nice local restaurant for dinner. We got a table outside. Fortunately, it had an awning, because it started to hail as soon as we sat down. The storm was short-lived. The food was inexpensive and good. The hits were the complementary bruchetta and the sparkling white table wine (1 carafe for 4 Euros). But Bob says his favorite part of Milan so far is the gelati we got on the walk back to our hotel.

So it's up early tomorrow for a quick breakfast then off to see Leo (we hope). Following that, we plan to see the Duomo (cathedral) and the attached museum before heading to the Cinque Terre by train in the early afternoon.

Glad to have you along for the trip. Thanks to those who have posted.

Barb

Bonjour

8onjour Mon Ami,

We arrived safely in Paris. The trip was very pleasant and on time! We flew a very well-equipped 777-200. It had personal video screens with multiple media selections and video games. All the seats had foot rests and seemed to recline more than normal. If we'd had a few more inches, it would have felt like business class.

You have to give the French credit for some things. The drink menu included complimentary champagne. It was perfect for Bob and me to toast our 25 years together and begin the vacation of a lifetime. Dinner was actually very good also. (But I've always been a fan of airline food.). Dessert consisted of Ambien for a solid 5 hours of sleep before breakfast. Better living through chemistry!

We're now enroute to Milan. Amazingly, we made a tight connection at DeGaulle, which NEVER happens! Glad we didn't have to worry about checked bags.

Actually, One of our goals for this trip was to carry on our luggage for the entire trip. This was quite the challenge for me. But I took it as a challenge and have really enjoyed the past few months planning and scheming to make it work. The keys are multi use garments like convertible pants/shorts/capris and layers. And though I hate to admit it, all my tops are polyester so they can be washed in the sink and dry over night. We definitely won't win any fashion awards, but it will be fun to see how it works for three weeks. I susect we'll want to pitch all the clothes in a trash bin when we get home.

Well, it's almost time for our descent into Milan (not Melun, kids), so I'll sign off for now. Thanks for listening.

Ciao,
Barb

Italy Itinerary

The time for the long-awaited trip is FINALLY here. We're soooooooooo excited!! We leave Monday evening for our 3 week, 25th anniversary tour of Itlay. Here's the itinerary:

Monday, April 17
Atlanta -> Paris

Tuesday, April 18
Paris -> Milan

Wednesday, April 19
Vernazza (Cinque Terre) Italy

Saturday, April 22
Pisa/Lucca Italy

Monday, April 24
San Guistino (Tuscany) Italy

Sunday, April 30
Sorrento (Amalfi Coast) Italy

Sunday, May 7
Rome Italy

Monday, May 8
Rome -> Paris -> Atlanta

Ciao!
Barb

Welcome

Welcome everyone! This blog will be used as a travel log beginning with our April-May 2006 trip to Italy. I hope you enjoy it!