Category: Travel

We said arriverderci to Lucca and got on the road to Florence!

Our guided tour started in the outskirts on the “other side” of the Arno river, at the top of a nearby hill,  and we walked down to the historical city center, past the Ponte Vecchio seen from a distance  to plunge ourselves into the tourist-infested mayhem that brings visitors the world over to see this living outdoor museum, the world’s #1 tourist attraction.  I’ve been here before a few times so seeing it from a fresh perspective was much better than immediately going into the center of town. Our guide was fantastic! We walked through town by looking at gardens and views from various elevations, which turned out to be  a very civilized way to get to Florence

After our our guided tour, Ann and I decided to do some some café-sitting and people watching at the Piazza Della Signoria, Florence’s main square,  with some sustinence –  a large ice cream concoction and some San Pelligrino were desperately needed. That was lunch. We booked advanced reservations for the Boboli Gardens, part of the Pitti Palace,  so we walked over, through the always-crowded Ponte Vecchio, and skipped the line entirely. Wasn’t that a good idea? The weather was perfect, the gardens were lovely and we found ourselves winding our way up to the top of the hills of the city to see glorious views all around.

We left the city late afternoon, exhausted. I checked my iPhone: we walked ten miles, 23,306 steps, and climbed 12 stories.  There were lots of steps at the Boboli Gardens!

Our hotel for the next three nights is the gorgeous Villa Sabolini, outside Siena, on the ancient pilgrimage road that brought travelers from Canterbury to Rome.  After ten miles of walking, we looked as bedraggled as any modern day pilgrims could;  however, unlike days of old, we were greeted with a choice of welcome drink.  Will it be proseco or spritz?

We were delighted with our room and its views -we even have a view from the bathtub.  That evening, in our elegant private dining room of the hotel, we toasted to adventures yet to come –  in Chianti country.

 

 

Thinking of new countertops? You may consider marble. I knew we’d be visiting the marble quarries of Carrara but I had no idea how exciting it would be!

As we drove up, we saw little patches of white, and then the white predominated – a whole mountain of white marble.  We met our guide in town, who gave us an overview of the history and use of marble, pointed out examples of marble in the town of Carrara, then our bus climbed up the mountain, where we finally stopped at a level area.  We went into the gift shop to use the facilities and changed vehicles.

There were eight of us in each four-wheel drive vehicle, one in the front, three in the back and the rest in the rear.  We set off and climbed once more, but this time, we were driving on granite!  It was a wild ride!  Our guide/driver was in the first vehicle and was narrating from his headset as we drove along. His wife drove the second car.  He would stop at a work area and ask if we could visit. Sometimes we could and other times we couldn’t. If we could, we would be able to get out to see what the workmen were doing. Since we were at a work site, we had to wear hard hats.

By the end of the journey, it felt like we were in the clouds! It was a beautifully clear day and we could see all the way to the Adriatic sea..

We went back down the mountain, slowly, slowly, with many ups and downs, like a roller coaster ride, but we made it back unscathed. We thanked our guide and driver for a most unique experience

Next stop: lunch!  We returned to the town of Carrara, to the Piazza del Duomo.  Did you know that Michaelangelo stayed at a room here in the piazza when he was picking out marble for his statue of David? Yes, there’s a plaque!

After lunch, we returned to Lucca to spend one more afternoon and evening. Our time is ending here so we had to pack.  In our free time,  some explored the streets, some went shopping, and others had a light supper. In the evening, most of us attended a concert of Puccini’s music performed by a soprano, a tenor and a pianist, given in an old church.  The accoustics were wonderful and the locals and a few tourists enjoyed the recital.  After the recital, it was time for one more gelato before saying good night.

Tomorrow we go to the Tuscan countryside, to stay at the Villa Sabolini, near Siena, to discover the region of Chianti!

 

Lucca is a perfectly preserved walled city.  Yes, it is commercial. It’s actually the first time on the trip I’ve seen so many souvenir shops, but it is still very appealing. There’s a terrific wall walk, and people rent bikes to cycle the circle. We used our feet – we’re walking  about eight miles a day. The weather is perfect – low 70s. Life is good.

Music is an important part of Italian culture. Our guide, Alice, is from Milan and is very proud of her opera house, La Scala. Lucca is the land of Puccini;  we visited his house and museum, and later on the next evening attended a concert. I’ve seen many Puccini operas, several more than once, and it was enjoyable to see his museum. Another musical group performed in Lucca Saturday night – the Rolling Stones – and we saw the fans roll in the night before. We left Lucca Saturday morning.

We liked walking the walls of this delightful town and meeting the local cat and seeing some of its citizens.

I’m  a couple of days behind because of slow internet and my busy schedule but I  hope to catch up soon.

Our most exciting adventure – kickass, you might say-happened as a side trip from Lucca  when we visited the Carrera marble quarries!

We are currently in the Tuscan countryside.  I feel right at home; this part of the world is very reminiscent of Napa valley.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  More soon..

 

 

We leave Parma and head off to the mountains, for Lucca; however, we stop at Pontremoli, a medieval village, where we meet our  local guide for a walking tour.

After our visit, we get back on the van and go for lunch at the home of a lady who makes testaroli , which is a sort of pasta which resembles a crepe.  The crepe is made on a very hot stove with no oil. The only two ingredients are flour and water. It is cut up into pieces and various sauces are mixed in; we had pesto, tomato and cheese and olive oil. We also had a potato-leek tarte, and finished off the meal with a cake embedded with choolate chips.  We had wine available as well as water for our meal.

Back on the bus for Lucca!  We arrived mid afternoon, and checked into our gorgeous room. We strolled a bit as well.

We went to a local place for dinner chosen by Alice.  This was not one of the planned dinners, but she often will recommend a place and those who wish can join her. She usually selects restaurants with high quality and low prices. This one was a food-to-table organic place and I ate only a starter – and dessert, of course. I had eggplant-mozzarella stacked up, surrounded with tomato coulis. Delicious and satisfying

Tomorrow we explore Lucca, with a walking tour.

 

We left the town of Parma for a day trip into the countryside. The first stop was to be a salumi factory in another small village – I had images of a sterile building, following a guide on an industrial tour.  Didn’t sound all that great to me.

The reality was totally different: this place reminded me of the estates one finds in Napa or Sonoma.  The property was the birthplace of a famous Italian: Giuseppe Verdi.  It became the manor home – some call it a castle – where taxes had to be paid to cross the bridge in the long Po  river, nearby. Today it is an exclusive small hotel, with a Michelin started restaurant, and a basement cureing center for pork.

So how does salumi figure into all of this? Salumi is a generic word for all kinds of cold colds, like salami, but the king of cold cuts is called culatello Parma ham, which is taken from the black pork and is considered the ultimate delicacy for those who like cold cuts. The pork is hung and cured in the basement of the building.

These hams are sold to the finest restaurants the world over and are reserved in advanced. It takes at least six months to cure one, and we saw the names of restaurants and individuals who have reserved their pork: Prince Albert of Monaco is one, Prince Charles of Great Britain is another.

After our visit to this magnificent estate, we were driven to the Po river -Italy’s longest river – for our pontoon river cruise with our captain, a naturalist who also fishes the river and knows much of its lore. We docked at Giarola Island and had a picnic lunch in a fisherman’s cabin and heard tales of life on the river .  We had focaccio with cold cuts of ham, a fruit salad and cookies, washed down with red or white wine and water.

Continue reading “ON THE ROAD: a day in the country”

We met up at 9:15 and walked to the Piazza Garibaldi for our walking tour of the town. We were met by our guide Alicia, who gave us a very comprehensive tour.

In Italy the masterpieces are found in the churches. Google “duomo in Parma, Italy” for details.

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The baptistery across the square is also an architectural wonder, with frescos from floor to ceiling. I did a couple of videos but was unable to upload then to this site, unfortunately. Folding chairs are provided in both buildings for better viewing.

The afternoon was free but museums were closed so after a light lunch with Ann, I headed back to put my feet up, read, and spend needed time on the last post.

 

Our included dinner this evening was in a traditional restaurant with courses from the area.  The starter course was cold cuts and Parmesan-reggiano cheese, with fruit compote, washed down with a sparkling red wine of the area. Then we switched to a more hearty red wine, with the pasta dishes shown above, which have been in existence since the 1200’s. My favorite was the one on the right with pumpkin.  Our main course was black pork cheeks -melt-in-your-mouth marvelous  – with roasted potatoes. The sorbet was to aid with digestion, followed by a local liqueur and small cookies that could be dipped in either the dark chocolate provided or the liqueur, or both. We had a 20 minute walk coming and going from our hotel, which was a good thing. Food, drink and merriment was had by all!

Tuesday: we get out of town for a day in the country, with a visit to a beautiful manor home famous for making cured cold cuts, known as salumi, followed by a boat ride down the Po river, and a picnic in the cabin of a fisherman. Stay tuned!

This was a travel day, as we were changing cities and hotels. We had an early wake up call: on the bus by 7:00 AM. We had to be at a technical school in time to make cheese. The milk is delivered daily, and the cheese must be made daily, even on a Sunday.

There are technical schools offering courses in all areas of study, and this agricultural school teaches students to make the local Parmigiano-Reggiano  cheese. Giuseppe, a retired cheese maker, is in charge of the program, and today we’re visiting to watch the process. We arrived a little before 8:00, just as the milkman made his daily delivery. Giuseppe was aided by our guide Alice, who grew up on a farm and whose mother is a veterinarian.  She even has her own cow, so she’s acquainted with farm life.  She’s also learned on the job from Giuseppe and served as our translator.

Guiseppe kept stirring until the cheese was formed, which took quite a long time. While we were waiting,  we went to other areas of the room to see other other steps in the process.

Alice explained the labeling, after the cheese was ready and about to be stored.

(Side note: Doesn’t she look like a young Julia Roberts?)

We returned to watch the men roll the cheese with cheesecake, cut the ball in half, re-form it and put the two circles in molds.

We were taken to the storage rooms to see the wheels of cheese.  The cheese must be aged at least a year before attempting to eat it and it  must be tested by the government and certified that it is really Parmigiano-Reggiano, from the area.  Each wheel is dated.

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Suppose the government indicates that the cheese does not pass the test to be authentic? It can be given a lesser designation, and at the worst, be sold in the bargain bin at the local supermarket, but it can’t be called Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese because it didn’t live up to the standards..

Our last stop was tasting, where we tasted cheese aged  12 months, 24 months and 36 months  I preferred the 24 month cheese. A tradition is to put honey on the cheese or with cheese and crackers.  This school also makes ricotta cheese, which does not have to be made daily; we tasted a dessert with local cut up fruit in the ricotta and a little added sugar. There is a small school store which sells local produce, honey, and cheese.

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Giuseppe spoke passionately about teaching young people and the importance of keeping the tradition alive. He already retired from his career in the factory making cheese but prefers the hands-on personal method with the instruction of the young people at the school.  He’s a man with a passion. We reluctantly said goodbye and thanked him for his hospitality.

We were back on the bus and on the road for an hour more for our next visit: to Villa Bianchi, near Modena, to visit the Biancardi family,  a balsamic vinegar maker. Their son Emilio greeted us.  He was our host for the visit.

We started outside, with the grapes on the vine.

This family has been making balsamic vinegar for centuries, though World War II stopped the progress when their house, but not the barrels of vinegar, was damaged. They moved to this beautiful villa which was owned by the ruling family of Modena.  The place is fantastic but requires a lot of work to maintain.

We took a small four person elevator to the top floor, where the barrels are stored in the attic.

The process is deceptively easy: grow the grapes, crush the grapes, boil the grapes, seal in wood containers and keep for years and years.  The aging process is the key; don’t even think of using balsamic vinegar for six years or more.  The longer it ages, the better it will be.  It is labeled as a “traditional balsamic”, indicating that the same process has been carried on from one generation to the next. We started tasting the newest – and worst – balsamic, and continued to the oldest, a smooth, flavorful sweet vinegar. It was delicious, even on its own.  There is some mixing in the process, where some younger liquid is put into aged liquid but most of the original remains in the barrels. The barrels of vinegar compete with beamed ceilings and rooms filled with family memorabilia.

Our ” light lunch”, served in the elegant dining room of the villa,  was actually substantial, consisting of recipes which included balsamic, with tomatoes, in a zucchini-Parmesan quiche, and other dishes. The pièce de résistance was a dessert of vanilla gelati with very aged balsamic sprinkled over the top. The dining room was gorgeous and  we were charmed by the placemats, which explains the vinegar making process. They were made by Emilio’s mother, who is an art teacher.

The lunch was made by Emilio’s  wife, who was not in the room. We could, however, hear her playing Gershwin on the piano in a nearby room.

Again we reluctantly bid arrivederci to our host and one of his cats, who came to visit. and thanked them  for their  hospitality.

It took another hour or so to get to Parma, where we checked into the ultra-modern hotel in a renovated area just outside the historical center, once the site of the Barilla pasta factory.  We had extra time, so we strolled into town for some cafe-sitting at the main square, Piazza Garibaldi.  As luck would have it, there was a Palio going in – medieval festival – so we were able to watch the parade – what a treat!

Sunday evening is pizza night so we went to a popular local spot near the hotel.  Ann and I split an individual pizza -doesn’t it look good?- then split a tiramisu, which was made in a glass: same ingredients, different presentation.

Portion control!

We’ve had great weather for touring so far, with highs in the high 60s or low 70s, but rain is expected for tomorrow.  We’ll be doing a city tour of Parma followed by free time in the afternoon, with a four course dinner showcasing the  culinary delights of the region to end the day.   Mamma mía!

 

 

 

Jaw dropping,  that’s what they were, the mosaics in Ravenna, seat of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century and later the westernmost outpost of the Byzantine empire.  The city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for its stunning variety of early Christian mosaics and monuments. We had to see it. We traveled there by train from Bologna.

An hour and a half later we met our local guide and began our tour of the city. Our first stop was the Sant’Apollinaire Church, built in the 5th century as a Gothic baptistry where we saw mosaics representing scenes from the Old Testament as well as depictions of the Byzantine emporer Justinian.

Our next stop was the tomb of Dante. No, he is not in Florence, as some claim. His tomb is very popular.

The Mausoleum of Gaila Placidia is small and very dark.  It is so small that only fifteen people were allowed in at a time, and we were allowed only five minutes to drink in the beauty of this spot.

Next door was the Basilica of San Vitale, where mosaics mixed with frescos, giving a variety of textures to this massive structure. My first feeling when entering this huge space was the realization of how insignificant and transitory we humans are. It was a mind boggling and jaw-droppingly overpowering experience.

It is impossible to capture the immense beauty and skill of this work in photography. You have to be there. I hope some day you will.

We had lunch in a local restaurant and visited a modern day mosaic artist, whose unique and creative work is in demand today. It’s encouraging to know that this ancient art has not disappeared.

We took the train back in the late afternoon after a long, fulfilling day.

We did a walking tour of the city today and it afforded me the occasion to do some picture-taking of people at work and play. 

We passed by a machine shop on the way into the center of town, where the owner was working on a bicycle  for a customer.

This one-man band is a fixture, always at the same corner. He seems to know the people in the neighborhood, and I’ve often seen him chatting away with friends.

 

The produce market area always brings out lots of vendors and customers.

We were invited to watch a pasta making demonstration at one of the city’s finest pasta stores. Our pasta maker was a delight! We were not as successful in rolling pasta as she was.

we learned that this was the oldest bar in the city, so I ran in to take a peek. I noticed that at least one older gentlemen had embraced technology.

People enjoying a meal or just stopping for a drink..cafes and restaurants are everywhere in this bustling city.

 

Whether at work or at play, people in Bologna have a magnificent city to enjoy.

 

 

This is our new room with a view, which is in a quiet residential area about a 10-15 minute walk from the city. We’re at Hotel Porto San Mamolo and about to meet our new tour people. The hotel itself is family run, simple and charming, but has all we need for our three day stay.

I guess I’m giving the punchline away at the beginning of the post but I’m a little punchy anyway, since I just woke up from a long-deserved nap. This is the first afternoon nap I’ve taken since arriving in Italy. Jet lag has been almost nonexistent on this trip, but it’s been an active morning as usual so I needed to crash a bit.

Our first stop after breakfast was the Basilica of San Francesco, a Romanesque Gothic gem founded in 1251!

Yes,  we were welcomed by baby lions on the fence. Mass was going on when we arrived so we sat in the sunshine and read a bit about the church in Ann’s handy Berlitz guidebook before making our visit. The Gothic arches were impressive, as was some of the stained glass, but overall it was a dignified rather than flashy basilica.

We headed a few blocks back to the center of the town, first to the church of Saint Petronius at the Piazza Magiorri, then to the Piazza Galvani to visit a part of the world’s oldest university that houses its library and a most unusual room: the anatomical theatre in the gorgeous Palace of the Archiginnasio.

The University of Bologna was founded in 1088, but the anatomical theater wasn’t built until 1636 and was completed in 1737; though damaged during WWII, it still appears as much as it did when candlelit dissections were done on humans and animals alike. The room is completely  carved from spruce with its imposing marble dissecting table still in position in front of the teacher’s chair. Each corner of the theater is elaborately decorated with carved statues of Hippocrates and other famous physicians and two anatomical models with muscles exposed – called spellati, or “skinned men” – are also there, surrounding the teacher’s chair, perhaps to show students what they’ll be seeing as they do their cutting.

You’ll find astrological symbols on the ceiling and overseeing it all is a representation of a woman being offered a thigh bone by an angel.

My details here were taken from the website Atlas Obscura, but if you google “anatomical theater Bologna” you’ll find a wealth of information.

As you enter the building on the ground floor you’ll see, on the ceiling in the lower portico, the coats of arms of the cities or countries of those who studied medicine there and had the honor of putting their names on the walls. The visitor then goes up a flight of stairs to enter the room of the anatomical theater.

This is a must-see site for anyone visiting Bologna

We had our own scientific experiment to do after the visit to the anatomical theater, so we headed to a gelateria, at the Piazza Cavour near by, to taste gelato, which we ate at one of the benches of the lovely park in the center of the square. I used the camera phone; Ann posed with our gelati.  This was a serious taste test: our guide Alice emailed me the name of the two best places for gelato in Bologna and we had to decide on the winner. A few days ago we tested at the first shop and now we’re here. Which is the best of the best? Not sure. We may have to do more testing before coming up with an answer. It’s hard work but someone’s got to do it – all in the interest of science, of course.

At 7:00 we attended our proseco-and-light supper   orientation meeting. Our guide Alice is a delight and our seven other trip mates seemed congenial; there were lots of criss-crossing conversations as we sat at a square table in the middle of the garden room, where we’ll also have breakfast in the morning .

We’ll leave tomorrow at 9:00 AM for a walking tour of the city, with lunch on our own. The afternoon is free, and we’ll have a welcome dinner with the group in the early evening.

I leave you with a view of the garden, in hopes that I may meet Romeo the cat there tomorrow.