*****So sorry for such a delayed post, but since we are nearing the end (2 days!) of our clinical, a lot of ends need to be tied and assignments need to be completed and final travel arrangements need to be made! I hope to have my post from this past weekend when we went to Florence up soon!
When Italy gives you lemons, make limoncello! If there is anything I have learned since living in Italy for the past (almost) two months, it's that when things go wrong or not how you planned, you just roll with it and make a new plan! Our trip to Rome last weekend was probably one of our most highly anticipated trips, and turned out to be one of the most stressful as well.
We left Friday afternoon from Gavinana, took the bus to Pistoia, train to Florence and then connected to another train which took us to Rome. No problems here! It's all become second nature by now. We arrive in Rome, and it's raining. We were expecting this, so we pulled out our rain jackets and headed for the exit. Being the organized and well-seasoned travelers that we are, we had printed out step-by-step directions to our B&B so we knew exactly where to go and how long it would take. According to Google maps, we take a right out of the station and our destination is about 5 minutes away. We start walking past the side of the train station where all of the homeless have taken cover, and we also discover, from the evidence of the human feces, that they use the rain gutters as their toilet...we keep plugging on. And the rain gets harder. And there is no sign of our building. We take cover to try and regain our bearings, all the while fending off the men trying to sell us umbrellas and ponchos. I plug the name of the B&Bin my iPad (this has seriously been a life-saver this trip!) and the blue dot (our current location) is right next to the green dot (our end destination). Hmmm, something is not adding up right, so I put in the actual address of the place and what do you know, the directions are for the other side of the train station! Well, let's try that then. We head the complete opposite direction (our 5 minute commute is turning into a 30 minute commute) and find the street. Near the end, a man is standing on the corner and says to Britt, "Hine?" Yes! It's the proprietor, we are now an hour past the time we said we would arrive so he came to find us. Only moments before, I had prayed, "God, please help us find this place!" And here comes our angel! And we definitely wouldn't have found it without him. The place was on the second floor of a nondescript building on a small street off of the
street the address said it was on. Phew! It was a small 3 bedroom apartment, but the rooms were clean
and we had our own bathroom and it was close to the train station. After checking in and getting our
handful of keys (our room, apartment door, street door), we take about 30 minutes to relax and
organize a plan of attack. We are in Rome!! (and it had finally stopped raining!)
In Britt's Rick Steve's book, there was a self-guided evening walk through some of the most famous parts of Rome. What a great way to be introduced to the city! It began in the Campo de Fiori, so we headed that way, stopping for a bite to eat at "Dar Filettaro a Santa Barbara". The restaurant was located in a small piazza with lots of tables arranged 'family style'. Their claim to fame was fried cod fillet. Excited for a change from the rich Italian food, we couldn't wait. We also ordered fried zucchini and pickled mixed vegetables. Yum! The guys who ran the place were running all over cleaning tables, serving steaming plates of fish and taking orders.
From here we found our way to the start of the tour. Britt read aloud from her book the sights that we're highlighted along the way and we both worked to figure out the streets and directions from place-to-place. Starting at Campo de' Fiori, it was full of people just hanging out. On this particular night there was sports sections set up for people
to join in and play. There was badminton, ping pong, and even a
self-defense class!We continued to Piazza Navona, which is considered one of Rome's most picturesque piazze. It's an oval shape and was originally built as a stadium. Restaurants and vendors line the sides. There are also two beautiful fountains, the larger more magnificent one was built by Bernini, Fontana del Quattro Fiumi. It was gorgeous. We stopped for gelato at Tre Scalini, which is famous for its rich chocolate ice cream, and then continued on. At the edge of the piazza we saw possibly the world's earliest race track! Then we went to see the Pantheon! It loomed in front of us, all lit up, looking slightly out of place with the more modern-day restaurants, shops, and hotels right next to it. We walked into the portico and just stared up, in awe. The huge bronze doors weigh 20 tons each!
Continuing on, we pass through the Piazza Colonna, which looked magical at night, and then headed for my favorite place, the Trevi Fountain!!! Just like the book said, we could hear the roar of the water before we ever saw it. We came around the corner so our first view was of all the people sitting/standing across from it, admiring. As we turned around, the sight just took my breath away. First of all, it's a lot bigger in person. Second, the water and the amazing stonework was just gorgeous. I much prefer it at night, and there were less people, too. We took lots of pictures, and I tossed in a coin wishing for a return trip to Rome someday. (In case you didn't know, the city collects all of the coins tossed into the fountain and uses the money to feed the homeless!) I finally allowed myself to be pulled away, and we completed our evening walk at the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps. While it's nothing more than an impressive staircase, the history behind it is pretty interesting, and very diverse, involving the Italians who designed it, the British who occupied it, the French who financed it, and finally the Spaniards, for whom the steps were built to honor. The
coolest view is from the top, where you have a view of the city and streets below. This marked the end of our tour, so we headed back to get a good night's sleep to rest up for the long day ahead!
We begin the next day by walking to the Piazza della Repubblica to buy our Roma Passes. This guaranteed us free admission into our first 2 museums and discounts on the others, allowed us to skip long lines, and included unlimited travel on the metro and buses (worth the €30 ten times over). We take the metro to Britt's highly anticipated site, the Colosseum! Coming out of the metro stop, we had an amazing first view. I'm telling you, all of these sighs are incredible and totally live up to the hype! We go through security, skip the long line with our passes, and plug in our ear buds to listen to a Rick Steves podcast. It was very informative and helped to give us guidance around the enormous place! From here we walked to the Arco di Constantine. This arch was erected in commemoration of Constantine's victory over Maxentius, which ultimately helped to make Christianity legal. Next, we toured the Roman forum, which was full of history and old, old, old stone structures that used to be the marketplace used by the Greeks and Etruscans of the 7th and 8th centuries. The oldest street in Rome, Via Sacra, runs through the center. It began to rain again, and we high-tailed it back to the metro to visit one of the only indoor sights of Rome, the Vatican museum. Of course, once we got the the rain had stopped. The museum was fascinating! And so huge we had no idea where to begin! But thanks again to Rick Steves, we had a self- guided tour which led us to the more popular areas, starting with.the Egyptian and Mesopotamian artifacts. And a real Mummy!! Then we continued through the various halls and rooms filled with amazing art and talent like I've never seen before. Then finally, saving the best for last, we arrive at the Sistine chapel to view Michelangelo's impressive work. It is smaller than I imagined, but much more impressive.
From the museum, we head directly to St. Peter's Basilica. By now, I've seen my fair share of churches, duomos, and cathedrals. But this one, by far, took the cake. (Did I say that right, Dad?) We listened to yet another Rick Steves podcast and walked around the church with our jaws dragging the shiny marble floor. Directly to the right inside is Michelangelo's Pieta which is said to be one of the most moving renderings of Mary and Jesus ever created. It sits behind bulletproof glass because in 1972, a crazy person went at it and hacked off Jesus' nose and Mary's hand. Upon leaving the Basilica, we found a spot along the Piazza di San Pietro to rest our weary feet and just take it all in.
We make our way back to Rome, and find my favorite restaurant yet, "Fraschetteria Brunetti". The place was empty when we arrived, but the (presumably) owner was very welcoming. In my book, the restaurant was said to have 11 different types of lasagna. The guy brought the menu and went through each one describing it to us. We ended up telling him to pick his favorites, one red sauce, one white sauce, and we would split both. I still have no idea which ones he ended up choosing for us, but they were equally SO GOOD! With every bite I was in awe of how delicious they both were. More people started to come in, and the music got turned up. It was a fun little place that had pieces of paper all over the walls where other fans had written accolades and praise.
We begin to walk back to our B&B, doing some shopping along the way. I have to say, Rome is amazing, but you've never seen it until you experience it at night. Everything is lit up and the huge tour groups are gone. Definitely the way to go. We even walked back by the Colosseum to get a view of it at night. We got another good night's sleep, and headed out the next morning to finish our exploration of Rome. We had to check out by 10:30am, but were allowed to leave our bags until we were ready to actually leave Rome. So nice! We started at the National Museum, which was pretty close by, and saw some amazing Roman sculpture, frescos, and mosaics. From here we went back to the Pantheon, to view it from the inside. It has simple decor, but still breathtaking. It is an oval structure, and the very top has an "eye" that is open to the outside. This is the only light source of the building. Next, we had coffee at Tazza d' Oro Casa del Caffe, which is one of Rome's top coffee shops and dates back to the days when they were licensed to roast coffee beans. We ordered granita di caffe con panna, or coffee slush with cream, a local treat. Then we walked back by the Trevi fountain to view it during the day. It was much, much busier and vendors were in full swing. I definitely prefer it at night.
Our last goal of the day before heading back to get our stuff and leave, was to grab an early dinner at an Irish pub. We attempted to find our way back here by bus. We saw on the bus line a route to P. Cavour. Perfect! We were looking for Via Cavour. So we get on the bus and hop off at the stop. We are in a pretty little area, with a gorgeous, huge building in front of us. One problem, we have no idea where we are. We could not locate this building, nor any streets nearby on our maps near or around Via Cavour. Finally, Britt discovers that Piazza Cavour is different than Via Cavour and is located on the complete opposite side of Rome, across the Tiber river...oh joy...so now we have to find a bus going in the other direction to take us to Via Nazionale, where our restaurant is. Once we figured out which bus was headed that way, we counted how many stops it would be so we knew exactly when to get off. We found the restaurant, and had a delicious final meal in Rome.
We make our way back to the hostel, grab our loot, and head to the train station. We hop on and settle in to a nice, relaxing 2 hour ride to Florence, where we will catch the next train to Pistoia to catch our bus back to Gavinana (it's the same thing every week...half of our day is spent just traveling!) We get to Florence only to find that our train to Pistoia has been CANCELED! But no worries, we planned for these things and had a buffer of one earlier train and one later train. There was an even earlier train that we could catch that was 30 minutes late so we waited for that one. Well as 30 minutes turned in to 40 minutes, the board suddenly flashed that this train was canceled too! It's ok, it's ok, we still have two possibilies to get us back to Pistoia in time to catch our bus. To make a long story short, both of these trains got canceled as well. That's FOUR trains canceled! Along with several others going to various destinations. I think there ended up being a bad storm in the area. So we find yet another train going to Pistoia, however, this train gets in too late and will cause us to miss our bus, the last bus, to Gavinana. Well we start calling and texting our friends in Gavinana and Pistoia. Another problem, Britt's phone is out of minutes. Well that's fine, I have plenty of minutes. But wait! My phone is about to die!! (Seriously, everything that could go wrong, was going wrong) So Britt says well she'll just go buy more at the Tabacchi in the train station. They don't sell the minutes for our type of phones. So now we search all over the station looking for an outlet to plug in my phone. There is none, so we walk across the street to a cafe and I charge it there for 5 minutes because we have to rush back and catch our train. Fortunately, this train arrives and we get on no problem and I can charge my phone on the train. All of our connections in Pistoia and Gavinana fall through. EVERYONE is out of town! So we either go back to Florence and find a place to stay or get a taxi. We find a nice man who agrees to drive us up the mountian for €60. (We don't care, just get us home!) And finally, we arrive in Gavinana, ironically around the same time our bus would have usually gotten there. WHAT a weekend....we will be so glad to have our own cars! Anyway, we loved Rome and had a great time. Like I said at the beginning of this LOOONG post, you just have to take what you get and roll with it.
Ciao tutti!
PS - here is what will be happening in the next few days. We finish our clinical on Friday. Saturday bright and early we head to Pompei (please pray for good weather as it is supposed to rain all day!). Sunday we take a train to Rome and fly to Athens, Greece! (again, please pray for safe travels and that we make all of our necessary connections with trains and planes!). We will spend next week in Greece, going to Mykonos on Monday and Tuesday (please pray that the ferry runs, they are known to be unreliable), taking a 2-day tour to Delphi and Meteora over Wednesday and Thursday, Friday we will explore Athens, and Saturday morning we fly HOME!!!!!!!!!! Please keep us in your prayers for all aspects of the next few days!!! We love you all and can't wait to see you!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Lucca and the Leaning Tower
This past weekend Britt and I took advantage of our little car one last time. We visited two towns close by that we have been very excited about seeing! The first being Lucca. This town has been highly recommened by everyone we have talked to about traveling in Italy. Saturday morning we headed for the town on the beautiful back mountain roads of northern Tuscany. The beauty of road trips is that you can make as many stops along the way as you like! We came upon this amazing stone bridge that went over a river within the province of Lucca. It was called the Ponte della Maddelena, or "Bridge of Mary Magdalene". It is one of several medival bridges know as Ponte del Diavolo, "Bridge of the Devil". This particular bridge is considered a remarkable example of medival engineering, circa 1080 -1100. Crazy!
We arrive in Lucca and we begin to long for the hassles of buses and trains! Our B&B for the night is located within the city walls. Oh yeah, the cool thing about Lucca is that it is completely enclosed within walls constructed in the 16th century! The walls are wide enough for bicyclists and people strolling along treelined pathways, and you have an amazing view of the city the whole way. So, as I was saying, our B&B is within the city walls, we were told parking was available behind it the B&B. My handy-dandy Let's Go Italy book gives specific directions, but the problem is that these directions have us going through a ZTL, Zona Traffica Limitato, aka, DO NOT ENTER! Or you will receive a hefty fine in the mail without every seeing a police officer. But, we saw lots of people driving through and our directions clearly stated to go that way, so...we did. We were half expecting a loud alarm to go off and bright lights to start flashing, but nothing happened. So we continued, we followed the directions, saw a sign for our place, "La Gemma Di Elena", but no sign on a building...well since the streets are so narrow and the drivers are unforgiving, we drove back to where we first were and went around again. Returning to the same spot, Britt pulls over and I hop out to try and figure out what's going on. I find the front door, it's locked. I call the first number listed on the sign, it's out of service. I call the second number and the lady only speaks Italian....running out of options here!! Finally, a guy pokes his head out of a third story window and asks if he can help me, in English! Turns out he's the proprietor, and he buzzes me in. I head up and he explains that they indeed have parking, but they are sharing it with a private institution. Hence the lack of signs! He says that yes we could get a fine for going through the ZTLs, but if we pay the €6 to park in the lot, he will create a pass for us so we don't have to pay. Phew! I go back to the car, tell Britt, and we pull in the gated lot. We go upstairs to the floor that the B&B is on. It is so brightly decorated with all sorts of memorabilia from all the time he has spend in Southeast Asia, a bright orange sarong was hanging over our bed! It felt like we were staying in someone's home, it was very cozy. And the guy was so nice! He's from Amsterdam, spends about 3 months of the year in Southeast Asia with his Filipino boyfriend, and is in Italy the rest of the time running this cute B&B. Talk about well-traveled!
After getting settled in, we go out to explore the city! Every travel book we read through (between the 2 of us we have 4!) encouraged us to just get lost within the walls. Well we sure didn't have to try! We began by finding the iconic Piazza dell'Anfiteatro which is in the shape of a perfect oval, with shops and restuarants enclosing it. Then we walk along the Via Fillungo, which is where the major shopping happens. We were on the hunt for a cute, inexpensive place to grap a quick bite. We happen upon a small sandwich shop down a side alley, La Tana del Boia, (means The Lair of the Executioner). The owner was the one who made each sandwich with fresh regional meat and cheese he cut straight from the slab. Talk about fresh! He toasted the bread, then added cheese, then toasted again and added meat, wrapped the whole thing in butcher paper and voila! We indulged on a bench right outside the shop. From here we wandered to Piazza San Michele. We stopped in at a dessert shop that has been visited by Prince Edward himself! We got two delicious pastries and chowed down on the steps of the church in the piazza. Funny story about this church, we were following the Rick Steves guide where he points out fun details. We find the many different styled columns, but everything else in the description doesn't add up...are we even at the right church? We had to be, he described the same statue and the same bank that the church was in front of. But this church was locked up and some of the windows were boarded up. Something wasn't right. We headed for the edge of the city to walk along the wall to find another church. On our way to the wall, we stop in at a chocolateria (how could we not??) They don't even make chocolate during the months of June through August due to the heat. We were in luck! We got a handful of truffles and 2 small decadent chocolate cakes. We had one truffle each on a bench along the wall. Now we continue our church search. (Haha, that rhymed!) Once we find it, the Duomo di San Martino, we see... different styled columns, the same bank in front of the church...THIS is the church we were looking for! Weird that the two had so much of the description! We walked in and the first thing I noticed was the reflection of the stained glass windows on the opposite wall. Gorgeous. The we walk out and just in front and to the right is, yet again, another church. This church houses nightly opera performances to commemorate Puccini, who was from Lucca. They have "festivals" every single night of the year. It cost 12 euro for tickets, so being the poor grad students that we are, we headed back to the church around the time of the concert and sat on the steps of a side door of the church and had our own private seat to the concert. Lovely. Anyway, from the church, we walk to the Torre Dell'Ore, the clock tower of Lucca! It dates back to 1390! We walked up the 207 wooden steps to the top and saw the workings of the clock on the way up. So cool. At the top we had a gorgeous view of the area, and we ate another truffle. I mean, we earned it after climbing to the top! We saw another tower nearby with a garden on top. The Torre Guinigi, we bought a combo ticket for €3 and climbed the 230 wider stone steps to the rooftop garden for another gorgeous view (and another truffle!). Next we search for Puccini's home, neat, but didn't want to pay to go in, so we sat at a cafe outside and listened/watched a local band play some songs. They looked like they were about to head to a football game with their fancy outfits and the baton twirlers. It was fun to listen and then they started playing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". So. Good. Britt and I of course ended it on our own with the Lion King version :)
We continue on our way, strolling through the streets, and find our pizzeria for dinner. Go-od. Then we head to the church for our 'free' concert. Next, we find another cool spot, Ente Ento and finish the night with a bellini and cappucino. It was very modernly decorated entirely in black and white with pictures of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean on the walls. This place was obviously created for the 'hip', local crowd. We walk along the wall around the city back to our B&B and crawl in bed. Exhausted.
The next morning, we have breakfast in the 'living room' and pack up and head out for Pisa. We had heard there is not much to Pisa other than the Piazza Dei Miracoli, or Piazza of Miracles, which is the square that houses the leaning tower, the duomo and Battistero. Well, "they" were correct. We park in a free lot alongside tour buses and take a shuttle to the Piazza of Miracles. We are immediately hit from all sides by vendors and street sellers invading your personal space wanting you to buy 'designer' sunglasses for "good price, good price!" We kindly decline, and decline, and decline again. Once we pass the line of vendors, we walk into the piazza and first see the gigantic Battistero looming in front. At the other end of the piazza stands, or well, leans, the Leaning Tower. It has a whole lot more tilt to it than you would expect! Britt and I just stopped in our tracks and burst out laughing. No wonder it's such a talked about tower! But before we make our way over, we stop to admire the Battistero (which wierdly enough, also has a lean to it!). Then we take in the Duomo. As we round the Duomo, we take our requisite pictures with the Leaning Tower. You know, pushing it down. Some people were getting really creative! One girl saw us taking our pictures and asked us to get one of her doing the same thing. All they cool kids are doing it! We decide not to shell out the €15 to climb to the top. But we were fortunate enough traveling in 2012 to have a great view of it without scaffolding! The tower has had 800 years of construction, reconstruction and restoration and was finally finished in 2010. We watched a video on all of the different ways the committee tried to stop and alter the lean. Talk about intense! You can see a slight change in the continuity of the tower's levels on the third floor and the top from where architects attempted to direct the lean the other way. These attempts were made in vain, unfortunately. Today the tower leans 3.99° away from where it should be, but it is secure! We walk around the area a little more, grab a cheeseburger and fries at McDonalds (yup, you read that right!) and head back to catch the shuttle back to the parking lot.
From here we go to return our car at the airport. We have to return it with a full tank, so once again we attempt the gas station and, once again, a helpful (English-speaking!) Italian assists us with filling the car up. They only take cash (or Italian credit cards) so we had to walk down the block to an ATM to get enough cash to fill up the tank. In the end it was just under €50, and seeing that we have a car that's half the size of a normal sedan and probably has a gas tank the size of a milk jug, that's a lot! BUT, it was only the second time we had to fill the car with gas, so we can't complain too much. At the airport car rental, we are bracing ourselves for a long ordeal with returning the car, but the woman just takes our keys, rips of the top page of our agreement and we are on our way to the train station! Having the car was nice to explore the smaller Tuscan towns, but definitately not for anything else! Two weeks was plenty! We welcomed our train and bus rides back to Gavinana.
Another successful weekend trip accomplished!
We arrive in Lucca and we begin to long for the hassles of buses and trains! Our B&B for the night is located within the city walls. Oh yeah, the cool thing about Lucca is that it is completely enclosed within walls constructed in the 16th century! The walls are wide enough for bicyclists and people strolling along treelined pathways, and you have an amazing view of the city the whole way. So, as I was saying, our B&B is within the city walls, we were told parking was available behind it the B&B. My handy-dandy Let's Go Italy book gives specific directions, but the problem is that these directions have us going through a ZTL, Zona Traffica Limitato, aka, DO NOT ENTER! Or you will receive a hefty fine in the mail without every seeing a police officer. But, we saw lots of people driving through and our directions clearly stated to go that way, so...we did. We were half expecting a loud alarm to go off and bright lights to start flashing, but nothing happened. So we continued, we followed the directions, saw a sign for our place, "La Gemma Di Elena", but no sign on a building...well since the streets are so narrow and the drivers are unforgiving, we drove back to where we first were and went around again. Returning to the same spot, Britt pulls over and I hop out to try and figure out what's going on. I find the front door, it's locked. I call the first number listed on the sign, it's out of service. I call the second number and the lady only speaks Italian....running out of options here!! Finally, a guy pokes his head out of a third story window and asks if he can help me, in English! Turns out he's the proprietor, and he buzzes me in. I head up and he explains that they indeed have parking, but they are sharing it with a private institution. Hence the lack of signs! He says that yes we could get a fine for going through the ZTLs, but if we pay the €6 to park in the lot, he will create a pass for us so we don't have to pay. Phew! I go back to the car, tell Britt, and we pull in the gated lot. We go upstairs to the floor that the B&B is on. It is so brightly decorated with all sorts of memorabilia from all the time he has spend in Southeast Asia, a bright orange sarong was hanging over our bed! It felt like we were staying in someone's home, it was very cozy. And the guy was so nice! He's from Amsterdam, spends about 3 months of the year in Southeast Asia with his Filipino boyfriend, and is in Italy the rest of the time running this cute B&B. Talk about well-traveled!
After getting settled in, we go out to explore the city! Every travel book we read through (between the 2 of us we have 4!) encouraged us to just get lost within the walls. Well we sure didn't have to try! We began by finding the iconic Piazza dell'Anfiteatro which is in the shape of a perfect oval, with shops and restuarants enclosing it. Then we walk along the Via Fillungo, which is where the major shopping happens. We were on the hunt for a cute, inexpensive place to grap a quick bite. We happen upon a small sandwich shop down a side alley, La Tana del Boia, (means The Lair of the Executioner). The owner was the one who made each sandwich with fresh regional meat and cheese he cut straight from the slab. Talk about fresh! He toasted the bread, then added cheese, then toasted again and added meat, wrapped the whole thing in butcher paper and voila! We indulged on a bench right outside the shop. From here we wandered to Piazza San Michele. We stopped in at a dessert shop that has been visited by Prince Edward himself! We got two delicious pastries and chowed down on the steps of the church in the piazza. Funny story about this church, we were following the Rick Steves guide where he points out fun details. We find the many different styled columns, but everything else in the description doesn't add up...are we even at the right church? We had to be, he described the same statue and the same bank that the church was in front of. But this church was locked up and some of the windows were boarded up. Something wasn't right. We headed for the edge of the city to walk along the wall to find another church. On our way to the wall, we stop in at a chocolateria (how could we not??) They don't even make chocolate during the months of June through August due to the heat. We were in luck! We got a handful of truffles and 2 small decadent chocolate cakes. We had one truffle each on a bench along the wall. Now we continue our church search. (Haha, that rhymed!) Once we find it, the Duomo di San Martino, we see... different styled columns, the same bank in front of the church...THIS is the church we were looking for! Weird that the two had so much of the description! We walked in and the first thing I noticed was the reflection of the stained glass windows on the opposite wall. Gorgeous. The we walk out and just in front and to the right is, yet again, another church. This church houses nightly opera performances to commemorate Puccini, who was from Lucca. They have "festivals" every single night of the year. It cost 12 euro for tickets, so being the poor grad students that we are, we headed back to the church around the time of the concert and sat on the steps of a side door of the church and had our own private seat to the concert. Lovely. Anyway, from the church, we walk to the Torre Dell'Ore, the clock tower of Lucca! It dates back to 1390! We walked up the 207 wooden steps to the top and saw the workings of the clock on the way up. So cool. At the top we had a gorgeous view of the area, and we ate another truffle. I mean, we earned it after climbing to the top! We saw another tower nearby with a garden on top. The Torre Guinigi, we bought a combo ticket for €3 and climbed the 230 wider stone steps to the rooftop garden for another gorgeous view (and another truffle!). Next we search for Puccini's home, neat, but didn't want to pay to go in, so we sat at a cafe outside and listened/watched a local band play some songs. They looked like they were about to head to a football game with their fancy outfits and the baton twirlers. It was fun to listen and then they started playing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". So. Good. Britt and I of course ended it on our own with the Lion King version :)
We continue on our way, strolling through the streets, and find our pizzeria for dinner. Go-od. Then we head to the church for our 'free' concert. Next, we find another cool spot, Ente Ento and finish the night with a bellini and cappucino. It was very modernly decorated entirely in black and white with pictures of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean on the walls. This place was obviously created for the 'hip', local crowd. We walk along the wall around the city back to our B&B and crawl in bed. Exhausted.
The next morning, we have breakfast in the 'living room' and pack up and head out for Pisa. We had heard there is not much to Pisa other than the Piazza Dei Miracoli, or Piazza of Miracles, which is the square that houses the leaning tower, the duomo and Battistero. Well, "they" were correct. We park in a free lot alongside tour buses and take a shuttle to the Piazza of Miracles. We are immediately hit from all sides by vendors and street sellers invading your personal space wanting you to buy 'designer' sunglasses for "good price, good price!" We kindly decline, and decline, and decline again. Once we pass the line of vendors, we walk into the piazza and first see the gigantic Battistero looming in front. At the other end of the piazza stands, or well, leans, the Leaning Tower. It has a whole lot more tilt to it than you would expect! Britt and I just stopped in our tracks and burst out laughing. No wonder it's such a talked about tower! But before we make our way over, we stop to admire the Battistero (which wierdly enough, also has a lean to it!). Then we take in the Duomo. As we round the Duomo, we take our requisite pictures with the Leaning Tower. You know, pushing it down. Some people were getting really creative! One girl saw us taking our pictures and asked us to get one of her doing the same thing. All they cool kids are doing it! We decide not to shell out the €15 to climb to the top. But we were fortunate enough traveling in 2012 to have a great view of it without scaffolding! The tower has had 800 years of construction, reconstruction and restoration and was finally finished in 2010. We watched a video on all of the different ways the committee tried to stop and alter the lean. Talk about intense! You can see a slight change in the continuity of the tower's levels on the third floor and the top from where architects attempted to direct the lean the other way. These attempts were made in vain, unfortunately. Today the tower leans 3.99° away from where it should be, but it is secure! We walk around the area a little more, grab a cheeseburger and fries at McDonalds (yup, you read that right!) and head back to catch the shuttle back to the parking lot.
From here we go to return our car at the airport. We have to return it with a full tank, so once again we attempt the gas station and, once again, a helpful (English-speaking!) Italian assists us with filling the car up. They only take cash (or Italian credit cards) so we had to walk down the block to an ATM to get enough cash to fill up the tank. In the end it was just under €50, and seeing that we have a car that's half the size of a normal sedan and probably has a gas tank the size of a milk jug, that's a lot! BUT, it was only the second time we had to fill the car with gas, so we can't complain too much. At the airport car rental, we are bracing ourselves for a long ordeal with returning the car, but the woman just takes our keys, rips of the top page of our agreement and we are on our way to the train station! Having the car was nice to explore the smaller Tuscan towns, but definitately not for anything else! Two weeks was plenty! We welcomed our train and bus rides back to Gavinana.
Another successful weekend trip accomplished!
Monday, October 1, 2012
A weekend exploring small Tuscan towns
This past weekend, Britt and I took advantage of our little car and took off to explore the surrounding areas! It was very nice to not to have to deal with bus and train schedules for a change. We just put our destination in the Garmin and go! We left Saturday morning and drove south towards Siena to a church called San Galgano that several of the therapists recommended to us. First, we stopped at a cute roadside trattoria (A trattoria is different from a ristorante in that they have a menu that is more specific to the area and has a less formal feel). We sat by an open window and had a great view of the countryside. The homemade pasta was just delicious!! After we filled our tummies, we went on down the road to San Galgano. It was a beautiful church with gorgeous stonework. It did not have a roof because it got hit by lightning and the roof caved in, which actually made it even cooler. But this is the awesome part, we saw the actual "sword in the stone" just like the Disney movie! Except this sword in a stone was created in 1180 when Galgano Guidotti, a Tuscan nobleman for whom the church was built to honor, plunged a sword into stone (which supposedly "parted like butter") to symbolize his rejection of war. After a vision of Archangel Michael, he renounced a life of "arrogance, lust, and violence" to become a hermit. The sword in the stone is preserved in a chapel which was built around it called Montesiepi. People were even setting up a screen inside the roofless church of San Galgano for a special screening of "The Sword in the Stone" the night we were there! We didn't stay to watch it though. The area the church was in was just beautiful. Vineyards and cyprus-lined roads. So. Gorgeous.
Our next stop along our Tuscan tour was the small walled town of Monteriggoni. It is considered one of the most classical and best known Italian walled towns. Since the Middle Age its fame was so big that the great poet Dante Alighieri makes sign to his 'round enclosure' (Monteriggioni) in the Divine Comedy. The whole town (built in 1213-1219), which isn't very big, sits high on a high and had a wall built around it to protect itself from the Florentines, Siena's historic enemy. We were only here for about an hour, but it was on our way to our final destination of San Gimignano so we had to stop and see it. We had so many amazing views of the Tuscan countryside with vineyards and olive trees and rolling hills. Everything I imagined Tuscany to be like.
We stopped for gas along the way, dreading it because we had no idea how it would be different over here and even what kind of fuel our car takes! But as we pulled up to the pump, a man walked over and started to help us! We had no idea if he worked at the gas station or was just a helpful person (we assumed we looked very desperate, and very American). First he pointed out that the gas tank was on the other side of the car...we turned around and then tried to figure out who he was. We were concerned about putting the right type of gas in the car and got the car manual out to try and figure it out, but of course it was all in Italian. I tried to ask the guy and he kept assuring me it was this one type of fuel, and I asked if he was sure and he smells the gas cap and replies "Si, si"! Well anyone who sniffs the gas cap must know what they are doing! So he fills us up and shows me the cost and I pay him and he pulls out his own wallet to give me change. Gotta love these small town, family-owned businesses.
We finally get to San Gimignano at sunset. This is another small walled town and is famous for its medival architecture. It was founded in the 3rd century BC! It is also known for the dozens of tower houses that jut up into the sky. We walked around the town and stopped at various shops and had gelato in the town piazza. These towns are so gorgeous at night. There is a glow that seems to just hover over the town. From here we drove about 30 minutes to our hostel for the night. Nothing fancy, just a bed to sleep in for the night. A storm came up with crazy wind and lots of thunder and lightning. Our power went out for about an hour. Lovely.
The next day, we headed to Volterra, another walled medieval town, but this town was my favorite. It is known for its alabaster. There were lots of shops with gorgeous alabaster objects and handicraft. Britt and I both bought a clock made from alabaster for only 5 Euros! The extensive history of all of these towns is just amazing. Volterra has an arch called Porta All' Arco that dates back to 2nd century BC. We met a couple from Texas who took our picture for us in front of the arch and then we repayed the favor. We talked to them for a good 20 minutes. He had been a high school football coach for 44 years in Pasadena. They had been in Italy for 3 weeks. He said his grandparents were both from Italy so he and his wife came to check it out. We all had a good laugh at the Italian hand motions while talking. Italians are very animated! So fun to meet people every where we go. They all have facsinating stories! So, back to Volterra: There is also a Roman theater where construction began in the 1st century BC, that is just too crazy to even comprehend! Behind the theater are Roman baths dating back to the 4th century BC. Even saw the first "hot tub" :) And just like every town there was a gorgeous duomo (cathedral) with construction in 1120. Every town, no matter how big or small, has a duomo with amazing detail in the architecture and art inside the cathedral.
And now to get the attention of all you "Twi-hards" out there...the Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn, was filmed here! The part where Bella runs into the square through the fountain in the middle of all those people in red cloaks to reach Edward before he exposes his sparkling Vampire skin was filmed in the Piazza dei Priori! With the big clock tower and everything! There were posters and maps all over the town about it. Even Rick Steves mentions it in his travel book saying that the people are very proud of their part in Hollywood. There was a farmer's market going on in this Piazza and we bought some cheese, crackers, and salami for our drive home. So cool to see these vendors selling typical Tuscan products. Finally, we toured the home of a very wealthy family in Volterra who made their fortune from the alabaster trade. (Part of New Moon was also filmed in the ballroom of this house!) As we left the house to head to our car, it starts to pour...we duck into a neat wine shop (they had dusty bottles on top shelves dating back to the 1960s!) to escape the rain, but when it shows no signs of stopping, we decide to cut our losses and run for the car. We begin our 2 hour drive back home, which eventually turned into a 3 hour drive due to the torrential downpour that was present almost the entire drive. Water was even flooding parts of the street. We said our prayers and hoped that our little Smart car could make it through. Well we made it back! But not for lack of trying...we turn our car in at the end of the week and I will be happy to let the bus drivers do the driving! Britt has been doing an amazing job (I can't drive the rental car because I'm not 25), but the poor thing has to deal with so much stress during these drives! Don't get me wrong, I get stressed too, but she's the one at the wheel. You're doing great, Britt! Growing up in Seattle prepared her for the heavy rain we experienced on Sunday :) But nothing could have prepares her for the crazy Italian drivers...
We are officially over half way through our clinical! Can't believe we have come this far...we have been having so much fun and learning lots, but we are both going to be ready to get home when the time comes!
Ciao!
Our next stop along our Tuscan tour was the small walled town of Monteriggoni. It is considered one of the most classical and best known Italian walled towns. Since the Middle Age its fame was so big that the great poet Dante Alighieri makes sign to his 'round enclosure' (Monteriggioni) in the Divine Comedy. The whole town (built in 1213-1219), which isn't very big, sits high on a high and had a wall built around it to protect itself from the Florentines, Siena's historic enemy. We were only here for about an hour, but it was on our way to our final destination of San Gimignano so we had to stop and see it. We had so many amazing views of the Tuscan countryside with vineyards and olive trees and rolling hills. Everything I imagined Tuscany to be like.
We stopped for gas along the way, dreading it because we had no idea how it would be different over here and even what kind of fuel our car takes! But as we pulled up to the pump, a man walked over and started to help us! We had no idea if he worked at the gas station or was just a helpful person (we assumed we looked very desperate, and very American). First he pointed out that the gas tank was on the other side of the car...we turned around and then tried to figure out who he was. We were concerned about putting the right type of gas in the car and got the car manual out to try and figure it out, but of course it was all in Italian. I tried to ask the guy and he kept assuring me it was this one type of fuel, and I asked if he was sure and he smells the gas cap and replies "Si, si"! Well anyone who sniffs the gas cap must know what they are doing! So he fills us up and shows me the cost and I pay him and he pulls out his own wallet to give me change. Gotta love these small town, family-owned businesses.
We finally get to San Gimignano at sunset. This is another small walled town and is famous for its medival architecture. It was founded in the 3rd century BC! It is also known for the dozens of tower houses that jut up into the sky. We walked around the town and stopped at various shops and had gelato in the town piazza. These towns are so gorgeous at night. There is a glow that seems to just hover over the town. From here we drove about 30 minutes to our hostel for the night. Nothing fancy, just a bed to sleep in for the night. A storm came up with crazy wind and lots of thunder and lightning. Our power went out for about an hour. Lovely.
The next day, we headed to Volterra, another walled medieval town, but this town was my favorite. It is known for its alabaster. There were lots of shops with gorgeous alabaster objects and handicraft. Britt and I both bought a clock made from alabaster for only 5 Euros! The extensive history of all of these towns is just amazing. Volterra has an arch called Porta All' Arco that dates back to 2nd century BC. We met a couple from Texas who took our picture for us in front of the arch and then we repayed the favor. We talked to them for a good 20 minutes. He had been a high school football coach for 44 years in Pasadena. They had been in Italy for 3 weeks. He said his grandparents were both from Italy so he and his wife came to check it out. We all had a good laugh at the Italian hand motions while talking. Italians are very animated! So fun to meet people every where we go. They all have facsinating stories! So, back to Volterra: There is also a Roman theater where construction began in the 1st century BC, that is just too crazy to even comprehend! Behind the theater are Roman baths dating back to the 4th century BC. Even saw the first "hot tub" :) And just like every town there was a gorgeous duomo (cathedral) with construction in 1120. Every town, no matter how big or small, has a duomo with amazing detail in the architecture and art inside the cathedral.
And now to get the attention of all you "Twi-hards" out there...the Twilight movie, Breaking Dawn, was filmed here! The part where Bella runs into the square through the fountain in the middle of all those people in red cloaks to reach Edward before he exposes his sparkling Vampire skin was filmed in the Piazza dei Priori! With the big clock tower and everything! There were posters and maps all over the town about it. Even Rick Steves mentions it in his travel book saying that the people are very proud of their part in Hollywood. There was a farmer's market going on in this Piazza and we bought some cheese, crackers, and salami for our drive home. So cool to see these vendors selling typical Tuscan products. Finally, we toured the home of a very wealthy family in Volterra who made their fortune from the alabaster trade. (Part of New Moon was also filmed in the ballroom of this house!) As we left the house to head to our car, it starts to pour...we duck into a neat wine shop (they had dusty bottles on top shelves dating back to the 1960s!) to escape the rain, but when it shows no signs of stopping, we decide to cut our losses and run for the car. We begin our 2 hour drive back home, which eventually turned into a 3 hour drive due to the torrential downpour that was present almost the entire drive. Water was even flooding parts of the street. We said our prayers and hoped that our little Smart car could make it through. Well we made it back! But not for lack of trying...we turn our car in at the end of the week and I will be happy to let the bus drivers do the driving! Britt has been doing an amazing job (I can't drive the rental car because I'm not 25), but the poor thing has to deal with so much stress during these drives! Don't get me wrong, I get stressed too, but she's the one at the wheel. You're doing great, Britt! Growing up in Seattle prepared her for the heavy rain we experienced on Sunday :) But nothing could have prepares her for the crazy Italian drivers...
We are officially over half way through our clinical! Can't believe we have come this far...we have been having so much fun and learning lots, but we are both going to be ready to get home when the time comes!
Ciao!
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