Italy 09, Post 2

Italy blog, October 2009, Part II

Wed am, Oct. 28, Casa Rabatti--Marcella's Place, Ferenzia (Florence)
We left Bologna yesterday morning with relatively little misdirection. The autostrada made its way through hilly country. Lots of tunnels. Lots of trucks. The fall countryside, leaves yellow, had a haze that looked like smog. But, the sky here in Florence is clear.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Florence#

For all my planning, I noticed I only had an email from the place we are staying here. No address. No phone #. We crossed the River Arno, on the edge of the old city. I found a parking spot and went in to a place that advertised international calling. I got Casa Rabatti phone # from a nice young man there. The global phone came through. When Marcella, with her limited English, heard we are driving, she replied: "Very bad". Recently they further restricted vehicle traffic in the old city. We decided to put the car in a garage where we called from and caught a cab here to Casa Rabatti, Via San Zaboni #48. Unless the cabbie was going out of her way to run up the fare, driving here ourselves would have been an ordeal, as she made her way through parking lots in her circuitous route around the train station, to get us here.
My old running buddy at Spanaway Jr. High, Paul, stayed here with Jill this past summer. They learned of Casa Rabatti via Rick Steves. Rick stays here. Paul commented that Marcella is the one Italian he remembers from Italy. Indeed, she is personable, even if it's instructing us what doesn't get flushed down the toilet.
We got a start on seeing Florence yesterday afternoon--'took in the Galleria dell'Accademia, saw Michelangelo's David in all his glory. 'Made our way past the Duomo (cathedral--we'll go inside today) to the Ponte Vecchio. The setting sun reflecting on towers, domes and bridges was nice timing. After a shower and nap, we had dinner at nearby Za Za, at fashionably late 8:30 pm. Outside dining can't continue much later in the year, as it's getting cool at night. But, I'm sure glad we didn't come during the heat of summer, which is notoriously bad here.

Thursday morning, last of Florence
Marcella doesn't do breakfast--first place we've stayed that hasn't. Aside from small coffee bars, restaurants that do breakfast seem absent in Italy. We found a place, but when we asked about eggs we were informed eggs for breakfast aren't an option. Good cappuccinos are easy to find.
We spent some time in the huge cathedral, then joined the line to get in to the Uffizi Gallery, considered the most important in Italy. Once in, it wasn't too crowded. While big, the 45 rooms are laid out in a horseshoe that is easy to follow. The paintings are mostly devoted to Biblical themes. Some portraits. Lots of marble busts along the interior corridors.
Making our way back toward Casa Rabatti, we checked out churches along streets with lots of fashionable shops. A shower and nap again before the wonderful evening meal at La Burrasca, a small trattoria in the neighborhood. We started, as usually, with olive oil and vinegar to spice up the loaf of french bread. And a carafe of red wine. We each ordered a meat dish, along with sides of tomatoes and lima beans. Great seasonings.
No wifi or internet access with Marcella. But, there is an internet place a block away, open 'til midnight. I stopped in to check email, learn that one of our bank accounts is overdrawn, answer more questions for a bidder on a united way fundraiser I'm donating timeshare accommodation to. A few replies about my first blog entry about the trip.
Time to pack and find our way southward to the hill town of Siena.

What a view, but what a bed
We made our way out of Florence without detour. 'Didn't see any place we wanted to stop for "breakfast". Instead of taking the toll autopista, as intended, we ended up on the old highway to Siena. Which was fine. Fewer150 kph speedsters. 4-lane road--an old freeway. Mostly uninhabited hills with deciduous trees--leaves yellow. The instructions I had to find Albergo Bernini, our B&B here in Siena, said follow signs to "the soccer stadium". Approaching town, I saw signs for "Il Campo". I thought: "campo" means "field", so that's probably right. Wrong. We climbed up to town on the wrong side and had to backtrack--traffic is not permitted to drive through the old, walled city (although lots of locals do drive around inside of the walls--with permits).. That wasn't the worst of the car situation for the day. Carlotta, the friendly young gal with good English at the albergo, showed me on a map where there was free overnight parking--lots of it. 'Problem was, there were even more cars--numerous ones double-parked, waiting for someone to leave and open up- a space. After circling for several minutes, I returned to the temporary parking by the church and got instructions from Carlotta to enter the stadium (make that "stadio") paid parking.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Siena#

We have Room #10. My advanced reading had included mention of this room having a great view, so I asked for it. Does it ever have a view: San Domenico Church is framed perfectly by our bedroom window. And, it's nicely lit up at night. From our small bath window we have another postcard view of the cityscape, the magnificent public palace campanile (tower) on the left, the dome of the cathedral to the right. But, my source for the great view didn't mention the bed. Until now, we have had big, comfortable beds everywhere we've stayed. This bed is small (standard-sized), both saggy and hard. And squeaky. It's the middle of the night now and I'm typing here at a desk in the hall. Hopefully, Lucy has gone back to sleep. After falling asleep initially, I was awake and uncomfortable for some time before I got up. I could tell Lucy wasn't sleeping soundly either.
We've been to some beautiful; old cities this trip--Cannobio, Bergamo, Venice. Florence had lots of fine buildings and somewhat picturesque streets, but less stunning than the others. We only spent a night in Bologna, but were less taken with it. I find Siena has the most captivating panoramas of the old city. And, while curvy streets are part of the charm of all, I'd say the lanes in Siena are the crookedest of all.
More cathedral exploring. Pics permitted, providing no flash. My 10x Panasonic is great--it brings the stained glass windows full-frame. Stabilizing features are special too. I was able to zoon right up to Saint Caterina's preserved head! (in San Domenico Church--the one we see from our room).
We had dinner at a trattoria just below our window. Another outstanding dining experience. My hunter's-style chicken was suburb. So was the chocolate cake. Enough dessert? Naw, I finished off with a limoncita--famous Italian liquor. Yummy..
There's wifi here in the albergo. After getting on line earlier yesterday, in the evening there were connection problems. I'm going to pass more time, rather than crawl back in to that awful bed, by trying to get back on line now.

The Hermitage, Cinque Terre
Daily road report: We got out of Siena without problem and took the correct exits to get on the road to the coast. We decided we had time for a detour in to Pisa. 'Lucked out and found a parking spot on the street, only a block from the leaning tower. Took several pics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/Pisa#

On our return to the autostrada, I entered a roundabout and exited too soon. It turned out to be a lovely road, passing through small towns, often tree-lined. I would have appreciated it more if I wasn't worried about where we'd have a chance to get back on the autopista, which we did at Lucca. There may have been a quicker way to get to the road to Vernazza, here in the Cinque Terre ("5 lands"), a section of coastline popularized by Rick Steves for it's beauty--a string of 5 towns hugging the steep shoreline, connected by train and walking trails--no roads between towns, except by climbing up and down the mountain via switchbacks.
Months ago, when I made the reservation here at the Hermitage, my knee surgery prior to the trip wasn't in the cards. Even without the surgery, I had no business deciding to stay in this place on the mountainside outside of town, up a series of irregular steps. While we were encouraged to leave most of our luggage in town, Lucy didn't know what to leave, so she has most everything. I left a bunch of clothes but brought the full-size laptop. We're paying to park the car at the edge of town, but I was uneasy about potential for a car break-in.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/TheHeritageCinqueTerre#

No dinner available here at the Hermitage. They do provide flashlights. There is a bar at the upper end of town, that we were told was open, so we decided to go there for dinner, But, on arriving, we found it closed. Lucy's knee was giving her trouble so she turned back and I went on down the grocery store (it closed as I was leaving), for cheese, bread, pesto and wine. Au Aussie couple staying here had a corkscrew.
Comfortable bed. Even so, I'm doing my usual wake up/get up for a while thing.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrinkles45/VernazzaCinqueTerre#

Nerina's Room, Vernazza
We asked out of our second night at the Hermitage--the long trek from town too brutal. Fabio, the owner, was not around, but reachable by phone. The maid said the price would be half instead of the full 80 Euros for leaving after one night when we had reserved two. While I tried to play the invalid recovering from surgery, when I think about someone trying to back out on housing with me (not be obligated to give a 20-day notice or asking out at Beverly Beach for lack of being ocean-front), I shouldn't complain. The online description of the location clearly describes the hike up the mountain to get there and offers storage of luggage in town. I missed my opening the first night--a couple of gals showed up at the Hermitage, after dark, hoping to stay. They got on the phone with Fabio and left. I should have asked if they wanted to take our second night and, if so, inform Fabio. The maid called Nerina and we met her here in the town's square, next to the church, right on the harbor. We have a shared bathroom, but we've not seen nor heard anyone to share with.
It was a low-key day here in Vernazza. A small peninsula jutting in to the Ligurian Sea. Winding main street, alleys with stairs, colorful buildings crowded together, a beach, a boat landing, a couple of old towers. Steep hillsides surrounding, dotted with vineyards and a very few villas, high above the sea. A busy train station. We talked about catching a train to the next town, but noted that much of the ride might be underground, as trains arrive and leave town via tunnels. We also considered catching the passenger boat up or down the coast to the next town, but decided against it. The idea of getting back on the Blue Path linking villages was beyond consideration. The Hermitage was mostly up the Blue Path, with an additional series of stairs once we reached the green door. And, heading north out of town, we could see hikers--climbing a huge ridge. No, we made the right plan for the afternoon--a short stair climb to one of the towers right in town and meandering with camera while Lucy continued to shop for scarves and jewelry to take to those back home.
At dinner I switched the camera to view--I was going to delete some of the shots of the farmer in the vineyard that I'd taken while roaming around the Hermitage before breakfast--I kept trying to time the shot to catch his hoe on the upswing. Only 12 pictures showed up! A strange group of 12--some from earlier in the trip, others from different places in recent months. It was unbelievable--that all my pics to select from, for inclusion in my blog, could have vanished! With a turn of the camera setting (auto, scenery, sports, night, etc), I found all my pictures were still there. What a relief!
　
Back in the U.S. of A.
Monday afternoon, JFK, NY. Thanks to Samsung, I've got power for my laptop. Our current converter to European power was sketchy--hit & miss, and my laptop power reserves were gone.
Yesterday morning, as we clamed away from Cinque Terre, I tried to not endanger us on the narrow, twisting road, while catching glimpses of the beautiful terrain and ocean. When we found the autostrada our pace jumped from 20-40 kph to 120-140 kph. Italy has made a major investment in their super highways. Lots of tunnels, rather than climb over hills and mountains. Of course, they are great revenue-makers, as they are toll roads. We missed a turn approaching Genoa (Genova), so we had lunch near the old city. Unsure of how long it would take us to find our place for the night, I was reluctant to venture too far, so all we saw was one impressive building. Approaching Pavia, I figured after passing up Pavia sur ("south") exit I'd best not pass up Pavia norte ("north"). We had instructions to the hotel that mentioned another exit, but I figured it was premised on coming from Milan, not from Genoa. 'Familiar scenario--asking directions, not understanding them, asking again, eventually arriving at the Hotel Italia at 4:30 pm. The big attraction in the area--the Certosa di Pavia (charterhouse), according to Lonely Planet, "one of the most notable buildings of the Italian Renaissance". It closes at 5 pm. After checking in, we jumped back in the car and got to the Certosa just as it was closing. We took a few pics of the outside. I had a tasty calzone for my last dinner in Italy.
Following a nice breakfast spread that they opened early for us at 6:30 pm, we headed toward the Malpensa Airport in the rain. We managed to make about 10 exits on cue (truly a maze of autopistas around Milan). After repeatedly seeing "Malpensa" on highway reader boards, either for exiting or continuing straight ahead, there was an absence of "Malpensa" signs. I figured, since we should be getting closer, if we were still on the right path, we'd see confirming signs. I pulled off and got back on the autopista, using a tollbooth with a live toll person. His suggestion (Go toward Verese) wasn't helpful, as we were headed back in to Milan, with Verese behind us. Exits on the autopistas are not like here in the states, when it's simple to get off, cross over and head the other way. I got off, in to a maze of city streets and after about 10 minutes finally got heading toward Varese and Malpensa again. Meanwhile, I began have thoughts of not making the plane and being told our full fare tickets tomorrow would be $1200 each.
Finally, we reached Terminal 1 (But, should we go to Terminal 2?). Lucy confirmed we were at the right terminal--I left all bags with her and took the car back to the Budget parking lot. As I hoped, I didn't have to deal, then and there, with the consequences of killing two cars. The gal said the final bill will be mailed, so I'll have to wait to find out the verdict of what they charge me.
We made the plane. Actually, with a few minutes to spare. We were able to split up and each have an empty seat next to us, for the 8 hour 50 minute flight to New York. 'Nice to be back.

Summing Up
Advice to travelers to Italy: Take the train. If you must drive, do get a GPS. If they tell you there's none available, go to the next agency, until you get one. This advice doesn't come as a surprise, if you've taken the time to read my repeated tales of woe about being lost. And, wherever you rent a car, be sure to fill the tank with the right fuel! My plan to take sightseeing Michelin routes didn't work--we couldn't keep track of road signs. And, what with the time taken getting off track, I decided, whenever possible, to catch the fast autopistas to make of up for lost time.
I didn't pick up much Italian. My Spanish helped some. Most of the time, people were friendly when approached. In spite of being in areas that attract lots of international visitors, most people, other than in lodging and restaurants, didn't speak much, if any, English. On numerous occasions I overheard travelers speak to wait staff in English, then talk with each other in another language. Initially I was surprised, then realized English is a much more common second language than is Italian.
I’m not much of a museum or church connoisseur. There have been a few museums that really caught me. One in Toledo, Spain. The Anthropology Museum in Mexico City. The museums in Florence weren’t on that list, but I’m glad I visited them. Lucy was awestruck by David and his huge stature. Wanting to document with my camera, it was disappointing that camera use was prohibited in the museums and some churches. Other churches non-flash photos were permitted. My 10X Panasonic was great capturing stained glass windows.
I’ll resist boring you with details about costs. With the dollar at or near an all-time low against the Euro (about $1.50 to buy one Euro), this was not the best time to go, although I was happy with the weather, despite rain to start and on our last day to the airport. Even taking in to account we were frequenting mostly tourist destinations with inflated prices, I have to wonder if Italian salaries are large enough to be able to afford things, including eating out.
As the Picassa links attest, we visited many photogenic places. I didn't stop to take pics of the narrow, curvy roads, often with colorful old buildings crowding the roadway.
It measured up to the anticipation of the Big Retirement Trip. Big, as in 2 weeks is about right. Both Lucy and I are happy to be home, greeted by animals and our own bed!