Viva Italia

At this point in our journey I am realizing that this blog is starting to become more of an archive for me, so that I don't forget everything that's happened in the last 3 years. I don't know how much more I can say about Qatar and the whole living overseas gig, until we move of course, which I am sure will be a unique experience in itself.
Being so close to Europe its clear that at some point you have to visit Italy. We left Qatar at midnight. We arrived in Roma at 3pm the next afternoon. Needless to say we were pooped.
One revelation we had while traveling was that it would be wonderful if these terminals, that you have to camp in for hours at a time, had a work out facility. After many hours of sitting it would be nice to be able to run or ride a bike or lift some weight. Better than sitting in a bar for 5 hours.
Anyway, we landed in Italy and had a driver prearranged to take us to our B and B. Highly recommended, taxi are mind bogglingly expensive. Our friends, the Carlsons, set us up in a very nice apartment, 1 block from the vatican city. Street noise was a drag at night but restaurants and the subway were close. We also took some nice strolls through St. Peter's square which was only a couple of kilometers away.
The view from our balcony, the top St. Peter's through the trees and below is the view from our front window.

Outside the Vatican museum

A Vatican Tour was first on the agenda. Guided tours are expensive but I swear by them. Jumping the queue in itself is worth 1/2 the price of admission. The tour guide focused only on the major pieces of art and she did a real nice job of tieing the works together. She was very knowledgeable.

Here our guide is explaining the mural at the end of the Sistine Chapel. And behind us was this rotating globe. The guide made a couple remarks about contemporary works of art being out of place next to masterpieces like those of Michelangelo.

I didn't take too many pictures but some cases I couldn't help myself...

The Sistene Chapel was packed with flashes going off all over the place regardless of the no picture rule. This is something I don't get. People are feverishly snapping photos all over the place of the ceiling. The photos are no doubt of poorer quality than any of the photo books that you can buy, plus if you are shooting a picture of the ceiling its certain that there is no family in the picture.... Sense??.... Buy the book with the professional photos or download them like..... this one

or the next and nobody in the way or telling you to put your camera away.

St. Peter's Basilica is awe inspiring pure an simple. The altar,

The Pieta,

Bernini's Monument to Pope Alexander VII

The detail in Bernini's work is loaded with emotion

Outside St. Peter's

The Vatican/Swiss guards have uniforms that rival the RCMP

We went to a great restaurant that night called Dino and Tony's . Run by two brothers, the atmosphere in the place was fun and light, lots of laughs

Dino ? Tony ? can't remember

The brothers as kids ... great pic

The net day comprised a trip to the Roman Forum and the Coliseum. The subway in Rome is very efficient, we got off right at the Coliseum, a short walk to the Forum. We purchased a 3 day pass which worked out perfectly.

The compulsory pre-tour cappuccino

History lesson in the Forum. The forum was like a quarry in the middle ages. Many pieces of marble are now missing as they were scavenged by popes and used to build other structures in Rome. Mussolini later built a major road right through the forum, breaking it up. The tour was long and the day was hot, but 2 things made up for that... Meeting one of my students in the Forum and jumping the queue at the Coliseum ;)

Me and Riley Doyle

We spent the afternoon in a section of Rome called Trastevere aka the jewish quarter. It is a must see! A beautiful part of Rome, very narrow streets, lots of cool bistros and shops... It took Lenore like an hour to walk two blocks... great shopping.

Another shop to explore!

Narrow cobble stone streets with plants hanging from balconies, across wires...

the feel in this part of town is warmth. Its very laid back, colorful, quaint... more cappuccino

S. Maria Trastevere Church is a beautiful building

with a very ornate ceiling

Victor Emmanuel Monument...The end of day two... exhausted!

Our third day was dedicated to Piazzas and fountains.

The Spanish steps and the boat fountain in the foreground

Trevi Fountain

You can sit at the Trevi fountain and just study all the figures that are bursting out of the rock, every angle produces another little treasure admire.

1 coin for luck, the second coin to bring you back.

The Triton Fountain
The fountain walk was a great idea. It lead us to all the major piazzas and as a consequence, lots of good food.
There are many obelisks that were taken from Egypt be the Romans and then peppered all over the city.
Best Cappuccino in Rome, hands down.
Fountain in St. Peter's Square
Our last day in Rome we cycled the Via Appia. There is a bike rental at the base of the via appia. The round trip is 34km? This was the road that Saint Peter and Saint Paul walked on their way into Rome. The history in Rome wraps you up like a thick fog.
Lenore, ready to ride! The cobblestones proved to be too punishing.
Taking a break
If you have the time the ride is worth it. Its like cycling back in time.
a roadside cafe.
The following day was a travel day to Cinque terre. The train takes you from Roma to La Spezia the trip only takes a few hours. Travelling from La Spezia to Vernazza is all in the dark. You travel mainly through tunnels and you miss all the beautiful scenery :(...
We arrived in Vernazza and strolled through the pastel colored buildings down to our Band B on the Piazza.
to the right of the yellow building is our B and B. We had to climb 7 flights of stairs with Lenore's luggage. Tight little stair case that turned ninety degrees every 5 steps. It was a real bitch when you're lugging 23 kg suitcases.
While we're looking this picture I'll tell another little story about the windows on the top floor to the left of the yellow building. Those windows released the most incredible music while I was sucking on a beer looking out at the sea. At about 5 pm one afternoon a local tenor started singing opera in that room and all the traffic in the piazza stopped cold. Everyone turned to face the windows as this wonderful sound cascaded out onto the square. He sang 5 different pieces for a small audience assembled in that room. We were just very lucky bystanders. The concert lasted maybe 20 minutes. I can't tell you what he sang but the piazza was like an amphitheater and it was a wonderful impromptu moment.
Vernazza Harbor

The view from the piazza is a rugged beauty.
The view into the harbor and piazza is also pretty good.

When people come to the Vernazza region the thing you do is hike. Cinque terre are 5 small towns linked by trails. The trails are a workout and are very busy. The trails were crowded but the views filled the spirit.
Narrow stone walkways with vegetation all around reminded us of Nepal, the panoramic sea views were a new twist. Some of the walks are a bit of a challenge, some are easy. There is a sea trail which is low and a much longer trail above which weaves through vineyards. The sea trail is shorter, less vertical and more popular. I highly recommend purchasing the "Cinque Terre train card" It gives you access to all the paths, you have to pay to walk them, as well as all trains in Cinque terre. 19 euro per person for a two day pass.
We hiked to Monterosso al Mare on our first day. A much bigger town with more to see but not nearly as picturesque as Vernazza.
We parked ourselves on a bench and ate our lunch... baguette, cheeze, ham and biera.
Monterosso
We shopped and swam in the Med. When it was time to go home we headed to the train station. Being in the sun all day turned my brain a little mushy. I should have checked the train schedule a little closer. Well, we got on our train and the first sign of trouble was when the train blasted past our stop and then the next stop the one after that etc... all the way to La Spezia! OOOPS. We had accidentally stepped onto the "express". Well an hour later we are heading back in the right direction. We had a nice conversation with a few other couples whose guides (husbands) made the same booboo.
Corniglia the next day's hike!
We're ready for action
Looking back at Vernazza on the way to Corniglia
Twas a warm sweaty day
Almost there!
These towns are in the most amazing locations!
Corniglia was very charming, not as busy as the other towns on the trek.
The path to Manarola was blocked by landslides so we had to sit and wait a solid hour for the train. Luckly this was the most picturesque train station I ever been stuck in, that's the view above.
Manarola was nice, it looked like Venazza but on a smaller scale.
Tall buildings and narrow alley ways, so Italian
On the move to Riomagiorre
Are we having fun yet ??
Our last night in Cinque Terre we had a great dinner at the castle in Vernazza. its the building on the right, below.

The food was magnifico and the view was better.

The Il Pirata caffe has the best deserts ever, and the two guys below are the brothers who run Il Pirata and they are hilarious.
A trip to this restaurant is a must if you find your self in Vernazza. The restaurant is above the train tracks maybe 400 m up the road.
Arrivaderci Cinque Terre.
Onto Firenze! Our arrival in Florence was humorous. We had to find the guy who was renting us an apartment in Florence. He told us to meet him in front of the "bar" in the train station. There were 3 "bars" in the station, I've never met this guy before, tons of people... No idea where to start. Anyway Lenore glances at this guy who's just staring at the ground nearby, I thought he might be a homeless person. She's goes up to the guy are you Mario?... a nod... are you Mario Cenni?... another nod ... bingo!
So we follow him on foot into the heart of Florence with our luggage in tow. I'm not expecting much. As we walk we get closer and closer to the Duomo, the main catherdral.
" Here we are" he says and takes up 4 floors to the top apartment in the building. The apartment is huge... 2 big bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen satellite TV, total score! From the front room we see...
From the back we see ...
San Lorenzo and the Medici chapel.
I have to ask him if he has the right apartment and the right customers, I double check the price to make sure ... Yes its us, price is right. I begin to wonder whether there's mice or some other hidden flaw in the place .... nope! I guess there's a lot of competition for tourists, lucky us!
First day we are prime for the the tourist stuff having just been hikers and beach bums for the last couple of days. First a trip to the Piazzale Michelangelo, best view point in Florence.

Then we hit the Academia and the Uffizi Gallery
An unfinished work by Michaelangelo, looks like the man is trying to break free from the rock.The David ... the original
Perseus and the slain Medussa above and below some dude in helmet surrounded by chicks... I forget what it all represents.All these sculptures are outside the Uffizzi gallery and are magnificent.
Inside Botecelli's Venus is the main highlight.
Our first meal was at a great restaurant called the "Cinghiale Blanco" or the White Boar which not surprisingly is the specialty of the house!
That's wild boar on my plate.
Then a walk along the Arno river ... the Ponte Vecchio
Perhaps the most fun we had was on the next day. We took a a bike ride through Tuscany
We started our ride from a castle a top a hill just outside of Florence. But first ...wine tasting! Now I'm game for good red wine just about anytime, but 10 in the morning just before a full day bike ride, I dunno, not exactly strategic planning, but hey when in Rome or Florence ...
Castle views.
Our tour guide Andy was a professional cyclist ... great sense of humor,
not bad on a bike either
We biked for about an hour and then had a nice lunch and some more Chianti
The girl across to Lenore's right works in Nelson BC. Small world
Biking studs


Next day ... shopping in the main markets ch-ching. All kinds of moveable carts with lots of leather goods, clothing, jewelry...
Lenore buying a few scarves. She also found some beautiful leather backpack style purses that she liked and bought 3
(not all for her). I bought a belt.
and a sandwich... right up there with Montreal Smoked Meat
The beef is boiled in a brine and then shaved. Stick it in a nice warm kaiser bun with hot mustard and a big appetite.... Paradise!
Feast of San Giovanni Battista the Saint Patron of the city of Florence.
AKA .. Saint Jean Baptiste... didn't know that was a big deal outside of Quebec.

That night was our last night in Florence ... one solid hour of the best fireworks I've ever seen. Nice to go out with a bang!
Onto the Amalfi Coast

Three trains and two cabs later we are in the hills above Sorrento . Oh and by the way never take a cab in this region it's the biggest rip off going... 40 euros for a 15 minute cab ride. The bus service is excellent and is way cheaper.
A limoncello store in Sorrento. Lemon liquor is the specialty in the area. There must be half a dozen of these shops. We felt the need to quality control several of these shops and I'm happy to report they all passed with flying colors.
Lenore in her gangsta attire.
Sorrento Harbor
The piers in the harbor have been converted into sun bathing facilities.
The Old Mill off my left shoulder, a wheat grinding mill from the 19th century, valley of the mills.
Il Borgo was our favorite restaurant in the area, it had an amazing view of Mount Vesuvius and the Sorrento Harbor.

Vesuvius in the background
Casa Elena sunset
Casa Elena, our home away from home. We had the bottom two windows near the door, nice place, very reasonably priced.The property had an extensive lemon orchard. Elena makes her own Limoncello... delicioso!

Local flower
Capri Cruise Roche Perce a la Capri.
The green grotto of Capri....no wait, no charge.
Old guys in Speedos are never OK even in Italy
A memorable view ... love that eye candy
The water in Capri was a little chilly but the colors were beautiful.

Positano is on the other side of the peninsula is gorgeous, but the drive is very narrow, very steep and very high above the water. White knuckles...
The town shoots up from the sea and homes spring out from the rock, the housing architecture is
awe inspiring
Cathedral in Positano has a beautiful dome ..

We stopped for coffee in a little bakery. We are sipping our cappuccinos and eating a couple of pastries when in rushes a bride and her bridesmaids. They are clearly on the way to the cathedral. The bridesmaids start fussin' over some detail on the bride's dress they are definitely from the southern US all dressed in white and peach. Long way to come for wedding unless you're marrying a local boy. Five minutes layer the fussing was over and off they went...
goin' to the chapel and we're gonna get married...
Flower draped walkways in Positano...
We loved Italy the scenery was never ending. I couldn't get my fill I'd go back tomorrow.