My Italy Diary: Tuscany, Part 5

We checked out this morning and went on a quest for wine before headng to Firenza to catch the train to Milano. Roberto directed us to a small farm up the hill, Isola e Olena. We stopped in unannounced and were received graciously by Marta, who showed us through the cellar and processing, explaining everything as we went. We tasted four exceptional wines, three of which we bought to take home. We arrived safely back in Firenza, returned the car, and managed to catch the 2:14pm train to Milano. We arrived around 5:00pm and took a taxi to the Hotel Spadari al Duomo. After checking in we walked around a bit. Unfortunately, like everywhere else in Italy we’ve visited, the Duomo is under restoration. I’m very disappointed, as the Milano Duomo is the most spectacular in Italy, with its spirers and gothic look.

Tomorrow morning we head home.

My Italy Diary: Tuscany, Part 4

After dinner last night we took a walk and met up with Liz and Ron Koontz, fellow Americans from California. We shared some wine and conversation, and made plans to have dinner together tonight. Carmelina followed us back to the room and came in for a treat, the leftover procuitto from our meal, and promptly went to bed. We stopped at the tavern for cappucino before heading out this morning and discovered that they are not open for dinner tonight. We are disappointed as the meals here have been the best we’ve had in Italy and we depart tomorrow.

Our first stop today was San Gimignano, a small medieval town which once upon a time had 72 towers. Today only 14 remain and only one, Torre Grosse, is open to the public. We climbed to the top to get the panoramic view, which was not disappointing. There was a lot of fog so the opportunity for photography was somewhat limited. The most charming aspect of the city is its ancient stone walls and numerous small alleyways. We grabbed a pizza sandwich, the most delicious flavor, and walked around shopping for local treasure and wine.

Next we drove to Volterra, where we visited a palace of a local family (who still live in part of it) which they have opened to the public. Again, we spent most of the time just wandering around. Volterra is known for its alabaster so we picked up a couple of small pieces. The best part of the day was the scenery. I would tell Mr. Man to pull over when there was a particularly beautiful vista, as he was driving an unable to really appreciate it. We arrived back to Romitorio de Serelle, then checked in with Liz and Ron and met up for dinner around 7:30pm. We dined in a little restaurant in Castellina in Chianti. The meal (antipasta, Ravioli, and roast chicken) and company was good. Today was my 44th birthday and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to spend it.

My Italy Diary: Tuscany, Part 3

We had cappucino in the room this morning and then headed for Siena. We walked around after having a plate of nondescript pasta. The Duomo and Basilica are amazing with layers of green and creamy white, sometimes almost pink, marble alternating. Unfortunately, the front is under restoration so we were unable to see it. They erect a “life-size” facade in front with a picture of how it looks. We did a little shopping and purchased some gifts for friends and family. We tried to head south to visit a few of the smaller towns, but it was too difficult finding the correct routes, so we headed for Castillina in Chianti instead. Not much was going on there as it is Sunday and everything closed early. On the way back we returned to San Donato in the hopes that one of the markets might still be open, but all were closed.

My Italy Diary: Tuscany, Part 2

We woke this morning early to the sounds of gun fire off in the distance, the shots echoing across the valley. Sitting in the window I watched a hot air ballon way off in the distance travel across the valley as the sun rose higher in the sky. We headed for Fienza as we had made reservations for the Uffizi at 12:45pm. You cannot drive a car into the city center, so we easily found a parking space and walked the few blocks, stopping for cappucino on the way. Interestingly, the cost to enjoy your coffee outside at one of the cafe’s tables is double the price of drinking while standing at the counter inside. There are a lot of shops lining the streets with beautiful jewelry and the softest leather.

There are many wonderful paintings in the muesum and you cannot take photos. I think my favorite was seeing Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus,” probably one of the most famous, and favorite, paintings in the museum. There are rooms dedicated to Leonardo Di Vinci, Raffello, yet only one painting by Michelanglo, the “Holy Family with the Infant St. John the Baptist,”(the Doni Tondo), and is the only painting by the artist in Florence. After the muesum, we walked to the Duomo, a truly magnificent structure, and the Baptstry with its different colored marble—breathtaking. Florence is different from Rome, quieter and less hectic, although there are people everywhere and many tourists. We bought a few watercolors from a sidewalk artist of Tuscan landscapes. There are a lot of talented artists with their works to choose from, but these appealed to us most for their subject matter, color palatte, and execution.
We had a non-eventful trip back to Chianti, stopping in San Donato to buy some supplies for breakfast tomorrow. Such a quaint little town. We visited a couple small stores, buying procuitto parma, cheese, fresh bread, olive oil, pears, coke (I know), water, etc. We purchased a bottle of wine from Roberto here at Romitorio di Serelle from Casa Emma just down the road and enjoyed it while sitting outside our apartment soaking in the view.

We chose to eat dinner here again tonight and it was, again, amazing. It started with a traditional antipasta plate, followed by a penne paste with marinara sauce and fresh grated parmignano cheese. Afterwards we had veal (a first for me) with some sort of root vegetable, both delicious, and for dessert a tiramisu and cappucino. I had asked Roberto earlier in the day the names of the cats: Carmelina, the large tourtiseshell tabby, and Bilbo, a small cream color. Carmelina followed us home again and came inside with us, and I gave her a bit of procuitto. Mr. Man and I then curled up on the couch and watched a little TV. Later, when I went to bed, Carmelina was asleep on the bed.

My Italy Diary: Tuscany

Today was spent mostly in traveling from Capri to Chianti. We took the 8:30am ferry to Napoli and from there traveled by train to Fienza. The train was an hour late in arriving and then lost another 20 minutes in route. The scenery was lovely though for the most part; quaint little hill towns, huge mountains, vast green spaces with a small village at the top of hills. I’m in love with it already. Once we arrived in Florence, we rented a car aqnd headed for Toscana. We recieved great directions from a woman at Auto Europe and Mr. Man very confidently navagated the streets of Florence as well as the autostrada.

Romitorio di Serelle is eveything I had imagined, and the view—we are surrounded by vineyards and olive groves and beautiful wooded areas, with other villas off in the near distance. Our apartment is in an old stone building and contains a small living/dining/kitchen area with a half bath and a beautiful marble and iron staircase with a bedroom and separae full bath upstairs. From our bedroom we have an incredible view over the valley and adjoining vineyards, and, at night, the lights of a distance town. It is truly amazing and it is hard to imagine there is anywhere more peaceful and lovely than this.

We dined in the small ristorante (for guests only) last night to a scrumptous meal. We began with a bottle of Chianti, Santa Dame, which is from the vineyard right outside our window, along with an antipasta plate of parma, bruchetta, cheese, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. This was followed by the most delicious lasagna I have every eaten. The layers were filled with ricotta chesse and bechamel sauce with zuccini and tomatoes, and a small amount of meat (most likely a combination of ground beef, veal and pork) with mozzarella and parmigiano cheeses on the top, which was golden brown. The look of Mr. Man's face as he ate this... We ate all of it knowing we still had a second course to come as well as dessert. Our second course was a filet of beef cooked with tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions in individual crocks with a delicious broth. We managed to eat all of this as well. Our wine was the perfect accompliment: dry, full bodied, with a nutmeg finish. Dessert was a small apple tart, not particularly favorful, but we did not care as we were too full and satisfied to really appreciate it.

We came back to our apartment and went to bed, too full of good food and wine to think of anything other than sleep. On the way we met the villa’s cats who followed us, but didn’t want to be petted. They actually made their way inside when we opened the door and I had to throw them out.

My Italy Diary: Pompeii

Today we visited Pompeii. We took a hydrofoil to Sorrento, a bus to the metro station, and the metro to Pompeii. The car of the train smelled strongly of urine and we passed smaller cities on our way which were reminicient of the poorer areas of major U.S. cities—old buildings in need of painting and/or repair, graffiti, abandoned items beside the tracks, and laundrey drying from every balcony. There were many students on the train and it was interesting to be surrounded by the loud chatter of a language we don’t understand. I tried not to stare, but was very curious about them. Young men here are very demonstrative with each other, hugging, walking arm in arm, standing with their arms around each others’ shoulders. It is inspiring.

When we arrived in Pompeii, we were invited to join a tour group of about 10 people, mostly Americans. Our guide, Mario, walked us through the excavation while smoking a cigar. He smelled faintly of alcohol, was somewhat brusque in his response to questions, and didn’t linger in order to give the group a chance to take photos. At times, he didn’t seem as knowledgable as one would expect for a tour guide. Nonetheless, he knew his way around—the site is very large—and at least got us to the main points of interest. After a whle, I just wandered from the group a bit if there were pictures I wanted to take or lagged behind while Mr. Man kept an eye out for which way the group was headed and then we would catch up, sometimes missing the beginning of his descriptions.

The city was very large and prosperous being so close to the sea. There were monuments to the Gods, Zeus’ being the largest in the center of the city. The streets, dating 80 B.C., are made of stone. I wish I could describe everything, there are beautiful frescos and mozaics, and phallic symbols, for luck, throughout. The villas were wonderful with the family living on the first floor with an opening in the middle of the ceiling where rain came through and was collected in a small pool in the center (used for cooking, bathing, etc.). The bedrooms were on each side of this central hall and were small in order to keep them warm. Behind the central hall was the owner’s room which then opened onto an interior garden, again no floor. The kitchen, baths, and slaves quarters were behind this. In some of the larger villas there were actually two interior gardens.

At one point Mario actualy dropped a flask (my suspicions correct) and while someone made light of it, I felt he was a little embarassed. After 2.5 hours of walking around on hard stone, we were exhausted. We settled up with Mario, grabbed a panni, and headed back to Sorrento and then on to Capri. We had dinner at Faraglioni in a private booth with a thatched roof outside. We shared both a first and second course: homemde pasta verde with arugala, tomatoes, basil and garlic, followed by roasted chicken with herbs, which was moist, tender and extremely flavorful. We also shared a bottle of wine which was very light. For dessert we shared puffed pastries with chocolate sauce and vanilla gelato. We are tired and looking forward to resting in Tuscany. Although, I doubt this is what we will actually do.

We leave in the morning via train to Florence, where we will rent a car to drive to Chianti. Mr. Man is a little nervous about driving in traffic such as we’ve seen so far. Hopefully, it will not be as bad as Rome, with its many cars zigging and zagging without regard for lanes; of course, there really aren’t any. In Capri the roads are so narrow, with a drop off on one side and a stone wall on the other, that only one car at a time can really use the road. When another care comes from the opposite direction you must each stop and slowly inch by, hugging the wall and each other as closely as possible. There are some places where even this is not possible and someone must back up to a spot which is wide enough. This is particularly unsettling at night as there are no street lights. When a car is rounding a curve, the driver flashes the lights to let any oncoming traffic know it is there.

My Italy Diary: Capri, Part 2

We woke this morning to beautiful weather. After breakfast, our first since arriving in Italy consisting of more than croissants—interestingly they serve grilled hot dogs, bacon (not grilled, baked perhaps?), salami, ham, cheese, and watery scrambled eggs—we went to meet Mauricio on the dock for our tour of the island. His boat was outfitted with a padded deck with pillows for our comfort, the wind was mild, and the sun warm. A wonderful day to spend a couple hours on a sail boat.

Mauricio is quiet, speaking little English, and points out areas of interest. He tries not to be intrusive, but engages with our encouragement and offers to take our picture. He watches for my intent to photograph things and slows the boat to enable me to get the shots I want—even ducking out of the way if he believes he is in my line of focus. The island is bigger than we thought, with imposing cliffs raising out of the sea. It is amazing that anyone ever imagined settling here except that it is as beautiful as it is imposing. There are many large private villas with long stone stairways cut into the cliffs that lead down to the sea—a private swimming area for the owners. Mauricio tells us that the maker of Moet Champagne lives in one and an author in another.

We visit each grotto, pulling as close as out boat mast will allow. The sea is the color of deep sapphire and clear and cool. In shallower areas the color changes to emerald green and sometimes turquoise. At the blue grotto, Grotto Azzuro, we stop and join the que with all the other tourists—a large boat of Japanese tourists and a boat of Americans. We are transferred to individual row boats with a guide and after paying a fee, he guides us into the grotto. The entrance is mostly under water, forcing us to lie back in the boat in order to enter. It is dark inside, but the water glows an incredible turquoise from light reflecting underneath. It is truly amazing. Unfortunately, my camera battery exhausts after taking only one picture, but I feel fortunate to have at least gotten that. Our guide is disappointed with his tip of €3,00, but we ignore his pouting and rejoin Mauricio on his boat for the remainder of our tour.

We make a quick stop at Marina Grande so that Mr. Man can use the Bancomat. I try to catch Mauricio’s eye, but he busies himself with the boat; seeming very shy to be alone with me. I ask about the weather and the tourist season; he gives me short answers and doesn’t elaborate. It is cooler on the side of the island shadowed from the sun, but still glorious and the water becomes a little choppy.

Mauricio returns us safely to our hotel (and Mr. Man gives him a generous tip) where another couple is waiting for their tour. We decide to take the ferry to Sorrento where we planned to take the bus to Positano, but once we arrive in Sorrento we realize that it will take too long to get to Positano to be able to really see anything before we have to turn around and come back in order to catch the last ferry back to Capri. So, instead we have lunch and then wander the streets of Sorrento. Unfortunately, all the shops are closed from 2pm-4:30pm for lunch, so we were disappointed, but realize this is our fault for not planning the day better.

We returned to Capri to wander the town and gaze in the windows of the designer shops (Prada, Valentino, Gucci...) all way out of our price range, but is is fun to pretend for a little while. Back at the hotel we ordered wine to our room—we are still not used to how inexpensive a bottle of wine is—and just spend some time reading, drinking and listening to the sounds of the water. Later we return to town and have dinner at Capri Ristorante where I had homemade pasta with mussels and clams, and Mr. Man had linguine with seafood, both dishes were good. We shared another bottle of wine and enjoyed listening to and watching the other customers. There was a large party of German tourists who seemed to be having a great time. At the end of their meal, they brought a cart of Grappa to their table and they ordered a few different kinds. The waiter’s assistant, who was also assisting our table, had me smell two different kinds (very strong and antiseptic smelling), but we declined to order. A short while later, she placed a small glass on the table for us to taste. It was very strong and tasted like rubbing alcohol. I had wanted to try it as my ancestors came from Bassano di Grappa, north of Venice, but after lunch yesterday we did not want to again be charged for something we didn’t order, which is exactly what happened.

After we shared a wonderful chocolate cake with gelato, we were brought the check, at which time the assistant apologized that she was being forced to charge us for the grappa. We didn’t argue as it really wasn’t worth the effort and chalked it up to another lesson learned.

My Italy Diary: Capri

This morning we woke up early and headed for Capri. The train ride was only a couple hours. Once in Naples we grabbed a taxi for the Port, where we took a ferry to Capri. Again, we have beautiful weather. The island is gorgeous with turquoise water. The Hotel Weber is very nice and we have a great view of the mediterranean. Tomorrow we are going to tour the island and grottos by boat.

After checking in we set out for a place to have lunch. We selected a small ristorante very close to the hotel, Onda D'oro. The owner, Raphel set us a table outside and lowered the awning to give us some shade from the sun. There was no menu, but I told him I wanted calamari and he suggested we also have a caprese insalada (mozzarella, tomatoes from his garden, and fresh basil), we agreed and asked for a bottle of wine to wash it all down. Raphel started our meal with the best bruchetta I have ever tasted. The bread was toasted and rubbed with garlic and olive oil, topped with small roma tomatoes marinated in olive oit and basil, delicious! This was followed by the caprese salad, which on the board out front was pictured with sliced mozzarella, but to our surprise was served to each of us with a large ball of raw buffalo mozzarella. Way too much cheese for any one person to eat without risking a heart attack on the spot!

While we dined Raphel hovered over us, anxious to see if we liked it. He has a very weathered face and a voice ravished, I suspect, by many years of cigarette smoking. He shared with us that he was born in Capri and had lived there his entire life, growing vegetables in his garden for the restaurant and spending the off season (which would begin on Sunday) doing maintenance on the building. Next he served us a casserole of eggplant, which was most delicious. We protested because we had not ordered it, and his response was “you are my guests,” which we took for “on the house.” We were already quite full from the first two courses. By the time the fourth course, the calamari, was served we were stuffed, but I managed to eat a little even though I found it tasteless and particularly disliked the little fried fish (which looked somewhat like a Sardines, head and all) which was served with it.

We did manage to disuade him from bringing us dessert as we literally could not eat another bite without risking becoming ill. Of course, the biggest surprise was yet to come—the bill, €70,00. Mr. Man paid without complaining and only told me the cost afterwards when it was too late to protest. We felt taken advantage of, and I joked that he had made enough money from us to close a few days early. We will certainly ask for a menu or at least the cost upfront from now on.

My Italy Diary: Rome, Part 3

We didn’t get out the door until 11am this morning. We stopped for a cappuccino on our way to Vatican City to jump start our day. As we crossed Vittorio Emanuelle bridge we had a wonderful view of Castel Sant’ Angelo and wished we had enough time to visit it as well. We have both fallen in love with Rome and have vowed to return and spend a week just exploring this ancient city.

When you turn onto Via della Conciliazione, St. Peter’s Basilica looms in front of you. It is huge. There are shops along both sides of the avenue selling souvenirs, coffee, and of course, gelato. The line looks long, but actually moves pretty fast. The Basilica is free of charge and the lines are to get through the two security check points—the first to x-ray your bags and the second to make sure you are dressed appropriately. Women must cover their shoulders and cannot wear shorts or skirts above the knee, and men cannot wear hats.

We hooked up with a free tour of the Basilica which was very interesting. Our guide, Jason Pittelli, made standing in line go even faster as he shares a lot of interesting information about the Piazza and history of the Vatican. The Circus of Nero, where St. Peter was crucified and burned existed here. Constantine erected the Basilica. The Basilica is extraordinary. Tourists are allowed to take photographs with flash) as the original paintings have been removed and are replaced with mosaics.   

Our first stop was Michelangelo’s “Pieta” which is protected by glass after an attack in 1972 when it was hit with a hammer, taking off Mary’s fingers and nose. Her nose was replaced with a piece of marble from her back and so she is only viewed from the front. Her fingers were quickly snatched up by tourists. Michelanglo was only 25 when he completed the Pieta. When the work was credited to another sculptor, he snuck in and signed the statue “Michelangelo did this” or something to that effect.

Next we visited the canopy above St. Peter’s tomb, the “Baldacchino” by Bernini. When Bernini was halfway finished with the canopy he ran out of bronze, and Pope Urban VIII told him to steal it from other monuments. Bernini stole the bronze he needed from the Pantheon. The bees on the columns are from the Barberinin crest.

After lunch, we chose to take the paid tour with Jason of the Vatican Museum. Two myths about Michelanglo are 1) he wanted to paint the Sistine Chapel and 2) he painted it on his back. He didn’t want to paint the Chapel at all. He considered himself a sculptor, not a painter. Raphael tricked Pope Julius II into getting Michelango to do the fresco—something he hadn’t done before—because they were great rivals. But, once Raphael saw the work Michelango was doing he changed his own style (Raphael was a very popular artist and went everywhere with an entourage, while Michelango was a loner).

Michelango painted the Sistine Chapel, depicting the Creation of the World and Fall of Man in backward chronological order. He figured by the time he was finished (at which point he would be at the point where the Pope entered the Chapel) he would be good. At the time of the paintings, only men were models, so most of the women in the paintings look like men with breasts. In the panel “Creation of Adam,” under God’s left arm is Eve and God is sailing in on a brain. In the “Last Judgment” Jesus’ right arm is above and behind his head. When the “Laocoon” was uncovered, the right arm was missing. A replacement arm was added which extended up. Michelango stated that the arm would not have extended up, but would be bent behind the head. He painted Jesus’ arm this way as a statement of his belief. When the arm was found (and is attached today), it was as Michangelo expected.
 

After viewing the Vatican we took a stroll through the Campo di Fiori and did a little shopping. We finished the evening with dinner at il Coral then went back to the hotel to pack in preparation for leaving for Capri.

My Italy Diary: Rome, Part 2

October 9, 2005


We woke up at about 7:30am this morning, had breakfast in our room and headed out for the day. We walked to the area of Rome that has the Colesseo and Roman Forum. On the way we passed the ruins Arca Sacra which is viewed from the street level looking down. There are hundreds of cats, which are fed by the residents and a foundation that takes donations. We decided to visit Palatine Hill before the Colesseo (you can buy tickets for both Palatine Hill and the Colesseo at the Palatine Hill ticket office). You have an incredible panoramic view of all of Rome from the hill—quite breathtaking. 

The Roman Forum is below and it is amazing to look down upon the ruins with the Colesseo in the background. The rain has stopped and the weather is beautiful, sunny and, at times, hot.

After we left Palatine Hill we headed to the Colesseo, and while impressive due to its shear size and being in awe of the mechanics of building such a monumental structure without equipment to ease the construction, once inside there’s not much to see. The areas of most curiosity are not open for tour. 

The Forum is magnificent! I truly wish Amanda was here with us. We walked around for hours, trying to see it all. We were very tired at the end of the day and made our way back to Piazza Navona. We decided to again have dinner in the Piazza as the people watching is great. We shared a bottle of wine, and later ordered smoked swordfish, and then lasagna and, of course, another bottle of wine. After dinner we walked around the square, looking at the art and watching the families make their evening stroll.

My Italy Diary: Rome

October 8, 2005

We arrived in Rome last night late after a long train ride. We called the hotel to let them know we wouldn’t be arriving until approximately 11:30pm. The hotel, Teatropace 33, is tucked in a very small alley in the center of ancient Rome, a couple of blocks from Piazza Navona. When we arrived there was a note on the door directing us to go to the Cafe Tor Mielina, where we were given an envelope with a key and instructions. Luckily one of our fellow guests was leaving when we arrived so we were able to leave our luggage in the lobby instead of carrying them down the cobbled street.

After settling in, we walked down to the corner to a small bar, the “Big Apple,” for drinks and a little late supper. We had a few cocktails among a very young, mostly Roman crowd. The people here are beautiful and very friendly. We finally wandered back to the hotel around 2am after they kicked us out so they could close.


We woke early this morning even though there was a party going on in the street below our window after the bars closed. Our bathroom has a small tub with a handheld shower, but no door or barrier. Taking a shower was invigorating and slightly awkward, especially for Mr. Man who managed to spray water everywhere as he could barely fit in the tub. After breakfast in our room, we went downstairs to check-in and show our passports. I asked if they had a room available with a standing shower, and luckily they did. We packed up and left our things in our room for them to take to the new room once it was readied. Thank God, because the new room is located at the top of a private spiral staircase! It is lovely! There is no street below our window so it should be quieter tonight. The bathroom is beautiful marble in amber and charcol, and the shower, while small, is at least enclosed. The room is rather large with lovely hardwood floors and attractive furnishings.
 

 

The rain continues to hover over Italy, but it hasn’t dampened our spirits or joy in being here. We spent most of the morning deciding on an itinerary and settled on visiting the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona. The Pantheon is vast. When you first see it from outside you are misled as to its actual size. There is a large opening in the ceiling which lets in light and rain—for which there are 22 small holes in the floor for draining. The marble and art are breathtaking. The current staturary is not what was placed here originally as the structure was intended to pay homeage to the “Gods,” but at some point became a Church. Nonetheless, it is beautiful and inspiring.

Rome, like Venice, is more crowded than we anticipated and with the crowds carrying umbrellas it is sometimes difficult to see or get a good picture. We walked to the Fontana di Trevi, which was surrounded by a sea of color—colored umbrellas. We managed to make our way forward and each threw a coin over our shoulder into the fountain in hopes of returning one day. The fountain is magnificent! We tried to soak in the wonder of it: the statue of Neptune with his drapery billowing around him and the two horses representing the calmness and fierceness of the sea. I cannot do it an adequate description. We really did not want to move on, wishing to imprint in on our minds.

From here we walked up Via del Corso to the Spanish Steps. Unfortunately, Trinita dei Monti is undergoing some restoration and was covered by a large canvas. We climbed the steps for a wonderful view of Rome. There are incredible historical sites on almost every street and we often remind ourselves that the trip is as important as the destination. Heading south on Via del Corso toward the Piazza Navona, keeping an eye out for a trattoria for a quick bite to eat, we finally settled on a small place down a side alley which served us complimentary wine while we waited. The young man seating people asked us where we are from and we proceeded to have a casual conversation until our table was ready. He had lived in Brooklyn for a year with his father and step-family and spoke excellent English. We started our meal with Bruchetta—the tomatoes were the most favorful I’ve had in recent years, followed by pasta, and cappuccino for Mr. Man (which I drank half of).

After lunch we visited the Palazzo Galleria Doria Pamphili which houses over 400 paintings collected by Camillo Pamphili and Pope Innocent X. The paintings remain in a trust which ensures that the collection can never be divided. On our way to the muesum we saw a large monument on the horizon that we decided to visit, Monumento Vittorio Emmanuele II, which is surprisingly not mentioned in our tour books. Unfortunately, it was closing when we arrived so we were not able to find out anything about it other than it was build in honor of the first King of Unified Italy. Around the back is the Roman Forum, which we visit tomorrow along with the Colosseo.

My Italy Diary: Venice, Part 3

We woke this morning to the church bells in Campo San Apostoli at 7am and had breakfast in our room. After a hot shower and re-packing our suitcases, which we left with Stefano at the hotel, we set out for the Accademia where we viewed several rooms of religious paintings. Of particular note were several paintings I had studied in Art History in college. To say the pictures in our books did not do these works justice is an understatement. Upon entering the first sala you are faced with Palo Veneziano's “Polittico.” There was a group of students gathered around listening to a lecture by their professor. Mr. Man and I tried to ease drop as much as possible, and I experienced a moment of envy of their being fortunate to study art in a place with such history.

We also saw Lorenzo Veneziano’s “Polittico Leon Con l’Annunciazione,” Michelle Giambono’s “Incoronazione della Vergene in Paradiso,” which was rich in color and texture, which does not come across in photographs. Each crown, staff and embroidery/embellishment on the robes was glimmering gold and raised. There was a particularly good restoration completed on Vittore Carpaccio’s “The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple” rich color, each fold in cloth so realistic, shimmering of satin; the face of Mary and her maids so serene and peaceful, and perhaps, a bit resigned? We gave each painting the time and contemplation it deserves, but we also wanted to visit the Jewish Ghetto.

We jumped on a vaporetta and headed for San Marcuola. There are only thirty Jews who currently live in the ghetto, and only about 400 Jews in all of Venice. Once we found the ghetto, we visited the Jewish Museum and took a tour of three synagogues (all in the ghetto, and all only used, symbolically, once a year). The first synagogue was built in 1516 by German immigrants and is thus referred to as the German Synagogue. It is very small with a beautiful, ornate gold Bimah, faux marble walls (marble is too heavy for walls on the upper floors), and a balcony where the women sit. This synagogue is only used on Erev of Rosh Hashanna. Three years after it was built, a group of French Jews built a second synagogue next door, which is now attached as part of the museum. This is no larger than the first, is paneled in rich wood and frescoes of the Exodus. There is also a gallery above for women. Because of its position on a corner it is called the “Canton” Synagogue. The third synagogue is the Italian Synagogue, who don’t consider themselves Ashkenazi nor Sephardic Jews—just Italian. In the Italian Synagogue the Bimah is raised. We were unable to visit the synagogues currently in use on a regular basis as they were preparing for Yom Kippur, as well as the Sabbath in a couple of hours. There was a viewing from outside, but we skipped this as it had begun to rain again and we needed to start heading back to retrieve our luggage and head to Rome.

My Italy Diary: Venice, Part 2

We slept late this morning and ate breakfast of croissants and coffee in our room. It rained last night, but lucky for us, the sun came out this morning and stayed for the rest of the day. We explored a bit and then made our way to the Rialto Bridge and the market, Campo San Marco, the Correr Museum and the Doge Palace. The Correr Museum is tucked in a corner of Saint Mark’s Square, we spent a few hours becoming acquainted with the history of Venice, Bellinin’s “Crucifixion”, and lots of religious paintings and weapontry.

We stopped for a sandwich in the square, wanting to soak up the sun and the sights of fellow tourists as they stopped to photograph each other surrounded by pigions. We had a couple of cokes and an absolutely wonderful sandwich of prociutto, brie and aruguala, followed by a glass of white wine. There was a group of musicans playing in the square in front of several restaurants, with a very talented young boy who played the accordian. It was only after we got the bill that we realized the cokes were as expensive as the wine (€7,90) and €9,00 for the music.

After lunch we took a relaxing gondola ride through Venice. Our Gondolier shared with us that there are currently 65,000 people living in Venice. Just 15 years ago there were 120,000. He expressed the difficulty of living in Venice with flooding that begins in November.

We spent the rest of the day at the Doge’s Palace and window shopping at the Rialto market, sharing wine in a small pub, and dining on pizza. All in all, a great day.

I am in love with Venice.

My Italy Diary: Venice

Mr. Man (aka, my husband David) and I arrived in Milan yesterday and hopped on a train for Venice. I negelected to get express tickets so the ride took a little longer than it should have, but no matter, we had time for a nap (Mr. Man) and to enjoy the scenary. I love the terra cotta roof tops of Italy. When we came through Desenzano de Garda, there was a beautiful view of Lago di Garda and the Alps in the background.

After several stops at smaller cities, we finally arrived in Venice. We took a moment after exiting the train station to take in the view and absorb the knowledge that we were finally in Italy. We boarded a vaporetta along with many other tourists to take us to Ca’ d’ Oro from which we walked a couple of blocks, and after getting lost, managed to find our hotel, Locando Leon Bianco. We had to carry our bags up a couple flights of stairs, but the room is quaint with a window in each the bedroom and bath overlooking a side canal.

We checked in and had a quick shower and then set out to explore and find a place for dinner. We ended up at a restaurant recommended to us by the hotel. I don’t remember the name, but it’s not important as the meal was not impressive.