Day 21 - December 30 - Orvieto

A tiring morning with packing up and the guys having to walk about 2-miles to get the van, maneuver through the streets, come back and park illegally while we asked the young man from Sri Lanka and another guy to carry 18-19 bags (between two couples) down the many steps!

I had gone to have a small bite to take my medicine and have some tea, and then pulled all the bags that had wheels or were lightweight to the lobby area.  That left me needing a break for another sip of tea. It was an ordeal getting everything down to the van!

Ron wanted to visit the American war cemetery outside Florence, and we could not find the exact address. We programmed in the name of the town, and it took us along TINY, winding roads, through tiny villages. We all agreed it was a very beautiful drive although a bit nerve-wracking, especially when we made a wrong turn and Ron had to back up and maneuver that big van!

Once we arrived, we were greeted by Penny, the Superintendant, who was a very pleasant woman who explained a lot to us. It was very interesting that just the day before she had located a relative who did not know his great-uncle was buried there. The family had thought that he was missing in action all of these years, however, each soldier that is buried in a cemetary outside of the United States was done so at the request of his next of kin.

Wall of Unknown - most were aviators from Bomber Squadrons

The cemetary is the final resting place of over 5000 soldiers, sailers, airmen, nurses and American civilians caught up in the war. Most were killed near the end of WWII. There are three Medal of Honor winners here, a General Officer, several sets of brothers including two who were buried side-by-side at the request of the family.

After spending about 45-minutes there, we found our way to the autostrada and went straight to Orvieto, where we had a very difficult time finding our hotel in the countryside - up a mountain in a very remote location -  Misia Country Resort.

Giorgio, the owner, welcomed us and helped put all of the luggage into one room, as the other wasn't yet ready. The couple has only had the hotel open about a year and already getting great reviews. They are in the process of building a spa. They have done a wonderful and imaginative job in creating a very modern, tasteful accommodation. The big walk-in shower was the best we have encountered on the trip. 

We had reservations at 1 PM at Trattoria dell'Orso in the old city of Orvieto, which is considered one of the most dramatically situated cities in Italy. It sits atop a 1,000-meter high tufa cliff. Orvieto is known for 3 C's - Cathedral, Ceramics, and Classico Wine - as well as Etruscan ruins.

We parked near the system of escalators that transports you up the mountain, but half of them were not working and we walked up about 175 stairs - no kidding. This was exhausting to say the least!!!!

The hotel had tried to call the restaurant to tell them we'd be late, but no answer. So, we were rushing. We made our way to Piazza Repubblica and found the small trattoria. Gabriele is the chef, and his partner, Ciro, is the host and waiter. They have been in business for years, and consistently get fabulous reviews.

Ciro and Gabriele in the kitchen

Farro soup with lots of basil and spices

Chicken with Peppers

I had chicken with red, green, yellow peppers. Ron and Pat had lamb. Mike had rabbit.

Mary had molten chocolate cake (very small) and Pat had pistachio parfait.

I insisted we go to see the Duomo - everyone said - not ANOTHER church! But, I said "We are only here once in a lifetime." Once we got there, Pat declared it was the prettiest one yet. We did not need to go inside!  There is a long story why this huge cathedral is in the small town - it has to do with the Catholic holiday of Corpus Christi. A priest who did not believe that the host was really the body of Christ was in the area on his way to Rome. During Communion, the bread bled onto a white cloth, and the Pope declared it a miracle and decided a grand cathedral must be built to house the relic (the cloth).

We did not go down to the car the same way we came up.  We were on the path to walk all the way down to the parking place. Pat and I stopped along the way, and the guys came up and picked us up.

Went back to hotel for Ron's appointment to have massage at 4:30 PM. I went to the small bar area with computer and Internet. Mike and Pat came along - Mike had his crosswords. The hosts offered snacks of small sandwiches (tramezzini) and dry sausage, which hit the spot.

The Lions - Bears game was on the TV. I went to the room to get medicine and look for playing cards, but when I came back, Pat and Mike had left. I asked the lady if she had had more sandwiches, as I needed a bite to have with my medicine, and she fixed me a nice toasted ham and cheese sandwich

Ron and I went to our room and put the football game back on. I got involved in the "blogging" and didn't go to bed until almost 1 AM.

Day 20 - December 29 - Culture in Florence

The breakfast in our hotel was minimal with very hard rolls. As you go south, the type of bread rolls change, and we had our last good brotchen in Sud Tirol! We had read people on Trip Advisor rave about the breakfast in Annalena, but none of us found much to our liking.



We walked, again, past the Pitti Palace, across the Ponte Vecchio, and zig-zagged the narrow streets to the Mercato Nuovo, formerly the Straw Market. This market is now quite touristy, but I wanted to see the statue of Il Porcellino - the wild boar after which the one in Garmisch and several others are copied. This is also a copy, as people rubbed the pig's nose so much it was damaged, and the original was placed in a museum. I have a picture of me with my Mother in front of the statue in 1976. You are actually supposed to put a coin in the boar's mouth, and only coins that fall through the grate count toward "good luck". The theory is that only the higher denomination coins will fall through, giving the municipality more revenue. Also, in this square is a place marked with an "X" high on a building where people who had become bankrupt would be hoisted to hit their head and then dropped to the ground, presumably to kill them.

Pitti Palace - Residence of the Medicis

Ponte Vecchio - Silver & Gold shops

Il Porccellino at Mercado Nuovo

A one-person car - she was delivering liquor

Our destination was Via Tornabuoni, which has been one of the most luxurious streets of Florence since the Renaissance, and today houses all of the "name-brand" designer boutiques, including many designers who come from Florence including Ferragamo. My goal was to find Caffe Giacosa, owned by the designer Roberto Cavelli. It is next to his flagship fashion store, and serves what is reputed to be the best capuccino in Florence. And, some of the best people-watching with ladies in their fashions and boots of all kinds. We had to battle our way in to find seats.

The famous cappuccino with swirl of chocolate

  

From there we walked to Santa Maria Novella, and in that area we found a place that said "Pizza", which is what Pat and Ron were hungry for. Pizza is not something considered to be very good in this area of Italy - pizza is from Naples. However, Il Grillo offered many pizzas and an extensive menu of other items. Mary had an omelette (over-cooked as tends to be the case in Europe), and the rest had pizza.

Santa Maria Novella - only the facade is marble

Santa Maria Novella was the first significant basilica in Florence, and is the main Dominican church.

Florence is known as the birthplace of the Renaissance. After the decline of Rome and the years of dark ages, all of the creative minds of painting, sculpture, and architecture seemed to suddenly blossom in Florence. The four of us are not deeply interested in these arts, and did not do a lot of the cultural things that are famous - such as the Uffizi Museum. We did, however, try to learn a bit by taking a four-hour private tour with a licensed historian guide, Paolo Migliorini.

We met Paolo at our rendevoux point at the Savoy Hotel in Piazza Republica,
and she took us in her van to the area above Florence, which we were so happy to see.  Such a different perspective - the prestigious area of beautiful villas and being in the "countryside" just outside the city. An interesting thing she told us was that Italian names ending in "ini" such as hers means people are from this area of Italy. You would never find someone from Rome or Naples with a name ending "ini".

We stopped at the Benedictine Abbey, San Miniato al Monti, considered one of the most beautiful churches in Italy (Romanesque). Paolo took us into the cemetery and the building. The monks are still there and doing their Gregorian chants every evening at 5 PM. The monks motto was "Pray and Work", and they had to produce things such as olive oil to sustain themselves, and are still doing so to this day.

Mike was interested in the Monk's Farmacia since he was a pharmacist!

Paolo was very knowledgeable  a graduate in art and previously a language major, speaking five languages. We were comfortable in her VW van and all felt we were glad to have taken the tour. If we had taken a walking tour we would not have seen the beautiful areas above the city, and Paolo also spoke to us in so much more detail than a group tour guide would have done.

She suggested she should take us to Santa Croce - saying it was a much more "important" place than the Duomo. We really didn't want to go there, but found it to be very interesting, as we saw the tombs of Gaileleo, Michaelangeo,  Donatello, Rossini, Machiavelli, and a memorial to Dante. These were not just tombs but very ornate with fabulous sculptures. Santa Croce is the largest Fransiscan church in the world.

Gallileo's Tomb

We went back into the city to see more sights, and Paolo parked and  we walked to see the most famous sights of Florence, the Baptistry with its famous "Doors to Paradise" by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the early 1400'sand the Duomo and its famous dome by Brunelleschi. At the time the cathedral was built, the technology for building the dome did not even exist, and it sat with a hole until a contest decided who would design and build the dome. 

Paolo dropped us at our hotel about 5 PM. Up the 45-stairs we went one more time. The hotel has quite an interesting history. The palazzo was given to a young Annalena as part of her dowry in 1439. After her husband was murdered, she turned the house into a convent and home for young women and widows. It changed hands through the years and at one time was a luxury brothel and at one time a gambling parlor. It became a hotel/pension in 1919, and has been popular through the years with artists and actors. The building is falling into disrepair and can definitely use some updates.

We later set out walking to Santo Spirito to a restaurant Paolo had suggested. We had tried to call, but no answer. We should have given up then! We first got lost walking around the narrow streets - why can't we pause to read the map long enough to understand it? Anyway, we did not care for the Square - which I had earlier read was popular for drug dealers, but Paola had told us "not to worry"! I felt I was correct, as there were young people with mean dogs (often a sign they are homeless or dealers), and wine and beer bottles strewn on the ground. After 45-minutes of walking we finally found the restaurant - but it was closed  for the holiday season.

We consulted our map and found the most direct route back to our hotel, as Pat had noticed an adorable little restaurant nearby, Ristorante il Santo Graal (the Holy Grail). Once we arrived there the person told us there was no availability, but eventually someone else came and organized a table for us. The ambiance was charming, almost like a cave made of bricks mixed with up-market walls. The service was fantastic, and it was not a typical trattoria, rather a more modern take on Tuscan recipes. They actually had two menus - one traditional and one modern.

The waiter first presented us with an "amuse bouche" which we really don't know what it was, but it was pretty and tasted good!

Amuse Bouche

Next, Ron and Mike had antipasti which included a warm chicken liver pate.

Pat had shrimp with noodles. Ron - pasta with "faux" meat sauce (spicy).

Mary had  Rissotto with pears, Parmesan - crispy Parmesan crust on top (NOT GOOD) - Ron wouldn't eat it either!

Mike had the most unusual dish -  poached egg with chestnut and rosemary in a mushroom.

Very unusual food - not flavors I cared for, but still loved the experience of beautifully presented food, neat atmosphere and great service. The waiter was fantastic - very patient to explain things in English. 

Then we continued on to dessert with creme brulee parmesan for Pat - it was much too strong with the Parmesan - much prefer the traditonal! With her dessert also came a cannoloni filled with some type of cream, and a third item which was a glob of something we think was mascapone cheese.

This was followed with a teeny tiny Espresso.

We didn't have to walk far back to our hotel - almost next-door, but once again up 45-steps! We wonder why the hotel does not suggest this convenient and very nice place to their guests. It may be most people would find it too unusual.

So, a very nice day in Florence despite the unnecessary extra walk for our "exercise"!

Day 19 - December 28 - Long way to Florence

A long way to Florence AND a long post...... 

In the early hours of the morning, snow was falling when we looked outside. We weren't happy about driving down the mountain in those conditions. However, the Matriarch of the hotel assured us that the roads would be clean. The entire family of the small hotel were extremely friendly and helpful. Fortunately, once we got down to the valley, the temps were in the 40's, and no freezing or slippery roads.

After breakfast, Ron came down with the Garmin claiming that it would take us 7 hours to reach our destination and asking "Why didn't I plan better?" It didn't seem right to me - and it turned out the Garmin was set for back-roads - so instead of 7 hours it was more like 3! We did manage to drive safely out of the complex and down the scary road we had traveled in the dark two nights before.

I had not researched restaurants, and we hate chains (no sense in McDonalds in Italy) and autostrada grills, so got off near Modena (one of the wealthiest towns in Italy) to look for a "cute" little place. Modena is known as the "motor city" because it is home to Maserati, Ferrari, DeTomaso, and Lamborghini is in a nearby town. Sometimes when Ron "follows his nose" we find charming places, but the area we traveled through was very industrial and nothing of charm at all. We finally ended up in a small bar/trattoria operated by an Asian couple! Pat had micro-waved lasagna, and Mike, Ron and Mary had macaroni in a cream sauce with Parma ham and peas. Mike and Ron ordered a small beer and small salad - and both were enormous! In this instance, think Autostrada Grill may have been better, and would definitely have saved time. I HATE not having Internet access in the car here like we do with our "Sprint mobile device" in the US!! We could have been 10-minutes from a fabulous place, and no way to know about it!

We were like jumping jacks at the restaurant, taking turns hopping up to look at our van outside, as it is not advisable to leave luggage unattended in Italy!

Small trattoria near Modena

We finally made it to Florence about 6 PM - not a pretty story! Ron had to park the huge van on the side of the road (within the restricted traffic area of Florence), and while he went into the hotel, the three of us sat in terror as buses came within an inch of scraping our vehicle, The first three buses inched slowly past, but Mike could see one in the rear-view mirror approaching at breakneck speed, and that is how it passed us - almost scraping the paint!

When Ron came back he announced that this would not be "our cup of tea", and saying it reminded him of a palazzo pension we had taken my parents to in Vienna about 40-years ago! The young man  helping us tried to get Ron to maneuver the van where we could safely unload the luggage without city buses being blocked. It was not easy. The worst part was that we had read so many horror stories warning not to leave ANYTHING in the car in Italy, so we had to bring in about 18 pieces of luggage and bags. Ron said, "Do NOT even try to carry anything up - you will be lucky to get yourselves up there." After unloading everything and piling it in the foyer of the building, Ron and the young man (from Sri Lanka) went off to find a garage parking spot. This would take an entire page on its own, and best left for Ron to describe at some later point - but it was like a nightmare. The nearby garage would not let the van in, and they ended up about two miles away, maneuvering the car through the narrow streets, barriers, etc. 

Meanwhile, Mike, Pat and I were standing in the unheated loggia of the building, guarding the luggage, and looking with dread at the three HUGE flights of stairs we were faced with. Time was in slow motion, and it seemed forever until Ron and the young man returned. He had told us "two minutes" and it was at least 30-minutes.

Mike waiting with their luggage

The Blake's luggage

Once Ron finally got back, thank Heavens, the young man managed to carry most of the bags up the stairs, which entailed MANY trips. Mike said, "Let me show you why I can't help you." He placed the guy's hand on his PACE-MAKER, and the fellow's eyes grew "big as saucers". 

In Hotel lobby after a stressful arrival!

The rooms were small, but adequate, as you don't expect too many "creature comforts" in an Italian 3-star hotel/pension. As Florence is a very expensive city, we were trying to keep an eye on the budget. The biggest problem was Pat and Mike's bathroom. It was the size of a closet and the shower consisted of a curtain - NO enclosure, nor even a lip to contain water from flowing all over the floor. Something like being on the barge we all once rented. We asked for another room, but the hotel was fully occupied that night.

It is a long story how we ended up in this hotel.  I had been aware from my reading about the big problems parking in Florence and had originally booked us in another 3-star hotel just outside the restricted driving area. Somehow, Ron had come upon a gorgeous 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment with parking and elevator, and had booked it for a few days. I then canceled the original hotel. When it turned out Ron had the dates wrong, we were lucky to get our money back from the apartment, and the owner recommended this hotel near him. Ron looked at it and reserved, not asking some of my usual questions - including: "What is the parking like?", and "Are there stairs?" We double-checked the Trip Advisor reviews and, as we thought, most people gave the hotel "excellent" or "very good". After reading some of the reviews, it sounded like they were talking about a totally different place.

After we finally collected ourselves, we set out walking past the Pitti Palace and across the Ponte Vecchio into the old city. Florence is the capital city of Tuscany, and the metropolitan area has about 1.5 million inhabitants. Florence is a city filled with history, and is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance. The city was dominated by the Medicis, one of the most powerful noble families, whose lineage included two popes. The Medicis had a private passageway filled with artwork above the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) so they could pass from the Pitti Palace to the Uffizi without encountering the "peasants". The shops on the bridge at that time were butchers and leather-makers, as the river was an easy place to dispose of their rubbish. The Medicis were offended by the odors, and managed to chase away those shops to be replaced by gold- and silvermiths, and those type of jewelry stores still line the bridge today.

The Feldherren Halle in Munich is "copied" from this Loggia

We walked past the Piazza della Signoria with its Palazzo Vecchio and Loggia dei Lanzi, and found the small restaurant the hotel people had recommended, Antica Fattoria, a "typical" trattoria - reportedly one of few in the main tourist area. The restaurant was damaged and closed by the Uffizi bombing in 1993 that killed nine people. We didn't have a reservation, and were lucky to get the last remaining table - even if it was in an awkward spot in the entryway. At least it made for good people-watching, and there was a steady stream of people going past.

Ron was adventuresome and ordered the bollito misto from the trolley - an array of meats including pork, beef, and stomach. Much of it did not look very appetizing!! I had the chef's specialty - meat balls, along with fried artichokes (a popular dish in Florence served either as an appetizer or a side). Mike and Pat both had spaghetti. Ron and Mike finished the meal with a special Grappa.

Ron's Bollito Misto - Not for me!

Mary's specialty of the chef - meatballs

Fried Artichokes

The special Grappa

The fumes of this strong Grappa could be detected from the opposite end of the table.

The end of a nice evening

Back to our hotel and up 45-steps to our beds!

Day 18 - December 27 - Gorgeous Day in Ortesei

Before I begin, I reflect a moment that this was my Father's birthday - he was born in 1906. Good Heavens - he would have been 107, and that would NOT have made him happy. He had a strange notion that one should be "shot" when one turned 60. Of course, as he aged he kept revising his target date to "70" and then "80"! Anyway, I hope he is resting peacefully and knows that we remember him with love.

We had a most WONDERFUL day today. After breakfast in the hotel, Pat and Mike went into the town to walk around while we did some computer work. We then took a taxi into the town, and walked a bit. We ran into Pat and Mike in the pedestrian street a few minutes before we were due to meet in the Hotel Genzian.

Waiting for taxi at Hotel Digon

Pat had fallen in love with the town and decided it would be a good idea if Ron moved his bench from Arosa to Ortisei.

We wandered the streets, and everywhere you looked there was beauty to admire - from the majestic mountains, to the gorgeous shops and fashionable people strolling about.

We stopped for lunch in an out-of-the-way spot (La Terazza)  which had a big sign "Pizzeria/Restaurant". Pat was in the mood for pizza. Unfortunately, the waitress announced that pizza was only available after 5 PM when the wood-fire oven was operational. Pat was not at the table when the waitress told us this, and thought we were teasing her. She ended up with lasagna and Mary with spaghetti with garlic, oil, and chilis. Ron and Mike had salads and soup.

We walked a LONG way UPHILL to the entrance for the Rasciesa funicular up the mountain. This is where one can go for toboganning - the 3.6-mile sled path even has snow-making. We decided we would just ride up and back and not bother with the sleds. We sat in the Alm at the top of the funicular. Ron sat outside, but we three were too cold and sat inside. There we chatted with a couple - she was from NY and he was from Bolzano. They had met in graduate school, and both finished their PhD's and were hoping they would eventually be able to move to Italy, but have not yet been able to find work.

Walking up-hill to Funicular

Mike on Funicular

Went back down the funicular. We have seen mountain ranges, oceans, and skylines in many countries, but this was one of the most spectacular sights. Our pictures don't do it justice!

After making our way back into the village, we stopped at a cute bar where we sat outside under heaters, draped in blankets that were folded on the seats. We were enjoying watching a constant stream of people passing by.

We took a taxi back to our hotel, and went to our rooms to freshen up, wash hair, etc. We then went to the dining room for the included evening meal. Earlier they had asked if the posted menu was "fine", and I had mentioned I didn't care for pork, and they offered me veal instead. Everyone else had the pork. We also had noodles with Parma ham and flaedli soup (consomme with strips of crepes). For dessert, Pat and Ron had a "nuss" gelato (hazelnut) and Mike and I had mousse with dark and white chocolate.

Mousse

Our hour of heading off to bed is slowly creeping up - think we made it  past 10 PM! A beautiful day in a beautiful part of the world!