Rome....One More Time

We had a free day and a half in Rome before flying out and we planned to do very little. The first half day we followed this and never left the hotel area, but the next day we were ready to venture out. We visited the Spanish Steps, which by the way are now open after months of repairs. The exact reason for the closure was happening already. Too many people eat their lunch on the steps, spilling food and drink everywhere which eventually causes damage to the finish. We read that there is a good possibility that the Steps will be locked at night to keep the partiers at bay.

We then walked to the Trastevere area and did some searching around there. It looks like a fun area to stay in with lots of family run restaurants and small apartments for rent.

Much of the day was spent looking for 100 ml samples of balsamic vinegar and limoncello....some success. Our liquids packs are jammed with purchases which means nothing goes home in terms of lotions etc.

We had a very enjoyable last meal in Rome at a small trattoria near the Steps. As usual, I had my spaghetti with peperoncino. Very spicy and so good!

One Final Stop

We were waiting and we kept on waiting....by the side of the road, with luggage in hand. The roads in Positano are too narrow to have parking spots so we were to be ready at the side of the road and our driver would make a quick stop in front and we would jump in. Great plan, but poor execution! Our landlords forgot to EMail our driver with regards to our pick up time. He confirmed it with us, but not the driver.

Everything eventually worked out fine and we were on our way to visit Herculaneum. We saw Pompeii years ago so decided to stop at Herculaneum and compare the two. Many Italians apppear to like this site better and I tend to agree.

It seems to be better preserved than Pompeii with regards to colour and houses completely standing. It needs some cash input to make it a more attractive site, but what we saw was well done. It is amazing to see homes, floors and colourful walls still almost intact after almost 2000 years. This site was discovered in the late 1700s and work has been going on ever since. There are areas under the modern town that only scientists can go and visit.

After visiting Herculaneum, we were driven to Naples to catch the train to Rome. One hour and speeds up to 297km/h! Loved it.

We decided to use points that we had through the Holiday Inn chain and stayed free at the Crowne Plaza. Walking here from the subway was not a great experience, but the room more than makes up for it. They upgraded us to a suite with two bathrooms, a dining room, two fridges and lots and lots of room! Something that is unusual in Italy.

Doing as Little as Possible

We knew that the weather was not going to be on our side today so we opted out of  Pompeii and Capri. Pompeii we have seen before so that was a no-brainer.

We instead went for a walk along the sea and were enthralled by the buildings hanging on the cliffs. Some look like they should never have survived this long.

We had to use the umbrellas for the best part of the morning... the afternoon was clear and warm. Not hot like it was a week ago, but pleasant enough. We had a very early supper before spending the cooler evening in our apartment. Sometimes we need a break and a rainy day hit the spot.

Fred checking out global warming in the Mediterranean. The water was warm!

The stairs to our apartment...just kidding, but by the late afternoon ours don't feel much different.

It was raining...everyone should have a glass of Prosecco and Pinot Grigio at 11:30! And, no we don't do this every day.

A Little Bus Ride

Our landlord recommended that we take the bus to see a small hill town called Ravello so that was on our agenda this morning. We did the usual bus thing to Amalfi, transferred and ended up in the proper place. She was right on the mark about the beauty of this place, but she was way out of line saying it was an easy bus trip. Hair pin curves on a big bus are not my kind of excitement....the last twenty minutes were particularly scary. 

Anyway, we are still here and glad we went....at least Fred is! Ravello was very entertaining with great views and a quieter centre core. I was dreading the return trip to Amalfi so I sort of hurried up the visit just so it would be over. Coming down was worse than going up! I think our last driver was some sort of maniac who had a huge death wish. Either that or he was late for lunch!

We spent some time in Amalfi, but found it rather busy. Great church and some little limoncello stores that had tasting opportunities. That's what I should have done before heading to Ravello....have numerous tastes of limoncello.

We have been finding all kinds of excuses not to hike the stairs back to our room and this evening it was a backpack full of water for the room. Works every time!

Fred has some great videos of the bus ride that he is trying to put on here and if succeeds you will have to edit it before showing it to his mom....someone on the bus had some foul language! Mostly directed toward the driver!

A Change of Scenery

We are spending the next four days on the Amalfi Coast and already I can tell it will be a favourite.  We travelled by train from Orvieto to Naples then hired a driver to pick us up and take us to Positano, about two hours away.

It had been raining off and on until we got to our hotel yesterday and then the skies opened up. We were soaked by the time we climbed the 57 steps to the entrance of our apartment. 

We were starved so we headed out to find a restaurant and this meant going down! Positano is built on cliffs so everything is up or down...no even keel! There is only one road in to town so it was a busy place to be walking, but it is the only way to get to the stairs down. We went down for what seemed to be a very long time. We didn't stop until we hit the beach area.

Going down was fine, but climbing back up on a full tummy seemed out of reach so a shuttle bus was in order.

First impression: striking scenery and so very different from Tuscany!

View from our room...in the rain.

A Few of Our Favourites

We loved Orvieto and hopefully the following shows why.

The main square, just 30 metres from our apartment.

My feet hurt!

Enjoying a glass of beer on the balcony.

Hunting for a restaurant in the evening.

Walkway to someone's home.

We would love this gate in San Carlos!

So many alleys to explore and not enough time!

Wine and More Wine

On our Chianti wine tour we first stopped at the Tenuta Torciano Winery and were entertained by the owner's son....as he said "I love my job". This is one if the Chianti region's top producers and most of the wine they make is only sold locally and to "special friends "!

My favourite was the Chianti Classico with the traditional black rooster on the label, but most everyone else loved a more expensive Brunello wine. The wine tasting here is not like in BC or Napa Valley where you might get one ounce of wine.....it is more fun the Italian way with a two or three ounce sample. And we tried at least seven different reds, one white and a dessert wine. The nice part of this sampling was the food that accompanied the wine...pecorino cheese, salad, prosciutto and lasagna, along with lots of bread. We also sampled different olive oils...some were excellent and some were not worth using again.

By the time we were ready for an afternoon nap, we left for another winery north of Siena. This was a nonprofit winery and the taste was much different. We could tell it was a cheaper wine and not as satisfying.

We took the time to visit a few hill towns on the way...something special about each one.

We were very glad to get back to our room and crawl into bed. Too much wine and too long in the car. The friends we made and the sights we saw were the highlights of the day.

Sort of a Last Day

We used today as if it were our last day in San Gimignano....meaning we visited every site we could squeeze in. We are not leaving tomorrow, but we are heading out for a long day of wine touring and then leave very early the next morning for two days in Orvieto. So if you can understand my rambling, today was the last time we could see the rest of the town.

Fred climbed one of the tall towers to see the countryside while I hung around the steps below. Heights are not my favourite thing and I have been left below many times....the Pyramides of Egypt and of Mexico are prime examples.

We tried Billee's favourite gelato stop, did some shopping and even more walking before calling it quits. Pizza sounded good about that time!

Tuscan Scenery

We just got back to our room after four hours of non-stop walking and are having a much needed break. The views from the perimeter of San Gimignano are pretty special, including the view from our breakfast area at the hotel.

We took our time wandering through and around the town trying to take it all in. We were able to include a wee bit of shopping as well....Fred and his Italian leather and me for anything vinegar and olive oil related.

We had heard horror stories about the crowds at San Gimignano (even Jerry and Billee said they were bad) and there are a few tours to contend with, but because we have a room in the heart of town we can take a break during the peak hours of noon until two. During the morning and evening, this town is almost ghost like with empty restaurants and shops. 

San Gimignano is one of the few remaining walled hill towns in Tuscany . I'm not completely sure of the numbers, but I believe it used to have over seventy towers and now the fourteen that are still here draw many tourists daily. Very unique and quite a spectacle when you first come upon it.

The last picture is of hotel.

Just a Little Mix Up

We knew we had a long day of train riding today so we were up early and ready to go. Everything was going perfectly until we sat on the last train watching our destination station go by. I think we were in a daze and just let Poggibonsi go by without really thinking about it.

So on to Siena it was, sat in the station there for 25 minutes and then took the reverse train back to Poggibonsi. Not a big deal as we only lost about an hour, but when you know you have made a stupid mistake it becomes frustrating.

The bus from Poggibonsi to San Gimignano worked well....except it dropped us off on the outskirts of San Gimignano and the only thing we knew about our hotel was that it was located in the centre of town.

We wandered for a bit and luckily stumbled across it, luggage in tow! The hotel is in an old historic building on the main drag, like sleeping in a castle. Pretty nice location. We haven't really wandered much since arriving, but the views from our room will give you an idea of our location.

Crashing

My blog system keeps crashing so I missed a chance to post a few more pictures from last night....our four hour adventure in an ancient apartment learning the basics of Italian cooking.

Pasta Making

Fred and I wanted to learn how to make pasta the traditional way and we found Louisa, who invited us into her home to learn the craft.

She doesn't speak English so we had an interpreter along to pave the way. Worked like a charm. 

Louisa first demonstrated the technique and then we had to give it a try. I was the better of the two when it came to making the dough, but Fred was far more patient than I was in the rolling department.

We made tortelli....we would call them ravioli.....filled with spinach and ricotta cheese. Mine were a little thick and Fred's leaked a little, but when served with butter and Parmigiana Reggiano they were awesome!

We also made tagliatelle, a fettuccine like pasta that is much easier to make. Louisa had us serve it the same simple way as the tortelli...butter and cheese.

The four of us were able to communicate well enough to have a wonderful evening making pasta and drinking Prosecco.