Fantastico, Firenze

The natives call it Firenze...I don't know why we call it Florence? Somehow, Firenze seems to fit so well. And yet, we visit Hard Rock Cafe and there are almost  no promotional materials that say 'Firenze', only Florence. Even the street vendors seem to have opted for souvenirs that mostly identify Florence over Firenze. "Pertruppo", (unfortunately) as my dinner companions said last night...but I am getting ahead of myself now.

This is truly a fantastic city in the heart of Italy. I am glad that we made this trip an exploratory one covering six cities and towns - but if fortune favored me to return, I would stay in Tuscany for most - if not all - of the vacation. Venice/ Treviso, Milan, and Turin all deserve their honors, but Siena and Florence are truly spectacular. The architecture alone is worth the effort but adding in the hilly geography, the unique history and culture, castles, palaces, art, science, and the people of this great city make it all the more special. Anything less than a month in Florence is not enough to fully take in the whole of the Florentine experience, but it's a great start and we certainly made the most of the three days and two nights we were there.


I could probably write a book on this part of our journey, but three experiences stand out. First, the museum of Leoardo da Vinci - a relatively small museum on Via Cavour. While it was small, it was by far my favorite museum. It is dedicated primarily to Leonardo's technology and anatomical research projects, rather than his art. The highlights are some 50-60 machines reproduced from Leonardo's original sketches. Most are actually working machines, and many are interactive; you are welcome to play with them as much as you like. The picture is a model of the tank he designed initially to be  powered by horses but then modified to be powered by "8-manpower".

The second is the Palazzo Pitti just across River Arno via Pont Vechio where the Medici family renovated a mansion formerly owned by Luca Pitti. The Palace on its own is just an amazing piece of architecture and decoration (Raphaels and Reubens abound), but the gardens (the Giardino Bobolini) with their many sculptures and fountains are just extraordinary. We trotted around these for over an hour and were it not for the heat (38 degrees celsius!) and the fact we had to catch our train back to Venice and home, we could have stayed the whole day I'm sure.

Finally, there was the marvellous experience of our pensione (our B'n'B - thank you AirBnB!)  at 13 Via Leonardo DaVinci where our hostess, Carla offered a lesson in local Tuscan cuisine. The kitchen (cucina) was very simply appointed, but well organized for me and the three ladies (Carla, my wife, and Carla's daughter - the last two both going by Elisabetta...I just called them una and due - my wife being una, of course :-)) to enjoy cooking and sharing some local organic wines. We made a tomato/bean soup, a delicious pate of chicken livers and hearts, garlic and lots of olive oil for the crostini, and then a rosemary and garlic stuffed roast of rabbit (coniglio arrosta) which was served with pomadoro tomatoes , beans, and of course accompanied by lots more wine. Then of course, the grappa, biscotti dipped in Vin Santo (a fortified wine similar to an ice wine), fresh local golden cherries, and then "nocino" - a homemade walnut liqueur that somehow looked, smelled and tasted a lot like walnut flavored Buckley's cough syrop and kicked like a mule.

That last bit was a bit of a blur, as you can imagine. What I do recall was a wonderful conversation Elisabetta (una) and I had, first with the whole family and as the evening grew late, alone with Alberto -Carla's son. He spoke of the ongoing challenge of preserving traditions like preferences for Italy's many great grapes and their wines, golden cherries that taste much more delicious than their red cousins but cannot sell, and even Italian language and titles - against the erosion and incorporation of other European and American influences and tastes.

We leave today, Friday, to go home via Frankfurt and London, and we hope that families in Italy will keep the traditions they chose to share with us during our due settimane sulla luna.

After we get home, I will write a series of reflections that may be useful for anyone thinking about travelling to this lovely country. Until then, arrivederci, a presto.

Oggi fa bella

Ok - it is hot!!!! The natives say "Oggi fa bella" (it's a nice day). Sorry there Luigi, where I come from, we'd use the old Adrian Kronauer weather report (if you don't get it, get the movie Good Morning Vietnam, now!). I   am friggin' melting here. Temps have been constantly high 20s to mid 30s with no rain, little cloud and little wind. So it just hangs there. And as for Rick Steeves' packing list...pack you, Ricky boy. What the hell do I need a heavy fleece and a long-sleeved shirt for? Now that I've had my rant, I feel much better.

Well this has been a great day, in part because my darling bride and I decided to take separate excursions - not that we don't love each other's company, but we recognize that we have different interests and shouldn't hold each other back from exploring our own preferred routes. For example, when my lovely lady decides that a good idea for a Siena mid-day tour would be walking up the five hundred and five steps of the tower attached to the civic building in Piazza del Campo (did I mention it is hot?), that is just the time I feel I should pursue my interests in checking out the local birra (beer) in the Piazza del Campo while watching the locals laugh at the crazy tourista climbing the stairs of the "Torre" to get a panorama and a selfie from the top.

Actually, in truth I headed to the Fortezza Medica, an ancient fortress from which I could sketch, paint and take pictures of some unbelievable  vistas of Tuscan countryside. I have been enjoying getting back to drawing and painting and what a great place to bring back this old hobby of mine. It seemed the lizards were also being entertained as they found something quite attractive in my water color pencil case and became increasingly comfortable taking the shortcut across my legs instead of around my back. Tried to get one to take home, but unlike us humans they are damned fast in this heat!

Catching up with my missus, we then headed up to see a couple of fantastic religious icons of the town: the sanctuary of Saint Caterina (where I did a sketch of Saint Catherine's statue); and the Franciscan Church near the Ovile gate (these city gates are amazing... pics to follow). THEN, I went to sample the local artisan birra, while my beloved did a tour of the Duomo. You go, girl...I'll hold down the fort against the heat in this cool, shaded sidewalk bar and gelaterie. :-)

This weekend is a special one for the town of Siena. Already a national holiday in celebration of Italy's becoming a Republic, this is the weekend the town selects the horses for the great race in the Palio (to be held in July), and I'll tell ya' this is bigger than a Habs versus Leafs Stanley Cup playoff. I got all the dirt on this nasty little competition from our hostess...ten horses only are selected from the seventeen districts of Siena (each represented by an animal or icon - see the panther sculpture attached representing the enemy of our host district...there are no red wings), and this weekend the last four are to be selected (it should be three but some nasty bugger got a game misconduct - for two years - department of player safety maybe?) so there was an extra straw to draw and the Piazza del Campo was more jittery than watching the smoke at the papal conclave when a new pope is picked! From the noise outside last night, there was lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth and I was so grateful for my earplugs that allowed me a decent night's sleep ( in spite of the heat).

We finished our "sera" at the best restaurant in Siena - Osteria San Guiseppe on Via Guiseppe Dupres. Seriously, if you ever get to Siena, this is a must-try meal. We got the last available reservation and it was for 7pm (our hostess thought this was shameful  - what decent patron eats before 9pm?) and we were told we would have to be finished by 8:50pm. Only two hours? What's the world coming to? If you've eaten in Italy, you'll know that two hours is the Italian idea of fast food. It was phenomenal and we used every bit of our allotted time to plug through four courses, each one a mouth-watering treat.

We leave tomorrow for Florence, but a piece of my heart will stay forever in Siena.  We are coming to the end of our Due Settimane, and I am working on a sort of "lessons learned" post to wrap up this blog. Feel free to comment on this blog if there's anything you'd like me to cover. Did I mention it's hot?  

'Sera, Siena

You spend many hours and days learning to speak that perfect dialect of Italian, thinking the Venetians or the Torinados are going to say "well, that Canadian surely speaks wonderful Italiano, doesn't he"? "Buongiorno", I say, even drawing out that second-last syllable like they do in the North of Italy; "Buon Giooooorrno", "Buonasera" pronouned "buonosaaaayyyy-rah". "Molto bene, grazie"...adding the very Canadian ending to that thank-you - "Gratt-see-eh". But they have you cold...in real usage, it's not buonosera or buongiorno, just "'Sera", and "'Giorno". Throw out that university Italian textbook, discard the Rosetta stone. Just sit in the Piazza del Campo in Siena and absorb the dialect.

The train from Milano to Siena just flew along averaging nearly 300km/hour. The countryside as we entered the Chianti district began to look more like the images of Tuscany that they put in the promotions; beautiful agricultural pastoral scenes, rolling mountain foothills,  interspersed with vinyards, and deep forest groves.  Closer to Venezia, Torino and Milano there is no wasted land...all land is working to support either agriculture, industry or housing there. And closer to Firenze (Florence) and Siena, we start going straight though mountains, long dark passages with only occasional flashes of light as we pass out of one mountain tunnel and into another.

The train station at Siena is in a mall...and you should see the escalator. The first 4-5 sections are moving sidewalk with maybe a 10-12 degree climb; then it kicks up a bit with about 3-4 standard (although somewhat long)  escalator sections at maybe 15-20 degrees; then it gets serious with another 3-4 long sections climbing at well over 30 degrees. I don't think I have ever had my ears pop from an escalator ride, but they sure did this morning.

Like Rome, the city is built on seven hills...or so the brochures say, the lying bastards. Without visiting any section  twice we must have climbed at least eleven, although somehow we only went down  four. The city is straight from those old movies about the great centurion battles; a gated walled city, built in concentric circles that can each be defended until retreat can be made to the next great wall and gate. Narrow streets (characterized by walkways between buildings high overhead) gradually lead to three most amazing sites: The Piazza del Campo (city square and the very heart of Siena, and probably the busiest and most touristy); the cathedral and Duomo that stands high above the great city; and the Fortezza Medecia at Piazza della Liberta, a medieval fortress with impressive panoramic views of the city and the Tuscan countryside outside the walls (see picture).

Pizza in the Campo was nearly as delicious as that first one we had in Treviso. Later in the evening we went to Papei ristorante where we were fortunate to arrive early enough to find una tavola perdue, before they cut off entrance to only reservations. My first ever taste of cinghiale (wild boar) with Papardella (very wide ribbons of fresh pasta) was  a great treat and Elisabetta can vouch for the delicious flavours of ravioli al funghi. A final walk through del Campo watching a full moon rise behind the Palazzo Publico,  and a little gelato for la dolce and we were ready to call it a day and head back to our hotel and for me to enjoy a tremendous Chianti while I write this blog (six Euro and I am guessing you'd be lucky to get this quality of vino rosso for less than $25 at home). I think, I am homesick. No wait, I just need another sip of this fine chianti...aaaahhh, that's better, I'm ok now. Sera, Siena. We'll see more of you, a domani.

Ciao Milano

Milano (Milan) was not at all what I had expected, and something of a disappointment. However we stayed just the one night so it may be unfair to judge by that short visit. Still, for a city hosting the country's major Expo, I thought they would have tried harder to make first impressions count. If not for the viewing of The Last Supper (and the attendant tour) and the marvellous company of our gracious host, this would have been even more disappointing.
The train trip from Torino was quick and comfortable and Milan's Stazione Centrale is truly an amazing piece of architecture. It was worthwhile just appreciating that station while searching high and low for the baggage check-in (they call it "left luggage" which I always find amusing...what is not amusing is how badly the signs are arrayed to send you in circles for an hour until you finally find the luggage dropoff in a tiny corner with no outside signage worth a damn). Visitor information (Ufficio di informazione tourismo)  is non-existent, with the exception of information on the city's Expo. I am pretty sure the porter I approached for assistance told me to go pound sand (or something a little more crude since it seemed to be only one word :-)).
The underground tube is very fast and nicely laid out if you are familiar with a city Metro service. We took a single train to La Piazza del Duomo, and the Cathedral there in the Piazza is truly an incredible work. We met with our guide, Andrea, and began the tour that would end with a 15 minute (solo cinquante minuti!) viewing of the Last Supper, the fresco (sort of) painting by Leonardo da Vinci. If you didn't know already, Leonardo's "my guy"...I am fascinated by all of his creations and his life, so any chance to see any of his work is going to draw me like a hungry dog to a fresh steak. Andrea was an absolute font of wisdom on everything that had to do with Leonardo's life in Milan (he lived there for 24 years) so I hung on everything she had to say. The walking tour covered a lot of history and took over three hours. A surprise opportunity that we discovered on the way was to see an interesting unfinished work by Michaelangelo (see picture). This is "La Pieti" capturing Mary's grief as they lowered Christ from the cross. Bonus!
Leonardo's famous painting of the Last Supper is truly a wonder. It was never a real fresco (painting on wet plaster) but rather used tempura painting on a dry wall, and therefore has not born the test of time and ravages of temperature, humidity, wars and vandalism as many other famous works. But the restorations have been very effective in cleaning up as much of the image as possible to expose Leonardo's brilliant color application. Once again we are brought back to an ancient time and walking the footprints of the master. Elisabetta and I both felt very emotional in the presence of the maestro's work.
After a visit to do some sketching and photos of the Castello Sforzesco, we headed out to Via Collecchio where we met our BnB host, Chiara, and were invited to join her and her friends for a dinner party in her garden. It was truly the best part of our visit as we shared molti vino e cucina e divertimente (lots of wine, food and laughs) with a very friendly group of Italians. We invited them all home to Nova Scotia and they promised to come one of those Christmases in the future.
Ciao, Milano - and now onward to Siena and Tuscany.

Salve, Torino

Our visit to Torino (Turin, to us Inglese folks) was well worth the decision to add it to our itinerary. Although my only real bucket list item for Torino was to see the shroud, we arrived to a number of great surprises! First off, we learned that this year (for the first time since 2010) the real shroud (not the copy that is usually on display) was here for presentation. Second, we discovered that this week is the start of the Torino Jazz festival, with some notable artists including the opening show from Tony Braxton. And finally, we found out that Davinci's "self-portrait" was also on display in the Savoy  castle in the Piazza Castello, the most important castle courtyard in Torino.

To ensure we got a great start, we didn't even check in to our BnB/appartemento when we arrived, opting to check our luggage at a KI-point (a luggage check service at the station) and went directly up to Piazza Castello to reserve our trip to see the shroud. We were given an appointment at 10am the next morning - perfect to allow us to have a decent breakfast before leaving the apartment. Then we had a number of happy adventures (you newfy people will appreciate that) which included the viewing of Il Volto (perhaps the most famous image of Davinci - see the attached picture). While we were at that show, we discovered the rest of the building (Castello Madama) was filled with amazing antiquities, beautiful woodwork, and paintings - and more importantly had a beautiful castle tower that provided an impressive panorama of Torino, and the most beautiful moat level garden (the Prince's garden) that was a joy to wander around in. 

We decided last night to take in an authentic Italian dinner (several servings starting with antipasta and pane (bread with oil and balsamic vinegar), then a prima - risotto and agnotelli, an entree (roast kid for me, the goat, not the bambina, and chicken a la baby for Elisabetta...seeing a patten here?), and then passing  the dolce (sweets), we were forced to try some grappa and wine liqueur with fresh cherries and chocolate biscotti. We rolled out the door, and waddled back to the apartment where we were able to do nothing more than  watch Italian dubbed movies like Backdraft. BTW - Kurt Russell really sounds very funny speaking in Italiano.

The shroud (La Sindone) was truly amazing. Arriving at the park outside the cathedral 15 minutes  before our appointment, we were marched through a series of stop points including a full security check (note, don't bring your favorite pocketknife) and also including a brief video overview that was very helpful in preparing to understand the significance of the various marks on the shroud...and which also clears up why they are so sure this really is the shroud used to wrap Christ's remains before he was entombed. After a brief  wait for the previous group to clear, our group (of about 30 or so) were marched up to an altar where we saw, what I had assumed was a video display of the shroud, but when the docent began his discussion it was soon clear that we were only a few feet from the real shroud hermetically sealed in a display case and backlit so that you can clearly see all the markings preserved in the shroud. I was not as prepared as I thought I would have been for the emotional impact. Knowing you are just beyond arms length of the shroud that is stained with the blood of Jesus (regardless of your religious discipline) is truly an emotional moment. I was very moved, although surprised that the Lord was not all that tall!

That's a hard act to follow, but the rest of the day was likewise divine, including a visit to the top of the Mole Antonelliani (a huge tower you line up for the single lift   to a brilliant panorama of the city...much higher than the castle Madama from the day before). We finished the day dropping into a couple of amazing jazz jams (gypsy jazz in the Mole Antonelliani courtyard and African rhythms in the Piazza Vittoria Veneta) and a walk along the river Po, before returning to a meal made in the apartment (agnotelli and Popettes - tasty little meatballs). Tomorrow it is on to Milano (Milan) for a day before we head to Tuscany. Buona notte, amicos.

Arrivedeci Venezia

Our last day in Venice was the best yet...of course it takes about 2 days just to get your bearings in Venice, but while I might want to stay a day more, I  think that anything over 4 days would be wearying in the city. We had taken the advice of a friend (thank you Roger) to stay in Treviso and we are glad that we did. Although it means a short train ride in and out in the mornings, we get away fom the noise and crowds to a beautiful (quieter) town that has some lovely sites and dining of its own.
Our ride from Treviso to Venice was on a crowded early train, but we were nicely organized having bought a full day vaporetto ticket the day before. From the train stop in S. Lucia, we jumped right on the first canal ferry and headed to St. Thoma parish where we toured Santa Maria dei Frari, a Francisan church featuring an amazing work by Titian (The Assumption of the Virgin) and some beautiful monuments to Titian (who is entombed there) and Canova. Many other amazing works are also worth the visit including the beautiful and moving piece featured in the attached picture.
My wife would likely spend the entire trip in museums, galleries and churches - and I confess to enjoying some galleries as well - but my bucket list for Venice was composed entirely of three key activities: finding and visiting  the Hard Rock Cafe Venezia; feeding the pigeons in St. Mark's Square (because the signs say not to :-)); and riding a bike on the Lido. We did the first two the day before, so today was the day to finish my agenda.
The Lido is a small spit of land that forms a breakwater between the mouth of Venice's Grand Canal and the Adriatic sea outside the Lagoon. We arrived on the island direct from our St. Thoma stop and immediatly rented a couple of bikes from Stefano and his partner at Lido on Bike. We rode a leisurely pace along the back side of the island and the beach strip on the Adriatic, and rode almost the full length of the island down to Marcuola, before heading back in time for a quick bite on the dock and catching the vaporetta back to the Academia museum stop.
We had intended to head out to St. Giorgio, but got a little turned around and realized it would take too long. So we settled on visiting Peggy Gugenheim's collection and the current installations of Charles and Jackson Pollock's works. Another fascinating and unexpected treasure that came by chance and not choice. We got back to Treviso just in time to enjoy a romantic anniversary dinner (gnocchi for her, steak tartar for me) before heading home to pack for the morning. An early rise to make our trains to Torino, and we fondly bid arrivederci to Venezia.

Quindici Anniversare

It's our anniversary - our 15th in fact - so today was a very special day. This is why we are making this trip at this time. and just like our marriage in many ways, it didn't go as expected (actually I can't imagine how any woman could stay with me for 15 years)....but we went with the way that fate pushed us and the journey today (and the past decade and a half) turned out as well and maybe better than we could have imagined.

We have finally figured out Venice's complex transportation system. The first thing you have to know is that maps sold in Venice are created by a secret society who purposely change the names on the map so that none of them will ever be seen in the streets. This same clandestine authority conspires with all citizens to intentionally misdirect tourista so that you have to wander into one of the 4 million shops in Venice to ask for directions, hoping you will buy something to assuage any guilt you might feel for imposing on the shop keeper.

Well there are a few simple rules. First, get there very early or get there mid-afternoon. The whole city's a zoo but especially later morning through mid afternoon; second, use the vaporetta (and get a pass for the length of time you are going to be there) - the vaporetta is the canal bus, a set of ferry boats that traverse the various public transportation bus stops (docks) and they are crowded, noisy, unsteady and totally delightful...and relatively cheap; and if you want to avoid the huge crowds and pesky hawkers trying (surprisingly often effectively) to get you to buy cheap junk, expensive roses and fake paintings, get thee off to the Lido - the long strip of land that creates the natural breakwater in the lagoon that guards the mouth of the grand canal. Get thee a bicyclette (pronounced bitchy-klet), and ride thine arse off all day on a lovely island with beautiful beaches on the Adriatic Sea.

OK more pics and links tomorrow.