Tuscany, Wine, and Pisa....In that Order

Let me start out by saying Steven and I have five days left in Italy. Both of us are reaching the sad state of mind about having to leave the country. We had the same reaction before leaving Greece. We made our way into Tuscany today. Visiting Siena and San Gimignano before making our way to Pisa and back to Florence. Each city was amazing in its own way. As we entered Siena, we were told about a long tradition in which there is a horse race in the main square in August and July. This is a BIG event. Each district in the city has its own flag and symbol and the people of Siena associate themselves with their district throughout their lives. As a point of interest, of which I did not know, Italy has only been unified for 150 years. Before the unification, the country was a series of "city states." This in theory would make the USA older than the country of Italy. Due to the geopolitical makeup Italians associate themselves with their city more so than Italy. In Siena the people have a deeper rooted association to their district. As we entered the city the "Dragon District" was walking around Siena in preparation for the horse race in July. Each Sunday until July and August a district will take each Sunday for walking around the city with their flags and drums getting the locals ready for the horse race. Another fact...Siena has the most beautiful square in all of Tuscany if not Italy. After Siena we made our way to a winery (organic winery at that). Here is where the fun began. We had a WONDERFUL lunch - pasta, bread, salad, cheese, etc. And the bottles of wine just kept coming. We met people from Hawaii that we had a blast with. By the end of lunch I was unable to tie my shoe or touch my nose, whichever you need to do for a sobriety test. I failed. We had white wines, red wines, and a dessert wine. I swear Steven kept filling my glasses, but he insists he only gave me one glass of each wine. However, it appears I kept pouring myself more wine. Upon getting to San Gimignano, I was feeling good. hahahahaha. As many of you know I get very friendly when I am drinking....so we made new friends. One couple we met came to Europe for the first time on this trip. They came over with no hotel rooms booked and no idea what they were going to do when they got here. It was amazing to hear how they worked their way through Europe. Back to San Gimignano, also known as the Medieval Manhattan. This city was our favorite stop. Everyone should visit here. We made our way from San Gimignano to Pisa. Here comes the story of the day. So we decided we would climb to the top of the leaning tower. First let me say, it was unreal to drive up and see the leaning tower. Once again I remember being in 9th grade and hearing my teachers talk about being at the tower. I was so excited to finally make a trip to Pisa. So we ascend up the tower steps....it was very odd because you could feel the slant of the tower. However, the oddest part...as we got to the first stop a security guard made us stop instead of going on up. We were told we need to rest (at least that is what I understood). After about 10 minutes they let us head up the remaining steps. As we started up, I noticed the steps were wet and called out to Steven and our new friends to be careful that there is pigeon pee all over the steps. They all laughed, but agreed the birds had urinated on the steps. OHHHHHH no....come to find out, someone had an accident on the top of the tower. The top was covered in blood and they were trying to clean it off. After walking to the top, Steven and others saw the steps covered in blood. The guard stated to Steven it was a blood bath as there had been two accidents, and then compared it to a horror film. All I know, when I got to the top of the tower.....I froze. It was so odd to feel the slant of the tower and see the height. I held on for dear life as I made my way around the rail. On the way out of Pisa, Steven was so excited. He proclaimed to me..."look honey, there is another leaning tower. Remember the guide said there is more than just the main one." I looked and did not exactly know how to handle the situation. Our new friends, were sitting in front of us. I looked at Steven and stated "ummm honey that IS the leaning tower of Pisa." He busted out laughing and tried to hide his head. Everyone thought it was so funny. Steven simply stated "pretty is a great characteristic to have sometimes." Tomorrow....we are on the train to Venice.

Santa Croce & Uffizi - A Day of Art

We had a great day starting out at the Baregello Museum where we saw several Michelangelo sculptures then made out way to the Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross)which is the burial place of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Rossini (see picture of Michelangelo's tomb). The three sculptures on the tomb represent painting, sculpture, and architecture. All the sculptures were weeping at the loss of Michelangelo. I know it sounds odd, but you really could feel the pain in their eyes.
A beautiful church, but more importantly to walk around and see some of the greatest artist and thinkers of Italy buried in one place was mind blowing. It reminded me of Westminster Abbey, just a lot less "famous people" entombed. As we walked around the church, Steven stated he saw the "Statue of Liberty." Well sure enough, the statue Steven pointed to was the statue that was used as a reference point for the Statue of Liberty. The literature referred to the Statue of Liberty as "the sister" statue.

After spending about 2 hours in Santa Croce, we made our way to lunch...guess what we had...wait, wait, almost there....you may get it...PIZZA. I mean we have eaten our way through Rome. Steven and I have weighed. He has gained 6 pounds and two ton Tilda (me) has now gained 10lbs. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Stop the madness. There is one true statement "it really is okay to push the plate away."

After Pizza, we made our way to the Uffizi. We were a little early, so we sat and watched all the tourist and Italian's in the piazza. We actually saw the first piazza in Italy. It is at the center of the Baregello Museum. We listed to our podcast by Rick Steve's that took us around the Uffizi and pointed out all the major paintings and other forms of art (for example the Birth of Venus and works by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael). How do you keep saying "amazing, beautiful, etc?" I will say multiple people approached us about our iPads and the podcast we were using. It really is a great way to travel. The audio tours were free and covered the great works in the museum.

We finished out or day with....gelato (now doesn't that just make you want to hurl? I went from two ton Tilda to three tone Tilda). It is all fun and games until someone has a blocked artery.

Tomorrow we are on our way for a day in Tuscany and Pisa. We are excited, but are very apprehensive as we continue to hear about getting your pockets picked near Pisa. The guard is up.

Ciao.

A night in Florence...Cast of Jersey Shores

We had a really relaxing day. We stayed at the hotel, after much debate, until around 6p. Then we made our way out and walked around Florence to take in some of the night life. It was beautiful to walk around the city and hear the music and see the sites.

As we walked down one street a camera crew rounded a corner and here here came some of the cast members of Jersey Shores. It was funny to see. However, we just took in a glance and headed to dinner. We had pizza, wine, and ended the night with gelato.

Although this is a short post, it was a perfect evening. Tomorrow we will go to the Uffizi Gallery and the Church of Santa Croce to see the graves of Michelangelo and Galileo.

Three blisters, Two cuts, One bum toe, One raw heel and One lost voice

As the title might suggest that is the sum total of the battle wounds from this trip to date. We have been walking so much and today, with the hike at Cinque Terre....you can imagine the scars of our travels continue. In all actuality, the trip today was beautiful. It was nice to find out that the total time included travel time from Florence to Cinque Terre...so we only hiked and walked for 8 of the 12 hours. Somehow, I think due to the smog in Rome, I have lost my voice....Steven must be loving the fact I can't talk as much (hahahaha). The blisters are shared among both of us and Steven has the bum toe.

We met some great people on the bus, had lunch with a couple from India, and hiked the foot paths from one village to the next. We tasted some of the best gelato we have had thus far in Italy. After hours of hiking and roaming the villages, Steven and I broke from the group for about an hour and walked up (yes I mean up to the top of a cliff) to the Monastery of the Capuchin Friars while the group went for wine. We sat in the monastery and listened to the monks chant. We could have sat there for hours and just listened. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. We made our way from the monastery down to the Mediterranean Sea, took our shoes of (well I did) and just sat on a dock with feet hanging in the water. The water was so clear. See the picture with this post.

After meeting back with the group, we boarded a boat and went along the coast off all the small villages. Since we saw the villages on land, it was so nice to get a different view from the boat. However, while on the boat there were some very loud Germans really being disruptive. It did not take Steven long before he broke out in German and telling them to shut up. Hehehehe. I was impressed with his command of the German language. I mean I was minding my own business and taking pictures and the next thing I know I hear Steven spouting German. He is such a smart man. I will say it again....I am lucky guy!

It is now just past midnight, Steven is showering and we are heading to bed. Tomorrow we are heading out in Florence to see some more sites. Let me say one more time....we are loving this trip. Italy is much like Greece, you hate the thoughts of leaving and know you want to come back.

On a final note, we did find out the Italian government is offering two hectors of land in Cinque Terre for free. They will provide the land to you for up to 20 years with the understanding you agree to work the land and grow the current crop. usually olives, grapes, or lemons. However a house is not provided....you have to buy a house.

We ARE in Italy!

Steven and I have enjoyed every moment of this trip, however we have been waiting for that moment to hit us that lets us know we are in Italy. Today, just that happened. Florence by far is our favorite city so far. Florence truly is all the things everyone thinks about Italy. We moved past ancient Rome and found we are in the romantic/artisan life of Italy. To walk through the squares in Florence and see all the artisans painting brought it all around.

To back track some, this morning we made our way via train from Rome to Florence. We had a wonderful ride sitting beside two ladies from Australia. We traded travel war stories. During these war stories we all learned what to avoid. Their advice to us:
1. Make sure you validate your train ticket in the "little yellow machine" before you get on the train. Even if you have purchased them in advance and the company mailed you a physical ticket (of which that is what we did). Result of not validating your ticket in the "little yellow machine" = a fifty euro fine for not having the stamp. Needless to say we got this advice after leaving the station. However, we avoided the fine.
2. When eating outside make sure you eat under a covering. So Steven and I were shaking our heads on this one, as there have been rain showers for brief parts of the day throughout the week. OH NO, when eating outside one of the ladies learned that bird poo finds its way out of the sky right on your plate. And that is exactly what happened one night while she was eating.
Our advice to them:
1. DO NOT use the pay phones. So...remember the driver at the airport never showed to pick Steven and I up. Well I found the nearest pay phone and saw I could use my card to place a call for 0.60c a minute. PERFECT, right? I made two talking to the company about the driver not showing. Cost per call as per the charge on the credit card as of now = $53.84 per call. Yes that would be over $100 for a total of 4 or 5 minutes trying to reach the driver. I knew to arrange for a cell phone.

As you can tell, they won the war with story number two. However, it was a blast talking to them throughout the ride. I am sure they are somewhere back in Rome now having a beer laughing.

Sites of the day:
David at the Galleria dell Academia. No need to say much about seeing David by Michelangelo. Bonnie you are correct...the best seats are in the back. I need not say anymore.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore where we walked to the top of the Dome and saw the most amazing view of the city. To make it well know of the effort for this to happen, there are no lifts and there are 463 steps that you wind your way up to the top. See one of the posted pics for the view.

Ponte Vecchio, or old bridge. This is the picture of the day with the post. We loved walking over the bridge and just taking in the scenes.

Tomorrow we are off to Cinque Terre to hike the five villages. Uhhhh who thought of this? 12 hours hiking.

Vatican and Villa Borghese

For those of you that know me, you know that I am not a religious person. At least I do not prescribe to organized religion. However, I must admit the experience at the Vatican today was amazing in all aspects of the word. Out of respect for the arts alone, the Vatican was worth every second spent roaming the halls. We climbed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica, and although the view was obscured by smog, just knowing that Michelangelo designed the dome was enough to make anyone want to see. The picture with this post is taken from the top of the dome.

Now, I know many of you may have already been to the Vatican....but for a first timer I have to just spill how much I enjoyed the tour. I would recommend taking either a private or semi-private tour if you are planning on coming to Rome. We skipped all of the lines, went straight in, and had a guide educated in Christian Science. Tim, gave us more information than we could absorb, but tied in all of the great stories we have all heard (i.e., the "fig" leaf Pope, etc.). As we walked through the Vatican we walked on the floors from the Roman baths we visited just a couple days ago. No matter one's religious preference and thoughts about the way in which the Vatican Museum acquired art....there is one thing that remains true....the Catholic church has provided the means to securing and preserving great art.

I could go on and on about, but let me say...Raphael's rooms and of course the Sistine Chapel were the crème de la crème of the visit. All I kept thinking about was reading about these great works of art and artist in school. Now Steven and I were able to experience them together.

Okay....I will stop now. Ouch, one more thing Villa Borghese is a must see. The Bernini sculptures were beyond belief.

So guess what we had for dinner tonight....wait.....wait for it....you know the answer....come on you got it....SPAGHETTI.....We loved it again.

Story of the day: So Steven and I went out last night for a night cap and to have a couple of drinks. We just wanted to see the local life. So after a couple of drinks we headed to the hotel. It was rather late at night, but as we approached our hotel...which is on one of the "nicest" streets of Rome...we were asked by an older guy if he could show us the "local life" and i quote "show us the women." He kept saying "show you the women, show you the women." Steven and I simply looked at each other, feeling butch that obviously this guy could not tell the obvious.....When we walked in the hotel, I looked at Steven and stated "he can show us the women, but all we know how to do is dress them up and make them pretty." Pfffftt...then we did not feel so butch.

I mean just two days ago Steven and I were walking down the streets of Rome and I hear "oh my god honey." Of course, I jumped and turned to Steven because he said it very loud and I thought he was hurt, or someone was trying to steal his manpurse. Come to find out, he spotted a women wearing a white dress that she did not put a slip under....he was taken back that he could see all of her glory. Like I said, we can tell them how to dress.

Now I know some of you are laughing at this one...

We are off to Florence tomorrow. Pictures taken so far 850+. I know, I know....if I see a pile of dirt I am taking pictures thinking Ceasar walked on that dirt.

We just got our Tongues SMACKED!

Due to being in a carbohydrate induced coma I am using the iPad for the post tonight. Let me be direct.......Steven and I just had a smack down....the score Italian food 2, Ken and Steven 0. We stopped at this small cafe just down the street form our hotel. We proceeded to order the spaghetti and a pizza with the intent of splitting each between the two of us. We topped the dinner off with a half bottle of white wine. Here is the script of how things went down:

Spaghetti arrives at the table. Steven and I split the portion. Ken takes a bite of spaghetti, and let it be known I NEVER eat spaghetti. I proceeded to almost fall out of my chair. I let out a sigh and proclaimed to Steven this was the best spaghetti I have ever had in my life. I am sure the entire cafe heard me. I mean with every bite, I was trying to make it last. You know that entree that is so good you are afraid you will eat it to fast and not taste every flavor. My tongue had officially been smacked down.

Pizza arrives. Prosciutto and funghi. Although I was surprised to not care that much for prosciutto on pizza, I must admit the pizza was good.

Total cost for dinner 35 euros. I tell you this for a reason.

We stopped short of having dessert only to walk down the street and find a gelato place. We immediately have a seat and order a banana split with gelato and five scoops of gelato in a Sunday fashion. We topped it off with a coke for me and cappuccino for Steven. I ordered a large glass of ice. For those of you that have traveled to Europe you know ice is worth its weight in gold. The drinks arrive and my ice arrives. I made an absolute fool of myself. I was eating the ice like an idiot. Steven was busting out laughing, but the ice was my best friend. The gelato was excellent and the servers were so nice.

Total cost for gelato 38,50 euros. Now you know exactly why I tell you the cost. We spent more on gelato than dinner. But hey.....both were worth every single absolute penny, euro, rupee, or whatever currency you had to exchange to get the meal we had tonight.

Tomorrow..........private tour of the Vatican.

Hop on Hop Off - A Day on the Open Bus

Today was a relaxing day. We got up around 0800 and made our way to breakfast. We had breakfast on the top floor of the hotel, outside on the balcony overlooking the city of Rome.

Due to the sites we visited today, we were not able to take a lot of pictures. We started the day at Capuchin Church which has the Capuchin Chapels. I must say it was a little odd walking around all the human remains that were practically made into art work on the walls. I never imagined scapulas being used for art. However, the Capuchin Chapels really are worth seeing.

Keeping with the theme we boarded the hop on hop off bus and made our way out of the city to the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus. After descending into the catacombs the first stop is the tomb of nine Popes entombed in the third century. Then we made our way by tombs of early Romans. The structure was amazing. We found out that the bones were removed about 10 years ago due to tourist taking pieces of the remains. Come on...REALLY?! I must admit it has been hot here in Rome....so the cool air in the catacombs was very nice as well (hahaha).

We ended the day at the Baths of Caracalla. This is my second favorite site in Rome. The baths were huge - history indicates they could host 2,000 bathers and there was a gymnasium and two libraries in the baths. Although the baths were in ruins, you could see the size (see picture with this post). This site made me want the visit Bath, England again. The Roman baths there are in working order and were amazing to see.

Tomorrow we will relax some in the morning and start out day late. We are taking the hop on hop off bus around the city at night.

Day Two - we battled a Roman Gladiator (really)

After getting up at 0630 and getting our day started we hopped on the metro and headed to the Colosseum. It was amazing to walk out of the metro and see the Colosseum the very second we exited. Considering we were so early, the area around the structure was not crowded and we were able to enjoy walking around and getting some great pics. As a part of the visit we had prebooked a private tour that allowed us access to the upper and lower levels that have only been open for a total of three months. For anyone coming to Italy, access to these areas are an absolute must. You must pre-book and groups are limited to ten individuals. The tickets can be very hard to get, but very well worth the work. It was interesting hearing about the history of the Colosseum. I was a little distressed at the fact the Pope took all of the marble out of the Colosseum for use in the Vatican. Can I just leave it by saying that is just wrong.

After spending some time inside the Colosseum, we made our way to the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and The Imperial Forum. To be walking in the same area as Caesar was mind blowing to say the least. Notice one of the pictures is the cremation site of Caesar (the picture with flowers).

Other sites included, the Circus Maximus, Mouth of Truth, Temple of Hercules, and the Pyramid that is part of the old city wall.

Story of the day:

As we were leaving the Imperial Forum a gladiator approached and quickly wanted to know where we were from. Now you know as well as I do, this was in every sense of the word to get us to take pictures. After trying to ignore and get past him, the gladiator had me taking pictures of him with Steven. Steven got pictures of me with him and then he took some pictures of Steven and I together. The entire time I was asking how much is this going to cost us, of which he replied "no worries" in Italian. YEAH right. When he was talking pictures of Steven and I we were ready to run him down and tackle him if he tried to bolt with the camera. So after all was said and done.....he pointed to Steven and then to me and said 5 euro, 5 euro each. Now having already been taken for a ride, and I mean literally, by the driver......I blew a gasket. I proceeded to tell him no way. Now anyone that knows Steven, he was ready to throw up the white flag and surrender as he reached in his pocket for the 10 euros. I went to battle.......telling the guy that was ridiculous and we would pay him one euro and no more. after a little exchange of words we negotiated a peace at 5 euros. Now I must say the pictures were fun and well worth 5 euros.

After the battle, Steven was laughing and saying.....we went to battle with a gladiator. Then he quickly determined I went to battle and he surrendered. However as with many great wars, a truce and therefore peace were negotiated. Pfffffft 10 euros my ass. Forget that.

We finished the day having pasta at the Piazza Navone outside right in front of the Four Rivers Fountain and gelato.

Tomorrow we are off to the Roman baths.

Day One- arrival in Rome

So we are having to do two post in one day due to being exhausted last night and not posting. We arrived in Rome without any issues, the flights were great. However the arrival at the airport was met with some obstacles. Prior to us coming to Rome, Steven was a little afraid we would have to take the metro from the airport to the hotel and deal with the luggage. In my attempt to surprise him, I booked a driver with an E class Mercedes to take us to the hotel. The driver never showed. Now don't worry, anytime something goes wrong, Steven is always there to make it all better. By the time I found a pay phone (yes they still have those here) and called the booking agent, he had found a driver and arranged for us to be taken to the hotel. Instead of the Mercedes we got a Jag.....and I was so stressed out over the driver not showing as we headed to the hotel. However, the driver must have sensed my stress and started playing Michael Jackson's "Heal the World.". Now all that know me know I LOVE MJ....so I calmed down and the vacation started as it should. Upon arrival, it became apparent Steven had not negotiated price prior to getting the driver......he charged us double what I had booked......I was ready to hear MJ again after finding that out. Hahahahaha.

After arriving at the hotel, we quickly showered and hit the streets of Rome. We made our way to the Fontana di Trevi. Absolutely amazing. It was so crowded, but that is part of the great thing about being in Rome....so many people enjoying the city and sites. See picture of the day of the Fontana di Trevi.

Next we made our way to the Pantheon. After seeing the Pantheon, it is clear modern civilization has achieved very little related to architecture. This is also the site for Raphael's tomb. Once spending some time looking at the best preserved ancient Rome structures, we made our way to Piazza Novone to see the Fountain of Neptune and the Fountain of Four Rivers.

We enjoyed a pizza at a restaurant just beyond the square and finished the day at the Spanish Steps.

Needless to say we were exhausted.

Up and running

Steven and I are off to the ancient ruins today....look for a better blog detailing the events of yesterday and today a little later. It is 0630 here and we had a great nights rest. Italy knew exactly how to greet me......our driver from the airport played Michael Jackson music when he picked us up, but......there's a story there.

One quick note....Steven gets up this morning and we have our first major issue, according to him at least. The hotel has NOT provided an iron. He has torn the room apart looking for an iron. YES let it be known that Steven will be going to see the Roman sites today without his shirt and shorts being ironed. For all of you that know Steven, you realize he never leaves the house without ironing. No worries, he has made prompt provisions for an iron to be in our room upon our return.

Ciao.

Chocolate and luggage.....start of a perfect trip

As with the start of any of our trips, we like to give a brief itinerary....so here is how we will spend the next two weeks.

May 20th- arrival in Rome. Make our way to the Grand Hotel Flora. We will walk around the city some and see the Pantheon. Steven insist on gelato upon arrival in Rome as well.

May 21- Rome sites: Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trjan's Forum

May 22- Baths of Caracalla, Circus Maximus, Roman Aqueducts, Mouth of Truth, etc.

May 23- Roman catacombs, Fountains, Spanish Steps

May 24- Private tour of Vatican, Villa Borghese

May 25- train to Florence, Galleria del Academia

May 26- full day hiking Cinque Terre

May 27- Giotta's Bell Tower, Duomo, Church of Santa Croce

May 28- Museo del Bargello, Galleria degli Uffizi

May 29- day trip to Tuscany and Pisa

May 30- train to Venice, walk around enjoy the city

May 31- Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Square, Rialto Bridge

June 1- Boat to Murano, gondola ride

June 2- either rest at the pool which is on top of the Hilton Molino Stucky OR take the train to the fair land of Verona. Steven is insisting on the pool. I am sure he will win.

June 3 - train to Rome. Walk around Rome.

June 4- travel home.

We have 3 large bags of luggage, one for Steven's shoes ( as you should have guessed) and raided the duty free store in Boston. We now have three 17.5 oz bags of chocolate and a very very large chocolate almond bar. To be precise 14oz bar. By the time we land we will be so wired on chocolate, have a belly ache, and since our mom's are not around to clean our face we will look like a 2 year old that just ate his dessert with half of it left on his face. Sounds like the perfect start.

Please forgive the errors above, typing on an iPad is not my first language or best skill set.

Italy....here we come

Steven arrived in Boston today. After dinner with friends, we are ready to start our vacation in Italy. As usual, we will try our best to post daily blogs with a picture of the day.

Ciao