Italia - Cure for the Saudi Blues

Italy. The land that stole my heart in 10 short days. My August 2011 trip with bestie Amanda and her mom Cindy is something we will never forget. I feel so blessed that we we're able to take this trip together - not something kids like us are usually capable of doing at this time in our lives.

Arriving in Rome

Amanda and me in front of our first Rome hotel

The train in Rome

After a little over a month of enduring the Saudi summer, I was ready to escape. My flight to Rome arrived at 6:45 AM - something I'd given little thought to. But as we were approaching the airport, the sun was just rising. We circled out over the coast and my first view of Italy was a sunrise on the coastline hills and fields. I could feel the rejuvenation beginning right then. As we exited the plane, we climbed down stairs to a couple waiting buses that would take us to the terminal (this is normal everywhere but the States we've noticed). As I exited the plane, I was refreshed by the cool breeze and surprisingly clean air that surrounded me as I looked out across fields with a dewy haze still collecting near the ground on the tree lines.

After the airport maze, I made my way onto the Leonardo Express train that runs from the airport into downtown Rome. It was 10 AM and my companions weren't arriving until 5 PM that night. I decided to just walk to my hotel - I should have read the map a little closer. After one wrong turn and an hour of fumbling around cobblestone streets with my wheeled luggage, I finally made it to the quaint little Hotel Italia. The front desk person took pity on me and said my room was ready even though check-in wasn't until 3 PM. Even without air conditioning (common in Rome apparently), it was nice to stop moving! I took a brief nap - then I couldn't bear it any more - I had to explore, this is Rome!
My afternoon consisted of a traditional meal at a little cafe - homemade spaghetti with pecorino cheese and black pepper, walking around the city (with a better map this time!), visiting the Pantheon and writing in my journal. The feeling of sun on my skin as I sat in a little park listening to a man play the saxophone for change is something I'll never forget.

After meeting Amanda and Cindy at the train station - complete with giant bear hugs and strange looks from passersby, we got them settled back at the hotel (without getting lost) and strolled the streets, finding a cute cafe where we ate family style, and shared the first of many bottles of wine!

Onto Florence!

The next day, we boarded the train to Florence (or Firenze as the Italians call it) and couldn't believe the countryside we were watching fly by the window - rolling hills, vineyards, rolls of hay, Italian cypress trees - we felt like we were in a movie!

Once in Florence, we got a taxi to the car rental place, where our car wasn't quite ready. So we went down the street and shuffled all our luggage into a tiny restaurant for some amazing Tuscan cuisine.

The road to our villa

After finally getting out little car, we set off to find out little countryside villa that we'd rented for the week. One note about Italian cars, even though we booked a "manual" car - and Cindy had gone and practiced before the trip to remember how to drive one - the manuals in Italy actually don't have a clutch! That's right - you just use the little shifter knob and move it to the right to go up and gear and to the left to shift down - there's nothing to it! (Had we known this, we would have listed more that just Cindy as a driver so she could have enjoyed herself a little more!).

The view on the way to the villa

After a pretty 45-min drive south from Florence, Amanda's GPS directed us to our little home away from home - Borgo Di Pietrafitta. It was adorable! The grounds were well kept and the ladies friendly. Perched on the top of a hill overlooking the Tuscan countryside, you really could just get lost in a place like this.

That first evening we travelled into this little town about five minutes away called Castellina and found this little cafe where we sat and had the most amazing meal complete with traditional Tuscan appetizer plate (think prosciutto and melon, salami and fennel, tomato with goat cheese and balsamic). For me, this first night where we could actually relax without impending travel the next day and just catch up on each other’s lives is something I will cherish forever.

I also love the Italian custom that once you sit down at a table, they expect that table to be yours for the night. There is no rush to leave, no impatient servers trying to take your plate, only hospitable people that want you to enjoy yourself and have a great time.

Panzano

One and only time at the pool - it was cold!

Our next morning was spent lounging by the pool and trying to beat jet lag. We ventured out that evening to the little hilltop town of Panzano. We strolled around the main square before dinner, finding an adorable little wine shop with an owner who'd lived in the States for years! Her English was great and she let us try several different wines, and we ended up getting a white and a rose wine from her then. We returned to her little shop right before we left and stocked up on a lot more wine that is now at the Wilwert's house in Mason City, Iowa.

Cindy and I in Panzano

Cindy and Amanda in Panzano

Panzan0

For dinner in Panzano, we found this great little ristorante with an amazing view of the Chianti valley. I had the most amazing zucchini and mascarpone risotto! Amanda tried the local favorite - wild boar pasta. Think a pot roast type texture, but with a richer, albeit a little more gamey flavor.

Volterra - City of Vampires

Crazy stairs to the city center - Vol

Cindy and I on the little Volterra street

Monday allowed us to indulge our vampire side - we visited Volterra, a city recently seen in the Twilight movie New Moon. However, we discovered that there is a very good reason that Volterra is connected with all things from the dark side of life. It sits atop a very steep little hill, with big city walls from the Etruscan age protecting it on all sides. In the winter, it is above the fog line, which gives it an eerie otherworldliness. In addition, the residents have embraced their spooky heritage - the favorite cookie is literally called "brittle bones".

Amanda and I in front of the Etruscan Arch

Once we were past the spooky lore about the place and up the incredibly long staircase to the city center, we discovered that this little town was. So enchanting! I imagine taking a trip and staying in a little inn in the heart of Volterra for a week - just taking in the culture. Volterra was built in the Etruscan era; they were one of the stubborn people's that opposed Roman rule. The very first arch ever constructed using the keystone method was completed in Volterra. The story goes that the people of Volterra voluntarily destroyed the cobblestone roads that led to the city during WWII to lessen its value to the Nazi's for fear they would destroy the arch. The arch is still there, and three little nubs are visible which were once carved heads.

Volterra is also located in the middle of a rich mining area known for its Alabaster. Most of the shops along the tiny little winding streets were full of little alabaster figurines. Ranging from cheap little statuettes or more elaborate, multi-colored bowls, serving platters and pricey artwork, the craftsman ship was stunning.

And one last little side note for any Twi-hards out there - the movie wasn't actually filmed in Volterra - it was filmed in a town nearby because the Volterra square does not have a fountain for Bella to run through!

Tuscan Cooking - Bravo!

The cooking action

That evening, we traveled from Volterra up to Florence for a fun evening at a cooking class! We worked with a wonderful chef to prepare a four-course meal (the classic Italian style meal) complete with an appetizer, patio kinds of pasta dishes, a main meat course and la dolce or dessert. It was incredible! More than just the food, I learned a lot about different techniques to use and how to properly dice onions, carrots and zucchini to equal sized pieces. I was amazed at how simple much of the cooking was - one of the pasta sauces took literally 10 minutes to cook and only included tomatoes, a clove of garlic and olive oil! I developed a love an appreciation of the art of the Tuscan kitchen that I think I will take with me forever. It also helps that they gave us copies of the recipes so I really did take it with me!

 

Florence: 3 Tours in 6 Hours!

Florence

Oldest bridge in Italy - Florence

Florence - gold market

Some of the most amazing scultures

The baptistry

The Florence Duomo - they still don't know how it was made

Original location of the David (looking toward Rome)

The next we returned to Florence for a marathon-touring day! This might be one thing I would do differently on another trip because it was just exhausting! We started the day with a 3-hour walking tour of Florence with a witty Dutch guy named Klauss. This tour made me really fall in love with this city - the struggle between the artists and the lords, the tongue-in-cheek statues that both sides erected over the city, and a passionate part for me, the birthplace of modern design and art - known to most people as the Renaissance. The feeling of being in the heart of where a group of created, talented people took it upon themselves to change how things are done without feeling tied to the previous 800 years of tradition was just so inspiring. The stories of how Michelangelo - though arrogant and anti-social - looked at a problem and saw how he could create a statue out of piece of veined marble that countless other sculptors had scoffed at by simply changing the where the figure leaned its weight. This decision led to the David.

The second tour of the day was through the Uffizi Gallery - home of countless renaissance classics such as the Birth of Venus and multiple works by Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael. Our guide was really great at helping us to better understand a work of art through knowing more about the artist and sometimes about the person who commissioned the work.

View of the cathedral, duomo, baptistry and bell tower

The last tour of the day was of the tiny David museum. Just like it sounds, this museum is really all about the David. Everything else is just extraneous. However, having the guide enabled us to really learn about Michelangelo and his methods, giving us a better appreciation for the magnitude of the project we saw before us. And, although it sounds cliché, I fell in love with the David, just as others have before me and I couldn’t help but be a tad jealous of the tour guide who got to see him almost every day.

One last note on the tours, we used a company called Art Viva. I highly recommend them. They we're extremely professional, we got a good value for our money, and the tour group sizes were nice and small. They are also who we booked the cooking class through.

Greve - The Heart of Chianti

Our next day we needed to rest after all that activity! We travelled to the nearby town of Greve - the heart of the Chianti region. We toured the wine museums, enjoyed a great lunch, and then returned to our villa for a wine and product tasting where we purchased some great olive oil and wild boar sausages!

Relaxing at the villa

Sweet Siena

Our second to last day in Tuscany was spent down in Siena. Another adorable city that I would love to spend more time in. It did feel much more like a modern city with soccer stadiums and city buses, I couldn't shake the feeling that if I just peeled the modern veneer off, I'd find myself back in the renaissance era!

One of the things Siena is famous for is the horse race around the town square. Each of the neighborhoods in Siena has its own flag and mascot, and each year the annual horse race determines bragging rights for the next year. We couldn't help but notice all the flags hung in one little neighborhood - they were the most recent winners.

The other part of Siena that is famous is its duomo and cathedral. Spectacular! After seeing the duomo and cathedral in Florence, I wasn't expecting a whole lot - boy was I wrong! The Siena cathedral is a testament to opulence and storytelling. What I found ironic was the interesting juxtaposition of religious symbols and stories in the marble motifs and giant paintings, and the decidedly secular imagery such as the zodiac.

One notable part of the cathedral is the Duomo or the dome. It was extravagant and beautiful. Truly a work of art you have to see for yourself.

Brunello Wine Tour in Montalcino

Mario signing Amanda's book

Our last day in Tuscany we enjoyed a wine tour of Montalcino. The tour guide picked provided door-to-door service, which allowed us to enjoy the day without worrying about navigating windy Italian roads! She took us to the Montalcino area - outside of Tuscany about 40 kilometers - to tour two famous Brunello wineries. Brunello wines are considered by many to be the best wine in the world. The first winery was modern - it hadn't been around for more than 10 years and much of the tour focused on all the time and effort it takes to make the wine, explaining the high value. While the wine was good, the second winery's atmosphere couldn't be beat.

The second winery was owned and operated by a little 80-year-old man named Mario. He was very proud of his wine and so he spent about 10 minutes glossing over his process in front of some giant barrels, then he said, "come decide for yourself - lets drink the wine!" We tried 5 different kinds of wine, and Mr. Mario seemed to be enjoying our group. He sang us a traditional Italian song while he poured each and every glass of wine. He even let Cindy and me open a bottle with him! His adorable little wife delivered plates of homemade bread, salami and cheeses for us to eat. And he even brought out a bottle of Grappa - an Italian liqueur made from the crushed grape skins. According to our tour guide, it was a great honor for him to take shots of Grappa with us - that is usually reserved for family and close friends. Suffice it to say, we bought a least a dozen bottle of Mario's wine that day! And I have a much stronger appreciation for the differences in American and Italian wine.

 

Roman Finale

The next day we travelled back to Rome where we spent another day seeing the sights - Sunday morning mass at St. Peter's Basilica, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum ruins and the Palacio - where the Roman Emperors called home. Our colosseum tour was cut short by a security concern and we were all ushered out calmly, but we got to see everything that was in the Rick Steves tour book. That evening we walked through the city, ate at a tiny cafe - unbelievable lobster risotto followed by complimentary limo cello shots! - and then Amanda taught me how to drink cognac over incredible dark chocolate gelato in the middle of the Piazza Nuovo - THE nightspot for the Romans.  And no trip would be complete without a trip to the Trevi fountain to toss our coins in and wish for the fortune to return.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will always have Italy!

Overall, this trip was one of a lifetime! We did so much, saw so much, and experienced so much. I will never forget a moment and hope that I get to return again to experience more. As I told Dan when I got back - if I had to live anywhere in the world other than the USA - I would choose Italy. It was the easiest culture I have found to get along with even with a language barrier. I may be back in Saudi now, but my heart will always hold a special place for Italia!