Italy - Part III - Sicily

 10 July – Castelbuono PR: 9840 

5AM wakeup call to catch a taxi for our 7AM flight to Palermo... that got delayed until 9:30. Ugh! But it was a smooth flight in, and Rosario met us at the airport. Drove 2 hours to Castelbuono – through the beautiful countryside, dry ground but nice trees, and on the other side, the clear blue ocean. Rosario’s house is way up on the mountain – his is so quaint – beautiful flowers, small and very cluttered. Down a hill is the big house – upstairs is Angelo's, downstairs is where we are staying – 2 bedrooms, gorgeous stonework, but smells musty and needs a LOT of airing. We had the windows open all day and we mopped and dusted, but closed up when we went to town and its now musty again. We went to shop and stopped at Angelo’s cousin Providence’s house – she’s really nice. Picked up breakfast, walked around town, and saw Castel Ventimiglio, what Castelbuono is named for. It was built in the 1300s. Had dinner at Providence’s – holy moly. Pasta, meat, stuffed zucchini, veggies, fried seafood. SO much food. But YUM. And mousse cake for dessert. Home past 11 – so tired! 

11 July – Castelbuono 

A lovely day today! Had breakfast up at Rosario’s, then did a tiny bit of laundry. In the meantime, went to town – bought groceries, walked around – great antique store – and got fresh fruit, fresh produce, and went to the butcher (who gave us free cured meat.) Came home for lunch of zucchini flower pasta. Yum. Went to the beach at around 3 for a few hours – it’s beautiful, but there were big rocks instead of sand and big waves. We went with Angelo’s cousin Lucia and her kids. Came home to clean up, then after a watermelon snack, we went up the mountain to a friend’s house for dinner – holy smokes!! There were about 25 people gathered for a feast. Apparently, they do this often, and this was a small gathering. They were getting together because one of the guys caught a porcupine, so that’s what we were eating. There were two HUGE troughs of pasta, then the porcupine, then BBQ sausages and salad, then BBQ beef, then watermelon, THEN gelato. We didn’t start dinner until 10PM and finished at 1:30. WOW. Almost nobody spoke English, and most were speaking Siciliano, so it was really hard to understand. We met a few nice people – the most interesting was GianFranco, a hippie lawyer who lives in Palermo – with a gorgeously deep, raspy voice. There were two other nice guys who spoke English, but nobody else. But all were SO nice, making sure we were served first. The guys all pay for the dinner – don’t know how much, but girls don’t pay. They are very traditional that way! Reports say the Sirocco (hot, dry wind from the Sahara Desert) is coming! 

12 July – Castelbuono 

Another very good, Sicilian day. I got up around 8:30 (after having come home at 2am) and had breakfast at Rosario’s. Then we went for a short hike – up the mountain (great view of Castelbuono) to Parco Madonie. Nice walk up the mountain through lots of trees – so it stayed cool almost all the way up. There is a nice view of the area they call “Leap of the Cat”. Went up to the clearing where there is a stone house with straw roof that Rosa helped build. Then we went over through the field of ferns to the forest of holly trees – where the holly for some reason grows really tall – it’s the only place in the world where it does that. Walked back and drove home for lunch – I helped Rosa make meatballs: 

-ground beef and pork, mixed together 
- 3 eggs 
-fresh parmesan 
-parsley, basil, and mint (fresh from the garden) 
-fresh ground nutmeg 
-lime (NOT lemon) zest, freshly grated 
-soak 2 pieces of bread in milk 
-salt 
Mix all ingredients together well; form small (1.5-2 inch) balls; cook in ½ inch of olive oil until done. 
-10-12 tomatoes, diced 
-parsley, mint, basil 
-dried oregano 
-grated nutmeg and lime 
-salt 
Cook until tomatoes get mushy; add water and olive oil from meatballs, add 3 bay leaves. Add meatballs after about 10 minutes; Cook another 10-15 minutes. YUM!!! 

We ate that with fresh figs that an aunt brought over, and prosciutto. After my nap and a shower, we went over to say hi to the Aunt and Uncle, then drove in to town. We had gelato, which one of Rosa’s friends bought for us. Started seeing tons of the guys that were at dinner last night – Vincenzo, who has a Harley, said he’d take me for a ride. Saw Gianfranco, Marco, the hunter, Nonno, Dario, etc. Everyone says hi and kisses on the cheek as a greeting. We had dinner with 10 of them – pizza in the plaza by the Castle. OH! And the gelato guy gave us t-shirts because Roxsana said she liked them. The Ragazzi: Guiseppe (Pepe); Vincenzo; Harley Vincenzo; Gianfranco; Rosario; X? Mario X? Roxsana; Me; Rosario; the Hunter; Dario (Nonno); Guido (Pharmacist); Alessandro.

They say the Sirocco is coming tomorrow... 

13 July – Castelbuono 

Nice lazy morning – got up around 9 and went up to Rosa’s house for breakfast – Roxsana was still sleeping. Read outside – met friend of the family, Reno, an electrician who was working across the street. Very patient and haltingly talked to me for about half an hour. Roxsana came up around 11; Rosa came home for lunch (leftover meatballs – even better today!) Roxsana decided to clean the house – a MAJOR chore – so I read all afternoon. So relaxing! Helped clean the steps down to the Big House until Rosa came home at around 5:30. We went to Cefalú – the nearby ocean town, with a beautiful cathedral and great ocean view. Saw the medieval laundry – spring water running down to the ocean. Walked along the oceanfront, saw the cathedral, looked around the little town. Had dinner at a restaurant where Rosa knew the waiter – had delicious fresh seabass, eggplant caponata, and grilled radicchio. Semifreddo for dessert – a gelato cake with chocolate and almonds. Came back early (as in 11 pm – it’s all relative...). Stopping at the gelateria just to say hi, then making a pitstop to get water at the nearby spring. There’s no Sirocco today, but it’s definitely warmer. The thermometer in the sun said 98°, but with cool breeze in the shade it didn’t feel hot at all. They say Sirocco tomorrow... but they keep saying that!! 

14 July – Castelbuono 

Basically did absolutely nothing today. Got up around 9 and went up for breakfast – organized my pictures for a few hours while Roxsana slept. Finally at noon I went and woke her up – amazing she slept that long! Rosa came home around 12:30 for lunch – pan-cooked chicken and turkey – olive oil, oregano, and salt, plus fresh salad – tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, fresh basil, oregano, capers, olives, olive oil, and salt. SO good, with fresh bread. After lunch, read and napped until Rosa came home – went to the beach at 6 to relax. Much calmer and warmer today than 2 days ago. The thermometer says it gets to near 100° but it doesn’t feel that bad – I’m usually sitting in the shade and there is always a nice breeze. So I’ve never been that hot... On the way home from the beach, we stopped at the same bar/gelateria that gave us t-shirts. Had Aranciata – a very Sicilian dish of a fried ball with rice, and in the middle, a meat/peas mixture. Very good. Also tried a pastry with ricotta filling – like a deeelish donut. Saw some of the ragazzi – smiley Nunzio, pharmacist Guido, the guy who bought us our gelato. There is a LOT of ‘hanging out’ being done. Stopped at another cousin’s house – same building as Lucia, this one also named Providenza. Gave us a huge bag of tiny plums. Also fed us really good gelato cake with chocolate and hazelnut crust. Came home and were too full for the dinner Rosa planned, so we just sat outside and ate watermelon. Beautiful on his porch, and nice, even though it’s 11:30 pm! 

15 July – Castelbuono 

A hot day today – although they say it’ll get hotter. Tio Giovanni came to pick us up to go to town at around 9 (although he was supposed to come at 10). Took us to Providenza’s house – had some tea and talked to her and Lucia (her sister). Then walked in to town – down the square, stopping to say hi to most people we passed. Saw the church in the square (one of 15 churches in this small town.) Walked around then to Providenza (1st one)’s house for a quick drink. It wasn’t that quick – checked email and didn’t get to Providenza’s til almost 1PM. Had a HUGE lunch – risotto, eggplant, fried fish, salad, watermelon, cantaloupe. Ate so much I felt a bit sick after – too full. Napped on the couch while Roxsana talked, then woke up in time for another quick drink. Then went to the last uncle’s house, just around the corner. They are Providenza I’s parents, with another daughter Enza who was a bit crazy. Talked to them for a bit before going back up to Providenza 2’s to meet Rosario. On the way back up the mountain, we stopped to fix the car light. Then went home, cooked zucchini for tomorrow (cut in slices, pan fried in lots of olive oil til browned, then took out and added a tad salt, basil, and fresh grated parmesan. We’ll eat it tomorrow. Was SO not hungry, but went to town around 7 – stopped at our local favorite gelateria to say hi to the boys, including Mario, Guido, Nonno, Rosario Cucco, and smiley Nunzio. After sitting for a bit, went to dinner – me, Roxsana, Rosa, and Mario. Wasn’t too hungry so I had caprese and bread and water. Sat for a while, relaxing and talking. Had a laugh attack when Roxsana tried to take Rosa’s picture smiling with his eyes open – he just couldn’t do it. Saw Guido at dinner with his friends. We started eating at 10:30; left around 12:30. Love that all the ragazzi are friendly and kiss on both cheeks when you say hi or bye; and wave kisses at you when you walk by. You say ‘ciao’ or ‘buon giorno/sera’ to anyone you see and most say hi back. One woman even started speaking in English – she’d lived for a year in Arizona. At dinner, we decided to do a cooking contest – Me and Rosa vs. Roxsana and Mario. Call it Iron Chef Sicily. Don’t know all the rules or when we’ll be able to do it, but... we’ll see! More Sirocco-like weather tomorrow – hit over 100 today. So tomorrow should be worse. Ew. 

 

16 July – Castelbuono 

Another hot day but cool night. Cousin Marienza came to pick us up around 11 and took us to the Thursday Castelbuono Market – basically a flea market like the one in Padova. It was incredibly hot so it was uncomfortable to shop – we basically walked from one end to the other, then back, and that was it. Stopped briefly at the farmaceria to see Guido and Roxsana filled some prescriptions – less than 3 euro each, for 50 pills!! That’s socialism.... Went back up the mountain for lunch – the fried zucchini from yesterday, GREAT warm crusty bread, and some tomato cucumber salad. Was very hot – hovered around 98° or so, so we hung around the house – read and napped – all afternoon. Left the house at 6 – went to town to try to rent a car (fail!), pick up some staples (water, lightbulbs), get gelato, and buy gas. Went down the mountain to visit Rosa’s friend Marion – the German expat who owns an agritourismo. Bello! Went to see the Manna trees – they cut grooves in the bark and set fishing lines down so the sap runs down into cactus leaf bowls for them to collect. Very sweet, like maple sugar. is supposed to have curative powers, and only grows in this area. Went to the next seaside town, Finale di P. for dinner, right by the ocean. Had seafood couscous – good! Lovely weather, but lots of mosquitos, which are starting to come out (I hadn’t gotten any bites thus far in Sicily, and suddenly am getting and seeing mosquitos.) Hot weather is doing it – drat. Tomorrow, we leave for other parts! It’s supposed to stay hot so it will be uncomfortable – but interesting!

17 July - Menfi (9,378)

Holy hot day!

Left Castelbuono at 9:30ish and drove out past Palermo. There was major traffic, and super hot weather, so we baked in the car. Made it to Segestre - ancient Greek ruins. Saw the D Temple then took a bus up to the amphitheater up in the hills. Gorgeous view, but no shade so we were super uncomfortable. 

Then drove to the bottom of Erice and took the gondola up the mountain. Beautiful views of Trapani on the 20 minute ride. There is a lovely church on the top, next to the bell tower. Saw several churches, an old monastery, and a couple castles. Very nice town, but as Rosa says, 'like a ghost town because you don't see many residents, only tourists.

Drove from there to Menfi, where we are staying with Peppe Rocca and his girlfriend Rosana. Had nice pasta with shrimp for dinner, followed by very fresh squid. As Peppe said,  this morning, these were swimming in the Mediterranean!

18 July - Menfi (10704)

Nice, easy day today. Woke up late - 9:15, and had breakfast out on the balcony with Pepe Rocca and Rosana. Got going around 10:30 or so - Pepe drove us out of Menfi to the coastal town of Marsala. Old city with four portals, with Phoenician and Arabic influence. Met up with Nini and the other guys from last night - Nini served as our tour guide and showed us around town - old monastery (museo).

Had a snack of Panelle - some pressed, friend garbanzo beans, kind of like polenta. Very good - had it plain and in sandwich form. Walked around the fish market (which was closing up) while we ate it. From there, we walked past the underground excavation to lunch - had clam pasta while everyone else had the sea urchin egg pasta (which tI tasted - not bad). Walked down to taste the pastry - ricotta filled donut thing. Good, but too bready - plus, seriously! How much food can we eat?! Walked around center city for a while - saw the main church, plus the shopping street. And I did taste marsala wine - VERY strong!

Then we drove down the coast towards Trapani - first to see the shallows where the Phoenicians built a 'highway' to the Long Island, which is now underwater but very shallow. Walked along the shore past the grape vines and back again. Saw the salt flats where they dry ocean water for salt - its piled into big white mounds - very pretty!!

Saw the sunset, then drove home. Pepe cooked a frittata with veggies - potatoes and mint that he grew, using eggs from his family chickens in Castelbuono. Also had salad that he grew, plus a pizza that they bought. We didn't eat til past 10pm - how do they do it?! Another late bedtime!

19 July - Menfi (6221)

Spent the day relaxing and visiting the small towns of Southern Sicily. After a late breakfast, drove out of Menfi to Lago Arancio, a windy lake on the way to the ghost town of Poggioreale. It’s actually two towns - the old town, destroyed in 1968 by and earthquake, and the new town, which looks twilight-zoneishly deserted with just a couple of people visible and what looks like only 1/2 or 1/3 of the houses inhabited. Drove up to the old city, where you can walk down the main street to the town square, and look in the abandoned and crumbling houses. Nothing is stopping people from actually going in, but it looks very unstable and not at all safe. Really shows what an earthquake can do and also what happens when nature takes over and people move out.

After Poggioreale, went home for lunch - got home around 1:30 but didn't eat til 3 - while Pepe and Rosana cooked, Rosario got a phone call that our house had flooded - somehow Rosana's daughter had broken something, so I hope our stuff is OK...!

Lunch out on the balcony was great as usual - eggplant pasta and grilled pork - very good. As with most stuff, everything was drowned in olive oil so it was delicious (but I can't imagine the calorie count - crazy!)  Sat around the balcony for a few hours - Peppe started a mini waterfight - then at 6 we left the house to go down to Sciacca - a seaside town about 15 minutes SE of Menfi. Walked around to a park where some men were playing Bocci. Watched them for a while, then walked down to the square, did some shopping in the craft market, then a band started playing and marching down the street. We followed to a church where mass was being held - and it turns out today was their festival day where they carry out their saint and have a procession through the streets. People follow and sing along the way, so we followed for a little while before turning off.

Walked down to the food stands and got dinner - though I wasn't at all hungry. So I had one piece of panelle and then tasted the milza sandwich - still not sure what it is, but its some organ on the left side of the body that cleans blood - but its not liver, kidney, pancreas, or lungs.  Wan't too bad-tasting, but kind of chewy and totally fried in a huge vat of oil. Roxsana and I just couldn't get ourselves to eat it, so we had half a panini instead. I was actually too full to eat anything, so taking a break was good.

So we decided to out to the ocean at 11PM - to Porto Palo, near Menfi. Walked along the front - not actually near the water. Got back at 12:20  - so tired!

20 July - Favala (11129)

Let Menfi this morning around 10 and drove to the Turkish Steps - white sandstone rock formations carved out by the ocean. Beautiful and interesting! From there we drove to Agrigento where we met one of Rosario's artist friends, Carmelo, who took us to his house for lunch - 2 kinds of pasta plus rabbit - yum. The mom is so nice and funny - Giovanna - with two college aged boys - Gabriele and Roberto. Very nice family. They accompanied us to the temples. First, showed us around their farm - pistachios, figs, capers, a berry TREE, with the most delicious berries I've ever had. Fresh almonds, apples... all so good!

Went to Valley of the Temples, right outside Agrigento. Saw the three main temples plus the ruins garden. Stopped for a lemon granita, then went back to the house for sunset and dinner of fresh grilled sardines and salted fish - so good - plus salad and the minestrone and rabbit leftover from lunch. Yum. Carmelo is a artist - painter - with work all around the house. Nice.

21 July - Castelbuono (5426)

Finally back 'home'! Drove from Favala to Palermo to pick up Angelo - timed it just right as we were late, but Angelo was as well. We drove to Cefalu for lunch - tried to go to the same restaurant as before, but it was closed - but we found another with just as nice a view. From there, back to Castelbuono. Only bad thing was that Paolo from Rome showed up - the random comment that Roxsana made inviting him here, he took to heart - even though she later told him it was a bad idea and there were too many people here. Do I have to be nice to him? Weirdo.

Vincenzo is here too, with his wife Rosana and stepdaughter Rachel. Marion the German stopped by for dinner, so we ate out on the porch - light dinner (finally!) of bread, cheese, and salad.

The cat had kittens while we were gone - four tiny fluff balls - so cute!!

Vincenzo, Rosario, Rachel, and I went to town - Rosa and I to walk around and see people. There were so many people walking around the streets, greeting each other and stopping to talk. And it was midnight! Saw Vincenzo on his Harley, Nunzio, Rosario Cucco with an adorable baby, Maria Antonietta and Anna! Fun running into people you recognize on the street. Met Dario, who will be our tour guide tomorrow. He's a nice, younger guy who speaks a handful of words of English. The plan is to go at 8:30 - we’ll see when and if that happens!

22 July - Castelbuono (18703)

Lots of walking during a hot day in Palermo. Got up at 8 (to an alarm - tired!) and had breakfast in the top house - trying to ignore our friend Paolo as much as possible. Went down and got a rented car, which was much nicer but still small for squeezing 3 people in the back. Picked Dario up in the square in Castelbuono and drove out to Palermo. Dario is studying there so he knows the city and a lot of the history. First, walked through the open market - people selling fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, cheeses, CDs, clothes, etc. Some call out loudly trying to hawk their goods - very bustling. From there we went into Chiesa de Gesu - beautiful - and outside locking up there was this guy Rosario recognized - used to be a famous actor and now he's broke and begging for money. Sad. 

Walked through to the Quattro Canti - the intersection that divides Palermo into 4 sectors. As you walk through the town, you can see lots of Arabic and Norman and Baroque influence, but the city itself is busy, crowded, hot, and dirty. Saw the "Plaza of Shame" - the fountain with statues of nudes, thus the shame. Saw Palermo's cathedral - which the Sicilians said was beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside (I thought it was nice inside, but definitely not as decorated as most.)  Gorgeous outside, thought! Walked a while in the heat to the catacomb of the Capuchins, but it was closed. So we took a bus up to Monreale - had lunch then saw the cathedral, known for its mosaics. Really nice - the walls and ceilings are full of the mosaic tiles, and supposedly none have fallen off. A Norman church, built in the late 1100s.

From there we took the bus back to the catacombs where we finally saw the mummified bodies. Over 8,000, dressed in their finery, which is eerily decomposing. The first body to  be preserved was done in 1599 - and he still looks good. There are separate places for the rich, for kids, virgins, etc.

Walked around Palermo, to the nicer district - walked up Via de Liberta, famous for its shopping. Went to three different Geox stores so Rox could find shoes, but was unsuccessful. Walked pass Teatro Massimo - pretty - and around back to the car. Dropped off Dario (who we nicknamed 'Guapo' because he's young and cute but doesn't like "Bimbi" because he's not a kid). Had to wait to get the car keys transferred, but then finally made it home. Vincenzo and Angelo made dinner, which we ate out on the porch, and then we decided not to go down to town because we're tired.

23 July - Castelbuono (4344)

Last day in Sicilia! :( It was very hot today, so I didn't do much. Plus, to be totally honest, I was hiding a bit from Paolo. I think of him as being a stinky little munchkin - sad, because he really isn't a bad person - nice and all, just a tad creepy. So I stayed downstairs all morning while everyone but Paolo went into town - I stayed to do laundry and did a bunch of reading, which was actually really nice. When Rox got home, went up for lunch of chicken/potatoes and salad. After that (around 2PM) Rachel wanted to go to the beach so Vincenzo, Paolo, Rosario, and her left, and Angelo, Rox, and I went to say hi to ANOTHER Providenza, who was visiting Tia Maria and Tio Lucio next door. 

In the evening, figured out that the airline I was taking had gone out of business (?!) so went into town to look for another ticket. Found one pretty easily, although it is at 10:20 in the AM which means we have to leave at 7. Driving through Palermo really sucks as the traffic is horrible - I may have to ask to drive tomorrow. 

After I got the ticket, went down to town with Rox - saw Antonio Macaluso and Federica driving up - they had just gotten into town! Went down to have dinner at the trattoria that we originally wanted to go to on our second day here. In the middle of pizza, the procession - drums and bad and people marching with candles - then comes the saint from one of the churches who comes to say hi to Sant'Anna. The festival is actually Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, but each night this week there is a procession. On the actual big night, it is extremely solemn and elegant - St. Anna was mother to Mary and thus grandmother to Jesus.

After dinner, walked around and almost immediately found Rosario (now named Roscoe), Paolo, and Angelo (who I've realized looks amazingly like the new James Bond, Daniel Craig). Walked back up and down, greeting lots of cousins and friends every 15 feet or so. They had dinner at the same pizzeria - Vincenzo joined us, and then more and more people arrived. First was Harley Davidson Vincenzo, also saw Macaluso's brother, Mauricio Antista's brother, more cousins than you can count... then Nunzio and smiley guy, Mario, Dario (Guapito), and finally Gianfranco and Vincenzo who'd just come back from Rome for the NIN concert. And the tall Rosario Cucco. So fun seeing them.

Said goodbye to everyone - sad to go, but they were all so friendly and kind. Sincerely hope I can return the favor one day. Goodbye Castelbuono! Ciao Sicilia!

24 July - Venice (14,655)

Last day in Italy, so sad. I'm definitely tired though, and hopefully not getting sick - I  have one of those feel it slightly in the throat things, so hope I didn't get whatever Vincenzo had!

Got up at 6:30 this  AM - kept the outside window open, so lots of light woke me up. Amazing how much light and sound those things keep out!! They are great!

I actually drove once we got down the mountain - was a bit antsy worrying about time, but there was little traffic (well, in comparison) so made it in under 2 hours. Flight went smoothly - hopefully didn't get charged for the other flight, but if I did, oh well. Got into Venice at noon - took the bus to hotel, cleaned up and changed (since it is pretty warm here), and took the bus in to Venice. It was nice that we'd been here because I felt pretty comfortable walking around - went past Ferro Via to the mask place to get one for Nicholas, then wandered slowly around looking in shops. It was really the only shopping day I've done, and almost none was for me! Got necklaces for Alice and Kathryn, then continued around - trying to avoid San Marco to get away  from crowds. 

Stopped for a fruit cup, then lunch at a random cafe at around 3:30. Wandered into the church by Macaluso's work (Stato Archives), the Basilica S Maria Glorioso de Frari. I'd remembered reading about it in one of the guide books about having great examples of artist works, but since I didn't have any of them with me, didn't really know what I was looking at. But I did see some very cool statues and paintings inside. There is one doorway with 4 pillars surround it in the shape of 4 men in agony. Next to it is a huge pyramid with larger than life sculptures - angel, lion, people going up the stairs. Very cool.

Continued around Venice - then went home fairly early since it was so hot and I wanted to rest up for my flight tomorrow. Ciao Italy!!  Piacere!

Italy - part II

27 June – Rome PR: 19,450 

Made it in to Rome yesterday where Antonio Schicchi was waiting for us on the train platform. That was nice!! Took us directly up to Gianicolo Park, which has a lovely view of Rome. Went to Monica’s house near there, met her and her friend Paolo, and went out to dinner – Pizza degustazione, which is like a tasting menu. Had 2 fish, one w/ pork fat, one margarita, and the best – fig and prosciutto. Got home around 11; Monica and Pablo went to the beach, so Antonio took us out into Rome – walked around the city center, to Campo di Fiori, Piazza Navona, saw the Bernini 4 rivers statue, and Pantheon at night. It’s such a vibrant city with people everywhere. Had a huge gelato – blackberry, peach, and strawberry at around 1PM. Made it home around 2 and finally went to bed. This morning woke up late, around 9. After some coffee and pastries, Antonio drove us around again – St. Paul’s Basilica right outside town – this was Paul’s Year, from June 28 ’08 until Monday, so it was kind of cool to see it. Then to Emmanuel Victory Monument and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – had a good view of ancient Rome. Went to a park where they were playing water polo in kayaks, so that was cool to watch. OH! And saw the Malta Garden through the keyhole – it is exactly lined up so that you can see the top of the Vatican. Pretty cool! 

 28 June – Rome PR: 22,048 

A lovely day in Rome! Woke up a bit later than we wanted, but still left the house before 9. Walked down from the Argentina stop to the Vatican – went first to the line for the Vatican Museum/Sistine Chapel, which was really long because it was free on the last Sunday of the month. Waited about 1.5 hours to get in, then went quickly through the exhibits – tons of beautiful rooms, but really crowded so it was hard to rally appreciate it all. The Sistine Chapel really IS impressive, but you’re standing shoulder to shoulder squashed between people. Finally meandered out around 11:45, thinking that Roxsana was already waiting in Piazza Santo Pietro… people were running in that direction, so I started walking fast, thinking maybe the basilica was closing. Got into the square right at noon, and it was PACKED. I had no idea what was going on, but all of a sudden there was a big cheer, and people have their cameras out and are all looking up to one side… so I look, and it’s the POPE!!! He spoke for about 5 minutes, then switched to French – then English, German, Spanish, Polish, and Italian. Welcomed us, talked about the Paulo year that ends tomorrow, and wished us a nice visit to Rome!! Waited another hour for Roxsana, then went to St. Peter’s Basilica – started in the Tombs where there are lots of tombs of old popes. Then went up to the basilica – saw the Pieta by Michaelangelo – truly amazing. Had lunch with Roxsana, then went over to Castel St. Angelo – saw the bridge with lots of Bernini angels. The castle was from Hadrian’s era, used to house the Pope, and has been a prison. Nice views of Vatican City and Rome. Walked back to the 8 tram and up to the house, where we pack and cleaned up. Antonio picked us up and brought us to Monica’s beach house in San Nicolo for a nice BBQ with their friends. Talked a bit with Paolo – practiced my Italian while he practiced English. After dinner, had a nice stroll down to the beach, then back to the house. Tomorrow, we’re picking up Linda and Colleen, then up to Tuscany! 

 29 June – Montecatini 

Lovely, lazy day today!! We woke up around 8 and had breakfast on the porch – Antonio brought us pastries and made cappuccinos. Took us to the airport around 10 and we found Linda and Colleen. Got the rental car and immediately drove out of Rome, at around 11ish. Stopped for lunch along the highway, then continued up past Firenze to Pistoia (filled up on gas – 50 euro) then found our way to the B&B. It’s a very cute apartment in a huge house, among olive groves on the hillside of Massa e Cozzile. Cute living room/kitchen, big bedroom, and nice bath. Immediately went to market and got groceries – Roxsana made meatballs and pasta for dinner while Linda and I went walking and Colleen slept. Went all the way up the hill – stopped to talk to two farmers who were working on their fields – big gardens with what looked like olives, green beans, tomatoes, and peppers. Very humid and warm – Linda said it was a “Taiwan” feel. Came back for a lovely dinner on the front porch – Mozzarella and tomato with basil from the plant we bought, meatballs and pasta Pomodoro. Delicious! Then we went out to get gelato and walked around the city center, just up the main street, with lots of very chic shops (but most were closed). Drove around kind of lost, but then we found our place and came home. Got on line and talked for a while – Colleen was very tired so we’re going to bed early. Linda and I have the comfy bed! 

 30 June – Montecatini PR: 19056 

Really nice night sleep! Slept through most of the noise from the little German kids upstairs; bed was comfy though, and the area is peaceful. Got up around 8:30 and had a breakfast of coffee, biscuit cookies, and yogurt. We left around 9:30 and headed for Lucca. As we were driving, we saw the town of Collodi so we stopped at Parco di Pinocchio – a park dedicated to the character written in 1883 by Carlo Collodi (who is actually named Carlo Lorenzini, but he signed his name after the medieval village where he lived). There were cute gardens with nice statues from the story (although it’s a bit expensive)...Walked down to see the giant 3-story Pinocchio statue, then drove through small towns to Lucca, about 20 km away. Lucca is a charming medieval city with a complete city wall around the old town. We walked around the center for a bit, then had lunch near the amphitheater. Walked back down to the walls and walked around the perimeter of the city along the raised wall – it’s large enough for some gardens, path, and even some restaurants and parks. Only a few service vehicles, so it’s really nice to walk or bike – about 3 km around the circumference so it’s easy to do. Then we walked back to the car – along the way, we saw some old Italian men playing cards so we said hi and stopped for a chat. Next we drove down to Pisa – you could see the tower from up the hill a few miles away. We parked inside the city walls and saw the tower and nearby buildings. Took lots of goofy, crazy pictures with the girls, which was fun. Had some gelato, then came home after stopping for groceries – a few necessities for the house, plus dinner. Roxsana cooked again for us – great fish, plus pasta, salad, bread, and wine – lovely! Got some mosquito coils, which seem to work OK, so we had the doors open for a while. Nice evening! 

1 July – Montecatini PR: 14, 979 

Cool day! Got up around 8 and had breakfast outside while Colleen and Linda walked up the hill. Had tea, yogurt with cereal, and biscuits. Got going around 9:45 – headed down to Montecatini Alto, a small hilltop town near our house. It’s really so quaint – small streets, cobblestones, and not many tourists. And it has a very cool view of the Tuscan countryside. We saw the church at the top of the hill, plus the remains of the old fort/castle. Then we headed down to lunch back at the house – leftovers, plus fruit. Yum! Headed out for Siena – about 1 hour south of us. It is also a walled hill town, a big bigger and very festive at it is Palio season. Tomorrow is the actual Palio race, but today there was a trial run and the big dinners. The town gets totally decked out with banners flying all over town in different colors, representing the different “contraltos,” or districts. We first toured the center area. The huge Siena Duomo has great art and sculptures. One of the coolest things was the two wooden poles that were the flagpoles of the Florence Army that was captured by the Sienese way back in the 1200s. Very cool!! There was also a cool altar with 4 statues; one of which was by Michelangelo, and if you looked closely (especially at the hands and drape of fabric) you can totally tell the details and craftsmanship of the Michelangelo one. Also went to the museum, the overlook, crypt, and baptistry. Then headed down to the Campo, or main square, where they run the Palio. Got there around 5; had gelato, then decided to stay for the race. There weren’t many people there yet since the race started at 8, so we got a great spot right at the “elbow” corner against the fence, and got to see all the horses march in and all the fanfare. The trial that night was just to see if the horses would do OK with all the noise and people. It started around 8PM – they didn’t go full out, but one horse went lame and it ended. It was definitely exciting to see, particularly since we were at the sharpest curve (thus called the ‘elbow’), and there were mattresses tied up on the far side of the curve just in case anyone crashed into the wall! Hurried out of the city and drove to the walled town of Monteriggio – first through Badesse but there was nothing there. Had a huge dinner up in the walled city – will definitely go back as it was really nice – ate a ton since Linda and I shared a Florentine Steak (a gigantic t-bone which was the size of my head), a known specialty of this region of Italy. Very good, and enormous – enough for leftovers for several days! 

 2 July – Montecatini (PR: 7,407) Nice, lazy morning today. Had leftover steak and eggs, plus potatoes for breakfast – mmmm! Went down to Montecatini around 11 because there was a market – plus Linda and I wanted to do laundry. Bought a black and white sundress; walked around town and then came back after laundry to have lunch of pasta with pickled antipasto and olives, plus fruit. During lunch, a thunderstorm came in and a HUGE bolt of lightning and a crashing boom struck right in front of our house. It was raining huge drops and thundering – but it stopped after about 10 minutes. Typical Italian rain. We decided to go to Vinci – Linda stayed at the house to nap. We drove around getting a bit lost, but eventually found our way. Such a beautiful little town, up in the hills surrounded by olive groves. It was a total unexpected gem. We went up to town center, which is up on the hill, and saw the Leonardo Museum and exhibits. Then drove to his birthplace, about 3 miles outside of town, with amazing views of Tuscany and among olive groves. He was born there in late 1400s and they think he went back several times to visit his brothers. Back to Vinci for gelato, then drove the long way (up through Pistoia) on a very curvy mountain road. Amazing scenery – it was beautiful. Stopped for gas on the way – there is a machine that you prepay with – the last time it cost 50 euro, so we put in 50. But it cost 44. We didn’t know how to get change. A woman came by and helped – said we had to take the receipt to the cashier the next day. Since we weren’t going back, we thought we lost the money but she bought it off us for the full 6 euro. So nice! Got groceries on the way back – got a bit lost through Montecatini because of all the one way streets, and got home at 9PM. Had nice chicken and cabbage dinner. Tomorrow, Cinque Terra! 

 3 July – Montecatini (PR: 15,810) A long hiking day today, but we did Cinque Terra!! Beautiful! We left the house around 8:30 and made it to Riomaggiore by 11. Took the train straight up to Monterosso al Mare, a beautiful beach town with colorful umbrellas lining the oceanside. We had a snack at a restaurant overlooking the ocean before setting out on our trek to Vernazza. It was very hot, and steep and narrow in some place – it was very hard for Roxsana but she was a trooper and made it!! Took us about 1.5 hours to cover the 5 km. When you turn the corner for the view of Vernazza from the hill, its breathtaking. There are lots of colorful butterflies along the path, and the ocean sparkles in the sunlight. Had a gelato in Vernazza, then walked down to the breakwater for the view and to people-watch. Wandered around town, then caught the train – skipped Corniglia and got off at Manarola. Walked down to the water, then had dinner of seafood. Roxsana decided to walk with us for the last, easy section from Manarola to Riomaggiore – the flat, easy path known as Via della Amore. It really is lovely – there is a concrete and stone loggia with lots of love graffiti, plus couples put locks on the fence and throw the keys over the side to symbolize their undying love for each other. It was an easy walk back into town, and back to the car. Had leftovers and chicken and cabbage for dinner. Tired, but satisfied from the day! 

 4 July – Montecatini (PR: 11,963) Another lovely day – again, in the hill towns. Linda and I dropped Colleen and Roxsana off at the train station and drove down to San Gimigniano. It’s a cute hill town – first thing we saw was the torture museum. Major examples, pictures, and wax figures of medieval torture devices. Fascinating and gross at the same time. Walked further down to the Death Penalty Museum, which was basically just more torture devices. Walked to the center of town; had some GREAT gelato at the gelateria del Piazza – SO GOOD! Had mango, passion fruit, and lavender raspberry. Yum! Next, we went up to the tower and saw the art gallery – nice view from the highest point in San G. Decided to go to Volterra next – had lunch at a spaghetteria – saw another torture museum but didn’t go in. Decided not to spend the money on more art museums as they were starting to look the same. Volterra is an old Etruscan town, with a hill and walls, plus a big palace looking thing that is actually a state prison. Wandered around the town and park, then drove back on small roads. Along the way, stopped again at Vinci because Linda wanted to see the ball statue. Got back to Montecatini and had another gelato – again, good, then picked C and R from the train station. Came back to the house for the Happy hour/dinner being put on by our hosts – a really nice dinner with Tuscan food; met lots of nice people. Mary and her Polish husband, who live in Montecatini Alto; Stefan and Eva, the newlywed Belgian couple; Veronica and Mike, the friends from UK. Talked to Mike from Liverpool for a while – he’s an ex-policeman who works as a security guard now, plus loves to motorcycle. Very pleasant and interesting evening. 

 5 July – Montecatini (PR: 5,433) Totally lazy morning – slept in late and got up around 9. We stayed around the house, did some reading, talking, and eating. Around 2PM there was a huge thunderstorm with heavy rain and lightning. Very cool display of the wrath of mother nature!! Left the house around 3:30-4ish, drove straight back to Monteriggione for the Medieval Days Festival. Very cool walled city – Dante described it in the Inferno as a “crown” set on the prairie, where the giants put half people inside. It really does look like a crown; it’s a walled city on a hill, but doesn’t have anything built up around it like most other cities. The Medieval Festival was very cool – people walking around dressed up, and it was easier to get immersed since they spoke Italian so I couldn’t understand anything - for some reason, that made it seem more authentic. Watched the wandering entertainers – a ‘priest’ came up to me and started talking in Italian, but I understood nothing. We walked out to the tournament field to watch the jousting and sword fights. Went back into town for dinner – had Ribollita – Tuscan bread soup – very hearty and delicious. Also had cinghaile – wild boar stew, which was also good but kind of salty. Learned the difference between a latte and a cappuccino – same cup of milk with one shot of espresso, but a cappuccino has foam – vs. a macchiato, which is served in a tiny cup – a shot of espresso with a dash of milk. Did a bunch of people-watching, and walked around a bit more – the town is very small so we saw every street several times. Supposed to be a fireworks show, but it was 20 minutes late so we left since there was an hour drive home. 

 6 July – Assisi Driving day today. Got up late and did a bunch of lounging in the morning – had breakfast, read, etc. Cleaned up the house a bit and headed out around noon. There was another thunderstorm in the morning; I saw Colleen head out for a walk, then there was a big clap of thunder and she came running back in again. Kind of funny. Rained off and on during our drive out of Tuscany, and into Umbria – for a moment, it rained so hard we couldn’t talk because it was so loud and you couldn’t see a thing. Made it to the farmhouse at around 3:30 – so cute, in the hills above Assisi. Beautifully decorated rooms in a stone house, surrounded by gardens and olive trees in the hills. The woman who works here is a bit uptight, but the room and the view are fabulous. Drove down to Santa Maria degli Angeli, the town below Assisi, to the market for lunch/dinner – got salami and cheese, plus some chips and drinks, to eat in the park. Ate in front of the big church – very pleasant. Then drove up to Assisi. Beautiful little town with a huge castle/cathedral on the hill looking out over the plain. So pretty! It’s a very quaint little town, known as the birthplace of St. Francis of Assisi. There were a lot of Franciscan monks and nuns walking around; it’s very religious. Almost all the shops sell mostly religious souvenirs. It may be blasphemous, but I want one of those little holy water fonts to use as a little planter! 

 7 July – Assisi Had reg. Italian breakfast at Caberto II, our B&B. Very comfy rooms, but the breakfast was dull – apricot and orange juices, the toast crackers that we always have, cookies and cakes – all too sweet. Oh well. Got going around 10 and headed out towards Spello. Roxsana thought it was the town where Michaelangelo was born, but its not. It’s known for small streets and pretty flower boxes, but not much else. Randomly, we ran across a wine bar that turned out to be one of the best in Italy – and in Spello, of all places! But Roxsana and I had lunch and tried the wine/bruschetta tasting – 2 kinds of olive oil, white and black truffle, rugala salsa, and sundried tomato. Plus bean soup, 2 kinds of red wine, both sangioveses, from the Umbria region. SO good! The olive oil was the best I’ve ever had – delicious. Roberto, the owner, was very nice and came to talk to us. After lunch we started driving again but Linda said she was tired of small towns, so we went back to Assisi and the Basilica. It’s a beautiful, two story church – has an upper basilica and a lower basilica, and under that is the tomb of St. Francis. The rest of the afternoon they went shopping... we did the s l o w walk so it was tiring and so boring. Came back to the B&B around 6 and read, talked, and sat around until dinner at 8:30. Dinner was also huge – antipasta of meats and cheeses, a faro seafood dish, seafood pasta, then fish with deep fried zucchini. Fruit for dessert. All SO good, and way too much food! 

 8 July – Assisi Last day in Umbria, and it was awesome!! Roxsana and I relaxed here at the house for half the day, reading and relaxing. We dropped Linda and Colleen off at the train station at around 11:30 (we didn’t get up til 10:30) because they wanted to go into Rome. Went to the grocery store for lunch (and picked up monster drinking glasses – only €1 for a set of 3!) Got samdwiches and drinks, then came back to the house. Sat around til around 3:30, then decided to head out. At first we were going to go to the Marmore Cascades, but the gas stations are having a strike so we were worried about running out of gas. Instead, we parked in Santa Maria degli Angeli and walked down to the church. It was really cool inside – there is a little chapel built by St Francis, and tons of pilgrims go there, ever since St Francis’ days, in the early 1200s. Eventually, they decided to build a giant cathedral around it, so now you go into this huge cathedral and inside is this little tiny chapel. Then we saw where St Francis died – in one of the chapels in the church. On the way to the rose garden was a small corridor with a statue of St Francis holding a basket. All of a sudden the basket moved and we realized there is a pair of white doves nesting in the basket! Supposedly they are descended from doves that someone gave to St Francis. Very cool! After the church, we went for gelato then back to the house. Decided to go for a walk; we met an old Italian man who lived down the street, and he recommended we go to the “beautiful castle at the top of the hill.” So we walked up about 2 or so kilometers and found the most charming and beautiful hotel that was a “castle.” Nicely manicured lawns and gorgeous gardens, so we decided to eat dinner there. We walked back down to the house and drove up and had dinner outside – VERY good steak, pasta, and veggies. The waiter was SO cute, but kind of shy. We surreptitiously took pictures of him until Roxsana finally just asked him to take a picture with us. Mortifying, but then I figured, who cares?! Ha ha! 

 9 July – Rome Super busy day, so here are the notes on what we did! Went to Orvieto, visited St. Patrick’s Well. Met and talked to a charming little 86 year old man who was sitting in the park. Had lunch at the self-serve restaurant recommended by the man. Went into the beautiful grey and white striped Duomo. Saw the Orvieto Underground, the old Etruscan city. Was most fascinated by the pigeon coops dug into the walls. Drove to Rome – Found our hotel, which is more like an apartment. We met up with Antonio, who took us to dinner for a huge seafood feast. There were multiple antipastas, oysters, raw shrimp and fish, etc. We then walked along the pier in Fiumicino. Got lost coming home, so it wasn’t until 1:30 AM that we could get to bed!  

Italy - part I - Stra

 
16 June – Stra 

First day of my summer in Italy!! Made it in to Venice this morning – we were late leaving Philly because of a thunderstorm – SAW lightning while sitting on the tarmac, so we were delayed about 2 hours. When we got into VCE, we took a bus into Venice to Piazza Roma and met Antonio, who took us to his house in Stra. We saw a bunch of the big villas along the Rivera del Brenta – the canal that runs from Padova to Venice. Back in the day, the Doges and rich families from Venice would have summer homes out here, so there were lots of big, castle-looking monstrosities! Stra is about 20 minutes from Venice – we made it to Antonio’s house and met his kids, Frederica and Anna, and his wife Maria Antonetta. They were SO nice. I was so tired when we got here (around 1ish) that I took a nap for about 2 hours. When I got up, Maria Antonetta made food for me – risotto with herbs (same herbs they make beer), plus tomato mozzarella salad and grilled eggplant. YUM – so good! After lunch, we went to Villa Pisani, which is just across the canal from their house. Free for us to get in, because Antonio is friends with EVERYONE. It’s a beautiful house – palace, really – built by the doge of Venice Alvise Pisani in the early 1700’s (and once owned by Napoleon). We saw the inside of the house – bedrooms, sitting room, and a beautiful grand ballroom which had a mirrored table so you could examine the murals on the ceiling. There were huge grounds, including a hedge maze, whose path was marked with pool balls. Walked around the grounds, then walked back home. Maria Antonetta made us dinner – delicious carpaccio and rocket salad, with cheese and bread and salami, and melon for dessert. Again, yum. The Macaluso family is SO warm and friendly! Don’t speak much English, but I catch enough to know the general topic they are talking about. Hopefully, my Italian will improve in 6 weeks! Its really warm – about 80° in the day but kind of sticky – so we’re sleeping with the window wide open. Its so peaceful and quiet – a good start! 

 17 June – Stra (pedometer reading: 17,760) 

Woke up after a restless night (both of us were awake at 2AM! and off and on until I got up around 8). Took the hour-long bus ride to Piazzale Roma in Venice, then took our time wandering up and down the streets. [OH! We didn’t know how to open the gates at the apartment so we had to hop the fence to break out! ] Getting lost in Venice is great – very easy to do, but hard to do for long. It’s very narrow, all-pedestrian walkways, with quaint building facades with lots of shutters and window boxes and flowers galore. Every so often we’d run into a canal or a dead end, so you’d have to find the bridge to get across. Lots of Murano glass, and carnivale mask shops. Love both, but the really nice masks – with lots of feathers – are really expensive (over 100 euro). Need to decide if I really need one... Made it to the Rialto – the famous pedestrian bridge with built-in shops and a nice view of the Grand Canal. Had a snack of a small panini sandwich and Fanta. Wandered from there to the Doge’s house – Ducale Palace – in St Mark’s Square. Very busy and pigeon-filled, but bustling and gorgeous buildings all around. Went first to the Bridge of Sighs – kind of disappointing because the buildings are being renovated so it is covered with advertisements. We went into Ducale and saw all the apartments and royal furnishings, plus the armory and the prison. Walked across the Bridge of Sighs to the prison – amazing the difference in luxury to cold, dark stone. After Doge’s walked across St Marcos to the Correr Museum and Archaeological Museum. Nice paintings and examples of Venetian life. We got really hungry around 3, so we had another big panini and Fanta. Then we went to Ca’Rezzonica Museum, which showed more fancy rooms and nice art. We were really tired before going in, so we sat in the garden right outside to rest up – it was so nice and peaceful! Very little sound coming in, and relaxing. Wandered a bit more, looking in shops around town. Finally made it back to Piazzale Roma around 5:30 – took the bus back and had a nice dinner of meatballs, pasta with zucchini, eggplant, and stir-fried arugula. So delicious!! Italian families eat late – we started around 9PM, which seems normal for them. I’m starting to get the hang of listening and I can catch the gist of conversations. Tomorrow, Padova! 

18 June – Stra (Pedometer reading: 20,340) 

Woke up late but after a good night’s sleep. Went to Padova (also known as Padua), about 20 minutes west of Stra along the Riviera Brenta. It’s a beautiful, old city, with cobblestone streets and small alleys. Walked first down Via Gozzi to the markets in Piazza Erbe and Piazza Fruita – tons of fresh fruits and vegetables. We bought peaches, apricots, saturn peaches, and grapes. All were so good! Also picked up a sweater/wrap, for when I want to go in churches. From there, we wandered down to find Scrovegni Chapel. We first stopped in Hermitage Church, then went around to the Civic Museum where we saw a video about Scrovegni. He was trying to save the soul of his father, a usurer who charged really high interest. Since they were rich, he built a chapel and hired the best artist he could to decorate it – Giotto. Giotto painted frescos all around, telling the story of Joachim and Mary (Jesus’s parents), Jesus, and the Vices and Virtues. It was done in 1303-1305, and now it is humidity-controlled so only 25 people at a time can go in for 15 minutes max. After the chapel, we had our fruit, then lunch at a little bar/restaurant. Walked down through town to the Basilica of St. Anthony – the famous Saint who was a miracle worker, healer, and saint of lost things. He died in 1231 and his bones are here, plus his jaw, vocal cords, and tongue are in the reliquary. Ew. (He was known as a powerful speaker – thus the tongue.) People from all over the world come on pilgrimages here to pray to him We walked around the cloisters and saw the fancy “life of St Anthony” presentation Then had some gelato and walked around. Oh – and to get into the Basilica, you have to cover your shoulders – good thing I’d bought the wrap!! Walked to the Prato della Valle – a huge, grassy square surrounded by a round stream with statues of Padua’s famous citizens. Went to the church next to the square – Basilica de St Giustina. From there we walked through town to the University of Padua – one of the oldest universities in Europe – from 1222. They have graduations almost daily, and the friends of grads dress them up, they get a laurel wreath, and they get a poster up on the wall for 24 hours. We saw 3 grads in the 5 minutes we were there! By then we were tired, so we went back to Piazza Fruita for dinner – stopped and sat at 3 different cafes before finding one that had more than just panini. Roxsana and I shared a caprese salad and a pizza – lots of food, and SO delicious! We wandered around through town taking the long way to the bus stop. After waiting 45 minutes, we missed the Stra bus (it didn’t pick up where the other bus driver said), so we had to wait another hour for the next bus. By the time we got home, it was already 11PM – Tired!! ps. Antonio says you do NOT leave tips here! Good to know! 

 19 June – Stra (PR – 3,803) 

Spent a lazy day in, doing nothing much. Woke up late and had breakfast, sat around and checked email, and then had lunch – pasta w/ pomodoro, leftover meatballs, and tomato/cucumber salad. Listened to Maria Antonetta and Roxsana talk until I got tired and sat on the couch reading and dozing. Then the whole family went to the mall – Roxsana bought a giant suitcase because she had way too many bags – she brought FOUR small bags and can’t carry them all. Then we went to the sporting goods store to meet Antonio. After, we walked around Ikea – basically just looking for something to do. Came home, relaxed a bit, had dinner of salad, bread w/ cheese and meat (one of which was horse). After dinner, we watched TV (the movie Two Weeks Notice, dubbed in Italian). Tomorrow, Antonio is taking us somewhere – not sure where, but maybe the Dolomites. Depends on the weather. 

 20 June – Stra (PR – 11,044) 

Woke up early after a restless night – it stormed HARD and thundered/lightninged all night. Went with the whole family to the old town of Mantova (Mantua). It is a beautiful ancient city by a river with a great view as you drive in. Went first to the Palazzo Ducale – the old ducal palace from the 1500s. Most interesting room was the Room of the Giants – a dome roof blending straight down to the walls and painted as though we were looking up at Mt. Olympus. Wandered around the palace, then went out the square where Virgil’s statue was. After a short snack, walked over to Palazzo Erbe, with a round church. Had lunch of Pizza, then walked through town to the other end, where Palazzo Te is. It’s another huge palace with nice frescoes and painted ceilings It opened up to a loggia (arched courtyard) and a big lawn, with a secret garden and grotto. We took the long way back to Stra, through small towns and the countryside. Saw a great walled city – Montagnana. Stopped at the grocery in Padova – huge, sold everything like Walmart. Got back a bit before 9 and had dinner – carbonara pasta, polenta, and pork chops grilled with olive oil and rosemary. As usual, yum. 

 21 June – Stra (PR – 8,119) 

Another lazy, lazy day. Woke up around 9 and went to Mass with Federica and Anna – at the church in San Pietra. Only 45 minutes long – which is pretty short for a pretty Catholic country. The church was pretty full, so I guess almost everyone goes. Came home and just hung out – got on the computer and made a bunch of hotel reservations and other plans for the rest of the trip. Anna called us to lunch at around 1:30 – the main dining room table was beautifully set, and we had a huge Sunday meal. Started with antipasto – salami and ham stuffed with tuna, bread w/ olive spread, and olives. Second course was an amazing pumpkin risotto – so good. Then came the main – beef in wine sauce. We thought it was done – I was so full – and out comes homemade french fries. Dessert was the fruit bowl. They said every Sunday they have a meal like that – wow. Hung out again mostly on line, then watched a tiny bit of English TV – BBC World. Around 5ish, Antonio, MAntonetta, and Anna took us to downtown Stra where we had the BEST gelato I’ve ever had – ruby red grapefruit flavored. Holy cow it was good. Walked around Stra, then went with A and M to the little school down the street where they voted. Today and tomorrow was an election, and it looked like a lot of people were going to vote. Lots of the women were dressed up nicely, and one guy had white pants and matching red belt and shoes. Came back and watched the first half of the Italy/Brazil soccer game (Italy lost). Then light supper at around 9:30 of cold cuts, salad, and egg frittata. A bit more TV, then bed. 

 22 June – Stra (PR – 16,805) 

Got up early and made it to Venice a little after 9. Walked down a bit and caught a vaporetto to Murano, one of the lagoon islands. Known for glass, because they wanted 2) to keep the technique a secret, and 2) keep the dangerous glass furnaces away from Venice. Walked through town, saw a glass blower shaping some glass. Took the vaporetto to Burano then immediately took the next one to Torcello. Torcello is where Venice started but was abandoned because of mosquitoes and lack of clean water Very small island – a 10 minute walk down a canal to the church which has beautiful golden mosaics. We climbed up the bell tower for a nice view of the lagoons, but it is under restoration, so the view was partially blocked. Went back to Burano, the lace island. There are cute painted houses with curtains over all the doors. Had lunch in a small square – good spaghetti alla mare and salad. Then walked around the lace shops and watched some old women demonstrating the lace-making Got a bread basket thing. Went to wait for the next vaporetto and had pistachio gelato at the bar right by the water. Went to Murano and walked around – it was getting kind of late so things were starting to close, plus Roxsana was tiring, so shopped a bit then headed back to Venice. We both bought feathered Venetian masks (mine was 25 euro) – hope it makes it home safely! Almost got lost on the way home – took a different bus and we both didn’t recognize the route, but we ended up home safely. Another great meal by MAntonetta – pasta with tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil, plus the leftover meat and polenta. 

 23 June – Stra 

Didn’t sleep much because of mosquitos – buzzing in my ear and biting me in the chin and arm! ugh. Got up around 8 and caught a ride with MAntonetta to Padova, where Roxsana, Federica, and I took a bus to Vicenza. Vicenza is a UNESCO site because of the architecture of Antony Palladio, a 16th century guy who was commissioned to build a lot of the noble houses in the town center. They have beautiful facades, and it’s a very small city with lots of museums. We started at the Teatro Olimpico – a theater with a 3-dimensional background that looks amazingly like long streets. Cool play on perspective. The entire back is surrounded by statues. Went to the Civic museum to see art, then to the Archaeology Museum, with lots of Roman ruins, plus Natural History with small animal collection Stopped for a gelato – peach – then went to the art gallery in the Palazzo Leoni Montanari. After walking around town a bit more, we had lunch at a self-serve restaurant – risotto and pork bone, which was really good. Lots of things are closed around lunchtime – between noon and around 3. Whole towns close down whle people siesta, I guess! Last, we went to Museo Diocesano – lots of religious relics, but a nice museum. Right as we were leaving, saw the Cathedral de Piazza Duomo, a nice large church. It started drizzling. We caught the train to Ligonza and MA came to pick us up. Nice not having to walk home in the rain! 

 24 June – Stra (PR – 12,456) 

Last day at the Macaluso home! Woke up late and had a lazy morning – made reservations for Assisi, played around online and played Barbie with Anna. For lunch, we had an awesome homemade lasagna – delicious! Then Roxsana, Anna, and I went back to Venice – walked to San Marco Square, saw the Basilica, and wandered around inside. Decided not to pay the extra money to do the extras (balcony, treasures, or museum). The floor of the basilica is marble, but totally warped – Roxsana said the last time they were in Venice it was flooded, so I wonder if hundreds of years of flooding is what warped it? Wandered back, getting a bit lost until Anna got tired, so we stopped for gelato, then slowly wandered back taking lots of pictures along the way. Got home around 7, computered for a while trying to organize the schedule – decided to leave for Rome on Friday – then had pizza for dinner. Early night as we’re all tired! 

 26 June – on the train to Rome 

We’re on the way to Rome now, sitting in our first class car, because they messed up the seats and Roxsana got mad at the attendant. Because there are so many stops (Bologna, Florence), they couldn’t just stick us in any old 2nd class seat, so here we are, lounging. Nice! In the train station in Padova, a woman saw Roxsana smiling and gave her a kiss. They started talking and she gave us cookies for our trip, plus bought us coffees. She was also named Rosana, and was going to Lourdes, France to pray. 

Yesterday, we took the bus from Stra to Padova, then the train from Padova to Verona. We met a cute guy on the train who was trying to help a girl who was speaking Chinese on the phone, so I helped translate. We were laughing because among the four of us, we were speaking Chinese, Italian, English, and Spanish. Found our B&B right near the Arena and dropped our stuff off. Walked around Verona – saw the Casa de Giulietta (supposedly Juliet’s house, though it’s more of a tourist trap. Touched the Juliet statue (for luck), and saw the balcony, but we didn’t pay to go in. But we did have a kiwi gelato! Then went up to the Club Giulietta, where people from all over the world write to Juliet for advice, luck, and love. Walked around Verona, seeing Romeo’s house, and much of what the Scaligieri family left (who ruled Verona back in the day). Found the spot where Romeo Killed Tybalt, starting off the banishment and subsequent tragedy. Walked down to the old Scaligieri Castle – Castelvecchio – which is now an art museum. It’s beautiful, plus you can walk around the keep. Walked back around to the Arena, where we saw a lot of the sets that they use for other operas – Carmen, etc. – that they keep outside. Bought cheese and met for dinner, then went back to the B&B to eat. When we walked out to go to the opera, it was drizzling but for some reason we didn’t think about it – went to the Arena to wait (got there around 8:15 for a 9:15 show, at it started raining hard! We got soaked while sitting, and they postponed the show until close to 10. After the first act it started drizzling again, and since we were freezing already, we decided not to wait for the second postponement to end (it was already around 10:45). At least we got to see and experience some of it!! Warmed up with some tea when we got back, and went to bed. This morning, we had breakfast at the B&B – the owner was late because they were in an accident, so we just helped ourselves. Took the train back to Padova and met MAntonietta, who brought us our luggage. And now here we are on the train!