Tuscany and 46th Anniversary

Days 17-20

Tuscany and 46th Anniversary

With our days along the Amalfi over, we have been many places in the last 4 days.  During our long drive north, we diverted along the way and stopped in Pienza.  

This is a town that is picturesque from a distance and also looking out to the countryside.

We didn’t know it, but way back in Medieval time, this town was rebuilt as an ideal model for renaissance towns across Italy.  That was in 1462, before Columbus discovered America.  Here is a picture of Shari modeling the beautiful town of Pienza.

I can’t tell you much more other than one of the streets is named Via Amore (Street of Love) and that they have a great spaghetti called Pici that we discovered on one of our first trips to Italy.

We spent most of the day driving from Sorrento to Lucca and did make it to the lovely city by early evening.  We had to park our car outside the old city walls as the streets inside the walls are almost exclusively for walking and biking.

While we still had the car, we used Lucca as a home base and took day trips.  The first such trip was to Volterra, a town Shari had seen with Grace on their trip two years ago. 

Every town we visit provides new chances to try new foods or the specialty of the region.  What caught our eye was the following:

What you are seeing is polenta (Italian corn meal I ate growing up), porcini mushrooms, gorgonzola cheese, and lardo.  As a chubby 10 year old, I was occasionally called Lardo.  In the picture it’s the six white-looking things in the upper part of the plate.  It’s cured fat from the backside of a pig, sometimes known as fatback.  It was a first for both of us, and we both found it very tasty.  Shari thought it was tough, however.  In any event, when you take a little of each of the four ingredients and eat them in unison, you have one delicious bite of food.  The first three ingredients are sufficient for a great taste.  I don’t think I can find lardo at Harmon’s! We turned our car in at the end of the day.

The next day, we were off again….this time by train… to a new place for both of us - Portofino.  We knew that many people like it, but we were not sure why. Portofino is north of Cinque Terra, an unforgettable place along the western coast of Italy.  We learned that Portofino is really a small suburb of Santa Margherita (S.M.) which has a train station that you claim is your destination when buying tickets.

I hope you don’t think I made this photo up - it’s real.  Among other things, the photo shows an unusual blend of symmetry.  The other thing I originally looked for was the super organization at the beach.  

People think their destination is Portofino, but Santa Margherita is a beautiful town, and for us, it is the more attractive.  We came by land, but many come by sea.  I told Shari I would not recommend learning to operate a boat here.

95% of the action is in Santa Margherita.  But, we had to see the notorious Portofino, so we heard you could walk to it. It was supposed to be a 5K walk, but there were distractions.  Near the western edge of Santa Margherita were these building with this unique appearance.  Even with all the motorcycles in front of it, it stood out.

Then there was the rock that arose from the sea, and it has this tree.  A seagull landed on the rock while I took the photo to give you a sense of scale. 

We eventually did make it to Portofino, and it, too, is picturesque.

For us, this was no ordinary day.  We traveled by train with multiple stops to get to a place we’d never been before.  Then we walked what we thought was a long way just to find out what Portofino had to offer.  It was part of our way of celebrating our anniversary.  This was us at the pier in the very small port of Portofino.  We had a lot of fun getting there even though there were a few challenges. 

It was all worth it - all 46 years of marriage!

Day 16 - La Dolce Vista - Amalfi Coast

Day 16

La Dolce Vista - Amalfi Coast

Everyone we talked to said don’t drive a car along the Amalfi Coast.  It’s too scary and dangerous.  So we drove the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento to the small town of Amalfi.  If it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger!

The Amalfi is where coastal mountains plunge into the sea in a vertical scene of precipitous crags, picturesque towns, and lush forests. Almost everywhere you look there is a picture to be taken.  During tourist season, the buses that take you to and from the small coastal towns are very crowded and don’t stop for viewing.  The roads are often 1 1/2 lanes wide, and even with a small car, there are tight spots when there is on-coming traffic.  You drive with your window down so you can hear the horns of buses near the tight and sharp corners of which there are many.

Residents park on the narrow road we drove (we didn’t see any garages), so their parked cars add to the road claustrophobia drivers experience.

There is approximately 50 kilometers (22 miles) one way from Sorrento to the town of Amalfi.  A one-way trip takes about an hour and a half.  The reward for driving are the incredible views.   

REMINDER - If you want to see  any of the pictures in a more robust size, click on the picture and it will enlarge.  To return to the story from the picture, click on the 'x' in the upper right near the picture.

At first you see mostly ocean; then islands; then boats, then the towns where the houses and shops somehow fit on extremely steep hillsides.  

Pictured above is the town of Positano which some of you may have heard of.  It’s almost dreamlike in appearance.

The coastal road contours the land and sometimes into the side canyons.  

Occasionally there is wide spot in the road and even a place to park.  The parking spots are few and far between, so we took advantage of most that we saw when we were quick enough. 

The biggest city we saw on the Amalfi coast was Sorrento with a population of about 16,000, far less than St. George.  Even though small, all the smaller ones we saw were picturesque!

Even with the steep terrain, most have beaches, and they, too, make you happy your camera doesn’t require real film.  

Shari wants you to see the car that can handle the narrow Amalfi roads, traffic, and parking.  Here is car with the 1/2 Italian driver.

This driving trip took place on our last day in Sorrento.  There are probably too many scenery pictures already, but I’m going to end with one from our patio at La Tonnarella.  We loved it here!

Days 14-15 Pompeii and Italian Food

Days 14-15

Pompeii and Italian Food

We had fond memories of the place we stayed in 2008, so we thought we’d try it again.  The hotel is called La Tonnarella, and it not only has great rooms and spectacular sea views, but it has probably the best hotel breakfast.  All their fresh fruits are in season and locally grown, they have fresh Italian bread, eggs to order, great coffee, fresh juice, and a great view of the coastline from each table.

This is a month long vacation, and being in Sorrento has a special place in my heart for my first and only Italian haircut.  During our last visit in 2008, we visited Figaro’s barbershop where I was treated with great enthusiasm since I was an American.  I find it amazing they can cut as little hair that I have with scissors.  Their hands are so quick that I think they would make really good pickleball players.  Antonio is pictured, and he gave me my 2016 Italian haircut.  His father, Giuseppe, cut my hair in 2008.  The haircut was an early fathers day gift from Shari.

Sorrento is only 30 minutes by train from Pompeii, and it is an amazing place to see as it has an incredible story.  Almost 2000 years ago, Mt. Vesuvius did like Mt. St. Helens did in the state of Washington in 1980.  Behind Shari is Vesuvius with a cloud covering most of one of it’s two peaks.

When Vesuvius erupted, the inhabitants died from the ash and gases. The city was partially destroyed and then buried under many feet of ash and pumice.  The lack of air preserved what was left as it was in 79 A.D. when Vesuvius wiped it off the map.  So what we see is an amazing view of the remnants of an ancient Roman city.  Some examples are this patio with a painted tile picture concerning a conquest . . . 

The men’s public bath . . .

And even some of the victims . . .

It you look at this temple, you’ll even see the head of Jupiter nearest the second tallest pillar.

The only negative about the visit was we got a guide service that misrepresented its service.  You get to monuments like this and know that you want to get started before the big crowds arrive.  We typically get to attractions early to beat the larger crowds.   Pompeii has lots of interesting stories to tell, so a really good guide can help immensely.

Do you remember ancient history and how the ancient Romans helped civilize their empire by engineering incredible water systems and roads?  Check out this two lane road (for chariots) and the elevated crosswalk.

One thing we learned was that the roads were also the sewer system, so the slope of the roads had purpose.   I bet they hoped for rains for more reasons than watering the crops. 

It’s no secret we love Italian food, and it is one of our reasons to visit Italy.  We weren’t in Sorrento all that long in 2008, so we are discovering something we probably missed when our focus before was on boat rides to the Amalfi Coast and the Isle of Capri.

This simple Caprese is made with Bufalo cheese, the best mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes that taste like they used to 40 years ago.  I’d pack my suitcase for the way home with these two great ingredients if I’d pass customs.  Not all restaurants are equal, and we were lucky enough to get a tip from people we met on the Amalfi coast bus.  Besides the caprese, the Italian bread at the Bufalito restaurant is the best I’ve ever had, and I grew up on it.  I attribute my Mediterranean skin shade to eating lots of it.  This became a recurrent lunch place

We also got a good tip on an agriturismo farm/restaurant that was a short drive from our hotel.  I think expectations were a farm house and very simple foods.  Instead, the place was a unique multi-level exotic greenhouse. A driver picked us up at our hotel and drove us home when we were ready. 

The German Shepard was part of the welcoming we got when we arrived.

Edy, one of the head waiters, was also a very friendly host.

I don’t know that we had any simple food.  Edy wouldn’t allow it.  I took the following picture prematurely as there were still a couple of antipasto plates missing from this photo.

Many of the dishes pictured involve various types of seafood.  

We were pretty satisfied with just the antipasto, but we still had main courses to enjoy.  

For us the food in the Sorrento area is the best Italian food we’ve ever had.  It is probably due in part to all the great ingredients that grow so well in this area.  Just look at these lemons used in limoncello.  The biggest ones by Shari are huge when compared to her hand.

Italian pizza is one of our favorite foods.  Shari had identified her favorite pizza place from our 2008 trip.  After having the pictured pizza two times, she now has a new favorite pizzeria.

Days 11-13, Au Revoir Paris, Buon Giorno Italia

Days 13-15

Au Revoir Paris, Buon Giorno Italia

All our days in Paris were good, but the sights were especially good this last day.  It started with an early tour of the Notre Dame (French for Our Lady).  Most tourists sleep in, so an early start means short lines or no lines.  

We have been in many churches (every time we come to Europe) and don’t personally see anything spectacular about the inside of Notre Dame.  The outside is another story, and there can be a long line for climbing to the top of the tower, but you have to be willing to climb 422 steps. The views were incredible!

One thing Notre Dame has is gargoyles.  They’d been around long before Notre Dame, but they weren’t always as grotesque. Some are considered unique.  There purpose is to move the rain water from the roof away from the building so that it isn’t eroding the mortar in the masonry.  In other words, it helps preserve the building for a long time.  While the church was completed in 1345 A.D., construction started almost 200 years earlier.  It was hard to find fast builders at that time.

For those having read The Hunchback of Notre Dame, he’s the guy in the second picture, not the first.

It took a long time to find him - bottom half and climbing the joint of the walls.  Click on the photo for a close-up, then click on 'X' at upper right of the photo to return to the story.

We had gotten so good at moving around by subway, we headed miles away to the NE section of Paris.  We’re guessing the big draw is this unique church, Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart), with it’s unique exterior. 

What was more interesting was the narrow street lined with artists painting and displaying there works.

Our last act as tourists in Paris was to visit Napoleon’s Tomb.  His body is beneath the golden dome.  More interesting was the War Museum that is located on several floors behind the door.  I could have spent several hours in the museum seeing the old movie clips, photo displays, and artifacts of WWI and WWII.  It’s amazing what the world went through in the first half of the 20th Century.

Friday was a travel day.  We took a one hour cab ride to get to the airport, then waited as our plane was late.  When we did arrive in Rome, we rented a car to drive to Sorrento, Italy, which is located very close to the Amalfi Coast.  The drive that was to take 3 hours took almost 6, and we arrived in Sorrento as the sun was setting.  We got very few directions, but did study signs very carefully.  Our little Fiat Panda was the right car to drive the narrow roads as well as to park.  My biggest concern is parking, not driving.  I’m half Italian, so driving in Italy (or Europe) comes naturally to me :o)

We were in Sorrento 8 years ago with Jan and Dan Studer, our friends from Bonners Ferry, Idaho.  On this trip, we planned to have a little more time as the Amalfi Coast is so beautiful.  We even booked into our Hotel from years ago.  Just about everything about this place is memorable including the entry way.

The weather was good on our first full day in Italy, so we decided to visit the small town of Ravello, which we also visited 8 years ago.  From Sorrento, we took a bus about 15 miles.  The roads are the curviest, narrowest, steepest, ‘baddest’ roads we have ever been on, and 15 miles takes about an hour and a half to drive.  But the views can make it worth it. 

I don’t know what possessed us eight years ago to get on a bus and ride up to Ravello, but it is a more relaxed town than some of the other Amalfi towns.

We like the little town squares . . . 

and we like the ambiance created from the ancient ruins to make restaurants.

In the next post, I’ll talk about the food.  We have been treated to great food so far.  Just to remind you that we are at the sea coast, here’s my pasta dish from a restaurant close to our hotel.  I thought the dish would be about the clams and muscles, but the pasta was great while also being different than any I’ve had.  

                                                                        Buon Appetito!