Lane Goes to Italy

All good things must come to an end

2009-05-30T14:45:00.000-07:00

I'm back home, after a long journey over the last two days. I left Vernazza on the train at 16.22 Friday, arrived at Milano Centrale at 20.00, got a bus to Malpensa, arrived there at 21.00, spent the night there waiting for my flight to depart at 06.20, changed in Amsterdam, and arrived at SeaTac at 11:30 a.m. (that would be 20.30 in Italy).

Check back for pics, which I'll be posting soon.

Back in Vernazza

2009-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

OK, so just a postscript to my last post from Monterosso: Oh my friggin' god! The walk back from Monterosso to Vernazza was pure torture. Made the hike to Corniglia feel like a stroll on the walls around Lucca by comparison. Well, maybe it was because it was the end of the day and I was exhausted.

Another evening of relaxing. Tomorrow I have to check out of my room, but I plan to spend most of the day here in Vernazza just watching people frolic in the water and shopping and noshing. Later tomorrow I'll catch a train for Milano, and I'll spend tomorrow night in the airport awaiting my flight at 06.20.

My room here in Vernazza is absolutely charming, as I think I already mentioned, but it is ridiculously hard to find. When Daria (the owner) showed me to the room, she pointed out landmarks on the way, but I still had to write down the route the first time I left, or I'd never have found it again.

Thanks to those who've left comments, either here or on Facebook. It's really great to hear from folks. And yes, Carrie, I did make it to Santa Maria Novella church in Firenze, and it was great. I was really impressed by the fresco there that created a 3D illusion, almost a trompe l'oeil effect.

It occurs to me I haven't mentioned the heat since I arrived in the Cinque Terre. It's still hot, but so pleasant. I might never go to another museum or another church as long as I live. The fact is, after a while, every adoration of the magi, every annunciation, every ascension, and especially every family portrait of Mary and Jesus (how is it they couldn't afford a hotel room and yet they managed to get their portrait painted so many times?) all run together in my memory.

EDIT: Pics from the Cinque Terre

Monterosso al Mare

2009-05-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

I wish I'd spent my entire two week vacation in the Cinque Terre. I just love it here!

Yesterday at about 18.00 a thunderstorm rolled in off the mountains. I bought a bottle of wine and a hunk of foccacia and sat out on the balcony of my room, overlooking the water, under the canopy, watching the rain and getting happily drunk. It was one of the great moments of this entire trip.

I've been keeping a diary of today's activities. Here's the rundown. (For you geographically challenged, the five towns of the Cinque Terre run roughly east to west like this:

Riomaggiore
Manarola
Corniglia
Vernazza (where I'm staying)
Monterosso al Mare

07.45: Left Vernazza on the hike to Corniglia
08.20: First encounter with other people since beginning the hike (a group of American tourists heading the opposite direction who'd left Corniglia at about 07.00).
08.35: First view of Corniglia.
09.10: Met an Indian couple with a toddler and a baby buggy coming the opposite direction. I convinced them that there was no way they were getting the kid or the buggy over this hiking trail, one of the toughest I've ever done. Most of it was in the shade, since the sun hadn't yet risen over the mountains to the east, so it was quite wonderful.
09.25: Arrived in Corniglia, had breakfast, wandered around.
10.30: Decided to take the train to Riomaggiore and walk back so I'd have the sun at my back. Met the Indian couple again at the train station.
10.45: Arrived in Riomaggiore by train, wandered around, met a Welsh couple here on a camper-trailer vacation.
12.15: Started on the walk to Manarola. Very easy, wide path. It's called the Via d'Amore.
12.40: Arrived in Manarola. Had a slice of pizza and a farinata (yummy!).
13.30: Set off on the walk to Corniglia.
14.00: My camera's memory card ran out of memory. (I think that means I've taken over 700 on this trip, and that's with deleting bad ones and duplicates every night; but today I've been snapping like crazy.) Stopped to delete some photos.
14.45: Arrived at Corniglia train station. Waited for train rather than walk back up the very long hill to the town, which I'd already seen.
15.30: Took train to Monterosso.
15.45: Arrived in Monterosso, went wading in the Ligurian Sea. Walked around, found this internet point.

It has been a wonderful day, and I hate for my time here to end. I don't want to leave.

Mercoledì in Vernazza

2009-05-27T08:25:00.001-07:00

I can't begin to say what a thrill it was when the train came out of the tunnel into Riomaggiore, the first stop in the Cinque Terre, and I got my first glimpse of the sea. I arrived here in Vernazza about 12:30 this morning and I wish I'd spent my entire vacation here. It's like a seaside resort and charming, ancient village all rolled into one. Many friendly people (I just had a chat with a nice lady from Venezuela, and met a shopkeeper who remembered me from the train this morning because I asked her which train to take. And I could just sit by the water all day long and watch the kids playing in the surf. Plenty of eye-candy too -- ;)

(You many have noticed I finally found the apostrophe.)

Tomorrow I'll buy a Cinque Terre day card and spend the day hiking and/or training between the five towns. And Venerdì I think I'll do much what I am doing today -- just hanging around town watching people and enjoying the cool breezes off the Ligurian Sea.

I hate that my vacation is approaching it's conclusion, but I'm also looking forward to returning to Seattle.

Maybe one more post before then.

Martedì, settimana due

2009-05-26T01:15:00.000-07:00

My train for Castelnuovo di Garfagnana leaves in about an hour, so Iàve been wandering around Lucca this morning, took a bike ride on the walls (itàs like the Lucchesi version of Greenlake), and popped into this Internet spot, where they charge ten cents a minute. In Firenze I got 30 minutes for a Euro. In Siena the place I was staying had free Internet.

Iàm looking forward to a day away. Itàs not that hot yet, but getting there.

Lucca is really a great place to visit. There are still some tourists, but not like there were everywhere else Iàve been so far, and more of the shopkeepers donàt speak English, which is fun, trying to communicate about the cheese I want using my feeble Italian. (Elsewhere, they speak English to you even if you stumble through Italian with them.) There is no end to the little streets to wander among, and there are hundreds of old churches to step inside (where itàs cooler) and admire the art and architecture.

Anyway, the minutes are ticking away, so Iàll check in later.

EDIT: My photo album from my trip to the Garfagnana

Lunedì in Lucca

2009-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

No long post right now. Iàm in Lucca. Itàs lovely. And hot. And supposed to be hotter tomorrow, like 35°. So I am going to take a day trip by train up into the Alps, around Castelnuovo and Barga.

Thereàs nothing like planning your vacation to try to avoid the hot summer months, only to find theyàve arrived two months early. Normal highs this time of year are supposed to be mid-20s.

One of my biggest expenses on this trip has probably been bottles of water.

EDIT: Photo album from Lucca

Domenica

2009-05-24T04:43:00.000-07:00

One last post from Firenze. It remains hot and sunny, and I am glad to have the respite of my air conditioned B&B in a very convenient location.

Iàve been to more things than I can remember. I have been writing down highlights in my journal, so Iàll be able to share details later. The highlights in Firenze have been these:

Michelangeloàs Medici Chapel.
Going up to San Miniato and looking over the city on Friday as the sun was setting.
Dinner at a fun place way off the beaten tourist path, with two Dutch men who were in the third of a four-week bicycle trip from The Hague to Rome. (Even though it was off the beaten path, there were lots of tourists there.)
Climbing the steps of the Duomo, seeing the extraordinary architecture and the view from the top.
David. The greatest work of art I think I have ever seen. And The Prisoners, in the same hall at the Accademia.

One of the other works I was looking forward to seeing, Donatelloàs David at the Bargello, is on loan to a museum in Milan.

This morning I took a city bus to the nearby town of Fiesole, because (1) itàs supposed to be cooler and breezy up there, and (2) the views back down were reputedly great. I had to settle for one out of two--it was just as hot there.

This afternoon at 16.15 I see the Uffizi, and between now and then Iàll check a few other places. Even with two-and-a-half days, thereàs just not time or energy to see everything, especially in the heat. Maybe Lucca will be cooler. If not, at least thereàs not as much to see there, so I might just spend my two days there being lazy.

EDIT: Here is my photo album from Firenze and Fiesole

Ciao!

Venerdì

2009-05-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Sono in Firenze.

Forget the throngs. (Take San Gemigniano and multiple by 1000.) And I donàt know why there is a need for a hundred different booths on the street selling the exact same belts, scarves, and T-shirts. None of that matters. I was here 5 minutes, just walking to my hotel from the bus, and tears came to my eyes. And that has happened repeatedly all afternoon. The entire city is a museum. There wonàt be many photos, because I canàt take pictures of everything, and most of it has been photographed a zillion times. (Enough hyperbole yet?)

Firenze è molto bello.

The place Iàm staying is lovely, charming, and just steps from the Duomo--perfectly situated in the midst of everything. And I donàt think it was as hot today.

This afternoon I went to two museums, and thereàll be a lot more before my time here is over. Iàm so glad I did Siena first, since coming here from there is like coming out of the Middle Ages right into the Renaissance. And the museums I went to today had early Michelangelo and mature Michelangelo sculptures; Iàm saving the best for last: David on Sunday.

So Iàm at an Internet spot in the Oltrarno (thatàs the part of Firenze across the Arno from the main part). Iàm enjoying a walk I am eager to get back to, so Iàm going to cut this short. I donàt know if I will blog again in Firenze, but keep checking back. Monday I head to Lucca, and Wednesday to the Cinque Terre, so I am sure thereàll be more to share.

Giovedì

2009-05-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry to all who have been waiting for my first report; I only today discovered that the hotel has internet access. And this keyboard types some bizarre (Italian) characters, so if I accidentally type some accents, forgivè me.

So the first thing to report it that it has been terribly hot the whole time. Today and yesterday it was 30°. Do the math, all you American Farenheit lovers!

Highlights? There have been too many to name. Yesterday and today I had a car and drove about 300 km in total. The car was air conditioned, so I wanted to drive further. I went to Murlo, Montalcino, Bagno Vignoni, Pienza, Trequanda, and Asciano yesterday. Today I went to Monteriggiano, Volterra, and San Gemigniano. The fact is, you seen one Tuscan hill town, you seen èm all. No, actually each has itàs own character (I canàt find the apostrophe, so Iàm just gonna use the à, which is where the apostrophe is supposed to be.) But they are all equally quaint and charming, just in slightly different ways: Bagno Vignoni had the hot spring right smack in the middle of the town, Pienza had the best cheese ever, Montalcino wine (wine and cheese are both finding their way back from here to Seattle). Volterra has alabaster, San Gimigniano has the towers and the massive amount of tourists. And they were all hot.

Iàve eaten a lot of gelato, trying various flavors. Itàs very refreshing when itàs 30°.

And of course Iàm staying in Siena, which is just wonderful. Iàve had great food, great walks around the city in the evening after it cools down a little, and just enjoying the act of being here. My hotel is spartan, but in a perfect location, and the room is air conditioned, so YAY for that.

Tomorrow Iàm off to Firenze for the weekend. Iàll try to blog at least once from there.

EDIT: Here are my photo albums from the last three days:

Day -1

2009-05-16T12:08:00.000-07:00

I'm just over 24 hours away from my flight's departure time. I've bought all the stuff I need, gotten currency, gotten an international driving permit, studied Italian, reconfirmed reservations, checked bus and train schedules, and arranged transportation to and from the SeaTac. Today I'm cleaning the house (don't want to come home to a messy house), watering plants, arranging for the neighbors to pick up my mail, doing laundry, and packing. And I'm going to Tacoma tonight to see and hear my friend Melissa sing in a concert of music by Benjamin Britten.

I'll try to blog as I go, stopping in Intranet cafes when time allows. So be sure to check back in the next two weeks.

Arrivederci!

Shopping and Planning

2009-04-12T12:17:00.001-07:00

I have as much fun planning for and anticipating a vacation as I do actually being on vacation. (Okay, that's an exaggeration, but not necessarily a huge one. I truly love the planning.)

With planning comes shopping. Luggage, raingear, and walking shoes have been my main purchases so far.

I originally bought this bag at REI:

But I returned it and bought this Rick Steves bag instead:

Both bags convert to backpacks, but the Rick Steves bag is carry-on compliant (though it expands in case I need more space to carry things I buy), and the REI bag is bigger than the official allowed carry-on size. Also, the Rick Steves bag has a waist strap, which will make it much more comfortable if I have to carry it on my back much.

I showed it to my friend Cathy, and she said she doesn't believe I can get two weeks' worth of stuff into it. So that made me a little nervous, and I decided to do a dry run. I packed one pair of pants, one pair of shorts, five shirts, five t-shirts, five pairs of underwear, five pairs of socks, one sweatshirt, my CPAP, and my toiletry bag, and zipped it up. And it was loose. And not very heavy when I slung it onto my back. I'll be able to fit lots more if I have to. So take that, Cathy!

Rick Steves says to pack the same whether you're going for five days or five weeks. I got a little bottle of travel wash and a spray odor eliminator at his store in Edmonds, so I'm all set to wash and wear. And I bought travel t-shirts and underwear from ExOfficio.

I spent a lot of time shopping around for the right rain jacket, and finally settled on the Marmot PreCip. It only weighs 13 ounces, it packs into a very small amount of space, and it seems to be very breathable.

Everything I've read indicates that the American tourists are most recognizable because they wear sneakers, so I wanted to find something nicer. I read a lot of reviews, and I decided on Merrell Psychics. I've been breaking them in, and they're very comfortable, plus they're a nice attractive shoe I can wear out and about.

And I think I'm going to rent a car for one day so I can get off the beaten path a little and explore the Tuscan hill towns that are harder to reach by bus. I will probably do that on one of the days I'm in Siena.

My Itinerary

2009-03-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

This is an evolving itinerary. As I nail down the details, I'm updating it.

Sunday, May 17

Depart from SeaTac Airport

Monday, May 18

Change in Amsterdam, fly to Rome, bus or train to Siena

Tuesday-Thursday, May 19-21

I'll stay in Siena for four nights and use it as a base to explore some of the Tuscan hill towns. Hoping to see Pienza and Volterra, maybe some others. Staying at Hotel Alma Domus.

Friday-Sunday, May 22-24

Bus or train to Florence. I'll stay three nights in Florence at Il Salotto di Firenze.

I have a 12:15 reservation on Saturday at the Accademia, and a 16:15 reservation on Sunday at the Uffizi Gallery.

Monday-Tuesday, May 25-26

I'll probably finish up some sightseeing in the morning before the short train ride from Florence to Lucca, where I'll stay for two nights at La Magnolia.

Wednesday-Thursday, May 27-28

The train from Lucca to La Spezia involves a change in Pisa, so if the connections work out, I'll explore that town for a bit before continuing on to the Cinque Terre. I'll stay in Vernazza at Vernazza Rooms, and decided to splurge on a larger room in San Francesco's Rooms with a terrace and a view of the sunset.

Friday, May 29

My plan is to spend most of the day in the Cinque Terre, but eventually I'll catch the train to Milan. Maybe go directly to the airport and sleep there, since my flight home leaves very early.

Saturday, May 30

Depart at 6:20 am. Another change in Amsterdam, and I arrive in Seattle before noon.