We didn’t have much snow to speak of all winter. Unlike down in the Stuttgart area, we don’t seem to get much winter weather up here in Wiesbaden. I have missed snow, although I enjoyed last week’s beautiful spring weather. Mother Nature obliged us yesterday with one last winter blast. It snowed for most of yesterday and part of today, although it wasn’t cold enough to stick around. I did use the opportunity to build a fire and use up some of the logs from the tree we lost on New Year’s Day, when the myrtle fell in the backyard. That will probably be the last fire until the fall… although it’s still chilly here today.
Because of the weather, we opted not to go out today. Instead, I spent some time looking for places to stay in Switzerland and Italy. I run a wine group on Facebook, and one of the members is a wine seller in Italy. We’ve bought several of his curated boxes of Italian wines. He also organizes tastings and trips. He proposed to us that we go down to Florence and Chianti for a three day wine trip.
At first, I didn’t really want to do it. I don’t like guided tours, and I don’t want to deal with COVID rules. But as of today, Germany has loosened restrictions. And it also occurred to me that the way things are in Russia, we might not have the chance to travel again for awhile. So we’re going to drive to Florence, stopping at some location yet to be determined in Switzerland for the night of April 23, then spending three nights in Parma, where we’ll visit Modena and Bologna. Then we’ll go to Florence for two nights, and hopefully, Bill can visit the Uffizzi. I’ll go with him, of course, but I care less about it than he does.
We’ll meet our guide a couple of days later, have dinner and a wine tasting at a hotel in Florence, where we’ll also spend the night. We may go there for the nights before our tasting. Then we’ll go to Cortona for a night, tour wineries and visit places, spend the night, do a little more touring on Sunday, then come back to Florence, where we’ll probably spend another night. On Monday, we’ll make our way north, stopping in Lugano before getting home on Wednesday.
I think we’ll have a great time. At the very least, we’ll probably come home with lots of wine, cheese, ham, and prosciutto. Maybe we’ll even make friends. I hope the dogs will also be okay. I know it’s hard for Arran when we travel, though Noyzi loves being boarded.
This will be my third time in Florence and Bill’s second. He loved it last time we went. I love it, too. It’s a beautiful place. Maybe we’ll even run into the enchanting Polish guitar busker we met there last time, Piotr Tomaszewski. I bought a CD by him after hearing him play. He made me cry. I even made a video, back in 2013.
Piotr’s music. Hope he’s still busking in Florence, so I can make a new video.
Bill and I have been very fortunate to have spent a lot of time in Europe. I’m very happy to be going back, if only because it means I can blog about the cool places we’re bound to see while we’re there this time. One important part of traveling in Europe is finding a good place to stay. Europe has an abundance of good hotels, but a few we’ve stayed in over the years stick out in my mind. Here’s a list of some of my favorite hotels in Europe.
We were fortunate to be able to take one last quick trip before we PCS’d back to the US in September 2009. I decided we should go to Budapest, because I figured the other places I wanted to see– mostly western European capital cities– were more accessible from the United States. Budapest seemed more exotic and it was also cheaper than places like Rome and Madrid (both of which we visited later). Corinthia Hotel turned out to be a wonderful place to spend three nights. We sprang for a reasonably priced executive room, which gave us access to a lounge where we had generous access to snacks and drinks all day. The hotel itself is beautiful and conveniently located. It also features a fantastic spa. We were left we a great impression of Budapest and would happily go back…
We visited Bella Baita in May 2008. Run by American pastry chef Marla and her Italian husband Fabrizio, this adorable little B&B is located about five kilometers up a mountain side and offers stunning views of the French border. Bella Baita is very reasonably priced, yet it offers a very authentic taste of Italian culture. Marla and Fabrizio go to great lengths to give guests unique ideas on things to do. When we stayed with them, we took a cooking class and Marla took us to the market in Pinerolo, a very charming little city where there are very few Americans. We also visited Turin, which is where the flagship Eataly store is (a great place to visit if you’re a foodie), and Briancon, a charming Alpine French border town. I hope we can visit Bella Baita again during our next stint in Germany.
Bill and I visited The Blue Beetroot in Bolaslaweic, Poland in November 2008. At the time, it was a fairly new place that was just being discovered by American military wives on the hunt for Polish pottery. Since then, it’s become a booming place. Bill and I didn’t go there for pottery, though we did bring some home with us. We went because it was our 6th anniversary and we wanted to visit Dresden and Prague. I wasn’t so hung up on pottery as I was interested in The Blue Beetroot, which I had stumbled across on Trip Advisor and thought sounded like a neat place. We spent five nights there and visited Karpacz, a ski resort area, the Borowski glass factory, Dariusz Milinski’s art gallery, and Legnica. It was very cost effective and we kept surprisingly busy!
Mr. Milinski’s Puppet Theatre… across the street from his art gallery. It’s an amazing place.
We stayed at this charming, family run hotel near Dijon just a couple of months ago. I wish we’d had longer than one night to enjoy this cute little inn. We had an adorable room with a great view of the surrounding area and the hotel is located in a darling little residential area complete with a beautiful chapel. It’s a healthy walk to Dijon proper, but I managed to do it despite being well past my 20s. Breakfast is served in a parlor and includes a delicious fruit salad, croissants, and fresh coffee by the pot. The couple who owns this hotel are very kind and gracious. If you don’t mind being outside of the city center of Dijon, I highly recommend Hotel la Bonbonierre.
This is a nice hotel in the Jewish Quarter of Seville. It’s located within steps of the cathedral and the maze like Santa Cruz neighborhood in Seville. Bill and I really enjoyed this hotel’s stylish interior and helpful staffers. It’s right in the thick of things without being too noisy. If you visit Seville and enjoy spas, be sure to visit Aire, a very relaxing hammam within walking distance of the hotel. And if you didn’t bring a bathing suit, don’t worry. They have some there you can borrow.
We found this gem of a family run hotel on Jetsetter.com and stayed there in May 2013. It’s located outside the city limits of Florence on a beautiful private estate. Step behind the gated entry and enjoy the beautiful, natural scenery, peace, and quiet. The hustle and bustle of Florence is just a short cab ride away. One thing that made this hotel extra special for us was the arrangement they had with a local trattoria owned by another family. It was close enough to walk to from the hotel, but the owners of the restaurant would pick up hotel patrons because the road in front of the hotel was dangerous to walk along with its hairpin turns and heavy traffic. The restaurant offers delightful and authentic Italian cuisine and a waiter who easily speaks four languages.
The view at Hotel Marignolle…
I may have to continue this post soon, but for now, these are just a few places we’ve enjoyed since our European adventures began in 2007. I can hardly wait to discover more places when we go back to Germany in two weeks!
Last night, I made baked ziti for dinner. It was purely American style, which means that no Italian would touch it with a ten foot fork. But Bill and I enjoyed it. As we were eating dinner, we reminisced about visiting the Piedmont region of Italy back in May 2008. It was our first trip after we moved to Germany. I kick myself for not taking a trip earlier; we were in Germany for over six months before we went anywhere, unless you count a quick trip over the Swiss border that we took when our dogs were being temperament tested at a dog hotel.
Anyway, we started our trip at a small hotel near Lake Como. We were just over the Swiss border, high in the mountains that overlook the lake. We spent a few peaceful days there, enjoying the beautiful views and good food. It was Bill’s first trip to Italy and he was loving it.
Our trip was to last about ten days, including four nights at Bella Baita, an adorable little B&B in Serre Marchetto, near Pinasca, Italy, and a couple of nights in Thun, Switzerland. While all parts of our trip were fun, we especially enjoyed Bella Baita. I found this little retreat while searching for accommodations near Torino. Bella Baita is maybe 30 miles from Torino, very close to the French border. Owned and operated by Marla and Fabrizio Roncaglia, this place is totally secluded with beautiful views of the French Alps.
View of the French Alps from our Italian B&B, Bella Baita. France is about a 90 minute drive.
But what Bill and I were remembering last night was the wonderful food we ate on that trip. Marla and Fabrizio are chefs and we signed up for a cooking class with them. Bill requested to cook rabbit and Marla and Fabrizio were delighted, since that was a local specialty and almost no one asks to cook rabbit. Frankly, I’m not a fan of rabbit… they are too cute to eat. But Bill is an Arkansan (sort of) and loves game.
Marla took us to the market in Pinerolo, where we purchased all the ingredients for our meal. She knew all the vendors and where the best food was. As I made the ziti with ricotta last night, Bill was reminded that we bought ricotta at the market for a fruit tart we made at Bella Baita. I don’t eat uncooked/unmelted cheese, but Bill tasted it and said it was unlike anything you could ever find in a United States supermarket.
The duomo in Pinerolo…
As he commented about that cheese, I was reminded of a delightful meal we enjoyed in Pinerolo. We were looking for a place for lunch when I stumbled across a brand new restaurant that opened in May 2008 called Perbacco. The owner’s mom came out. The restaurant wasn’t open for lunch, but was open for dinner. She didn’t speak any English, but she gave us a business card and wrote Aperto: 19:00 on it. She made it clear that we should come back for dinner. We did… and boy, was it a great experience.
I remember having this delicious carrot spinach flan there that was nothing like I had ever tasted before. I wish I had taken a photo of it. I wasn’t all that excited about the flan; I picked it by default. It turned out to be amazing. For my main course, I want to say I had steak. But the one thing that really sticks out in my mind was the wine. Bill asked the sommelier what we should have. He made a suggestion and advised us to let it sit for a few minutes. We did and it opened up beautifully.
A table of Italian men sat nearby and they were all enjoying steak. They were loud and obviously having a great time. The sommelier was fascinated to be serving Americans. He wondered what on earth we were doing in Pinerolo when most Americans go to Florence, Rome, and Venice! We told him about Bella Baita. It wasn’t until last year that Bill and I did the so-called “Holy Trinity”.
A small shrine near Bella Baita…
When we got back to Bella Baita, we told Marla and Fabrizio about the new restaurant and showed them our bill. Marla, who is an American, commented that the food was cheap and they must be trying to build up a clientele. She told us that Italians won’t pay a lot for untested cuisine. She assured us the prices would eventually go up and we were lucky to visit when we did. She also noted that the table of men were there enjoying beef because the prices were so good. We encouraged her to go there with Fabrizio and check it out. We still talk about that meal six years later!
Another great meal we had was at the tiny restaurant next to Bella Baita. I’m not sure if the place is still open, since during our visit, Marla commented that they didn’t get much business. She said the place was called (in Italian) The Ant and the Giant, because the husband/wife owners were respectively very large and very tiny.
When Bill and I dined there, we were one of two couples. The restaurant was very charming and the food was exquisite. Bill ordered branzino, which is a delicious fish that has a lot of bones in it. The chef brought it to our table and deboned it for him. It was one of the more memorable experiences we had on our trip.
Of course, Italy has been the site of many a wonderful culinary experience. Last year, when we went to Italy and Greece, we enjoyed an amazing meal at a small restaurant near our secluded inn. Half the staff did not speak English, but they brought out the most amazing food. And one waiter spoke English, Italian, French, and German flawlessly.
*Sigh*… I wish I could live in Europe again. For now, I’ll keep making my American style baked ziti.
My ziti.
An old review I wrote about Bella Baita…
Beautiful views and blissful times at Bella Baita in Pinasca, Italy…
May 28, 2008 (Updated Jul 22, 2008)
Review by knotheadusc
Rated a Very Helpful Review
Pros:Beautiful setting. Warm welcome from our hosts. Good food and cooking seminars. Inexpensive.
Cons:Difficult to access without a car. Credit cards not accepted.
The Bottom Line: Bella Baita definitely lives up to the hype!
My husband, Bill, and I just got back from a wonderful vacation to Italy and Switzerland, with a couple of day trips into France. It was Bill’s first time in Italy, though I was there last in 1997. He wanted to visit the Turin (aka Torino) area and put me in charge of finding us lodging. I plugged Turin into my favorite search engine and soon found myself reading many wonderful reviews of a B&B called Bella Baita. Intrigued, I visited Bella Baita’s Web site.
As it turns out, Bella Baita is not actually that close to the city of Turin. It’s in the province of Torino in a little town called Pinasca. Situated about six kilometers up a mountainside, Bella Baita offers plenty of good views and peace and quiet. The B&B, which consists of three rooms, is run by American born Marla and her Italian husband, Fabrizio. Both Marla and Fabrizio are chefs who, besides offering lodging, cook meals for their guests and teach cooking seminars. Since Bill and I are amateur foodies, this was a definite plus for us.
When I noticed the room prices, I was actually very surprised. At this writing, a double room at Bella Baita runs just 50 euros a night (approximately $80 by today’s exchange rate). I had a feeling the place would be rustic and, at that price, I wondered just how rustic a room there would be. But the endless stream of positive reviews on Trip Advisor won me over, so we booked four nights and a cooking seminar.
The B&B… off the beaten path
Both the reviews I read and Bella Baita’s Web site warn that Bella Baita is located on a long and winding road that goes up the side of a large mountain. For that reason, it’s best for visitors to have access to a car. Bill and I currently live in Germany, so we drove to Italy. I remember being very impressed and a little scared on our first trip up the zig zagging little road to Bella Baita. The views on the way up are breathtaking, but it definitely pays to drive carefully. The road is not very wide and some of the local drivers we encountered were pretty cavalier about taking the hairpin turns. Happily, by the time we were finished with our visit, Bill and I were more comfortable with the road.
Our arrival
We found Fabrizio doing some work outside when we arrived at Bella Baita. He greeted us with a big smile and helped us get settled in our room, inviting us for a drink after we’d had a short rest. Marla fixed us some coffee and cookies, plus gave us a taste of some local liqueurs. Since we didn’t have dinner plans, we ate dinner with Marla and Fabrizio. We enjoyed Marla’s fresh foccacia bread, a turkey and spinach roulade, local wine, and a banana crepe dessert for a total charge of 36 euros– definitely a steal.
It was chilly our first night, so Fabrizio brought us a space heater to use in our room. The heater, coupled with the cozy flannel sheets on the bed, made our room quite comfortable. I’m also glad to report that the bed was also very nice; we had plenty of room and the mattress was neither too hard nor too soft for my tastes. An added bonus is free wireless Internet.
The bathroom
During our trip to Bella Baita, I encountered something I had never seen before, the “sit bath”. I’m sure there is a technical term for this apparatus, which resembles a short bathtub with a little seat built into it, but I don’t know what it is. Anyway, the sit bath has a faucet and a sprayer. You fill up the tub and then use the sprayer to rinse off and wash your hair. It takes a little getting used to, but I got the hang of it quickly and actually enjoyed using it.
Besides the usual toilet and sink, the bathroom also includes a bidet and a hairdryer. I was glad I had brought my own toiletries since there was only hand soap in the room and there definitely aren’t any stores nearby!
Breakfast
Each day, Marla served us breakfast consisting of warm pastries and bread, fresh fruit, cereal, juice, and hot coffee. I particularly enjoyed the fruit and pastries while gazing out at the spectacular view of the mountains from the kitchen window.
Cooking seminar
My husband, being an Arkansas native, wanted to try cooking braised rabbit and risotto. I was a little skittish about cooking rabbit, but I needn’t have worried. As it turns out, game is a specialty at Bella Baita. Marla told us that she was happy when Bill asked if she and Fabrizio could teach us how to prepare rabbit. Apparently it’s not a request they get very often.
Cooking seminars at Bella Baita are definitely an experience to savor. Our Wednesday started with a trip to the market in Pinerolo, a good sized town not far from Pinasca. Marla took us around to meet her favorite vendors, charming Italians who didn’t seem to be too jaded about Americans. We really enjoyed the sights and sounds of the market and Bill got to try some wonderful cheeses and locally produced salami. I’m not as much of a cheese fan as he is, but even I was impressed by the delicious local ricotta we tried, which is nothing at all like ricotta you can get from an American supermarket.
Later that day, Bill and I donned aprons and submitted to Fabrizio’s tutelage, as he showed us how to cut and peel vegetables for our risotto and braise the rabbit. We also got some great tips on finding good cookware and knives. Marla prepared a delicious fruit tart made with ricotta cheese and fresh strawberries and pineapple. Then, we enjoyed eating our meal with our hosts. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the rabbit was. You know the old joke about rabbit tasting like chicken? Our braised rabbit at Bella Baita tasted much better than chicken. Marla printed out the recipes for us so we can try them at home. We paid 90 euros (45 euros apiece) for the cooking seminar– again, money well spent.
Other things we did
Bella Baita is in a very beautiful and unspoiled part of Italy. It’s about a 90 minute drive from the French border, so we took a drive to Briancon, France and had lunch, passing through Sestriere, Italy on the way. Sestriere is where the 2006 Winter Olympic village is located and the place where many of the ski events were held. The scenery in this part of Italy is amazing and again, not teeming with tourists.
We also visited Turin and checked out a great Italian gourmet store called Eataly, where we loaded up on pasta, risotto, cheese, chocolate, and some special canned tuna. Afterwards, we strolled through Turin’s old town until we got rained on by a surprise storm. For dinner, we stopped at Perbacco, a wonderful new restaurant/wine bar in Pinerolo, and enjoyed a very nice meal with wine for only 54 euros.
Things to know about Bella Baita…
As much as I enjoyed my stay at Bella Baita, there are a few things I think prospective visitors should know before they book a stay there.
* It’s best to have a car. Public transportation is available to Pinasca, but it won’t get you up the mountain! Marla and Fabrizio will pick you up on your arrival and drop you off when it’s time to go, but if you want to go into town during your stay, you might have a problem finding transportation.
* A GPS will help you find the B&B, but bear in mind that many GPS systems give incorrect directions for the last three miles. Our GPS lost the signal once we got close. Take heed of the directions posted on Bella Baita’s Web site and the signs posted on the road if you’re planning on driving.
* There is a restaurant located next to the B&B which offers excellent food and good service, but it’s not open every day. Likewise, grocery stores, laundromats, and gas are also located at the bottom of the mountain. That’s another reason why you might want to have a car available.
* The area around Bella Baita offers great opportunities for hiking, rock climbing, and biking, especially if you’re in good shape! Mushroom hunting and wildflower picking are also popular pursuits. But it does get cool on the mountain, so make sure you bring some warm clothes and sturdy shoes.
* We found Bella Baita’s accommodations to be very comfortable and affordable– especially for Europe– but they are not necessarily luxury accommodations by American standards. Be sure to bring your own shampoo and don’t expect a big screen TV or a jacuzzi (what do you want for 50 euros a night?)!
* Bring your laptop computer. Bella Baita offers free wireless Internet.
* Bring cash. Bella Baita does not accept credit cards.
Overall…
I would not hesitate to recommend Bella Baita to anyone looking for a peaceful, homey, and affordable vacation spot. We found Marla and Fabrizio to be wonderful hosts who went the extra mile to help us have a good time. I had originally intended to book three nights at Bella Baita, but ended up going with four. I’m so glad I did that because our time in Pinasca was the highlight of our trip. We left Bella Baita feeling like we had gotten a slice of Italy that we never could have gotten had we stayed in a hotel. Needless to say, Bella Baita gets five stars from me!
Warning… this post includes photos of naked people depicted in murals and sculptures, all of which were photographed in public places in Europe. If you are offended by artistic nudity, please move on to your next stop on the World Wide Web.
Just a few minutes ago, I was staring at this blog, trying to decide if I wanted to post anything today. I’ve pretty much milked our recent trip for all its worth, after all. And then I visited one of my favorite online hangouts and quickly got inspired.
Someone had posted an article from KSL.com about residents in Coalville, Utah whose city was beautified by a statue called “Leaf Dancer”. Artist Milt Neely had made an abstract sculpture of a woman wearing leaves. Apparently, some of the local residents felt the statue was “immodest”, so they began collecting old clothes, which they then used to dress the statue.
The artist apparently doesn’t mind that his artwork is being altered. He says he wants people to talk about his art; otherwise why do it? I have to admit he has a point… although to me it does seem very disrespectful to take it upon yourself to cover up someone’s else’s artwork.
It then occurred to me that if any of the folks who felt that statue was “immodest” ever went to Florence, Italy, they would be in for a real eyeful. Bill and I toured a museum in Florence that featured works by Michaelangelo… nude statues that displayed the human body in all its naked glory… I have to admit, I’ve been married for ten years and I was a little awestruck by the sight of some of that art.
Two murals we saw in a Florence cathedral… The residents of Coalville would be scandalized!
On the other hand, I guess there is something to be said for having fun with art. Case in point, Mannekin Pis in Brussels, Belgium regularly gets dressed in outfits that come from around the world. Mannekin Pis wasn’t dressed when Bill and I visited him in 2008.
Mannekin Pis
Jeanneke Pis
God bless the Belgians!!
A storefront in Venice. The mannequin is wearing a pair of sparkly undies that says “I love my president…”
I guess if the artist isn’t concerned about it and the community likes it, it’s okay to cover up the “dirty art” in Coalville, Utah. At least they’re doing it with a sense of fun and not shaming the poor artist for being too “immodest” with his vision of his artwork. But it also drives home to me that I would probably hate living in Utah or any other place where people are so squeamish about “modesty”. I think it’s a stretch calling “Leaf Dancer” immodest… and feeling the need to cover up an abstract statue is weird and ridiculous. The female form isn’t nasty and sculptures aren’t actual humans. It’s the same kind of nonsense as the mom I blogged about who complained that her daughter’s Barbie dolls were akin to porn.
We left for Florence on the afternoon of May 7th. I had booked us a room at the Hotel Relais Marignolle through Jetsetter.com. I was excited about Florence because Bill had never been there and he loves art. When I was there in 1997, I didn’t get to see too much because I was very poor and traveling with a couple of equally poor folks. We had big plans to try to get to the Uffizi.
As I was researching train travel in Italy, I discovered that Italy has a new high speed private train system called Italo which competes with TrenItalia. We had experienced traveling on TrenItalia before, but I was curious about the new train system. It turned out the prices were pretty good, too.
Italo has three different classes of service: Smart, Prima, and Club. Club is basically first class service, while Smart class consists of cheap seats. We booked Prima, which has more room, bigger seats, and offers a free beverage and snack. We thought Club only offered television over the Prima– since we don’t speak Italian, we figured we didn’t need it. But it turns out Club is actually really first class and, given the fact that our train cars were pretty crowded on both trips, might be worth looking into for next time. I noticed our car was chock full of Americans and Asians, too, at least on the leg from Venice to Florence. There were a few Italians on our leg from Florence to Rome.
Italo offers boxed lunches you can purchase from Eataly, which is a really cool gourmet store. Bill and I visited Eataly’s flagship store in Torino, Italy back in May 2008. They have expanded since then, with more locations in Italy, New York, and Tokyo. Italo’s snacks are also made by Eataly.
Italo offers free Wi-Fi, but you have to have an Italian cell phone number to access it. I noticed one resourceful lady on the train made friends with some guy who appeared to be an American living in Italy. He shared his number with her so she could log on. They also offer outlets so you can charge your phone or iPad. Make sure you bring a plug converter. The restrooms were super clean, efficient, and easy to use. Our tickets cost about $100 per leg– $50 per person. Overall, it was a good experience, clean, fast, and convenient.
Not all the TrenItalia trains looked as bad as the one of the left does…
When we got to Florence’s train station, I gave my first dirty look of the trip. An older Italian woman was in the car with us as we were trying to get off. In Europe, a lot of times you have to open the train doors by yourself when you want to get off. However, because everything on the train had either been automatic or done for us, I was unsure how to proceed. She was yelling at me in Italian to hit the green button. I did, but for some reason, it didn’t respond. So I hit another button and she yelled at me again. I gave her what must have been an annoyed look. Bill caught it and her reaction, which was apparently one of unpleasant surprise and annoyance.
We got off the train and into a waiting taxi, which took us to the Hotel Marignolle. This place is a few miles outside of Florence on a beautiful estate. You really have to have a car or the ability to pay for taxis to stay at this little inn, but if you have the means, it’s worth it. The access is gated and once you’re inside it, it’s like an oasis of calm. They have a pool and serve breakfast in a charming gazebo. I didn’t like the breakfast that much, but I have to admit the place was gorgeous. Hotel Marignolle is owned and run by a family and they seem to take a lot of pride in their inn. It was nice to go there in the evenings after having been walking around in the crowds all day. Taxis to get there are expensive, though… about 16 euros each way.
We stayed in room 3…
There was a very charming French couple staying at this hotel and they decided to join us for dinner at Trattoria Bibe, which is very close to the inn. The owners of the trattoria will actually come up to the hotel to pick you up. I have to say, of all the meals we ate on our trip, the one at this little place was probably the best. Our waiter was especially impressive. He spoke four languages fluently while in our presence… English, French, Italian, and German. The French couple asked if he spoke Spanish and he said he didn’t, but I’m guessing he could easily get by. Most of the rest of the staff didn’t seem to speak English. It was actually very refreshing. There was a great looking garden out front with lots of lemon trees; I bet it’s beautiful to sit there in nice weather with a bottle of wine.
The food at this place was excellent. I had ribs that were served with a delicious apricot chutney. Before that, I had a savory flan made with leeks. Dessert was especially awesome, with white and dark chocolate mousse and ice cream. Bill had something that he said reminded him of a really high speed Nestle Drumstick, with nuts and chocolate. When we paid the bill, they brought out a round of limoncello on the house. Then the same guy drove us back up the hill to the inn.
The next day, we ventured into Florence and visited a couple of museums, though neither was the Uffizi. We saw the Bargello museum, the cathedral, the baptistery, Santa Croce, and another church museum, which we stumbled upon when I really had to pee.
We stopped for lunch at a cute little place that lured us in with smells of garlic. A couple of young American women were there with a guy who could have been a local. I’m sorry to say, this group was pretty embarrassing. They sat at probably the best table in the restaurant and were very loud, as one of them talked about the terrible menstrual cramps she’d suffered on a recent date. When they tried to pay their bill with a credit card, it was rejected. The women left, ostensibly to get some cash. When they came back, one of the women asked for water, which she apparently never got. They made some comment about being late and got up… and based on the shocked and dismayed expression of the waiter’s face when he opened the check, apparently didn’t pay their bill. It was very brazen. I got a bad feeling about them anyway, since when we came into the place, one of the women, who was wearing a very short dress, was standing outside smoking and looked a bit like a prostitute.
I ate this salad…
Bill had a salad, too.
Somehow, I forgot to pack my contact lens case and you can’t just pop into the drug store to pick one up when you’re in Italy. We ended up having to visit an optician in order to buy one. The first guy didn’t have any cases for me, but the second one had what I needed after I explained that I was willing to buy saline solution, too. I needed it anyway.
Here are some photos from our too brief time in lovely Florence…
The ceiling in the baptistery…
Santa Croce
Caught in the rain as we crossed the Arno…
The restaurant where we had dinner. I had cannelloni as I watched the very sexy waiter… He had two young, good looking helpers, but neither could hold a candle to him…
The cathedral. Yes, Bill cried.
Baptistery
Ceiling in the cathedral…
I love flower and produce markets…
The Arno before the rain hit… Made me want to break into “O Mio Babbino Caro”
The above photos are from a cathedral/museum we visited because I needed to pee. I think it might be San Lorenzo, but I’m not positive. The urge to pee was so great that I didn’t pay that much attention as we paid our 12 euros! The inside of this place was awesome, though. You could stare at the frescoes all day and not see the same thing twice. I will post more photos after I’m finished with the trip report.
We stopped for a breather in this park. When we sat down, there was just one elderly lady on the park bench, but she was soon visited by friends, obviously neighborhood folks. They were fun to watch. This park also had a really cool station where people could get fresh bottled water.
It started to rain while we were in Florence and we decided to wait it out in this place by the bus/train station. It was fun to watch the guys running the place, selling ice cream, coffee, beer, and convenience items. The bathroom was disgusting, though.
On the way back from dinner, we ran into a street musician named Piotr Tomaszewski playing guitar. His music touched me so much that I cried, so Bill bought me a couple of discs. He is Polish and has a MySpace. Go on YouTube and you’ll see many people had the same weepy reaction to his music that I did. I’m listening to one of his CDs right now and it’s just as gorgeous as it was hearing him live.
I didn’t make this video, but this is him…
Bill loved Florence, just as I expected he would. We will definitely have to go back there. It’s a big, busy city, but compared to Rome, it’s positively and pleasantly doable.
Check out the graffiti… My video of Florence… Recycled photos, but more music by Piotr Tomaszewski
So today, while watching 7th Heaven, I was inspired to look up the recipe for a champagne cocktail called “Bellini”. Bellinis are basically champagne or prosecco and pureed peaches. They were invented at Harry’s Bar in Venice.
Bellini cocktail
As it turns out, there are also Harry’s Bars in Florence and Rome. Neither of these other Harry’s Bars are related to the one in Venice, but maybe it would be fun to drop by for a drink… Maybe we could have a Bellini pub crawl or something… Or maybe not. Italians are snappy dressers and I might be disappointing… And these bars might be too touristy.
On the other hand, I read that Harry’s Bar in Florence makes a very dry martini. Bill is a fan of dry martinis…
Two months from today, Bill and I will be wandering around Venice. I hope the cultural high will be enough to sustain my energy that day because we’ll be getting there in the morning, several hours before check in time. I should be alright if I have a nice espresso or something.
I’m really looking forward to this trip. I’ve been wanting to go to Venice with Bill for a long time now, even though it’s a touristy city. There’s no denying that it’s beautiful and unique and I suspect Bill and I will have a blast, even though we’ll only be there for a night. Of course, I just found out that you can buy public restroom passes. That ought to be interesting. Like just about everywhere else in Europe, you have to pay to use the toilets. It looks like Venice has quite a markup, too. The public potty appears to be twice as expensive as other places in Europe.
All we really need to do now is figure out the transportation between Venice and Florence, Florence, and Rome, and Rome and Civitivecchia. And then, from Pireaus and Athens. Unlike the last time I went to Venice and Florence, all of this stuff can now be taken care of online before we get there.
I can think of other places in Europe I want to visit just as much as Venice and Athens and all the places we’re planning to see in between, but there are only so many days we can be gone. And I have no idea when we’ll have the chance to do this again, so I intend to enjoy every minute. I’m still fondly remembering Scotland, too… and wishing we could go back there, too!
Hopefully this time, our dogs will be okay and there won’t be any frantic emails from the pet resort. And there won’t be any obnoxious people holding court throughout the cruise… and I won’t get seasick.
Over the weekend, I decided it was time to nail down our hotel stays for our upcoming trip to Italy and Greece. We plan one night in Venice, two nights in Florence, two nights in Rome, a week on SeaDream I, and three nights in Athens. Though I had been looking at a lot of properties, I finally made my decision by going on Jetsetter.com and finding several hotels.
Our first night will be spent at the Hilton in Venice, which is a five star hotel. Ordinarily, I’d prefer a family owned hotel, but hotels in Venice are expensive and we had enough Hilton points to book a free night. So that’s what we’re going to do… It should suit our purposes fine.
The next hotel is Marignolle Relais & Charme, which is a small hotel about six miles outside of Florence. I looked for a hotel closer to town, but this one won me over because it’s in a quiet area and has beautiful countryside views. We will be using taxis a lot, no doubt. Hotels in Florence are expensive too, though…
In Rome, we will stay in Relais Orso, which was on sale on Jetsetter.com. We got a junior suite at a reasonable price and it’s close to The Vatican. Supposedly, the place is in a great location. Rome is a huge city, though… I almost wish we could stay on the outskirts and come in for the day.
May 11th, we will take either the train or a cab to Civitavechhia and get on SeaDream I, which will take us to Sicily, Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Delphi, Kefalonia, Corinth Canal, and Santorini. We end in Athens on the 18th, where we’ll unwind at the Hera Hotel until the 21st.
I managed to book all these hotels for just under $1800– about $220 a night. Not bad, considering we’ll be in tourist hot spots. It helps to get a free night.
I’m really looking forward to this trip. Hopefully, I’ll make some headway in chipping away at the debt!
I decided to follow Rick Steves’ advice and save hotel costs by renting a couchette on the train to Italy. Chris and Dawn were more frugal minded, so they sat up all night. I went to the little room where my assigned couchette was, only to be joined by an Asian family– a man, his wife, and their two kids. The father didn’t seem to think I belonged in there and asked to see my ticket. I guess he was sad to see an American woman in there with them. That guy snored like a chainsaw all night, so it turned out I didn’t really get any sleep.
We got to Venice that morning, not knowing that Princess Diana had been in a car accident in Paris. Our digs in Venice were at a hostel run at a convent. We dropped off our bags and walked around, since the convent locked people out all day. As we walked around Venice, taking in the beautiful canals, gondolas, and teeming hordes of tourists, we had no idea that the most photographed woman in the world was dead. I remember a British guy at the hostel saying something to Chris about it, but somehow the message didn’t reach Dawn or me.
I shared a large room with a young French woman who seemed very quiet and shy. Chris and Dawn got their own room. Later, Dawn told me that they got bedbugs. Luckily, I didn’t get them in my communal room.
Chris and Dawn in Venice!
Anyway, the next morning we were off to Florence. I remember walking around the city and spotting a newspaper with a photo of Diana on it. I don’t speak Italian, but have taken enough Spanish to be able to understand a little Italian, which is kind of like French and Spanish with a twist. I saw the headline that said she had died and I figured it had to be a tabloid. I was absolutely SHOCKED.
We went to a newsstand where I bought a newspaper. In 1997, the Internet wasn’t everywhere and we didn’t have access to television. So in the days after Diana’s death, I read whatever I could find in magazines and periodicals.
We spent a night in a really nice hostel with stylish rooms. Chris, Dawn, and I stayed in the same room. Later, we went out to dinner and I had a steak… probably the first one I’d had since I went to Armenia in 1995. When the bill came, it turned out the waiter had forgotten to charge me. Dawn and I said we needed to call the waiter over and straighten out the error. Chris said we should just forget about it. Dawn said, “That’s not an honest thing to do.” And Chris retorted hilariously, “It’s an Irish thing to do!” The waiter came over when I waved the bill at him. He seemed fully prepared to defend himself until I pointed out that he hadn’t charged me for my dinner. Then he seemed grateful.
We enjoyed Florence… I can’t say I remember much about it, though, because it was 15 years ago and we didn’t get to see too much because we were poor. We got on the train and headed west and landed in Viareggio, which is a beach town not far from Pisa. We checked into a charming and cheap pensione, which included a meal plan and was run by folks who didn’t speak much English. I remember at lunch time, they asked us what wine we preferred. Chris and Dawn liked white, so they brought a big jug of it out to us, which we drank from at every meal. We went to the beach and swam in the gentle water, too. Although Viareggio isn’t necessarily a big Italian tourist destination, I remember it being one of my favorite stops on our trip. It was just a neat coastal town.
We got on another train and headed north, stopping in Savona, which is a port town where a lot of big cruise ships stop. I don’t remember thinking much of Savona, except that it was a really pretty place in the Italian Riviera. We called the local hostel and they came and picked us up from the train station. It was funny, because the hostel was not in the center of town. I remember the ride to the hostel involved a drive up a mountainside. The place was in a really pretty forested area with a gorgeous view.
I remember commenting to Chris and Dawn that the hostel reminded me of Paddy Run, which is the camp in unspoiled Star Tannery, VA where we met and worked together in 1994. The oddest thing about the hostel was that we were the only ones there. It was a huge facility, with a bar, video games, music, and a television. Yet because it was early September, the place was empty. We were given a room with several bunk beds in it, where we spent a single night before getting back on the train and heading for Nice.
Next post: The French Riviera and Diana’s funeral on the radio…
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