When Winging It is Wonderful: Modena

Somewhat spur of the moment, we decided to head down to Modena (accent after the first syllable, I just learned) with a couple of friends and do some Ferrari-driving and balsamic vinegar tasting. We hoped to squeeze in some wine tasting as well and were on the wait list for a highly touted restaurant, but neither of those things panned out. I can't be too bummed about it, because it ended up being a really fun day.

We hit the road shortly after 0800 and started heading South-ish. With good conversation and little traffic, the miles flew by. I suspect they went even faster because we made the other couple take charge of driving. Hah! Don't think we're total responsibility abstainers though, because we did chip in for tolls, which I think came out to something like 18 Euro for the round trip. It took just a little more than an hour and a half to get to Pit Lane, just south of Modena in the town of Maranello. I'd sent an inquiry the night before, but they were closed so we weren't sure if we'd be able to actually drive the cars or not, pending availability. We found ample parking right out front, and were promptly swept the opposite direction from a sweet-talking competitor. Because he was standing pretty much directly in front of Pit Lane, we assumed he worked there, and it took a few minutes before we realized he didn't. However, he assured us there was a bar and the two ladies could wait while the men did the driving. You have a bar, okay, I'm sold! Turns out, there was no bar, but there was a least a shaded outdoor seating area (and coffee vending machine) where I could wait.

Pricing for the test drive started at 70 euro for ten minutes and increased based on the model of car you chose and the length of driving time desired. Having little desire to drive one of those machines and no clue about the difference between the types of Ferrari available, I left all the deciding up to Tony, who ultimately chose to drive a California for 20 minutes. His pal hopped in the back seat and their co-pilot - after a brief demonstration of the paddle shifters - took the passenger side. They started up the video camera and took off. About half an hour later, they came back with big goofy grins on their faces, so I think they deemed it a successful outing. It must have been, because they sprung for a cd of the video and photos to take home. As it turns out, all of the driving was on streets and they had to contend with normal traffic, so they didn't get to go too terribly fast. Only 150 or 170 kph or something like that...(rolls eyes) And the route happened to go by a dog food factory, so I'm sure that was an awesome smell (carne for cani, said the co-pilot). But all-in-all, the gents seemed satisfied so it was a good choice. I do think we're going to have to make a return trip so they can test drive Lamborghinis later. You know, for scientific comparison.

We elected to skip the museum and head directly to lunch. We headed somewhat east of Modena to the small town of Rubbiara di Nonantola. We got a little concerned to be in such a tiny, residential area, and actually drove past the acetaia twice. On the second pass, we were going slow enough to see the signs and determine where to park, and we saw a few people sitting out in the back. They clearly saw us drive by and turn around, because by the time we parked and headed in, the older gentleman was standing outside the door to greet us. He shook all of our hands and introduced himself, and an English-speaking waiter appeared to help translate. My friend asked if they got our reservation, and the old man said they don't read their emails. Baffled, we started backpedaling and trying to ask about lunch, but the waiter started laughing and told us the old guy was joking. Ha ha, you got us! The older guy (I later learned his name was Italo, because I missed it during the introductions) then proceeded to tell us there were only two rules in his osteria. The first was: no cell phones allowed, to which we all promptly and happily agreed. The second was told to us more or less thusly: "No ordering. You eat what I bring you," to which we all promptly and happily started drooling all over ourselves and fighting for seats at the table. Just kidding, first we had to stop and lock our phones in some wooden cubbies. You thought Italo was joking about the no phones rule, huh? He wasn't. As the waiter led us to our seats, the cute little aproned nonna disappeared back to the kitchen.

We sat at a table for four, in a large covered patio surrounded by wisteria and I think boxwoods. Off to the side was a little swing (in the smoking area) and we had a nice view of a big backyard. The weather was perfect - sunny and clear, not too hot, with a slight breeze, and I was so happy we got to enjoy the meal outdoors. In short order, the waiter brought out a bottle of something white and bubbly, produced and bottled on site. To go with it, our first course was a delicate pasta stuffed with ricotta and spinach, which we were meant to drizzle with balsamic vinegar and Parmigiano cheese. We didn't fight over the last few pieces, but only because we knew there were more presumably equally delicious dishes coming. We switched to Lambrusco and had a very nice pasta with ragu for the second course. The main course was actually a platter containing balsamic chicken, guinea fowl with prosciutto, balsamic pickled onions, and fritatta (also drizzled with balsamic vinegar). We polished off another half bottle of Lambrusco, and then for dessert we had gelato drizzled with more balsamic vinegar. I couldn't tell if the gelato had a lemon flavor to it, or if the acidity in the vinegar lent a citrus flair to it, but either way it was delicious. Next our waiter brought out coffee and grappa - four kinds of grappa, to be exact. A traditional, a Lambrusco, a walnut, and a limoncino. I tasted the walnut and found it to taste like, well, walnut, with a decidedly coffee-like finish. It was fine, but I'm glad I just had a little sip as a little goes a long way. I had a shot of the limoncino, which really hit the spot after eating such a rich meal. I didn't try the Lambrusco grappa, but as we were walking away Tony left his shot on the table so I went ahead and downed it. Waste not, want not, right?

After the leisurely lunch, we joined a British couple on a tour of the acetaia. First we went to the large aging room and got an explanation of the process, and our eyes started watering from the acrid nature of the air. I noticed a confessional near the door and asked about it. Inside the confessional was a small flask and bottle, for the local priest. I guess that's one way to tithe! Next we went into the small aging room and learned a little about the Pedroni family history. They are in their 7th generation of making balsamic vinegar, though the family name can be traced much farther back. I asked about the family crest and learned it was created in the 1600s, when Leopold I (of Austria) made the family part of the nobility. Traditional Modena balsamic vinegar must age at least 12 years before it can be sold, and the Pedroni acetaia had 12-, 20-, and 40-year old vinegars for sale. The oldest cask in the small aging area dated back to the 1800s! Most of their aging is done in barrels of chestnut, though they also use mulberry, juniper, cherry and I think a few other varieties.

Photo from http://www.acetaiapedroni.it

After the tour, we went back to the greeting area/lobby for a vinegar tasting. First we tasted some balsamic-pear jam. I could probably eat half a jar of that stuff with a spoon and feel no regrets. Then we tasted their daily balsamic, the IGP which I think I preferred over the 12-year and 20-year stuff. Sadly, we did not taste the 40-year old vinegar. The family sells their wine and grappa (including a cherry grappa we didn't get to sample) along with the vinegar products, and some local honey. We paid 35 euro per person for the meal, tour, and tasting, and it was definitely worth it. You can learn more about the business and products here, and there's even a portion of the website dedicated to recipes: http://www.acetaiapedroni.it/

After lunch we headed to the Vinoteca Modena, recommended by our waiter Lucas. He told us it would be closed but if we knocked and said he sent us, they would open up for us. However, when we got there it looked really really closed, so we decided to head on home.

And by home, I mean we went to the neighborhood gelateria by our friends' house, and then walked across the street to the local butcher and picked up steaks and salsiccia. Then we went to THEIR home and had dinner and played a few games of LRC and dice bowling before heading to our house. For a trip we totally winged, it turned out beautifully.

Montagnana Medieval Fest and Palio

Last year, on the weekend of my birthday I went to the historic Venice Regatta with a mixed group of new and old friends. We wandered around the city and then staked out prime real estate on one of the canals to watch the gondola races. My friends surprised me with a little fruit tart to celebrate, and they even remembered to bring/light a candle and sang to me! I was really touched.

This year was just as nice. The actual day of my birthday, I went to a friend's house and made a pot of jambalaya. If you know me,  you know that is probably my number one comfort food. Cooking it and eating it and sharing it with friends are all pretty much guaranteed to make me happy. I walked in to find a "Happy Birthday" banner, and for dessert they treated me to a delicious strawberry mousse dessert with balls of white chocolate on top to decorate. Heh, balls. I tell you, Italians have cornered the market on coffee and desserts: the coffee is dark and delicious and the desserts aren't tooth-cloyingly sweet. We played a few games and drank a fair amount of wine, and it was the perfect low-key evening.

The next day, a Sunday, I met one of my old friends (who I considered a new friend last year) and another new friend, and we carpooled to the beautiful city of Montagnana to experience its medieval market, parade, and palio. The definition of "il palio" is a banner or cloth awarded to the winner of a certain competition. However, over time the term has been associated so strongly with traditional horse races that in common usage, Palio will generally be used to refer to the race itself. If you've seen the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace" (with Daniel Craig, who is my favorite Bond) then you might remember the opening scene which featured a horse race in Siena. That is the holy grail of Palios and is uber expensive even for horrible standing-room-only space. The horses and their bareback riders, proudly representing their neighborhoods, race around the main town square with crowds on either side, and they make hairpin turns and it's all very exciting and intense. 

Instead of forking out the big bucks to stand outside all day and fight crowds for smelly port-a-potties, we decided to experience what I call "Palio Light." I'd never been to Montagnana, but when we heard they had an entire medieval festival featuring a palio, we decided to make it happen. I understand ten communities participate in this palio every year, and I believe Montagnana always plays host, probably because they have such a fantastic venue. Montagnana is only about 45 minutes away, and it's another gem of a city. It has a very well-preserved wall and castle that you can't miss when driving into the town, and seemed very clean. When I first heard we would be moving to Italy, that's the kind of town I envisioned, and it did not disappoint. Well, other than signage. We easily found a parking spot but there were no signs toward the parade or palio. We did ask someone and got the scoop, and as it turns out it was pretty obvious in the end so we didn't need signs after all. Still, it would have been nice to eliminate some of the uncertainty from the get-go.

Once you enter the historic part of the town, there's a small square but you're basically forced onto streets which all lead to the main plaza in front of (surprise) a large church. There were vendors lining the square, and there were a bunch of games set up for kids in the center. Stilts, pillow jousts, bean bag toss, etc. We walked the length of the main street and turned around to explore all the vendors and the square a bit more. When we learned the parade would circle the plaza before continuing down the main drag, we decided to sit and have appetizers and aperitivi. We thought we only had a few minutes before the parade began, and we saw a nearly continuous stream of people in medieval costumes streaming by, but as it turns out we had to wait a little more than an hour. The website said the parade began at 2 and the horse race would start at 3, but the times were off by an hour. Oh darn, sitting at an outdoor cafe in a beautiful cobblestoned plaza and people-watching while sipping cocktails, how awful. 

We really lucked out with our seats. There was a very kind American woman one table over, and we eavesdropped as she explained to another tourist about the parade route and horse race. She noticed us listening and we chatted for a few minutes about the various activities of the day. When the parade started, we had a fantastic view of all the participants as they walked down the last street of the plaza; they turned back onto the main drag right in front of us with the church serving as a backdrop. Their organization really impressed us (again, except for lack of signage and the confusion about start times). The parade kicked off right at 3, and they did a good job of separating the drum and bugle groups from each other by putting flag twirlers, townspeople, and horse riders in between them. There was even a group of monks and someone wearing a pope costume. Okay fine, it may have been a bishop or cardinal but he still wore a very tall and fancy hat and waved with a graceful benediction. He even stopped to bless some children, so I'm thinking this might have been an actual group of churchpeople. We saw donkeys and goats, men in stockades whose arms must have been very tired by the end of the parade, carts full of children which reminded me of clown cars, bakers, florists, and a group of camp followers who dressed pretty provocatively, if you catch my drift. Once the parade passed us, we all followed it outside the wall to what I suppose used to be a moat. 

For nine euro, you could sit on the moat embankment and have your back to the castle wall. For thirteen euro you could have an undesignated seat in the bleachers with your back to the road. We paid the extra four euros for bleacher seating, which was probably a good call since we didn't have a blanket to sit on or anything, and we mostly had our backs to the sun. We wound up at the far end of the moat and got to watch the tail end of the parade again as all the marchers had to make a giant cloverleaf loop to enter the moat and march to their spots. There was a pretty good delay between the end of the parade and the beginning of the races, but it wasn't a big deal. We were warned that there would be many false starts once the horse racing started, and when we saw the course we understood why. The "track" was a long and very skinny oval, requiring the horses to make tight turns in the corners. The jockeys all ride bareback, and there are no starting gates and no ground crew to help place the horses in starting position. Basically they all approach an invisible line and when they're all lined up and facing the correct position, the race starts. We understood there would be two heats of five horses, with the top three winners competing against each other in a third heat. Each race consisted of two laps, and we were far from the grandstand but directly across from the post where the horses make their last turn. The horses and riders entered the moat at the first post and completed a short lap. At this point, the three of us oohed and ahhed over the horses and jockeys, and picked a pony for which to cheer. My horse was one of the first ones out, and he seemed pretty spirited, which is why I picked him to root for, plus he was trimmed in beautiful forest green. After many false starts, the horses were finally off! 

The races happened very quickly. And on the first lap, two of the jockeys fell off their horses right in front of us! I didn't see the whole thing happen, but I think coming out of the turn they may have bumped into each other a little bit. One of the jockeys popped up and hopped over the fence very quickly in order to get out of the way of the other horses, but the other one was pretty slow to recover. He did eventually get up and move out of the way though, so I don't think he was hurt very badly, fortunately. The two riderless horses continued racing! By the time that jockey was up and moving, the horses were back for their final turn. My horse was in the lead, but it was a close race! We couldn't really see the finish line, and I'm pretty sure my guy won, but it was definitely a close finish. He may have given up the lead at the last second, or he may have just slowed down after crossing the finish "line" in order to make the turn for his victory lap. Either way, it was very exciting.

It wasn't long before the next race started, and it was carried out in much the same fashion as the first one. A jockey fell at the far end of the course on the last lap, and he had to be escorted out by ambulance. I hope he's alright. His horse kept running in circles until finally someone came out to catch and calm it. 

After the first two palio heats, there was a break so the horses and riders could all rest up a bit. During this time, there were some more festivities to watch. There was a funny sort of foot race where a bunch of guys representing the communities lined up on the track just the same as the horses, and they complete one lap, barefoot and carrying colorful banners. The dude with the green banner came in first, and his cheering squad went wild. I'm pretty sure he earned some very intense bragging rights. Next, many of the drum and bugle groups marched back onto the field and there was a pretty epic flag-twirling display. Each group was showing off simultaneously and while the drum beats were all in the same tempo, there were various musical flourishes happening up and down the field. We had a great view of three groups, and a pretty good view of two more, but have no clue what happened at the far end of the moat. Who cares, the groups in front of us were great! One group put a little kid out front for a big solo from the get-go, and that eight-year old kid rocked it. I kind of love how men in Italy are unashamed to twirl flags, and it is a very serious activity. Meanwhile, the group in front of us sent out a group of guys for flag tossing and choreographed double-flag twirling. Then another fellow stepped out to twirl and toss four flags at once. Trust me, it was very impressive.

We decided not to wait for the last race, so we skipped out after the drum and flag show was over. I feel like I experienced a true palio, and I didn't have to fight the crowds or pay exorbitant sums of money to do it, either. I will definitely look for this event next year and mark it on my calendar. Meanwhile, I hear there's another Palio in Monselice on September 20th. My aunt is in town and I think I will try to convince her to come check it out with me. [Obviously I did not post this before September 20th. Spoiler alert: we went to Monselice and it was fantastic. Expect a blog post about it soon-ish.]

P.S. This is definitely a kid-friendly event, so if you're on the fence worrying about your little ones, you should go!

Arqua Petrarca: as Blossom's brother Joey would say, "Whoa!"

There's a pretty little town called Arqua Petrarca in the Padua Province just under an hour South of where I live. I forget how I heard about it, but it intrigued me because it is the last home of the poet Petrarch. When researching for my jaunt to the A.P. (kids these days still use initials to talk about cool towns, right?) I discovered it belongs to a club called "The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy" and I was sold.

I don't mind venturing out solo when my husband isn't around, but I've made a few like-minded friends and sometimes its fun to have company. My friend Carolina and I hopped in the car one day and sallied forth. It was a beautiful drive, and actually took us through an area I've visited a few times before. You practically have to pass right by the winery Villa Sceriman to get there, and in fact I recommend combining a visit and doing both in the same day. A.P. is a very small town of only a couple thousand inhabitants, and it was very easy to find. We parked in a public lot below the town, and started hiking uphill. By the end of the day, I'm glad we parked low so that we could easily mosey back down in the evening rather than having to forge our way uphill after an afternoon of sightseeing. 

Petrarch's Tomb

Apparently there is a lake nearby, but we never saw it. We did, however, notice signs for a nature preserve and hiking path, so if that's your thing it might be fun to check it out. If I remember correctly, the main path is about 6km, but don't quote me on that. From the parking lot, which only cost a couple of euros for the entire afternoon, we walked up a short path and spit out in front of a church in Petrarch's Square, and practically the very first thing we saw was Petrarch's tomb. Can't miss it; the thing is a giant pink marble tomb which probably ways several thousand pounds. I have no idea what it is modeled after or supposed to look like, but on first glance I thought it was a sort of Trojan horse or maybe a giant chess piece. When you get closer it's not as contoured as it appears from a distance, and there's a bust of Petrarca near the top. There are engravings in what I assume is Latin but could be Italian, but I couldn't read them either way so it will remain a very-easily-solvable mystery, at least until the next time I go back. After oohing and ahing over the tomb for a few minutes, we tried to go into the church but it was locked. During our foray around the side of the building though, we found a pretty little view of the valley and a well-tended balcony. I'm a sucker for weepy greenery and bright flowers, and was delighted to find both. The whole town is scattered with little gems.

 

We continued making our way uphill, and took note of a few little shops featuring regional goodies (read: WINE and PASTA and trufflesandmushroomsandallsortsofgoodstuffyumyum!). Most places were closed due to riposo so we kept on walking and wandering. We eventually found Petrarch's home, which is now a museum, and noted its reopening time, and continued walking. We found ourselves atop a hill with some sort of Alpini monument or memorial, and then we stopped to buy some water bottles. We made it pretty darn near the top of the town, which is built into the hillside, and took advantage of several scenic viewpoints before heading back to Petrarch's house. We managed to skootch in just ahead of a tour group, which was good timing and also a little odd because the town is so small and so far off the beaten path. This bunch seemed to be mostly older folks with one or two teenagers, and I'm thinking maybe it was part of a church tour group or something. Anyway, we paid a few euro (four each, I think) and headed into the gardens. Apparently Petrarch loved to garden but I'm sure the landscaping has changed quite a bit in the six+ centuries since he's lived there! Let me pause and let that sink in a moment...There's a town named for a famous poet whose been dead more than six hundred years, there's a museum where he lived, and his tomb must be some sort of pilgrimage site for poetry geeks, and all of this is practically right in my backyard. As Blossom's brother Joey would say, "Whoa." If you visit the museum, know that you are not allowed to take pictures inside the building, but you might encounter some jerk who pretends not to see the dozen signs posted and continues to snap away. If you do encounter such a person, I recommend passive-aggressively glaring at him/her and making snarky comments in a language they may or may not understand. That's just my technique though; you do whatever you want, like that guy does.

Petrarch's Home: Currently a Museum

The museum only takes a few minutes to visit, really. To me, the most interesting part about the house were the murals and frescos on the walls. There were tons of beautiful women, most of whom had horrid stories. Venus, Lucrezia, Cleopatra getting bitten by the snake, etc. Petrarch wrote about these stories, and a later owner of the house (16th century) commissioned the frescos to commemorate his work. The house also contains several portraits of the artist, drawings and blueprints of the two-storey 13th century home, and a rotating photography exhibit. Oh yes, and a mummy of Petrarch's cat. Allora. Because, Italy. Also noteworthy were the views. Petrarchy's family lived in the left side of the house and the servants were relegated to the right - that's port and starboard, for you nautical types - and I'm sure it's because the view from the left side of the house is staggering. It probably hasn't altered much since Petrarch's time, either, as the town is in a relatively isolated location. 

After visiting the museum, we walked around a bit more and stopped in one of the tourist trap shops. Except in this part of Italy, the tourist trap shops aren't so much filled with whirling gizmos and impersonal post cards as they are full of tasty goodies. The shop owner asked a bit about our wine preferences and made some recommendations. I was tempted to buy some of the local jam - ziziphus, anyone? - but skipped it because I have no idea what a buckthorn might actually taste like and it scared me a bit. At some point we found a path and wandered down it for a ways, and I think it connected to the main trail, but whatever it was wasn't very clearly labeled. Before leaving the town, we stopped at an indoor/outdoor cafe (are there any other kinds of cafes in Italy/) and tried some frozen coffee drinks. They were pretty tasty, and definitely refreshing since it was close to 100 degrees that day. I am so happy that the weather is a lot nicer now and would love to take my mom to visit this town when she comes out in just a couple of weeks. (Hi, Mom!) Perhaps we'd make a trio out of the trip and visit Arqua Petrarca, Villa Scermina, and the town of Montagnana. I think they're relatively close to each other and small enough that it would make a great day trip without feeling too rushed.

Hitchhiking with Sicilians

Back in May, I took a bus trip through the local outdoor recreation office to the coastal towns of the Cinque Terre. These five towns Rick Steves made a very popular tourist destination, but I Consider them a hidden gem as they are somewhat off the beaten path. It's difficult to access the towns by car, so most people arrive to the town of La Spezia and take a train in. You can walk between the towns on hiking paths of various difficulty, or take the local ferry, or of course take the shuttle train. Our group's bus trip to La Spezia took about three hours, and I wound up sitting next to another woman traveling alone. We hit it off and discovered we had similar expectations for the day, so we decided to hang out and formulated plan.

We hopped on the shuttle train to the furthest town from La Spezia, Monterosso al Mare. Our point of contact particularly recommended a store to pick up pesto and wine (both of Which are specialties of the region) (but where in Italy is wine NOT a specialty?) So we headed there first. Monterosso is a cute little town and we enjoyed poking around and wandering along the beach, and eventually found the store. We bought a variety of pestos, including traditional and walnut, and then popped into a local bakery to pick up some bread. Well, since the area is known for its focaccia, that's what we DECIDED to go with. Our plan was to start the morning with a long hike, about two hours, to the next town of Vernazza. From there, we would take a combination of train and ferry to visit the other towns. We set off up the hill toward our hiking trail. Though we saw two signs for hiking paths, we passed up the first one as it Looked like it dead-ended at a church, and we did not want to deviate too much. We continued on the blacktop road, keeping our eyes peeled for the path and / or signs. After a nice bend in the road, we stopped on some steps to enjoy our makeshift picnic lunch, and the focaccia pestos and did not disappoint! My cake was covered in onions and perfect for dipping in the pesto and a spicy olive spread I picked up. After chowing down, we then continued on our way.

We did not see too many cars or people, and started getting Concerned That We may have missed the trail. However, we'd Both Been looking, and figured the odds were BOTH That We could not miss the sign and path, so we kept hiking. At one point, we saw a jogger coming from the opposite direction and stopped him to ask if we could hike to Vernazza the way we were going. He said yes, but That it would take a while. That jived with our plan, knowing we'd selected one of the longer hikes, so we continued up the hill. We saw a couple of small waterfalls and enjoyed the view of Monterosso from above. Eventually we came to an intersection That had some signs, and determined the left fork That would take us back down the hill to Monterosso, and the right fork would take us inland instead of along the coast, so we were Confronted with a dilemma - turn left and take a new path back to town, or turn back and go the way with Which We Were Already familiar? We DECIDED not to waste any more time, and just turned back, joking That We Should start hitchhiking to save some time. One car passed us, but it was fully of sketchy-looking guys and we joked That even if they'd stopped, we would not have gotten into the car. About twenty minutes after we turned around, an SUV passed us and stopped. We Looked at each other and agreed to at least talk to the driver. It turned out to be two parents and a teenage boy from Sicily, and they offered us a ride back to Monterosso, Claiming it was much to hot to be out walking (it was). So that's how we ended up hitchhiking with Sicilians. They were very nice, and Mama asked Sicilian Sicilian Papa (named Klaus, ironically) to stop once or twice to take photos. None of them spoke any Inglese but we Knew enough French to get by. Finally we arrived back at the bottom of the cliff and uttered our heartfelt thanks to the family, who were very nice and saved us probably an hour of hiking. We never did figure out how we missed the trail!

We got fresh frozen lemonade in Monterosso, and Reassessed our plan, since we'd lost a lot of time. Deciding to skip the middle town of Corniglia, we hopped on the train to Vernazza and caught a ferry. The ferry ride was a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. Not only did we get to rest with the breeze in our faces after the disaster of a hike on the boiling blacktop, but we got to enjoy seeing 4 of the 5 towns from the water. We bought a ticket to the second town, Manarola, but got lucky. The ferry went all the way to the first town, Riomaggiore, and back-tracked. We got off at Manarola and enjoyed an early dinner and delightfully refreshing prosecco before heading back to La Spezia to meet our group.

I Can Say That while we got a nice taste of the towns in our day trip, eight hours is not enough time. I'd like to go back for a long weekend sometime and do some more exploring. And eating. They are known for Their fresh seafood, and I did not order any of That When we stopped for food. Since the towns dates back to the 11th century, there are anche many old buildings, including churches and towers, That I would like to visit. I would also love to watch the sun set over the ocean, and to take proper hike between the towns. We did not get to explore Riomaggiore Corniglia or at all, and I'm sure they're worth a visit, and I would love to spend some more time on the water either sailing or kayaking or even just relaxing on the beach. I consider this to sono stati a scouting trip, as I'm planning on going back before we leave Italy.

Murano and Burano, Venezia

I recently hopped on a train for a quick day-trip to Venice with my friend Helena. We had no itinerary, but our ultimate destinations were the islands of Murano and Burano. Murano, of course, is known for its glass whereas Burano is known for its beautiful colorful buildings and old-fashioned lace-making. We weren't particularly shopping for anything, either, but decided to keep an eye out for hats so we could glam it up for Helena's upcoming Kentucky Derby party. I also really wanted to use the occasion to take some photographs, especially in Burano. I'm drawn to bright colors and have a soft spot for cheerful buildings, and the day certainly did not disappoint!

I met Helena at her place downtown and we walked to the train station for a 0902 train. I think our tickets were around 10 Euro total per person, for a round trip on a Regional Velocity train. We got off at the Venice St. Lucia station somewhere around 1000 and promptly headed for the valparetto, or water taxi. I forget which number we took, but it took us directly to Murano and took about an hour. It seemed like a very long ride, but the boat was just putt-putting along and it probably would be faster in just about any other vehicle. Still, you can't beat 20 Euro for an all-day pass, since each single-fare ticket is six or seven Euro anyway. We hopped off in Murano and just wandered around for a while, taking it all in. We did some window-shopping and of course took some pictures, and really enjoyed the people-watching. It wasn't too crowded, but for a random Monday there were a fair amount of people. One unexpected treasure was a church museum we happened to stumble across. I think the entrance fee was only one or two Euro, and it had a great collection of religous items, from raiment to relics, carved pulpits and incense-holders, all sorts of random stuff. We weren't allowed to take pictures, so I would definitely go back in there to poke around some more and continue our made-up game of "guess the oldest object in the room." I really enjoyed the glass mosaics and installations which were scattered throughout the island, but after an hour or so we had about enough. We ended up getting on the wrong water taxi, and then getting off one stop too early, and having to walk to another stop altogether. I didn't mind, though, as it was a beautiful day for boat rides and meandering!

Once we got onto the proper valparetto route to Burano, it took us nearly another hour to island-hop. This taxi was more crowded than the first was, but we got a decent spot on the port side where we could enjoy the view - and the breeze. After making small talk with some of the other passengers - and acknowledging that yes, we are lucky to live in Italy - we hopped off the taxi and started making our way into the island. Our eyes were immediately caught by blooming cherry (or plum?) trees, wisteria and ivy covered walls, colorful buildings, and tourist trap shops full of beautiful art and lace. Come to think of it, I kind of want to go back for some art AND some lace! I did buy a small tablecloth, doing my part to contribute to the local economy. At that shop, we asked the salesman for a lunch recommendation. Some place not too touristy. He told us anywhere we chose to eat would be sure to have good food, but warned us that some places were more expensive than others. He directed us across a canal and down a few doors, and we selected outdoor seating under some colorful umbrellas. (I'm sensing a pattern here, anybody know a good synonym for "colorful"?) It ended up being a tasty and reasonably priced choice, and I had my first real Italian calzone! It was delicious, and enormous, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. We also ordered a small pitcher of Prosecco, which really hit the spot.

After lunch, we did more wandering and people-watching. I learned there's a leaning tower in Burano! It is the bell tower or campanile which belongs to the 15th century church of San Martino, and is a pretty visible landmark on the island. I'm pretty sure we circumnavigated it, and I even got a picture of a wall mural - of the tower. 1) Left picture appropriate from the hyperlink earlier in this paragraph. 2) Bird! (I snapped that one.) 3) Mural on the wall (I photographed that one but certainly didn't paint it!)

There were also some beautiful wisteria vines growing near the church that I just became obsessed with, and think I got some great photos of it. And I even got a cute snap of a good samaritan helping out another tourist with his photographer skills. The pictures never quite do justice to the real thing though, do they?

Speaking of people being helpful and taking pictures for others, look at this cutie pie shooting (I assume) his parents! He was so happy and proud to be of assistance, and I was happy and proud to capture the moment.

I got quite a few photos of other people's laundry hanging out to dry. I don't know why, but it always makes me happy to see laundry hanging out - sheets, socks, underwear, whatever. Maybe because it means the sun is out or something? Maybe I appreciate the domesticity of it all? In Burano, I certainly appreciate the clash of all the amazing colors.

Helena and I took the scenic route back to our water taxi, and walked along the water, through a small park where a couple was having a picnic, people were walking their dogs, and kids were running around playing on swings. Just a happy day in Italy! We cut through a little field, and I made a comment about looking for four-leaf clovers. And what do you know, I found three within about five minutes! It's only the second time I've ever found three in one go, and the last time was at Tony's Grampa's house in 2013. We took the number 12 valparetto back to Venice, and spent a few minutes window-shopping at the train station. Well, I say window-shopping, but we each ended up making purchases. I got a nice notebook and some tricolor peppercorns for grinding, and Helena found the most awesome umbrella - with a pirate sword handle, for ten euros! Epic.

It was a beautiful day, and I'm happy we got the experience to just wander along with no itinerary or pressure to be anywhere at a certain time. We stumbled across a few hidden gems and enjoyed the boat rides, the sunshine, and the small adventure of a day trip to a new place. La vita e` bella! I shall leave you all with a picture of a very cute Italian nonna, who I may or may not have followed for half a block to photograph...

Padova/Padua

It's no secret that Tony is gone, and will be for, oh, let's just say a little while. I have no job to keep me busy, and even school and volunteer work don't fill all of my hours. So what else am I going to do, housework? Please. I've been filling my free time with all of the above, with a little car repair paperwork, yardwork, and travel thrown in. "But Elaine," you say, "how can you travel when your car is broken?" AHA! Did you forget I live in EUROPE? Oh, sorry, I probably shouldn't rub that in.

I live in Europe, I live in Europe, neener neener neener.

Ahem. Okay, that's out of my system. I promise.

But I've been fortunate enough to have taken three trips in the last two weeks, all of them utilizing public transit or the power of groups to rent a bus. My friend Helena was also temporarily spouse-less, so we have hopped a couple of trains (and a few water taxis) and gone exploring. Our first trip was to the neighboring city of Padova, referred to as Padua in English. I'd say that I'd never been there before, but that would be a lie because Ikea. Really, I've been to Padua a half dozen times, and even once went beyond Ikea and promptly got lost and frustrated at the broken car so we turned around and came back. So it was nice to head back with no agenda. Helena and I hopped a ten a.m. train and were happily wandering around well before 11, all for the low cost of around four euro! While the weather was pleasant in the morning, I was happy I brought my little rain shell with me, as the skies opened up later in the day. Our very first stop was a little park, which had plenty of blooming trees and a beautiful fountain. Of course we had to stop and gush over the koi and turtles before moving along.

Orange koi, bottom right

At the bustling Pedrocchi Cafe

We headed toward the University, but made a pit stop at one of the oldest coffee shops in Italy - the Pedrocchi Cafe. I think construction started in the 18teens, and it opened up around 1830 and has since been expanded, though it's been continuously open for nearly two hundred years. To put that into perspective, that's roughly when Andrew Jackson became president and the Oregon Trail opened, and pre-dates the Battle of the Alamo. Pedrocchi is also known for their pastries, and is attached to a museum. The cafe has a strange shape to it, and is known for some of its annexes. One in particular, the green room, is known as a gathering spot for students, who are welcome to sit and enjoy the heat in wintertime without having to order anything. Of course, everything is so beautiful and delicious that I'm sure they always buy something anyway. Helena had a Prosecco and I had limoncello; even though it was early in the day I still think those were great choices! We dithered over macarons, but our willpower ultimately prevailed, I'm sad to say.

Odes to Galileo are everywhere!

We stumbled across a restaurant/pizzeria and Helena recognized the name, so we decided to eat lunch there. I now have a new favorite pizza place! It's too bad it's in Padua, because both of our choices were excellent. I got a pizza with artichoke hearts, olives, red peppers, and gorgonzola, and Helena's had pickled cabbage, olives, and mushrooms. After lunch, we stumbled a giant market and spent a few minutes wandering through it before setting off for the University's Hall of Giants or Hall of Heroes. Padua is known as an intellectually important city, as Dante, Petrarch, and Galileo all lived and studied there. The University - the oldest in Europe - houses the Hall of Giants, which dates back to the 1300s and has been remodeled, refurbished, and rebuilt several times. At one point the building housed the University library, and the third floor is currently the home of the Museum of Archaeological Sciences and Art. We just took a quick peak and then headed back toward the market.

At the Hall of Giants

At the Hall of Giants

Dante

Watch out for cyclists in Padua!

We wandered through the Prato della Valle, admiring the vendors' wares and all the statues surrounding this giant oval. This is the second-largest square in all of Europe, and in addition to the market, there were also people setting up for the next day's marathon, so it was a great place to people watch. We sat down under a little tent for a few minutes, and then set out to explore some of the nearby churches. We struck out then, I guess because we made this attempt during riposo, but decided we should probably start making our way to the Planetarium. We found it with no problems, but since we were early and encountered a little bit of rain on the way, we decided to find a hang-out spot. It took a few blocks to find one, but we settled on a little neighborhood bar. The best thing about it was a nearby restaurant used two-story bicycles for deliveries, so we had fun watching the guys cruise by on their very tall bikes as we sat and sipped our (terrible) wine. We were there for probably an hour, but left half the wine on the table because it was just not very good. Oh well, at least it was cheap!

Flower and Plant Vendors

Prato della Valle

Meandering the halls of vendors

The Planetarium show is only held in English once a month, I think. Helena did her research though, and reserved us tickets for an English showing, so we entered the dome and quickly appropriated the best seats for ourselves. The reclining seats reminded me of a scene from Sweet Home Alabama, where the redneck dad Earl shows the Mayor of NYC his fancy new armchair, which reclines somewhat violently. After we got over the shock of tilting back, we settled in for the show. Surprise surprise, it was narrated by Mark Hamill! I never would have known that though, if I hadn't been paying attention to the credits. There were two short films, and they were interesting enough, but I definitely caught myself dozing a few minutes into the first one. Whoops. The graphics were a little dated, but I'm still glad we went. There was even a bonus segment at the end which talked about Halley's Comet over Padua, which influenced a famous piece of nativity art by Giotto di Bondone in the Padua  Scrovegni Chapel! Oh did I mention he painted the chapel between 1300-1305, and the painting depicts the comet's 1301 appearance? We actually tried to visit the chapel, but tickets were sold out the day we wanted to go; they only allow in 25 people at a time, four times a day, for climate control purposes. But now that I've seen it on a video, I don't need to see it in person! Just kidding; I would love to go see it some time, as the chapel is really important in terms of art history. (Now many artistic renderings of the nativity feature a comet instead of the Star of Bethlehem, and di Bondone is credited for this.)

di Bondone's Halley's Comet Nativity in the Scrovegni Chapel*

After the Planetarium showing, we decided to head back to the train station, as it was starting to rain pretty good. I put on my jacket, raised the hood, and we set out on our merry way. Flash forward 45 minutes and I looked like a drowned rat, thanks to some accidental misinterpreting of maps. #touristproblems It wouldn't have been so bad, except of course we were walking INTO the wind and rain, and my feet were starting to hurt from all the walking. Oh well, we made it back to the station safe and sound, and were happy to get onto the dry train. We got back to Vicenza and had to walk in the rain for about a mile, but I think that was even worse because we were already chilled and stiff from sitting on the train. I turned on the heated seat feature in the car and ran a hot bath when I got home, and I considered that an excellent ending to a very satisfactory outing.

*Photo from the Planetarium's website http://www.planetariopadova.it/

Visitors

I was very happy to host my long-time friend Ally and her friend and roommate Bailey, on their spring break from studying abroad in Barcelona. What a tough student gig they have; I'm sure they really needed the break...They flew into Venice on a Thursday night and we hit the ground running Friday morning with a wine-tasting trip to Valpolicella country, which is just north of Verona. Luckily we had a rental car, otherwise our car never would have survived the twisty-curvy hilly roads. I would go back to that area just for the scenery, but the wine is an excellent inducement to go back!

View from Le Bignele

Our first stop Friday morning ended up being our favorite of the day. We caravanned with some work and volunteer friends, Brenda and Will. Brenda made tasting reservations for us at Le Bignele, which was located at the end of a very narrow gravel road. We probably would never have found it if we didn't know it was there, but the views, friendly host, and excellent wine made it well worth it. We tasted five or six wines, as well as a few kinds of local meats and cheeses, with an excellent chocolate biscotti. We enjoyed all of the wines, even the white wines which tend to be our least favorite, and especially enjoyed their Amarone. It was a fantastic value, too. The girls bought wine for their parents here, and we left with our cars more full than they were when we left the house that morning!

Le Bignele cellar

Our second stop was La Recchia, which was on our tasting list because we like one of their wines, the Muriae, very much. We met a couple more friends, Krista and Jody, here. Even though we had a tasting appointment, the customer service at La Recchia was extremely disappointing. I probably wouldn't go back there, even though we liked a couple of the many wines we tasted. I should point out, we ended up pouring these wines ourself because the winery host basically ignored us, and answered very few of our questions. After visiting this winery, we stopped at a local trattoria for lunch, and it was delicious! When we walked to the seating area, we passed several tables full of fresh papardelle noodles, which became a welcome part of our meal. We all enjoyed our choices and each ordered a dessert. I had probably the best tiramisu of my time in Italy thus far, and everyone else raved about their choices, as well.

Fresh papardelle

Ally and me enjoying the view at La Recchia

We made one more stop before heading home, but it isn't even worth mentioning. When we got home I made a quick turnaround for the Red Cross Canteen, and left the girls happily researching train schedules and lodging options for the next leg of their trip. The plan was to have stir-fry for dinner, but we forgot to take chicken out of the fridge to thaw (whoops!) so we ordered pizza instead. Darn, pizza in Italy.

Saturday morning we plopped the girls on a train to Venice, and Tony and I met some friends at Pigafetta Coffee Shop (the best!) to visit for a while before taking a tour of the Roman Criptoporticus in Vicenza. The Criptoporticus was only discovered in 1954, during repair efforts to one of the local churches that was damaged during WWII. Some very nice volunteers met us at the entrance and we descended two short flights of stairs for the tour. Thankfully there were some English handouts, because our combined language skills weren't quite good enough to converse easily, and there were some really neat facts about the house. Basically we walked through a u-shaped corridor with a number of windows, that used to be the corridor to a Roman home on a major thoroughfare. There were a couple of small rooms off to the sides, which were used to house water and I think as an entrance/exit for servants or slaves. After the tour, we went to Vicenza's main square and had spritzes while we people-watched. We sat there so long, we ended up ordering lunch and a bottle of Prosecco, too! The weather was fantastic (Tony even got a little sunburned) and it was nice to visit and enjoy the day.

Artistic rendering of the Criptoporticus

Inside the Criptoporticus

Vicenza on a Saturday

On Sunday we left Tony at home to relax and catch up on yardwork. To me, those things are mutually exclusive, but what can I say? He's a weirdo. Bailey, Ally, and I went to the town of Camisano to explore their Sunday market. I bought about two pints of strawberries for two euro. Then we headed to the train station for the girls to purchase tickets to other places in Italy for the second half of their break, and had lunch and drink in Vicenza. We walked around for a few minutes so they could see the highlights, and then we hopped in the car to Brendola. We stopped at the unfinished church, walked up to the Rocca dei Vescovi, and then hiked on a gravel road for a few minutes. After we got our fill of hiking, we drove through some vineyards and then came back home. I cooked dinner and afterwards we played Yahtzee and munched on champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, and Venetian cookies, which the girls thoughtfully brought back from Venice as an anniversary present for me and Tony. It was a short visit, but a sweet one!

Ally and Bailey at Rocca dei Vescovi

Feet pic, or it didn't happen!

Celebratory Champagne