Today we rented a wagon and drove 3 hours to our villa outside Sienna about 20 miles. Italy drivers in the left hand lane drive autobahn velocities. No surprise, but the roads are amazing ! Guess that's what hefty tolls of $17 buy you! But the drive was gorgeous to say the least and pretty straight forward.
Our villa is on a dirt road 2 Km and is run by a handsome man named Stefano and his English shepherd Kim. It is heaven on earth. It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, granite floors and a view of the valley that is astounding. The stars are bright at night as well.
It is outside a small town with two restaurants - one being pizza. We went to the family run tavern, La Taverna Di Casciano, and not only had the cheapest meal of the trip, but the best. Andrea had the most delectable tender beef topped with fresh greens, tomatoes and parm and a tagalatelli and it was spicy liked I love it. They gave us a small dessert sampler - holla Pana Cotta! Next favorite thing to the tort ofolo I sampled last night.
Tomorrow Sucia gets in at 7pm at the Florence Airport so we are going to putter around Florence. We have the 36 Hours in NYT article Andrea is reading now.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Is the Pope Catholic?
Yesterday, we went to Vatican City. As most of you know, its a separate state from Italy. You can mail your own post card from there, but you need a Vatican stamp which is not good in the rest if Italy. I mailed Santa in hopes he would bring me Xmas gifts as I am tired of eating Chinese food and watching movies every year by myself.
We had to admit most of everything we knew was from watching the da Vinci code although I knew Jesus was Jewish ; ) which was reiterated by our tour guide. We decided to take our same tour guide we had for the Colloseum, Ian with Roma tours www.romatours,com which I HIGHLY recommend for an extra few bucks and skip the massive lines and actually understand some of the history and/or religion since we are both atheists at best. And he was cute with his Diesel underwear hanging out and pelvic bones protruding. I tipped him more than I should.
Some of the interesting highlights. The Japanese own rights to sell photos et. al. in the Sistine Chapel therefore no photos - not to preserve the ceiling paint. The map room was my favorite and had all the maps individually of Siciliy, Sardina and then all rolled into one kind of like a pre-ordained Google maps thousands of years earlier.
St. Perter's Bascillica was rad esp. because I have an affinity to the morose and loved seeing actual pope corpses. Holla! In fact, I can't wait to go back to this crypt next week with like 4,000 skulls even though it only has one star in Rick Steves.
We decided to take a chowhound recommendation for dinner and wound up at a lovely square Navare at osteria aldina where we met to gals from Florida one now living in NYC. We had a blast hanging with them the whole night. I also got hit on by our 25 year old Moroccan waiter Ishmael who was a young President Obama self-admittingly. God bless him, he thought I was 27! Holla again!
It's late, Andrea is still sleeping. I am making coffee in the biletti. Please keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck getting out of Rome on these crazy streets with the car. There are no sidewalks, they are more narrow than the narrowest and all cobblestone. Then wish us luck finding our villa in Sienna.
We had to admit most of everything we knew was from watching the da Vinci code although I knew Jesus was Jewish ; ) which was reiterated by our tour guide. We decided to take our same tour guide we had for the Colloseum, Ian with Roma tours www.romatours,com which I HIGHLY recommend for an extra few bucks and skip the massive lines and actually understand some of the history and/or religion since we are both atheists at best. And he was cute with his Diesel underwear hanging out and pelvic bones protruding. I tipped him more than I should.
Some of the interesting highlights. The Japanese own rights to sell photos et. al. in the Sistine Chapel therefore no photos - not to preserve the ceiling paint. The map room was my favorite and had all the maps individually of Siciliy, Sardina and then all rolled into one kind of like a pre-ordained Google maps thousands of years earlier.
St. Perter's Bascillica was rad esp. because I have an affinity to the morose and loved seeing actual pope corpses. Holla! In fact, I can't wait to go back to this crypt next week with like 4,000 skulls even though it only has one star in Rick Steves.
We decided to take a chowhound recommendation for dinner and wound up at a lovely square Navare at osteria aldina where we met to gals from Florida one now living in NYC. We had a blast hanging with them the whole night. I also got hit on by our 25 year old Moroccan waiter Ishmael who was a young President Obama self-admittingly. God bless him, he thought I was 27! Holla again!
It's late, Andrea is still sleeping. I am making coffee in the biletti. Please keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck getting out of Rome on these crazy streets with the car. There are no sidewalks, they are more narrow than the narrowest and all cobblestone. Then wish us luck finding our villa in Sienna.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Jacked on Espresso y chianti
So I got up at 2 and then 5 am so if you wonder why I was facebooking like I was in the US this am - I waited about another 5 hours before waking Andrea and then I said f-ck it and woke her. At that point I was jacked on two bilettis worth of Illy espresso, had eaten an ameretto cookie and busted into our Argentine parma breakfast not waiting.
I must regress and say, we are staying in the rather chic joven area of Campo de Fiori in an amazing apartment found in www.sleepinitaly.com, which I highly recommend. An apartment is the way to go - I mean one 1,000 sq. feet, complete kitchen, internet, couch, table for 6, nice American style shower with rain head! And cheap! I looked at hotels that were dumps for 200 Euro - hello 110 Euro for the apartment.
So after a late start, we walked to the Capitol. Rome is quite clean considering how awfully dirty my mom said it was back in the day, but then it impossible to find trash cans yet there seem to be trash trucks starting you in the face for a half-hour while you eat.
We continued onto the Colloseum. We decided to do the tour for an extra 8 euro and it was worth it so I give Andrea much credit for that. I was amazed at a lot of things. One, how they filled it with water and like had battle ships and shit on it. Two, I read in Rick Steve's that one 100 day ceremony they killed like 9,000 animals and like 900 people perhaps and people brought perfume to cover the stench (I know who is saying "RAD" right now btw). Three, so I thought of passover and how they brought all the Jews in to build the damn thing and how I hate the Passover horse radish that I am forgetting the name of that is supposed to remind you of the tears the Jews shed under the persecution of the Romans. Man, after seeing how that monstrosity was built...I suddenly felt a lot better about my day job.
We then walked through the incredible Roman ruins which just seemed so tranquil. The entire forum its almost like the cars, hub-bub of city and pollution were non-existent if but only for a few hours and 300 photographs worth.
Not so keen that we walked to try to find some osteria two chefs recommended to us. We got there as it was closing and had only the second dish, but ok the tira mi us - kicked ass! And 'picked me up' which is the literal translation of tira mi su.
Finally, I have to admit, I have a problem. So does Anne, my Croat partner in crime, a total weakness for PAPRIKA pringles. So far my list consists of Illy coffee for a third the price of Amerika and PAPRIKA PRINGLES. The question is can two of the cans make it to 1) Anne's bday on 23 Oct and 2) my bday on 5 Jan. I just ate 3/4 of a can?!? You do the math.
I must regress and say, we are staying in the rather chic joven area of Campo de Fiori in an amazing apartment found in www.sleepinitaly.com, which I highly recommend. An apartment is the way to go - I mean one 1,000 sq. feet, complete kitchen, internet, couch, table for 6, nice American style shower with rain head! And cheap! I looked at hotels that were dumps for 200 Euro - hello 110 Euro for the apartment.
So after a late start, we walked to the Capitol. Rome is quite clean considering how awfully dirty my mom said it was back in the day, but then it impossible to find trash cans yet there seem to be trash trucks starting you in the face for a half-hour while you eat.
We continued onto the Colloseum. We decided to do the tour for an extra 8 euro and it was worth it so I give Andrea much credit for that. I was amazed at a lot of things. One, how they filled it with water and like had battle ships and shit on it. Two, I read in Rick Steve's that one 100 day ceremony they killed like 9,000 animals and like 900 people perhaps and people brought perfume to cover the stench (I know who is saying "RAD" right now btw). Three, so I thought of passover and how they brought all the Jews in to build the damn thing and how I hate the Passover horse radish that I am forgetting the name of that is supposed to remind you of the tears the Jews shed under the persecution of the Romans. Man, after seeing how that monstrosity was built...I suddenly felt a lot better about my day job.
We then walked through the incredible Roman ruins which just seemed so tranquil. The entire forum its almost like the cars, hub-bub of city and pollution were non-existent if but only for a few hours and 300 photographs worth.
Not so keen that we walked to try to find some osteria two chefs recommended to us. We got there as it was closing and had only the second dish, but ok the tira mi us - kicked ass! And 'picked me up' which is the literal translation of tira mi su.
Finally, I have to admit, I have a problem. So does Anne, my Croat partner in crime, a total weakness for PAPRIKA pringles. So far my list consists of Illy coffee for a third the price of Amerika and PAPRIKA PRINGLES. The question is can two of the cans make it to 1) Anne's bday on 23 Oct and 2) my bday on 5 Jan. I just ate 3/4 of a can?!? You do the math.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
We are in Roma
Wow - we are here! The weather is superb. A little cool - not humid nor hot. Fashionistas Italia walk around in scarves and jackets.
Our apartment is gorgeous. Its in Campo de Fiori. We walked the plaza had gnochhi, wine gelato and eyed every shoe store. Purchased Illy cafe for the am for a third the price in US and our porscuitto cheese and bread for the am.
Both of us our extremely jet-lagged.
The plan tomorrow is the Colloseum, catacombs, fountain and Friday the Vatican as the NYT just did an article on night concerts there for the public.
So sorry I lack my wit and humour. My exhaustion is insurmountable. We both want espresso in our biletti, but know that is not a wise choice.
Ciao, Deanna
Our apartment is gorgeous. Its in Campo de Fiori. We walked the plaza had gnochhi, wine gelato and eyed every shoe store. Purchased Illy cafe for the am for a third the price in US and our porscuitto cheese and bread for the am.
Both of us our extremely jet-lagged.
The plan tomorrow is the Colloseum, catacombs, fountain and Friday the Vatican as the NYT just did an article on night concerts there for the public.
So sorry I lack my wit and humour. My exhaustion is insurmountable. We both want espresso in our biletti, but know that is not a wise choice
Ciao, Deanna
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Getting Excited
Its official that I am starting to not sleep in excitement and anticipation of escaping this rainy continuous spring weather that lasted the whole summer in PDX and go to Italy. A place my friend Carlo said where there is something "just different about the sun. " I envision me, my camera and lots of cinematographic landscape pictures of rolling hills and yeah you know it food.
When I can't sleep at night, I've been pulling out the Rick Steve's on the Kindle. Of course, the first section I went to was about food and dining. My soul goal in Italy is mangia for economical non-fancy means, but rustic Italian non-touristy gems. So if anyone has been to Rome and places in Sienna, Florence, etc. and has a recommendations by all means shout em out!
The second thing I am obsessed about is Cinque Terre and hiking there, that and bicycling. I want the open air of being care-free with camera in tow. One of my fondest memories with Chris was borrowing our German neighbor's guide book on a hike from Fira on Santorini and hiking unknowingly 8 miles to Ia in my chacos with the toe loop and yes, not enough water. But the pictures I got were the most cinematographic of the whole trip. There was a sense of accomplishment to reach the end of the island where all these people were waiting to see the elusive sunset that Ia is most known for. And so it goes, I hope and know Italy will provide these same adventures. And gelato, vino, pasta, pizza, fashion, oil
When I can't sleep at night, I've been pulling out the Rick Steve's on the Kindle. Of course, the first section I went to was about food and dining. My soul goal in Italy is mangia for economical non-fancy means, but rustic Italian non-touristy gems. So if anyone has been to Rome and places in Sienna, Florence, etc. and has a recommendations by all means shout em out!
The second thing I am obsessed about is Cinque Terre and hiking there, that and bicycling. I want the open air of being care-free with camera in tow. One of my fondest memories with Chris was borrowing our German neighbor's guide book on a hike from Fira on Santorini and hiking unknowingly 8 miles to Ia in my chacos with the toe loop and yes, not enough water. But the pictures I got were the most cinematographic of the whole trip. There was a sense of accomplishment to reach the end of the island where all these people were waiting to see the elusive sunset that Ia is most known for. And so it goes, I hope and know Italy will provide these same adventures. And gelato, vino, pasta, pizza, fashion, oil
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Places We are Staying
Two apts in Rome
http://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show-monte_di_pieta-campo_dei_fiori-roma/appartam.php?id_appartam=83
http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g187791-d1447691-Spagna_Violet-Rome_Lazio.html
And the villa in Tuscany
http://www.toscanet.com/Murlo/1/homepage.aspx
http://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show-monte_di_pieta-campo_dei_fiori-roma/appartam.php?id_appartam=83
http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g187791-d1447691-Spagna_Violet-Rome_Lazio.html
And the villa in Tuscany
http://www.toscanet.com/Murlo/1/homepage.aspx
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