Living la vita dolce in the Cinque Terre

Last but not least on the tale of our Italian tour (in fact, it was actually the first place we went to with Earl and Elaine.....) is the national park of the Cinque Terre, or 5 lands. This park, in the Liguria region of Italy, encompasses five villages perched on or between cliffs along the sea: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. These towns are connected only by train and by boat (there is a highway up above from which you can with difficulty reach the towns, but it doesn't go through (or very near) them. Thus the towns have a peaceful, car-free, "old-time Italy" feel. Vernazza was our favorite town, as it had the best combination of small town feel and amenities.

This was probably our favorite place in Italy (though we liked Tuscany a lot) and we highly recommend it for any one to visit with a couple of important caveats.

- We were there at the end of shoulder season: end of Oct/beginning of November and it was crowded enough for me. I can't imagine it during the height of the tourist season and I believe it would likely be difficult to see the cities' charms through all the people. October is much calmer, and the weather (if you have good luck) is still beautiful and warm during the day (though quite cold at night).

- If you have physical issues with hills and stairs (LOTS of them and STEEP), then unfortunately this is not the vacation locale for you. There was simply no escaping the climbing up and down and up and down. On the flip side, it made us feel a whole lot more virtuous with all the pasta and gelatto we were eating.

Highlights from our stay in the Cinque Terre include:

-- Relaxing out in the hanging garden of the Trattoria Gianni Franzi hotel gazing out to sea...It's an incredible spot, just carved out of the cliff

-- Hiking between the towns of the Cinque Terre, between olive groves (with the cool way that they harvest olives) and vineyards, and at each corner oohing and aahing at the view. It's actually kind of brutal for picture-taking, because you keep thinking it can't get better and then 5 minutes later realizing it IS better and you have to take another picture.

--Watching the Halloween festivities in Vernazza. (Yes, I am writing about Halloween in December. So I'm a little behind....). We had seen a riot of scary commercial Halloween decorations in every store in Lyon, France earlier, reminiscent of the commercialization of the holiday that we see at home. (Which was a surprise to me (and further proof of the Hallmark-ization of the world) because when we lived in Belgium in the late '70's, no one had heard of Halloween) Upon arrival in Vernazza we had noticed several carved pumpkins around the town (often with the ubiquitous cats curled around them), but hadn't thought that much about it. But at dusk on the 31st we walked down the street to see what Halloween must have been like in the States 30 years ago. All the children (and it was only young children) were either dressed up as witches (complete with pointy black hat and long wig) or as ghosts (complete with white sheet). No cartoon or movie characters, no pop culture references, no toy tie-ins. And they seemed genuinely pleased to receive something. Earl ended up raiding his snack sack when he saw them coming which is how I ended up distributing granola bars to a number of bemused young Italians.

-- Discovering that anchovies can actually be good! Yeah, we didn't believe it either...but they catch them and serve them fresh that day, with a little bit of lemon, and they're YUMMY. Who knew?

-- Sitting out by the harbor in the morning with a pastry and the Gazetta della Sport (Italy's soccer newspaper which actually outsells all other newspapers of any kind in Italy) and watching the locals stroll by, or sitting watching the sunset enjoying a gelatto

All in all...a destination that has made its way onto our greatest hits lists.

Becca

Drive me to Firenze...

After the tranquil serenity of Cinque Terre, we headed off to the largest city of our trip with the parents, Florence (aka Firenze). The transition was a bit difficult to start as instead of the sounds of the waves we were treating to the gnat-like buzzing of Vespas galore. However we were able to settle in quite nicely with our hotel, complete with in-room view of the Duomo. Everyone earned their view and nightly gelato though with the four flights of cement stairs up the the place. Nice but a serious hike that made us all make sure we had everything we needed before heading off for the day.

The two big highlights of our visit were the Uffizi and seeing David @ the Accademia. The Uffizi was a great museum, covering an amazing collection of Italian artists, including all the big names (Caravaggio, Michaelango, Raphael and all the other Ninja Turtles). Despite all the great art, it was difficult after a while to look at the same religious scenes painted for the 50th time. Instead I found myself being amazed at all the grumpy, frumpily dressed middle aged women travelling in packs throughout the museum. Everyone of them complete with a guidebook and a stern stare. Guess they weren't having fun (and if you're not, why visit? you're in Italy! go grab some gelato and head off to the beach or something if museums aren't your thing). Not enough rounds of "Name that Saint" if you ask me.

Not one to usually fall for the normal museum trinkets, I'm now the proud owner of a bookmark depicting my favorite of the Uffizi ( Medusa shield by Caravaggio) which has already shocked and disturbed a number of train passengers.

The absolute highlight of Florence for us though was seeing David in the Accademia. Except for a few unfinished "prisoners" by Michaelango the rest of the museum is pretty forgettable but David steals the show. So many of the "big ticket" places in cities fail to live up to the hype associated with it. For me this trip has so far been much more about the places off the tourists map and just oddities of the road. However, both of us were just overwhelmed by this amazing sculpture. The detail in the anatomy is impressive on its own. And the combination of its size and intensity really makes it so you can't look away. We just sat and looked at it for almost 30 mintues. Then when you realize it was one of the first major efforts and what took sculpting to a new level makes it all the more awe-inspiring. Heck, I'd pay the 10 euro just to see it again by itself. (check this random person's page for some good pictures of David in context (since they were very strict about "no photos" when we were there.))

The rest of the time we enjoyed wandering around town seeing the sites and statues, noticing both the chaos and fuel/space efficiency that Italy has to offer, window shopping for expensive, fun, and bizarre things, and appreciating the culinary offerings

One other story from Florence. My parents were nice enough to bring us a few reading materials from the States, including the Economist. While reading it I was just further imprinted with the belief that the economy as a whole just becomes more and more mobile and global by the day. And while in Florence I saw a crude albeit great example of just that. There were a number of foreign "merchants" whose specialities were knock-off brand items such as purses, watches, etc., mainly being sold to tourists. However, since they were hawking illegal products they were constantly on the move, complete with either a cardboard table that quickly folded up or all of their items on a tablecloth that made for a quick getaway. Not sure if this is what the world leaders have in mind for the global economy, but it's a much more telling example for me than hearing about x company buying y or moving all their production overseas. Just my two cents on what we saw while trolling the neighborhoods.

All in all, Florence was a nice stop and a must see simply because of David. On to Siena!

Brian

Random Becca story about David. I was in Florence 14 years ago on my own and remember taking a picture of David out in front of the Medici palace by some other sculptures. As I didn't have a guidebook (or guide) with me at the time I didn't realize that it was just a copy placed in the original location when the real one was moved to the Accademia. So I was all satisfied with having gotten a pic of the famous David and thought it was a pretty nice statue. That was all blown away when I saw the real one this time (and the copy again). Between the difference in scale, the glow of the white marble on the genuine version, and just a certain intangible frission about it, there is no way that I could ever mistake the two again.

Hills and Nuns...

...what else could you ask for in a quaint Italian city? Our visited started with checking in at the Alma Domus. It's not a convent, it's not a hotel but somewhere in between (I think it's that way to avoid taxes but that's just the cynical side of me for you). Quite entertaining though after a number of normal places to be checked in by nuns in full habit and have a room complete with yet another a beautiful view. Of Siena's Duomo this time. (and at night)

Another Duomo you say... This one though easily takes the cake. For me it surpasses Notre Dame in its overall beauty and gives the intrigue of Sagrada Familia in Barcelona a run for its money. The outside is basic but unique with its white and green striping. The inside though is a stunning collection of art work, architectural masterpieces and an atmosphere that is both very busy yet strangely appropriate. Beautiful mosaics and inlays litter the floor, detailed carvings of all the popes look over your sightseeing and lots of picturesque stained glass. All in all a very impressive place for us to visit and to just sit and relax. (And we were able to get this money holiday card shot)

In addition to the Duomo, we checked out the Bapistry, (non)-Crypt, and the Duomo museum. The combo pass for all of them ended up being a pretty good deal. You get a lot of value for your sightseeing dollar; we recommend it. The other primary sightseeing destination in Siena though (outside of Il Campo which I think is fairly underwhelming off-season) is just the town itself. We spent most of our time wandering through the streets and the 17 contrade (neighborhoods) and dealing with all the hills. Nowhere to go in town without hiking up or down. At this point my parents probably think we're trying to kill them. It made the gelato and tasty pizzas all the sweeter though.

One of the places we ate pizza led to all sorts of excitement. We chose the place because of its proximity to our room; evidently the AC Siena players choose it because it's so close to the stadium and make it a daily haunt. As a result, Becca and my mom got to drool over all the Serie A (Italy's top league) players strolling back and forth, all dressed to the nines (Armani-like suits w/ team insignias) and looking properly Italian (see here for the #1 whiplash cause for Becca & Elaine). Except for the little blond, balding guy who Becca first guessed was an assistant coach (which gave her the courage to go up and talk to him) but later turned out to be one of their better players.

Yes, we continued the football world tour in Siena, mainly in an attempt to see the team they were playing, Chievo Verona (CV plays an attacking style, rare in Serie A). Both teams are middle to lower table teams whose survival in the top flight is always in doubt at the start of the season. Thankfully both are off to decent starts so we were looking forward to seeing a great match in a quaint little 13,000 seat stadium tucked into the trees on one end of town. We still got to see a good match but one that was slowed considerably by the torrential downpours that had gone on all night and then the mini-flood that hit the town an hour before the game. Made for a lot of sloppy play (including one corner of the field where both teams just refused to go for fear of sinking) but overall an entertaining match (though my parents were surprised to see actual real linesmen, no brawls, etc. given their other experience). Plus Becca got plenty of great use out of my dad's binoculars following her "guys" from Siena.

And with that, it was time to head off to San Gimignano. I think one of these days though we'll have to come back to Siena to see Il Palio.

Brian

Not a bad view...

Not to start out a post in full taunting mode, but here is the view from our place (click on the camera icon in the lower left) in San Gimignano (and at sunset). Yes, Becca and I spent every spare moment we had up there. Easily the best of our accommodations in Italy, complete not only with two bedrooms and the terrace, but with an actual refrigerator and kitchen where Becca and I could actually cook. May not sound like much but when you haven't cooked in over six weeks, it sounds good even to a ramen and chicken hack like me.

San Gimignano was recommended to us by the native Italian contingent at my dad's work and they were spot on (not surprisingly I suppose). It gave us the best gelato on the trip (and we highly recommend that anybody who goes there tries the Gelateria di Piazza in Piazza della Cisterna), a quiet town since it was quickly approaching off season and most importantly easy access to the Tuscan countryside. I had suddenly started panicking about this around Florence as I realized we didn't really have anyway to go out and drive amongst the Tuscan hills and all the vineyards. Thankfully SG's locale allowed us to take one of the days to hike amongst the hills, enjoying the views and checking out all the mom and pop wineries along the way (though most of the wineries were closed for the season). Amazing to see the hills alive in color, even if it was the greens and browns of autumn.

The other highlight of SG was the interactions had with our landlord, Carla Rossi. Her and her son Francesco (another cute Italian man for Becca and Mom to drool at, sensing a trend?) rent a variety of apartments/houses in the area. Both were full of personality and like most Italians in Tuscany had a side wine/olive oil business on the side. Not surprisingly my parents ended up buying a decent amount of wine despite Becca and Carla holding a conversation where each of them understood about 20% of what the other was saying. My highlight though was watching my dad stun Carla by eating some of the crabgrass that was growing in the yard. You'd think we shot her dog or something as evidently its a weed for them. Guess she wanted us to eat the Kaki instead.

In all two plus very relaxing days in a locale that Becca and I might not have found for ourselves. Many thanks go out to Mom and Dad for helping out along the way, being serious troopers when they weren't sure whether the hikes were going to be all uphill and for being great role models. And to 35 plus years of marriage...

Brian

Also, we highly recommend a little local trattoria, Trattoria Chiribiri (up a side street 100 yards from the main gate) for anybody looking for delicious food, appreciated equally by locals and tourists. Warning: it's very small, so you will want reservations or be willing to wait

CS Vernazza 3: Foce-Magra Ameglia 1

During our visit to the Cinque Terre area of Italy and going on the theory that fill-in-the-blanks match posters never steer us wrong, Becca and I (with my parents gamely in tow) decided to attend Vernazza's end of the season calcio (Italian for football) championship match vs. Foce-Magra Ameglia (catchy name, isn't it?). Of course since Vernazza itself is tiny and doesn't have much in terms of actual flat ground, we had to get on the train and head to Levanto, home of CS Vernazza's pitch (about a ten minute train ride). Despite the poster telling us what train we could catch, we decided to head off early and have lunch in Levanto (picnicking on the boardwalk, basking in the sun and gazing out to sea) before the match. Thankfully, I decided to keep a running diary. Same rules apply as before, though this time Vernazza=V and Foce-Magra Ameglia is FMA. Here we go...

Pregame notes:
-Becca taking a glimpse through the fence and uttering "I think the field is concrete." We actually did walk in to see the players warming up on a gravel/sand mix that was grey. Ouch.
-3 euros for tickets. After our ubercheap experience in Czechoslovakia, we were a bit leery about the relatively high price but decided to plow ahead. Special Finals pricing perhaps? Thankfully those tickets did guarantee us sweet midfield seats made of...
-Cement. Thankfully we'd packed our coats (made smashing cushions).
-13 people in attendance 5 minutes before match time. Must be a pretty big deal this final...
-FMA looks to be in a different league. About twice the size as V and they're actually running drills (as opposed to V who seems to just be kicking the ball back and forth in the little corner of shade)
-The Ref comes running out with the teams to start the match. He's 5 ft. tall, has a rat tail/mullet hairdo going and is wearing a complete day-glo yellow kit. Guess he'll be easy to find in the gravel...

1'- First collision. It's got to hurt like the dickens to be taken down in the gravel. Not quite the bounce one gets, even on AstroTurf.

4'- Bad effort by V #11. Of course, he looks like he just got out of bed. Maybe he did though he still would have had the 15 minutes the ref started the match late by, eliciting the first "sacco di merda" from a V fan.

11'- Linesman on the far side calls offsides. Only notable because he did it from the wrong half of the field...

14'- First Yellow Card (YC) of the match. V #2 for dissent. Didn't look like he said much but the yellow came out. Tough to make out against the ref highlighter uniform though.

18'- GOAL! V #11 flicks a cross that rolls along the entire goal mouth before going in. Goalie didn't move. Somehow I think that's not going on the "Goalkeeping for Beginners" tape anytime soon. 1-0

20'- And with the goal, it's officially getting chippy. Shoving, words, late tackles. Ref may need to get a handle on this one before it's the Italian football equivalent of "Slap Shot". Also "sacco di merda" #2 from the V fan after a late tackle.

23'- Corner for FMA taken about a foot in front of the local pole vault pit. Man, even FK Slavoj didn't have to share the field with someone...

27'- GOAL! V #8 dives (again) about 25 yds out, earning a FK. V #10 takes it and inexplicably scores. I think the ball rolled the last five yds on the ground. Not quite Juninho but the home fans are happy... 2-0

29'- Becca's scouting report on the FMA goalie: Inept. At least he's making the hat he's wearing look good.

32'- Chippiness continues. After a particularly bad tackle, ref tries to get the two players to kiss and make up. No dice. Gets derailed in his further peace keeping efforts by the V keeper who lets him know that the two coaches are now going at it on the sideline. We're beginning to wonder if coaches can get send off...

37'- Really bad offsides (10 yds or so) by V #11. Hate to tell him that the green jersey doesn't blend in so well with the gravel.

39'- YC, V #4. The only yellow in the match for an actual foul. The fouler tries actually tries to shake hands with the FMA player only to get his hand slapped away. Yikes!

42'- FMA free kick goes sailing onto the track. Bails out V who can't seem to the needed four guys in their wall on any free kick, eliciting the chant "quattro! quattro!" from the players, the bench, the fans, the ball boys, you name it.

44'- ANOTHER YC, this time on V #9 for a valid complaint on an unpaid advantage call.

45'- YC V #5 for dissent. Evidently you can't say anything to Mr. Napoleon Complex without getting a yellow.

Halftime: 2-0 Vernazza and at least four yellow cards. Don't they realize they're winning? Will someone get a red from the ref just for shrugging their shoulders? Also of note: attendance for the big match is now up to 40ish. You can feel the electricity in the air...

46'- GOAL! FMA #10 untouched in the V box for a header goal. I'm guessing someone got the hair dryer treatment at halftime... 2-1

50'- FMA is dominating play right now and getting every call known to man. I know Italy is the home of match fixing. Wonder if at this level it involves a case of Chianti and some smokes? Or maybe a pedicure for Mr. Rattail?

53'- V #5 gets hurt clearing the ball. FMA #11 does the sporting thing and drags him across the gravel off the field. What a sportsman!

56'- Talk between the two sets of fans is getting animated, including a "sacco di merda" not directed at the ref. Guess who's currently doing their best Switzerland impression right now?

57'- Crowd thankfully redirects their vile toward the ref for yet another yellow for dissent. This time FMA #4 is the victim.

58'- Yellow card for FMA #6. Maybe they forgot to throw in the free perm for the ref as part of the deal.

60'- The linesmen to this point have been hilarious to watch. The far one hasn't moved the entire match and the other one is covering 5 yds on each side of the midfield when he isn't too busy mocking the opposing players when they whine about a foul call. After some quality deduction work and given the fact that they don't have any uniforms, we're pretty sure they are fans from each side. I think my brother's old youth football matches (aka the bumblebee years) even had real linesmen. Still thinking about the logistics of this when...

61'- The FMA coach obstructs/tackles V #4 by the sideline while he's going for the ball. No call from the ref. Becca ponders whether a coach can get a red card. Not sure but this match is getting much more entertaining by the minute.

64'- V#11 gets stepped on and goes down injured. Of course the ref only notices this after a very large V fan clad in an army sweater trods onto the field and make him aware of the issue "arbieto! arbieto!"

66'- Yellow Card #2/Red Card for V #4. You'd figured after getting taken down by the opposing coach you might have the ability to say something to the ref. Evidently not. Gets sent off at which point he completely loses it and goes for a piece of the ref. Only 7-8 teammate, a few spectators hanging out on the track and a torn jersey kept him from crushing rat boy. Wonder if V will be able to hang on a man down at this point. Certainly not looking good since V# 4 had been playing quite well to this point.

70'- FMA #10 fires one off the post. Really not looking good for V but if they can push it to penalty kicks Lurch from FMA hasn't stopped a real shot all day. Keep getting distracted by Army clad V fan doing some free lance assistant coaching on our sideline. V linesman gives FMA player crap for complaining about a call. This is going to be an interesting last 20 minutes.

75'- V #13 gets hurt. Problem is he just came on as the last sub. Thankfully in the grand tradition of Roy Hobbs he's able to continue, even picking up a Yellow a few minutes later. And yes, I realize I'm making my sports metaphors at this point.

80'- Three nice saves in succession by V #1. Him and V#10 are the only reason they're staying in the lead.

87'- V fans start yelling "arbito finito!" (ref, end it!). Fantastic suggestion. Thankfully before that happens...

88'- V #16 does an Oscar worthy dive in the box, earning a Penalty Kick. As V #10 looks to end the game, a three ring circus ensues:

Ring #1
Players start pushing and shoving, mouthing off and the like. Probably discussing what they all did to deserve such a wanker for a ref. I wonder aloud whether the ref has a secure enough ride home at this point. Order is starting to be restored when...

Ring #2
A V player points out that the FMA manager just booted the extra ball out of the stadium and into a housing complex behind the stadium. This gets the V bench up and suddenly the ref is off to try to cut off a full scale rumble between the managers. V's coach is pissed b/c the ball is probably his. These things cost euros you know! The ref at this point has completely lost control of both managers and coaches (except for V #10 who in true goal scorer form is waiting patently at the spot). Just when we think it can't get any worse...

Ring #3
The FMA linesman, the same one who hadn't moved an inch all match, runs onto the field yelling all the way. He approaches the ref and starts whacking him with his linesman flag. Add in the fact that the man looks to be in his mid 60's and even the fans up in the stands are in high spirits at this point. A joint "sacco di merda" is uttered by the fans and we're just waiting for the match to be called.

90'- Somehow, the ref is able to a) toss the linesman, replacing him with one of FMA's subs b) organize the coaches again so they aren't at each others throats and c) restore order on the field long enough for V #10 to nicely put away the kick and the game. 3-1

90+'- Not much to speak of since two minutes of injury time is called in about 10 seconds. And with that, the Vernazza fans go home champions!

Wish there was more to add but the description doesn't come close to conveying the levels of absurdity in this match. Final highlight was evidently my mom and dad ran into the few of the players that night celebrating their win through the streets. Gotta love small town calcio!

Brian

Off on a gelatto break

Published another post (catching up on our Provence wanderings) and uploaded a whole bunch of pics for your enjoyment. We leave Lyon, France for Italy tomorrow morning where we will meet up with Brian's parents who are coming over to travel with us for a couple of weeks. Thus the postings may be few and far between for awhile as we will have more social things to do than sit in an internet cafe.

We'll be back later with crazy italian adventures, until then wish us good travels and an unlimited supply of pistachio gelatto

B&B

UPDATE: We've added blog entries for Espana and our latest stop, Padua. Enjoy!

How to properly celebrate an education...

Writing from Padua, Italy where we elected to visit for a few days before my parents arrival. Padua is a vibrant area and home of one of the oldest universities in the world (The University of Padua which was founded in 1222).

We spent our time walking around the city and soaking in the sites. Our first stop was the Basilica of St. Anthony. A beautifully decorated Basilica and also the home of St. Anthony's tongue (found intact when they exhumed his corpse and truthfully looked a bit like a piece of pepper steak...I shall now wait to be struck down by lightning) and his voice box. Not the kind of relics you see everyday. Plus a piece of the "true cross". Who knows whether it was or not but I have to admit that for as many pieces of the "true cross" we've seen on this trip, either they chopped it up like they do with sports memorabilia for sale or someone's not being completely honest.

Spent the rest of our time visiting the University of Padua. We took an educational tour where we were able to see the stylish Great Hall and the first permanent anatomy theater (built in 1594). We also saw the tribute to the first woman to graduate (ever, anywhere in the world) from a university who matriculated from Padua in 1678. Pretty cool. Seeing the educational home of Galileo, Copernicus and number of other famous European intellectuals almost made us smarter by association. Unfortunately we weren't able to take the complete tour as we happened to be in town for graduation of the 3+2 students who have earned their Dottore (Doctor's degree, which is the equivalent of a Masters in the US). This was yet another one of those random cultural highlights we've had on the trip.

The tradition has been going since the university was founded in 1222. What is the tradition? Upon completion of the Q&A of your thesis (which is evidently a little more of a formality here vs. the thesis defense in the US), you walk out of one of the two rooms they are holding them in to meet your friends and family, who place a wreath with laurel leaves and bells around your neck immediately start in with this sing-song chant:

Dottore, Dottore
Dottore del busco de cul
Vaffancul, Vaffancul

(this is funnier when you realize that the Vaffuncul part sounds like Ooom-pa-pa, Oom-pa-pa)


You then go with your friends and family to the main pedestrian street where they strip you down from your fancy graduation clothes, put you in embarrassing costumes (drag, etc.) and cover you with all sorts of things (eggs, flour, chocolate, whipped cream are a few examples) while you read aloud your poster. While you do so you are repeatedly being told to chug from the bottle of red wine/champagne/other that you are holding.

What are these posters, you ask? They appear to be the history of the graduate, from childhood to embarrassing college stories (all now shared with parents and other family members). The most striking part of them are the prominently featured, mostly r to x-rated, pornographic caricatures of the now Doctor. There's something a little strange about seeing Doctor of Law (or Electrical Engineering or Psychology, etc) over the a picture of a naked busty woman dominating phalluses on a leash. It certainly takes some getting used to. These posters are evidently made by friends of the graduate, who often pay artists for the very impressive caricatures. After the graduate completes the ceremony, the posters are put up on the university walls for the rest of the day where they make quite a display by the end of the day.

All in all, quite a spectacle, complete with the local police making sure that they stay on their plastic sheet (to not permanently ruin the historic streets with all the goop that is tossed). And yes, pictures will most definitely be coming eventually (may not be suitable for all ages, however)...

Needless to say we've heard a lot of "Dottore, Dottore" over the last two plus days and we're glad we did. Added an unique element to an interesting town.

Off to Milan to pick up the parents!

Brian

PICTURES NOW AVAILABLE HERE