The morning started off well enough. We got up early to give ourselves plenty of time to get our stuff packed up and make it to the train station, then the airport. We caught the Leonardo Express train to the airport, but it was delayed more than 10 minutes. It wasn’t a huge problem because we had allowed ourselves plenty of time, but perhaps we should have taken it as an omen.

We got to the airport and made it into the correct terminal. As we searched for the correct check-in counter, we were directed into the longest line in the airport. It was moving along OK, but we waited at least 30 minutes to reach the counter. When asked how many bags we were checking, we proudly proclaimed, “None” (more on that in a minute). We grabbed our boarding passes and headed for the security line.

Their security setup is something I’d like to see in US airports. When each bin comes out of the X-ray machine and gets emptied, you just place it on a line of rollers that sends it back to the beginning of the security prep area. No staff needs to be involved carting them around and they only needed about a dozen bins for each line. We also didn’t have to take our shoes off which was nice.

Just past the metal detector is where our problems started. As we were standing in line, I realized that we’re carrying two nearly full water bottles. I chugged part of mine, but we dumped the rest in a trash can. I had left my belt on (including my hidden pocket), hoping that the buckle and remaining change wouldn’t set off the detector. Wrong. I had to take my belt off and send it through the machine – you know, because you can hide so much in a fabric belt. As I went through the detector the second time, it went off again. An agent patted me down and gave me the OK, but that’s when I realized that Amber had her own problem. Another agent was telling her that we couldn’t carry on the bottle of Brunello we bought in Montalcino. Duh! It’s more way more than 3oz (100 ml) and we didn’t buy it in the airport after we passed through security. I’m not sure how I failed to think that through. Our only choice was to check one of the bags to get it home.

At that point we had about maybe 10 or 15 minutes until our flight was supposed to start boarding. We weren’t sure there would be enough time for one of us to go back and check the bag and get through security again, but we also didn’t want to lose the most expensive bottle of wine from the trip. I told Amber to head back and I would wait. We grabbed a couple of items from one of the backpacks and she rushed off to the check-in counter. She was able to jump into one of the priority lines and get someone to help, although she royally pissed off some other Americans in the process (they were late for their flight – not our problem!). When she got back to the security line, she was able to cheat up the side and to the front of the line. She didn’t really have any stuff with her, so it wasn’t bad getting back through.

When they checked the bag, they took her original boarding pass and gave her a new one for some reason. It didn’t seem like a big deal, except that it didn’t have a seat number on it. When we got to the gate, they were already boarding, so we waited to get to an agent (they have two levels of people checking passports and boarding passes). Amber asked the first lady about where she was supposed to sit, but she didn’t seem to know for sure, although she indicated it may have been the seat beside mine (the one she originally had). When we reached the second guy, he informed us that the flight had checked in full and gave her yet another boarding pass with a seat in a different row. Not cool; a 9+ hour flight and we’re going to be separated.

When we boarded, we were both pretty upset. The plane has two seats on each side, and three in the middle. I had seat 18E, smack in the middle. “If I’m sitting between two strangers for the entire flight, this is going to suck.” Amber found her seat 24G to be occupied by an idiot (and his wife) who didn’t know how to read a seat diagram. She ended up sitting on the other side in 24D. The seat beside me (18D) remained open for almost the entire boarding process. I almost wondered if they had locked up two seats for Amber by mistake. She finally moved up to that seat, just in time for the guy with that seat on his boarding pass to show up. Fortunately, he was nice enough to swap and take her assigned seat back in row 24.

We separated items from the checked backpack in a rush. How many things did we leave in there that we’d like to have on the plane? Let’s see…there’s Amber’s neck pillow. There’s the granola bars we could have eaten two hours ago. There’s the Advil that could have relieved Amber’s headache. We’ll probably think of a few other things before the day is over.

Our departure was delayed by at least 30 minutes. First, we had unexplained delays at the gate. Next, we had to wait in the takeoff line because they had dropped down to a single runway due to the wind. We finally got into the air, but we both were starving. We’d been up since 5:15 and hadn’t eaten anything (it was about 11 when we finally took off). Now it’s 1:30 Rome time and we’ve finally had a snack and a “meal.” Amber’s choice of “pasta” was actually a cheesy mushroom risotto. My choice of “meat” was a rosemary beef stew that wasn’t stew. Neither was very tasty, but they served their purpose to quell the hunger pains. Only 6.5 hours to go…

Ahhh, this was the best morning of the trip: we slept in! However, the slower morning did result in fewer options still available for breakfast. But never-the-less, it was totally worth it!

After breakfast we started our day of Roman History Education. We began with a metro ride under Roma and emerged at the front gate of the Colosseum. To enter, we walked past the long lines, swiped our Roma Passes and walked right in! Once inside, we pulled out our Rick Steve’s audio guide and instantly became confused as it seems that the set up of the entrance has changed since the audio guide was recorded making it very difficult to follow along. After a bit of confusion and frustration, we gave up on the guide and started to explore and enjoy the scene on our own. The entire space is very humbling when you think about the ingenuity that it took to create the tunnels and pulley systems under the Colosseum floor as well as the stability of the multiple seating levels that are still visible. It’s hard to believe they used to flood the whole place to stage sea battles or raise scenery and beasts through the floor for elaborate game hunting. It was cool that they had reconstructed a portion to look like it might have hundreds of years ago.

From here, we explored the Arch of Constantine and meandered our way over to Palatine Hill.

Here we once again used our Roma Passes to skip the lines and zip inside without delay. Despite a really confusing map, we managed to wind our way through the ruins. We didn’t really know what we were looking at most of the time, so it was a little difficult to get excited about any of it; this is one of the few instances where I wish we would have had a formal guidebook to explain the sites.

Once at the top of the hill we had a great view of our next stop, the Forum. We had another audio tour that started us at the Arch of Titus. Just like the rest of the big arches, we weren’t actually able to walk underneath it. After the arch, we were lead down the right side to the Basilica of Constantine. This was one of the most impressive structures of Ancient Rome. The three remaining arches represent just a fraction of the original size and stature. These arches were once mirrored on the opposite side, with even larger arches spanning the space in between. It’s hard to get a feeling of the sheer size by looking at a picture, but being there was pretty awesome. Although there is little left of this once magnificent space, it is still easy to imagine the great baths, empirical meetings, and local counseling that once took place on this site.

From the Basilica we moved down the paths that were once traveled by Constantine, Caesar, and other Ancient Romans, past the green church doors (which we couldn’t find), and through to the far end of the Forum.  At this end, we could see the House of the Vestal Virgins, the Temple of Caesar, and the Temple of Saturn. By the time we made it this far we were both pretty pooped and ready to start the up hill trek back to the hotel for a quick nap before dinner at a rooftop restaurant.

Before calling it quits for the night, we did a quick Skype session with Carson’s parents and eventually with Momma (Daddie was outside working on the car).

Finally… BEDTIME!!!!

We finally made it to our B&B after dark and we were more than ready for a hot meal and a good night’s sleep.  After checking in, we made our way up the cliff and into town in search for a restaurant recommended by Rick Steves. We finally found it only to be disappointed that it was not open.  Therefore, we started walking the main street through town trying to find a place to stop.  Carson finally noticed a sign that pointed us down an alley towards the sound of clanking silverware and laughter.  So we stopped in, only to find George and Connie at one of the four tables inside.  The host/server/owner insisted that we sit with George and Connie for our meal. This turned out to be a lot of fun!

Aside from the conversation, the food and wine were also very enjoyable.   Carson had a plate of meatballs, I enjoyed another delectable bowl of gnochi (I have got to learn how to make this stuff!), and we shared a liter of the house red.  Part way through dinner, a woman came in and our host shut the front door.  We didn’t really think anything of it until a bit later when another couple inquired if the restaurant was open and they were turned away! Apparently, we later learned, the woman that came in was our host’s girlfriend and they decided to close when she showed up so they could dine together.  At this point, the only people in this small restuarant were George & Connie, Carson & myself, and our host, his girlfriend and his mother.

This fun night came to a boisterous ending about two hours after it started when we signalled the host that we were ready for our checks and he came to our table and asked if we were ready for more wine 🙂 (he was as tipsy as the rest of us)

The following day started with a simple, yet delicious, breakfast at the B&B that consisted of cereal with yogurt (instead of milk), toast with an assortment of mystery jellies, and more orange juice that is really red and does not taste like oranges. This was one of our best continental breakfasts of the trip.

After breakfast, we climbed in the car and started our day of exploring the Tuscany hill towns.  By the time we were ready for lunch, we had meandered our way to Trattoria Latte di Luna in Pienza. Here we split one of the best bruschettas of the trip! The freshly diced tomatoes on a bed of sea salt drizzled with smooth olive oil all culminated for a to-die-for bruschetta. After our starter, we both enjoyed homeade pastas with marinara sauce.

After lunch, we finished our tour of Tuscany and made our way back to Orvieto and cleaned up for a fancy, birthday dinner. I found a resaurant in our Rick Steve’s guide that sound increadable so we descided to give it a try.  Once again, we arrived at the restaurant, only to discover that it was not open. No worries yet, it was still a bit before seven, so we descided to walk around town and give the place a chance to open.  By 7:15 it still did not look open so we descided to go in and ask if they were open. Ah Ha! Yes, it was open! So we accepted a table and ordered some wine.  After a few minutes, the waiter came back around and informed us what our options were (they did not have menus) and we each asked if we could have a sampling of everything he had described (he described only two meals). This turned out to be a great decission! Our meal consisted of a crape filled with fried onion, mushrooms, and light sauce and fettucine with truffles and other mushrooms. Both were very delicate and savory; well worth the wait!  If we ever make it back to Italy, this place is on my list!

The next day started with another breakfast of cereal and toast at the B&B and another hike up the cliff.  Lunch consisted of a couple of salads at the internet cafe in Orvieto.  Carson ordered a cold seafood salad and I had a warm penne salad with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, nothing too exciting.

By the time that we finished lunch, we finally realized that we hadn’t had any gelato since we arrived in Orvieto! We could not leave with out at lease one taste. So I had a cone of berry and Carson mixed it up a bit by ordering one scoop of chocolate and one scoop of pistachio.

Our stomachs are going to miss Tuscany!

We spent our last day in Orvieto exploring the town and learning about it’s history.  But before we could get started, we had to figure put where we were going to store our luggage (there was not a baggage check at the train station). We decided to leave our bags at the B&B while we were seeing Orvieto and return to get them later in the afternoon.  The only problem with this plan is that the B&B is on the far side of the cliffs from the train station; so, it would be a hefty 1+ hour walk up the cliff, through town, and back down the cliff to get to the train station. No Problem, we’ve walked farther 🙂

We dropped the car off at Hurtz across from the train station (at the bottom of the cliff) and decided to ride the funicular car to the top. Once at the top, we took a quick right turn out of the station to find St. Patrick’s Well.  This was pretty cool. It is a very deep water well that uses a double helix form to reach the bottom and return to the top without running into oncoming traffic.  The walk down was easy until we got to the bottom and looked up… Narf!

After the well, we found Orvieto’s main fortezza (fortress).  The town has turned it into a park with green spaces and benches, where locals and tourists can hangout and take in the surrounding views.

From here, we continued our walk through town up to the Duomo. The facade of the Duomo was primarily green and white striped with magnificent artistry on the front.  The main works on the front were done as intricate marble carvings and specifically detailed mosaics.  Unfortunately, due to religious services, we were not able to enter the Cathedral. We can only imagine what we would have found.

Across the street from the Duomo is where our Orvieto Underground tour met. From here we walked down the side of the cliff to a small cave opening in the side. Here we entered and proceeded a few feet in where it was explained to us that most of the real estate (homes and businesses) in Orvieto still come with their own underground space. Some of these ‘cellars’ are only one level, while their neighbor may have three levels. From here, we proceeded deeper into the cave to additional rooms that were used once used for crushing olives to oil and grapes to wine, as well as functioning as a workshop.  We then left this cave and continued farther down the cliff to another cave opening where we found several more rooms.  Many of these rooms were once contacted to kitchens above and housed pigeons that are still a kitchen delicacy today.

Once the tour was completed, it was time to collect our bags and catch the train.  So, it was down the cliff to the B&B to pick up the bags, up the cliff while carrying the bags, across town, down the cliff, and into the station.

Until Rome, Caio!

When we finished with the leaning tower two days ago, we walked back to the train station to grab our bags. We realized there was a train to the airport which is where we needed to be to pick up the rental car, so we decided to take it. Luckily, the tickets were only €1,10 each because I’m pretty sure we could have walked there just as quickly. When we got to the airport, it took us a while to figure out where to go, then we had to wait on a shuttle bus to take us over to the rental car lot.

When we finally got to Hertz, they offered to upgrade us from the Fiat Panda I’d reserved to a Fiat 500 instead. The price was the same, so we took the upgrade. The 500 is a coupe and a little sportier than the Panda would have been. It looks pretty small from the outside, but was surprisingly roomy on the inside. We’re pretty sure the sunroof should have opened somehow, but we never did find a control for it.

Almost every car over here is a manual. Amber isn’t very confident driving a stick, so I got to chauffeur her around for two days. I didn’t really mind since it was (mostly) fun driving a manual again. I didn’t really have any trouble picking it up, even if it has been several years since I drove one. I was pretty well prepared for Italian driving in terms of what to expect. Everyone speeds, tailgates, and passes where you shouldn’t. They drive on the right, so I didn’t have to make any adjustments there. The traffic signs are confusing at first, but not too bad to understand once you start to recognize some patterns.

From the Pisa Airport, we started out on a lesser highway that ran at 90 kph or about 55 mph. This gave me a good opportunity to orient myself in the car before we hit the faster autostrade highway. We were driving most of the 2.5 hours to Orvieto on this toll road, so we weren’t really sure how much it was going to cost. The autostrade speed limit was not posted anywhere that I could find, but the GPS said the limit was 80 mph or about 130 kph (I confirmed that later). The highway was two lanes in each direction the whole way to Orvieto, with slow trucks and cars in the right lane and lots of passing in the left lane. I didn’t really have much trouble on the highway, although the extra speed was a little intense at times. Our toll for about 2 hours on the autostrade came to just under €10.

We had left a little later than I wanted, so I was already on edge. I’m must have been extra tense on the road, because I was sporting a massive headache when we got to Orvieto. It got worse when we realized that the GPS was taking us to the wrong place. Then I remembered that the website for CasaSèlita B&B had driving directions that I neglected to print (my brain was still in travel by train mode). We saw a sign or two, but missed the ones we really needed to find the place. After several U-turns and a few times through the same roundabout, we finally spotted the next sign and the one after that and then the main gate. Finally.

Yesterday we spent the day driving between some other hill towns in Tuscany. We took mostly lesser highways and back roads, so it was a little slower and less intense. No headaches this time. Most of the towns in the regions of Tuscany and Umbria are literally on hilltops, so there were plenty of great views over fields of grapes for the areas wineries and onto the next several towns. We made sure to stop in several places to get some good shots of the most interesting sites.

This is a shot of Orvieto on our way back from Montalcino.

My Italian driving experience ended this morning when we dropped off the car near the train station. There were approximately 3 parking spaces in front of the Hertz office, so it took three passes before I was able to pull into one of them. All in all, I was pretty pleased with my driving skills. I struggled on a few hills; it took me a while to find the right combination and speed of clutch and gas. I had a helluva time figuring out how to shift into reverse for the first time. It was clearly marked, but the gearshift just wouldn’t move far enough to engage. I finally realized there is a release below the main shifter that you have to pull upward before it will move to reverse. However, I handled the extra speed and the hills pretty well. I even executed a perfect parallel parking job in Piensa. The Fiat 500 was pretty fun to drive, but I’ll be happy to be back in my Dodge Stratus when we get home.

After a good night’s sleep and a quick breakfast, we loaded up in the car and headed out to Tuscany for a day in the hill towns. After a quick hour drive north, we came to our first stop, Montepulciano. Here we found a parking spot and started walking up the hill to Piazza Grande where we took a quick walk through the Cathedral and took in a cantina (cellar). While at the Contucci Cantina, we were treated to all the samples we could drink with no pressure to buy.  After several tasty reds, we decided to go with five reds and one white. This specific winery is owned, operated, and manufactured locally and (according to Adamo, the cellarman) featured on American PBS. From there we proceeded back down the hill, taking in the views of the Tuscan hillsides.

Our next stop was Piensa, where we paused for a quick lunch on our way to Montalcino.

Once to Montalcino, our first stop was at the biggest wine store we’d seen yet. After a few minutes of being awe struck at the huge selection, we decided to take home just one bottle of €35 Brunello di Montalcino 2005, the area’s number one wine. As we paid for the bottle, we were instructed that it is to be opened and let breathe for two hours before drinking it. I guess we’re starting to get fancy with our wines. 🙂

At this point in our day, we were ready for a drive through the Tuscan countryside, simply taking in the views. Sadly, this is where our Tuscan experience ends.

This is a shot looking out from Montepulciano.

This is Montalcino up on the hilltop, taken as we approached the town.

We got up early this morning to grab a few more pastries from Il Pirata before catching our train to Pisa. Most of the pastries from the first round of baking were already gone, but we were able to get ricotta croissants and then grab an apple and peach pastry on the way out.

When we got to Pisa, we checked our bags at the train station and wandered toward the Field of Miracles (the area of the Leaning Tower). Along the way, we stopped at a farmer’s market and bought some raspberries and strawberries to munch on while we walked.

The large building is the Duomo, and the smaller one is the Baptistry. Both are surrounded by grassy expanses and more buildings that complete the Field of Miracles complex. The tower is just out of frame to the right, in front of the Duomo.

Once we reached the Field, we bought tickets to see the Duomo and Baptistery. Inside the Baptistry, we were treated to a brief serenade by one of the staff (the acoustics are excellent). The space is large without much light inside, so we weren’t able to get many worthwhile photos.

Next up was the Duomo. This was one of the few on our trip that allowed photos, but it was also pretty dark. I played around with some manual settings on the camera and was able to get a few better shots of the main altar. I was pleased to see that it was possible to enter for free if you intended to pray (everyone else had to pay just to go inside).

Random Note: Imagine one out of every two tourist around the field of miracles stopping in the middle of everything and holding their hands up in the air. Somewhere nearby, another person was taking their picture to make it look like they were holding up the tower (or pushing it over). We couldn’t bring ourselves to stoop to that level.

After we left the Duomo, it was time to climb the tower. I assumed that they had not corrected the interior to going up the spiral staircase as you circle the tower were fairly subtle. The steps were all worn in the same places, giving each one a dip in the middle from left to right. This uneven surface made the climb a challenge, even more so than the lean.

We were able to walk around the outside of the tower at three levels: one in the middle, one near the top where the bells hang, and one at the very top above the bells. We got the impression that the bells don’t actually ring. They were doing restoration work on the exterior of one of the levels near the top, and the entire middle column seemed to have work ongoing. The views were nice, but not as impressive as some others we’ve seen on the trip.

The last several posts have been backdated because we didn’t have reliable internet at the time. I tried to set the dates and times appropriately. We’re on an hour of wifi in Vernazza, so we’ll probably make a few modifications later. Ciao.

C: What should we write about?

A: Well, today started out much better than yesterday.

C: Yesterday wasn’t hard to beat…

A: I actually got to have eggs for breakfast. And I tried my first cappuccino, but I’m not that thrilled about having another one. (Blue Marlin Bar)

C: You should have seen the look on your face!

A: After breakfast we transferred our laundry from the washer to the dryer.

C: What a waste of €6. We wandered around the town for an hour and a half following Rick Steve’s walk. When we got back to the laundry, everything was still wet.

A: Remember when we joked about trying out the clotheslines outside the window? It’s not so funny anymore.

C: I still can’t believe our stuff isn’t dry after hanging all day. At least it has another full day before we have to pack it back into our bags. After dealing with the laundry, it was time to start hiking.

A: I’m glad we did the hard section from Vernazza to Monterosso first. Lots of stairs, but better to be going up than down, since some of them were so slippery. The lookouts were awesome.

C: I’m pretty sure none of our pictures will do it justice.

A: It was a great way to burn off last night’s pasta. One of the best parts was listening to some people complain about how dangerous the trail was, but they are the ones hiking it in flip-flops and mini skirts.

C: I’m still disappointed that some of the trail is closed due to possible landslides. Do you think it will be open tomorrow?

A: I don’t know. Are you sure you want to spend another day hiking?

C: Maybe we should just take it easy tomorrow. What did you think about Via dell’Amore?

A: It would have been way more “amore” without the tour groups following their umbrella-toting guides. [Many of the guides held umbrellas in the air so their groups could keep track of them.] I’m kind of irked that we forgot to take a padlock; I forgot about it. [It’s currently popular to close a padlock with your lover onto a railing or fence along this path.]

Other than the non-view, what did you think of dinner at the castle? [The place was described as having cliff-side, sea-view tables for two. Those tables were there, but they weren’t using them for some reason. Instead, we were seated at a table behind an opaque sheet of plastic where you couldn’t see much.]

C: The antipasto mare was really good. A cold plate on one side and a hot plate on the other made for a nice contrast. How many different items were there?

A: I think it was eight; four per plate.

C: The penne pasta was also pretty good. I was expecting a more powerful pesto flavor, but it was just a subtle part of the whole. Tasty.

A: My veal steak looked huge, but it was mostly bone. The part that was edible was mostly tough and chewy. The “fries” were pretty sad.

C: They definitely know how to handle surf better than turf. Did we miss anything interesting about our day?

A: Probably.

Today was supposed to start with an easy walk across Venice to the train station. We left the hotel a little later than planned and soon realized it was a lot farther to walk than we had anticipated. We needed to catch a specific train to make it to Cinque Terre at the right time to meet the person who would show us to our room around 4pm. Amber had repacked our bags and added a few of the items we’d purchased, so everything seemed heavier. I carried the full laptop backpack and I was ready to kick it into the grand canal by the time we made it to the station. We had about 15 minutes before our train left, but we still needed tickets.

We finally found an automatic ticket machine and punched in our intended destination, Vernazza. We found the train we were expecting and pushed the button to select it. No Seats Available. Not good. What were our other options? This leg of our trip was going to be at least two trains long, so maybe we could break it down into pieces? No. Nothing was available going to anywhere near where we needed to be until over an hour later. Not only that, the best solution we could find would put us into Vernazza two and a half hours later than originally planned. We went ahead and bought the tickets without knowing if anyone would be available to take us to our room when we got there.

I had more problems at the pay phone. There were no instructions on how to use it, so I had to guess. I was eventually able to place a call to the main number for Francamaria Rooms. The display told me the call was connected and deducted €0.20 from my credit. I waited. And waited. And waited some more. The phone deducted another €0.10, and still nothing.  No ringing, no voice, no sound whatsoever. I made the mistake of hanging up the receiver, and the phone ate my remaining €0.70 of credit. I tried the cell number I had recorded in our itinerary; this time I got a distinct busy signal and a message “Line is Busy.” After trying multiple times  with no luck and going through about €3, it was time to get on the train. The call would have to wait.

By this time, Amber was visibly upset and I was frustrated that more of our day would now be spent on trains.  Our new route would take us from Venice to Brescia on a Eurostar City train (a step below the Eurostar AV trains we’d been on already, but still pretty nice).  From Brescia, we would change to a regional train (bottom of the line) and head to Parma. There we’d change to another regional train to La Spezia. Finally, we’d catch one more regional train and head for Vernazza.

On the first train to Brescia, there were several people with cell phones, and I was tempted to ask to borrow one. Instead, I waited patiently, hoping to find a pay phone in the station at Brescia. Unfortunately, we ended up with very little time there, and we ran from track to track to catch the next train about two minutes before it left. Not wanting to risk another mad dash through a station, I decided it was time to take my phone out of airplane mode and make the call from the train. After about 2 minutes, it finally picked up a signal from Vodaphone IT and I made a quick call (actually 3) before I finally got someone on the phone and told her we would be arriving at 6:30 instead of 4:00. She said it was ok, but if we were any later there would be a problem (like we have any control over the trains).

At that point, we finally felt like we could relax a bit. We still weren’t thrilled with some of the other characters around us. We quickly realized that regional trains stop at almost every station they pass, sometimes for as little as a minute or so. That first regional train wasn’t air conditioned, nor was the interior in very good shape. Eventually it was time to change again. Starting in Parma, the trains were better.

We made it to Vernazza right at 6:30, but I couldn’t find a pay phone anywhere. Once again, I switched my phone out of airplane mode and made a quick call. Who knows how much that will cost. A guy came down to meet us, and after several flights of steps, we finally made it to our room. I was pleased to see that it looked exactly like the website depicted it (room 6B).