DAY 112

Monday 31 October 2011

We woke up and hurriedly showered and dressed to catch our shuttle at 8:30. It was amazing how many people and baby carriages could be packed like sardines into our free Happy Village Camp bus that took us tearing around corners to the train station. On the way we ate bread, cheese and coffee from the thermos, then after switching to the metro, arrived at the Vatican at 10. HOLY GUACAMOLE! The line stretched at least six blocks and would have been at least a three hour wait. Dian and Nicole went to the end of the line while Charles went up to the front to see what his press pass could do. As Nicole said, "Yeah, right. I'm sure they get lots of journalists waving around their credentials." But a miracle happened. She looked up and exclaimed, "There he is!" The journalistic entourage hightailed it up the street and were in by ten oh two!!! We were told that tickets were full price but when we said Nicole was a student the ticket man winked and said, "She's 15, right?" We of course agreed.

Inside the Vatican museum we wasted no time covering as much territory as possible but also took time to savor things. What a magnificent collection of "the largest treasure trove of art in existence." Nicole gave us the treat of announcing that lunch would be on her. We entered the Sistine Chapel from the museum and marveled at the work of Michelangelo. To the repeated cautions of "Silence!" and "No Photos!" we enjoyed the ceiling as well as the people watching. (How many people took photos, we lost count.)


This whole trip is just a big bust...



A net to catch the crumbling plaster!

Instead of going directly into Saint Peter's Basilica, we were re-routed by guards who explained that the Pope was next door and all entry was prohibited. Well, it IS his house. So we opted to have the lunch Nicole promised us in the museum cafeteria. It was delicious pork, pasta, vegetables, dessert and bottled water. We really needed the lift and speaking of lifts, that's what we bought tickets for: the dome of Saint Peter's. It had an amazing view of Rome from the top and inside another amazing view of the inside of the basilica from high up. On the way down we became dizzy from the slanted walls of the spiral stairway.

We entered the basilica from street level and were floored by the size of Saint Peter's. The pieta, carved in marble by a 24-year-old Michelangelo, was stunning and touching in its depth of feeling, and the Raphael paintings and Bernini altar columns were incredible. There were lots of people and we were glad it was the "off season," only shaking our heads at how the crowds would have been at the height of the tourist season.

Getting ready for All Saints Day

Mosaic

Channeling our Ancient Comedian sides

This woman just strolled on through past the Swiss Guard

When we exited the bells were ringing like it was "all hallows eve"... hey, wait a minute, it was! We saw the trailer for an official Vatican City (our 17th country) post office. We bought a postcard to mail from this tiny country and when the change came, one of the coins had the pope on it from 2010 - a collectors item and treat for former coin collector Charles. Homing pigeon Nicole got us to the tour bus we had paid for the day before and we continued our tour of Rome from the top level of the double decker with a new perspective of beautifully lit sites. We caught the metro and despite having to wait for the Happy Village van for 45 minutes, we were HAPPY when we arrived back at our van and had homemade lentil soup.

Vatican City Euro!

Just about the only sign of Halloween we saw

DAY 111

Sunday 30 October 201

We awoke quite early Sunday morning so we could spend as much time as possible on our first day in Rome, though we did not yet know quite how early we actually were getting up. Because of daylight savings, we had lost an hour, making it 5:00 AM instead of 6:00 AM! Charles and Nicole napped more in the car and Dian drove. We got to Happy Village camping where we were able to get a discount thanks to Charles' press pass. We took the next shuttle, offered by the camp for free, into a train station then to Rome. We could not help but notice all the beaming faces that entered the bus, but we guessed that was all a part of the "Happy Camping" experience.

Our first stop? The Spanish Steps! In days gone by, people would have been asked in this spot by artists to be their models. Dian drank from the fountain and we climbed the steps. It was a gorgeous day, even hot, and we ducked in the church at the top for refuge. Outside, we peeled some of our layers of clothes.

Descending the steps, we walked a short way through the chi-chi shopping area, and into the Prada store, where we got a bag!...Well, a paper carrying bag one of the employees kindly gave us to replace our ripping plastic one. Nicole tried on a handsome cream sweater, but they left without any purchases.

Trying on a sweater at Prada

Next stop was Termini station, where many tour buses originated. In the metro station there was a bookstore with English books, so we tried again, without success, to find Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad. It had gotten even hotter at this point, so we took a moment in the store to rearrange the clothes we had shed into our bag.

Circus Maximus

With the recommendation of a tourist information station, and thanks to Dian's parents Joe and Marie Michell's treat, we took the red, 110 Double-Decker, audio-guided, good-for-48-hours tour bus that drove us to almost every one of Rome's major sites and attractions. We had a little down time before the bus arrived, so Nicole walked around and shot pictures of a statue depicting Pop Benedict XVI.

We got seats on the top level of the bus and enjoyed not only the sites and audio tour, but also not having to drive in Rome! Among other sites we saw: The Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Hadrian's Arch and The Forum.

Sitting under an open sky, it began to get a little chilly, so Nicole started going through our bag to get her orange sweater and scarf. They were nowhere to be found. Our minds raced trying to remember where they were. Luckily, Nicole saw the sculpture of the Pope, and we ran back to where we thought the items might still be in the bookstore. Success! There the clothes were, laying next to the clerk behind the counter. We thanked him vigorously, and his honesty boosted our opinion of Romans once again.

Dian hiding unnecessarily in shame

Stomachs grumbling, we lunched at a real local eatery with good food and great prices. It was mainly Indian food, and the portions were so good we even had leftovers! As twilight descended, we took a "night" tour on our bus again, stopping at the Colosseum. Sadly, it was closed, but at least we got to see it up close along with Hadrian's Arch.

Taking a walk around the area, though a bit more removed from the teeming crowds and incessant vendors, we met Mario, a musician playing classical guitar music with a beauty and maturity so great that we sat and listened for a long while.

We walked back to the Metro station closest to Circus Maximus, but Dian was finally snagged by one of the street vendors selling scarves, and she bought a beautiful cut velvet one.

Finally arriving at the stop where the Happy Village shuttle came, we were just too late, so we waited around the hour and a half for the next one, with a scoop of gelato to pass the time, we eventually got home. All in all it was a great introduction to Rome.

Mario

DAY 110

Saturday 29 October 2011

"Want to tool around with me? I want to go hiking and try to get to this convent on a hill I've never been to." said Lisa, and we never hesitated. Turns out we never got to the convent -- it was off limits to the public, we confirmed, because of structural damage -- and we never really hiked.
But we had a great day, driving the back roads of the Umbrian hill country, through villages frozen in medieval time. We stopped at one early on and it was absolutely charming, with old wagon wheels lined up against a wall, ancient passageways still being used, cobblestone streets of course, bright fall-colored vines adorning stone walls, and hardly a native in sight, certainly no tourists. As as bonus, we found an abandoned stuffed armchair in the parking lot, and after the crew of garage sale vets determined it was salvageable, we stuffed it into the car and drove on.

We wound up at a large monastery (The Seven Brothers) now serving as a B&B and agriculturismo, (the designation of a place that is still a working farm where people can stay and participate in the lifestyle, usually unchanged for centuries). It turned out they were preparing for a big chocolate festival the next day, but didn't mind at all our poking around the displays-in-progress. Fascinating old tins, posters, equipment etc. from the century-old, world famous Perugina Chocolate company.

We settled in the "back yard," with fruit and olive (technically a fruit) trees, strawberry plants and grape vines stretching out before us, to enjoy our picnic lunch. One of the people who worked there, a charming young man named Francesco, came over and started chatting with us, and when he asked if we would like some bruschetta (toast spread with olive oil or other good stuff),  our enthusiasm was obvious, and it was delicious, spicy because it was made from the first olive pressing. He joined us at our table and we talked some more then offered him some pieces of a See's candy bar Dian's mom had sent from San Pedro. We were happy that this man hosting a Perugina Chocolate Festival smiled with approval when he tasted it. Score one for the New World. We did make a final stop at a park area near Piegaro and just walked, sat and took photos, a perfect ending to our day of "tooling around the hill country."

Back home, Lisa invited Nicole over to her place to look over tights, and gifted her with two pairs of them. Dian also reaped some Piegaro generosity when Christiana, at Maria Pia's fascinating, jam-packed general store, let her have some wrapping paper with old maps of Italy on them. When it came time to decide whether or not to drive to nearby Citta della Pieve for the last of the fall music series, held each Saturday night in a different town in the area, soldiers fell rapidly. First Colleen declined (having a tough time with pain from her injury), then Lisa, then finally Nicole opted for a quiet evening alone, tired after a long day. Dian and Charles decided to go it alone.

Garden where we had lunch

One of the reasons for reluctance was that Mr. and Mrs. Andrews didn't have reservations. Through a mix-up, they didn't call for them until mid-week and then it was too late, the free show was "sold out" (maybe because it also included free dinner and unlimited wine bar). When they got there they recognized the two ladies in charge whom they'd met at the concert at the ancient glass factory in Piegaro the week before. Charles got in line and Dian went up and whispered to one woman (pulling the LA journalist card), and she leaned over and whispered to the other woman, the keeper of "the list." When Charles got to the table she looked up and admonished, "I told you last week to call me!" Then she immediately said, I think I have two cancellations, and they were in!

The featured act was a stylish young jazz singer, Simona Bencini, performing with her skilled "4tet" in the sumptuous old theatre. They had seats in an upper box, and were looking over their shoulders for John Wilkes Booth to come bursting through the red velvet curtain. He didn't, but Bencini wasn't on an original level that held their interest after a long day, so they snuck out.

Photos by Charles

She had a tough act to follow, because the "warm-up" act blew them away. Paul Venturi is a young Italian blues aficionado so deep into it that he went to the deep south to study, and came away with a deep understanding that translated to the real deal. His playing was ferocious, especially on slide, his body movements indicated total immersion, and his vocals, at first a tad odd for a very slight Italian accent, soon revealed that he not only had da blues pronunciation but felt it to his toes. He was a true talent, who had performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival, and deserves a wider audience in the US and anywhere real blues is appreciated. His accompaniment by bass player Max Sbaragli was a wonder, and he added licks many times that drew everyone's attention. Charles and Dian chatted with them after the show and both of them were warm and enthusiastic to talk about music. Paul gave them a copy of his excellent new album Cold and Far Blues.

As if that wasn't enough, the meal featured saffron and truffle risotto and morsels of chicken in saffron sauce, plus local red and white wines, coffee and dessert of sweet mimosa with almond dots. That night, "the other royal couple" felt no place on earth had a better offering.

DAY 109

Friday 28 October 2011

Saint Francis of Assisi lived other places but most people haven't heard of Saint Francis of Cortona. Undeniably, he spent time there and we visited his monastery tucked into the hills below the mist. Colleen, Lisa, Charles, Dian and Nicole all piled into the car at 10:30 AM for a drive that could have taken place anywhere, it was that foggy!

As we entered the area that a wealthy landowner had given St. Francis and his followers back in 1211, the clouds began to burn away and there was “Le Celle.” Two workmen were eating their lunch with legs dangling over the wall leading to the church. For some reason, (preparations for All Saints Day?) the church was closed, but Saint Francis’ little chapel adjoining his cell was open and we sat for a few moments in contemplation. At some times of the year there’s a swift running stream that passes right outside his window but when we were there it was nearly dried up. The grape ivy that covered the bridge was a brilliant crimson and the birds were chirping loudly in that sacred place. Dian met a monk who came out to greet a few tourists (from L.A.!), and Charles bought a few souvenirs.

Workers taking a break on the side of a wall

With the other Frances just a few kilometers away, we made a side trip down the road to the home of Frances Mayes, author of “Under The Tuscan Sun.” Her terraced garden and house above were beautiful but we didn’t stop. Instead we headed into Cortona to have lunch and pick up a map that Colleen had had framed. The shop owner, Ivan, was kind enough to let us see and shoot pictures of his ancient well in the basement of the store.  He had fish backlit by a beam of light and an old urn resting on the bottom that made for some interesting shots by Nicole/Ansel Andrews.

We ate in a lovely restaurant across from the theater and had pumpkin/vegetable soup, lasagna, truffles with melted tomino cheese and a pseudo Greek salad among other selections. Have we mentioned how good the food is here in Italy?

Back at home we took a siesta then prepared for karaoke with Lisa at the local bar. We hit a home run with "Country Roads" and tried valiantly to sing along with the kids who knew every Italian song, and performed them with gusto! At midnight, when the local ordinance required them to shut down the music, the small crowd was treated to mussels, shrimp, pizza etc. by the bar owner. Dian gave her a hand-painted rock.