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Italy
  • Kelly Smith
July 2017

Italy

A 23-day adventure by Kelly Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 5, 2017
    Kelly SmithItalyTraveler

    Departure

    July 4, 2017 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    We were up at 6:30 am this morning to catch our cab by 7:30. After a quick trip to the airport, we checked in and grabbed Starbucks. Our flight was a bit late arriving, so we were a little late taking off. The turbulence leaving Winnipeg was awful! Brad equated it to being on our whale watching boat in Newfoundland!

    We arrived in Montreal around 1:30 and made our way to the Plaza Lounge, which is a perk I get with my credit card. There, we were able to eat lunch, sit in huge lounge chairs and use the wifi for hours.

    Luckily, our departure gate was right below the lounge, so we hung out there until it was time to get ready to board.

    Our flight was late leaving, but we eventually got going. The flight was uneventful. I got Evan the kid's meal on our flight which was a great decision because 1) he was served first and 2) it was macaroni and sauce.

    Evan and Brad sat together on one side and I got the aisle seat in the middle row. Brad was given two bottles of wine on the flight (lucky!) and lucky for me, he shared.    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    It's the Colosseum!
    elevatorWe had to stop to get a drinkBrad and Evan at Museihanging out by the bridge

    Rome, italy

    July 5, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We landed just before 9 am in Rome and deplaned. After snaking our way through the baggage claim area, we found our driver holding a "Brad Bamford" sign! After seeing the chaos of the taxi waiting area, I was so happy that we booked a private car!

    Danielle, our driver, drove us to our apartment. The drive was curvy, fast and no one seemed to obey any kind of traffic law. Nonetheless we arrived and met Elisa who showed us around the apartment.

    After quick showers, we ventured out to the grocery store. We bought fragola (strawberries), yogurt, succa (juice), and meat and cheese. We also stopped at a bakery for bread and a market for peaches. It was incredibly hot and so we just went back to our apartment for lunch (and some AC).

    After some discussion, we agreed to have a short nap. We all slept for about an hour before reluctantly getting up. It was about 2:30 pm when we reemerged.

    We decided to go to the Altere della Patria where we took an elevator to the top to see a panorama of Rome. It was so beautiful! Evan also got to see the Colosseum for the first time as well! He was getting quite sweaty by this point, so we found some shade to sit in for a bit before waking to Trajan's Column.

    We checked out the column and surrounding ruins before walking to the Musei Capitolini. Evan got the audio tour, so between him and Brad I was set to learn about Roman art.

    Some highlights included: Bust of Medusa, the Capitoline Wolf, Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, and a couple Caravaggios! We spent several hours perusing the entire museum (with several benches along the way).

    By this time, it was nearly 7:30, and I was fame (hungry)! So we walked towards Fish Market Travestere and got a table quickly. We ordered fried baby octopus and shrimp, as well as a curry rice with red shrimp and an octopus and potato salad. I also got sparkling wine, and it was truly an Italian meal! We left very full and very tired.

    Back at the apartment, Evan showered and watched Netflix while I wrote this entry. I'm hoping we can all sleep through the night!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    Trevi
    TreviSpanish StepsKeats- Shelley HouseSpanish Steps

    Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Keats

    July 6, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We were able to sleep until 9 am, although Brad and I were up for a bit in the middle of the night because of jet lag. I even had to wake Evan up so we could get going!

    It was another cooker of a day! I'll probably just stop writing that because it's going to be 32c every day. Anyway, we gave up trying not to look like tourists and bought iced coffees AND walked around with them (no one does that here). Evan tried to keep cool by sucking on the huge spheres of ice that cooled our drinks.

    We walked to the Trevi Fountain, which Evan was familiar with from Lego. It was crowded and the police kept whistling at people who dared to sit on the edge, but despite the chaos it was really a sight to behold! Evan commented on how big it is and how he didn't expect it to be so large.

    After a few photos, we made our way to the Spanish Steps and took more touristy photos. Luckily the fountain was working, so Evan got in line to fill his water bottle.

    We walked over to the Keats- Shelley House, which will be meaningless unless you have some familiarity with the Romantic writers. I often teach poetry by Keats, Shelley, and Byron so it was really interesting to see letters written by them and to see the house that Keats died in.

    It was near noon by now and so we started our long walk back to our apartment for lunch and some R&R.    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    cheese tasting
    BaccalaEating baccalapizzapastaGelati time

    Bruno and Travestere Food Tour

    July 6, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    After lunch and a nap, we decided to go to Campo do Fiore to see the statue of Giordano Bruno who was burned at the stake for believing the earth revolved around the sun. There is usually a market around the statue, but it has wrapped up before we arrived. The square marks the spot where he was burned alive and where many people were executed. Apparently that's how many hotels in the area got their start as these executions were entertainment.

    We walked a bit further to meet our tour guide for our food tour. His name was Luca and he would guide us for the next 3.5 hours around the foodie neighbourhood of Travestere, which is the neighbourhood we are staying in.

    There were only 8 of us on the tour, so it was a great group. We started at a cheese shop that is so well known that there is no signage. We sampled so many cheeses! Parmigiana regiano, pecorino romana, buffalo mozzarella, and burrata to name the few I remember. We also had prosecco to cleanse our palates in between, of course.

    The next stop was a place that serves only baccala- a fried salt cod. It is a typical Roman street food and it was insanely delicious! You have to believe that a place that only serves one dish does it well and this place wad so good that Evan wants to go back tomorrow for lunch!

    A literal farm to table restaurant was our next stop. We had organic wine, toasted breads with a caramelized onion spread and one with a potato and veggie mix. We also had house sausages which were exceptional. The owners actually run the farm where almost all the ingredients are harvested, so the menu changes often.

    We were hardly halfway done when we stopped at a typical pizza joint (rectangles that you fold in half) and had a slice. Evan also wants to return to this place!

    Next stop was a sit down dinner with antipasti and primi courses. We started with bruschetta, melon and prosciutto, and caponata (a mixture of eggplant and celery and seasoned with sweet vinegar). For the primi course we had a sample of both the cacio e pepe and amatriciana, both were delicious! This was our first sampling of Roman pasta too!

    You might think that our tour was over, but we all had a spot of room for gelato! Lucca taught us how to spot the real thing as opposed to the fake gelato and then we got to choose two flavours. I had pistachio and four-chocolate; Brad had crime brûlée and fig, cheese and almond; and Evan had four-chocolate and pure chocolate. It was truly spectacular - Evan said he would never enjoy ice cream again, although I doubt that is true.

    We thanked Lucca and headed towards our apartment with a quick detour at Big Star, which is a bar. We got a table outside and Brad and I had beer while Evan worked on his journal. Another great day in Rome!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    Waiting in line
    BasilicaBasilicaEvan taking a bath at Vatican

    Vatican City

    July 7, 2017 in Vatican City ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    Brad and I are having a tough time with jet lag as we were wide awake at 2 am again. I eventually went back to sleep around 5 am, but Brad ended up going for a 6 am walk around our neighbourhood. If you were worried about Evan, don't be. He slept for 12 hours straight. In fact, he had to be woken up at 10:45.

    After we all managed to roll out of bed, we had "brunch" and I started doing laundry while Brad went to the grocery store. Evan was still working on his journal. Once home, Brad managed to have a brief nap before we had a light lunch. Finally, we were ready to start our day.

    We had Googled the bus route we needed to take to get to St. Peter's Square and we headed to the stop. However two buses came by and neither was the one we needed; in fact, we saw the bus we needed drive right on by. So we tried to follow it on foot and eventually found a stop. We waited there for 45 minutes (this bus was supposed to come every 20 minutes) and it never came back. Finally we just decided to get walking.

    It was about a half hour walk to St. Peter's and I know I said I wouldn't mention the heat, but it was 35c outside! Nonetheless we got into the line to get into the Basilica, which moved fairly quickly. Evan chose to stand by the fountain until he absolutely had to join us in line. I should also mention that the boys both had to wear pants today because we were worried that the fashion police might kick them out of the church for not being dressed appropriately!

    The Basilica was bigger than I thought it was going to be and it was very ornate. I don't quite understand the people taking selfies with the sculpture of Jesus dying in his mother's arms, but regardless, we enjoyed actually looking at the ornamentation.

    We left the Basilica and headed, on foot, to a pizza place we saw on Anthony Bourdain's show The Layover. It is called Pizzarium Bonci and it has really unique toppings, although there are no signs to tell you what's what. Brad bravely pointed at four kinds and our best guess is that they were: traditional margherita; spinach, anchovy and cheese; eggplant and a soft cheese; and a smoked ham (Evan's pick). All were delicious! We ate them standing outside at a small table and Brad and I split a bottle of wine that the cashier uncorked for us. We had to eat somewhat quickly because we had Friday night Vatican tickets reserved!

    Normally at the Vatican, you have to wait in this insanely long line for hours to get in. I found out a few months ago that they use a ticketed reservation system on Friday nights, so I booked us in awhile ago. Hardly a line and almost no real wait - it was a lifesaver.

    After getting through security, we went through the various rooms of the museum and saw Egyptian sarcophagi, Greek and Roman statues, and huge floor to ceiling tapestries. The main event was seeing the Sistine Chapel of course! I had seen it years ago, but it was so crowded that it was nice to actually sit and really take in the ceiling and back wall. Of course you can't take any pictures in there, so I have none to post!

    We spent about two hours in the museums before calling it quits. We decided to walk back home, but not before we had a gelato stop. Today, Evan got pure chocolate and creme brûlée. It was interesting to see our neighbourhood on a Friday night as there were so many people out and about. I think we will check out the nightlife at the Tiber River river walk tomorrow night. For now, though, I need to rest my feet!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    Bathroom at art gallery

    Sleeping Late and Bus Adventures

    July 8, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    I should probably mention that our apartment is in the basement and all our windows have shutters, which maybe explains how we all slept in until 11 am today. Yikes! Obviously our baking in the sun and walking so much yesterday wore us out.

    We had breakfast and then showered and made a game plan. We would attempt public transportation again. I should also mention that the transit drivers here go on strike frequently and without warning and sometimes only for a day. Nonetheless, Tram 3 was going to take us across the city.

    We waited for Tram 3 for 15 minutes. Then Bus 3 came by on the opposite side, so we shrugged it off and continued to wait. Tram 8 came by about every 5 minutes, but not the elusive 3. Then Bus 3 came by on our side of the street and that's when we figured out the Tram was not coming and this Bus was running its route. But we'd missed the bus. Not to be deterred, we waited and waited until Bus 3 came back and we hopped on.

    Things were going well until halfway through our ride, the driver just stopped and told everyone to get off. I'm sure there might have been a reason, but he didn't speak English and we didn't get enough of the Italian. So, it seemed like most passengers were waiting around and so we just waited too. Eventually a new Bus 3 arrived and took us to where we needed to go. Honestly this bus nonsense took us two hours.

    We finally arrived at the MACRO, which is a contemporary art museum that had a street art exhibition going on. It was well worth the hassle because we got to see huge pieces by Swoon, Sheppard Fairey, and Ron English. It was a great show!

    After the gallery, we walked to Eataly which is a big grocery store/restaurant. We perused all the food items and wished we were headed home sooner so we could buy some of the cheese and meat! We settled for a quick bite and drink in the outdoor cafe instead. Evan ordered a sundae that was bigger than his head! Brad and I had Italian draft beer and shared a mortadella and Gorgonzola panini, which was oozing with cheese.

    Satiated, we were ready to face the bus again. We could take one of three buses, and the 40 came first. It was packed! I barely made it on and another guy pushed on after me! We were wall to wall, but we only had to make it three stops before we could get off and breathe again!

    We got off in the Campo di Fiore neighbourhood and went down a few back alleys to reach Baladin, a place that makes their own craft beer, sodas and burgers. They are also known for their fresh made potato chips, so we started with the cacio e pepe chips. We all ordered burgers and were asked if we wanted them raw, medium, or well done. I was feeling risky and got mine medium while the boys had theirs medium well. I also had a hazelnut porter, which was excellent!

    Completely full, we walked towards our apartment stopping briefly at the outdoor theatre which was showing Aladdin (dubbed in Italian, subtitles in English). It was impressive not only how many people were at the outdoor theatre, but also the number of people in the streets and restaurants. The evenings here are a beautiful reprieve from the heat of the day!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    Pantheon
    being silly at PantheonPiazza NavonaPantheonEating pasteries

    Excavations, Pantheon, Piazza Navona

    July 9, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    Our day began leisurely, it's Sunday after all, and after lunch we walked down to the tram and caught the number 8. We knew it would come because we saw it like a dozen times yesterday!

    Our first stop was the Domus Romane di Palazzo Valentini, which is right beside Trajan's Column. Brad found this site in one of our tour books and I would certainly recommend it to everyone! It is a 90 minute tour of an excavation site where they unearthed a 4th century (ACE or AD for the older generations) Roman dwelling! You get to walk on these see-through platforms while lights illuminate what the voice over is speaking about. You weren't allowed to take pictures, but it was so cool! We saw the baths, how they heated their sauna room, their entry way, and their outdoor pool. We also got to see the parts of the Renaissance home that was built on top of it in the 1500-1600s. We were very pleased with having found this tour!

    Next we wandered over to the Pantheon and joined the hordes of tourists. Seriously, today was like THE tourist day. I'm not sure there were any Italians around! Anyway, we got to see the beautiful domed ceiling and took a few photos and got out rather swiftly.

    Brad then steered us towards Piazza Navona to see the huge fountains. It was shady and a good place to cool off before starting back towards our apartment. By luck, I saw a bike that said Roscoli and commented to Brad that I had marked Roscoli's as a place to go. Sure enough, the storefront was just a few paces away! So we ducked in and the man working was incredibly nice to us. He helped us pick out bread and two traditional pastries. One was like a hand pie filled with a sweet ricotta and cherries and the other was like a meringue with hazelnuts. Just what we needed to fuel our walk home.    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    ravioli
    cacio e pepetripe!gelato

    Tavernaccia - Flavio (Our Dinner)

    July 9, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 26 °C

    We wanted to try the restaurant Tavernaccia da Bruno for supper, but when we arrived (right as they opened and after a half hour walk, I might add) they told us that they were booked - all night.

    Ugh.

    Here we were, in a new neighbourhood with all our eggs in one basket. Brad checked the Google Map I made of restaurant recommendations and discovered that we were only 14 minutes away from Flávio al Velavevodetto, so we took a chance and started walking.

    This took us further into the Tessaccio neighbourhood of Rome, which seemed sketchy and deserted at first, but then there were more people and restaurants that made us feel better.

    We arrived at Flávio and were told we would have to sit inside, which was just fine with us. By now it was 8 and we were hungry!

    Evan ordered cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper pasta); Brad had rigatoni carbonara with gunicale; and I had the house special which was hand made ravioli. Mine came as four huge ravioli (each one the size of my hand) packed with ricotta and parmasean - it was all delicious! Then we shared a secondi of tripe in tomato sauce. Tripe is the lining of the cow's fourth stomach and it was unctuous! Evan even tried it (just to shame those who are saying "gross!" at the moment).

    We were stuffed! I used my basic Italian to get the bill (il conto per favore) and then we walked home. Just as we approached Fatamorgana, Brad decided he still had room for gelato (Evan always has room) so the boys shared a cup of vanilla and rice gelato and straticalla gelato.

    Finally, we made it home around 10:30 just in time for Evan to shower and all of us to hit the hay.    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    The Forum

    The Colosseum and Forum

    July 10, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    We had a big day planned today - it was our tour of the Colosseum! We decided to take the tram to our tour's meeting point, but we got off quickly to see the grave sites of John Keats and Percy Shelley (we saw their house earlier if you recall).

    After paying homage to these poets, we hopped back on the tram and made it to the Colosseum where we met our tour guide, Sonia (who was wearing 4" wedge heels!). We were equipped with ear bud headsets and a receiver device which allowed us to hear Sonia without being right next to her. This is important because there are so many people at the Colosseum! She led us around the outside first and explained where the gladiators' barracks would have been and how they hoisted the shades to provide some shade for the spectators. Then we got to go in a private entrance which led us right onto the floor of the Colosseum! It was an incredible vantage point as you could see up and down. Then we were led to where the spectators would enter and sit; we also got to see where the emperors would be seated. It was a lengthy and in depth tour, but most of it was in the shaded areas so it wasn't too hot.

    Our guide then took us over to the Forum. We had to pass through security before getting into the area that once housed the vestal virgins and the senate. It is almost all in ruins now, but our guide had a book that showed what people believe these structures would have looked like. The Forum offered no shade, so our group was pretty parched by the end of the tour! Nonetheless it was an excellent tour that I would recommend paying the extra money for.

    When the tour finished, we decided to take the tram back to our neighbourhood and get groceries. It was nearly 4 and we hadn't had time for lunch yet. We shopped at CarreFour, which is the same chain we shopped at in Paris. The selection was incredible and we found a lot of great items, plus we had fun looking at all the groceries like frozen whole squid, the huge bottles of pop, and all the sliced meats (oh, and the whole fresh rabbits).

    Once we got home, we had lunch and cooled down. Tonight, we are going to an outdoor concert by the Lumineers, which we are all excited about (although it requires taking 2 buses, so we will see how we do)!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler

    The Lumineers

    July 10, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Well our bus misadventures continued tonight. We took the bus by our apartment, and that was easy enough. However, when we arrived at Termini Station for our transfer, bus 910 was nowhere to be found. It was supposed to come every 13 minutes, but we waited almost 40 and no bus. We weren't the only ones waiting though, and the crowd grew and grew and so by the time it showed up, the bus was completely packed! We only had to ride for 6 stops, but was it ever hot and sweaty for that 20 minutes!

    We finally arrived at the venue, which is a really cool outdoor amphitheater. They had "food trucks" (mobile food booths?) and so we got in line to get supper before going into the amphitheater. We chose the vendor with the most interesting menu. Brad and I got octopus sandwiches with sautéed broccoli greens and mozzarella that was so runny she had to smear it on. Evan played it safe with a burrata and tomato panini. We were able to eat our sandwiches while we stood in line to get into the amphitheater.

    After a detour to the washroom, we found out seats in the balcony level. I don't have any good pictures to show how the venue was set up, but there are basically two levels - the floor and the balcony. We had great seats and quickly got settled before the band started.

    The Lumineers came on around 9:45 and were incredible! The crowd was really into them and sang along to many songs. They even did two songs completely unplugged and had the crowd sing "Hey! Ho!" with them, which was really cool! They probably played for 90 minutes, which included an encore. The three of us had a great time singing, clapping and dancing along as knew almost every song they played! It was a Father's Day gift to Brad that we all enjoyed!

    After the concert, we were able to take two buses to get home. With songs still buzzing in our ears, we all fell into bed around 1 am. A long day, but one we are sure to remember for a long time!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    Basquiat showWarhol, Basquiat, BamfordGalleria Borghese

    Basquiat and Man It's Hot!

    July 11, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    It was a late start today as we were all tired from last night's concert. When we finally got moving, we realized how crazy hot it was outside as there was no breeze today! With sweat running down our backs, we walked over to Roscoli again to have some baked goods. We had the ricotta filled hand pie again, but we also tried a Neopolitania. I have no real idea what it was, but it was kind of chocolatey and kind of nutty.

    After our snacks, we walked over to a gallery that was showing a Basquiat exhibition. We had seen posters for this show and after Googling it, found out it was still on! The exhibit was really interesting (and the free audio tour was helpful) and well put together. I've only seen a few Basquiat pieces previously, so it was nice to see an entire show of his work.

    We finished our tour of the gallery and then decided to walk to the Villa Borghese. It was only a 30 minute walk and we have walked longer, so we felt confident. What we failed to understand was that almost all of it was uphill! Rome is actually quite hilly, and is often described as a lasagna because of the layers of settlements and civilizations that just built on top of the old ones. Anyway, our legs are in awesome shape by this point in our travels!

    We arrived at the Borghese Park, which is absolutely huge (3 square miles). We walked through part of it on our way to the Borghese Gallery, which, to our surprise, was sold out for the day. This was a bit disappointing, but there was nothing to be done so we hopped on the bus (and then tram) and headed home where Brad and I enjoyed cold beer and Evan snacked on a chocolate bar in our AC.

    We couldn't relax too long because Evan and I had a dinner reservation! Brad went to the Ryan Adams concert at the same amphitheater we were at last night. Evan and I didn't want to go, so we made a dinner reservation at Tavernaccia da Bruno (the place we couldn't get into on Sunday)! We dressed up and Evan used his Google Map to walk us there.

    We were seated at a lovely table for two once we arrived. The hostess was very kind and explained the menu. Evan decided that his primi course would be paparadelle with wild boar ragu, while I had cod ravioli with tomatoes and olives. Both were outstanding! We shared a secondi (you don't have to have primi and secondi, but it was a date so we indulged) of oven roasted suckling pig with roasted potatoes. The skin on the pig was so crispy and salty and porky - heavenly! Evan said it was his favourite thing he's eaten here! I also had a glass of wine and Evan had a glass of Fanta, so we were able to cheers to our date.

    Our dinner ended around 9, and then Evan guided us back to our neighbourhood. We made a detour so that we could get gelato at Fatamorgana. Evan chose straticalla again along with cherry cheesecake. I had avocado and lime, and a tea smoked chocolate. I know they sound crazy, but both flavours were delicious! After our gelato, we headed home. He's not a cheap date, but he's certainly a cute one!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler

    Castello St Angelo, Pranzo, Caravaggio

    July 12, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    After breakfast we ventured out on the tram and then bus to the Castel Saint Angelo. This ominous structure has been many things such as a tomb, a papal safe house, and a prison. We have seen it from afar many times during our adventures in Rome, so it was neat to see up close.

    Next, we wanted to go to a church that housed three Caravaggio paintings, but it was closed for a few hours (this happens a lot here) so we decided to go for pranzo (lunch) and then go back to the church afterwards. We had enjoyed our octopus salad at Fish Market so much the other day that we decided to return there.

    This time they gave us the Italian menu, so I used my limited Italian to try and figure the menu out. In the end we ordered fried calamari; a tuna burger (which Evan loved!); a salad of shrimp, burrata and tomato on a toasty bun; a salad of fennel, oranges, olives and raw tuna; and the octopus salad. Everything was so delicious! I'm not a big fennel fan, but the fennel salad was delightful! Needless to say, we were very full!

    Since it was our last day in Rome, and Baladin was halfway between Fish Market and the church, we just had to pop in for a "quick pint." Evan coined this term when we were in London three years ago, although he uses it facetiously because he feels that these stops are never quick!

    After our pints, we made it to the church to see the Caravaggio paintings. You had to pay a machine to see them illuminated (brilliant scheme) but it was worth the few coins.

    We left the church and headed towards home. The boys wanted to get one more gelato at Fatamorgana, so we ducked in there quickly. Evan had straticalla (he says it never disappoints) and strawberry, while Brad had blackberry and pear. We will miss this gelateria when we leave tomorrow!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    suppli

    Rome

    July 12, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    For our last night, we decided that we needed to try suppli (a fried rice ball often filled with cheese). Brad had had suppli at Bir&Fud before the Ryan Adams concert last night, so he wanted to take us there to try them.

    When we arrived there, we were informed that they were having issues with their kitchen, so we couldn't get suppli but we could get wood fired pizzas. We were glad we stayed because not only were the beers delicious, but so was the pizza! Brad and I shared a pizza that had zucchini blossoms, buffalo mozzarella, and strips of pork fat on it. It sounds crazy, but it was so good! Evan stuck with a traditional margherita pizza (he had a whole pizza himself).

    Still on the hunt for suppli, we checked TripAdvisor and discovered we were quite close to the number 2 suppli place in Rome. We walked for a bit before we found this hole in the wall that was indeed serving suppli (and other things) for take out (you could eat in, but you were basically just in the way of the crowd). Brad bravely faced the horde trying to order (there is no real belief in lining up for things here). He emerged with four supplis: potato, rice and marinara, carbonara, and cheese. We wandered over to the outdoor theatre to sit on a bench and share our supplis. They were hot, salty, and deliciously creamy! Definitely worth the search.

    We were now stuffed to the gils and we still had to pack, so we walked home and got to sorting our stuff. Tomorrow we take the take to Firenze (Florence)!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    starting our trip
    view from kitchenEvan's roomour room

    Firenze or Bust

    July 13, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    We were up early (by our standards) in order to be packed and ready to leave by 10 am. Brad got up extra early in order to go to the bakery and buy us a loaf of still-warm bread.

    We had breakfast, got showered, and packed everything up. Our taxi arrived at 9:55 and we were off to Termini Station to catch our train.

    On the train we were able to sit in a foursome with a table in the middle. This allowed us to eat our snacks around lunchtime. Brad and I also had espressos as well as some small cookies he bought (Evan had cookies, no espresso!). The train was a high speed train, so we were traveling at 240 km/h through the countryside. I thought I might read a bit, but the view was too pretty to stop looking at. There were lots of little towns on hilltops, which looked very cool. The whole trip took less than 90 minutes from station to station.

    We quickly caught a taxi from the station in Florence and were at our apartment in 10 minutes. Giorgio met us and showed us the place - our jaws dropped! It is huge and gorgeous! We have a big garden just outside our kitchen doors and Evan's room is huge! Giorgio is a grandpa, so he also showed us a picture of his grandkids - he is such a kind man! He also gave us a bottle of chilled Prosecco to enjoy later!

    After settling in, we walked to S. Forno and bought mortadella, focaccia, and a soft Tuscan cheese. We also stopped in at CarreFour to grab fruit and yogurt. Evan spied a blue raspberry Fanta, so he got that too. Once home, we ate another small lunch to tide us over until supper. It's unusual to have supper before 7:30 in Italy, so we have had some very late meals.    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler

    Piazzale Michelangelo

    July 13, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    During the late afternoon, we all had short naps. We have two special dinner reservations coming up on Friday and Saturday, so we decided to stay in for supper. Brad made us seafood stew (well, we bought it and Brad heated it up) accompanied by slices of this morning's fresh loaf of bread. Evan and Brad enjoyed a quick stint on the patio before we had to catch the bus up to Piazzale Michelangelo.

    The jam packed bus took us up a winding hill where we were told by Giorgio there's a great view at sunset. He was not mistaken! We arrived as the sun was beginning to set and the view of Florence and the Arno River. We camped out and admired the view for quite awhile - Florence is so beautiful! Evan took a ton of pictures as well.

    Finally we decided to start our half hour walk home. We got to see a lot of the city and the beginnings of the nightlife. We passed so many delicious smelling restaurants! We even passed a man made beach where they've set up a bar and restaurant for the summer.

    Our next two days are fairly low key, but once Sunday hits we are very busy. For now, though, we are all looking forward to seeing more of Firenze!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler

    Mercato Centrale and Palazzo Vecchio

    July 14, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We had a great night's sleep in our new pad. After having breakfast, we ventured out to Mercato Centrale which is a huge indoor market. We toured the food stalls and checked out all the organ meats (tripe, tails, hearts, brains, livers) which is when Evan told us he was considering becoming a vegetarian! I don't think that'll last long. Anyway, we bought a few items including: pork sausage, pecorino romano that was sealed with hay (a traditional method), two types of bread, and even a craft beer. Evan bought a piece of traditional Tuscan cake that is similar to fruit cake but much softer.

    We hauled our funds back home so we could have some of them for lunch. The cheese wrapped in hay was excellent!

    After cleaning up, we set off for the Palazzo Vecchio. This is the secondary tallest structure in the Florentine skyline. It was previously a town hall, then the Medici family took it over and made it into a residence, then it was a town hall again, and now a museum.

    On our way there, we got to walk down a main square which was lined with gold (maybe "gold" too) jewelry shops. There are also a ton of that broke the "good gelato" rules that we learned in Rome (piled too high, brightly coloured).

    The museum itself was very interesting. The first room you enter is a room full of frescoes by Vasari that detail Florentine war victories. You then move into the Medici rooms that were made especially for certain members of the family. The rooms were wry ornate and I loved the huge windows, which would have provided quite the view! We also saw the room with a huge globe and a variety of maps from the Medici. We didn't go up into the bell tower because you had to wait an hour in line and we are going to the top of the Duomo on Tuesday anyway.    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler
    On the bus
    AntipastoPrimiDolci

    Prosecco and Vivo

    July 14, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 24 °C

    We returned to our apartment and Brad and I had a quick glass of prosecco on the patio before we had to leave for dinner. We had to take a bus a good ways across town and then a quick 5 minute walk to the restaurant, Vivo.

    We arrived at 7:30 and a very kind server explained the menu to us in English. The menu changes every day based on what the fisherman catch so they don't have an English menu. There were three choices for antipasto, primi and secondi. We got three antipasti, three primi and shared a secondi.

    Our antipasto included a dish of squid tentacles with a tomato sauce; a bowl of mussels with fried bread cubes; a poke bowl with mackerel. They were all delicious and it worked out well that we all preferred so different.

    For primi we got a tagatelle with shrimp/lagostine like crustaceans (our server told us the name, but we'd never heard of it before); noodles with zucchini and shrimp; and risotto with spiky shelled snails. Again, everything was amazing, but Evan liked the tagatelle, Brad liked the risotto, and I liked the shrimp pasta best.

    Our shared secondi was a mixed fried seafood platter. There are no pictures because we dove in too quickly, but it was full of sea asparagus, squid, sardines, and shrimp - amazing!!

    I was totally stuffed by now, but Brad and Evan opted for dolci (dessert). Brad got a panna cotta with burnt caramel and Evan got a chocolate cake. Good thing we had a 40 minute walk home afterwards!    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler

    Santa Maria, Mercato, Bargello

    July 15, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    Our first stop of the day was at the Santa Maria Novella church. Brad wanted us to not just see the Renaissance style church, but also a few of the art pieces inside. The outside is really beautiful as it uses different coloured stones and marbles to create a decorative effect. It is very different than most of the churches we have seen.

    Inside was lovely as well. There were very large stained glass windows and a variety of paintings, sculptures, and frescoes. The most important piece was by Massacio who basically figured out how to create perspective in his paintings. You could see other works where the artist has just painted everyone the same size, which gives no sense of distance. Massacio figured out how to make things appear more "3D" and not so 2D.

    After the church, we walked back to Mercato Centrale so we could have lunch in the upstairs area. The food options were mind boggling! There was antipasti, tripe sandwiches, supplis, vegan sandwiches, sushi, pizza, and pasta. We tried some pork soup dumplings; a veggie and shrimp crepe roll; a small salad of mozzarella, tomatoes, eggplant and greens; and Evan wanted to try fried rabbit, so we had that too! Fried rabbit is fantastic!

    Quite full, we set off for Florence's national museum, the Bargello. The first floor was mostly sculptures done in a variety of mediums including bronze, porcelain, and marble. We got to see Donatello's version of David, which is much smaller and more boyish than the Michelangelo version. We also got to see works by Giberti and Brunschelli. The second floor was full of artefacts like keys, jewelry, medals, coins, armour and weapons. Evan really like the weaponry and picked out what items he'd use in a zombie apocalypse!

    It was late into the afternoon by this point and the line to get into the Boboli Gardens was massive, so we decided to make our way home and cool down before dinner.    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler

    Butter and Anchovy and Darts

    July 15, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Brad and I enjoyed the last of our prosecco before heading out for dinner. We had a reservation at Butter and Anchovy, named for a traditional Tuscan antipasto. Luckily, it was only a few minutes from our apartment.

    We started with the namesake dish of butter and anchovies. We were brought slices of slightly toasted bread with curls of butter and some anchovies in oil. Evan was not a fan, but Brad and I enjoyed the salty buttery taste!

    For our primi, we each got our own dish (although there was a lot of trying of each other's as always). Evan chose a gnocchi with a basil pesto and white fish; Brad had risotto with pieces of raw fish and shrimp; and I had spaghetti with anchovies. All the dishes were very good, but the real gem of the night was our secondi. We shared a platter of grilled mixed seafood, which included langoustine, shrimp, squid, and a firm white fish. We also got a side of fried zucchini blossoms, which were sweeter and meatier than expected- I'm not sure why we don't eat this in Canada because it's delicious! Anyway, the grilled seafood was truly outstanding!

    We shared the dolci course, which was a tiramisu. Evan claims he's never had it before, so I guess having your first taste of tiramisu in Italy sets the bar pretty high!

    The night was still young (in an Italian way) so we popped into a craft brew pub, Archea, for a quick pint. Evan noticed the darts machine and asked the woman behind the bar if he could play. He popped his money in and he and Brad played a round of darts. After a few darts crashing to the floor, he eventually got the hang of it and was disappointed when it was time to head home.

    We are off to Pisa in the morning! Hopefully the tower won't fall over before we arrive.    Read more

  • Kelly SmithItalyTraveler

    The Leaning Tower

    July 16, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    We had to be up early today to get to the train station. Seeing as that it was Sunday morning, the streets were quiet with the exception of church bells tolling.

    We boarded our train to Pisa and had a nice hour ride through some small towns and the countryside. We got to see the mountains again and fields of solar panels along the way. It's so sunny here it's hard to believe there aren't more solar panels in use! We've had blue skies for our entire trip!

    It was around noon when we pulled into the Pisa train station. We walked about half an hour into the city so we could see the famous Leaning Tower. Our tickets to climb the Tower weren't until 3:45, so we wandered the square a bit and tried to dodge all the people taking the "I'm holding the Tower up!" photos.

    We decided to go off the beaten path for lunch and on our way, we ran into a Fiat parade! I don't know how many there were, but they were all colours and they were all honking their horns - quite the sight! We also happened across two Ferraris that we had seen driving earlier. Evan was pretty pumped to get his picture taken beside them!

    Finally we found this hole in the wall restaurant that we'd been looking for. It's so tiny that you mostly just see people taking their food to go, although there are two tiny tables on either side. This places specializes in all sorts of charcuterie. They had over 50 sandwiches on their menu! I got a pistachio mortadella with smoked cheese and eggplant; Brad had salami with roasted peppers; and Evan chose prosciutto and cheese. They were huge meaty delights! We are ours in a nearby park in the shade.

    We explored a bit more of the city, which is a university town. The University of Pisa dominates the central area, and it's be interesting to be there when university was in session. Instead of tourists everywhere there'd be students, I imagine. There were also tons of touristy souvenir shops selling the Leaning Tower in many forms (pencils, keychains, bags, you name it).

    On our travels we came across a very Anglo coffeehouse, so we popped in and had iced lattes (these are basically non-existent in Italy) which was a nice break from all the espresso shots we've been having. Evan had a lemonata (lemonade) while he tried to catch up on his journaling.

    Feeling refreshed, we made our way back through the tourist hordes to go into the cathedral that is next to the Tower. The alter was especially decorative, although I'm not sure you can really see it in my pictures.

    Our time to climb the Tower neared, so we checked all our bags and got in line. We got into the base of the Tower and were given a very short history of the Tower, and then we were allowed to climb the steep 250 steps to the first lookout. The staircase was very narrow and winding as you could feel the tilt, so you had to be careful as you went. However, the view was worth it! It was neat to walk around because it was like being on a fair ride that undulates. Evan was less keen about going right up to the barrier, but Brad and I enjoyed the view.

    You also had the option to go up to the very top level, so we climbed more stairs to get there. Here you were right next to the huge bells that reside at the top. This view was even more spectacular than the first level, though Evan might disagree! We walked around the top for a bit before making our descent. It was quite the experience!

    After we collected our bags, we slowly made our way towards the train station. We stopped a few times to fill our water bottles at the public fountains and we also stopped for gelato. We took our time to enjoy the sights of Pisa, which is small but pretty.

    We finally caught our train at 5:55 and headed back to Florence. Our train home was more of a milk run, so it took a bit longer to get home than it did to get to Pisa.    Read more

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