Italy
Ghirlandina

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    • Day 20

      Modena Day 3

      April 2, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      Today is Sunday, we slept in and Dad made breakfast. He made eggs and bacon for all of us. We chilled until 12:00, because then Dad started ironing clothes. He is very good at that. Just when we were going to get out and go into downtown, It started to rain. So Mom and Dad went to the grocery store to get food for lunch and dinner. Dad cooked burgers with American cheese and fries. It was awesome! After having a very relaxing day at home, we drove into downtown to see the Duomo. The church was so different from the last few we have seen. It was 2 stories and very dark. We didn’t have any euros to light a candle. But they did have Holy Water. My mom did some shopping and we got frozen yogurt and crepes while we waited for her. My parents are going to a fancy dinner tonight so Andrew and I are going to have pasta and grilled chicken. Andrew and I have been watching “Young Sheldon”. It’s a funny show. Back to Como tomorrow.
      A Presto,
      Renee

      ~Gabe and I were extremely fortunate to get a reservation at Osteria Francescana. It’s owned by Massimo Botura, If you have watched Chefs table: season 1, episode 1. That’s the restaurant. It was an amazing experience. The menu was called “A journey from north to south” of Italy of course. The dishes were so unique. The seating began at 8pm. It was 12 courses and lasted 3.5 hours. There is an option to order a la carte if you don’t want to do the full tasting menu. The a la carte menu features his most famous dishes over the years. We ordered the dish called Parmesan 5 ways. It’s featured on the show. There are only 12 tables in the restaurant and at our dinner each table only had 2 people. I got up to use the restroom and when I was coming back to the table, Chef Botura was coming out of the kitchen. Another guest stopped and talked to him first but I waited so I could say Hello. I shook his hand and said Ciao. He then spoke to me in Italian and I said We are so happy to be here in English. He then smiled and said “we are happy you are here. Thank you for coming”. I said “Grazie Mille”. It was an experience that we will remember forever.
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    • Day 20

      Torre Ghirlandina, Modena

      September 23, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      After lunch we did the climb to the top of the Torre Della Ghirlandina, the bell tower of the Duomo de Modena. Constructed in 1179, it is 86.12 metres high and thankfully the stairs were not as bad as some we have climbed. I did manage to make it to the top without a panic attack. It was great to see Modena from up high and the inside the tower was just as interesting.

      After that we decided we had done enough to be rewarded with a gelato, and I tried two new flavours today. Delicious. I do think I need to walk more to walk off all the goodies we have been eating or Brad might have to roll me home.
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    • Day 2

      Ausblick vom Torre Ghirlandina

      May 13, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Eines unserer Hauptziele für heute war der zentral gelegene Turm Ghirlandina. Ghirlandina bezeichnet den Glockenturm am Dom von Modena. Mit einer Höhe von 86,12 Metern ist der Turm das Wahrzeichen Modenas und ein weithin sichtbarer Blickfang. Der für Italien typische frei stehende Glockenturm wurde Anfang des 12. Jahrhunderts im romanischen Stil begonnen und im 14. Jahrhundert von den Maestri aus Campione mit einer gotischen Turmspitze vollendet. Neben dem sehr schönen Ausblick über die Stadt lohnt sich der Aufstieg auch wegen dem sehr schönen Innenbereich. Faszinierend auch die Türen die mitten im nichts sind, zumindest wirkt es so. Kleine Bretter führen zu diesen, sicher wirkt das aber nicht mehr. Der Blick das Treppenhaus aufwärts und abwärts ist fast so schön wie der Rundblick auf der Aussichtsplattform. Nachdem wir den Ausblick einige Zeit genossen haben ging’s dann wieder zurück zur Piazza Grande.Read more

    • Day 16

      Modena

      November 28, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

      Modena. The town that gave us Ferrari cars and balsamic vinegar. It also lays claim to Luciano Pavarotti whose funeral was held in its Duomo. It's a lovely sweet little town with not much in terms of spectacular monuments. "The charm of Modena is Modena. It's little shops, it's bicycles..." said a man from Seattle who has been living in Modena for many years. In Modena, bicycles rule. Every cyclist must think they are behind the wheel of a Ferrari in a demolition derby. Fast, and if you’re in their way, they'll run you over. We have learnt to approach streets, alleys, junctions and corners with great care least a cyclist appears with intent to kill.

      Like all great Italian destinations, Modena is about food. Great food like nonna would cook. Giant raviolis filled with tasty pumpkin, tasty meats that are just boiled or grilled and with no fuss preparation. Just their yummy pesto, all served up with great service, smiles and grace; even to grubby, bedraggled travelers like us.

      Oh dear. News flash. I'm writing this whilst on the train. A cap from a spray can that I uncapped flew across the train, ricochet and landed amidst 4 very serious looking men in suits, with laptops, pens and paper, having what looked like a business meeting on the train. I cracked up laughing as 2 of the men very chivalrously went on their hands and knees to help retrieve the cap that was sliding all over the floor. Grace insist that I also mention that I provided the train carriage with entertainment as the passengers all around us had a good chuckle. Anyway, cap retrieved, I apologised profusely as the men resumed their serious men's business.
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