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  • TravelerViva Italia!
    Day 16–17

    140,200 steps, 98 kilometres later

    October 14, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    One last day to try to get to a few more historical sites, warm and sunny again. I was hoping that being a Monday, it might be less busy on the streets. The only difference was you saw a lot more business wear instead of casual clothes. Thought I’d try the Fontana di Trevi first, and I guess I should have done my research. The fountain closed October 7 for an indeterminate time for cleaning and restoration work. The monument is dry and being cleaned in small portions. The photos aren’t that exciting but it didn’t stop thousands of people from still congregating and jostling for space along the barriers…guess they didn’t do their research either!

    Came across the beautiful statue of the angel with all the names as I was walking. I was surprised when I translated the inscription:

    “The postal workers of Italy auspice. the patriotic action committee here, wanted to immortalize the names of their fellow workers who fell gloriously for the greatness of their homeland 1915-1918”

    Then it was on to the Pantheon, one of the most impossible buildings to find, even for the fact it is massive. €5.00 gets you access to the once Roman temple (AD126), now Catholic Church (AD609). Stopped in to a pizzeria for late lunch and back again to the apartment to start packing. Was going to be a very early departure in the morning.

    October 15 - took the Metro Subway and then the Leonardo Express to the Leonardo da Vinci airport. Unfortunately had major problems with getting checked in (significant confusion on whether seat assignments had been paid for, even though I had all the receipts). After 45 minutes it was decided I would fly to Zurich on Swiss Air and then hopefully get the Air Canada flight figured out once I got to Zurich. It all worked out, and the plane was loaded and ready to go when air traffic shut us down for two hours so there we sat. Anyway, I am back in Toronto, spending the night at the Sheraton and will head back home tomorrow once I rescue my dog (I don’t think Lynn and Dave are going to give her back!)

    Thanks to everyone who joined me, Lisa, Rich and Sharon on our Viva Italia travels. I know they are continuing to many more wonderful destinations this week and I wish them all the best on their treks!    Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    Day 15

    Rome - 37,000 steps later

    October 13, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    Two days of walking in Rome and I didn’t get very far! You can’t get from point A to point B in anything close to a straight line or without dodging the thousand of tourists still flooding the city. Sunday was quite insane, it was a beautiful, warm sunny day and the crowds were almost impassable. I made it to The Coliseum in the Piazza del Colosseo, with one wrong turn along the way. There isn’t anything to say about The Coliseum except WOW! Unfortunately I was unable to get skip the line tickets and the line to buy tickets was close to 3/4 of a kilometre long. I strolled along the Via dei Fori Imperiali which is closed to traffic and full of archeological ruins, temples, Basilicas, statues, monuments, buskers, opera singers, and hundreds of dogs! Italians bring their dogs everywhere, restaurants, bars, cathedrals, grocery stores, public transportation and yesterday I saw two in a beauty salon…not sure who was getting a new hairdo! The Roman ruins along the Imperiali date back to 306AD. Walking further up the road, I missed the turn to the Fontana di Trevi but ended up in the Piazza del Popolo with its obelisk and Basilica said to be home to the ashes of The Emperor Nero. It was hot and every outdoor restaurant was busy (typically they close at 2:00pm and reopen in the early/late evening). I made the journey back to my apartment and spent the later part of the day planning my transportation to the airport, which was giving me big time grief!Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    Day 14

    Rome

    October 12, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today was the day we went our separate ways. Rich, Lisa and Sharon were going to Genoa and I’m in Rome. It was a great time travelling with them, but now they’ll have more space in the car and not dealing with my ridiculously large suitcase. We said goodbye at the Florence train station, and I caught the train to Rome. Unfortunately, I did not realize there was a Rome terminal before the actual Rome Termini. So naturally, I got off at the wrong stop. I ended up taking the Metro (the subway) to the correct terminal and then continued on to the stop closest to the apartment on Via Urbino. I’m on the seventh floor with a great outdoor terrace and a wonderful view of rooftops. The area is very vibrant with lots of shops and restaurants and traffic and a gay bar about four doors down. Haven’t figured out tomorrow yet, probably The Coliseum and Trevi Fountain as they are within walking distance and continue to try to get tickets to the Vatican and St. Peter’s. Pasta and wine for dinner and it’s time for bed.Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    12
    Day 13

    Addio Donnini, Arrivederci Florence

    October 11, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    Our last day together, our last day in Donnini and Florence. We decided to take the early train to get us into Florence to get in line for access to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. Tickets are free every day except Sunday and religious holidays but the lines can run for great distances. We were fortunate and got in as soon as the Duomo opened. Not as imposing as some of the other cathedrals we’ve visited, it is still a majestic edifice that makes you wonder how these soaring buildings were ever built (90 meters high floor to ceiling) in 1296. We wandered through the leather market again, finally broke down and bought a leather bag to lessen the load in my suitcase. Went back to a restaurant we ate at earlier in the week that was exceptional, only to find they had changed to their winter menu just yesterday. The server was excellent and had the chef prepare 4 of the pasta with lemon and garlic with lemon crumble for us, even though it was no longer on the menu. Back to the Mercato for some take home gifts and gelato and home by train. Our villa inspection was tonight to pay the cleaning fees and taxes and if I haven’t told you how eclectic our place is, you only need to look at the photos attached.Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    Day 12

    Rain, rain, go away….

    October 10, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Well, what can I say? Hurricane Kirk blew through the north and we were faced with the remnants of rain and high winds. There was no choice but to stay home, read, eat, play card games and hope the sun would eventually come out. And by 3:30pm it did, so we found a restaurant in the next town (Carbonile) for dinner but they didn’t open until 7:30pm so it was a late night on the dark, winding roads.Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    Day 11

    Arezzo (via treno from hell)

    October 9, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    Our train trip to Arezzo turned into a bit of a frustrating fiasco first thing this morning. A rail breakdown less than a kilometre from the Arezzo train station left us sitting on the train for 2.5 hours. The train returned to Ponticino but didn’t actually go to the station so we sat there, as they (the train people) promised it would be no more than 30 minutes….right (sarcasm). After finally arriving in Arezzo, we walked up to the walled city, which is very charming, and after the craziness of yesterday with David, almost free of tourists. Arezzo has 3 piazzas, the Grande being the location for the Roberto Benigni movie, Life is Beautiful. The main place of worship, the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Donatus, has been my favourite Duomo so far on this trip. Quite simple on the exterior, we walked in and it was such a surprise to see how stunning the interior was. Built in 1276 by order of Pope Gregory X, it has had an extensive history of additions, upgrades and renovations through to 1914. We walked to the park and back down through the town, stopping for lunch in the Piazza Grande. The train was on time (yay!) and it was another quiet night of peanut butter sandwiches, potato chips and licorice.Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    Day 10

    It’s All About David (and the rain)

    October 8, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

    This day was all about David. We trained into Florence in the morning and went back to the indoor market because the weather was getting bad. Spent some time wandering and having lunch before the crowds got too big. Walked over to the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze for our 1:45pm ticketed entrance to the museum. The skies opened up and it was a steady, heavy rain and there were literally thousands of people standing in various lines, with umbrellas threatening to take out any unsuspecting eyeballs. We found out the timed entry was delayed by almost 45 minutes so hunkered down under a store awning until we heard our time called and got in line. Once in, you are subjected to the X-ray screening that is now common in all the larger galleries. The museum is fairly small, and although featuring many paintings and statues, the main reason to visit is David. Created by Michelangelo in 1501-1504, the statue stands almost 17’ high carved from a single block of stone called “the giant” by previous sculptors who tried to sculpt it without success. David is shown just prior to his battle with Goliath, with the stone in his right hand and the sling over his left shoulder. It was a long day battling crowds and bad weather so we caught the train home and had an early night.Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    1
    Day 9

    Down Day and Florence Market

    October 7, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    I decided today to take a down day. I stayed in Donnini, went for a walk, visited the bakery, grocery store and pizzeria and got some desperately needed nap time, my sleep has been minimal at best over the last week. If it had been a nicer day I could have gone for a swim in our pool but it’s been terrible weather off and on with Hurricane Kirk playing havoc in France and Germany. Lisa, Rich and Sharon decided to take the train back into Florence and found a great indoor market with amazing vendors featuring hundreds of varieties of meats, poultry, fish, cheese, breads, pastas, balsamic vinegars, olive oils, limoncello, chocolate, fruits, vegetables, gelato and so much more. There was also a cooking class taking place and the upper level was a massive food court featuring everything from homemade truffle pasta to sushi to Smashburgers to pizza and every kind of dessert possible. When they returned home we went out for dinner at Pizzeria Cacciatore in town to celebrate Lisa’s birthday.Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    1
    Day 8

    Firenze (via treno)

    October 6, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today we left the car at home and took the 30 minute ride into Florence by train. No more winding roads for the near future. Once we arrived, we made our way through the town to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in the Piazza del Duomo. Our planned destination for the day was the Palazzo Pitti, home to Florentine banker Luca Pitti in the 1400’s, now home to 5 museums - The Treasury of the Grand Dukes, The Museum of Russian Icons, the Palantine Gallery, the Imperial and Royal Apartments, The Gallery of Modern Art and Museum of Costume and Fashion. On the first Sunday of every month, most museums and galleries throughout Italy offer free admission, as long as you are willing to wait in line for tickets and access. Florence is a massive city and the streets were teeming with thousands of people. We poked our heads into many of the exclusive stores and some of the prices were really beyond our budgets, but it’s always fun to look at expensive clothing, handbags and jewelry. We got to the Palace, only waited for a brief time to get tickets and entry. To say it’s overwhelming, well that’s the only word that kept coming to mind….it’s impossible to show the rooms, the halls, the ceilings, the walls, the floors- every inch of this 344,445 square feet, three floor museum is covered with art, statues, frescoes, furniture, not including the 111 acres of the Boboli Gardens. It took us a few hours to view just a small portion - Lisa, Rich and Sharon toured the Gardens while I opted for the Museum of Costume and Fashion. We all agreed the Modern Art was our favourite. After leaving the Palace we spent some time in the Piazza de’ Pitti enjoying the sunshine and taking photos and people watching…so many people! Late lunch at a fantastic outdoor restaurant with a view of the Cathedral and it was back on the train to Sant’Ellero and home to Donnini.Read more

  • TravelerViva Italia!
    Day 8

    Greve Market and Moving Day

    October 6, 2024 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    Today was the day we were moving from Siena to Donnini so it was an early morning packing and getting out of the Villa by 10:00am. There was an open market we wanted to stop into in Greve so we headed there, hoping to spend some time before check into Donnini at 4:00pm. The market was really geared to locals, selling everything from sewing notions, underwear, household goods, shoes, bedding, dish ware, clothing, scarves and pharmacy items like shampoo and shaving cream. A separate part of the market sold fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, rotisserie chickens, huge loaves of bread but all geared towards grocery shopping. We saw a nonna with some beautiful leeks in her shopping cart and I bet there were some great dinners being made that night with all that wonderful, fresh food. Lunch in an outdoor setting once again, I had an excellent ham frittata with crostini with chicken livers, Lisa and Sharon had pizza and Rich tried the lasagna. It’s been a lot of pizza and pasta but it’s so different from how we prepare at home, the food here doesn’t leave you feeling overfilled- usually just enough to leave room for afternoon gelato. We left for Donnini, travelling through wine country again and started up the winding hillside to the town. Let’s just say this is an interesting little village. There are two restaurants and a bakery that makes bread in the morning. A small Coop grocery store that opens in the late afternoon and a small courtyard bar. Everyone knows everyone else, the restaurant and bar is the social centre for all residents and their dogs…needless to say, we 4 Canadians really stuck out! The Villa Vania is so eclectic, it will need a post of its own…sadly the temperature this evening has dropped to 9 degrees so none of us will be venturing out for a swim in the pool this evening!Read more

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