Venice

After several wonderful days in Tuscany, we hopped in the van and drove north to Venice.  Bologna was about halfway, so we made a 90-minute lunch stop there around the main square getting a quick visual image of the city.  

Bologna is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region and is known for its many miles of porticoes -- listed by UNESCO as world heritage sites that "have become an expression and element of Bologna's urban identity."

We drove on to Venice, and dropped off the van at the mainland Mestre train station then took the regional train to the Santa Maria Novella station on the main island.  The historic heart of Venice is a maze of canals and narrow alleyways that look pretty much like they did centuries ago when the Venetian empire ruled the seas in the Mediterranean and surrounding lands.  To explore the city, you're either walking or in a boat.  The public transit system is actually a small naval fleet of boats called vaparettos.

We wandered the back alleys admiring the architecture, exploring the shops, and sticking our heads into a basilica or two.  We snagged front row seats on the vaporetto and cruised down the Grand Canal, admiring the former palaces and buildings with front doors accessed via boat.  We also didn't miss an opportunity to take a gondola ride through the back canals.  Ricardo was our gondolier who has been learning the skills since childhood and has been professional for about four years. 

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and Venice was the final stop on our Italy tour.  We took the train to Florence for a fast overnight stay to catch our flights home and celebrated Mona's birthday along the way.  Italy has been wonderful, and if our coins tossed into Trevi fountain are successful, we'll make it back one day.  A few final photos of Venice:

Rialto Bridge

It's not an Illusion

The Bell Tower in Pisa really does lean.  Construction first started in 1172, and it began to sink in 1178.  Construction was completed in 1372 with the final addition of the bell chamber atop the seventh story.  Here we are some 650 years later and the tower still leans.  It's also still standing.  Amazing. 

Lots of Wine in Tuscany

Italy is known for its wines, and many wines are produced in Tuscany.  Our introduction to Tuscan wines began with a stop in Montepulciano, where we toured the Family Contucci wine cellars and did a wine tasting.  The Contucci family has been making wine for over 1,000(!) years.  The wineries in Montepulciano are known for the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a red wine that is aged for two years with at least one year in an oak barrel.

Interestingly, the Vino Nobile is primarily made with Sangiovese grapes and not the namesake Montepulciano grape of the region.  Montepulciano d'Abruzzo is made with 85% Montepulicano grapes, but in the Abruzzo region of East-Central Italy and not actually in Montepulciano.  Go figure.  The Montepulicano d'Abruzzo wine was a favorite of Renee and Mona and one we have frequently purchased on this trip.

Our villa hosts in Tuscany recommended the Guado al Melo winery as one of their favorites.   Located in the Bolgheri area about 40 minutes south of the Villa, this area pioneered blended wines that are called Super Tuscan.  Renee, Mona, and Annalise enjoyed a full tour of the winery while Mark and Bryan joined for the wine tasting at the end.  It was a wonderful explanation of how the winery is owned by Professor Attilio Scienza, his son, and his daughter-in-law who come from generations of wine makers. 

Guado al Melo wine tasting

Professor Scienza taught viticulture in Milan and has experimental plants in some of the fields along with a library of over 15,000 books on wine.  An educational museum is also part of the winery.  The tour explained how the winery was built 2 meters underground beneath the vineyard fields and the architectural features and design that helps it maintain a sustainability certification such as skylights for natural lighting, no AC needed for cooling, lowest environmental impact and farming, etc.  You can read about their history, efforts, and family on their website at:  www.guadoalmelo.it

During the winery tour, we also learned about various methods for growing and harvesting grapes.  One is from ancient Greece where plants are grown and pruned like little trees.  A second is from ancient Egypt where the vines were on pergolas creating a tunnel effect above the walkways.  With this method, the grapes hung down into the cooler areas shaded from the hot sun by the canopy of vines. 

Contucci wine cellar

A third method is from ancient Italy where the vines are planted next to a tree and grow up into the partner tree.  The partner tree provides structure and the workers would lean ladders against the trees to gather the grapes as they grow vertically up the limbs. The fourth method is today's popular approach of cultivating the vines along wires strung between posts.

The tour was very much a learning experience that not only showcased the winery itself, but also discussed the history of winemaking and the unique Tuscan wine experience.  We enjoyed all we learned and the delicious wine tasting, and we understand why Guado al Melo is one of our hosts' favorite wineries in the area.

Harvest Season

Olives ready for harvest

As I mentioned in the last post, we are in Tuscany for several days, staying in a villa on a small family farm.  Nicolo and Mia do most of the farmwork with Nicolo's sister.  They have a nice grove of olive trees and it is harvest season.  Several friends have come to help them harvest the olives this weekend, and we were able to not only watch, but pitch in and help.

Our host Nicolo

They are an organic farm that uses no pesticides or fertilizers.  As part of the certification, they get the olives to the processor the same day they are harvested.  The process is fairly straightforward.  Nets are placed underneath the trees then using what looks like a specialized trimmer, they run the equipment through the trees to pull and vibrate the olives off of them.   They are not actually trimming, but the equipment gives the appearance that is what's happening.

I asked to give the equipment a try and harvested about one-half of a tree by myself.  As you run the equipment through a tree, most of the olives fall into the nets underneath.  A few go flying so you have to pay attention to not be pelted in the face.  Even though the equipment doesn't actually trim the trees, leaves and a few sticks from the ends of branches fall on the nets along with the olives.  We helped pull this debris out of the fallen olives so the owners could have as pure of a load as possible.  The purer the load, the better the price.  

Getting to use the equipment

The olives grown at this farm are used to make olive oil.  Many were still green, but a number had ripened into a darker, more purplish color.  The more ripe olives usually yield more oil, but Nicolo said they don't really affect the taste or quality of the oil.  When the owners take this load to the processor, they will return with bottles of oil from yesterday's harvest. The process happens this fast, and they anticipate generating about 450 bottles since it is a good harvest year.    

Easier to sit to remove the debris

For a small family operation, it is labor intensive, but we could tell from our conversations that it is a labor of love. They are kindly giving us a bottle from the harvest today, and we are looking forward to sampling the finished product.

Harvested olives

Pasta!

Food, especially pasta, is undoubtedly one of the things most associated with Italy. One of the experiences our friend Renee was very excited about was a pasta-making class, and today was the day!

Yesterday we rented a van and drove from Rome to Tuscany.  We're staying at a villa that is part of a small family farm. 

Our teacher was Chef Nicolo whose grandparents originally purchased the property in the 1980s.  Nicolo lives here with his girlfriend and his sister, and the three of them do most of the farm work.

I've never made my own fresh pasta, so I was looking forward to the class as much as Renee.  Nicolo had our table on the patio all set up with ingredients, bowls, rolling pins, and pasta rollers ready to dive in. 

 

He gave us a very straightforward recipe to use that we can adapt to many types of pasta.  It was a simple combination of flour, semolina, eggs and egg yolks.

Today we made ravioli and tagliatelle, combining the ingredients with our hands to ensure just the right consistency.  Nicolo also showed us how to make the left over pieces into delicious maltagliati which translates to "badly cut."  Using the pasta roller, we were able to get the dough incredibly thin.  Nicolo made a spinach and ricotta filling for the ravioli ahead of time, but we made the dough, shaped it, and cut it.  It was a lot of fun to learn and delicious to eat afterwards! Nicolo cooked what we made and we feasted on ravioli cooked in a sage butter sauce, walnut pesto maltagliati, and braised beef ragu tagliatelle. 

All of it was incredibly delicious.  I may now have to invest in some pasta making tools when I get home, but first, I think it's time for a nap.

The Vatican

I didn't specifically mention the Vatican during my whirlwind summary of Rome, and that's because the Vatican is not in Rome.  Vatican City is completely surrounded by Rome, yet it is an independent country -- the world's smallest in both area and population.  It is the seat of the Catholic Church.  Vatican City is considered an absolute monarchy ruled by the Pope, who is both the head of state and the head of the Catholic Church.

Tomasso, our guide for the Colosseum tour, was also our tour guide for the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica.  We've found that hiring a private guide for such history-rich sites like the Colosseum and the Vatican are well worth the investment.

With our guide Tomasso

As we walked through the Vatican Museum and saw so many pieces of priceless art and artifacts, Tomasso reinforced that the early popes behaved essentially like kings.  They acquired wealth and that wealth was used to buy expensive items such as sculptures, paintings, and tapestries which are priceless artifacts today.  Their wealth was also used to build and expand the "palace" which now houses the Vatican Museum.

Seeing the Sistine Chapel was both awe-inspiring and yet indescribable.  Photography is not allowed in the chapel, so we only have our visual memories to remember.  Sorry, no pictures.

Michelangelo's Pieta

We finished our tour in St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world.  There are markers on the floor that show where other cathedrals would end relative to St. Peter's, completely fitting inside with room to spare.  We saw several that we've visited through our travels, including Washington National Cathedral in D.C., St. Paul's in London, and the Florence Cathedral with Brunelleschi's dome.  In short, St. Peter's is cavernous and takes pride in it.

Swiss Guard

We walked through the cathedral amazed at its beauty and its religious history.  We saw Michelangelo's Pieta, carved when he was only 23.  We walked around Bernini's gilded canopy that covers the high altar.  We also heard singing and organ music coming from a side chapel from a mass in progress, filling the space with such beautiful sound to match what our eyes were seeing.

Our tour was late in the day, so it was close to 7:00pm before we left the basilica.  Darkness had fallen and we got to see St. Peter's bathed in light.  A lovely end to a lovely day.

Roma

We've been in Rome for a few days and have survived jam-packed days exploring the city and its history. We visited all of the major sites such as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon.  We climbed the Spanish Steps and tossed a coin in Trevi Fountain.  We explored Castel Sant'Angelo, walked along the Tiber River, and meandered through narrow streets and alleys.  We enjoyed great food, great wine, and made several stops for gelato. 

A brief pictorial summary of our time in Rome:

We hired a guide to tour the Colosseum -- Tomasso -- and he did a fantastic job explaining its history, architecture, and importance.  He teaches archaeology at one of the local universities and was a wealth of knowledge.  He also took us through the Roman Forum and gave us great insight to what we were seeing and how it looked 2,000 years ago.

Colosseum interior

Mona and I have been to Italy once before, but on the previous trip the Trevi Fountain was under renovation and behind scaffolding.  It now looks almost new.  We did what many tourists do, we tossed a coin over our shoulder into the fountain to guarantee our return to Rome.

Trevi Fountain

Pantheon

The Pantheon was constructed under Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D.  The top of the dome is open -- a roughly 30 foot diameter oculus -- that is the only source of light.  It acts a a sort of sundial as the light changes throughout the day.  That also means water gets in when it rains, but the floor is slightly convex with drain holes to carry the water away.  Genius engineering from two millennia ago.

The oculus at the pinnacle of the dome

Drain holes in the marble floor

At the Spanish Steps

We walked a lot of miles, yet this only scratched the surface.   Even though it was very crowded in Rome while we were here, it did not disappoint.

Herculaneum Success

Peacock wall mosaic

After getting rained out at the end of our Pompeii tour and not getting to Herculaneum, we called an audible and went there before we left Naples yesterday instead of exploring our Spanish Quarter neighborhood. 

Herculaneum was buried under almost 80 feet of volcanic lava, ash, and rock -- four times the amount as Pompeii.  It was also buried much faster, in only a matter of minutes rather than two days like Pompeii. Because of this, Herculaneum is better preserved than Pompeii.  We saw more intact frescoes, wood that had been mineralized, and even a preserved boat.  It was a resort town for the rich, so many homes had elegant features still visible in the ruins today.  Herculaneum is also more compact than Pompeii, allowing us to see more of it in a few hours relative to Pompeii.

Original Herculaneum Street

We would have liked to stay longer, but it was still a great visit in spite of the rain.  We made it back to the train station in plenty of time to ride the Frecciarossa high-speed train to Rome.  Looking forward to sunnier weather and more history in the Italian capital.  

One of the well-preserved houses

Neptune wall mosaic

Naples and Pompeii

After a whirlwind visit to Florence, we took the high-speed Frecciarossa train to Naples. And by high-speed, I mean speeds approaching 300km/h (186 mph).  The Frecciarossa is a very smooth ride and you don't necessarily realize how fast you're traveling.  Even with a brief stop in Rome, it cuts driving time in half.

Most folks know that Naples is the birthplace of pizza, but not as many know it's the gateway to the well-preserved ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.  These were the reasons we wanted to include Naples on this trip.  In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius had a massive volcanic eruption that completely buried these two cities in a matter of hours. They were all-but-forgotten for over 1,500 years until initially being rediscovered in the late 16th century.  It wasn't until the mid-1700s that the first formal excavation occurred.

Before venturing to Pompeii today, we first visited the National Archaeological Museum in Naples yesterday.  The museum covers archaeological history in general and has more exhibits than just the period around 79 A.D.  However, there is a significant portion of the museum dedicated to Pompeii and Herculaneum.  It is here that most of the original items artifacts are displayed.  Most of what people see in Pompeii are copies.  It is amazing how many of the artifacts are in such excellent condition considering they were buried under some 20 feet of pumice stone and ash.

For today's journey to Pompeii, we rented a car as we planned to see both Pompeii and Herculaneum and driving made the most sense.  We hired a guide for our Pompeii tour -- Paola -- and she met us on site. There's so much to see at Pompeii that it's impossible in just one day.  Paola said we would need five days to cover the entire area.  She focused us on some of the more important sites as well as some of the most recently excavated. There are still large areas that are not yet uncovered.  It was incredible to see intact frescoes on the walls, intact mosaic tile floors, and original columns still standing after such massive destruction from the eruption.  Paola was an excellent guide and provided much appreciated information and context to what we were seeing.

Unfortunately, we did not get to see as much as we would have liked.  Just as Paola was finishing our tour, the skies opened up and a massive thunderstorm moved through the area replete with multiple lightning flashes all around us. Our plan was to explore more of Pompeii on our own before venturing to Herculaneum, but it was clear the storm had settled in for the afternoon.  It wasn't so much being soaked from the rain as it was thunder and lightning that made us call it quits early.  Herculaneum will have to be another time.

After a brief lunch stop, we drove back to Naples in the rain and returned the rental car. Regardless of not getting to do all we wanted, it was still a fantastic day.  The sun eventually popped out allowing us to cap off our day eating a traditional Neapolitan pizza dinner al fresco. 

Firenze

Basilica di Santa Croce

After a really long day of travel, we've started our Italian journey in Florence -- Firenze to the locals.  We flew to London first and then direct to Florence. Florence has a smaller airport with no jet bridges, so we deplaned on the tarmac and then rode a bus to the terminal building.  We rode the tram from the airport to the train station and then walked to our apartment.  Needless to say, we were quite tired.  But we still managed to walk around a bit to get a feel for the city                                                                                                    before crashing for the night.  

Galileo's tomb

Buongiorno Florence! Today was our day to explore and there was so much to see.  We started our morning at the 14th-century Basilica di Santa Croce.  Santa Croce is the largest Franciscan church in the world.  It is still a place of worship with a daily mass; however, it is jointly owned by the Italian government and the municipality of Florence.

Over the years, it has become a place where prominent Italians are entombed or remembered, especially Florentines.  We visited the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and the famous Italian composer Gioachino Rossini.  We also saw remembrance markers for Dante and Leonardo da Vinci, but they are entombed elsewhere.  The high ceilings are ornately-painted wooden beams, some of which have the faces of Franciscan saints.  Outside the church are two lovely cloisters, serene green spaces to be contemplative before exiting to the bustling city outside its walls.

Michelangelo's tomb

After Santa Croce, we walked to the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's iconic statue David.  Created between 1501 and 1504, this marble masterpiece was placed outside in the public square in front of Piazza della Signoria.  Originally intended to be placed in the cathedral, it was placed outside to project Florentine strength.  It wasn't until 1873 that the statue was moved to the Accademia.  To me, the most impressive part of David is the realism Michelangelo was able to convey -- veins in the hand, fingernails, eyes, etc. -- carved from a single block of marble.  It's challenging to convey in words how phenomenal this sculpture is.

Incredible realism

We stopped for a late lunch at a nearby Osteria, eating fresh Italian food at an outside table -- the first of many al fresco meals I expect to enjoy during our trip.  After our meal, the Sextons headed back to the apartment to rest for a bit.  Mona and I detoured to the Duomo (cathedral) to see the interior and Brunelleschi's dome.  Filippo Brunelleschi was a founding father of Renaissance architecture and is most famous for the dome on the Florence cathedral.  His dome was the inspiration for Michelangelo's dome on St. Peter's Cathedral at the Vatican.

We finished our time in Florence meandering the streets, seeing and walking across the Ponte Vecchio bridge, and perusing the shops. Florence is so rich in history, art, and culture that we could spend multiple days here and still not see everything.  With only one full day to explore, we didn't attempt to see it all.   We wandered and soaked up the essence of the city.  And we ate well.....very well. 

Ponte Vecchio

Florence skyline highlighted by the Duomo