Siena and Tuscan Hill Towns

Tuscany

Tuscany has to be one of the most wonderful places on Earth! We were fortunate to see several Tuscan Hill Towns on our way to Rome. The first of which was Siena, just south of Florence, where we celebrated our anniversary! The different regions of Italy are very distinct – it is very easy to notice when one has entered Tuscany. The drive to Siena via SS-222 is rolling hills filled with vineyards, castles and farmland as far as the eye can see. We pulled off the road at least 5 times on the way to Siena to take pics and soak it all in. We can only hope that the pictures that we have taken will do the region some justice.

Once in Siena, we hopped on our scooter and headed into town in search for a great place to have dinner. Siena is amazing! The center is a maze of streets and alleys that make for surprises around every corner. In the heart of Siena, there aren’t any sidewalks so it felt as though we were driving in a place we shouldn’t. After much debate and a beautiful flower later, we decided on a place just off the beaten path called Ristorante Guildo. We shared a fabulous meal in celebration of our one year anniversary. With baked goat cheese, risotto with saffron and asparagus, and filet covered in a wine reduction, we were having the perfect meal.

It is simply amazing how no matter how hard we try, we can not find a way into a town that will let you travel the same way back as you entered. This makes for very difficult navigation on poorly marked roads. Somehow, we manage to find our way every time and for that we are extremely grateful. Bert has gotten used to driving on the narrow roads and is quite good at it. By the time we get back to the states, he isn’t going to know what to do with the enormous roads.

We went into Siena for another day to shop and visit the Duomo (church) which was beautiful. While touring the Duomo, we thought we heard thunder in the far distance. We both looked at each other wondering if we would make it back to the RV in time. Once we left and were headed back to the scooter, there was no sign of rain yet but we knew it was coming. By the time we reached the scooter, the temperature had dropped and it was sprinkling and we knew we just had to get back as quickly as we could. In less than half a mile later, it was pouring. I was holding on to Bert as hard as I could, thinking of warm places - trying to trick our minds into thinking we were at a beach somewhere. Every 5 seconds or so, I would hear Bert say “Ouch!” because a raindrop traveling at 100 mph had just stung his face. At one point, I was asking him if it was hailing and he just laughed and said no that’s what rain feels like when it is pouring and you are traveling 40 mph. Thankfully, we arrived back at our RV unharmed but possibly in the beginning stages of hypothermia. It is pretty funny looking back on it…not quite so funny at the time.

Once thawed, we were headed south toward Rome with plans to stop at little towns along the way. One town, Montalcino was almost a ghost town when we were there. Most of these towns get bus loads of tourists by day and are quiet down by night. These towns are also quite protected (completely enclosed by walls and some even have castles or fortresses) since they were built in the days when they needed to protect themselves from neighboring towns or the barbarians even. We spent the evening walking around and looking at the stunning views of the countryside from the town walls. We had an amazing meal with wild boar stew, homemade pasta with tomatoes and basil and breads with different homemade sauces. We have yet to try something new that we haven’t thoroughly enjoyed.

The next day with plans to spend the night on Lago del Bolsena, we headed south. As we were driving, we passed Stuart cycling on the way to the Lake as well. It was almost a little bit of home when we were able to honk and wave at a familiar face in a foreign country. We made a side trip into Orvieto and we gasped when we saw this little town sitting atop a mountain. It is beautiful! We ate lunch, toured this town’s Duomo and walked around just soaking up the town’s charm. By mid afternoon, we were headed to the lake.

We spent the night right on the water, right outside of Montefiascone. Oddly enough, it was too cool to go swimming. We spent the evening in jeans and long sleeves (not that we are complaining by any means, just surprised) throwing frisbee and playing Pente. Little did we know, Rome would make up for all of the cool temps we were having. The next morning, we arrived on the north side of Rome, excited about seeing the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Vatican City. It is hard to believe that we’ve seen so many things that we have only read about; things that have existed for thousands of years.

We will try to get the Rome blog up quickly but as mentioned before, internet access is limited. We hope you all are doing well!!

Bert and Jen

Firenze

It is so hard to believe that we are only 13 days into our trip. Our days are so filled and sometimes we look at each other and say “What is today?” or “Wait…did we do that yesterday or today?” We last blogged on Sunday, which was our Anniversary and it was wonderful! Thanks for your well wishes! Unfortunately, internet is surprisingly pretty scarce in this part of the world and when you do find it, it can be quite pricey but we are trying to blog as often as we can.

We left off with our arrival in Fiesole, a small hill town outside of Florence. We were so excited when we arrived, not only because the sunset overlooking Florence was breathtaking but because we were itching to break out the scooter. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about riding the scooter, especially after seeing how the Parisians drove. Since we had so much “action” that day with the RV, we decided that we wait until the next day to take the scooter down to the “centro” of Florence (only after a few laps in the scooter around the campground.) The restaurant, Ristaurante da Alida al Valo d’Icaro, located at the top of Fiesole in our campground had the best view of Florence and we enjoyed a great meal here. That first night, we met a British cyclist, Stuart, who was cycling around France and Italy for 100 days. Interestingly, we found out we basically had the same itinerary as he did.

The next day, we hopped on our scooter, ecstatic about the unusually cool weather. As we rode down the mountain, the rolling Tuscan countryside was stunning. As we started into Florence, we realized that we had no idea where we were going but we were having a great time figuring it out. We really enjoyed getting lost in the city and somehow found a parking spot in Piazza del San Marco which was within walking distance from Museo del Accademia and The Duomo. We walked to The Duomo and visited inside. We are always in awe of these beautiful Catholic Churches, each with frescoes, mosaics, huge stained glass windows, and ornate pulpits and altars. This particular church is known for having the first Renaissance Dome and is the model for all others in Europe.

Next, we visited Museo Nazionale or Bargello Museum which housed works such as Donatello’s version of David, sculptures by Michelango and Medici Family treasures. The Medici Family practically raised Michelango and he learned a great deal about art from them. The Museum had a special exhibit on display when we visited. Sculptures by Bernini were so amazingly detailed and we enjoyed studying them. Bert really enjoyed one of his particular works, Sculpture of a Gentleman.

After grabbing our daily gelato treat, we headed back to camp to enjoy our great view at sunset. We got back in time for a quick dip in the pool and made reservations for dinner at the restaurant. After enjoying a great meal, we invited Stuart over for some drinks and conversation. It is always nice to interact with folks of other cultures but much easier with those who share the same language as we do. Bert and Stuart had a great time getting to know each other over iced Limoncello and Cuban cigars, long after I had retreated to bed. We are looking forward to following him on his blog as cycles through Europe.

The next morning, we head back into Florence and after getting lost again, we make it for our 12:30 appointment at Museo del Accademia which houses the famous David by Michelango. The day before we were questioning why this David is so special and we came to the conclusion that it must be better. When we actually saw the statue, all 17 feet of it, we looked at each other and laughed at how we could even question why this one is so special. Pictures could not ever do it justice but of course we sneaked some illegal shots. I encouraged the first one and gave Bert dirty looks on the next 5 that he took. Each time, he figured out better ways to sneak the shots. At one point, Bert was just standing there, camera around his neck, pressing the button. All I could do at that point was laugh but we did not dare want to be reprimanded from one of the museum attendants. They thoroughly enjoyed making a spectacle out of you in front of 600 people.

On the way to the Uffizi Gallery, we window shopped and enjoyed the sunny weather as we strolled the cobblestone streets. The Uffizi Gallery houses the greatest collection of Italian painting anywhere (according to the Florentines.) With paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian and Michelango, it is hard to doubt them. This gallery is organized in a linear fashion, time-wise to allow you to see the development of modern art techniques such as realism, humanism, and 3-D effects. We both felt as though we had good backgrounds in Art History, but learning about all of these artists and their development and history is quite amazing and make us feel as you though we know so little. We have learned so much by visiting these museums.

On our last night in Florence, we spent a lot of time reflecting on our trip, the miles we have traveled and what we have seen and learned. At the start of this trip, we were positive that there would be points where we could be homesick or perhaps even tired of each other – ready for a break. Surprisingly, it has been just the opposite. We are closer than ever and still can’t get enough of each other. I know that we will be able to say this as we approach our 30th or 40th anniversary. God has blessed us tremendously and we are so thankful not only for each other but for allowing us to experience this wonderful trip together.

More to come…Siena and Tuscany are absolutely beautiful! We are camped outside of Lago de Bolsena for the night – headed to Roma in the AM.

Love to you all!

Bert and Jennifer

When we left you all, we had just pulled into Venice. We spent June 15-17 camped at Fusina campground just south of Venezia. The campground was right on the water & loaded with amenities—bar, restaurant, w/d, showers etc. The ferry came to the dock across the street at the top of every hour for the 20 min ride over to the island. On Tuesday the 16th, we slept in & recharged the batteries and caught the afternoon ferry over. The first stop off the bridge was a Gelato stand—Jen got lemon & I had pineapple—Jen won. We were immediately captured by the architectural style and layout of the city. Venice is beautiful! Did we say we loved Paris? We really love Venice!

From there we strolled through the narrow streets window shopping for glass & sampling the local fare along the way to St. Mark’s square and the Correr Museum. The museum was loaded with 15th century paintings, sculptures, coins and weaponry that we couldn’t possibly do justice with a description. It was surreal to stop and think about where we were and putting the pieces of history lessons from years past together using the actual visual aids—truly amazing. After the Correr, we crossed Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal to have dinner at Osteria al Pesador. Wine, great food and service right on the water capped off a wonderful and relaxing day. Again, Paris was great, but we could tell that the pace of Italy was what we were looking for. We caught the last ferry back to camp at 10:30pm and the ride was beautiful.

Wednesday, we woke to more beautiful weather and headed back to Venice for tours of St. Mark’s Basilica which was built in 1063. There were mosaics that covered every inch of the ceiling of this massive building that depicted stories from the bible in brilliant colors with gold background. The whole ceiling shimmered and our necks were a little sore after the tour. Doge’s Palace exterior paled in comparison to St. Mark’s Basilica but the inside was packed with beautiful pieces of art including the largest oil painting in the world, Paradise, at 570 sq. feet. The prisons located in the depths of the palace were a reminder that medieval justice was harsh. Not only were Venetians tried and sentenced for wrongful acts right there in the palace, they were forced to walk across the Bridge of Sighs getting their last look at Venice before they were imprisoned.

We have decided that Gelato is like taking a daily multivitamin – you have to have it! Picking a flavor is a reflection of our personalities and much like eating Mexican food with Jennifer. Just as the #5 combination is a sure thing there, lemon is Jen’s flavor. I on the other hand have to try many flavors—some times good and others not so good. I’m not sure who wins here but it’s interesting to notice the parallels.

We love the Italian culture and language! Their ability to not “sweat the little things” is something we can all learn from. It is all big picture to the Italians. We left Venice headed south to Ravenna along the coast with no specific plans. We stopped for a bite to eat in Rosalina. This ristorante was the equivalent to Bob’s in Madison or Chaney’s in Eden. We were approached by a young girl who didn’t speak English but she quickly called for her Pa-Pa who sat us. His wife took our order, Spaghetti Bolognese, and grandma got up to make our order from scratch. When we received our meal, we realized that the simplest ingredients make for the best meals – pasta, meat, olive oil, butter and tomatoes – you can’t go wrong there. This meal was PHENOMENAL – the best we’ve had thus far. The sense of family that the Italians have is evident in everything they do.

We spent the night in Lido de Nazional and headed for the beach the following day which was just a short walk away. The beach here was not like our beaches of North Carolina. There wasn’t a wave in sight, just a slight current in and out but the cool water temperature allowed for a refreshing escape from the heat. From here, we headed southwest to Florence. The drive was amazing as we drove through Alpe di S. Benedetto with stunning views of Toscana and deep gorges. We were getting a little nervous about driving our RV through the hairpin turns but since I can drive anything with wheels on it we made it through the narrow switchbacks and curves unscathed. Little did we know that this would be an appetizer for the even narrower, stone wall lined roads to come. The ascent to the campground in the hills of Florence was insane to say the least. In fact, as I write this, I am an hour or so from the descent and my stomach is getting a little queasy. At one point, we had 6 cars behind us and had to fold the mirrors in to pass through a section of the road. After some dirty looks and elevated heart rate, we reached Fiesole and Panaramico Campground. The view from our site is of Florence’s city center and the rolling hills of Tuscany. It was worth every nail biting minute of the drive.

We spent two wonderful days in Florence (June 19th-20th) which we will describe in our next blog. Today, it’s our anniversary and we’re off to Siena to celebrate. Thanks for following our blog. Keep the comments coming; we love to hear from everyone.

Jen & Bert