Italy - Day 5 - Reflecting on the Road

I haven't shared much about how we are getting around Italy. For the most part, we are traveling via a large motorcoach. It is quite comfortable especially for some of the longer legs of the journey. Our tour guide creates a rotating seating chart to make sure everyone gets a variety of coach locations and views. The ride is a bit bumpier in the back and there appears to be more legroom in different spots. The bus is equipped with wifi. In some of the smaller villages, we transfer from the large bus to a couple smaller vans.

It is on the bus that many of us are getting our sleep in. We have also traveled by tram, and vaperato. Mostly however we are using our feet. We are walking a lot. Pat is putting some serious mileage on her fit bit.

Today we traveled from Sorrento to Assisi.  On the longer drives, we typically stop periodically to use the water closet (bathroom), stretch our legs, and purchase snacks. The places where we stop are similar to truck stops but they often have freshly prepared pastas and sandwiches.  When you buy snacks and merchandise, it works like it does in the US. However, when it comes to coffee, you pay at the register first. You then get a ticket you present to the barista.

In addition to the normal stops, today we stopped at a WWII cemetary dedicated to the British Commonwealth.

It is located in a town named Cassino. An important battle took place here. The monastery at Cassino was completely destroyed in the process. A group of British veterans happen to be there when we visited. 

We checked into our hotel in Assisi and took a few minutes to freshen up and catch our breaths. Then it was off to tour St. Francis Basilica. St. Francis dedicated his life focused on the poor. This is quite interesting given the fact that he came from a very wealthy family. This is also the name adopted by the current Pope.

St. Francis Basilica is like a little city itself. Priests from all over the world reside there. When you arrive, you are down below and have to trek up to the church. Along the way you pass through narrow streets lined with merchants.

You may notice that I don't have a lot of pictures inside the basilica. That's because they are very holy places with very strict rules. No hats for men and women must have their shoulders and knees covered. Never is any flash photography allowed and sometimes no photography is allowed. I just play it safe and put the camera away. Trust me. They are over the top ornate... all of them.

Back to the hotel for dinner. Arrivederci. 

Italy - Day 4 - How the Other Ten Percent Live

Today was a very busy day. From Sorrento we took a ferry to the Isle of Capri. No Tim. Not the casino. The actual island. This is the place where the rich and famous go to play. We didn't see any celebrities and I assume that's because they stay away during tourist season. This again is very hilly terrain. Capri is laced with small passage ways and steep steps. There are very few vehicles on the island. Small, narrow trucks are used for city services (trash, ambulances, police, etc), but no other forms of transportation. Not even bicycles as they would not be practical for the many stairs.

 Those who grow up on the island have grown very accustomed to all of the walking. Interestingly, we took a gondola from the main landing in Capri to the top of the mountain where all of the shops are.

After taking the gondola back down, we had a light lunch in one of the small cafes. We then took a boat ride (not to be confused with the large ferry) around the island. This was a way to her a unique view of the rock formations and grottoes that make up the island.

After returning for this unique tour of the island, we hopped back on the ferry and returned to the mainland of Sorrento.

We returned to our hotel for a brief respite before dinner. What I didn't realize was that dinner would be the highlight of the trip so far for me.

We had dinner at a Sorrento farm. This is a working farm that has been operated by the same family for generations. They grow olives, oranges, grapes, apricots and other crops. The have a couple cows and a few geese and chickens. All on 4 acres!

 They also make fresh mozzerla and olive oil on site. Extra virgin olive oil comes from the initial pressing within 24 hours of picking the olives. Virgin olive oil is also the first pressing, but after 24 hours of picking.

 Some of our travel mates actually made Margherita pizza as part of a demonstration which we consumed later. I was amazed at how quickly the pizza cooked in the large outdoor oven. Maybe 3-4 minutes.

It was really cool to see how this farming tradition has persisted for so long. The grandmother making the mozzarella didn't speak much English, but when we went to take her picture, she said, "cheese!"

It was back to the hotel for some quick sleep and ready for what tomorrow holds.

Italy - Day 3 - The Worst of Times. It was the best of Times.

We traveled from Rome south to Pompeii.  If you don't know about this place, Google it.  It was a thriving Roman colony that was hit by a massive volcano eruption.  Lava, hot ash, and toxic gasses rained down on the city.  Buildings were buried 10-20 feet deep.  Our tour guide painted a much more devastating picture.  In any event, the city ceased to exist and every living creature was destroyed in an instant.

You can see Mount Vesuvius (the volcano that erupted) in the background of the picture above. Archaeologists are still in the process of uncovering Pompeii, but there is enough completed that you can see how people lived.  We were able to walk down main streets, peer into ancient merchant shops, and even visit the red light district complete with beds and erotic pictures on the walls.  Think "The Oldest Profession".

I won't go into it here, but an archaeologist even figured out a way to make plaster molds of people and animals in the exact position they were in when they died.

We traveled from Pompeii to the Amalfi Coast and Positano of Sorrento.  This is a mountainous region with spectacular views of the Mediterranean. These cliff side villages are quaint, but packed with visitors.

Italy - Day 2 - Popes and Gladiators

We got up early this morning and went to the Vatican.  It is such a holy place steeped in so much history. The crowds were immense.  Approximately 40,000 people visit per day. Luckily, our tour included pre-purchased tickets and the ability to skip the line.  We just walked right in.  For a brief second I felt sorry for those poor souls who were waiting 45 minutes just to buy tickets.  I got over it and had a wonderful tour.

St. Perter's Basilica was beautiful.  The artwork and artifacts is overwhelming. The Sistine Chapel is a lot smaller than I imagined.  The ceiling is breathtaking especially when you can follow much of the symbolism from The Bible.

When we left Vatican City we traveled to The  Colosseum.  This building is just a shell of its original structure, but to think anything could stand for so long boggles the mind.  I learned so much I didn't know.  For instance, the building was originally covered in white limestone and marble, but the church stole it to build their temples.

Did you think that this is where the Romans brought the Christians to be eaten by lions?  So did I. That's just a myth perpetuated by the church.  There were bloody and deadly games that were played here, but the combatants were Roman slaves.  The Gladiators we hear so much about were Roman slaves who fought to the death in the Colosseum.  Also, sometimes the games included slaves being hunted in the arena by wild (and hungry) animals imported from other lands.  To be sure some of the slaves may have been Christian, but your lack of status is what got you on the arena floor more so than your religion.  

Where did these slaves come from? They came from regions conquered by Rome.  Once conquered, you had three choices: 1) pledge allegiance to Rome; 2) become a slave; or 3) die.  Even if you took the first option, you were of much lower status than that of a Roman citizen.

What about the persecuted Christians then?  They were taken to place like the Circus Maximus or The Forum. and crucified.  It was not sport. It was punishment and clear demand for allegiance to Rome.  It was illegal to crucify a Roman citizen so those who converted to Christianity met their fate in some other way such as, beheading.

We ended the day with a unique dinner in an old underground Roman bath house (now converted into a restaurant.  Staff dress in period clothing and belt out traditional Italian songs all night long.

Italy - Day 1 - Get a Little Perspective

We made it to Rome!  Not sure what to expect as we deplaned, but the signs we fairly descriptive and universal.  When all else fails, follow the crowd.  There were long lines at customs, but it moved quickly and efficiently.  Made our way through in about 15 minutes.  Caught a quick tram to baggage claim and after a moderate walk to carousel 10, just like magic off roll all of our worldly goods.  Now if only we had a clue as to how to find our shuttle to the hotel.  I caved in and called the contact number.  Took me a minute to figure out how to add the "+" sign in front of the number for an international call.  Talked to a nice lady and she gave us good direction to our shuttle.

In the above picture we are waiting to get on the shuttle.  The folks in the background are from Dallas (a family of 6) and are on our same tour.  There is another family of three sitting right across from Pat who are also on our tour.  Turns out they are from Columbia, MO and the elder is the same lady who tried to steal Pat's neck pillow on the plane. Small world. 

We take a 45 minute drive to our hotel.  It's about 10:30 in the morning and, as expected, our room is not ready.  We leave our luggage at the hotel and decide to take a walk with some of our fellow tourist.  Turns out the original city wall of Rome is just outside our hotel.

We make out way to the Spanish steps, which I learned lead to the entry gate that Spanish immigrants passed through. 

 
We also had a lovely lunch at a sidewalk cafe.  Pat mistakenly thought pasta with olive oil and pepper referred to black pepper.  Nope:  Red pepper flakes.  It was much to spicy for her taste. 

We made it back to our hotel.  Our room was ready and our baggage was already in our room.  That's when I discovered this:

I had to flag down housekeeping to help me turn on the room lights.  You have to use your room key to turn on the lights.  What silly tourist we are.  Everybody knows that.  Right?  After a quick power nap, about 2 hours, we met our entire tour group in the lobby.  Our tour guide, Marco, engaged us in a cool icebreaker... he handed out name tags randomly and we had to figure who was wearing our name and whose name we were wearing.  It was a natural way to meet folks.

We walked a few blocks to dinner.  Pat and I dined with a young newlywed couple from Chicago. They are on their honeymoon and the husband works for Target.  Note to Brandon: he loves Target, but wishes Corporate would listen to the stores.  He's currently leading a remodel.  They are both vegetarians so Pat and I were overwhelmed with the amount of food left for us to eat... prosciutto, brochette, pizza, red and white wine, cheesecake and tiramisu, and espresso.

After dinner, we hoped on the bus and took an orientation tour of Rome.  We got bunches of picture to share, but I'll just share a couple here.  First is the Forum where all of ancient Roman society gathered.

The final picture is of what is believed to be the prison in which Paul and Peter were held prior to their martyrdom. 

Whew!  What a day.  Seeing all of this reminds me just how new I am to the space I occupy.  Love them or hate them, but our civilization is standing on the experiments of those who came before us.

Italy - Day 0 - Getting There

Well... we are on the way to Italy.  Not much to say about that about Day 0 as it is primarily a travel day.  Our first stop was Chicago.  TSA Pre designation was a real benefit as we breezed through the line.  We had about a 3 hour layover so we decided to stop in at a restaurant in the food court.  According to Pat, the best fish sandwich she's had in a long time.

I tried to schmooze my way into a seat upgrade to no avail.  A completely full flight.  I'm losing my touch. Once on-board, we settled in for a 8.5 hour flight. They served the normal drinks and snacks along with dinner and breakfast.  They have nice entertainment systems to help the time go by.  I played a golf game and scored 104.  Sounds a lot like my real golf game.  Also watched a couple movies, I, Tanya and 3 Billboards.  Pat watched some Denzel movie.  We managed to get a few hours of sleep after Pat caught a woman trying to steal her personal neck pillow.

Overall, a long but reasonably good flight.  What did we learn?  No need to bring pillows, blankets, or snacks.  The airline already provides and just something else to keep up with.  Spring for the extra legroom cabin if you can.

The Italian Adventure

Ciao,
Pat and Stan decided to go on a great adventure.  So we're headed to Italy!  One of our New Year's resolutions was to get our passports stamped and we're making it happen.  We are actually taking a grand tour of the country starting in Rome.

From there we head south as far as Sorrento.  We leave Sorrento and head back north to places like Florence, Venice and Milan.  Ultimately, we end our trip back in Rome and return home from there.  It will be a whirlwind trip and we are excited.  One of our biggest concerns is whether or not we will take the time to actually relax.

We will use this blog to keep The Village apprised of our trip.  The goal is to post daily, but that is likely overly optimistic.  We hope to discover new places and make new friends along the way.  We're looking forward to walking through the history, taking in the art, sampling as much wine as we can, and of course indulging in the cuisine.  Can't wait to experience the quaint villages, the cobblestone streets, the sidewalk cafes, The Vatican, and did I mention the food.

Finally, keep us in your prayers.  You know we are not world travelers so this is a real leap of faith on our part.  We know the world can be a dangerous place these days, but we have a Great Protector traveling with us. Check back often and post questions.  --Addio