Heritage network for Roseto Valfortore-Italy and it's sister city Roseto-PA
ROME TO VENICE AND BACK
The next nine days was a whirlwind of activities as Louise, Al & Craig took in all of the sights that I had seen the fall before. Even I, as I knew I would, had new and great experiences. Starting off with our tour of Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica and especially the Sistine Chapel soon had the three realizing that the Globus Bus Tour was a good choice for this trip. We always seemed to be front line and center with regards to getting into all and any of the venues. Of course there were time restraints, but still I do believe that we got to see all of the important sights, with time to spare in which to have lunch on our own. Plus our last night in Rome - before we were to continue on to the rest of the trip - we took in dinner ourselves at Piazza Navona - rather than joining in with the group for an extra event. With the nasty headache of the day before pretty much gone, I could share in the bottle of wine -much to Al’s chagrin. Always the kidder - “Oh there’s not as much for us now that Lynda’s feeling better - too bad” with a big grin on his face.
Heading out of Rome the next morning we made the usual stop at Ostia Antica before reaching Pisa, our destination for the night. Rolling through the beautiful Tuscan countryside, it was plain to see that the other three were becoming just as enchanted as I was with the rural surroundings. And with Andrea Bocelli’s voice entertaining us along the way, we quickly realized that, as I experienced on the trip last September, we had a wonderful tour guide and bus driver in Anna and Claudio. Claudio, who did not speak English fluently, nonetheless always had a great smile on his face - plus he was not flirty in the way that Carlo had been. Just a very nice guy, always ready to help. Anna always started off our morning as we boarded the bus with a lesson “Good morning” - Buon Giorno” - and then “What a beautiful day” - “Che Bella Giornata”. In no time we were all greeting each other in the same way.
From Pisa the next morning we took the short ride to San Gimignano. As mentioned in my previous accounts this is very much a touristy town but one you don’t want to miss. With it’s walled in city and it’s numerous remaining towers it provided lots of little alleyways and shops to explore in the hour and a half that we were given. Of course we did not realize at the time that just a few years later we would be spending a couple of days here on our own. Obviously the town and the area must have made a lasting impression on the four of us.
But one of the highlights of the tour was coming up. On leaving San Gimignano and before arriving in Florence we would be traversing through the wine country roads in Chianti and stopping for the wine tasting at Verazzanno Castle. I had raved on about this so much before our trip that I was praying it was going to be just as good as I remembered. And it was. I have to tell a funny little story first. When we arrived at Fumicino Airport in Rome, and while we were waiting for other tourists before our transport could leave for the hotel, we were joined by two priests. I hate to say it but we were wondering “are they on our tour” and if so “is it going to put a damper on things”. Well they were on our tour and it certainly did not put a damper on anything. In fact Father Bernie from Sault Ste Marie, Ontario - who was sent on this trip by his parishioners as an Anniversary celebration (I forget how many years) along with his companion - a younger priest whose names escapes me right at this moment - shared our table at the wine tasting. We had more laughs as we tried to beat them to the wine bottles as they were being brought out. I think they won! There was certainly nothing wrong with their appetite for the antipasti - or - the vino. It was a memorable experience for all of us and we left feeling very satisfied, knowing that now we could sit back and relax while the bus motored on to Florence.
What can you say about Florence? Of course I’ve said it all before in my previous missive. But it is a beautiful city architecturally-wise. And as Louise and I found out on returning to our agreed upon location after shopping - so were the Florentine women. We entered the Piazza della Signoria to see Al & Craig sitting on the edge of a water fountain, big smiles on their faces taking in the parade of well dressed women walking past them.
Day five found us touring the Cities of Balogna and Verona as we headed for the next two night’s destination of Venice. In Balogna I showed Craig the Piazza Maggiore, the spot where I had my somewhat embarrassing little cry the fall before, prompted by memories of my father. All the while Louise was busy snapping photos of a wedding party - where if memory serves me correctly the couple were taking off in a snappy looking wedding present - a Mazzarati or maybe even a Lamborghini. And something of a contradiction was happening in and around the square with entertainment. In one corner sat a kind of homely/but cute little round ball of a man playing an accordian while he used his foot to beat on a drum. In another area was a muscular he-man type of guy clad in black leather pants, black muscle shirt, and motorcycle boots, strumming away on an electric guitar. Two gals from New Jersey were busily buying one of his discs before boarding our bus. Meanwhile our contribution had been to drop a few coins into the Accordian playing man’s box. In Verona Al had to have his picture taken stroking the breast of Juliete’s statute, where so many had been before that it was now a very shiny bronze, as compared to the rest of her. This is supposed to bring you good luck! Uh-Huh! After a nice lunch in the square we had time to walk around the town a bit before heading for the bus and on to Venice.
Craig had said all along that Venice would be one of the places that he didn’t care whether or not he saw. But I contend that you at least have to give it a look. We were lucky in that we had great weather. And whereas last fall I did not have the experience of a Gondola ride - this time the four of us decided that it was on the “to do” list. We four shared a Gondola with a lovely couple from Georgia - Don and Pat - and would in fact sit down to dinner with them many times throughout the tour - as well as Marj and Wally from Illinois. But, one of the things that Craig did especially want to do is take in dinner at the same place that Auntie Mary, Nanci and I had last fall and that was a place called Martini’s where we had enjoyed a delicious risotto. Well you do find out one thing and that is that you shouldn’t necessarily try to repeat what you enjoyed once. The whole thing fell rather short of our expectations. While the food was good, we did not experience the same friendly waiter that I had before. The ambiance just wasn’t there - and well it’s maybe a lesson learned. At the end of the day though we did enjoy Venice - even Craig. While it might not remain on a favourite list -it is a definite not to miss it.
While dinner in Venice may have been a disappointment there always seems to be a surprise around the corner and maybe in a place that you least expect. After we left Venice and headed on to the next destination of Assisi - one of our stops was in San Marino, the oldest Sovereign State and Republic that sits within Italy itself. We wouldn’t have a lot of time here; it was mainly a stop at lunch time and a chance to head up to the top of the town and look out over the glorious countryside. However, when our bus pulled up Anna told us not to miss the meal in the restaurant adjacent to where we were parked. She said they had the best Tagliatele Bolognese - and it was a local favourite. Not expecting too much, we were surprised to walk into the place to see long tables set up with tableclothes, dishes and cutlery just waiting for us to sit down. So sit down we did and were we glad! A bottle of wine and the best Tagliatele Bolognese I have had, made it all so memorable. And we still had time to jaunt up the hill to the lookout for a quick view of the surrounding scenery.
Motoring on we arrived in Assisi in time for us to have a tour of the Cathedral. Unfortunately they’d had an earthquake in this area just a few days after my tour in the fall of 1997, and with the damage they had experienced in the main chapel we were not able to tour that part. Reconstruction and cleaning up was still ongoing. But different from last time, where we were just outside of the old town of Assisi, this time our tour was right in the town in an old hotel. Craig and I were lucky to have a room facing out to the valley below us and we also had a quaint little balcony where the four of us could sit out and have a drink of wine -so it was lovely. That evening we wandered up through the town and came upon a performance of classical music in one of the old buildings. The music drew us nearer and we soon entered and sat down in the front row. Probably a mistake for us - because we found ourselves wanting to clap between movements until we realized that this was not the thing you do. A little embarrassed at our first outburst, we sat quietly through another couple of movements before we, as inconspicuously as possible, made our exit. Back out on the street, it was now dark and we were enchanted to see that rather than any electric lights, the alleyways were all lit up with gas lamps. Dark shadows everywhere, it was quite an experience as we made our way down the sloping streets and back to our hotel.
Our last day was spent leaving Assisi and heading back to Rome. But before we arrive, as we did last fall, our tour stopped in Orvieto where we would for the last time experience a small town, it’s shops and the ambiance of a leisurely lunch in a small café. What a fantastic nine days - and we were not yet quite finished. Back in Rome we all rested up a bit before we changed and got ready for the last night’s Farewell Dinner. We had a ball, eating, drinking and laughing amid the camaraderie of a group of people on the tour who did nothing but make the whole time memorable. And as is the tradition in Rome, one last stop at Trevi Fountain - to toss our coin in over our shoulders, and make our wish to return once again to Rome. I know it worked last time. Could it be possible a third time?
Next: A glimpse of Southern Italy - Meeting Sandy and Joe
Heading out of Rome the next morning we made the usual stop at Ostia Antica before reaching Pisa, our destination for the night. Rolling through the beautiful Tuscan countryside, it was plain to see that the other three were becoming just as enchanted as I was with the rural surroundings. And with Andrea Bocelli’s voice entertaining us along the way, we quickly realized that, as I experienced on the trip last September, we had a wonderful tour guide and bus driver in Anna and Claudio. Claudio, who did not speak English fluently, nonetheless always had a great smile on his face - plus he was not flirty in the way that Carlo had been. Just a very nice guy, always ready to help. Anna always started off our morning as we boarded the bus with a lesson “Good morning” - Buon Giorno” - and then “What a beautiful day” - “Che Bella Giornata”. In no time we were all greeting each other in the same way.
From Pisa the next morning we took the short ride to San Gimignano. As mentioned in my previous accounts this is very much a touristy town but one you don’t want to miss. With it’s walled in city and it’s numerous remaining towers it provided lots of little alleyways and shops to explore in the hour and a half that we were given. Of course we did not realize at the time that just a few years later we would be spending a couple of days here on our own. Obviously the town and the area must have made a lasting impression on the four of us.
But one of the highlights of the tour was coming up. On leaving San Gimignano and before arriving in Florence we would be traversing through the wine country roads in Chianti and stopping for the wine tasting at Verazzanno Castle. I had raved on about this so much before our trip that I was praying it was going to be just as good as I remembered. And it was. I have to tell a funny little story first. When we arrived at Fumicino Airport in Rome, and while we were waiting for other tourists before our transport could leave for the hotel, we were joined by two priests. I hate to say it but we were wondering “are they on our tour” and if so “is it going to put a damper on things”. Well they were on our tour and it certainly did not put a damper on anything. In fact Father Bernie from Sault Ste Marie, Ontario - who was sent on this trip by his parishioners as an Anniversary celebration (I forget how many years) along with his companion - a younger priest whose names escapes me right at this moment - shared our table at the wine tasting. We had more laughs as we tried to beat them to the wine bottles as they were being brought out. I think they won! There was certainly nothing wrong with their appetite for the antipasti - or - the vino. It was a memorable experience for all of us and we left feeling very satisfied, knowing that now we could sit back and relax while the bus motored on to Florence.
What can you say about Florence? Of course I’ve said it all before in my previous missive. But it is a beautiful city architecturally-wise. And as Louise and I found out on returning to our agreed upon location after shopping - so were the Florentine women. We entered the Piazza della Signoria to see Al & Craig sitting on the edge of a water fountain, big smiles on their faces taking in the parade of well dressed women walking past them.
Day five found us touring the Cities of Balogna and Verona as we headed for the next two night’s destination of Venice. In Balogna I showed Craig the Piazza Maggiore, the spot where I had my somewhat embarrassing little cry the fall before, prompted by memories of my father. All the while Louise was busy snapping photos of a wedding party - where if memory serves me correctly the couple were taking off in a snappy looking wedding present - a Mazzarati or maybe even a Lamborghini. And something of a contradiction was happening in and around the square with entertainment. In one corner sat a kind of homely/but cute little round ball of a man playing an accordian while he used his foot to beat on a drum. In another area was a muscular he-man type of guy clad in black leather pants, black muscle shirt, and motorcycle boots, strumming away on an electric guitar. Two gals from New Jersey were busily buying one of his discs before boarding our bus. Meanwhile our contribution had been to drop a few coins into the Accordian playing man’s box. In Verona Al had to have his picture taken stroking the breast of Juliete’s statute, where so many had been before that it was now a very shiny bronze, as compared to the rest of her. This is supposed to bring you good luck! Uh-Huh! After a nice lunch in the square we had time to walk around the town a bit before heading for the bus and on to Venice.
Craig had said all along that Venice would be one of the places that he didn’t care whether or not he saw. But I contend that you at least have to give it a look. We were lucky in that we had great weather. And whereas last fall I did not have the experience of a Gondola ride - this time the four of us decided that it was on the “to do” list. We four shared a Gondola with a lovely couple from Georgia - Don and Pat - and would in fact sit down to dinner with them many times throughout the tour - as well as Marj and Wally from Illinois. But, one of the things that Craig did especially want to do is take in dinner at the same place that Auntie Mary, Nanci and I had last fall and that was a place called Martini’s where we had enjoyed a delicious risotto. Well you do find out one thing and that is that you shouldn’t necessarily try to repeat what you enjoyed once. The whole thing fell rather short of our expectations. While the food was good, we did not experience the same friendly waiter that I had before. The ambiance just wasn’t there - and well it’s maybe a lesson learned. At the end of the day though we did enjoy Venice - even Craig. While it might not remain on a favourite list -it is a definite not to miss it.
While dinner in Venice may have been a disappointment there always seems to be a surprise around the corner and maybe in a place that you least expect. After we left Venice and headed on to the next destination of Assisi - one of our stops was in San Marino, the oldest Sovereign State and Republic that sits within Italy itself. We wouldn’t have a lot of time here; it was mainly a stop at lunch time and a chance to head up to the top of the town and look out over the glorious countryside. However, when our bus pulled up Anna told us not to miss the meal in the restaurant adjacent to where we were parked. She said they had the best Tagliatele Bolognese - and it was a local favourite. Not expecting too much, we were surprised to walk into the place to see long tables set up with tableclothes, dishes and cutlery just waiting for us to sit down. So sit down we did and were we glad! A bottle of wine and the best Tagliatele Bolognese I have had, made it all so memorable. And we still had time to jaunt up the hill to the lookout for a quick view of the surrounding scenery.
Motoring on we arrived in Assisi in time for us to have a tour of the Cathedral. Unfortunately they’d had an earthquake in this area just a few days after my tour in the fall of 1997, and with the damage they had experienced in the main chapel we were not able to tour that part. Reconstruction and cleaning up was still ongoing. But different from last time, where we were just outside of the old town of Assisi, this time our tour was right in the town in an old hotel. Craig and I were lucky to have a room facing out to the valley below us and we also had a quaint little balcony where the four of us could sit out and have a drink of wine -so it was lovely. That evening we wandered up through the town and came upon a performance of classical music in one of the old buildings. The music drew us nearer and we soon entered and sat down in the front row. Probably a mistake for us - because we found ourselves wanting to clap between movements until we realized that this was not the thing you do. A little embarrassed at our first outburst, we sat quietly through another couple of movements before we, as inconspicuously as possible, made our exit. Back out on the street, it was now dark and we were enchanted to see that rather than any electric lights, the alleyways were all lit up with gas lamps. Dark shadows everywhere, it was quite an experience as we made our way down the sloping streets and back to our hotel.
Our last day was spent leaving Assisi and heading back to Rome. But before we arrive, as we did last fall, our tour stopped in Orvieto where we would for the last time experience a small town, it’s shops and the ambiance of a leisurely lunch in a small café. What a fantastic nine days - and we were not yet quite finished. Back in Rome we all rested up a bit before we changed and got ready for the last night’s Farewell Dinner. We had a ball, eating, drinking and laughing amid the camaraderie of a group of people on the tour who did nothing but make the whole time memorable. And as is the tradition in Rome, one last stop at Trevi Fountain - to toss our coin in over our shoulders, and make our wish to return once again to Rome. I know it worked last time. Could it be possible a third time?
Next: A glimpse of Southern Italy - Meeting Sandy and Joe
Add a Comment - Aggiunga un commento
2 Comments
-
Comment by Lynda Matthews on June 9, 2009 at 12:00pm - Thanks Phil. I was a little worried that I bit off more than I could chew. I don't want to repeat myself because of course this trip was done before, but I wanted to introduce Al & Louise and our lead up to Tuscany. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the next part. Rome to Sicily and back deserves it's only blog -which I may do another time. But I have to cover some of it to introduce Sandy and Joe -which leads the six of us to Tuscany. I'll figure it out. LOL
-
Comment by Phil Falcone - Site Admin on June 9, 2009 at 11:41am - Nice flow on this series of stories. I would agree that with great dining experiences, you can't ever hope to recapture the same "ambiance" that you got from a single server,,, something is always lost in repetition.
About
Badge
© 2009 Created by Phil Falcone - Site Admin on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
You need to be a member of Two Rosetos to add comments!
Join this social network