Venice - Day 13

We had a full action packed day in Venice, and since it was the only full day we had before moving on we tried to make the most of it. Venice has been described in some of the travel books I used for research as “elegant decay” and that describes it perfectly. Beautiful hotels, palazzos, squares, restaurants and shops - but the scientists say the water is winning, and there are some buildings that can no longer use their main floors because the water has taken over or it floods too often to allow them to live there. But that aside it’s interesting and quite the adventure to get around - by boat or foot! The streets or canals do not go in a straight line - ever! So finding most things takes patience and perseverance. Did we get lost?? 20 times! But half the fun is what’s around the corner or over the bridge.

So here is a recap of what we did:

After our usual breakfast of coffee and croissant (I am really going to miss that!) we headed over to St Mark’s Square - the focal point of Venice. We didn’t know this till the morning but it was a holiday in Italy - Liberation Day - so kind of like the Fourth of July. Also the feast day of St Mark - patron saint of Venice so lots of people off and in Venice to celebrate. There was a parade and a big ceremony at St Mark’s Square - making it even more crowded than normal for April.

It’s an amazing spectacle of gold, lions, mosaics and different architectural styles but it all works. The lion is the symbol for St Mark so lots of lions in evidence. 

We did the Rick Steve’s audio tour of the square so next up was the Doge’s Palace which is right next to St Mark’s. The Doge is like a Duke or ruler of the empire.

Doge’s Palace, me with the Bridge of Sighs, and the Campanile (bell tower) which also sits in the square. The Bridge of Sighs connected the prison on the right with the palace on the left and as the prisoners were sentenced they walked over the bridge to prison and could take one last look at freedom. 

Another famous site is the Rialto Bridge - the largest bridge in Venice. It spans the Grand Canal and is loaded with shops as far as the eye can see - and crowds of people!!

One of the prettiest views of Venice is from the Rialto Bridge! 

When you think of Venice what’s the first thing that pops into your head? Gondolas right!! We saw plenty but it’s really expensive to do. 80 Euros plus tip during the day and 100 at night. I did it with Keeley when I was there before and once is maybe more than enough so we passed. But I did learn that there used to be 5000 gondolas in Venice and now there are only 500. And only one female gondolier! Six month training program and a really tough test. 

These entrances are scattered through out Venice and it’s where you start your ride. They last an hour. 

In action on the Grand Canal. It appears they are low on the totem pole in the hierarchy of boats. They always have to get out of the way of the other boats. Lots of people doing it. 

We had lunch at one of the hundreds of cafes in a square and I had my usual mozzarella tomato sandwich on good bread and a glass of wine. The tomatoes in Italy are the best!! Then we headed to the Peggy Guggenheim Modern Art Museum. This was the highlight of the day for me. Her collection was fantastic! Picasso, de Kooning, Miro, to name just a few of the artists I recognized. And the museum is in the home she lived the last 30 or so years of her life in right on the Grand Canal - and that alone is worth seeing! I was so glad we made time for that!!

On the terrace of the Guggenheim Museum - that’s the view she had on the Grand Canal!

After the museum we attempted to find the Frari Church which had some Renaissance art in it, but we walked for at least an hour and no luck. We asked directions multiple times and still couldn’t find it so we gave up and headed back to St Mark’s Square for a glass of wine at the famous Florian Bar with live music. It has been there since Ernest Hemingway went there for a drink and we figured why not!!!

St Mark’s at sunset and a fancy drink listening to wonderful music. We felt pretty lucky!

We had a wonderful dinner both nights at a restaurant close to our apartment called Ristorante Diana. Sorry I have no pictures to post. The first night we shared grilled shrimp and spaghetti bolognese and the bolognese was so excellent that I asked Julie if she minded going back again so I could get it twice. She didn’t mind so this time we shared the bolognese and sea bass. Excellent again! And we loved the guys that worked there. So nice and they took good care of us. 

Just a few of my favorite pictures..... 

It was a really fun and interesting but tiring day. We walked over 11 miles and Venice isn’t even very big!!! There is nothing like it anywhere so I’m glad I got to be there one more time.  

Ciao to Italy. Next up Slovenia!!! Thanks for coming along. Now off to brush up on a few Slovenian phrases - like where can I get the best potica in town??? 

On to Venice - Day 12

Today was all about TRAINS!!!! 4 to be exact. Vernazza to Monterosso, then to Milan, then to Verona and then to Venice. Our train to Verona was delayed so we missed our connection but were able to catch the next one in about 40 minutes. We arrived to Venice and took a boat/bus to get to our apartment. We made it!!!

The train station in Milan was huge and pretty - all of the others not very special. But the fact that you can get all over the country on a train fairly easily is great!!!

We haven’t seen much yet - but what we have seen is amazing!!

We have a busy day planned for tomorrow!!! Check back!!  

Cinque Terre - Day 11

We did it!! HIked to all 5 villages! That is something I have dreamed of doing so the feeling of accomplishment is amazing. We started by having breakfast at a cute restaurant right next door to the hotel we were staying at. The owners are identical twin brothers names Massimo and Gianluca and we met them both. The food is delicious and the staff so friendly and nice. I loved their sign!! 

To keep world peace I didn’t ask for eggs - instead a delicious sweet ricotta filled croissant!

The first part of the hike was Vernazza to Cornelia. Vernazza was the village we staying in and Cornelia is the only village of the 5 that sits on a hill and doesn’t have direct access to the water. But if I were to pick a favorite I think it would be Cornelia! 

The terrain is climbing rocks, walking through vineyards, going through wooded areas -  but all beautiful and natural. 

Cornelia!! 

Due to a ton of rain in 2012 some of the hikes between villages have been closed and alternative routes established. That is the case for the hike from Cornelia to Manarola.  The alternative route is quite a bit longer - now about 2 hours and 15 minutes but just beautiful!

Manarola!!! My favorite church in town - built in the mid 1500’s. Walking through the vineyards which they take such pride in. 

Mid afternoon - way past my lunch time so I stopped at a local grocery store and they made me a delicious sandwich of ham, sweet pecorino cheese and fresh bread - delicious! I just sat on a ledge in someone’s yard and ate it.

Next stop Billy’s for an afternoon glass of wine! This place was so beautiful! Amazing view of the town and the water and tables along the walkway leading to a terrace with maybe 6 tables. They weren’t open yet for dinner but Julie sweet talked them into letting us have just one glass of wine.

Billy’s in Manarola.

We had one last hike to do from Manarola to Riomaggiore. And it would supposedly take only 20 minutes. Little did we know wine was probably the last thing we should drink before this hike. It was a rough start. We were basically climbing the rocks straight uphill on almost all 4’s, but we kept saying that once we got to the top we would be almost there. We got to the top and had to open a closed gate but didn’t think much of it. Then we saw a sign that said the downhill was only for “expert excursionists.” We had second thoughts. But the alternative was to go back and go down the horrible climb we had just done so we summoned our courage and started down. Compared to the upward climb we were pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t worse and made it down safely only to come upon a locked gate and a sign that said due to danger the trail was closed!!! WHAT!!! How come that sign wasn’t at the beginning of the hike and how were we going to get out!!! Some passerby’s yelled down to us that the only way out was the climb over the fence. NO WAY!! It was 6 feet tall and if we fell it wold be on to concrete or off the ledge. I was ready to ask for the fire department to rescue us but another passerby directed us through a route that finally got us up to the road. An exciting finish!

A big finish for us in Riomaggiore!! 

Riomaggiore  

The stairs to where???

It was a great day!!! We logged in 11 miles, 25,000 steps and climbed 194 floors! We deserved a great dinner and dessert! We enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the little restaurant right by our hotel where we had breakfast. The food was awesome and so fresh!!

Sea Bass, a liter of wine and panna cotta for dessert! 

Bucket list item completed! I will look back on my time there and cherish every minute!!

Cinque Terre - Day 10

We made it! Took the train from Florence to Pisa and then another train to Monterosso in the Cinque Terre. We are staying in Vernazza which is the next village east so hopped another train to get to our little tiny hotel. This has been a dream of mine for a long time - and happy to report it looks exactly like the pictures. Only better because I’m seeing it in person. Just a few words about Cinque Terre. It is five villages in a mountainous corner of the Italian Riviera. From end to end the five villages stretch for only six miles as the crow flows, and you can hike from village to village through the mountains and often along the coast. The five villages are Monterosso, Vernazza, Cornelia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. 

Vernazza!! 

Our plan is to hike to all the villages as each one has their own personality and different characteristics. You can do it all in a day but if you want to spend a little time in each village it takes longer, so we did the hike from Vernazza to Monterosso this afternoon and it was totally breathtaking - and a little bit of a challenge. Quite steep and lots of climbing up and down. It took us about an hour and 40 minutes total which was hiking at a pretty good pace and stopping also to enjoy the view. When we made it to Monterosso it was just in time for happy hour - or as they call it in Italy - aperitivo.

Our view of Monterosso as we sipped our wine. 

Once the sun set and the fog rolled in the temperature dropped 20 degrees so we took the train back to Vernazza to get into warmer clothes and get a bite to eat. We checked out the menus of a couple of the tiny restaurants on our street and decided on  Vineria S. Marta. It has only 4 tables inside and a couple outside but it was wonderful. The owner was so nice and helpful with ordering wine. The Cinque Terre specializes in white wine, and I had one that only produces 5000 bottles a year.

This region is also well known for it’s Pesto - and this has pretty much become my go-to meal. Caprese salad, pasta with basil and tiramisu - love it!! 

Lots of fresh air and exercise along with wine and a great meal has worn me out so I’m off to bed. A full day planned tomorrow hiking the rest of the Cinque Terre!! Ciao for now!

Florence - Day 9

Today is our last day in Florence and I am going to miss our little street in San Nicole in the Oltrarno area of Florence. This is my view every morning as I head down to the coffee shop right under us for a latte and croissant.  I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to get a bad cup of coffee in Italy.

Our little street which is very active all through the day and night.

We had lots on our to-do list today but ended up sleeping really late so that went out the window. We decided sometimes you just have to take it easy for a day so instead of running all over town we just narrowed down to a few things - plus it was quite warm today - in the 80’s so perfect for just leisurely strolling the city. Julie wanted to check out The Leather School which was founded in Florence right after World War 2 to educate orphans on leather craft as a way to make a living. Florence as you probably know is well known for fine leather goods, and the leather school leads the way. It is located right behind the Santa Croce Church and the building was lovely along with the fine leather goods for sale.

That’s our new friend Gino sizing a belt and embossing it with initials. They had coats, jackets, purses, wallets, small leather goods, briefcases etc. Don’t you just love the smell of good leather??!! 

I had gotten a recommendation on the Bardini Gardens which were located quite close to the area we were staying in and the weather was so perfect to check them out. It was very reasonable to get in - only 6 Euros per person, and they have only recently been opened. They have statues, fountains, flowers, shrubs and a spectacular view of Florence. Also a great little cafe at the very top with an outdoor seating area with that amazing view and we were fortunate to get a prime table and enjoy an afternoon cocktail in the shade. 

We had a great dinner at a fun restaurant called Enoteca Coquinarius. Very friendly staff and atmosphere with fresh salads and wonderful wine. They also had some really interesting dishes with boar, venison and beef but we were really craving salad as our diet has been heavy on pasta and pizza. Not complaining but just needed a change. 

Two appetizers, Brie and fig jam and pear and pecorino cheese. And then a huge salad with avocado, walnuts, cucumber, carrots and Gorgonzola cheese. Followed by a stop for gelato! 

I’m going to miss Florence and hope to come back again. I love the people, the history, the food and strolling the cobblestone streets. But our trip isn’t even close to being over. Tomorrow we head to Cinque Terre which has been on my bucket list for a long time. If it’s half as pretty as the pictures I will be thrilled. Check back and I’ll do my best to share our adventure. The Best is Yet to Be!