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Palpable Italy - Highlights from Fall 2006 City/Country
Journey:
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ROME
- chaotic, overwhelming with history slapping you
in the face as you venture up narrow streets, glance
down an excavation site or gaze skyward to an Egyptian
obelisk's tip. Meanwhile the modern metropolis zooms
by at hyper-speed; smart cars and vespas vacuum-packed
at curbs, cell phones clutched to many ears, holding
those famous over-animated Italian hand gestures hostage.
The HHT groups' 3-day trek around the Eternal City
started from Hotel Modigliani, conveniently located
off chic Via Veneto and walking distance to Borghese
Park, The Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain, where
this statue of "Ocean" stands as the centrifugal force
in architect Salvi's 18th century masterpiece. Our
first stop was Trevi, one of the world's most famous
watering holes. You can drink the water, and
I did. You hear the fountain before you see it, then
"thwack" - turn a corner and you're face to face with
the massive strength of sculpted gods erupting from
raw rock. Unless you go early morning there's a crowd,
but whenever you can go, do. Once there be sure to
toss a coin in the fountain to guarantee a return
to Rome. Our guide Jack explained the coins go to
The Red Cross, so throw a Euro in for a good cause.
Obviously to really "do" Rome you need a lot more
than 3 days, but in that time we made it to the must
see sacred sites, The Vatican, St. Peter's Cathedral
and the Sistine Chapel, the magnificently decorated
Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Pantheon. What an astonishing
place. Built 20 centuries ago as a temple honoring
all gods and goddesses, now a consecrated Catholic
church, it is considered one of the world's great
spiritual buildings. Combine mega-proportions with
dramatic shafts of light streaming in from on high
onto original marble and granite floors and gorgeous
artworks, and a gasp and goose-bump producing titanic
temple results. The dome's center opens to the heavens,
so luckily it was a sunny day. Unlike the next day
when a torrential downpour soaked us to the bone as
we walked the Forum. Lesson 1, DO dress in layers
and pack an umbrella! Lesson 2, if you're a history
lover like me, set aside at least 5 days for Rome.
But even our mini-visit provided fun facts. Don't
expect to see bones in some Christian catacombs. The
one we toured had none. The catacomb guide's explanation,
"Bones disintegrate." Completely?! I didn't buy that,
and asked Jack. Truth is when early Christian pilgrims
first flocked to no-longer Pagan Rome the bones of
once persecuted Christians were sold as sacred relics!
And don't pay any attention when someone warns you
to "Beware the Ides of March," the supposed day of
Caesar's assassination. Calculated by the original
Roman calendar the fatal stabbing occurred closer
to Valentine's Day. Our Roman stay was a whirlwind;
with so much walking one group member said "This will
go down in history as the buns of steel tour." Good!
We also fit in a couple of rejuvenating yoga sessions,
which helped counteract the daily doses of gelato,
pasta, antipastos and wine. Speaking of which - a
great restaurant with a smashing view above the Spanish
Steps - Ciampini, www.caffeciampini.com.
If you want a centrally located hotel, book way in
advance at small and intimate Modigliani, www.hotelmodigliani.com.
Please give my regards to the gracious staff.
On to Antica Torre Tornabuoni 1, www.tornabuoni1.com,
our charming Florence "residence." After a 360 take
of Florence from the rooftop terrace a group member
said, "Glass of wine, good book, this view, I'm set!"
We were close to the Duomo and an easy stroll to the
Oltrarno (translates -"the other side of the Arno")
where you'll happen on Boboli Gardens, Pitti Palace,
artisans' workshops and good boutiques. If insider
shopping tips interest you, call guide and personal
shopper Flavia Beppi at ++39 055 2476305. She'll connect
you to high-end boutique owners willing to give discounts
and steer you away from Pointe Vecchio's overpriced
gold dealers to hidden wholesalers. She'll point out
vendors hawking Pinocchio marionettes. Seems his creator
was Florentine, as was gelato's inventor! But the
true Florence treasures are art, history, and the
painterly vistas, with clean cobbled streets, gentle
arching bridges and the Arno as mirror to mellow toned
buildings. This city transformed from a backwash village
to the birthplace of the Renaissance when the wealthy
Medici's became art patrons. They were everyone's
bankers, including the Popes. They funded Michelangelo's
education. Their wealth spilled into the city coffers,
which financed lifelong projects such as Brunelleschi's
Duomo dome and Ghiberti's bronze baptistery doors.
Art collections grew. The Medici offices became the
"Uffizi" which actually means "office." I'd read mixed
reviews about the Uffizi, but I loved it. Our guided
tour, www.italy.artviva.com,
brought it to life. A fascinating exhibit devoted
to Da Vinci shows through January 7th 2007, so hie
thyself to Florence! Fun fact: money not only bought
the Medici's art. It literally gave them leave to
avoid the black plague, which killed 70% of Florence's
population. Tunnels and bridges connecting Medici
residences to their offices and banks allowed them
to be sequestered in comfort away from the germ infested
streets. Noble women would not have been caught dead
in high-heels, which were invented out of necessity
by prostitutes. They donned tremendously high heels,
in order to totter above the rats and filth proliferating
in the streets. Highlights of my too-brief Florence
stay were giving the 17 foot tall Statue of David
the once over, and then resting my eyes on Michelangelo's
emerging statues (unfinished, raw - spirits breaking
free from stone) at The Academy Museum; a fun and
flavorful dinner at La Giostra, www.ristorantelagiostra.com,
order expensive wine and feast on the complimentary
antipasto trays, and the best of all, walking to the
hilltop cathedral near Michelangelo square and being
soothed to the marrow as monks sang Gregorian chants.
This free service takes place daily at 5:30 pm. Thoroughly
wine and art sated, we went on to indulge in more
of the life giving substances in Italy's "green heart"
Umbria.
October proved a grand month to visit this region,
famous for wine, olive oil, artists like Raphael,
saints like St. Francis of Assisi, who found inspiration
in Umbria's medieval hill towns. Locanda del Gallo,
"House of the Rooster", our home for the week, nests
high on a hill very much far away from it all. Herbs
scent the air. Only stars and the moon light the country
dark trails. Locanda's much loved Zen-d-out pets prove
what happens if you stay here too long. You forget
the world's quarrels and turn totally trusting. For
the next week we had time for daily Pilates and yoga
- swims in the chilly but divine infinity pool - and
good fun during hands-on cooking classes and a weaver's
workshop. We were also privileged to savor dishes
like curried pasta and snow-powder light custard created
by Locanda's delightful Sri-Lankan born chef, Jimmi.
It would have been easy to stay put at Locanda but
our daytrips, with Maria Rita De Angelis as guide,
and harmonica/piano playing Giovanni as gallant driver,
were rewarding and fun. In Spello locals gave us home
grown grapes and proudly showed off their garden.
Assisi bustled with preparations for their name Saint's
feast day, with people from all over the world present,
some openly praying in the central square, others
indulging in delicacies available in tasting tents.
We visited the tombs of St. Francis and St. Claire
in Assisi and learned that Frances is so called because
he spoke French, and when St. Claire's tomb was opened
in the 1800s, centuries after her death, they found
her to be perfectly preserved! We visited Gubbio's
weekly market, where bargains abound. And here's a
tip: At Tenuta San Lorenzo, a place not on typical
tours, you can enjoy a country buffet and all the
wine you can drink for € 12; contact info@folignohotel.it,
phone 0742.22553. We did, and had the best time. If
you're traveling to Umbria consider staying at "House
of the Rooster." View it at www.locandadelgallo.it
and contact Paola, info@locandadelgallo.it.
Enhance your Umbrian experience by touring with Maria
Rita, mariarita69@virgillo.it.
Send blessings to both these lovely ladies.
Our gateway home was Rome, with a final night before
departure at Hotel Villa San Pio, on Aventino Hill
www.aventinohotels.com.
What a wonderful sanctuary this proved to be. Peaceful
garden, charming rooms, abundant breakfast, walking
distance to sites such as the Coliseum and a most
fabulous Italian market in the nearby Testaccio neighborhood,
Volpetti Piu, www.volpetti.com,
phone: 06 5744306. Pavarotti, the Villa's resident
cat relished the salami and cheese we shared with
him. His satisfied puss now graces my new apron, which
pretty much sends the take home message Italy offered
me - live life with gusto. Don't sweat the small stuff.
Let go petty concerns and savor all that the good
Earth offers; fine food and wine, dear friends and
loved ones, and thriving cultures like Italy which
is alive with complex histories and palpable beauty.
Ciao Bellas - Tannis
