Our Last Day in Italy *Sniff*

Our last full day in Italy. It’s been an amazing 10 days, and I’m surprised I can even put into words what this trip was like.

On this last day, we took the metro to the Vatican Museum. We got there around 1 in the afternoon and walked right in, not having to wait in line.

This museum really is indescribable. Some of that is because I was so tired by this point that I just couldn’t linger in the many halls of the most amazing art in the world. I can’t even begin to tell you what everything was, so I’ll just show you some pictures.



















Tools used to entomb the pope.


These are the stairs leading out of the museum. They start as a ramp, then turn into shallow steps.





You’ll notice there are no pictures of the Sistine Chapel; you’ll just have to take my word for it that it was beautiful and breath-taking. There are young men in the chapel snapping at people “No Photos!” in case we forgot that we weren’t allowed. You stand with this mass of humanity in the middle of the chapel, craning your neck up, trying to take it all in. I also realized how much I did not know about the Sistine Chapel. I knew of the painting on the ceiling and the fingers of God and Adam touching, but I had no idea it was so many panels across the whole ceiling and even onto the walls. Stories of the Bible artistically interpreted by Michelangelo in this tiny room. Amazing.

The last thing Al and I did was see the Trevi Fountain. We saw it at night, and it really is something else. A beautifully carved collection of water spouts, the fountain is another must see.





Many people talk about how romantic it is. Well, it would have been if it wasn’t for this



OK, so it was still romantic, but there were people everywhere. In addition to the tourists, there were young men selling roses, trinkets, and offering to take pictures of couples for a small donation.

And yes, I tossed a coin over my shoulder in hopes that I will come back to Rome one day. I certainly hope that wish comes true.

Too quickly it was morning again and it was time to get to the airport. One more tip for you—don’t plan a strict return date home. We stood in line with many people who had their flights canceled because of an air traffic control strike the day before. Apparently, this is common. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, our flight was right on time and took us home.

Arrivadeci Italia. Va benne—molto benne.

A Day in Tuscany--The Marathon Post

It’s hard to believe what all we saw in one day with this bus tour. In one day we walked the Medieval streets of Siena, had an amazing lunch at a farmhouse in the Chianti region, admired the towers and walked the hills of San Gimignano, and stared with head tilted at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Siena is a lovely Tuscan town that has retained its Medieval features.







Siena is famous for its main square, the Il Campo or Piazza del Campo. Originally this area was just a field outside the city walls. Now it is home to the 330-foot Torre del Magia or Tower of the Eater, named for the first watchman known for spending all his earnings on food. If you’re feeling energetic, you can climb the 300 steps for a view of the city. The only disadvantage of the bus tour is the short time we get to stay in each town. Not that I was going to climb 300 steps at this time, but I bet the view was amazing.



The tower is adjacent to the Palazzo Pubblico or Town Hall, home of the Civic Museum. Together, they dominate the piazza.



The square is also famous for the Palio, the horse race. The 17 neighborhoods or contrade are a competitive bunch and the horse race is the passionate outcome. Only 10 are chosen to race, then matched with a horse. A parade of banners is one of the festive events. Attracting some 15,000 people, the crowded square cheers on the thundering, no-holds-bar race of the horses around the square. The race is twice a year, July 2 and August 16, so if you want to experience the excitement, that would be the time to be there. But you better make your plans very early.



The other main attraction of Siena is the Duomo. Built between 1250 and 1350, it is the most unusual cathedral I’ve ever been in. It’s beautiful, but it is very different. Well, you’ll see what I mean.

The façade is ornate with carvings of gargoyles and filigree. It’s constructed by two different people, the lower part by Giovanni Pisano, the upper half by Giovanni di Cecco.



But it’s the inside that will stump you.





Al calls it the Beetlejuice church. Actually, the black and white are the colors of Siena, but still. Wow.

The amazing dome is a painted. I stared at it for a long time, trying to decide if it was painted or not. I had to read the guide book to know for sure.





There are many amazing things in this Duomo, and here are some of them:

Altar


Pulpit





Mosaics in floor


Chapel of St. John the Baptist


Piccolomini Library has never had candles lit in it, so the colors of the frescos are still amazing. There are also illuminated music scores.





Next stop was the Farmhouse for lunch, one of the highlights of our trip. The farmhouse was in the Chianti region. They had a table set up outside with many bottles of Chianti and Grappa. Don’t drink the clear Grappa—it’s fire water.

Al and me at the Farmhouse






The food was just as amazing as the setting. The cheese, cured meats and vegetables made the perfect lunch for what was turning into a hot afternoon.





And the company was great, too.



Then it was off to San Gimignano, another picturesque, Medieval-walled Tuscan village. San Gimignano is famous for it’s many towers. There are 14 of the original 60 standing. The noble families feuded by trying to build higher towers than each other. You might also notice this town from the movie Tea with Mussolini, which I highly recommend. The town is also the quintessential tourist trap, but it’s a very pretty one, so it was worth the stop.



Like Siena, it’s a great pedestrian town, after you make it up the steep hill. But there are some nice shops along the way.



You are rewarded for your trudge up the hill by the World’s Best Gelato. And it was really, really good. My chocolate and coconut was a wonderful treat while looking around the Piazza della Cisterna, named for the cistern in the center.





Walking up another hill, we went to the Rocca e parco de Montestaffoli, a 14th century fortress. It was worth the climb because the views was amazing.





I have to tell you about one more experience in San Gimignano. I had to go to the bathroom, but we needed to get back to the bus so I decided to go to the public toilet. Oh, you really do need to experience this, at least once. I walked into the closet-like stall and looked at the hole in the ground. This is the first time I had seen this, even though I had read this was a common structure. Well, it’s not like I had never cop-a-squat during many a camping trip, and at least there was some privacy and they were nice enough to have a bar on the side walls to help with balance.

The bus ride to Pisa is all a blur because we all slept. All the Chianti at the farmhouse, I guess.



But we woke up just in time to see this lovely little town that Rick Steves calls a “tourist quicky.” I agree with that assessment. It’s mostly souvenir stands and the Field of Miracles—the Baptistery, the Cathedral, and the Leaning Tower.



But it is beautiful and worth seeing. We were there for a very short time, but it was enough. We didn’t climb the tower, even though we can. There wasn’t enough time to even if we wanted.





Then it was time to head back to Florence. This was our last day in Florence, so we headed back to one of our favorite restaurants, Il Messer. The next day, our last day in Italy, we will head back to Rome for one last night before flying home.

The Duomo in Florence

Programming Note: This is the only post until next week because we are going to South Dakota for a quick little holiday. Have a great week!


The date is 20 May, so it is my and Al’s anniversary—18 years. Al apologized for not having a gift for me and said we could go shopping for one, but I said, “Honey, we’re in Italy. I think you’re covered.”

We slept in and missed breakfast on purpose so that we had a good excuse to spend the morning at a café, eating warm pastries and drinking the best cappuccino we’ve had the whole trip. We people-watched and dog-watched, as a man walked in with what we thought was his dog, but it stayed long after the man left. The dog was more interested in the school kids, knowing they would be more likely to share their breakfast, I’m sure.

We headed to the Duomo and got in line about 20 minutes early, giving us plenty of time to people-watch some more. Street sellers walked up and down the line, offering women with bare shoulders shawls to cover up with inside. Note to people with bare shoulders—the dress code is strict at this cathedral. If you don’t have anything to cover up with, they will sell you a paper shirt like you would wear in the doctor’s office.

Another note about street sellers—don’t buy from them. If you see a guy with a bunch of Prada purses laying out on a sheet, just walk on by. If the police catch you, it’s a fine for you, too. Chances are you won’t be caught because those guys are quick to swoop everything up in that sheet and run away. Then, when the cops have passed, they just stroll back and unfurl the goods.



Back to the cathedral. The actual name is Santa Maria del Fiori. The neo-Gothic façade is overly ornate and made of pink, green, and white Tuscan marble. When it was completed, it was the largest cathedral in Europe and is still the 5th largest. It’s hard to take it all in because it is so overwhelming with all the sculptures above the doors and the detail on the walls of the huge building.











The inside, however, is. . . well . . . underwhelming. It’s beautiful, but it’s as if everything was spent on the outside and there wasn’t enough left for the inside to match.







Mosaic on the floor. Does anyone know what this is?


The inside of the dome is decorated by a painting, Last Judgment by Vasari and Zuccari and is one of the largest paintings of the Renaissance, but that’s really the only ornamental aspect to the inside of the cathedral. The area directly under the dome was roped off, so we didn’t get a good view of this painting.





The real claim to fame of this cathedral is the architecture of its dome. The cathedral was built with a hole awaiting its dome. Local architect Filippo Brunelleschi created the octagonal design “dome within a dome,” which weighs over 37,000 tons and contains over 4 million bricks.



The Bell Tower


The doors to the Baptistry are called Gates to Paradise. Created by Lorenzo Ghiberti, they are gilded bronze, depicting stories of the Bible.





The rest of the day was restful, to the verge of almost boring. Al and K went to the Leonardo di Vinci Museum, which they said was awful because most of the exhibits were either broken or locked up so you couldn’t see them. While they were gone, I tried to nap and rest up, but got antsy and wanted to explore some more. I had watched some TV, mostly MTV, but was happy to see the guys return. We didn’t go to any more museums or anything and most of the shops were closed because it was Sunday, so we just walked around. Later we had a leisurely dinner, another walk, then turned in early because we had to be at the bus by 8:00 the next morning for our tour of Siena, San Giamagnio, and Pisa.

Next, the beautiful Tuscany region.