Bottom Picture: "Hobblestones" and Afternoon Light on the Coliseum in Rome
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(c) 2010 F. Bruce Abel
An Artless Report on Italy
OK, I'm back. From Italy. Trip courtesy of my son-in-law Doug. As a result I'm over-sexed from the beauties, the statues, the buildings and the Renaissance, as you will see.
First, however, a note. I have checked Google Analytics and I'm surprised that I have quite a few followers of this blog who checked in each day even though I said I would not be blogging for the Christmas Holiday.
Being phone-less and computer-less is an interesting status in this day and age. Regarding staying in touch (Doug did have a smart phone, an iPhone, but his minutes and MB were costly, or he was in the other room in our "WiFied" hotels; see today's article in the New York Times about the cost of making phone calls in Europe and how to anticipate the problem and keep the costs to a minimum: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/technology/personaltech/07basics.html?ref=personaltech) in Rome we couldn't get anything "in English" on TV but BBC, at the fine place we stayed. And that channel was basically "headlines" and discussion of those headlines and covered only about five world news stories, playing the same piece over and over. Everything else was in Italian, about which we knew nothing. We saw part of the Bengals-Jets game, in Italian. Now that's weird, as was the result. Who but an American traveler would want to see such a thing?...unless...there's going to be a huge push to get an NFL team into Italy. Wonder if there's an investment idea there.
When we got to Florence, the heart of the Renaissance, again to a very nice hotel, Il Guelfo Bianco, http://www.ilguelfobianco.it/ we had figured out that there is a "Sky" button on the TV remote, and this opened up to the world of the U.S. bowl games going on -- in English! -- in America. So, at 11:30 pm we watched excellent Terrelle Pryor and the Ohio State-Oregon Rose Bowl game. Then at 2 am, after being on the wrong channel and missing the first quarter, we watched about 1/2 minute of UC-Florida before getting much-needed sleep for the day ahead.
I "pigged out" on the hotel breakfasts, especially at Il Guelfo Bianco, knowing that meals were going to be expensive the rest of the day. Best meals of the day in Italy except for one memorable dinner: these breakfasts. Meats, cheese, cereals (as in US), orange and grapefruit juice, yogert, croissants, regular bread, jams, coffees and cappuchino, hard-boiled eggs, navel oranges.
Last year my one word for Manila was: concrete, which the Americans introduced to the Phillipines.
My one-word for Rome: marble, beautiful women (ok, more than one word). Walked around all the days with a marble hard-on.
One-word for Florence: more marble, beautiful man ("The David" and the copies "plastered" around the town). In Rome especially, during this extended week's holiday for the Italians, young couples walk "body-in-body," pausing at the corner to kiss. And no Italian we saw was overweight.
Best quip of our family group (Doug's mom and dad went too): Doug's "What's in your gullett?" following my comment on the Capital One Bowl as the "Capital One Dirty Hair Ball Bowl" Game.
Second-best quip of the group: young Owen's "Watch out Gramma Looney, hobblestones."
Best joke: Fred's (Doug's dad) -- "You know why Italian women are so bad in math compared to men, don't you?"
Email me for the answer.
Oh, and Eunie's and my last trip was last January to Manila. Comparing feelings for Americans by Italians of Pisa, Rome and Florence to the feelings for Americans by residents of Manila, I say the Italians don't even know we exist whereas Manila is all New York and love for America. Barbara, the one person whose home we visited, said "Anglo- Saxons are different from we in Rome. North Italy is more Anglo Saxon and Type A; southern Italy is more laid back."
Here is a redacted travel schedule which, looking backward, we followed to a tee.
Friday, December 25th: Depart Cincinnati for Pisa (connect in Paris) at 6:20pm.
Saturday, December 26th: Arrive Paris at 8:25am. Depart Paris at 10:15am. Arrive Pisa at noon. We'll go directly to hotel (train from airport to central Pisa) and check in.
Pisa Hotel: Hotel Alessandro Della Spina: http://www.hoteldellaspina.it/en/Home.htm (one night)
My thought is that we would try and rally to hit the Campo dei Miracalos (Field of Miracles - home to leaning tower) that afternoon. If so, then we can get up the next day and just wander around ancient town and look at shops etc.
Sunday, December 27th: Wander Pisa. Catch train to Rome. We have a flexible train ticket (I've already purchased) and could catch train to Rome (4 hour trip) at either 11:45, 1:45 or 3:45. I'd probably vote for earlier versus later.
Arrive in Rome, walk from train station to Rome accommodations: Hotel Alpi http://www.hotelalpi.com// This will be our home for 4 nights.
Go out for dinner.
Monday, December 28th
Plans are open, but I think I would suggest taking a double decker bus tour and getting the lay of the land. We should be able to hop on and hop off at some of the minor attractions - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc. and gauge which places we want to spend more time at later in trip. Lunch off of one of the Piazzas, dinner in local area, not tourist area. Have several restaurants already scouted.
Tuesday, December 29th
Deeper dive into attractions - perhaps Roman Forum, Pantheon, Colosseum, etc. Lunch casual, perhaps a pizzaria and dinner to be chosen - again ahead of time.
Wednesday, December 30th
This will be our day at the Vatican. I'm going to arrange to have tickets for us to have a papal audience (us and about several thousand other people) which will necessitate early rising and travel. Bus goes directly from train station - which we're close to, so this should be fairly simple process. After papal audience and blessing, we'll grab lunch nearby, and then head back to Vatican for a tour of Sistine Chapel, Vatican Musee, etc. We should wrap up between 4-5:00pm. Back to hotel to rest for a bit, and then out for dinner.
Thursday, December 31st
New Year's Eve Day. We'll do any last minute Rome shopping/sight seeing, and then boogie out of town on a train. I have not purchased tix yet, but they leave Rome every half hour in the morning, and every hour in the afternoon/evening. I would like to leave before noon (we'll each buy tix while we're there) and make our way to our hotel. We'll check into our hotel, which is in a great location in heart of ancient Florence. Our hotel is the Il Guelfo Bianco - http://www.ilguelfobianco.it// - this is a selection from the Karen Brown books. I'll have reservations made for New Year's based on the recommendation of xxxxxx xxxxxxx (a client of mine who's mother is from Lucca (between Pisa and Florence) - his family just spent the summer in Florence studying at the university - summer art school basically -and his restaurant recos are all current and based on friends of his family). This will be a fancy restaurant (relatively speaking), but don't think we'll need any special clothes or anything. Prior to that, we'll just wander around Florence, which, when Bill and I visited Europe was my absolute favorite destination. Perhaps knock off a major attraction or two.
Friday, January 1st
I assume this will depend on what things will be open. If so, could be a museum day. See Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, visit the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, etc. If too many things are closed, I would like to perhaps rent a minivan and scout out the outskirts of Florence a bit.
Saturday, January 2nd
Day trip to surrounding city - perhaps Siena or San Gimignano. Look them up - they are both ancient and walled medieval towns - with very interesting and distinct architecture. Hopefully we could just take a train for the day - should be relatively inexpensive, or perhaps rent a van again.
Sunday, January 3rd
Likely more museums to wrap up seeing all of the treasures of Florence.
Monday, January 4th
Travel day only. Cry. Say Goodbye. Fly. Leave Florence for Paris at 10:15am. We'll probably head to airport at least a couple hours in advance. Perhaps start journey around 7:30am. Really cry when we reach Newark.
Other things to know.
I did see several instances of travel reviews where people reported things stolen from their hotel room in Rome, or of being pick pocketed or attempted pick pocketing. No worries if we're careful. That said, I would not bring a laptop - I may bring a spare one from work that is stripped of all functionality except web browsing and email. If it seems doable from a work standpoint, I will not even do that. I'll probably wear a pouch under my sweater with passports. Cash I'll keep to a minimum, I'll use ATM card as needed. This is what all of the guides recommend. I will also keep one credit card separate from the rest in case I lose my billfold again! :-)
Saturday, December 26th: Arrive Paris at 8:25am. Depart Paris at 10:15am. Arrive Pisa at noon. We'll go directly to hotel (train from airport to central Pisa) and check in.
Pisa Hotel: Hotel Alessandro Della Spina: http://www.hoteldellaspina.it/en/Home.htm (one night)
My thought is that we would try and rally to hit the Campo dei Miracalos (Field of Miracles - home to leaning tower) that afternoon. If so, then we can get up the next day and just wander around ancient town and look at shops etc.
Sunday, December 27th: Wander Pisa. Catch train to Rome. We have a flexible train ticket (I've already purchased) and could catch train to Rome (4 hour trip) at either 11:45, 1:45 or 3:45. I'd probably vote for earlier versus later.
Arrive in Rome, walk from train station to Rome accommodations: Hotel Alpi http://www.hotelalpi.com// This will be our home for 4 nights.
Go out for dinner.
Monday, December 28th
Plans are open, but I think I would suggest taking a double decker bus tour and getting the lay of the land. We should be able to hop on and hop off at some of the minor attractions - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc. and gauge which places we want to spend more time at later in trip. Lunch off of one of the Piazzas, dinner in local area, not tourist area. Have several restaurants already scouted.
Tuesday, December 29th
Deeper dive into attractions - perhaps Roman Forum, Pantheon, Colosseum, etc. Lunch casual, perhaps a pizzaria and dinner to be chosen - again ahead of time.
Wednesday, December 30th
This will be our day at the Vatican. I'm going to arrange to have tickets for us to have a papal audience (us and about several thousand other people) which will necessitate early rising and travel. Bus goes directly from train station - which we're close to, so this should be fairly simple process. After papal audience and blessing, we'll grab lunch nearby, and then head back to Vatican for a tour of Sistine Chapel, Vatican Musee, etc. We should wrap up between 4-5:00pm. Back to hotel to rest for a bit, and then out for dinner.
Thursday, December 31st
New Year's Eve Day. We'll do any last minute Rome shopping/sight seeing, and then boogie out of town on a train. I have not purchased tix yet, but they leave Rome every half hour in the morning, and every hour in the afternoon/evening. I would like to leave before noon (we'll each buy tix while we're there) and make our way to our hotel. We'll check into our hotel, which is in a great location in heart of ancient Florence. Our hotel is the Il Guelfo Bianco - http://www.ilguelfobianco.it// - this is a selection from the Karen Brown books. I'll have reservations made for New Year's based on the recommendation of xxxxxx xxxxxxx (a client of mine who's mother is from Lucca (between Pisa and Florence) - his family just spent the summer in Florence studying at the university - summer art school basically -and his restaurant recos are all current and based on friends of his family). This will be a fancy restaurant (relatively speaking), but don't think we'll need any special clothes or anything. Prior to that, we'll just wander around Florence, which, when Bill and I visited Europe was my absolute favorite destination. Perhaps knock off a major attraction or two.
Friday, January 1st
I assume this will depend on what things will be open. If so, could be a museum day. See Michelangelo's David at the Accademia, visit the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, etc. If too many things are closed, I would like to perhaps rent a minivan and scout out the outskirts of Florence a bit.
Saturday, January 2nd
Day trip to surrounding city - perhaps Siena or San Gimignano. Look them up - they are both ancient and walled medieval towns - with very interesting and distinct architecture. Hopefully we could just take a train for the day - should be relatively inexpensive, or perhaps rent a van again.
Sunday, January 3rd
Likely more museums to wrap up seeing all of the treasures of Florence.
Monday, January 4th
Travel day only. Cry. Say Goodbye. Fly. Leave Florence for Paris at 10:15am. We'll probably head to airport at least a couple hours in advance. Perhaps start journey around 7:30am. Really cry when we reach Newark.
Other things to know.
I did see several instances of travel reviews where people reported things stolen from their hotel room in Rome, or of being pick pocketed or attempted pick pocketing. No worries if we're careful. That said, I would not bring a laptop - I may bring a spare one from work that is stripped of all functionality except web browsing and email. If it seems doable from a work standpoint, I will not even do that. I'll probably wear a pouch under my sweater with passports. Cash I'll keep to a minimum, I'll use ATM card as needed. This is what all of the guides recommend. I will also keep one credit card separate from the rest in case I lose my billfold again! :-)
