Heaven on Earth

If you know me at all, you won't be surprised to know that I spent the weekend at a bed & breakfast in Tuscany by myself. It was the highlight of my trip so far. I don't even know or how to begin to describe everything, but I will give it my best shot.
It is called Le Due Volpi, and the owners, Heidi and Lorenzo, have the gift of hospitality to say the least. She is from South Africa originally, but has lived in Tuscany for years and years. Lorenzo doesn't speak a lick of English, but I was surprised at how much of his Italian I understood. They are both in 60's or 70's and bought the place several years back, fixed it up for a few years, then welcomed guests with wide open arms.
I took the hour long train ride from Firenze on Friday afternoon to the little tuscan town of Veccio, where Heidi, picked me up. She was so easy to talk to and loved hearing about all we have been doing. The roads were one way, and when we veered off on a little gravel road, I knew we were close. We arrived at the villa right at sunset, and everything was golden. I couldn't believe I was there.

Their little westie named Snowy greated me at the gate, and Lorenzo was sweeping off the patio. He took my suitcase and they showed me to my room, the best one they have, at the top of the villa overlooking the valley on both sides of the house. I had a kingsize bed all to myself. Everything was decorated like a tuscan country villa you would imagine.. Hardwood floors, stone walls, white old lace bedspread and country dressers and tables. Windows open all the time.
After I settled in, I went down to the kitchen where Heidi was fixing dinner and we talked about life in Tuscany. There were two other couples there, that weekend, one from Australia and one from London. The Aussie couple, Rob and Lou, were there for dinner that night. When dinner was ready, we headed out to the little outside enclosed patio with a view overlooking the valley. We had wonderful pasta, then steak, then salad, then dessert, with Lorenzo's favorite wine. Since he is a local, he is a very selective with his wine, meat, oil, etc. The steak was so good, especially since it is hard to find good meat at a restaurant.
I woke up Saturday morning to Lorenzo going in and out of the side door to the patio room as he set out breakfast. He is the early riser between the two, and it was so sweet that he was letting her sleep. They had a REAL coffee pot and I could not WAIT for a cup of regular coffee.
After breakfast, I went to town with Heidi and Lorenzo to get food at the market and to the bakery because Italians only eat fresh baked bread. My favorite tuscan dish the whole week before was rubillita, a thick italian vegetable and bean soup made with bread, so Heidi decided she would teach me out to make it.

We headed back for lunch and Heidi, Lorenzo, and I ate spinach pasta and salad at the kitchen table by the fire. After lunch, we went for a walk up the mountain behind the villa. Lorenzo brought his apple picker and we picked the brightest red apples I've ever seen as well as chestnuts and figs.

Heidi showed me some of the most beautiful views. All I could think was how much I wished Caleb was there.
In the late afternoon, I curled up on the sofa by the fire and wrote a few letters before dinner. Lorenzo was roasting the chestnuts outside and we snacked on a few. I had never tried one and was surprised at the taste, but I really like them!

At dinner, the two other couples and Heidi and Lorenzo and I talked about the differences in our cultures and how we wished we could live in Tuscany. We had pasta with mushrooms and pork roast. It was so nice to not have a rushed meal and to be able to sit and enjoy the company of new people with amazing stories.
Sunday morning I woke up early and Lorenzo was already up and had made breakfast for the couple from London who had left at 6 a.m. Afterwards, Heidi, Lorenzo, Rob, Lou, and I rode to a neighboring town to the monthly flea market. It was so neat and there was handmade lace everywhere. I know what you are thinking mom, but I had no idea what was good and what wasn't. It was so neat to see all the little italian women bargaining for their new found treasures.
We rode back to the villa around noon and I already had a pit in my stomach because I knew I had to leave soon. We ate outside on the front porch and had rubillita, proschutto, and salad, and cheese with honey (a Lorenzo idea) which was so good. We talked around the table for a while and they wanted to hear about Caleb and how we got engaged. Their jaws kept dropping. They ask if I ever get tired of telling it.. of course not!

On the ride to the train station, Lou and I were exchanging emails and promising to keep in touch. I wasn't too sad to leave Heidi and Lorenzo, because I've already planned another weekend in November.

Pisa, Siena, and Firenze.

On the way back from Cinque Terre, we stopped in Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. The truth is, it looks like it is leaning alot more in person than it does in pictures.

The street on the way to the tower was lined with market vendors and tons of tourists making the silly pose to create the optical illusion that they are holding up the tower with their hands, feet, back, whatever. There was a marathon going on while we were there and I saw a man running barefooted.
We were back in Ariccia last Sunday, and left on Tuesday for Siena and Firenze. Siena, definitely a hidden treasure, was one of my favorite small towns I've seen. Our hotel was the nicest we've stayed in and our window opened to the street below where a string quartet was set up playing music for people's pocket change.

We spent the day there shopping and had an amazing wine tasting at a wonderful restaurant and went down to their cellar (picture above) where they have every bottle of Italian wine made in Italy. (Hus you would have been in HEAVEN!).


We ate in the piazza del Campo, where the famous horse race takes place in the summer. The entire piazza is lined with restaurants and outdoor seating. Besides the light from the moon and the clock tower, there isn't really a need for electric lights, which made it feel so like a dream! We left early the next morning for Prato and visited the textile factory there. Afterwards, we had a private lunch by a famous chef Chef Francesco Ciarapica in an outdoor dining room.

We had the Tuscan five course mean with different wine with each serving. Dad, you should be proud to know that I ate rabbit! (It is really hare, and the italian word for it is lepre.) It was divine, and we were all so sleepy on the way to Firenze. I had been looking forward to Firenze since we got to Italy. Our hotel was in an awesome location, and since everything in Firenze is walking distance, we saw everything. We did a walking tour on our ipods to the Duomo, Piazza del Campo, the Republica, the Ponte Vecchio, the Ufizzi, etc., but spent most of our time shopping and eating the wonderful tuscan food.

I loved the leather markets and had the best time bargaining for the wonderful leather. We toured the Salvadore Ferragamo museum on Sunday morning and the Medici costume gallery, then split for the weekend.

The Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre literally means "Five Terrace," exactly what it is.... Five precious little towns connected by a hiking trail. We stayed in Riomagiorre, the first of the five towns. We left on the bus on Friday morning very early and arrived around two. When we stepped off the bus, it smelled like the beach, salty and humid.

After checking in to our hostle (yes,), we walked around the little town and in and out of the little shops where you could purchase typical (and overpriced) beachtown items: beach towels, sunscreen, hats, shells, etc. Several of the stores were playing beach music and everything was so relaxedWe had dinner all together at a little restaurant similar to the old Oyster House on the causeway. . Cinque terre is known for their pesto, which was SO divine.

The next morning, Ali, Margaret, and I decided we were going to complete the 10km hike to all five towns. Most people do the first 3, and take the train to the 5th, but we were determined.

It was absloutely beautiful, and even though the hike between the last two towns was difficult, each little town we made it to made it worth going to the next. The Cinque Terre is a national park, so it is very well preserved. It is not a ritzy town at all, mostly backpackers and hostles, very different from Capri. The views were amazing, but we kept getting passed by 60+ year old hard core hikers. We laughed so hard. When we would walk past the marina in each little town, it felt sort of like home with the smell of boat motors and sound of sea gulls.

When we finally made it to the fifth town, I couldn't resist jumping in the freezing cold Mediterranean Sea.
It was so cold and so salty, but felt SO good.

Umbria and pottery.

Monday we went to the town of Orvieto in Umbria, a tiny little medieval town, one that seems like it hasn't changed in hundreds of years. All of the doors to the shops that line the streets are propped open with each little vendor standing gaurd. Precious little alleys led to more of the same, and every turn was picturesque.

Below the entire city are thousands of caves that were used by the Etruscans. We got to explore two of the caves, nothing special... what you would expect a cave to look like. The neat thing in Orvieto is that most houses have caves below them, and if you own the house, you own the cave. There is also a beautiful cathedral in the center.
Wednesday we drove back to Umbria (north of Rome and the Lazio region) and visited the town of Deruta, known for their pottery.

We had time to explore the town and buy some beautiful pottery. I made one unexpected purchase, but it will have a wonderful story to go along... I was wondering in and out of the shops, each seeming exactly the same as the one before after awhile, until I stepped into one that seemed more crowded. I soon realized that it was the family who owned the shop. There were the grand-parents, their children, and their grandchildren (who were in their 30's I'd guess). So the grandparents were well into their seventies. The grandmother was very "with it" but the grandfather was borderline senile. He kept picking up pieces of pottery to be repramanded by whoever seemed to be "on shift" with him. This went on the entire time I was in the shop. I picked up a beautiful platter that seemed different from the rest because the colors on the edge were sort of smeared. The grand-father hurried up to me and in his thick italian accent he communicated to me that HE had painted it. He couldn't have been more proud that the platter I liked was his masterpiece. It had dust on the bottom, clearly not in high demand, but I just couldn't bring myself to put it down. His grand daughter, who was sitting at the pottery wheel, came over to explain to me (in English) that he had indeed painted that piece. I think his wife and children were confused why I would buy that one, but his ear-to-ear grin told me that it was completely worth it. I absolutely love it, and he was so excited when I asked if I could take his picture holding the platter.

We got to tour the pottery factory. It was amazing to see everything they do by hand.

In afternoon we toured the the Basilica of St. Fransis of Assisi. The church and the view were beautiful.

We had a tour by a monk from Buffalo, NY which was nice because he spoke fluent english. I never though I'd appreciate an easy conversation in english that much!

It's just like the pictures..

The weekend in Sorrento was my favorite trip so far. The drive along the windy roads on the side of the cliffs overlooking the sea was so beautiful. The cliffs, the rocks, the crystal clear(really) water, the boats coming into the harbors of each tiny little town, the tiny wooden boats painted all sorts of primary colors with their oars relaxed, and the precious little stucco villas built practically into the cliffs could create a palate of a thousand different shades of yellow and orange, all proved that it is true... It really does look like the pictures in the magazines!

Sorrento was beautiful, we walked to an overlook as soon as we got there just in time for the sunset. We saw several new brides having their picture made with the sunset in the background..
We had a wonderful dinner where the waiter spoke english and on our way back to the hotel, there was a parade in the center, so we followed (and joined) the parade for a while.. I love small towns... especially italian ones.

The next morning we woke up early and bought a ticket to take the ferry to the island of Capri.

When we stepped off of the boat, I couldn't believe I was actually seeing with my own eyes. It looks just like the pictures in the coffee table books and the magazines. Perfect little streets, tourists, lots of shops, fishing boats... A few of us took a train to the top of the island to the actual town of Capri. Everyone there looked famous, we found out later that Richard Gere was there but we didn't see him. We walked to the end of a little street that had an overlook at the end next to a hotel where Churchill used to bring people.


Words don't begin to justify the view.
We spent the entire day at Capri, shopping and looking at the coral jewelry that Capri is known for, then took the late ferry in.
The next day we spent in Sorrento, looking at the shops and the leather market. I love to bargin prices with vendors even if I don't buy anything... haha. I know my dad is laughing.

Vesuvius and Pompeii

Last Thursday, we left early for our weekend trip to Sorrento. By early, I mean we left before the sun have begun to rise, but seeing the sunrise over the mountains was worth every deprived minute of sleep.
After a three hour bus ride, we winded around the curvy one-way path (hardly a road) to the trail head of the summit of Mount Vesuvius. Already in the clouds (literally), we began our hike up the trail of volcanic ash and pumice rock. Once to the top, I felt like I was sitting on the wing of an airplane while it was in flight. It was so cold, and the wet air clug to our hair so much that you could see the actual drops of water. It felt like we were moving because the cloud was blowing around us, between us, and towards us so fast. At the top, there are view points inside of the crater where the eruption blew.
It really just looked like a massive valley, but everything was the same grayish black color. We took a quick look and headed straight down.... If the weather had been better, we could have seen the city of Pompeii and the sea from the top, but no such luck that day.
We ate lunch in Pompeii, where the pizza is known for having a thicker crust.. but still not half as thick as the pizza we enjoy in America. We visited the ancient ruins of Pompeii, the city that had been completely covered with ash and rock from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the early Roman years.
It was so sad to see the figures of the people who were suffocated by the ash and frozen in time by the volcanic debris. Only 2/3 of the ancient city is uncovered.
There was even a dog we could see that had been tied up and writhed to be free while he was suffocating. Seeing this was the first time any of the ancient ruins evoked any emotion since it all seems so old and dead anyway. It is amazing to see something so old be so well preserved.. especially this city that was frozen in time. Our guide told us that they are in no hurry to excavate the other third of the city becuase of how well the ash has preserved the ruins.
Over here most people roll their own cigarettes. It seems everyone here smokes, inside and outside. Our guide, who had a fabulous sense of humor, rolled atleast four on our hour long guide.