devarae
100+ Posts
I'm importing my old trip journals in case they are useful to folks. Here I explore Florence and Venice with my husband and parents during October 11-21, 2009
Arrival in Florence (or not...?)
Saturday, October 10th: My husband Bob and I set off on our long-anticipated Italian escapade! We each have a single bag that can convert to be carried like a backpack that we will check, and a carry-on. My carry-on is full of novels (more than I need, but I love to read and have a great fear of being caught without a book!), a few guidebooks, and a sheaf of printouts from the Slow Travel website on important topics like how to shop in an Italian market and how to order gelato. I also have lists of restaurants, gelaterias, and the entire list of recommendations from Divina Cucina.
We will be meeting my parents at the airport in Boston for an overnight flight to Florence (transferring at Charles de Gaulle). Rather than drive down from Maine, we decide to take the convenient bus service ($44 each round trip) on Concord Trailways, from Portland to Logan Airport. We take what may be our last opportunity for some time to feast on tasty Indian food. Fortified with samosa and chicken tikka masala, we are on our way!
The Air France planes are comfortable and they provide a handy packet of earplugs and eye mask. I actually manage to sleep for a good part of the trans-Atlantic flight. The supper is also surprisingly tasty and comes with a cute little menu (which I keep as a souvenir, travel geek that I am).
Sunday October 11th: The passport check and transfer at CDG go smoothly, and before long we are flying into the morning sunshine. The views as we fly over the Alps are incredible! A panoramic vista of snow-topped mountains gives way slowly to brown and green hills, and soon enough we begin seeing clusters of red-roofed houses. I spot what looks like the white gorges of a marble quarry, and then dozens of turquoise blue pools marking the agriturismos and fancy villas dotting the countryside. And then ... a cloud of misty gray where Florence ought to be.
We circle for a while, but the fog doesn’t break up, and ultimately we are re-routed to Bologna. We survive by identifying a capable looking man in a beret from our plane and following him, since Air France doesn’t bother to tell us what is going on or where to go (or if they do, the intercom is so bad we can’t hear it). One of the other passengers has to corral an Air France representative to get the scoop, and then she (bless her!) tells the rest of us what’s going on (we will take buses). By the time we do get to Florence, the fog has lifted and it is a sunny hot day!
We take a taxi to our apartment at the Palazzo Gamba, right in the heart of the city. Despite our jet-lag, we are thrilled by that first glimpse of the Duomo, rising up from the white-green-pink marble splendor of Santa Maria del Fiore. We sweep into our apartment, marveling at the enormously tall ceilings, and throw open the windows. From our small balcony I can study every vein of the marble, we are so close!
The apartment is clean and spacious, though a bit cold, more like a hotel room than a home. The location is both boon and bane: we are steps away from everything, but it is very noisy with tourists, traffic, and ambulances throughout the night. Mom, Bob and I immediately take naps, while Dad ventures out bravely on his own for groceries: milk, Coca-Cola light, and delicious blood orange juice. I wake up after only an hour, too excited to sleep further, so Dad and I head out to amble around. We see the Piazza della Repubblica and a church open to the street offering free entry to an ongoing organ music performance (as we later discover, this is pretty much a nightly affair). I spot one of the recommended gelaterias: GROM! There is a long line, but it is worth it. I have decided that pistachio will be my default flavor, so I can have some basis of comparison. It is very tasty with a strong cream flavor.
We return to the apartment to pick up Mom and Bob, and decide to take a stroll toward the Arno and look for a place to have dinner. We make our way along the Via del Calzaioli to the Piazza della Signoria, where we pause for a bit to admire the statues (including the reproduction of David). I check out Rivoire and hope I will have the chance to return later (though as it turns out, I don’t!). The press of the crowds is somewhat oppressive, and I am finding the amount of smoke a little hard to deal with. There is a lot of hustle and bustle everywhere, which is both exciting and a bit wearying.
We cross the Ponte Vecchio, admiring the old shops (mostly closed as it is Sunday). In a bid to escape some of the crowds we turn immediately right after crossing the bridge and head up a less crowded side-street. There we discover Osteria Chingale Bianco, one of the much-recommended restaurants on my list. It appears they have just opened for dinner as hardly any tables are taken. Mom bravely goes in and asks if we can have a table for four. Yes! We enjoy a delicious first meal in Florence. None of us are up to a full several course meal, so we all order either a primo (pasta) or a secondo (meat) but not both. My Pumpkin Ravioli with Butter and Sage is delicious, as is Mom’s pasta with Eggplant. Bob tries the Polenta and Chiangale (Wild Boar), while Dad has a deliciously garlicky Chicken with Roasted Potatoes. We also split some bruschetta (the tomatoes are so sweet and good!) and prosciutto with melon (interesting, but I like the melon on its own best).
We walk home, stopping so that Bob can get a gelato of his own (from GROM, where the lines are now much shorter). He likes it but the chocolate flavor is a bit too dark for his tastes (he prefers milk chocolate). Then it’s to bed to get ready for our first full day!
Capelle Medici, Santa Anunziata
Monday October 12th
It rains overnight, and the morning dawns with a dismal grayness that we optimistically (and foolishly) ignore. After a breakfast of toast we head out to the Cappelle Medici. We arrive early and there is no line for tickets, so we each purchase the combo tickets to enter the church and the library and treasury. We spend some peaceful moments in the cloister, breathing in the fresh wet air that smells of boxwood. Then we head up to view the Laurentine Library. It’s an impressive room and we have fun imagining the rows of stalls filled with ancient colorful tomes. Beyond this is the display of old scrolls, books, and papers, from papyrus divorce documents to wax tablets, to beautifully illuminated bibles to “magic scrolls.” There’s also a bathroom (allowing us to implement one of our main rules of travel: always use the bathroom when you have the chance). Unfortunately I suddenly have a coughing fit (I had been sick the week before we left and thought I was recovered but either the dust or the smoke is apparently setting me off). I gasp my way out to the cloister again to recover, where we discover it has started to rain. We duck next door to the church itself and hope it will stop.
The church is impressive (inside, at least) but oddly does not feel holy to Bob or I. In fact we agree that it reminds us of the chilly great hall of Denethor in the Lord of the Rings movie. Perhaps it’s an appropriate comparison! In the sacristy next door (designed by Brunelleschi, famous for his work on the Duomo) I found more appealing design, particularly in the gorgeous dome painted a deep vibrant blue and starred with the outlines of constellations.
The rain had not abated but fortunately Dad has craftily hidden an umbrella in his many-pocketed photographer’s vest without any of the rest of us realizing it. He goes back to the apartment for our other rain gear, and once outfitted we head for the nearby Mercato Centrale.
We divide up to find suitable lunch and dinner "fixins." The very helpful and charming staff at Gastronomia Perini help me select some over-sized tortellini, dried tomato pesto, a slice of cheese and some hard salami. Then I go looking for the recommended Pany Da Lory but cannot find it. I finally settle on another bakery that looks interesting, only to discover, when I check the receipt, that it WAS Pany da Lory! I get two small loaves of seeded bread. Bob in the meantime has scored a bunch of roasted chicken and potatoes, and we pick up green beans -- carefully asking the proprietor to get them for us having been warned that Italian produce shops are not self-serve as in the US!
Back home we dry off and feast on the chicken, potatoes and green beans. By the time we finish the weather has cleared, so we head off to explore the area north of us. We walk past the Accademia gallery but none of us feels the overwhelming need to visit it. We do, however, stop at Carebe for gelato. The pistachio is much nuttier, flecked with bits of nut, and quite delicious. We wend our way into the Piazza de Santissima Annunziata, which is (according to one guidebook) one of the most perfectly proportioned in Florence. It is indeed lovely, framed with loggias and quite empty. As Bob says, it would be an excellent setting for an angry mob. Spotting the entry to the church, we figure we might as well check it out, and boy are we glad we do! It is one of our favorites of the entire trip, with a remarkable aura of peace, and glorious gold-bedecked ceilings that lift your spirits upward. In a side chapel I find a haunting painting of a woman, her pale face emerging from shadows, turned upward in awe and reverence and perhaps some sorrow. I have not been able to find an image online and could not see a painter, but the inscription of the chapel referenced a Dona Barbara. I wonder who this mysterious woman is, and light a candle for her.
The attached cloister is also worth a visit. We enjoy the frescoes, particularly several that feature a dog in the crowd. We wonder if the painter had such a dog.
Next we visit the Archaeology museum, but it is a disappointment. The setup is confused and the staff are cold, unsmiling and grouchy. The numbering of the rooms is not clear and we suspect even the Italian labels are not very clear. I do enjoy visiting the rooms of Egyptian artifacts, which are dim and spooky and filled with the staring painted eyes of sarcophagi. The gardens look lovely and inviting but are off-limits. We depart, and pledge to tell others it is not worth the price of admission!
We spend some time trying to find what looks like a public park on our map, only to discover that all the green areas are in fact private parks. I am to discover this is the start of a trend -- there seem to be very few, if any, green spaces (or even trees!) out in the open in Florence. I find it oppressive and miss the lovely parks in Paris where I could sit and people-watch.
Back in the apartment we cook our dinner of tortellini with sundried tomato pesto and green beans, and have cheese, salami and tomato antipasti. It is all delicious!
After dinner Bob and I go get our second gelato of the day at Perche No. I try the semi freddo (tiramisu flavor) and surprise myself by preferring gelato. The frothy lightness of the semifreddo feels almost too insubstantial to eat.
Day Trip with Luca of Hills and Roads
Tuesday, October 13th
Today we have arranged a tour with Luca of Hills and Roads. We are all very excited for the chance to see the countryside! I sip my tea looking up from our balcony at the beautiful crescent moon hanging against the clear blue sky over the Duomo. The rain has gone (and as it turns out, it will not return again for the rest of our trip! Clearly we won the weather lottery!).
At 9:30 Luca finds us waiting on the street outside our apartment, just as promised. He is a charming and well-spoken man, with a wealth of information about Italy. He puts us all at ease.
We begin the trip by driving through the woody hills of the Chianti Colli to a tiny hilltop castle village with a population of only around 50. It is named Montebenichi, and it is adorably quaint and picturesque. Every window seems to sport white lace curtains, and everywhere we look there are bright potted flowers, old gray stone, and sleepy cats.
Continuing on, we move into the Crete Sinisi landscape, with the familiar brown hills lined with dark spikes of cypress. We stop for a bathroom break and drinks and cough drops (I have another scary coughing fit in the van) at Asciano. This is also a town built around a castle, but it is still active and has a more modern feel. We wander the town, admiring the old walls, peering up at grandmas watching us out their windows, and finding odd nooks. Dad picks some green grapes growing on a wall and declares them tasty!
But the rest of us are getting hungry too and we don’t have much time to eat before we need to be at our next stop. Lucca drives us on to the Val d’Orcia region and Montalcino, which is sun-drenched and gorgeous. We feast on one of the most simple but best meals of our entire trip: fat homemade spaghetti-like pasta called “pinci” with tomato sauce. I dream of that pasta several times in the following week!
We are in a hurry because one of my must-see sites is the San Antimo Abbey, and I really wanted to be there to hear the chanting at one of the services.
As we drive along the winding roads and the Abbey comes into view I experience a thrill: I had not actually looked at pictures of the buildings, only read other trip reports that sung its praises. But still I recognized the structure, because it was the image I had randomly chosen as a desktop image on my computer! And it is a very striking vista, with the pale elegant lines of the Abbey rising against the deep green valley, punctuated by a single dark cypress that parallels the tower.
We head directly into the hall, and find a lofty space filled with golden light. There are no stained glass windows and very little decoration, but this is the most spiritual spot I have encountered thus far in Italy (and will continue to hold that title for the rest of the trip). After a short time, a side door opens and seven or eight white-robed monks sweep in gracefully. They range in age from an old white-haired gentleman who trembles when he stands to a young fellow in his twenties, perhaps, who looks book rapt and driven. Without any fuss or muss, they take their places and begin the 15 minute service. I could have listened for much longer! Some sing with heart-stirring virtuosity, others with more faith than beauty, but it is all very moving and I will remember it for a long time.
After the service we wander the grounds, visiting some of the few centuries-old olive trees to escape a late frost some years ago. It is a special and magical place, even with a couple dozen other tourists on the site. I hope I can return some day!
From the Abbey we head off to Castiglion d’Orcia, a remarkable medium-sized hill-top town with a madcap M. C. Escher feel to the streets, with their jumble of stairways, sloping ramps and passages shooting off every-which-way. Sadly my memory card dies just in the middle of this visit, and I lose all my photos to this point! Oh well! It’s a good thing Bob and Dad were also taking pictures!
By this time I’ve had another coughing fit, and we are getting tired, so we decide to skip the planned visit to Pienza to sample cheeses, and instead pause only long enough to note that it is a very pretty but highly touristed town, and to use a restroom!
Back in Florence Luca drops us off near our apartment. We pay him (using a credit card) and thank him for an absolutely wonderful day! We eat leftovers and go to bed early.
Bargello, Santa Croce, and a Visit to the Doctor
Wednesday October 14th
In the morning Dad climbs the Duomo. I decide not to join him for fear it will aggravate my cough. We see him up on the walkway and wave from our apartment balcony below. He returns to say the climb was not too bad, and the views were very nice. We have both read Brunelleschi’s Dome and were thus curious to see the masterpiece of engineering in real life!
Mom and I go out thinking maybe we will have hot chocolate at Rivoire, but it is too cold to sit outside. Instead we try cornetto filled with chocolate from a recommended pastry shop named Scudieri’s on the corner near the Baptistry. These things are absolutely divine! They are warm, buttery and crisp. As you sink your teeth into the layers of pastry, a glorious pudding-like chocolate oozes out (and occasionally dribbles down your chin because you are so enraptured by the taste you don’t notice).
Today we visit the Bargello in the morning. It is a gorgeous museum, and I am grateful for the thinner crowds. After purchasing tickets, you can step out into the wide courtyard, edged covered walks like a cloister, with a massive stone staircase leading up to a covered loggia on the second level. All the interior walls are decorated by dozens of elaborate sigils, and the ceilings of the loggias are painted in patterns of red blue and green, with pale ribs of stone holding them aloft. Statuary is scattered about, and there is an old well at the center of the yard. Having acquired a new memory card from a shop near the apartment, I snap dozens of photos!
The exhibits themselves are extensive and very interesting. I take note of the Donatello sculptures, the plates with Renaissance designs, the dim Persian room glimmering with gold and copper, and an array of 16th century clocks. The Donatello Room is a sight just for the room itself, with a vast high ceiling. I spent a lot of time just sitting, absorbing the atmosphere, listening to chants and Renaissance music on my iPod.
We lunch at a recommended restaurant called La Baroanda, which we almost did not find because it doesn’t have that name outside anymore (though there is a sign inside and the address is the same). I have the menu di Giorno of pasta carbonara followed by sausages with spinach. All delicious! The service is also very good.
Fortified, we continue on to Santa Croce. I have just enough time to see the many tombs (Rossini, Fermi, Gallileo, Machiavelli) before another coughing fit drives me outside, gagging and breathless. We decide I have to see a doctor as I am having trouble breathing and scaring my family (and myself). Fortunately I have thought to copy down information from the Rick Steves website about an English doctor who specializes in treating tourists. The info on the website is a correction to the guidebook, as the doctor has recently relocated. We send Dad off to Fiesole without us, and Mom and Bob escort me to see Dr Kerr. We locate the offices on the Piazza Mercato Nuovo (#1). I fill out some paperwork and Dr Kerr sees me only a few minutes later. It is very easy and convenient, and the pharmacy right downstairs is able to fill my prescription for antibiotics and cough syrup. Even better, Dr Kerr says I should take one of the pills right away “with something to eat, like gelato.” Nothing better than being prescribed ice cream!
We head off to Gelateria Del Neri. The offerings there are excellent, one of my favorites of the trip. And the medicine does the trick -- I have no more scary coughing fits after that, whew! But the cough syrup does knock me out, so we head home to rest. Bob and I go out for a late dinner at an unremarkable restaurant, then some more gelato at a place right next to Vestri Chocolates (which was closed). It is very good!
Pitti Palace and San Miniato al Monte
Thursday October 15th
We dedicate our last day in Florence (we will be leaving by train for Venice on Friday morning) to the Oltroarno, specifically to the Pitti Palace. It is a very impressive site -- almost TOO impressive! Room upon room is filled with gold-framed art and lush ceiling frescoes. What stands out are the rooms that are different: the tiled bathroom, the magnificent stairwell with its views of the Duomo. In the set of rooms decorated in 18th century style, we feel as if we are walking through the same room over and over, each time in a different color: green, blue, red, white. It takes quite a long time to go through, and by the end we are skimming.
Looking forward to a breath of fresh air and a different experience, we head out to the Boboli gardens. These are a bit of a disappointment. Perhaps I am overly tired, but I find them lacking in charm and energy. Maybe it is an effect of their being a tourist site rather than a public garden? I cannot help but compare them (unfavorably) to the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, which we visited three years ago at the same time of the year. I do however find something of interest in the strange, creepy “grotto” with its facsimile of stalagtites and stalagmites, and earthy, almost pagan vibe.
We eat lunch at a restaurant recommended in our ACCESS guidebook, which I don’t recall the name of. My fresh ravioli stuffed with pecorino and pear in a walnut sauce was very tasty, and the bread basket included a foccacia that was actually salted (unlike much of the bland Tuscan bread we had elsewhere).
From there, Bob and I headed off on our own to make our way up to San Miniato al Monte with hopes of hearing the evening chanting for Vespers. We enjoyed our walk through the neighborhoods of the Oltrarno, and up the steep sloping walk to the church and abbey. The views were incredible! It was particularly lovely to sit there in the sun, looking out over the panoramic view. I also was very relieved to find trees and green spaces, and to look down over the hills with their olive trees. If I were to stay again in Florence I would wish to stay in nearer to this section of town, I think.
We arrived early, and thus spent an hour just watching the view, and being stalked by a particular white pigeon. The bathrooms were our first “squat toilets” of the trip. At last it was time, and we headed inside to the dim church. Of particular note were some frescoes that had been recently found on one wall, and which included a “sketch” in preparation for one that was never completed.
Sadly the service itself is a disappointment, for two reasons. Firstly, the monks themselves seem flustered, moving back and forth, dropping things, running this way and that to set up (and it is not clear where exactly they would be holding the service -- it ends up being in the crypt area below the main hall, so the entire gathered crowd must all shuffle down when we realize our error). And some of the monks are late! Secondly (and most frustratingly), not one but TWO tour buses drop off packs of tourists during the service, and each group shuffles noisily down in the middle of the service, whispering and scuffing their feet, answering cellphone calls (!) and going off to light votive candles noisily in the corners. And then they all leave again after a few minutes! It is so incredibly frustrating, and so massively different than the beautiful serenity of San Antimo! Oh well! I can only hope it is not like that all the time. I am very sorry for the monks.
We console our frazzled nerves with Vivoli gelato. It is very good, and is also the first and only place we have to pay for the gelato first, then bring the receipt over to have the scooper fill our order. I also found an Internet point (they were all over the place near Santa Croce!) and make sure nothing has exploded online in my absence.
We retire for the night, to be well rested in order to lug all our baggage to the train station for the second part of our trip: VENICE!
Venice: Love at First Sight
Friday October 16th
Dad and I go out early for a last walk around Florence and some final shopping for souvenirs and gifts for friends. Then back at the apartment we finish packing, slung our packs on our backs, and bid “arrivederci” to our apartment at Palazzo Gamba. We trudge our way over to the Santa Maria Novella train station. It is not nearly as complicated as I had feared, and we are an hour early, so we have the hang of the arrivals and departure boards well in advance of our scheduled departure. Dad had bought our tickets online (for a Eurostar train, second class) so all we need to do was keep our eye on the board to see when the platform is listed next to the train number on our ticket. In the meantime we buy some snacks (I had to buy a funny snack pack that included a bunch of cookie wands and a container of Nutella to dip them in). We also have sandwiches made out of the last of our bread, cheese, mozzarella and salami.
The train ride is smooth and painless. I am careful to make sure we wait until Venice Santa Lucia, rather than getting off at Venice Mestre, thanks to fore-warnings on the Slow Travel site. Since it is a Eurostar and our tickets were already purchased we just show the ticket (there’s only one, with all our seats listed) to the conductor when he comes around.
When we arrive in Venice, we call our contact at Views on Venice to let them know. Someone will be meeting us at the Ca’Rezzonico vaporetto stop to show us the apartment. As we emerge from the station and out onto the docks we have our first view of Venice. I had told myself I would not take out the camera until after we had dropped off our stuff at the apartment but I can’t help it -- I must capture this moment! There it is! Water! I knew it was going to be there, but I was still blown away by the sight. I hadn’t expected the water to be so beautiful: a brilliant blue-green with jade shadows. I feel all the tension built up in Florence evaporate. As Indiana Jones would say “Ah, Venice!”
Dad buys our three-day vaporetto passes and we race for the next number 1 headed in the Lido (and thus the Ca’Rezzonico) direction. I had not realized there would be two (or more, in some cases) different docks at some vaporetto stops. I also thought we would have to stamp our pass once to activate it, but it seems that now there is a barcode reader instead: you swipe the card over the center of the reader and the light will turn green if it is still valid. We do so and lug our bags onto the boat. It is crowded but my spirits can’t be dampened. There is too much beauty to take in! Our boat chugs off down the Grand Canal...
Damp breezes sweep up off the rippling waters as we zip along past the decaying majesty of the old palazzos. I can see why some people might find the crumbling beauty not to their tastes, but I adore it. I am going photo-mad trying to capture the ineffable essence of this city. Everywhere you turn there is some funny, quaint, ugly, lovely detail: a window-box of cyclamen, brilliant pink against faded walls. A crumbling angel gracing the corner of a building, her face now streaked black and white with age. A plaque so weather-worn you have to invent the original contents: was it Saint George battling a dragon?
After a too-short trip we reach our stop. Sylvia, the Views on Venice representative, meets us there. She is friendly and very helpful, leading us the short walk to Campo San Barnaba, where she points out a good bakery (Rizzo Pane) and then leads us through a Sortoportega (tunnel-like walk), over a bridge, around a corner and onto “our” canal, the Rio Delle Romite. It is so charming and quaint I know at once I will love it! We cross one last bridge and then we are “home.” The outer entrance is on the ground floor, but we go up one flight of stairs to our apartment. I had seen pictures but the interior is so much grander and lovelier than I expected! We wander through the rooms, amazed at our good fortune. I am particularly stunned by our bedroom, which has a chandelier (!) and a is decorated in cream and white, with the afternoon sun streaming in the two tall windows veiled in gauzy white curtains. Outside is the neighbor’s garden, complete with palm tree. Wow!
Sylvia shows us how to use the various appliances, gives us a map and other materials, then heads off. We put away our things, then set out in search of an early supper. Campo Santa Margherita is nearby, and supposedly well supplied with cheap but tasty pizza, so we head that way, passing once again through Campo San Barnaba (where I also notice an Internet point and a GROM geleteria, as well as an exhibit of devices based on the drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci at the church dominating the charming campo).
Campo Santa Margherita is wonderful, full of energy and vivacity. There are lots of people out enjoying the sun, walking dogs, letting their children play. There are also trees, hooray! We can’t stop to look at the outside menus without someone coming and trying to talk us into eating, but everything looks good. We end up choosing one (Pizzeria Pier Dickens) where the waitperson seems the friendliest and promises we can sit in the sun. She brings us all complimentary champagne. We feast on an assortment of pizzas: Calabrese (with onion and egg), Margherita (with tomato and mozzarella) and another with sweet corn, fresh tomato, and ham. All were delicious. I normally prefer thick-crust pizza but these thin-crust pizzas were very good! Service was also excellent, and we enjoyed our leisurely hour or so sitting in the sun soaking up the atmosphere.
We then stopped in at the nearby grocery store for supplies: bread, more blood orange juice (we all love it!), jam, butter, pasta, sauce, and some interesting yogurts (chantilly, nocciola, malto, cocco). Dad takes the groceries home while we wait with Mom (who has a bad knee that needs a rest after the bridges). Unfortunately, I forget my key is in my backpack (with the groceries) and Dad locks both the backpack and his own key inside. We’ve managed to lock ourselves out within three hours of arriving! And worse, the office will close in five minutes, and it’s a €50 fee if you get locked out outside of office hours! We scramble to use the payphone, and thankfully they agree to stay 15 minutes extra so we can run over to pick up the spare key. Guidebook and map in hand, Bob and I race off on this mission.
It’s actually kind of fun, if a bit nerve-wracking. We zoom across small campos and large, catching glimpses of a cute dog drinking from one of the many public fountains, gondolas out on the water, mask shops, pastry shops, and dozens of bridges. Thankfully the Views on Venice office is only a few minutes away in San Marco sestiere, and we make it in time. We take a more leisurely stroll back and meet Mom and Dad at the apartment. We are all very very careful with the keys after that!
After recuperating from that little adventure, Bob and I head out for an evening stroll along the Zattere (the long mostly flat walk that runs along the southern edge of the Dorsoduro sestiere, beside the Giudecca canal). We round the tip and made our way along the more twisty-turny route from Santa Maria del Salute church to the Accademia and back home. Seeing the glittering lights on the Giudecca and Grand Canals is a skin-tingling sight!
Burano and Florians
Saturday October 17th
I spend the early hours of the morning in the apartment updating my travel journal, with the window cracked open so I can hear the faint creaking of the boats, the lap of the water, and the ringing of bells on the hour marks. I sample the Chantilly yogurt which is heavenly, and really does taste like whipped cream in flavor.
Since Mom and Bob like to sleep in, Dad and I head out on our own early, and take a nice walk up to the Rialto bridge (dropping off the spare key at Views on Venice). We get some excellent cornetto at a pastry shop we thereafter fail to relocate, until the very last day when I finally find it again and record the name: Pasticceria Marchini.
I check out the Internet point in Campo San Barnaba, which is a funky little one-room shop crammed full of toys, action figures and color. The fellow who works there reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe, with his droopy mustache and dapper suit (complete with silk cravat), not to mention his refined but faintly creepy demeanor.
The weather is utterly gorgeous again, but we haven’t been able to check a report so we aren’t sure if it is going to last. We therefore decide to visit the more distant islands in the laguna this afternoon, in case the weather deteriorates later. But first: lunch! We look for a recommended restaurant, but it doesn’t open until 12:30 and we are hungry! So we decide to try Pane Vino e San Daniele. It turns out to be Bob and my favorite meal of the trip! We get sides of roasted vegetables and lasagna for everyone except me. I have spotted a meal I must have: tiny light and delicate gnocchi in a creamy sauce, served in a BOWL MADE OF CHEESE. It is delicious! And everything is relatively inexpensive -- the bill for Bob and I (two pasta dishes, mineral water, a vegetable side) is €20 -- that’s cheaper than any of our restaurant lunches in Florence. Apparently there is a second Pane Vino nearby, that is a bit pricier but just as good (Mom and Dad eat there later in the trip).
Now we set off for Burano -- ultimately we take a round-about route because we do not realize that there are FOUR different Santa Zaccharia vaporetto docks, and thus miss the dock where we could have gotten on the boat that went directly to Burano. Instead we go from Ca’Rezzonico to Zaccharia, then take a different vaporetto around the outside of Venice (along the Giudecca Canal) to the Fondamente Nuevo stop, then switch to the boat to Burano there. But it gives us a nice view of the city!
Having read a suggestion online, Bob and I disembark at the Mazzorba stop, then walk along the pleasant path that takes you through that quiet isle, into a park, and from there to Burano’s outskirts (rather than getting off right at the main Burano stop with the masses of other tourists). We enjoy the peaceful green walk.
Burano itself is as lovely as I expected, but more desolate. The hectic tourist strip only sets off the emptiness of the other streets. Still, we find much beauty and a picture waiting to be taken at every corner. One of our memorable sights is an enclosed garden populated by at least nine cats who appeared to be plotting world domination. I am reminded of the Neil Gaiman Sandman story about cats.
Eventually, I begin to feel like I am trapped in a labyrinth of pastel houses, so we head back to the vaporetto stop. We decide not to try to see Torcello, but rather to head back to Venice on the ship that is about to depart. Dad is still off taking photos but Mom says she will wait for him and they will make their own way home. We get some gelato for the “road” and set off.
From the Fondamente Nuovo we set off south toward San Marco’s Square. We stop for a peak at Santa Maria di Miraculai and find it a refreshing and exquisite change from many of the other churches we have visited, with its distinctive marble walls and graceful, simple style, capped by an elaborate ceiling of panels showing Saints and other figures.
As we make our way into Santa Maria Formosa Campo the bells begin ringing. We stand silently, watching them swing in the tower high above, marveling that we are really here to see them. Continuing on, we encounter an ugly scowling carved face on the rear of the church, and have fun posing for photos with it.
As the sky darkens, we reach San Marco at last, coming out from under the clock tower. It is awe-inspiring to step out and see all those famous sites: the wide piazza, the distant outline of the lion on his tall pillar, the glimmering gold of the Basilica and the distant rosy walls of the Doge’s palace. Ah, Venice!
We wander dreamily across the piazza listening to the orchestras dueling jazz versus classics, and I decide it is time for a splurge. I convince Bob we should stop for hot chocolate at Florian’s!
If it were just a fancy, overpriced restaurant I would not be so tempted, but one of the reasons I was interested in coming to Venice was that it is featured in one of my favorite books: Betsy and the Great World, by Maud Hart Lovelace (which is in turn based on the author’s own trip to Europe just before WWI). In the book, Betsy and her Italian beau Marco eat at Florian’s often (I think it must have been cheaper then!). As we stood there and I imagined my literary heroine walking these same stones, I simply had to go in and revel in the moment. So we did!
We make the most of it: snuggling down into the cozy velvet nook, we marvel at the richly ornamented walls and painted mirrors that made us feel like we are inside a gorgeous jewelry box. The elegant waiter in his white coat takes our order (two hot chocolates with whipped cream) and we both pledge not to even think about the price. We are here for the whole experience. As the music drifts in from outside I lean back and am overwhelmed with emotion. Love for my wonderful husband who is willing to share these adventures and indulge my odd whims; love for my favorite author, as I imagine her here; love for Venice itself. The hot chocolate arrives with great pomp and circumstance, crowned by mounds of whipped cream and a thin cookie embellished with the logo “Florians.” All around us other patrons are having cocoa and colorful drinks. I don’t see anyone ordering dinner! We watch a cheerful couple dancing outside to the rollicking polka music. Waiters swoop in and out expertly balancing trays of champagne for those bravely sitting outside in the chilly night.
At last we drag ourselves away (or rather Bob drags me away) and head for home. After a dinner of pasta at home, I relive my day as I soak in a gloriously hot and deep bath, then go to bed.
A Tale of Two Churches
Sunday October 18th
I wake early (I am too excited to sleep!) and spend several hours updating my journal, reading, eating bread with butter and peach jam, and drinking copious amounts of tea. At around eight, Dad and I head out to the Piazza San Marco, hoping to get some pictures with fewer crowds. It is clear and sunny, but cold and windy. I wish I had brought gloves and a hat!
The square is considerably less crowded, so we spend some time taking pictures, and wondering what the odd set of platforms are that have been erected across the piazza in front of the Basilica. I can’t get enough of the view toward San Giorgio Maggiore, framed by the two pillars topped by the lion of Saint Mark, and poor Saint Theodore who lost his spot as patron of Venice when Mark moved in. I also love the pink glass of the lamps throughout the square. We then spend some frustrating time waiting for a vaporetto to San Giorgio Maggiore, hoping to climb the tower for the views, before giving up. I later discover we were at the wrong station -- there are not just two here, but four, and the one where the vaporettos run to SGM is over a bridge from where we were waiting. Oh well!
We make our way back across San Marco’s only to discover a change is underway: sheets of water now cover parts of the piazza! It’s a small bit of Acqua Alta! Aha, that is what the raised walkways are for! This provides a bit of excitement for our walk home, as we skirt the growing pools and get our feet a bit wet in the process. We see others holding their shoes and walking barefoot. On the way home we get pastries from a shop in Dorsoduro (near the Toletta area I think). They are not as good as the elusive shop of our first day, but they are tasty. I try a baba soaked in rum and filled with cream. It is sooo good!
Back home I drop off Dad and pick up Bob so we can set off on a ramble around town. We start by going up the Zattere again, people- and dog- watching as we go. We note that there appear to be hundreds of cute dogs in Venice, many of which trot freely and obediently along off-leash, following their humans over bridges and along canals. As dog people ourselves, we feel this speaks well of Venicians. We even see dogs on vaporettos, often wearing muzzles (for safety, due to the close quarters, I imagine).
So far Bob and I both agree that Dorsoduro is our favorite part of Venice. It has a charm unlike any other part of the city. Perhaps it is that the houses are not quite as tall, or that the canals are sunnier and more often edged by paths on both sides, or perhaps it is the presence of schools and universities. Whatever the case, we feel very lucky to be staying here!
Eventually we take the vaporetto up to the Giardini stop, and get our first look at the public gardens. They are delightful, but we are hungry, so we decide to return after lunch. Wandering through the Castello sestiere, we find an unremarkable but decent restaurant (crammed with Italians, as far as we can tell) and eat. We decide to try to see the Basilica before it closes (it is open 2-4 on Sundays).
The line is not horribly long, but I am embittered when an older couple blatantly cuts in line just as we are reaching the entry. They pretend not to hear or see us (or the two couples ahead of us who are just as infuriated with their rudeness) as we tell them there is a line. I try to shrug off my bitterness, but only partly succeed. The Basilica is definitely a grand site, but it is poisoned by the crush of the crowds as we shuffle along the marked out route, like sheep into the shearing pen. I am not sorry to see it (especially as it is free) but I do not think I really enjoy the experience, and decline going up to see the original horses and upper walkway, or the treasury, which cost extra. Perhaps if I return again in January I might visit again and enjoy it, but as it is I feel the experience is a waste.
Thankfully, the next experience more than makes up for it. We visit the nearby church of San Zachariah, another site with a connection to Betsy and the Great World. One of Betsy’s favorite paintings is Bellini’s Madonna and the Saints. Entering the quiet, uncrowded church and approaching the lush, jewel-like painting I experience the awe and reverence I would have hoped to feel in the Basilica. The painting really is a masterpiece, and I spend quite a long time (for me) studying it.
We walk onward to the Giardini again, enjoying the green and peaceful afternoon, listening to a young man practicing his guitar, and watching kids playing soccer. Reaching the San Elena stop, we catch a vaporetto back home, stopping for more groceries for dinner (roast chicken, potatoes, salad, and peach juice).
Mom, Dad, Bob and I have dinner together around our elegant table, talking over our days and trading stories. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to travel with my parents, and I am so happy everyone is having a good time! I am very proud of my mom for walking so much despite her knee. She is being careful to rest it in the mornings and at night, and thus far it is going very well!
After yet another indulgent, blazingly hot bath and a bit of reading, I head for bed.
Accademia, Doge's Palace and Secret Itinerary Tour
Monday October 19th
Mom, Dad and I are all up early, and decide it is a good opportunity to visit the Accademia, which opens bright and shiny at 8:15 (and which Bob is not particularly interested in visiting). Unfortunately the museum is being renovated and thus many of the exhibits are moved around and hard to locate. Mom and I follow along with the Rick Steves tour as best we could, and find it just the right level of detail for our taste. We particularly enjoy seeing The Tempest by Giorgione, and debating what the soldier and the nursing mother are thinking, whether they know the storm was coming, etc. But my favorite is the Madonna with Saint Catherine and Mary Magdalene by Bellini (who I now have an interest in after my experience at San Zachariah). I agree with Rick Steves that this depiction of Mary Magdalene is striking, and I spend some time studying her expression.
After we head home and Bob is ready, we all take the vaporetto to San Marco’s again. Bob and I will be trying to get spots on the Secret Itinerary Tour of the Doge’s Palace. We had waffled about doing so prior to our trip, and hope it is not too late! We bid Mom and Dad farewell as they head off on their own adventures, and we get into line. Thankfully it is not too long, and once inside we find the well-marked desk for Secret Itinerary bookings and info. We are able to get spots on the 12:25 English Language tour, hooray!
Since we have an hour to spare, we explore the central courtyard and take pictures of the Stairway of Giants, the Mouth of Truth, and other notable spots. We check my backpack and visit the café, which is excellent and relatively cheap. I get a brie and ham panini to eat at the bar and it is about €3.50 (and quite large!). We meet up with our tour, which is led by a vivacious and friendly young Italian woman.
The Secret Itinerary Tour is just our sort of thing: full of interesting little tidbits and visits to secret rooms. I particularly enjoy seeing the hidden doorways disguised as armoires! Bob enjoys it even more than I do! Afterward, we are left to our own devices to explore the rest of the Palace. We spend several hours at this, since there is a LOT to see. I particularly enjoy the mind-blowing enormity of the Grand Council Hall (which supposedly can fit 2500 people!) and the dank and atmospheric prison cells on the other side of the Bridge of Sighs (which is sadly covered in scaffolding, but for a good cause: it is being fixed up!). We take note of the many graffiti inscriptions along the inside sills of the prison windows and wonder about those who carved them. By the time we reach the Doge’s apartments we are too worn out to take them in. Bob spends some time in the Armory while I rested, and then we depart, feeling that our work here is done, as best it can be for one visit!
Back in the streets we find our way to what one guidebook calls “the best gelateria in Venice” - La Botique del Gelato, near the Santa Maria Formosa Campo. It is good, but so has all the gelato been! I really like the “Zabaione Mousse” I get (combined with meringue gelato). Is this another name for Semifreddo, or something different? We are not sure, but it is delicious. Bob has pizza from a random stand on the street for his late lunch.
We spend the rest of the afternoon getting intentionally lost in the San Polo sestiere and exploring. As we cross one bridge, we both feel a sort of internal jolt, and realize we are back in lovely Dorsoduro. It continues to be our favorite part of Venice!
I have been checking out a number of recommended mask making studios and showrooms, looking for just the right place to purchase my own souvenir. As it turns out, my favorite is Ca’Macana, right around the corner from our apartment! Having reached this decision, I decide now is the time. We head over and I deliberate the very difficult choice. There are so many beautiful masks. At least my budget limits me to a smaller selection or I might be there for days! Finally I decide on a bird-like cream mask with black, gold and blue filigree decorations.
Dropping the mask off at home, Bob and I head over to watch the sun set over the Giudecca canal. We see several others with the same idea. Another couple picnics to the music of a small boom box, while a woman and her wrinkle-faced Sharpie sit against the steps of a church, all of us watching the golden disk lowering in the sky. It is such a clear night there is little color, only streams of light glittering along the water. A ginormous cruise ship passes by, one of several we have seen in our time here. Very surreal!
When the sun has passed, we head back for dinner at the apartment, another delicious and cheap meal of supermarket pasta and sauce with salad. Mmm!
Last Day
Tuesday October 20th
Our last full day in Venice! Fortunately we have already done all our “must-do” items, and that leaves us free to just enjoy ourselves as we wish. I sip my morning goblet of peach juice mixed with blood orange juice and munch a cornetto for breakfast. I head out solo for my last morning in Venice, and enjoy the chance to stand on the Accademia bridge and just try to soak in that beautiful view. I wander a bit more, finally rediscovering that excellent pastry shop, where I purchase goodies for everyone else back in the apartment (and a mini canolli for myself). I search out the elaborate spiral staircase at Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, which is very cool but sadly is located in a drab and unattractive little back alley. It’s too bad that it is not right on the Grand Canal! I also make the discovery that the public WCs (which cost €1.50, compared to 60 centissmi in Florence) do not open until 9am, so I head rather more quickly back to the apartment.
By this time my manic vacation energy is beginning to ebb, and I am glad for a rest while everyone else gets ready for the day. We head out together in the direction of the Frari Church and Scuola del Rocco, passing through Campo Santa Margherita on the way. It is vibrant as ever, now sporting a busy fish market! Mom and Dad head for the Scuola, but Bob and I are more interested in Frari church. We do a bit of shopping (I finally find some glass beads from Murano that I like) and then we head inside.
It is much more of a “cathedral” feeling structure than any of the other churches we have seen thus far. We admire the most notable and famous art: Titian’s Assumption of Mary. It truly is striking, though I still prefer my Bellinis! Titian’s tomb is almost more impressive than his art-- an enormous gray stone behemoth along one wall. Across from it is the very different tomb of Cavolo, which apparently was actually a design Cavolo created himself intending it to be used for Titian. When it was declined, he used it for a foreign princess, and then when he died his students re-used the design for his tomb. Except that his body is not in the tomb: only his heart, in an urn. The tomb itself is a somewhat alien-looking pyramid, quite different from anything else in the church.
We head back toward Campo San Barnaba. Our plan is to send Bob in to check out the Leonardo Da Vinci machines exhibit first, to see if it is worth the €8 admission. He will signal me whether to join him. Accordingly I lurk outside as he pays for a ticket and passes beyond the black curtain. A short time later he reappears, gesturing for me to follow. And I am so glad I do! It ends up being one of my highlights!
The church is full of several dozen devices constructed based on sketches by da Vinci, and at least half of them are hands-on. I find it fascinating both to see how the devices themselves worked (or how he thought they ought to work) and to read about how da Vinci came to work on them. We spend over an hour inside. I am sure not all people would enjoy such an exhibit but Bob and I both really love it.
I leave a bit earlier than Bob, with the intention of getting a drink. While I am out I notice that the GROM gelateria has a flavor called Cassata Siciliana. I have been on the lookout for this throughout our trip, as it is (yet again) something that shows up in Betsy and the Great World (Betsy and Marco eat it at Florians). I may not have found the actual cake, but I figure a gelato flavored with it is the next best thing, right? So I get a cup and enjoy my snack while waiting for Bob. It’s quite good!
When Bob rejoins me we decide to have lunch at Pane Vino e San Daniele, since it was so good last time. In fact, we have almost the exact same meal! It’s hard to say no to a basket made of cheese, and it is just as delicious the second time. And since Bob didn’t get a gelato earlier, we cap things off with a visit to the final gelateria on my list: Gelato Squero, over by the Accademia. It is cheap and has a very good flavor, though perhaps not as creamy in texture as some. Really, though, none of the gelato has been bad!
We continue on to visit Santa Maria del Salute, which is another church that does not feel quite like a church to us, perhaps because of the rounded floor plan. To me it feels more like a government building or library. After that we decide to try one more Venician experience: a gondola is too pricey for us, but we are happy to pay our 50 cents each to ride the traghetto! We have fun being ferried across the Grand Canal in a smallish, gondola-esque boat!
By this point I am starting to feel a tiny bit desperate-- wanting to experience everything I possibly can and remember it all, knowing we are soon to be leaving. We eventually return home to eat dinner. Bob has leftovers, and I pick up a slice of pizza on the way. When I see a slice decorated with French fries I cannot resist, though I am probably motivated more by a sort of perverse horror than actual desire for such an odd concoction (it tastes exactly as you might expect -- weird but not bad).
As night comes on Bob and I head out one more time to stroll San Marco’s and listen to the music, then back again to pack and prepare ourselves for the long trip home. We will be waking at 3:45 to meet our 4:30 water taxi (arranged for us by Views on Venice) at the Ca’Rezzonico dock!
Final Thoughts
I truly enjoyed my trip to Florence and Venice! Italy is a beautiful country and the people we met were almost uniformly generous and helpful. Ultimately I enjoyed Venice more than Florence, although I certainly did have a good time in Florence. If I were to do it again, I would probably choose to visit Siena or some other Tuscan town, and spend more time in the countryside. In particular, I would return to San Antimo in a heartbeat! If I were to visit Florence again I would look for an apartment on the Oltrarno, in a quieter neighborhood near a public park. If I were to return to Venice I would not change a thing, except that I would try to get tickets to the Opera, and I would not visit the Basilica unless it was much less crowded.
My particular favorite experiences in Florence were our day trip with Lucca (especially San Antimo), the Bargello, Santa Annunziata Church, and all the delicious gelato and cornetto. In Venice my favorite thing was just wandering around in Dorsoduro, discovering Bellini, seeing San Marco’s square at night, our hot chocolate at Florian's, and the Leonardo Da Vinci machines exhibit.
I will leave with one last funny (to us, at least) story: all through our visit Bob and I kept a running joke about Indiana Jones, talking about how we wanted to find the “Venice Sewers” that Indy appears to get into via crypts below a library that (as far as we knew) did not actually exist. I was thus flabbergasted to discover via some googling when I returned home that the exterior of that “library” was actually the church that housed the Leonardo machines exhibit ... in other words, it was our favorite, just-around-the-corner Campo San Barnaba! What a wacky, nifty coincidence! We just re-watched that scene on the DVD and indeed, there it is! There’s even a boat selling vegetables in the same spot as the vegetable-seller’s boat where we ourselves got tomatoes during our stay. Ah, Venice!
Resources
Ca'Macana Masks: www.camacana.com/
Divina Cucina: www.divinacucina.com
Dr Stephen Kerr in Florence: www.dr-kerr.com/
Hills and Roads: www.hillsandroads.com/
Palazzo Gamba: www.palazzogambaflorence.com/
Views on Venice Ca'Canaletto: www.viewsonvenice.com/our_properties/two_bedroom/ca_canaletto.html
Arrival in Florence (or not...?)
Saturday, October 10th: My husband Bob and I set off on our long-anticipated Italian escapade! We each have a single bag that can convert to be carried like a backpack that we will check, and a carry-on. My carry-on is full of novels (more than I need, but I love to read and have a great fear of being caught without a book!), a few guidebooks, and a sheaf of printouts from the Slow Travel website on important topics like how to shop in an Italian market and how to order gelato. I also have lists of restaurants, gelaterias, and the entire list of recommendations from Divina Cucina.
We will be meeting my parents at the airport in Boston for an overnight flight to Florence (transferring at Charles de Gaulle). Rather than drive down from Maine, we decide to take the convenient bus service ($44 each round trip) on Concord Trailways, from Portland to Logan Airport. We take what may be our last opportunity for some time to feast on tasty Indian food. Fortified with samosa and chicken tikka masala, we are on our way!
The Air France planes are comfortable and they provide a handy packet of earplugs and eye mask. I actually manage to sleep for a good part of the trans-Atlantic flight. The supper is also surprisingly tasty and comes with a cute little menu (which I keep as a souvenir, travel geek that I am).
Sunday October 11th: The passport check and transfer at CDG go smoothly, and before long we are flying into the morning sunshine. The views as we fly over the Alps are incredible! A panoramic vista of snow-topped mountains gives way slowly to brown and green hills, and soon enough we begin seeing clusters of red-roofed houses. I spot what looks like the white gorges of a marble quarry, and then dozens of turquoise blue pools marking the agriturismos and fancy villas dotting the countryside. And then ... a cloud of misty gray where Florence ought to be.
We circle for a while, but the fog doesn’t break up, and ultimately we are re-routed to Bologna. We survive by identifying a capable looking man in a beret from our plane and following him, since Air France doesn’t bother to tell us what is going on or where to go (or if they do, the intercom is so bad we can’t hear it). One of the other passengers has to corral an Air France representative to get the scoop, and then she (bless her!) tells the rest of us what’s going on (we will take buses). By the time we do get to Florence, the fog has lifted and it is a sunny hot day!
We take a taxi to our apartment at the Palazzo Gamba, right in the heart of the city. Despite our jet-lag, we are thrilled by that first glimpse of the Duomo, rising up from the white-green-pink marble splendor of Santa Maria del Fiore. We sweep into our apartment, marveling at the enormously tall ceilings, and throw open the windows. From our small balcony I can study every vein of the marble, we are so close!
The apartment is clean and spacious, though a bit cold, more like a hotel room than a home. The location is both boon and bane: we are steps away from everything, but it is very noisy with tourists, traffic, and ambulances throughout the night. Mom, Bob and I immediately take naps, while Dad ventures out bravely on his own for groceries: milk, Coca-Cola light, and delicious blood orange juice. I wake up after only an hour, too excited to sleep further, so Dad and I head out to amble around. We see the Piazza della Repubblica and a church open to the street offering free entry to an ongoing organ music performance (as we later discover, this is pretty much a nightly affair). I spot one of the recommended gelaterias: GROM! There is a long line, but it is worth it. I have decided that pistachio will be my default flavor, so I can have some basis of comparison. It is very tasty with a strong cream flavor.
We return to the apartment to pick up Mom and Bob, and decide to take a stroll toward the Arno and look for a place to have dinner. We make our way along the Via del Calzaioli to the Piazza della Signoria, where we pause for a bit to admire the statues (including the reproduction of David). I check out Rivoire and hope I will have the chance to return later (though as it turns out, I don’t!). The press of the crowds is somewhat oppressive, and I am finding the amount of smoke a little hard to deal with. There is a lot of hustle and bustle everywhere, which is both exciting and a bit wearying.
We cross the Ponte Vecchio, admiring the old shops (mostly closed as it is Sunday). In a bid to escape some of the crowds we turn immediately right after crossing the bridge and head up a less crowded side-street. There we discover Osteria Chingale Bianco, one of the much-recommended restaurants on my list. It appears they have just opened for dinner as hardly any tables are taken. Mom bravely goes in and asks if we can have a table for four. Yes! We enjoy a delicious first meal in Florence. None of us are up to a full several course meal, so we all order either a primo (pasta) or a secondo (meat) but not both. My Pumpkin Ravioli with Butter and Sage is delicious, as is Mom’s pasta with Eggplant. Bob tries the Polenta and Chiangale (Wild Boar), while Dad has a deliciously garlicky Chicken with Roasted Potatoes. We also split some bruschetta (the tomatoes are so sweet and good!) and prosciutto with melon (interesting, but I like the melon on its own best).
We walk home, stopping so that Bob can get a gelato of his own (from GROM, where the lines are now much shorter). He likes it but the chocolate flavor is a bit too dark for his tastes (he prefers milk chocolate). Then it’s to bed to get ready for our first full day!
Capelle Medici, Santa Anunziata
Monday October 12th
It rains overnight, and the morning dawns with a dismal grayness that we optimistically (and foolishly) ignore. After a breakfast of toast we head out to the Cappelle Medici. We arrive early and there is no line for tickets, so we each purchase the combo tickets to enter the church and the library and treasury. We spend some peaceful moments in the cloister, breathing in the fresh wet air that smells of boxwood. Then we head up to view the Laurentine Library. It’s an impressive room and we have fun imagining the rows of stalls filled with ancient colorful tomes. Beyond this is the display of old scrolls, books, and papers, from papyrus divorce documents to wax tablets, to beautifully illuminated bibles to “magic scrolls.” There’s also a bathroom (allowing us to implement one of our main rules of travel: always use the bathroom when you have the chance). Unfortunately I suddenly have a coughing fit (I had been sick the week before we left and thought I was recovered but either the dust or the smoke is apparently setting me off). I gasp my way out to the cloister again to recover, where we discover it has started to rain. We duck next door to the church itself and hope it will stop.
The church is impressive (inside, at least) but oddly does not feel holy to Bob or I. In fact we agree that it reminds us of the chilly great hall of Denethor in the Lord of the Rings movie. Perhaps it’s an appropriate comparison! In the sacristy next door (designed by Brunelleschi, famous for his work on the Duomo) I found more appealing design, particularly in the gorgeous dome painted a deep vibrant blue and starred with the outlines of constellations.
The rain had not abated but fortunately Dad has craftily hidden an umbrella in his many-pocketed photographer’s vest without any of the rest of us realizing it. He goes back to the apartment for our other rain gear, and once outfitted we head for the nearby Mercato Centrale.
We divide up to find suitable lunch and dinner "fixins." The very helpful and charming staff at Gastronomia Perini help me select some over-sized tortellini, dried tomato pesto, a slice of cheese and some hard salami. Then I go looking for the recommended Pany Da Lory but cannot find it. I finally settle on another bakery that looks interesting, only to discover, when I check the receipt, that it WAS Pany da Lory! I get two small loaves of seeded bread. Bob in the meantime has scored a bunch of roasted chicken and potatoes, and we pick up green beans -- carefully asking the proprietor to get them for us having been warned that Italian produce shops are not self-serve as in the US!
Back home we dry off and feast on the chicken, potatoes and green beans. By the time we finish the weather has cleared, so we head off to explore the area north of us. We walk past the Accademia gallery but none of us feels the overwhelming need to visit it. We do, however, stop at Carebe for gelato. The pistachio is much nuttier, flecked with bits of nut, and quite delicious. We wend our way into the Piazza de Santissima Annunziata, which is (according to one guidebook) one of the most perfectly proportioned in Florence. It is indeed lovely, framed with loggias and quite empty. As Bob says, it would be an excellent setting for an angry mob. Spotting the entry to the church, we figure we might as well check it out, and boy are we glad we do! It is one of our favorites of the entire trip, with a remarkable aura of peace, and glorious gold-bedecked ceilings that lift your spirits upward. In a side chapel I find a haunting painting of a woman, her pale face emerging from shadows, turned upward in awe and reverence and perhaps some sorrow. I have not been able to find an image online and could not see a painter, but the inscription of the chapel referenced a Dona Barbara. I wonder who this mysterious woman is, and light a candle for her.
The attached cloister is also worth a visit. We enjoy the frescoes, particularly several that feature a dog in the crowd. We wonder if the painter had such a dog.
Next we visit the Archaeology museum, but it is a disappointment. The setup is confused and the staff are cold, unsmiling and grouchy. The numbering of the rooms is not clear and we suspect even the Italian labels are not very clear. I do enjoy visiting the rooms of Egyptian artifacts, which are dim and spooky and filled with the staring painted eyes of sarcophagi. The gardens look lovely and inviting but are off-limits. We depart, and pledge to tell others it is not worth the price of admission!
We spend some time trying to find what looks like a public park on our map, only to discover that all the green areas are in fact private parks. I am to discover this is the start of a trend -- there seem to be very few, if any, green spaces (or even trees!) out in the open in Florence. I find it oppressive and miss the lovely parks in Paris where I could sit and people-watch.
Back in the apartment we cook our dinner of tortellini with sundried tomato pesto and green beans, and have cheese, salami and tomato antipasti. It is all delicious!
After dinner Bob and I go get our second gelato of the day at Perche No. I try the semi freddo (tiramisu flavor) and surprise myself by preferring gelato. The frothy lightness of the semifreddo feels almost too insubstantial to eat.
Day Trip with Luca of Hills and Roads
Tuesday, October 13th
Today we have arranged a tour with Luca of Hills and Roads. We are all very excited for the chance to see the countryside! I sip my tea looking up from our balcony at the beautiful crescent moon hanging against the clear blue sky over the Duomo. The rain has gone (and as it turns out, it will not return again for the rest of our trip! Clearly we won the weather lottery!).
At 9:30 Luca finds us waiting on the street outside our apartment, just as promised. He is a charming and well-spoken man, with a wealth of information about Italy. He puts us all at ease.
We begin the trip by driving through the woody hills of the Chianti Colli to a tiny hilltop castle village with a population of only around 50. It is named Montebenichi, and it is adorably quaint and picturesque. Every window seems to sport white lace curtains, and everywhere we look there are bright potted flowers, old gray stone, and sleepy cats.
Continuing on, we move into the Crete Sinisi landscape, with the familiar brown hills lined with dark spikes of cypress. We stop for a bathroom break and drinks and cough drops (I have another scary coughing fit in the van) at Asciano. This is also a town built around a castle, but it is still active and has a more modern feel. We wander the town, admiring the old walls, peering up at grandmas watching us out their windows, and finding odd nooks. Dad picks some green grapes growing on a wall and declares them tasty!
But the rest of us are getting hungry too and we don’t have much time to eat before we need to be at our next stop. Lucca drives us on to the Val d’Orcia region and Montalcino, which is sun-drenched and gorgeous. We feast on one of the most simple but best meals of our entire trip: fat homemade spaghetti-like pasta called “pinci” with tomato sauce. I dream of that pasta several times in the following week!
We are in a hurry because one of my must-see sites is the San Antimo Abbey, and I really wanted to be there to hear the chanting at one of the services.
As we drive along the winding roads and the Abbey comes into view I experience a thrill: I had not actually looked at pictures of the buildings, only read other trip reports that sung its praises. But still I recognized the structure, because it was the image I had randomly chosen as a desktop image on my computer! And it is a very striking vista, with the pale elegant lines of the Abbey rising against the deep green valley, punctuated by a single dark cypress that parallels the tower.
We head directly into the hall, and find a lofty space filled with golden light. There are no stained glass windows and very little decoration, but this is the most spiritual spot I have encountered thus far in Italy (and will continue to hold that title for the rest of the trip). After a short time, a side door opens and seven or eight white-robed monks sweep in gracefully. They range in age from an old white-haired gentleman who trembles when he stands to a young fellow in his twenties, perhaps, who looks book rapt and driven. Without any fuss or muss, they take their places and begin the 15 minute service. I could have listened for much longer! Some sing with heart-stirring virtuosity, others with more faith than beauty, but it is all very moving and I will remember it for a long time.
After the service we wander the grounds, visiting some of the few centuries-old olive trees to escape a late frost some years ago. It is a special and magical place, even with a couple dozen other tourists on the site. I hope I can return some day!
From the Abbey we head off to Castiglion d’Orcia, a remarkable medium-sized hill-top town with a madcap M. C. Escher feel to the streets, with their jumble of stairways, sloping ramps and passages shooting off every-which-way. Sadly my memory card dies just in the middle of this visit, and I lose all my photos to this point! Oh well! It’s a good thing Bob and Dad were also taking pictures!
By this time I’ve had another coughing fit, and we are getting tired, so we decide to skip the planned visit to Pienza to sample cheeses, and instead pause only long enough to note that it is a very pretty but highly touristed town, and to use a restroom!
Back in Florence Luca drops us off near our apartment. We pay him (using a credit card) and thank him for an absolutely wonderful day! We eat leftovers and go to bed early.
Bargello, Santa Croce, and a Visit to the Doctor
Wednesday October 14th
In the morning Dad climbs the Duomo. I decide not to join him for fear it will aggravate my cough. We see him up on the walkway and wave from our apartment balcony below. He returns to say the climb was not too bad, and the views were very nice. We have both read Brunelleschi’s Dome and were thus curious to see the masterpiece of engineering in real life!
Mom and I go out thinking maybe we will have hot chocolate at Rivoire, but it is too cold to sit outside. Instead we try cornetto filled with chocolate from a recommended pastry shop named Scudieri’s on the corner near the Baptistry. These things are absolutely divine! They are warm, buttery and crisp. As you sink your teeth into the layers of pastry, a glorious pudding-like chocolate oozes out (and occasionally dribbles down your chin because you are so enraptured by the taste you don’t notice).
Today we visit the Bargello in the morning. It is a gorgeous museum, and I am grateful for the thinner crowds. After purchasing tickets, you can step out into the wide courtyard, edged covered walks like a cloister, with a massive stone staircase leading up to a covered loggia on the second level. All the interior walls are decorated by dozens of elaborate sigils, and the ceilings of the loggias are painted in patterns of red blue and green, with pale ribs of stone holding them aloft. Statuary is scattered about, and there is an old well at the center of the yard. Having acquired a new memory card from a shop near the apartment, I snap dozens of photos!
The exhibits themselves are extensive and very interesting. I take note of the Donatello sculptures, the plates with Renaissance designs, the dim Persian room glimmering with gold and copper, and an array of 16th century clocks. The Donatello Room is a sight just for the room itself, with a vast high ceiling. I spent a lot of time just sitting, absorbing the atmosphere, listening to chants and Renaissance music on my iPod.
We lunch at a recommended restaurant called La Baroanda, which we almost did not find because it doesn’t have that name outside anymore (though there is a sign inside and the address is the same). I have the menu di Giorno of pasta carbonara followed by sausages with spinach. All delicious! The service is also very good.
Fortified, we continue on to Santa Croce. I have just enough time to see the many tombs (Rossini, Fermi, Gallileo, Machiavelli) before another coughing fit drives me outside, gagging and breathless. We decide I have to see a doctor as I am having trouble breathing and scaring my family (and myself). Fortunately I have thought to copy down information from the Rick Steves website about an English doctor who specializes in treating tourists. The info on the website is a correction to the guidebook, as the doctor has recently relocated. We send Dad off to Fiesole without us, and Mom and Bob escort me to see Dr Kerr. We locate the offices on the Piazza Mercato Nuovo (#1). I fill out some paperwork and Dr Kerr sees me only a few minutes later. It is very easy and convenient, and the pharmacy right downstairs is able to fill my prescription for antibiotics and cough syrup. Even better, Dr Kerr says I should take one of the pills right away “with something to eat, like gelato.” Nothing better than being prescribed ice cream!
We head off to Gelateria Del Neri. The offerings there are excellent, one of my favorites of the trip. And the medicine does the trick -- I have no more scary coughing fits after that, whew! But the cough syrup does knock me out, so we head home to rest. Bob and I go out for a late dinner at an unremarkable restaurant, then some more gelato at a place right next to Vestri Chocolates (which was closed). It is very good!
Pitti Palace and San Miniato al Monte
Thursday October 15th
We dedicate our last day in Florence (we will be leaving by train for Venice on Friday morning) to the Oltroarno, specifically to the Pitti Palace. It is a very impressive site -- almost TOO impressive! Room upon room is filled with gold-framed art and lush ceiling frescoes. What stands out are the rooms that are different: the tiled bathroom, the magnificent stairwell with its views of the Duomo. In the set of rooms decorated in 18th century style, we feel as if we are walking through the same room over and over, each time in a different color: green, blue, red, white. It takes quite a long time to go through, and by the end we are skimming.
Looking forward to a breath of fresh air and a different experience, we head out to the Boboli gardens. These are a bit of a disappointment. Perhaps I am overly tired, but I find them lacking in charm and energy. Maybe it is an effect of their being a tourist site rather than a public garden? I cannot help but compare them (unfavorably) to the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, which we visited three years ago at the same time of the year. I do however find something of interest in the strange, creepy “grotto” with its facsimile of stalagtites and stalagmites, and earthy, almost pagan vibe.
We eat lunch at a restaurant recommended in our ACCESS guidebook, which I don’t recall the name of. My fresh ravioli stuffed with pecorino and pear in a walnut sauce was very tasty, and the bread basket included a foccacia that was actually salted (unlike much of the bland Tuscan bread we had elsewhere).
From there, Bob and I headed off on our own to make our way up to San Miniato al Monte with hopes of hearing the evening chanting for Vespers. We enjoyed our walk through the neighborhoods of the Oltrarno, and up the steep sloping walk to the church and abbey. The views were incredible! It was particularly lovely to sit there in the sun, looking out over the panoramic view. I also was very relieved to find trees and green spaces, and to look down over the hills with their olive trees. If I were to stay again in Florence I would wish to stay in nearer to this section of town, I think.
We arrived early, and thus spent an hour just watching the view, and being stalked by a particular white pigeon. The bathrooms were our first “squat toilets” of the trip. At last it was time, and we headed inside to the dim church. Of particular note were some frescoes that had been recently found on one wall, and which included a “sketch” in preparation for one that was never completed.
Sadly the service itself is a disappointment, for two reasons. Firstly, the monks themselves seem flustered, moving back and forth, dropping things, running this way and that to set up (and it is not clear where exactly they would be holding the service -- it ends up being in the crypt area below the main hall, so the entire gathered crowd must all shuffle down when we realize our error). And some of the monks are late! Secondly (and most frustratingly), not one but TWO tour buses drop off packs of tourists during the service, and each group shuffles noisily down in the middle of the service, whispering and scuffing their feet, answering cellphone calls (!) and going off to light votive candles noisily in the corners. And then they all leave again after a few minutes! It is so incredibly frustrating, and so massively different than the beautiful serenity of San Antimo! Oh well! I can only hope it is not like that all the time. I am very sorry for the monks.
We console our frazzled nerves with Vivoli gelato. It is very good, and is also the first and only place we have to pay for the gelato first, then bring the receipt over to have the scooper fill our order. I also found an Internet point (they were all over the place near Santa Croce!) and make sure nothing has exploded online in my absence.
We retire for the night, to be well rested in order to lug all our baggage to the train station for the second part of our trip: VENICE!
Venice: Love at First Sight
Friday October 16th
Dad and I go out early for a last walk around Florence and some final shopping for souvenirs and gifts for friends. Then back at the apartment we finish packing, slung our packs on our backs, and bid “arrivederci” to our apartment at Palazzo Gamba. We trudge our way over to the Santa Maria Novella train station. It is not nearly as complicated as I had feared, and we are an hour early, so we have the hang of the arrivals and departure boards well in advance of our scheduled departure. Dad had bought our tickets online (for a Eurostar train, second class) so all we need to do was keep our eye on the board to see when the platform is listed next to the train number on our ticket. In the meantime we buy some snacks (I had to buy a funny snack pack that included a bunch of cookie wands and a container of Nutella to dip them in). We also have sandwiches made out of the last of our bread, cheese, mozzarella and salami.
The train ride is smooth and painless. I am careful to make sure we wait until Venice Santa Lucia, rather than getting off at Venice Mestre, thanks to fore-warnings on the Slow Travel site. Since it is a Eurostar and our tickets were already purchased we just show the ticket (there’s only one, with all our seats listed) to the conductor when he comes around.
When we arrive in Venice, we call our contact at Views on Venice to let them know. Someone will be meeting us at the Ca’Rezzonico vaporetto stop to show us the apartment. As we emerge from the station and out onto the docks we have our first view of Venice. I had told myself I would not take out the camera until after we had dropped off our stuff at the apartment but I can’t help it -- I must capture this moment! There it is! Water! I knew it was going to be there, but I was still blown away by the sight. I hadn’t expected the water to be so beautiful: a brilliant blue-green with jade shadows. I feel all the tension built up in Florence evaporate. As Indiana Jones would say “Ah, Venice!”
Dad buys our three-day vaporetto passes and we race for the next number 1 headed in the Lido (and thus the Ca’Rezzonico) direction. I had not realized there would be two (or more, in some cases) different docks at some vaporetto stops. I also thought we would have to stamp our pass once to activate it, but it seems that now there is a barcode reader instead: you swipe the card over the center of the reader and the light will turn green if it is still valid. We do so and lug our bags onto the boat. It is crowded but my spirits can’t be dampened. There is too much beauty to take in! Our boat chugs off down the Grand Canal...
Damp breezes sweep up off the rippling waters as we zip along past the decaying majesty of the old palazzos. I can see why some people might find the crumbling beauty not to their tastes, but I adore it. I am going photo-mad trying to capture the ineffable essence of this city. Everywhere you turn there is some funny, quaint, ugly, lovely detail: a window-box of cyclamen, brilliant pink against faded walls. A crumbling angel gracing the corner of a building, her face now streaked black and white with age. A plaque so weather-worn you have to invent the original contents: was it Saint George battling a dragon?
After a too-short trip we reach our stop. Sylvia, the Views on Venice representative, meets us there. She is friendly and very helpful, leading us the short walk to Campo San Barnaba, where she points out a good bakery (Rizzo Pane) and then leads us through a Sortoportega (tunnel-like walk), over a bridge, around a corner and onto “our” canal, the Rio Delle Romite. It is so charming and quaint I know at once I will love it! We cross one last bridge and then we are “home.” The outer entrance is on the ground floor, but we go up one flight of stairs to our apartment. I had seen pictures but the interior is so much grander and lovelier than I expected! We wander through the rooms, amazed at our good fortune. I am particularly stunned by our bedroom, which has a chandelier (!) and a is decorated in cream and white, with the afternoon sun streaming in the two tall windows veiled in gauzy white curtains. Outside is the neighbor’s garden, complete with palm tree. Wow!
Sylvia shows us how to use the various appliances, gives us a map and other materials, then heads off. We put away our things, then set out in search of an early supper. Campo Santa Margherita is nearby, and supposedly well supplied with cheap but tasty pizza, so we head that way, passing once again through Campo San Barnaba (where I also notice an Internet point and a GROM geleteria, as well as an exhibit of devices based on the drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci at the church dominating the charming campo).
Campo Santa Margherita is wonderful, full of energy and vivacity. There are lots of people out enjoying the sun, walking dogs, letting their children play. There are also trees, hooray! We can’t stop to look at the outside menus without someone coming and trying to talk us into eating, but everything looks good. We end up choosing one (Pizzeria Pier Dickens) where the waitperson seems the friendliest and promises we can sit in the sun. She brings us all complimentary champagne. We feast on an assortment of pizzas: Calabrese (with onion and egg), Margherita (with tomato and mozzarella) and another with sweet corn, fresh tomato, and ham. All were delicious. I normally prefer thick-crust pizza but these thin-crust pizzas were very good! Service was also excellent, and we enjoyed our leisurely hour or so sitting in the sun soaking up the atmosphere.
We then stopped in at the nearby grocery store for supplies: bread, more blood orange juice (we all love it!), jam, butter, pasta, sauce, and some interesting yogurts (chantilly, nocciola, malto, cocco). Dad takes the groceries home while we wait with Mom (who has a bad knee that needs a rest after the bridges). Unfortunately, I forget my key is in my backpack (with the groceries) and Dad locks both the backpack and his own key inside. We’ve managed to lock ourselves out within three hours of arriving! And worse, the office will close in five minutes, and it’s a €50 fee if you get locked out outside of office hours! We scramble to use the payphone, and thankfully they agree to stay 15 minutes extra so we can run over to pick up the spare key. Guidebook and map in hand, Bob and I race off on this mission.
It’s actually kind of fun, if a bit nerve-wracking. We zoom across small campos and large, catching glimpses of a cute dog drinking from one of the many public fountains, gondolas out on the water, mask shops, pastry shops, and dozens of bridges. Thankfully the Views on Venice office is only a few minutes away in San Marco sestiere, and we make it in time. We take a more leisurely stroll back and meet Mom and Dad at the apartment. We are all very very careful with the keys after that!
After recuperating from that little adventure, Bob and I head out for an evening stroll along the Zattere (the long mostly flat walk that runs along the southern edge of the Dorsoduro sestiere, beside the Giudecca canal). We round the tip and made our way along the more twisty-turny route from Santa Maria del Salute church to the Accademia and back home. Seeing the glittering lights on the Giudecca and Grand Canals is a skin-tingling sight!
Burano and Florians
Saturday October 17th
I spend the early hours of the morning in the apartment updating my travel journal, with the window cracked open so I can hear the faint creaking of the boats, the lap of the water, and the ringing of bells on the hour marks. I sample the Chantilly yogurt which is heavenly, and really does taste like whipped cream in flavor.
Since Mom and Bob like to sleep in, Dad and I head out on our own early, and take a nice walk up to the Rialto bridge (dropping off the spare key at Views on Venice). We get some excellent cornetto at a pastry shop we thereafter fail to relocate, until the very last day when I finally find it again and record the name: Pasticceria Marchini.
I check out the Internet point in Campo San Barnaba, which is a funky little one-room shop crammed full of toys, action figures and color. The fellow who works there reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe, with his droopy mustache and dapper suit (complete with silk cravat), not to mention his refined but faintly creepy demeanor.
The weather is utterly gorgeous again, but we haven’t been able to check a report so we aren’t sure if it is going to last. We therefore decide to visit the more distant islands in the laguna this afternoon, in case the weather deteriorates later. But first: lunch! We look for a recommended restaurant, but it doesn’t open until 12:30 and we are hungry! So we decide to try Pane Vino e San Daniele. It turns out to be Bob and my favorite meal of the trip! We get sides of roasted vegetables and lasagna for everyone except me. I have spotted a meal I must have: tiny light and delicate gnocchi in a creamy sauce, served in a BOWL MADE OF CHEESE. It is delicious! And everything is relatively inexpensive -- the bill for Bob and I (two pasta dishes, mineral water, a vegetable side) is €20 -- that’s cheaper than any of our restaurant lunches in Florence. Apparently there is a second Pane Vino nearby, that is a bit pricier but just as good (Mom and Dad eat there later in the trip).
Now we set off for Burano -- ultimately we take a round-about route because we do not realize that there are FOUR different Santa Zaccharia vaporetto docks, and thus miss the dock where we could have gotten on the boat that went directly to Burano. Instead we go from Ca’Rezzonico to Zaccharia, then take a different vaporetto around the outside of Venice (along the Giudecca Canal) to the Fondamente Nuevo stop, then switch to the boat to Burano there. But it gives us a nice view of the city!
Having read a suggestion online, Bob and I disembark at the Mazzorba stop, then walk along the pleasant path that takes you through that quiet isle, into a park, and from there to Burano’s outskirts (rather than getting off right at the main Burano stop with the masses of other tourists). We enjoy the peaceful green walk.
Burano itself is as lovely as I expected, but more desolate. The hectic tourist strip only sets off the emptiness of the other streets. Still, we find much beauty and a picture waiting to be taken at every corner. One of our memorable sights is an enclosed garden populated by at least nine cats who appeared to be plotting world domination. I am reminded of the Neil Gaiman Sandman story about cats.
Eventually, I begin to feel like I am trapped in a labyrinth of pastel houses, so we head back to the vaporetto stop. We decide not to try to see Torcello, but rather to head back to Venice on the ship that is about to depart. Dad is still off taking photos but Mom says she will wait for him and they will make their own way home. We get some gelato for the “road” and set off.
From the Fondamente Nuovo we set off south toward San Marco’s Square. We stop for a peak at Santa Maria di Miraculai and find it a refreshing and exquisite change from many of the other churches we have visited, with its distinctive marble walls and graceful, simple style, capped by an elaborate ceiling of panels showing Saints and other figures.
As we make our way into Santa Maria Formosa Campo the bells begin ringing. We stand silently, watching them swing in the tower high above, marveling that we are really here to see them. Continuing on, we encounter an ugly scowling carved face on the rear of the church, and have fun posing for photos with it.
As the sky darkens, we reach San Marco at last, coming out from under the clock tower. It is awe-inspiring to step out and see all those famous sites: the wide piazza, the distant outline of the lion on his tall pillar, the glimmering gold of the Basilica and the distant rosy walls of the Doge’s palace. Ah, Venice!
We wander dreamily across the piazza listening to the orchestras dueling jazz versus classics, and I decide it is time for a splurge. I convince Bob we should stop for hot chocolate at Florian’s!
If it were just a fancy, overpriced restaurant I would not be so tempted, but one of the reasons I was interested in coming to Venice was that it is featured in one of my favorite books: Betsy and the Great World, by Maud Hart Lovelace (which is in turn based on the author’s own trip to Europe just before WWI). In the book, Betsy and her Italian beau Marco eat at Florian’s often (I think it must have been cheaper then!). As we stood there and I imagined my literary heroine walking these same stones, I simply had to go in and revel in the moment. So we did!
We make the most of it: snuggling down into the cozy velvet nook, we marvel at the richly ornamented walls and painted mirrors that made us feel like we are inside a gorgeous jewelry box. The elegant waiter in his white coat takes our order (two hot chocolates with whipped cream) and we both pledge not to even think about the price. We are here for the whole experience. As the music drifts in from outside I lean back and am overwhelmed with emotion. Love for my wonderful husband who is willing to share these adventures and indulge my odd whims; love for my favorite author, as I imagine her here; love for Venice itself. The hot chocolate arrives with great pomp and circumstance, crowned by mounds of whipped cream and a thin cookie embellished with the logo “Florians.” All around us other patrons are having cocoa and colorful drinks. I don’t see anyone ordering dinner! We watch a cheerful couple dancing outside to the rollicking polka music. Waiters swoop in and out expertly balancing trays of champagne for those bravely sitting outside in the chilly night.
At last we drag ourselves away (or rather Bob drags me away) and head for home. After a dinner of pasta at home, I relive my day as I soak in a gloriously hot and deep bath, then go to bed.
A Tale of Two Churches
Sunday October 18th
I wake early (I am too excited to sleep!) and spend several hours updating my journal, reading, eating bread with butter and peach jam, and drinking copious amounts of tea. At around eight, Dad and I head out to the Piazza San Marco, hoping to get some pictures with fewer crowds. It is clear and sunny, but cold and windy. I wish I had brought gloves and a hat!
The square is considerably less crowded, so we spend some time taking pictures, and wondering what the odd set of platforms are that have been erected across the piazza in front of the Basilica. I can’t get enough of the view toward San Giorgio Maggiore, framed by the two pillars topped by the lion of Saint Mark, and poor Saint Theodore who lost his spot as patron of Venice when Mark moved in. I also love the pink glass of the lamps throughout the square. We then spend some frustrating time waiting for a vaporetto to San Giorgio Maggiore, hoping to climb the tower for the views, before giving up. I later discover we were at the wrong station -- there are not just two here, but four, and the one where the vaporettos run to SGM is over a bridge from where we were waiting. Oh well!
We make our way back across San Marco’s only to discover a change is underway: sheets of water now cover parts of the piazza! It’s a small bit of Acqua Alta! Aha, that is what the raised walkways are for! This provides a bit of excitement for our walk home, as we skirt the growing pools and get our feet a bit wet in the process. We see others holding their shoes and walking barefoot. On the way home we get pastries from a shop in Dorsoduro (near the Toletta area I think). They are not as good as the elusive shop of our first day, but they are tasty. I try a baba soaked in rum and filled with cream. It is sooo good!
Back home I drop off Dad and pick up Bob so we can set off on a ramble around town. We start by going up the Zattere again, people- and dog- watching as we go. We note that there appear to be hundreds of cute dogs in Venice, many of which trot freely and obediently along off-leash, following their humans over bridges and along canals. As dog people ourselves, we feel this speaks well of Venicians. We even see dogs on vaporettos, often wearing muzzles (for safety, due to the close quarters, I imagine).
So far Bob and I both agree that Dorsoduro is our favorite part of Venice. It has a charm unlike any other part of the city. Perhaps it is that the houses are not quite as tall, or that the canals are sunnier and more often edged by paths on both sides, or perhaps it is the presence of schools and universities. Whatever the case, we feel very lucky to be staying here!
Eventually we take the vaporetto up to the Giardini stop, and get our first look at the public gardens. They are delightful, but we are hungry, so we decide to return after lunch. Wandering through the Castello sestiere, we find an unremarkable but decent restaurant (crammed with Italians, as far as we can tell) and eat. We decide to try to see the Basilica before it closes (it is open 2-4 on Sundays).
The line is not horribly long, but I am embittered when an older couple blatantly cuts in line just as we are reaching the entry. They pretend not to hear or see us (or the two couples ahead of us who are just as infuriated with their rudeness) as we tell them there is a line. I try to shrug off my bitterness, but only partly succeed. The Basilica is definitely a grand site, but it is poisoned by the crush of the crowds as we shuffle along the marked out route, like sheep into the shearing pen. I am not sorry to see it (especially as it is free) but I do not think I really enjoy the experience, and decline going up to see the original horses and upper walkway, or the treasury, which cost extra. Perhaps if I return again in January I might visit again and enjoy it, but as it is I feel the experience is a waste.
Thankfully, the next experience more than makes up for it. We visit the nearby church of San Zachariah, another site with a connection to Betsy and the Great World. One of Betsy’s favorite paintings is Bellini’s Madonna and the Saints. Entering the quiet, uncrowded church and approaching the lush, jewel-like painting I experience the awe and reverence I would have hoped to feel in the Basilica. The painting really is a masterpiece, and I spend quite a long time (for me) studying it.
We walk onward to the Giardini again, enjoying the green and peaceful afternoon, listening to a young man practicing his guitar, and watching kids playing soccer. Reaching the San Elena stop, we catch a vaporetto back home, stopping for more groceries for dinner (roast chicken, potatoes, salad, and peach juice).
Mom, Dad, Bob and I have dinner together around our elegant table, talking over our days and trading stories. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to travel with my parents, and I am so happy everyone is having a good time! I am very proud of my mom for walking so much despite her knee. She is being careful to rest it in the mornings and at night, and thus far it is going very well!
After yet another indulgent, blazingly hot bath and a bit of reading, I head for bed.
Accademia, Doge's Palace and Secret Itinerary Tour
Monday October 19th
Mom, Dad and I are all up early, and decide it is a good opportunity to visit the Accademia, which opens bright and shiny at 8:15 (and which Bob is not particularly interested in visiting). Unfortunately the museum is being renovated and thus many of the exhibits are moved around and hard to locate. Mom and I follow along with the Rick Steves tour as best we could, and find it just the right level of detail for our taste. We particularly enjoy seeing The Tempest by Giorgione, and debating what the soldier and the nursing mother are thinking, whether they know the storm was coming, etc. But my favorite is the Madonna with Saint Catherine and Mary Magdalene by Bellini (who I now have an interest in after my experience at San Zachariah). I agree with Rick Steves that this depiction of Mary Magdalene is striking, and I spend some time studying her expression.
After we head home and Bob is ready, we all take the vaporetto to San Marco’s again. Bob and I will be trying to get spots on the Secret Itinerary Tour of the Doge’s Palace. We had waffled about doing so prior to our trip, and hope it is not too late! We bid Mom and Dad farewell as they head off on their own adventures, and we get into line. Thankfully it is not too long, and once inside we find the well-marked desk for Secret Itinerary bookings and info. We are able to get spots on the 12:25 English Language tour, hooray!
Since we have an hour to spare, we explore the central courtyard and take pictures of the Stairway of Giants, the Mouth of Truth, and other notable spots. We check my backpack and visit the café, which is excellent and relatively cheap. I get a brie and ham panini to eat at the bar and it is about €3.50 (and quite large!). We meet up with our tour, which is led by a vivacious and friendly young Italian woman.
The Secret Itinerary Tour is just our sort of thing: full of interesting little tidbits and visits to secret rooms. I particularly enjoy seeing the hidden doorways disguised as armoires! Bob enjoys it even more than I do! Afterward, we are left to our own devices to explore the rest of the Palace. We spend several hours at this, since there is a LOT to see. I particularly enjoy the mind-blowing enormity of the Grand Council Hall (which supposedly can fit 2500 people!) and the dank and atmospheric prison cells on the other side of the Bridge of Sighs (which is sadly covered in scaffolding, but for a good cause: it is being fixed up!). We take note of the many graffiti inscriptions along the inside sills of the prison windows and wonder about those who carved them. By the time we reach the Doge’s apartments we are too worn out to take them in. Bob spends some time in the Armory while I rested, and then we depart, feeling that our work here is done, as best it can be for one visit!
Back in the streets we find our way to what one guidebook calls “the best gelateria in Venice” - La Botique del Gelato, near the Santa Maria Formosa Campo. It is good, but so has all the gelato been! I really like the “Zabaione Mousse” I get (combined with meringue gelato). Is this another name for Semifreddo, or something different? We are not sure, but it is delicious. Bob has pizza from a random stand on the street for his late lunch.
We spend the rest of the afternoon getting intentionally lost in the San Polo sestiere and exploring. As we cross one bridge, we both feel a sort of internal jolt, and realize we are back in lovely Dorsoduro. It continues to be our favorite part of Venice!
I have been checking out a number of recommended mask making studios and showrooms, looking for just the right place to purchase my own souvenir. As it turns out, my favorite is Ca’Macana, right around the corner from our apartment! Having reached this decision, I decide now is the time. We head over and I deliberate the very difficult choice. There are so many beautiful masks. At least my budget limits me to a smaller selection or I might be there for days! Finally I decide on a bird-like cream mask with black, gold and blue filigree decorations.
Dropping the mask off at home, Bob and I head over to watch the sun set over the Giudecca canal. We see several others with the same idea. Another couple picnics to the music of a small boom box, while a woman and her wrinkle-faced Sharpie sit against the steps of a church, all of us watching the golden disk lowering in the sky. It is such a clear night there is little color, only streams of light glittering along the water. A ginormous cruise ship passes by, one of several we have seen in our time here. Very surreal!
When the sun has passed, we head back for dinner at the apartment, another delicious and cheap meal of supermarket pasta and sauce with salad. Mmm!
Last Day
Tuesday October 20th
Our last full day in Venice! Fortunately we have already done all our “must-do” items, and that leaves us free to just enjoy ourselves as we wish. I sip my morning goblet of peach juice mixed with blood orange juice and munch a cornetto for breakfast. I head out solo for my last morning in Venice, and enjoy the chance to stand on the Accademia bridge and just try to soak in that beautiful view. I wander a bit more, finally rediscovering that excellent pastry shop, where I purchase goodies for everyone else back in the apartment (and a mini canolli for myself). I search out the elaborate spiral staircase at Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, which is very cool but sadly is located in a drab and unattractive little back alley. It’s too bad that it is not right on the Grand Canal! I also make the discovery that the public WCs (which cost €1.50, compared to 60 centissmi in Florence) do not open until 9am, so I head rather more quickly back to the apartment.
By this time my manic vacation energy is beginning to ebb, and I am glad for a rest while everyone else gets ready for the day. We head out together in the direction of the Frari Church and Scuola del Rocco, passing through Campo Santa Margherita on the way. It is vibrant as ever, now sporting a busy fish market! Mom and Dad head for the Scuola, but Bob and I are more interested in Frari church. We do a bit of shopping (I finally find some glass beads from Murano that I like) and then we head inside.
It is much more of a “cathedral” feeling structure than any of the other churches we have seen thus far. We admire the most notable and famous art: Titian’s Assumption of Mary. It truly is striking, though I still prefer my Bellinis! Titian’s tomb is almost more impressive than his art-- an enormous gray stone behemoth along one wall. Across from it is the very different tomb of Cavolo, which apparently was actually a design Cavolo created himself intending it to be used for Titian. When it was declined, he used it for a foreign princess, and then when he died his students re-used the design for his tomb. Except that his body is not in the tomb: only his heart, in an urn. The tomb itself is a somewhat alien-looking pyramid, quite different from anything else in the church.
We head back toward Campo San Barnaba. Our plan is to send Bob in to check out the Leonardo Da Vinci machines exhibit first, to see if it is worth the €8 admission. He will signal me whether to join him. Accordingly I lurk outside as he pays for a ticket and passes beyond the black curtain. A short time later he reappears, gesturing for me to follow. And I am so glad I do! It ends up being one of my highlights!
The church is full of several dozen devices constructed based on sketches by da Vinci, and at least half of them are hands-on. I find it fascinating both to see how the devices themselves worked (or how he thought they ought to work) and to read about how da Vinci came to work on them. We spend over an hour inside. I am sure not all people would enjoy such an exhibit but Bob and I both really love it.
I leave a bit earlier than Bob, with the intention of getting a drink. While I am out I notice that the GROM gelateria has a flavor called Cassata Siciliana. I have been on the lookout for this throughout our trip, as it is (yet again) something that shows up in Betsy and the Great World (Betsy and Marco eat it at Florians). I may not have found the actual cake, but I figure a gelato flavored with it is the next best thing, right? So I get a cup and enjoy my snack while waiting for Bob. It’s quite good!
When Bob rejoins me we decide to have lunch at Pane Vino e San Daniele, since it was so good last time. In fact, we have almost the exact same meal! It’s hard to say no to a basket made of cheese, and it is just as delicious the second time. And since Bob didn’t get a gelato earlier, we cap things off with a visit to the final gelateria on my list: Gelato Squero, over by the Accademia. It is cheap and has a very good flavor, though perhaps not as creamy in texture as some. Really, though, none of the gelato has been bad!
We continue on to visit Santa Maria del Salute, which is another church that does not feel quite like a church to us, perhaps because of the rounded floor plan. To me it feels more like a government building or library. After that we decide to try one more Venician experience: a gondola is too pricey for us, but we are happy to pay our 50 cents each to ride the traghetto! We have fun being ferried across the Grand Canal in a smallish, gondola-esque boat!
By this point I am starting to feel a tiny bit desperate-- wanting to experience everything I possibly can and remember it all, knowing we are soon to be leaving. We eventually return home to eat dinner. Bob has leftovers, and I pick up a slice of pizza on the way. When I see a slice decorated with French fries I cannot resist, though I am probably motivated more by a sort of perverse horror than actual desire for such an odd concoction (it tastes exactly as you might expect -- weird but not bad).
As night comes on Bob and I head out one more time to stroll San Marco’s and listen to the music, then back again to pack and prepare ourselves for the long trip home. We will be waking at 3:45 to meet our 4:30 water taxi (arranged for us by Views on Venice) at the Ca’Rezzonico dock!
Final Thoughts
I truly enjoyed my trip to Florence and Venice! Italy is a beautiful country and the people we met were almost uniformly generous and helpful. Ultimately I enjoyed Venice more than Florence, although I certainly did have a good time in Florence. If I were to do it again, I would probably choose to visit Siena or some other Tuscan town, and spend more time in the countryside. In particular, I would return to San Antimo in a heartbeat! If I were to visit Florence again I would look for an apartment on the Oltrarno, in a quieter neighborhood near a public park. If I were to return to Venice I would not change a thing, except that I would try to get tickets to the Opera, and I would not visit the Basilica unless it was much less crowded.
My particular favorite experiences in Florence were our day trip with Lucca (especially San Antimo), the Bargello, Santa Annunziata Church, and all the delicious gelato and cornetto. In Venice my favorite thing was just wandering around in Dorsoduro, discovering Bellini, seeing San Marco’s square at night, our hot chocolate at Florian's, and the Leonardo Da Vinci machines exhibit.
I will leave with one last funny (to us, at least) story: all through our visit Bob and I kept a running joke about Indiana Jones, talking about how we wanted to find the “Venice Sewers” that Indy appears to get into via crypts below a library that (as far as we knew) did not actually exist. I was thus flabbergasted to discover via some googling when I returned home that the exterior of that “library” was actually the church that housed the Leonardo machines exhibit ... in other words, it was our favorite, just-around-the-corner Campo San Barnaba! What a wacky, nifty coincidence! We just re-watched that scene on the DVD and indeed, there it is! There’s even a boat selling vegetables in the same spot as the vegetable-seller’s boat where we ourselves got tomatoes during our stay. Ah, Venice!
Resources
Ca'Macana Masks: www.camacana.com/
Divina Cucina: www.divinacucina.com
Dr Stephen Kerr in Florence: www.dr-kerr.com/
Hills and Roads: www.hillsandroads.com/
Palazzo Gamba: www.palazzogambaflorence.com/
Views on Venice Ca'Canaletto: www.viewsonvenice.com/our_properties/two_bedroom/ca_canaletto.html
