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Zurers in Italy 2025
- Thread starter Jim Zurer
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Zurers in Italy 2025: Thursday, April 24: Day 1: Parma
We're back.....
The trip to Italy is long and tiring but necessary. Neither of us gets much sleep on the flight. We arrive in Milan early (around 7 am), pick up our car, and are on our way to Parma by 9 am. Diana sleeps in the car during the trip on the autostrada and we get to our hotel, the Palazzo della Rosa Prati, in the center of Parma, before noon.
The Palazzo is an elegant old building located adjacent to the Duomo and Baptistery; our room looks out on the Piazza Duomo. We stayed here in 2007 and I have sent a number of clients here over the years. Our room is large and comfortable with a small kitchenette and a couple of easy chairs. Diana is exhausted and decides to take a nap while I head out for my first reconnaissance walk around the center. But I give up pretty quickly, return to our room, and take a nap as well.
Later in the afternoon, since we haven't eaten since dinner last night, we have a late lunch at a small kiosk on the river improbably named Fast and Good. They specialize in torta fritta (fried dough also known as gnocco fritto) which is one of my favorite Emilia-Romagna specialties. They make sandwiches with prosciutto and mortadella.
The owner is very friendly and the sandwiches are delicious. We sit at a small table in the sun and are very satisfied.
We take a look at the Taro River
and walk through the big museum complex--the Palazzo Pilotta--which also has a large green lawn and a pretty reflecting pool.
No dinner tonight....Diana can't keep her eyes open and goes to bed early. I take another exploratory walk through a different neighborhood and come across this unique piece of playground equipment.
The Parma Synagogue is tucked into a small street and is quite anonymous.
I can't resist a couple of pictures of wrought iron gates.
On my return to the hotel, I stop to salute one of the numerous Garibaldi statues,
and catch a picture of our next door neighbor (the Duomo) in the late afternoon sun.
By 9 pm, I am also exhausted and call it a day. We hope to sleep through the night and be on Italy time in the morning.
Jim and Diana
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Zurers in Italy 2025: Friday, April 25: Day 2: Parma
We do sleep through the night...mission accomplished. The weather is bright but a bit cool as we head next door to the "bar" for breakfast.
Our first stop is the Duomo for a quick walk through. Dating from the early 12th century, the facade is in the Romanesque style typical of Emilia-Romagna. See exterior photo from day 1.
Inside, all the walls are covered with frescoes and paintings....quite an impressive sight.
There is an extremely ornate pulpit
We plan to return another day for a more thorough visit.
Outside, flanking the Piazza Duomo, is the large, intricately detailed 13th century Baptistery which we will visit later. It is conveniently located next to our hotel...the pink building to its right.
Also on the square is the imposing Palazzo Vescovile (Bishop's Palace).
Today is a holiday in Italy...April 25 is Liberation Day, which celebrates the defeat of the Nazis and Fascists in 1945. It is marked by parades, speeches, and concerts and Parma goes all out. We stake out a spot on the Piazza Garibaldi where the speeches will be held and wait for the parade that snakes through the city to arrive. The parade, led by the city band and local dignitaries, makes several detours that I didn't anticipate before reaching the main square, so I end up following the marchers for some blocks before they get to the Piazza Garibaldi. I did get some good photos while chasing the marchers.
Following the official parade, there are groups representing a number of political parties and unions as well as a group waving Palestinian flags.
There are a series of speeches, all celebrating the end of the Fascist era.
Now it's time for a late lunch...we first try a sandwich place featuring focaccia but they are very crowded and there is a long wait, so we head to a Slow Food recommended place called Tra L'Uss and L'Asa. (Our friend Maureen translates it for us as "Between a rock and a hard place.") It's a small place and it's also crowded but we are able to grab a tiny table outside.
We order and settle in to watch the show as we wait and wait and wait for our food to arrive. There are a bunch of regulars there who banter back and forth, greeting more friends as they pass by on the street as well as engaging with the proprietors. Finally our food does arrive and it's quite good...Diana has pasta with garlic, oil, and peppers (aglio oglio) and I have a tripe dish sauced with capers and green sauce. (I made a faux pas when I asked for some parmigiano for the tripe. I was informed--nicely--that the dish is perfect as served. They are very serious about their food.) So even though the lunch takes a lot longer than it should have, we are happy to have the experience and may try to go back for another meal.
We stop for a gelato on the way back to the hotel...on this holiday afternoon, there are lots of people out and there is a line that moves quickly.
While Diana stays in the room, I go out for a walk to the part of town across the river. We have seen that Parma has a large immigrant population (how things have changed in Italy since our first trip in 1993) and it looks like most of them live in this part of town. There are shops and restaurants representing many parts of the world....most especially the Middle East and India.
I pass the Casa Toscanini Museum which is located in the house where the famous orchestra conductor was born
and walk through the large Parco Ducale...lots of green lawn and many trees, with kids riding bikes and people lying on the grass on this beautiful day.
The park takes its name from the old Ducal Palace which is now a police headquarters.
On my way back to the hotel, I hear music as I walk through the ever crowded lawn of the Pilotta complex
and admire the large monument dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi, who was born in the area and had a close relationship with Parma.
I catch the end of a band concert (same band that was in the parade); they are playing the rousing partisan anthem Bella Ciao. Here is a video excerpt:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/oSing2Z4p4jt8jEGA
We have dinner at a pretty restaurant located just across the Piazza Duomo (an easy walk)--the Angiol d'Or.
Most of the meal was quite good....a serving of delicious mixed salume with torta fritta to start. Diana's tortelli stuffed with ricotta and herbs and topped with (much) butter and parmigiano was excellent but too rich to eat the whole thing. I leave most of my dish uneaten - gnocchetti in a strange purple sauce--because it was tasteless but luckily I ate some of Diana's tortelli which did the trick.
It was an easy walk home across the piazza.
Tomorrow we will go to the weekly market and the museums in the Pilotta complex.
Jim and Diana
Zurers in Italy 2025: Saturday, April 26: Day 3: Parma
It's another cool but sunny morning as we again go to the nearby bar/cafe for our typical Italian breakfast--coffee and tea and cornetti.
After breakfast, we walk to the weekly Saturday market which is spilling over from the covered market area in the Piazza Ghaia to the sidewalks along the Pilotta complex. There are hundreds of stalls selling clothing, household goods, luggage, and many other things but we are more interested in finding the food stalls--fruits, vegetables, cheeses, meats, etc.--which, disappointingly, don't seem to be included in this market.
The museum complex is next. This old citadel was reconstructed as the home for a number of museums--the National Gallery of Art, the Archaeology Museum, the Palatine Library and the Bodoni Museum honoring the famous Italian printer Alessandro Bodoni. In addition, the grandiose Teatro Farnese, first built in the 17th century and destroyed by Allied bombing during World War II, has been reconstructed.
The museum complex has been carved out of the huge building...there are numerous levels inserted into the space, using a massive skeletal framework of pipes and stairs allowing artworks to be displayed on five or six levels.
Luckily, they have also included a number of elevators; reaching them requires long walks through the galleries.
We first visit the Farnese Theater which is so large that there were very few shows ever put on in it. You can get a sense of the dimensions from the people in the photos.
The grand entrance door is colossal and the support system is very sturdy.
From the theater, we take a quick look at the beautifully designed 18th century Palatine Library with its shelves and shelves of books and spectacular 19th century ceiling.
From the La Nuova Pilotta website
The National Gallery's collection of art is vast and it is organized into specific sections...both chronological and thematic. It is spread over five floors and, though we certainly found lots to like in our visit, it is hard to write a succinct report. Rather, I am posting some of our favorites from the collection.....
This is a fragment of a Correggio fresco (he was a local artist).
We are always impressed by works of intarsia (wood inlay) and we really liked these two pieces.
This shows you how the art looks displayed with the skeleton framework of the structure.
My favorite room featured local artists who were heavily influenced by Caravaggio and his handling of light.
And this work seems to be more modern than being from the 17th century.
Finally, I am always happy to add more Last Suppers to my "collection".
Diana's favorite painting is Leonardo da Vinci's portrait "La Scapigliata".
From Wikipedia Commons
After a few hours, we are "museumed out" and have to search out museum staff to accompany us on the elevators to leave the museum....but we were definitely impressed by the National Gallery.
We have focaccia sandwiches for lunch...we go back to the place that was so crowded yesterday and it is just as crowded today. But we decide to stick it out and wait more than a half hour, finally getting the (delicious) sandwiches to go and eat on a nearby bench.
It's already late so we hang out for the rest of the day in the room, taking it easy and writing my report.
Our dinner is at another nearby place, a modern bistro called Borgo 20. It is definitely one of the best meals we have had in some time. We sit outside (the tables are in the middle of the street--lots of foot traffic but no cars).
The service was excellent--our waitress was charming--and the food was all terrific. We split an order of steak tartare, delicious and beautifully presented. We split two main courses--a very rich risotto with parmigiano and a filet of arctic char served with a dijon mustard/beurre blanc sauce. We also have an unusual dish of chicory which we enjoy. The wine was excellent as well...a local sangiovese from Ravenna province. We easily finished the whole bottle. And Diana really liked her favorite local dessert...sbrisolona, a crumbly almond cookie which comes from Mantova.
On the way back to the hotel, I have my dessert--gelato.
Tomorrow, we are going to the Jewish Museum in Soragna and having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, La Buca, in Zibello.
Jim and Diana
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
I do like E-R Sangiovese. Yes, there's still a lot of simple rustic table versions around, but producers like Drei Dona & Chiara Condello (both from Predappio) and the unique social venture that is San Patrignano (amongst a handful of others) shows what is possible. I find them typically leaner than Tuscan sangiovese, and often better for that.
Zurers in Italy 2025: Sunday, April 27: Day 4: Parma
Another beautiful morning, warm enough to eat breakfast outside at our bar up the street. Lots of tourists on this pleasant Sunday, streaming down the street to visit the Duomo and the Baptistery.
We are heading out of town today...first to Soragna, a small town about 20 miles northwest of Parma, where we are going to visit the Fausto Levi Jewish Museum, then to Zibello for lunch. The trip out of town doesn't start smoothly...when I get to the garage, the outside wooden door--which had always been open--is closed and I don't know how to open it. I walk back to the hotel and the desk clerk tells me that I have to use the remote control connected to the garage pass. No one told me that when I checked in.
As we try to leave the street where the hotel is located, we meet a metal barrier blocking most of the road. It turns out, unbeknownst to us, that the street is completely pedestrian on this Sunday, with food trucks and stalls lining the road for blocks. We have no choice but to inch our way through the crowds of pedestrians for a number of blocks. (Another car, driven by other hotel guests who have checked out, is following us.) Then we see that the end of the street is completely blocked with no exit possible. Luckily, one of the local police auxiliary notices our plight, moves a barricade to a side street, and waves us through to freedom.
The drive to Soragna takes about 45 minutes. When we get there, we see that there is a parmigiano-reggiano cheese festival taking over the streets.
I drop Diana off so she can go to the museum and I park in a lot outside the town.
The Fausto Levi Jewish Museum was created by a local Soragna Jewish man named Fausto Levi who wanted to preserve the unique Jewish heritage of the Parma region. We are met by the guide, Alice Avanzi, who lives in Parma.
She explains that under the Duchy of Parma, Jews weren't required to live in locked ghettos and were encouraged to stay in the small towns of the area. There were nominal restrictions against mixing with the "gentile" population but, in fact, there was a lot of interaction. There were seven Jewish communities in Parma province before the racial laws of the 1930s and the Nazi occupation of Italy. After the war, many left the countryside for the cities or emigrated to Israel or other countries.
Mr. Levi was able to collect the religious objects, the furnishings, etc. from the various local synagogues and arrange to house them in the museum.
The synagogue, which dates back to the 1850s, is no longer used for regular religious services but can be rented for weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc.
We have a very interesting time with Alice...she is able to skip over most of her basic lectures on Judaism and we are able to share experiences and memories of the various Jewish communities in Italy. She shows us some of the ketubahs (wedding contracts) on display in the women's gallery. One is notable because the bride and groom were very political and it includes pictures of the leading Italian figures - King Vittorio Emanuele II, Giuseppe Garibaldi, and Count Cavour - in the unification of the country (1861), right on the ketubah.
A few of the other displays in the museum...
There are a couple of rooms devoted to local residents who were deported and murdered as well displays of local area partisan activities.
We had actually visited the museum on our previous stay in Parma in 2007, but it has expanded quite a bit since then. We were very glad to return.
On the way out of town, we stop to sample some parmigiano-reggiano....the 60 month old cheese is amazing.
We have been returning to La Buca in Zibello for many years.
The place was written up enthusiastically in the New Yorker by Bill Buford in 2004 and anytime we are within an hour of the restaurant, we try to have lunch there.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/09/06/the-pasta-station
We almost always have the same thing...a plate of culatello (the local cured meat speciality) served with butter and giardiniera, followed by delicate tagliatelle in a culatello and cheese sauce. Today we also had a plate of local asparagus--tasty but overcooked according to our taste. We drink a half-bottle of slightly sparkling local red wine--Gutturnio--which was a good match for our food. Diana was very enthusiastic about her plum crostata. It is great to be able to continue our tradition.
We have another challenge when we return to Parma...the roads in the center are still closed to traffic and both the main route and the alternate route to the hotel are inaccessible. However, I am confident that I can navigate there by a roundabout route and, with a few hiccups and a drive the wrong way on a one way street, we do make it back without a mishap.
I take another exploratory walk to a new section of town and then watch the Nationals play the Mets on the computer and enjoy seeing their come-from-behind victory.
No dinner tonight but we do go out for a gelato in the finally quiet town.
Tomorrow we finish up our sightseeing in Parma and perhaps do a laundry.
Jim and Diana
Zurers in Italy 2025: Monday, April 28: Day 5: Parma
Another beautiful, crisp morning. "Our" bar is closed on Mondays as are many others in the neighborhood. We do find a place that is open on the next block, so we won't starve to death. After breakfast, I make a solo re-visit to the Duomo to do a more in-depth examination of the art in the building.
Two lions guard the massive wooden door at the entrance.
Some visitors find the paintings and art works covering all the walls to be a bit excessive; I find it fascinating. There is a cycle of the life of Jesus painted high up on both of the side walls...certainly an effective way to tell a story to the then mostly illiterate congregation.
Here are a couple of the panels, including another Last Supper for my "collection."
One of the chapels was inspired by thanks for the deliverance from a plague in the 14th century and is dedicated to two saints--St. Rocco and St. Fabian--who are credited with saving much of the population.
The interior of the dome is the work of the most famous local painter Correggio. It depicts the Assumption of the Virgin into heaven and it is considered a masterpiece "of perspective, light, and motion." You don't get the full effect from this photo but it is quite impressive.
A few other pieces that caught my eye....
A Madonna and Child by the local artist Araldi
and some very well lit intarsia choir stalls.
Diana comes with me into the Duomo, benefitting from my earlier reconnaissance. Our visit to the interior of the Baptistery was less successful. It is an amazing building with striking sculptures and art, but I like to be able to identify the various pieces of art and the guide books that we had were quite confusing. So I will just include some of my photos which will hopefully give you some idea of what the interior is like.
The exterior is much less confusing...the stone is pink Verona marble and the building is over 200 feet tall.
The entrance portals (there are four) are large and intricately detailed
The lower facade is decorated with a series of bas-relief sculptures of animals, sea monsters, centaurs, mermaids, and unicorns.
It's now time for lunch. We take the car out and drive to Fast and Good where we had eaten lunch the first day in Parma. (Driving in Parma has been fine....streets are generally wide and the signals are not confusing. We have even found parking without difficulty.) The torta fritta sandwiches are really good again - perhaps the owner would like to expand to Chevy Chase. When I pay, I tell him (in Italian) that we will see him next year and he replies that he will be waiting.
Now it's time to do our first laundry of the trip. We drive to the other side of the town--the Oltretorrente (across the river)--to the laundromat that we had scouted earlier. It is one of the best laundromats we have been to...very clean, lots of machines, and a very helpful staff person. When I compliment him about the place, he suggests that I post a review on Google. Diana uses the time to work on her piecing.
We eat dinner at the Gallo d'Oro restaurant, just off the main square. We are seated in the glassed-in "outdoor" section which is very pleasant since the inside space is very loud. The food is very good...but not as memorable as our meal at Borgo 20 two nights ago. We start with a leek and potato flan and a plate of excellent parmigiano-reggiano. Diana enjoys the local specialty--tortelli filled with ricotta and herbs and smothered in melted butter and more parmigiano-reggiano. My pappardelle with ragu was fine, if not memorable. When a large group of very loud Americans are seated at the table next to us, we decide to skip dessert. Instead we go around the corner to Grom for gelato.
Tomorrow we pack up and drive to Chianti. We have enjoyed Parma very much. It is an elegant city with lots of culture, very flat, very clean, with lots of things to see and do and with excellent food. And it also seems to have a big international population who are very visible in all parts of the city.
Jim and Diana
PS We have been constantly annoyed by a loud and frequent beep in our leased car that we finally identified as the signal that goes off when the speed limit is exceeded. Oops. I tried and tried but I was unable to find the correct setting to turn it off. The online vehicle manual didn't help so I wrote to the local Renault dealer in Parma explaining the problem. I got a response the next morning and after a few emails back and forth, they were able to tell me how to turn off the sound. We are very grateful.
Pauline
Forums Admin
We just got a new car and it makes a quiet tinkling sound if I go over the limit. Took awhile to figure it out. But I like being reminded and I just slow down! I’m surprised you can turn it off.
Love these photos! Such beautiful frescoes, especially the plague ones.
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
Well there is one way to turn off the sound ... stop driving like an Italian 
I say this in the context of your earlier careful navigation amongst the crowds (and as a compliment).
There is a style to Italian driving that I very much respect.
There's a practicality to it, recognising that roads are shared with other vehicles, cycles, pedestrians etc. so everyone tries to adapt pragmatically, rather than sticking to rigid rules as we tend to in the UK. Similarly there's a desire to get to their destination quickly, but a recognition that others have the same desire, hence common practices such as moving over towards the verge to create a virtual 3rd lane to allow someone to overtake in the middle of the road.
p.s. Gutturnio is a wine I've yet to try, but absolutely would. I very much appreciate the 'frizzante' lightly sparkling style in wine (and water), not dissimilar to the French petillant style.
I say this in the context of your earlier careful navigation amongst the crowds (and as a compliment).There is a style to Italian driving that I very much respect.
There's a practicality to it, recognising that roads are shared with other vehicles, cycles, pedestrians etc. so everyone tries to adapt pragmatically, rather than sticking to rigid rules as we tend to in the UK. Similarly there's a desire to get to their destination quickly, but a recognition that others have the same desire, hence common practices such as moving over towards the verge to create a virtual 3rd lane to allow someone to overtake in the middle of the road.
p.s. Gutturnio is a wine I've yet to try, but absolutely would. I very much appreciate the 'frizzante' lightly sparkling style in wine (and water), not dissimilar to the French petillant style.
Zurers in Italy 2025: Tuesday, April 29: Day 6: Parma-Castellina in Chianti
Time to pack up and get on the road again.....heading for Tuscany. We check out and load up the car, say goodbye to the staff, and leave town. The trip to Castellina in Chianti takes about 2.5 hours. We make one stop at an Autogrill for a cornetti and spremuta (fresh orange juice) and then take the slower and very scenic route though the middle of Chianti. We get to the hotel around 3 pm.
The hotel is on the main street of Castellina and the street is closed to traffic most of the day. We wrangle our luggage the short distance up the street and check in. I then have to move the car to the hotel parking lot at the bottom of the hill.
The hotel is another old palazzo dating from the 15th century. The front is on the main street of the village but the back has stunning views over the Chianti countryside. This is the view from our room.
The cornetto break en route took the edge off our appetite so we just have some gelato for lunch. We take a short walk down the main street and Diana goes back to the room to rest. I continue to explore. The town is quite compact and very heavily into tourism. Most of the shops and restaurants seem to cater to visitors as opposed to where we were in Parma; the main street around the corner from our hotel there was lined with clothing shops, eyeglass stores, etc. that cater mainly to local residents.
I climb up to the castle which also is home to the archeological museum
Right next door to the castle is the Antica Trattoria La Torre where we ate on our first trip to Italy in 1993 and plan to have a meal there again this week.
Back to the hotel to finish my report and catch up on some email.
We have dinner at the hotel restaurant--Taverna Squarcialupi. We eat on the terrace with this view of the countryside.
The meal was quite good as well....fried artichokes to start for Diana, a salad of "tonno del chianti"....pieces of pork prepared like canned tuna, for me. Diana's "Tuscan carbonara" with maltagliati (badly cut) pasta sheets is different from the classic Roman version but very tasty, and my dish of pici (local thick pasta) in a meat sauce is excellent. We drink a pleasant local Chianti which goes down easily. Diana has an unusual ricotta torte for dessert. A very pleasant meal enhanced by the ambiance, the sunset,
and the very charming waitress.
Tomorrow we will explore the Chianti countryside.
Jim and Diana
Pauline
Forums Admin
Our first trip was 1996 and we were mostly in Tuscany. We had an earlier visit on a nearly year-long trip traveling around Europe by train in 1988 but I never count that one. We fell in love with Italy in 1996. Such happy memories.
Beautiful views!
BryanS
100+ Posts
We bought a new car in 2024 and learned that as of 2024 this "feature" is required on all cars sold in the EU. Be sure to ask when you rent a car how to disengage this as it can be rather annoying to some.
daydreamer
10+ Posts
The views are beautiful.
Zurers in Italy 2025: Wednesday, April 30: Day 7: Castellina in Chianti
Another day with bright sunshine and potentially very warm temperatures....we are getting spoiled by the weather so far on this trip.
The hotel has a very nice breakfast spread and we eat out on the terrace overlooking the Chianti countryside. After breakfast, we get in the car and drive toward the walled city of Monteriggioni.
Photo credit to the Monteriggioni web site
There are many other tourists visiting today and the main piazza is buzzing.
Monteriggioni was an important part of the Sienese defense against the Florentines in the 13th century. Now there are many restaurants, bars and shops as well as a hotel with a swimming pool. The church--Santa Maria Assunta-dates back to the 13th century and it "boasts a refined elegance".
Photo credit to Wikipedia
One of the attractions of the village is the chance to walk along the walls and imagine you are looking out for the Florentine army.
Of course, the views from the parapets are amazing.
After some more driving in the countryside, we have lunch on the main street of Castellina in Chianti. Unfortunately the service is slow and the waitress is confused....the sandwiches, when they finally arrived were fine, but we won't be returning.
We drive over to the nearby town of Vagliagli to visit with a travel colleague I have been in touch with over the years on various websites but have never met. Cristina Fassio, an American, has lived in Italy for many years, and is married to an Italian. She runs L'Aiolina--a country apartment complex--about 20 kilometers east of Castellina on a "strada bianca" (an unpaved road). We spend a pleasant hour discussing our mutual experiences in the travel business. We have to take the same road on the way back, which adds to the thick layer of white dust caking the car. We may have to find a car wash.
Back in town, I head out for another exploration. I check out the laundromat that we will use later in our stay (it's right across the street). I stop at the "punto panoramico" for another beautiful view over the countryside.
and check out the main church in town.
We have dinner at a small trattoria located right across from the church. We made a mistake of sitting outside because the weather turned chilly. Service here at the Bottega del Borgo was also a bit disorganized which detracted a bit from the enjoyment of the food. We shared a plate of coccoli (the Tuscan version of torta fritta) with tasty Tuscan ham. I have a rich stew of wild boar served with excellent fried polenta. Diana's tagliata was good but too much food. We also had a dish of spinach and shared a half liter of Chianti.
The town is very quiet as we walk back to the hotel.
Tomorrow we drive to Florence to pick up our friends Maureen and Franco from Rome; they are joining us for the weekend.
Jim and Diana
Zurers in Italy 2025: Thursday, May 1: Day 8: Castellina in Chianti
Guess what....it's sunny and warm again today. Today is May 1, a big holiday in Italy. The holiday celebrates the Italian version of Labor Day (Festa dei Lavoratori) but on the day, schools and businesses are closed and Italians often head for the countryside or at least have picnics. Many cities have big concerts to mark the day. This year, May 1 falls on a Thursday which means that the holiday is stretched over the weekend; it's called "a ponte" (bridge in Italian).
After breakfast, we set out for Florence to pick up our Roman friends at the Florence train station. We set out early because I want to make sure we have enough time to navigate the tricky route to the station while avoiding driving in the limited traffic zones (ZTL). The traffic going into the city on the main road is quite light but the traffic is bumper to bumper heading to the countryside.
On our first attempt to reach Santa Maria Novella station (from the east), we get within a block of the terminal but there is no place to park or even access the road in front of the station where passengers can be picked up. I regroup and drive to the other side. I notice directional signs directing traffic to parking at the station and so we follow the route through the crowded city streets. The route skirts the ZTL all the way until we end up just across the street from the parking lots for the station. We end up parking in one of those lots and, even though we are early, we decide to wait for Maureen and Franco inside. I am quite pleased with my navigation through the challenging traffic of Florence ending up just where we want to be.
We have a happy reunion, push our way out of the crowded station, find the car, and drive out of Florence. We are having lunch at the Ristoro di Lamole, located off the main Chianti road between Greve and Panzano. The drive takes an hour through the heart of Chianti, up and down hills, through pretty towns, past many wineries, with beautiful views over the vineyards and olive groves. The approach to the restaurant is up a steep, winding, narrow road, finally arriving in a small village with views stretching for miles to the west over the countryside.
The restaurant is packed but we are seated at a table with an unobstructed view. We actually ate here with Maureen in 2014 when she had come up to Florence for the day. The meal is terrific...between the view, the food, and the charming waiter, we are all very happy. For antipasti, Diana has carpaccio, Maureen has an onion flan, and Franco and I both enjoy a delicate dish of tongue with pickled vegetables. For the first course, I have a dish of featherlight gnocchi with fava beans and sun dried tomatoes, Diana has a plate of delicate ravioli with ricotta and pear, Franco has a bowl of onion soup, and Maureen has a dish of cavatelli with ragu di chianina (diced Tuscan beef). Franco also orders a plate of ribs that we all share and Maureen shares her dish of roasted vegetables. We drink a pleasant bottle of Lamole Chianti and I'm happy to have my first panna cotta of the trip which is delicious. A very good way to start our weekend with good friends...
And we have to give a nod to our charming waiter....
Back in Castellina, it's rest time for most of us. I retire to the terrace to write a report and catch up on email. We have an interesting conversation with a couple of Americans from Arizona...one of them runs a bicycle touring company and is staying here with one of his groups.
We spend a couple of hours hanging out with Maureen and Franco...on the terrace until we are displaced by the dinner service and then in our room. No one is ready to eat a full meal so we decide that some gelato will hit the spot. We find that the gelateria next door is already closed so we decide to walk down the main road (about 400 yards) to the other gelateria which is open until 9:30. The place is doing a brisk business at 9 pm. We enjoy our "dinner" and our walk back to the hotel.
Tomorrow we will visit the Chianti Sculpture Park, where we have actually visited twice before, but will be new to our Roman friends.
Jim and Diana