Day nine. Sept. 16th
Today was originally supposed to be a free day to do whatever, but we were able to squeeze in an Italian cooking class! We were in a group of about 15, all english speaking this time. We started out with one of the chefs, Andrea (a different Andrea), who led us to this huge marketplace building. A nice girl with blue hair told us all about different balsamic vinegars, olive oils, and seasonings. We tried out each one in a little teaspoon and ended up getting some for ourselves! The market contained all kinds of freshly cut meats, cheeses, produce, and local goodies like Chianti wine and truffles. We met up with our other chef, Giovanni, who took us to the nearby building with the kitchen where the class would be. The first thing we made was tiramisu, allowing time for it to refrigerate. Next was bruscetta, then a full Italian salad with many vegetables, and that sweet balsamic vinegar we tried earlier. Last we made fresh pasta noodles from scratch without any machines, and got the ingredients for a great Tuscan meat sauce. We each got to roll out and cut our own noodles, and took turns simmering the sauce until it was just right. Our meal was so good, maybe the best we've had, but I think it tasted better because we made it. The pasta was fresh and filling, and the tiramisu was rich and creamy. After a small food coma, we headed to the academia del arté to see more Florantine and Renaissance art. But the main reason was to see Michaelangelo's 'David'. It is pretty amazing what he accomplished with a block of marble, and the level of detail and power in the eyes.
After the museum, which didn't take too long, we stopped back by the hotel before grabbing some dinner at Zaza's cafe. We also did laundry that night in a hot public laundrymat, getting in some good angry birds time. We headed to bed early.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Day eight
Day eight. Sept 15th
Today we took a day trip to Pisa and Lucca. We got into a bus with a bunch of people. Our tour guide translated everything in English, German, and Spanish every time, which was interesting to hear, for the first couple of minutes at least. Pisa was pretty much what you expect, but we didn't get a lot of time there; just enough to take cheesy 'holding up the tower' shots and look inside the church.
After Pisa, we headed to Lucca, a fortress type town, surrounded by a giant wall. This was also the birthplace of the composer Puccini, we had lunch there, probably some of the best pasta we've tasted, at a little place off the path. We also grabbed a lemon fritte, or donut, covered in sugar. After Lucca, we went to another vineyard for another wine tasting! Anna and I don't drink wine, but we tried everything, with bitter faces along the way.
We headed back to Florence, decompressed a bit in our room, and headed back ours for some night browsing and had dinner at a charming little restaurant where the building was as old as the waiters there. Good food though, and we also tried mascarpone for dessert which was tasty and sweet. Pretty low key day, but it was a nice change.
Today we took a day trip to Pisa and Lucca. We got into a bus with a bunch of people. Our tour guide translated everything in English, German, and Spanish every time, which was interesting to hear, for the first couple of minutes at least. Pisa was pretty much what you expect, but we didn't get a lot of time there; just enough to take cheesy 'holding up the tower' shots and look inside the church.
After Pisa, we headed to Lucca, a fortress type town, surrounded by a giant wall. This was also the birthplace of the composer Puccini, we had lunch there, probably some of the best pasta we've tasted, at a little place off the path. We also grabbed a lemon fritte, or donut, covered in sugar. After Lucca, we went to another vineyard for another wine tasting! Anna and I don't drink wine, but we tried everything, with bitter faces along the way.
We headed back to Florence, decompressed a bit in our room, and headed back ours for some night browsing and had dinner at a charming little restaurant where the building was as old as the waiters there. Good food though, and we also tried mascarpone for dessert which was tasty and sweet. Pretty low key day, but it was a nice change.
Day seven
Day seven. Sept 14th
Today we got up and headed back to Florencetown tours, who led our walking tour, but this time we were much more adventurous. Today was a Tuscany vespa tour. We headed in a white van outside the city on some bumpy roads to a rural little campground area, where we met our guides, Jacopo and Andrea. We signed some liability forms and got insurance in case of accidents, got helmets and had a little vespa lesson. Pretty simple but took some getting used to starting and stopping. At first they told us we had booked a double, meaning Anna and I would be sharing the same bike and only one of us would be driving. :( Well, we didn't want that. We paid a little extra and each got our own bikes. After getting a briefing of our route, we headed off. The drive was really beautiful, with scenic views of the countryside, small vineyards and houses, old churches and plenty of Cyprus trees characteristic of the area. We got to sample some grapes and the start of the season, see Machiavelli's birthplace,
And stopped at a local deli where we tasted good cheese and toasted fresh bread. As we left, Anna lost control of her bike and had a little crash. She was fine, aside from a small bruise, and got reprimanded a bit from our guides. More driving, then a tour of a local Tuscan vineyard to see how chianti wine and olive oil is produced. After the tour, we got to sample the wine, taste the olive oil with some bruscetta, and have a little rigatoni with ragu sauce. Not the Ragu brand mind you, but tomato and basil sauce. After we had our fill and a little caffé, we headed back on the Vespas, and headed down to a little gelato place.
This tour company was pretty smart, always having gelato in the tour. We headed back toward the camp, stopping one more time for photos at a scenic overview of the landscape.
After getting back into town, we headed to the duomo, Florence's major landmark. We didn't get to climb up the dome because the line was huge, but we went into the church and took lots of photos. We had a Tuscan meal that night, including capreise salad, tbone steak, roasted potatoes, and pork chops. After dinner we turned down our waiter's offer for dessert, but he gave us a shot of limoncella anyway. It's a lemon liqueur, tasting very much like cough syrup. Not to be rude, we still finished it, but it was a challenge. We headed to bed early in preparation for our first day trip the next day.
Today we got up and headed back to Florencetown tours, who led our walking tour, but this time we were much more adventurous. Today was a Tuscany vespa tour. We headed in a white van outside the city on some bumpy roads to a rural little campground area, where we met our guides, Jacopo and Andrea. We signed some liability forms and got insurance in case of accidents, got helmets and had a little vespa lesson. Pretty simple but took some getting used to starting and stopping. At first they told us we had booked a double, meaning Anna and I would be sharing the same bike and only one of us would be driving. :( Well, we didn't want that. We paid a little extra and each got our own bikes. After getting a briefing of our route, we headed off. The drive was really beautiful, with scenic views of the countryside, small vineyards and houses, old churches and plenty of Cyprus trees characteristic of the area. We got to sample some grapes and the start of the season, see Machiavelli's birthplace,
And stopped at a local deli where we tasted good cheese and toasted fresh bread. As we left, Anna lost control of her bike and had a little crash. She was fine, aside from a small bruise, and got reprimanded a bit from our guides. More driving, then a tour of a local Tuscan vineyard to see how chianti wine and olive oil is produced. After the tour, we got to sample the wine, taste the olive oil with some bruscetta, and have a little rigatoni with ragu sauce. Not the Ragu brand mind you, but tomato and basil sauce. After we had our fill and a little caffé, we headed back on the Vespas, and headed down to a little gelato place.
This tour company was pretty smart, always having gelato in the tour. We headed back toward the camp, stopping one more time for photos at a scenic overview of the landscape.
After getting back into town, we headed to the duomo, Florence's major landmark. We didn't get to climb up the dome because the line was huge, but we went into the church and took lots of photos. We had a Tuscan meal that night, including capreise salad, tbone steak, roasted potatoes, and pork chops. After dinner we turned down our waiter's offer for dessert, but he gave us a shot of limoncella anyway. It's a lemon liqueur, tasting very much like cough syrup. Not to be rude, we still finished it, but it was a challenge. We headed to bed early in preparation for our first day trip the next day.
Day six
Day six. Sept. 13th
Our first full day in Florence began with an informative walking tour of the city. Our tour guide, Mario, gave us a lot of information. Mostly about art and architecture, but it was still interesting. It ended with a surprise visit to a small gelato place across the river which used really fresh ingredients every day. Probably the best we've had so far. After the walking tour we did some more sightseeing and had lunch at a place across the river in the more residential area of Florence. I had some chicken curry with rice and Anna tried the risotto with mushrooms. Not too bad.
That afternoon we went to the Uffuzi gallery where you can find many works of art by Raphael, Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vinci, and other medieval pieces. Lots of busts and statues, many many paintings and sketches. Almost overwhelming. That night we had dinner at a ristoranté near our hotel and did some more light shopping. Headed back to the hotel and went to bed after watching the Incredibles dubbed in Italian on tv.
Our first full day in Florence began with an informative walking tour of the city. Our tour guide, Mario, gave us a lot of information. Mostly about art and architecture, but it was still interesting. It ended with a surprise visit to a small gelato place across the river which used really fresh ingredients every day. Probably the best we've had so far. After the walking tour we did some more sightseeing and had lunch at a place across the river in the more residential area of Florence. I had some chicken curry with rice and Anna tried the risotto with mushrooms. Not too bad.
That afternoon we went to the Uffuzi gallery where you can find many works of art by Raphael, Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vinci, and other medieval pieces. Lots of busts and statues, many many paintings and sketches. Almost overwhelming. That night we had dinner at a ristoranté near our hotel and did some more light shopping. Headed back to the hotel and went to bed after watching the Incredibles dubbed in Italian on tv.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Day five: Florence
Time to leave Rome today. We packed our belongings and rolled our bags to a taxi stop, which took us to Termani Roma, the gigantic local train station. It was a little confusing at first, but we figured out it was pretty straight forward.
The train to Florence was pretty quick, only an hour and a half, and we just chilled out, enjoyed the view, and talked with some travelers from Brazil. After the train, we walked straight to the hotel. We checked in, and quickly headed back out to explore the city. Well, first we had lunch at cafe Zaza which was really good and highly recommended, and walked around to see the Duomo, the local artisans, and the merchant bridge where they sell a bunch of local jewelry.
There are a lot of statues just out for public view. One of the symbols we kept seeing is the boar, and we found a giant bronze boar statue. We explored the local marketplace full of vendors selling local leather products, scarves, tshirts, jackets, luggage, wine, and olive oil. Although tempted, we didnt get anything. We had dinner at a more touristy place, not as good, and explored the nightlife a bit. One variation on the gelato places is that here they like to serve it on "wafers" (little Belgian waffles). Of course, we had to try one. By this point, our feet were dead tired so we called it a night.
The train to Florence was pretty quick, only an hour and a half, and we just chilled out, enjoyed the view, and talked with some travelers from Brazil. After the train, we walked straight to the hotel. We checked in, and quickly headed back out to explore the city. Well, first we had lunch at cafe Zaza which was really good and highly recommended, and walked around to see the Duomo, the local artisans, and the merchant bridge where they sell a bunch of local jewelry.
There are a lot of statues just out for public view. One of the symbols we kept seeing is the boar, and we found a giant bronze boar statue. We explored the local marketplace full of vendors selling local leather products, scarves, tshirts, jackets, luggage, wine, and olive oil. Although tempted, we didnt get anything. We had dinner at a more touristy place, not as good, and explored the nightlife a bit. One variation on the gelato places is that here they like to serve it on "wafers" (little Belgian waffles). Of course, we had to try one. By this point, our feet were dead tired so we called it a night.
Day four
We got up around 7:30, adjusting a little better to the time today. We walked to the meeting place for our ancient Rome tour at the metro station outside the Colosseum. After meeting up with our tour guide and getting our little headset receivers, we walked across the street to the giant amphitheater. It was really interesting to see this monument in person, and to feel the man made structure, thinking about how this was all put together.
The inside left a lot to the imagination, but still gave reflection to an ancient civilization where fighting and killing for sport was the norm. The special effects of rising underground platforms and overhead tarps that covered the sun showed the brilliance of early roman architects.
After getting our fill of photos inside the arena, we went to the roman forum and palatine hill. The forum was mostly in ruins but what we learned about different sections of the city, various emperors, and the "lasagna" of the buildings built on what was left of other buildings. Emperors like Augustus, Nero, and Constantine left their mark, although some were not as popular with the people and traces of their buildings were wiped out or looted.
After our tour, we visited the "mouth of truth," where you stick your hands in and if you are a liar, they would be "magically" removed. We had dinner at a little ristorante off the path, apparently at the end of the lunch rush. The owners pushed the daily special on us, Lasagna, which was very good. We did some more touristy shopping, and headed to Il Vittoriano, the gigantic white marble building that celebrated Italian unification in the nineteenth century. Even though it's a structure that the locals apparently dislike, it did have some amazing panoramic views of the city skyline.
We enjoyed some 7up and Fanta, which tastes a lot like carbonated orange juice here, and headed back to the hotel. We only took a short one hour nap, soaked our tired feet, and went back out for a nice dinner followed by crepes with nutella. Headed back to the room, took an inventory of our roman loot, then headed to bed. Anna had to yell "silencio!" to the loud street crowd that gathered outside our hotel at the gelateria. After singing a bit, they dispersed and we got to sleep. Tomorrow: we head to Florence!
The inside left a lot to the imagination, but still gave reflection to an ancient civilization where fighting and killing for sport was the norm. The special effects of rising underground platforms and overhead tarps that covered the sun showed the brilliance of early roman architects.
After getting our fill of photos inside the arena, we went to the roman forum and palatine hill. The forum was mostly in ruins but what we learned about different sections of the city, various emperors, and the "lasagna" of the buildings built on what was left of other buildings. Emperors like Augustus, Nero, and Constantine left their mark, although some were not as popular with the people and traces of their buildings were wiped out or looted.
After our tour, we visited the "mouth of truth," where you stick your hands in and if you are a liar, they would be "magically" removed. We had dinner at a little ristorante off the path, apparently at the end of the lunch rush. The owners pushed the daily special on us, Lasagna, which was very good. We did some more touristy shopping, and headed to Il Vittoriano, the gigantic white marble building that celebrated Italian unification in the nineteenth century. Even though it's a structure that the locals apparently dislike, it did have some amazing panoramic views of the city skyline.
We enjoyed some 7up and Fanta, which tastes a lot like carbonated orange juice here, and headed back to the hotel. We only took a short one hour nap, soaked our tired feet, and went back out for a nice dinner followed by crepes with nutella. Headed back to the room, took an inventory of our roman loot, then headed to bed. Anna had to yell "silencio!" to the loud street crowd that gathered outside our hotel at the gelateria. After singing a bit, they dispersed and we got to sleep. Tomorrow: we head to Florence!
Day three
We woke up early Saturday morning to walk to the Vatican city. We had breakfast outside the Vatican at a little cafe. Donuts are a lot thicker here. We met up with our tour group and headed inside. The guides gave us these personal headsets that made it easy to hear lots of information, while still being able to look around at everything. We skipped a really long line to get tickets by being in the group, and headed inside the Vatican museum.
The museum was really interesting and contained a lot of classic renaissance and baroque works of art. I was really happy to see the Raphael rooms, with some of Raphael's work that I had studied in college. We also saw Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and 'the Judgement' which was breathtaking in person. Sadly no photos allowed in there. After that, we saw St. Peter's basilica and the crypts underneath. Michelangelo's 'Pieta' was also inside, behind bulletproof glass. Then a stroll inside St. Peters square, with the giant Egyptian obelisk in the center. We we both starving and grabbed some sub par food nearby, but enjoyed the comforts of a cold Coca-Cola.
After finishing at Vatican city, we went across the bridge into centro storico, and found the campo de' fiori, a local farmers market and neighborhood hangout. Got some fresh apples there, and shopped around for possible souvenirs. On the way back home, we saw a museum with a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit of big machines. Someone put together mockups of a lot of his concept machines like the flying wings, mobile armored tank, and other contraptions. After heading back to the room, we watched some dubbed over Mythbusters and tried not to nap.
After a short nap, we headed back out towards piazza navonna for dinner. Anna had a slice of pizza and I had a calzone. It was a little like fast food, but still tasty. We shopped a bit for some local art, and headed back after some gelato.
The museum was really interesting and contained a lot of classic renaissance and baroque works of art. I was really happy to see the Raphael rooms, with some of Raphael's work that I had studied in college. We also saw Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and 'the Judgement' which was breathtaking in person. Sadly no photos allowed in there. After that, we saw St. Peter's basilica and the crypts underneath. Michelangelo's 'Pieta' was also inside, behind bulletproof glass. Then a stroll inside St. Peters square, with the giant Egyptian obelisk in the center. We we both starving and grabbed some sub par food nearby, but enjoyed the comforts of a cold Coca-Cola.
After finishing at Vatican city, we went across the bridge into centro storico, and found the campo de' fiori, a local farmers market and neighborhood hangout. Got some fresh apples there, and shopped around for possible souvenirs. On the way back home, we saw a museum with a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit of big machines. Someone put together mockups of a lot of his concept machines like the flying wings, mobile armored tank, and other contraptions. After heading back to the room, we watched some dubbed over Mythbusters and tried not to nap.
After a short nap, we headed back out towards piazza navonna for dinner. Anna had a slice of pizza and I had a calzone. It was a little like fast food, but still tasty. We shopped a bit for some local art, and headed back after some gelato.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)