Final Thoughts and Observations...

Italy was amazing!  But I think what made the trip even better was the group I was traveling with... We had so much fun!  Maggie did an amazing job of planning our adventure and setting up some pretty amazing things for us.  I don't know that I will ever be able to thank Ray and Maggie enough for this... It was truly an amazing adventure!  I love you guys!

I know there are some people who are looking at going to Italy in the future, so I'm passing on some of my favorites places, eats, etc.

In Rome, we stayed at the Hotel Manfredi on Via Margutta, next to the Spanish Steps.  The location was perfect, the staff was great and it has one of the best free breakfasts that I've ever had... America, take notice, they know how to do a free breakfast!  Here's a shot outside the hotel looking down Via Margutta...

In Assisi, we stayed in the Residenza d'Epoca San Crispino.  The coolest B&B I've ever stayed in!  The rooms (apartments) we stayed in were beautiful with old desks and furniture that dated way back to the 1400's and had been used by Monks that studied there.  Each room had either a balcony or a yard attached where you could enjoy the view and coffee.

Finally, in Tuscany, we stayed at the Borgo Casorelle right outside of Lamporecchio.  I can't say enough about this place!  Stephano, the keeper, was great, the apartments were roomy and had kitchens and multiple bathrooms (that's a must when several people are residing there!).  Oh and let's not forget pizza night!  That's a given for all guests and a great way to meet the other people staying there.  I met a couple from Slovinia that want to trade homes for vacations!  And the view... ahh the view.  Stay there if you get the chance, you won't regret it!

My favorite meals...

Rome - La Buvetta located near Via Margutta and the Spanish Steps... YUM!
Assisi - Trattoria Pallonta... It's a small town, you'll find it.
Bologna - Trattoria Leonida... Located off a small side street.  Well worth the search!

As far as places we saw, there are so many cool things to see and do, it's hard to name them all.  In Rome, St. Peter's and the Sistine Chapel are must sees.  Not to mention the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.  If you can book it far enough ahead (we're talking months), try to get into the Scavi Tour in the catacombs under the Vatican (thanks again, Maggie).

If you do go to Assisi, which was one of my favorites, make sure to wander around at night... It's beautiful!  But even in the day, some of the nicest views I've seen!

In Tuscany, we visited Siena, Bologna and Florence.  I must admit, I loved the feel of Bologna because there wasn't as many tourists there.  I felt like I got a better glimpse of what an Italian life looks like.  Florence is beautiful as well.  The picture of the bridge I'm attaching doesn't do it justice.  The buildings along the bridge used to be homes.  Now the entire bridge is lined with jewelry shops... as Paul said "lots of sparkly things."

I would go back to Italy in a heartbeat.  It's a beautiful country with great food and warm people.  I learned and saw so much.  I can't wait to go back again.

Oh, one final thing...

Make sure you have one of these when you come home... I'm really good at making coffee with one of these now.  It's strong and makes me think of Italy.

Ciao for now, Italia... I will return!

Trip Home...

Well, I left Italy on Sunday, but of course, there is always adventure in flying...

Maggie, Ray, Tony and I got to the airport around 7:50a.  They were flying to Chicago at 10a and I was headed to JFK at 10:20.  The line for check-in was enormous!  To quote Ray, "There is nothing glamorous about travel."  About 15 minutes later, they called all the people flying to Chicago.  They got checked in and within another 15 minutes, we said our goodbyes (with hopes of meeting in the gate area for coffee) and they were on their way.

I stayed in line... for a very long time!  At 9:30 I was still standing in line (along with about 25 other people going to JFK), looking at a board that said they were starting to board my flight... hmmm.  I think it finally hit the Italians that they needed to get us checked in.  At 9:45 I was on my way to security.  People were trying to make them understand that our flight was boarding... security shrugged and said, "You were late."  Ahh, patience.

I cleared security, which by the way, is much more lax than in the states and started trotting toward my gate.  I waved at Ray and Maggie's gate as I ran by (they were on board by then) and finally found my gate.  Ahh, the line to board the plane wrapped around the waiting area.  A nice lady held my spot in line while I ran and bought her and I a water for the flight.  By about 10:10 I was on board... no coffee and no breakfast... boo.

After everything, the flight didn't pull away from the gate until 11:10!  Oh well, we took off and landed safely at JFK a whopping 9 hours later.  I got my bag, cleared customs, rechecked my bag and headed to the gate for my final leg home.  Thank God, there was a Starbuck's in the concouse!  After being up for 15 hours, I was ready for some caffiene!  Wasn't as good as it was in Italy, but it was welcomed!

I made it back to Orlando, safe and sound.  My friend Lisa swooped me up at the airport and depositied me and my luggage at my front door... gotta love her!  I went and picked up Elsie (the pooch), came home, had some popcorn, unpacked the bags and headed off to bed a full 24 hours after I got up in Italy. Let me tell you, my bed never felt so good!

Rome for one final night...

Saturday, we all got up early and moved out of our apartments at the villa.  It was hard to say goodbye to everyone.  It was such an amazing week in Tuscany!

Danny and his family were off to catch the train to Munich.  They were gonna stay there for two nights before heading home to California today.  Julie and her family piled in the car with Roberta, the GPS, to find their way to the coast for two days before heading back home today.

We dropped off Paul, Jenn, Sara and Tim in Empoli at the train station.  They were taking the train to Pisa for the day before flying off to Spain to continue their adventures.

Ray, Maggie, Tony and I all drove back to Rome to drop off the rental cars at the airport.  We checked into the Hilton at the airport and then headed back into Rome for one final night.  We went to 5p mass at the Pantheon.  It was amazing and awe inspiring.  The mass was delivered by a Cardinal... if ever there was a time that I spoke Italian, it was then!  He was so passionate in his words!  Here is a shot of the altar before the services began...

It was a little strange to be in the Pantheon in a very beautiful service, then to have the mass be over, they dropped the ropes and it became Disneyland... people ran in and started talking pictures.  From awe to "ugh" in less than 5 minutes.

We explored some more and had a final dinner in a restaurant in Trestavere.  We ended the evening by walking back over to St. Peter's Basilica so we could see it in the evening.  It was worth the walk...

We finished off the evening with one final gelato ( I told you that would be an ongoing theme!) and took a taxi back to the hotel to pack for the trip home.

Bueno Sera, Roma!  I hope to see you again soon!

Our final day in Tuscany...

Well, Friday was our last full day in Tuscany.  It was pretty much a quiet day for everyone.  Needless to say, there were various degrees of "pizza hangover".  Some of the girls went back to Florence to do some shopping, the Storti kids headed to Gianamo (?) for the day and the rest of us hung around the villa and explored the walk into town.  Of course, it started to pour when we got in town so we were drowned rats by the time we got back... literally dripping!  The walk was worth it though... it was beautiful!

That night Paolo, Ray's business associate, made us reservations at an amazing restaurant that was near a castle at the top of a mountain.  The view was amazing, the food was delicious and the company was outstanding.  There couldn't have been a better way for us to end our stay in Italy as a group.

Thursday was pizza day!

So, on Thursday, we got ready for the pizza party with Stephano.  At noon, we paraded over to his kitchen like little ducklings to see how he makes his dough.  Seems that his secret ingredient is "live" yeast that he uses as well as another yeast that I couldn't seem to identify... well, I tried to figure it out by smelling it and God knows I have the nose for that!  He has an enormous mixer that I would die to have, so we decided to use that as opposed to kneading enough dough for 50 pizzas by hand!  He told us to be back around 2 and we'd roll them into individual pizzas.

Ray, Maggie and I went in search of a few local towns that were known for their pottery... Ummm, didn't find the pottery, but we did see some of the countryside and learned that Italians basically shut down from about 12:30p to 4:30p for lunch.  I gotta tell ya... No wonder they call it "La Dolce Vita", the sweet life, they don't work a lot.  Makes me wonder if the USA needs to adopt some of their rules!

We got back around 2:30 and Maggie and I headed over to the kitchen for the dough rolling.  Julie had beat us there and did a lot of it, but it was fun to see how Stephano does it... No pinching, just rolling into perfect little balls that he sets into plastic containers to finish rising.  Gotta tell ya, Mom, his dough tasted just like yours!

Around 7, Stephano started firing up the pizza oven.  It's a pretty impressive oven!  Think there was a lot of BBQ envy happening, considering Ray and Danny are now considering putting one in their yards!  He gets it hot enough that the entire inside of the oven is white hot.  We, of course, relaxed with wine and games until they actually got cooking!

Our cooks were Paul and Stephano.

Paul is a Canadian/Italian citizen who did an amazing job of teaching us how to throw dough!  Not to mention, it was fun to talk Canadian with him... "get in the boat, ay."  Stephano was our host and was amazing!  Not only was he the oven master, all the girls were completely smitten by him!  Sorry girls, he's got a really sweet girlfriend!  They both were very patient in teaching everyone how to roll, throw and cook the pizzas.  Here are some pictures of epole learning how to cook, not to mention enjoying the pizza!

After the pizzas were gone, we laughed, drank wine and toasted with grappa.  There were some games... "slap the bag" and one where we were meowing, barking like a dog and hugging strangers...  Needless to say, a great time was had by all!

Can't wait to try tossing my dough at home!

Random thoughts on a morning in Tuscany...

I'll get back to our daily adventures, just wanted to post some thoughts on my last morning in Tuscany...

I don't know if I can adequately describe how beautiful it is here.  I'm wide awake at 5:15a.  The wind blowing thru the Olive trees sounds about as close to the beach as I've heard.  The birds are singing and the roosters are crowing.  Maggie loves the roosters.  She asked last night if she could take one home in her suitcase.  I, personally, thought it might be an issue, but good luck with that...

I wonder if the people who live here truly appreciate it.  I really wish you could hear what a morning in Tuscany sounds like...

Exploring in Siena, Bologna and Florence...

We spent the beginning of the week exploring Tuscany...

On Monday, Ray Maggie Julie, Dave and I took off for Siena.  It's another walled city that Danny and Bev had been to earlier in their travels.  They have a huge horse race that they were setting up for, so the main Piazza had a dirt track laid around it.  Here is a picture of the main Duomo that we saw.  There was a gorgeous chapel inside with 4 amazing Belini sculptures...

Tuesday, we took the Eurostar Train up to Bologna.  I like the feel of the city.  Didn't have near the amount of tourists that we had seen before, but still had great architecture.  Most of the sidewalks are covered with arches, so it was much cooler exploring.  We found a cool little side street that had tones of produce, cheese and fish markets.  Gotta tell ya... I was running past the fish market.  To say it smelled strong was an understatement.  Do you know how embarrassing it is to be gagging in the street?  We finshed up our tour with an amazing lunch followed by Gelato!  Here are a couple of pictures from there... Ray plotting out day on the map and my favorite cheese market!

Wednesday, all 17 of us headed to Florence for the day.  We had tickets for the Uffizi Museum in the afternoon, so we broke up in the morning and explored the city.  Maggie and I got out of the museum first, so we got some gelato (in case you haven't noticed, that's a theme on this trip) and wandered around the river and peeked in some shops.  We met up with Ray, Tony, Danny Bev and Dave for a beer at the Hard Rock.  I know... I didn't want to go in either, but they had air conditioning and beer!  All of us ended up staying in Florence for dinner and headed back that night.  Tony, Paul, Jenn, Sara and Tim climbed to the top of the Duomo and said it was quite the hike, but the view from the top was pretty amazing.

Okay, I think I've got you up to date!  I have to get going.  Stephano, our host, is making us wood fire pizzas for dinner tonight and he's about to make the dough... a must see.

Ciao!

Our Villa in Tuscany...

Sunday we got to spend the whole day relaxing and cooking in the villa.  We went to church in the morning and headed to the grocery store.  We didn't realize they closed at 12:30p so we got kicked out before we got everything we wanted.

It was a nice afternoon... there were a lot of naps and conversations with everyone catching up with what they'd been doing on their adventures.  Tim, Sara's fiance, flew in that day, so Sara, Paul and Tony ventured to the train station in Empoli to get him.

We pooled our resources for dinner since some people didn't have a chance to shop.  It was a lot of fun and I have to say, we made a great meal.  Maggie had picked up a small cake in town, so we got to celebrate Ray's birthday.  We didn't sing though... That was his one request!

The trip from Assisi to our Villa...

First off, I'm sorry I've been slow to post... We've been very busy little beavers.  Somehow staying up past midnight to blog when I'm getting up before 6a doesn't seem to be very condusive to walking all over Italy!

We spent the morning on Saturday exploring Assisi.  We didn't have to check out untill 11a, so I walked over to St. Francis' Basilica and then wandered around peeking in shops and down alleyways...  It really is some of my favorite views of Italy...

Regardless, the drive from Assisi to our villa at Borgo Cassorele will definitely live in infamy for those of us who made the trip!  We had three cars caravaning on the trip... Ray, Tony Maggie and I were in one car, Dave, Julie, Becky and Kristine were in another and Paul, Jenn and Sara were bring up the proverbial rear.  We were doing really well until we stopped to get gas.  You see, we went past our exit to get to the gas station.  You would think it wouldn't be a big deal... go down, turn around and take the right exit.  That would work great in America!  We, however were on a paid Italian motorway (kinda like the turnpike), so we had to go to the next exit, pay the toll, take a CRAZY detour to get back on the motorway... missed the exit again, went to the next exit, paid AGAIN, did another CRAZY detour to get back on and then finally got off at the right exit... WHEW!

Now the fun really begins... Paul's GPS, aka Francesca, which had been a mute Italian girl, decided to wake up.  Paul took off on his own for the Villa.  Ray's GPS, named Lovey, got a bee in her bonnet and took us on a crazy adventure.  Now Dave was following us because he figured Ray knew where he was going... Long story short, we ended up in a cornfield with Lovey directing us down a dirt road that had a chain across it.  Being the observant people we are, we knew there was something wrong.  So, we turned around meanwhile Lovey was recalculating.  We started on our way again, until Lovey tried to direct us over a bridge that wasn't big enough for a kids big whell, let alone the ENORMOUS cars us Americas were driving (we kinda did look like a mafia hit squad).  So once again, we went another way and Lovey started recalculating.  We finally found the road we needed to be on that started to lead us over the mountain.

Here's where the fun really starts.  Not only are we driving over a mountain, but the road has hairpin turns and is a favorite for bike riders!  Now we are going over the mountain, trying not to pick off the bikers, Maggie's trying not to be sick and asking Ray to go slow and steady.  For anyone who's ever driven in Italy, they all think they are Formula One drivers... slow and steady isn't something they do!  Ray is trying to start down the hill with the Italians on his heels while Maggie keeps saying, "Ray!  Slow and steady or I'm gonna puke."  By this time, I'm laughing so hard I can't see straight!

We finally make the turnoff for the villa.  It road up to the villa is one lane at best!  Maneuvering the Mafia cars up that hill is a true psychology test in the making!  I'll try to post picture of it... We are gonna risk death and try walking in town tomorrow!

Once we arrived, I have to admit... This is truly God's country.  We are on the side of a mountain!  We overlook a town called Lamporecchio.  I would post a picture, but the internet is being finicky and won't let me at this point.  We braved the "driveway" again to go in town for groceries.  We got back and made a great dinner and drank LOTS of wine to celebrate our arrival.  Maggie's brother and his family met us at the villa so our little group grew to 16.  A wonderful night was had by all!

Tomorrow I'll post our adventures starting from Sunday on.  For now, I'm going to bed!  It's 12:30a and we spent about 12 hours on our feet today... I have a blister between my toes!  Ciao my friends!

Assisi!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while... The past few days have been a little nuts!

Friday morning we headed to Rome airport to rent cars for our adventure to Assisi and beyond.  All went well until our car (Paul, Jenn and I) began a ticket challenged ride!  First, we couldn't get out of the parking lot...  Sure, Ray's car got out no problem.  Our car was a different issue.  The machine ate our ticket and refused to let us leave.  After playing busser tag with the airport and backing up and pulling forward severl times (under their direction), we finally made it out after about 20 minutes!

Two hours later, we arrive at Assisi... We pull into the parking lot (the GPS guided us there) to call and meet up with everyone else.  Well, as it turned out, we were in the wrong parking lot.  We drive to the directed lot.  Ray shows up and tells us to follow him.  Once again... he puts in his ticket and is on his way.  We are stuck with the machine not taking our ticket, or Dave's for that matter.  About 15 minutes later after a very interesting exchange with the ticket guy who spoke no English, we got out of the lot and found the lot Ray sent us to.  Finally!

We unpack the car and head up the hills of Assisi to our hotel.  This place was gorgeous!  It used to be a monestary.  The rooms and views were amazing.  Here are Ray and I about to enter the courtyard followed by Sarah and Paul contemplating life...

After arriving and getting settled, it was about 3:30-4:00.  Maggie, Ray, Julie, Kristen, Becky and I decided to make the trek to Eremo delle Carceri.  Little did we know that it was 4km all uphill!  After literally walking up the mountain for over an hour (Maggie was determisned to get there at this point), we arrived hot and sweaty to our destination!  Here is Maggie looking happy to have arrived!

Gotta admit, the walk was worth it... It was beautiful.  Too bad we got there at 5p and they closed at 6p. I could have spent a couple hours there walking thru the woods and caves.  Needless to say, Maggie told Ray to get a cab for the ride home... took us about 10 minutes to get back!

We went to dinner at an amazing little restaurant.  We were some of the first to get there and the last to leave... the food was THAT good.  Our server was so impressed with how much food Sarah was ordering that she gave her free soup (zuppa)!  We all walked away fat and happy then spent some time wandering Assisi after dark.  It was just beautiful!  Definitely a place that seems untouched by time!  Peeking into doorways and alley ways leads to beautiful sights.  Yep, I could learn to like it here!

I have to hit the hay!  We are getting up at 6a to go to Siena in the morning.  I'll have to catch you up on our trip to Borgo Casorelle tomorrow when we get back... It was quite the adventure!

Bueno sera!

Our last day in Roma!

So... what a day!  I think all of us have tired feet and legs, not to mention some sunburn!

I started out the day with Tony and Sara.  We made our way to the ruins and to the Colosseum.  It was really cool to see everything, but I gotta say... It was HOT!  Luckily, Sara led us to the secret door to get tickets, otherwise the line for the Colosseum was crazy long.  It really is amazing to see that place close up and personal.  Must admit, it freaks me out a little that people used to go there and "make a day" of watching people be ripped apart by wild animals... Literally, they would go, have a great meal and the women would do each others hair while gladiators and prisoners were being eviscerated on the colosseum floor!  "Hey, this is great entertainment!  Can you pass me that pork shank?"

In the afternoon, we took the Metro back over to Vatican City to meet the gang for a tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.  The museum was pretty amazing, but the Sistine Chapel is unforgettable!  To see the paintings by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Chapel should be on everyone's bucket list.  It truly is breathtaking in person.  They kept saying no photos, but a picture can never do it justice.  It has to be seen to be truly enjoyed.

After the tour, Ray, Maggie, Sara, Tony, Julie, Dave and I all headed to a cafe to get some water and a bite to eat.  Did I tell you it was HOT!  Thank God, Rome is the city of fountains and water, because you can't get enough of it!

Afterwards, we split up again.  Paul and Jenn had headed to the Colosseum since they didn't get there earlier.  Dave, Julie, Tony and Sara headed off to St. John's Church outside the wall.  Make sure to ask me about the conversation we had regarding the fountains... It was quite interesting!  And Ray, Maggie and I went to explore some markets and Piazza's.  We wandered down side streets and peered into the local shops.  At one point, we came across a water station and I had to cool my poor feet...

After some Gelato (a necessity), we explored some more and headed to the Hotel to clean up and meet up for dinner.  We ate at a restaurant called La Buvette.  Gotta say, it was some of the best food we've had so far!  There is nothing but love in the food in Italy!  If you go hungry here, it's no one's fault but your own.

Tomorrow we are off to Assisi in the morning.  It will be a totally different experience from Rome, but I gotta say, I've had a great time in Rome!  Trevi Fountain, work your magic!

Tuesday in Rome...

So, yesterday, we headed to Vatican city.  We started out the day with an audience with the Pope.  We and a few thousand people were seated in chairs in St. Peter's Square to hear the Pope speak.  Let me tell you... it was HOT!  As Ray said, it felt like we were sitting in a slow cooker.  Still, it's the Pope!

Yep, that's him in the middle.  The service lasted about an hour and a half.  We immediately headed for shade and water when it was over.  We had "lunch" at a cafe close by.  I say lunch, but really it was large bowls of gelato (soooo good) along with lots of liquid.

After lunch we headed back over to the excavation offices for the Scavi Tour of the ancient tombs below the Vatican.  It was very impressive.  Hard not to be awed by architecture and tombs that were built around 150 A.D.  After the tour, we headed up to St. Peter's.  It is awe inspiring!  You can't not be impressed with the art, sculptures and tombs.  Michelangelo's Pieta brought tears to my eyes.  Here's a shot of just one of the domes...

Last night we ventured out to the Trastevere neighborhood for another fantastic meal.  Do they have bad food in Italy?  We finished at the restaurant around 11p.  Ray and Maggie got a taxi due to the hour.  I walked back to the hotel with Sara, Tony, Jenn and Paul.  We detoured by the Trevi Fountain on the way back.  The tradition is that you throw a coin over your left shoulder into the fountain to ensure your return... I wanted to toss in paper money to make sure the fountain knew I was serious, but Sara convinced me to throw a penny.  Here they are, ensuring their return!

Then we headed back to get ready for Thursday.  We have more stuff to see!

Our first day...

So, Sara and I arrived early Tuesday.  We got some lunch... Mmmm pizza!  Then explores some around where we are staying.  We are located right in the heart of old Rome.  We are staying on a cute street called Via Margutta located between the Piazza de Spagna and the Piazza de Popolo.  Sara and I explored around both of the piazzas and climbed some stairs so we could eat more!

We met up with the rest of the merry travelers back at the Hotel and after wandering around for a while, we had a great dinner at a restaurant called Suge.  Wonderful food and wine was had by all.  I will say that mussels in this country need to be afraid!  Paul and Tony both ate the biggest bowls of mussels I've ever seen!  It was a great meal with great company!