Cinque Terre, Italy

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Life slows down in Cinque Terre. The picturesque terra cotta buildings seem to be carved right into the hilly coastline in the small one or two road towns that make up the co-op known as Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. There isn't much more to do here but hike, swim, and eat. All businesses are owned and operated by the locals (they prefer it that way), and the towns are connected to each other (and the outside world) by footpaths, rail and ferry boats that service each town's very small harbor. The hills surrounding the town are generally terraced, and are laden with vineyards used to create the local wine. Cinque Terre wine (or vino di Cinque Terre), as it is called, is a sweet semi-dry white table wine. It's easy to drink a bottle (or two) on a hot summer day before it loses its cool.


Beth and I spent our days in Cinque Terre hiking, relaxing, and letting the locals "show us Americans how to eat," which was fine by us. We met a number of Americans and Australians as they passed through, usually on their way from or to Rome, and enjoyed several hours of great wine, great conversation, and great pesto (it was born in Cinque Terre). All in all, it wasn't a bad way to spend a couple of days.

We're pressing onward to France, so it's now time to try to pick up yet another collection of phrases in an effort to, er, "blend in." Soon Beth and I will be waiting on the race course waiting hopefully for an American rider to be the first to round the final switchback at the top of L'Alpe d'Huez (Floyd Landis, perhaps?). Whether or not that happens won't really matter, though, as the experience we'll share with a million other spectators on the course will likely eclipse whatever the race result will be. I'm extremely excited to be a part of this spectacle, and I'm glad that I'll be able to share this with Beth. I don't know how I managed to talk her into doing this, and it's hard to believe that it is actually going to happen.


Update: Added pictures!

Florence, Siena and Tuscany

Friday, July 14, 2006

History buffs will probably have a field day in Florence and Siena. They'll probably have another pointing out the inaccuracies in this post. I'll do some fact checking when I get back, but until then, comment away!

Florence and Siena had a bitter rivalry dating back to the Middle Ages. There is a long history of war between the two cities. The last major defeat to Florence, coupled with the aftermath of the Black Plague was too much for Siena to recover. Whereas Florence flourished, Siena languished. Without the benefit of the many rich families to subsidize further development, Siena was left trapped in the Middle Ages.

Nowadays, Florence is a bustling, vibrant city filled with kamikaze moped drivers and high end shops. It is home to an enormous collection of paintings, sculpture and architecture. The Renaissance started here, thanks to Florence's many rich families and guilds who commissioned works from the greats: Donatello, Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to name a few.


The architecture appeared to be a mish-mosh of medieval and Renaissance, with a sprinkling of Baroque. Renaissance influenced architecture seems to have won out though, as it appeared on most of the buildings we saw.

Our days in Florence were spent touring the city and its museums and churches, fitting in a two-hour lunch or dinner at a cafe when we could. Our vacillation between the two was a welcome way to break up our day and slow things down a bit. It also gave us a welcome respite from the oppressive heat (Florence is hot!)

Siena, on the other hand, is a sleepy hill-top medieval town. Its ancient brick buildings are almost all uniform in style and color, giving name to that famous "burnt" Crayon in your box of 64. Being on the top of a hill, we appreciated the breezes that made their way through the narrow, shady alleyways.


We saw most of the town in an afternoon, and began to wonder what else could be found there. Where was this bustling nightlife we'd heard about? There were no pubs to speak of, no clubs, and the famous Enoteca Italiana wine bar was bereft of patrons (save for us, of course). We headed for Piazza del Campo, the central town square, figuring that'd be as good a place as any to start. Surprisingly enough, the square was packed with people. Many were milling about aimlessly; others were sitting in the amphitheatre-like square as if waiting for a concert to start. There was no concert, of course, but many (people of all ages) had brought bottles of wine. It seems that you make your own nightlife in this sleepy tourist town. With no drinking age and no open container laws to speak of, it doesn't seem like a hard thing to do. Just add vino.

The next day, Beth and I took a trip to Tuscany to visit a couple wineries in the Chianti region. This country is absolutely beautiful. A Slovak we met mentioned that he'd wanted to visit this region since he got a book about Tuscany to see if the country was really as beautiful as the pictures in his book. He wasn't disappointed.

Siena was a nice transition from the frenzy that was Florence to Cinque Terre, a very sleepy collection of five towns along the Italian Riviera. After a couple more rail transfers (we're really starting to get the hang of this now) we'll be able to relax with a glass of the local vino in Vernazza. From what we hear, it should be a bit more temperate. If not, we could always take a dip in the Mediterranean!


Update: Added pictures!

Ah, Venice!

Sunday, July 9, 2006

So much has been said and written about Venice that actually being there is a somewhat unreal experience. There's so much to soak in, with ancient buildings rising from the water, gondoliers, market bazaar's, and pigeons. Thousands of pigeons. It's strange and fascinating how the canals have shaped the pedestrian city, where simply "crossing the street" is no longer a trivial matter.

Our night in Venezia was probably atypical of the average Venetian visitor. After dinner and after the throngs of tourists subsided, we sought out an Irish pub on per our waitress's recommendation. We followed the singing and chanting to a small Irish pub named, appropriately enough, Irish Pub. It was jam-packed as the World Cup final between Italy and France began. Beth and I managed to snag a choice spot at the end of the bar, in the back of the very hot and very muggy room.


The energy was electric as the sweat soaked inhabitants erupted in song and cheer for every crest and trough of the match, almost deafeningly so when Italy scored with a header to tie the game in the first half. Italy's ultimate victory closed out the most intense television spectating experience Beth and I have ever witnessed. In the following day, we have met quite a few very happy Italians quietly humming The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army," which has seemed to become the unofficial theme song of the event.

After a thoroughly enjoyable train ride filled with Heinekens and great conversation with three Iranians on holiday, we're ready to see what Florence has in store for us. We're off to a guided day-tour tomorrow, which will be a welcome break from our self-guided meanderings through the cities we've visited to date.

La contattero!


Update: Added pictures!