Monday, September 17, 2018
Day 2: Arrone to Ceselli (15km - 9.3 miles).
Today, we walk along the river Nera to reach the small town of Ferentillo. We later visit Abbey of San Pietro in Valle.
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Day 1 Field Notes
At 10am, we meet the rest of our group at the Terni train station. There are 4 others on the tour (Keith, Nahita, Lois, and Elena), Judy (owner of Spanish Steps) and Virginio (local guide whose home town is in Viterbo).
Keith and Nahita met in Toronto but now live in the UK. Nahita is friends with Lois who also lives in Toronto. Elena is from Seattle but has been living in Madrid for almost 2 years now, having a son that is living in Spain for some time it just makes sense for her to also live there. Lois has grandchildren that play ice hockey in Canada. I didn’t get as much conversation with Nahita and Keith but I get the impression they have done many tours with Spanish Steps.
We start walking nearby to the waterfall at Marmore. Our first views included a double rainbow and as we walked further down to the overlook we got completely drenched! Thankful for the rain poncho!! From there we continue to descend and at the bottom, we stop for lunch.
Walking through the Nera Valley was quite beautiful. It was a hot day and the moments in direct sun were brief. We walked alongside the river and see fig trees, grape vines, apple trees and hearty yellow flowers that resemble tulips. The trail was fast and flat, when we turned a corner we saw the hillside town of Casteldilago, our destination for the day.
It’s a climb to get into the town and to our apartments. But the views are amazing and distracted the mind from complaining muscles.
All things included, today was about 10 miles of walking.
After a shower and lie down, we visited the restaurant to have some cold drinks, and ended up spending a lot of time talking with Sara who was working there today. Then we walked around town, sat on a bench to enjoy the town in quiet, and had a botched conversation using google translate with some locals.
At 6:30pm, I relax in my room and listen to the sounds of the town - birds singing, some cars in the distance, and the marching band performing in the neighboring town of Arrone. Each time the band starts a lively march a dog howls in what sounds like agony.
Dinner was at 7:30-10pm. It was a multi course meal:
The band is still playing lively tunes at 10:30pm ...including thriller and YMCA. We try to settle ourselves for a day of walking tomorrow. Breakfast starts at 8am and then we walk at 9am.
Keith and Nahita met in Toronto but now live in the UK. Nahita is friends with Lois who also lives in Toronto. Elena is from Seattle but has been living in Madrid for almost 2 years now, having a son that is living in Spain for some time it just makes sense for her to also live there. Lois has grandchildren that play ice hockey in Canada. I didn’t get as much conversation with Nahita and Keith but I get the impression they have done many tours with Spanish Steps.
We start walking nearby to the waterfall at Marmore. Our first views included a double rainbow and as we walked further down to the overlook we got completely drenched! Thankful for the rain poncho!! From there we continue to descend and at the bottom, we stop for lunch.
Walking through the Nera Valley was quite beautiful. It was a hot day and the moments in direct sun were brief. We walked alongside the river and see fig trees, grape vines, apple trees and hearty yellow flowers that resemble tulips. The trail was fast and flat, when we turned a corner we saw the hillside town of Casteldilago, our destination for the day.
It’s a climb to get into the town and to our apartments. But the views are amazing and distracted the mind from complaining muscles.
All things included, today was about 10 miles of walking.
After a shower and lie down, we visited the restaurant to have some cold drinks, and ended up spending a lot of time talking with Sara who was working there today. Then we walked around town, sat on a bench to enjoy the town in quiet, and had a botched conversation using google translate with some locals.
At 6:30pm, I relax in my room and listen to the sounds of the town - birds singing, some cars in the distance, and the marching band performing in the neighboring town of Arrone. Each time the band starts a lively march a dog howls in what sounds like agony.
Dinner was at 7:30-10pm. It was a multi course meal:
- Eggs with truffle on a hash-brown style potato
- Bread trio: bruschetta, ricotta, pate
- Lentils, Spelt salad, White Beans with Prosciutto, Puréed Fava Bean
- Meat plate: prosciutto and salami
- Two meat courses: young goat and fresh sausage
- Zuppa Inglese (a trifle)
- Espresso
The band is still playing lively tunes at 10:30pm ...including thriller and YMCA. We try to settle ourselves for a day of walking tomorrow. Breakfast starts at 8am and then we walk at 9am.
Day 1: Terni to Arrone (10km - 6.2 miles).
Today we begin a 100km pilgrimage from Terni to Assisi,
We start on a lake called Piediluco. We will follow the river Velino to reach Marmore to see the Cascata (waterfall). From there we trek the Nero valley to the hilltop villages of Arrone and Casteldilago.
We head out - small group of 6
This is where we sleep tonight
These are the views of the falls
We start on a lake called Piediluco. We will follow the river Velino to reach Marmore to see the Cascata (waterfall). From there we trek the Nero valley to the hilltop villages of Arrone and Casteldilago.
We head out - small group of 6
This is where we sleep tonight
These are the views of the falls
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Hello, Terni
I love being off the beaten path. Terni is definitely hitting that strongly for me today having been in large bustling cities.
I checked more than one on this, but we payed $65E for this place. It’s absolutely huge with a full kitchen, full dining room, sitting room, an entire wing with two more bedrooms, and office and bathroom.
I checked more than one on this, but we payed $65E for this place. It’s absolutely huge with a full kitchen, full dining room, sitting room, an entire wing with two more bedrooms, and office and bathroom.
Here are some pictures:
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| Our living room |
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| Ate lunch here |
Florence, Lucca, Pisa, San G
On our last morning in Florence, we visited Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze (where Michelangelo’s statue of David resides for those of you just tuning in). We lucked out again having just booked an early skip-the-line tour the day prior, and were in a small group of four. We were able to view David without large crowds around us then went back to the earlier works as more people arrived. The unfinished sculptures were fascinating because here you can see how Michelangelo approached his art. He was a bit of a risk-taker, actually; instead of making a clay model and using it to work 360 around the marble, he let the form emerge out of the marble.
Leaving the gallery, we hurry back to pack because our checkout time is 10am sharp. Returning to get our car, the attendant shows frustration as we didn’t give him enough notice. So back into the streets for more sightseeing as we wait for our car to be retrieved from who knows where. Returning an hour later we see our car arrive but it gets buried with other cars and we wait 15 minutes longer watching a very laborious, circuitous, and passionate process.
And with the car retrieved, we head to Lucca, Pisa and then to San Gimignano where we will sleep.
Maybe we were tired or maybe our expectations were really high, but Lucca was just ok. We walked along the wall of the city but if we weren’t aware that we were up on a wall, you’d think you’re in any city street. Going down into the town, I can see it’s medieval charm. Lots of cafes and shops with high-end clothing, leather, and jewelry. There’s only so many times I can drag Tom out shopping and I didn’t want to use my credits here (so I feigned disinterest while doing side eyes into the store windows, we leave the town of Lucca).
We almost skipped Pisa after our “meh” experience in Lucca. Arriving in Pisa, we park directly across from the tower. The street was lined vendors appearing to be from India and Africa, which is different than we saw previously in Venice and Florence. Passing through the gate and with the mindset we were only taking a picture and leaving made us relax. Looking down the line of people taking the stereotypical picture was a light-hearted moment. After taking our silly pictures, we toured around and looked at the surrounding structures.
Leaving Pisa, we drove in the peaceful countryside of Tuscany, arriving to San Gimignano before sunset. Rick Steve’s didn’t have many nice things to say about this hill town but we found it much more interesting than Lucca. Walking the town was hilly but easy and rambling with breathtaking views. Our host, Pierluigi, was extremely gregarious and besides recommending an off-the-beaten path restaurant for dinner, presented me with a travel book as a gift for my upcoming birthday. I wish we had a longer stay, but now we enter the hiking stage of our trip.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Florence - Day 1
Today (so far), we did Rick Steve’s self-guided Renaissance walk in the heart of Florence then explored south of the Arno River in Pitti Piazza, Giardino di Boboli (the palace gardens) and further up the hill, Giardino di Bardini.
The self-guided tour starts at the Duomo, Campanile and view of the dome. Here we learn about the north and east bronze doors of the Baptistery, the octangular-shaped building built in the 11th century and oldest surviving building in Florence. We walk down Via de’ Calzaiuoli, which besides being difficult to pronounce was a well traveled market place dating back to 1400. After passing through the Piazza della Repubblica, We circumnavigate the Orsanmichele Church which 14 niches house replica statues such as Donatello’s St Mark. Next, we enter Piazza della Signoria. This is where Michelangelo’s David stood until 1873. In fact, in 1527 David lost his left arm when a bench was thrown from the palace window during a riot (just goes to show you, people have always been assholes). Also in this piazza are other sculptures depicting heinous acts such a beheading and rape (what’s with all the violence, yo). Moving on, we pass the Uffizi and look at statues in the courtyard as we make our way toward the Arno river. The tour ends at Ponte Vecchio, the wooden bridge that is filled with jewelry stores.
Across the bridge we arrive in Pitti Piazza. Decide against going into the palace and set out exploring. We take a street up up up and find ourselves at Giardino di Bardini, which we enter also
touring through the palace gardens and back into Pitti Piazza. We pop into a super market to buy today’s lunch and dinner, then it’s time for seista (for Tom).
Next up, the Uffizi at 4pm. Then the Accademia early tour tomorrow followed by a side trip to Lucca and Pisa. Staying the night in San Gimignano.
Pictures from the gardens.
The self-guided tour starts at the Duomo, Campanile and view of the dome. Here we learn about the north and east bronze doors of the Baptistery, the octangular-shaped building built in the 11th century and oldest surviving building in Florence. We walk down Via de’ Calzaiuoli, which besides being difficult to pronounce was a well traveled market place dating back to 1400. After passing through the Piazza della Repubblica, We circumnavigate the Orsanmichele Church which 14 niches house replica statues such as Donatello’s St Mark. Next, we enter Piazza della Signoria. This is where Michelangelo’s David stood until 1873. In fact, in 1527 David lost his left arm when a bench was thrown from the palace window during a riot (just goes to show you, people have always been assholes). Also in this piazza are other sculptures depicting heinous acts such a beheading and rape (what’s with all the violence, yo). Moving on, we pass the Uffizi and look at statues in the courtyard as we make our way toward the Arno river. The tour ends at Ponte Vecchio, the wooden bridge that is filled with jewelry stores.
Across the bridge we arrive in Pitti Piazza. Decide against going into the palace and set out exploring. We take a street up up up and find ourselves at Giardino di Bardini, which we enter also
touring through the palace gardens and back into Pitti Piazza. We pop into a super market to buy today’s lunch and dinner, then it’s time for seista (for Tom).
Next up, the Uffizi at 4pm. Then the Accademia early tour tomorrow followed by a side trip to Lucca and Pisa. Staying the night in San Gimignano.
Pictures from the gardens.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Hello, Florence
Today we woke in Venice, side tripped to Greve in Chianti, and will sleep in Florence.
This morning in Venice, Tom enjoyed a 5 mile run in the muggy air, heading from the apartment down to the end of the Castello district. When he returned we walked across the Rialto bridge into San Marco and twisted our way to the fish market (see pictures in a previous post), then into the Dorsoduro district toward the Guggenheim and eventually over the accademia bridge back into San Marco. We hit 11K steps on the way to the Vaperetto as we returned to Via Roma to retrieve our car
The trip out of Venice was smooth, got a bit worried when the tire pressure alarm came on but stopped and checked it out. Tom decides we should take a side trip to the Chianti region before heading into Florence. I wanted rolling hills as green and full as possible, but it looked less vivid than I envisioned. Still the town of Greve was charming and a nice diversion between two big cities.
The drive into Florence was rough, having missing a couple turns (or maybe it really was a construction detour ... I could barely read the onslaught of signs). Then, as we were making our way to the Michelangelo garage, we came upon a traffic indicator we hadn’t seen before. When we stopped at the red light, a man knocked on the window and told us we were not allowed to go there (he was wrong...texting my host quickly, she told me to ignore him). One longgggggg trip around the block again and we get to the garage. Strangely, cars were packed in making entering impossible. A passerby told us “good luck with that.” The attendant said they were full but we showed our reservation and they said alright. Two of the attendants got into a heated yelling match in Italian while the third guy gave us an apologetic gesture. Hopefully we can get the car out tomorrow for a side trip to Pisa and Lucca.
We arrive to our AirBnb and find it truly wonderful. A quick stroll around the Duomo, then to the grocery store. Tonight we are eating in!
Getting me veggies
I love me a meat & cheese plate ... but, Mama Mia, I need a break from the meats and breads and cheeses and pastas. I found this on the menu yesterday en route to Venice.
Stopped at a Lago di Caldonazzo, south east of Trento. Like the drive to Dolomites, this is where melle (apples) are grown. The trees are grown more like grape vines than trees.
Stopping here was very much a view of a typico European vacation stop with camping and lake water toy rentals. But stopping here really upset Apple Maps and it routed us up and over a windy pass. Had to just roll with it.
Stopped at a Lago di Caldonazzo, south east of Trento. Like the drive to Dolomites, this is where melle (apples) are grown. The trees are grown more like grape vines than trees.
Stopping here was very much a view of a typico European vacation stop with camping and lake water toy rentals. But stopping here really upset Apple Maps and it routed us up and over a windy pass. Had to just roll with it.
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