19 September – 03 October 2024

We have our Toyota 4Runner lightly packed this time for a road trip to the Pacific Northwest. For those who follow our posts, don’t expect photos of an afternoon spritz accompanied by focaccia, olives, and other delightful appetizers. You won’t see hillsides encrusted with centuries-old fortresses either. Or tablets of Etruscan writing. Or our Italian cousins.

You will see expansive fields of wheat in the Palouse region, dense forests marching up mountainsides, some peaks capped with snow, wild rivers, and lots of American eats.

We are going all American on this trip!

No fishing for Robert. There was too much work to finish with house improvements just before we left. We hope to make up for this next year.

CHUCK: Be prepared. Lots of photos from the car.

First Stop—Redmond, Oregon

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Making a “bee line” to Whitefish, Montana, to see our friends Sally and Jennifer, we had our first glimpse of the stunning gold hills of the palouse, recently harvested of spring wheat and freshly plowed and seeded for winter wheat. More about the palouse later.

Continuing to Whitefish, Montana

Whitefish, Montana

We made it to see our friends from San Francisco, Sally and Jennifer, who are temporarily living in this cute ski town near the Canadian border. They are making a documentary that probes Montana’s starkly contrasting liberal and conservative values, which are especially heightened during this election year. Although the town of Whitefish is sometimes referred to as “Wokefish” because of its progressive bent, this is deep in Montana where conservatives dominate in the state population of one million people.

Polebridge and Glacier National Park

Polebridge (route shown in yellow) is a quirky, small hamlet on the edge of the national park. It consists of a few buildings and a reported population of 14 in the winter. Stretches of gravel road to get there.

Glacier National Park lies just east of Whitefish—about a 25-minute drive to the west entrance. We took the Going-to-the Sun Road, the only road that traverses the park (shown in red). This was a full-day excursion with stops at several of the park’s lodges built by the railroad in the early 1900s. Most were in the process of closing for the winter.

Glacier National Park

Moscow, Idaho

University of Idaho, Moscow

Moscow, Idaho, to Yakima, Washington

We did not know what to expect of Yakima. Turns out it is a bit like Anchorage, Alaska. A smattering of low buildings surrounded by large expanses of surface parking. A road system of one-way three-to-four lane couplets (very wide one-way streets) divide the city. A bit strange. We found only one good place to eat. We took advantage of our two-night stay to visit Mount Rainier National Park. Surprisingly, there were no fly fishing shops although Robert often sees ads promoting Yakima for fishing.

Mount Rainier National Park

Yakima to Camas, Washington

Off to Camas, near Portland, to see nephew Bobby Loyd and his family—Marlo Maroon and Boden.

Bobby, Marlo, and Boden!

Our nephew Bobby, niece Marlo, their four-year-old son Boden, and their two dachshunds Pistol and Miss Kitty live in Camas, a booming suburban town with great schools and a population dominated by small kids. We planned our trip to be there for Bobby and Marlo’s second annual Oktoberfest party. We spent Friday night helping with party preparations—Marlo and Robert baked cookies while Bonnie battled Boden in a series of board games. Saturday morning we went to see Boden play soccer. He decided not to play, but we did see a lot of soccer played by kids ages four to teens.

Saturday afternoon was the Oktoberfest extravaganza at the Loyd-Maroon house, complete with lederhosen for Bobby and Boden, balloons, decorations, beer, root beer for kids, souvenir beer steins, pretzels, sausage, and lots more food. At least twenty kids, mostly 4 to 6 years old, poured in along with their parents for games, cookie decorating, making German hats from construction paper, and crowding onto the backyard trampoline and climbing structure. Marlo imagined that guests would come and go between two and six pm, but Bonnie saw most people planted for the entire time. It was too much fun to leave.

Roaming around Camas and Vancouver, Washington

Wandering Portland

A Day at the Zoo!

Heading Home!

Ashland, Oregon to Home

Next Stop – Who knows!?

06-14 June 2024

The transition from Palermo to Copenhagen disoriented us. If you are seeking Etruscan ruins, vestiges of Greek temples, or Roman roads two thousand years old, this is not the place. Completely different culture, food, length of day, architecture, history, economy, weather. This was our first time in Scandinavia and we would be delighted to go again, although prices for food and lodging are high.

As we got off the plane and headed through the airport, Bonnie was immediately startled. “These people look like me!” During covid lockdown she entertained herself with ancestry research and was surprised on the first day to discover she is one-eighth Danish and Norwegian. Not much, but apparently it shows. Although nearly all Danes speak excellent English, several times during our nine days in Copenhagen, people spoke to Bonnie in Danish. Not something that happened to Robert. So she can pass as a native here, which never happens in Italy.

Once in the city, we discovered that streets are pristine with almost no trash. They almost seem to be washed daily. There is some graffiti, but not much. Also, very few people are sleeping outside. The wide, curving streets in the center of the city are devoted to pedestrians and bicycles. Cars are remarkably rare.

In mid June it gets light around four am and dark around eleven. Light-blocking curtains are a must.

Bicycles are everywhere. The Danes use their bikes for transportation, especially noticeable at the end of day when they are commuting. The bikes are not fancy. Very utilitarian. Usually black, unless they are rentals. And given the quantity, they park them wherever they want.

Furniture stores abound. They have multiplied like rabbits. This was especially apparent during Copenhagen’s Dare to Dream—three days of design trade show. Pink balloons signaled the 250 shops open for the event. The main street of furniture stores was jammed with stylish visitors. Participants spilled over into the streets holding wine glasses and socializing with music. During our nine days in Copenhagen we visited only one art museum, but we looked at lots of chairs. Classics from the 1950s, especially by Hans Wegner, and new experiments. We happened to turn on the television in our hotel room and the first program we saw was a competition show: five contestants challenged each week to design a piece of furniture! CHUCK: Nearly all store signage is sans serif.

The weather is unpredictable. You look at a weather forecast in the morning but it changes in few hours. Rain? No. Rain? Yes. It rains here more than 150 days a year with a yearly rainfall of 26 inches. Not much per day. But enough to get some to reach for umbrellas. And for us, it was cold. Most days we were walking around in temperatures in the high fifties. A dinner outdoors might be in the high forties. Overhead heaters helped. You can easily tell a native from a tourist. Natives might be wearing shorts and a t-shirt. We dug out puffy jackets and fleece along with gortex jackets on most days.

We spent most of our time was walking, noticing fountains and towers, looking at shop windows, and sometimes venturing in. Georg Jensen silver. Royal Copenhagen china. Ole Mathiesen watches. There are cultural sites worth visiting and we hit a few. The churches in particular strike a strong contrast to those we visit in Italy. Begun in the early 1500s, the Reformation took over Catholic properties. The interior design aesthetic is spare and emphasizes light with tall, clear windows and white walls.

What is traditional Danish food and where do you find it? We had a few places to go to, one in particular that was great and recommended by Dinesh and Gabriella. For the most part, hamburgers abound. They seem to be a staple on all the menus. And if you want Italian, no problem. Don’t expect to find bargains for the cost of eating out. A hamburger, a salad, a beer, and Coca Cola Zero costs about $75. Add a dessert and coffee and you will top a $100. Dividing the amount of Krone by seven to estimate the dollar amount kept us challenged.

If you are studying landscape architecture, come to Copenhagen. Find a job here for year of so. You will learn a lot. The level of design, especially in hardscape, is incredible. A lot of thought and restraint. The many squares include simple yet exquisite paving and fountains. Trees are healthy and streets are lined with London plane, linden, and ash.

Copenhagen has set their goal to be carbon neutral by 2025. We saw a larger percentage (even for us) of Teslas. No doubt in part due their up to 150 percent tax on petroleum-fueled cars.

The economy seems to be booming here in part due to the great success of Ozempic manufactured by Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company located near Copenhagen.

Lodging

Bonnie found a playfully stylish hotel, 25Hours, in the center of the city. Very convenient to shopping and metro.

Breakfast. Robert found a cafe near the hotel—Espresso House. A bit Berkeleyesk. They always stumbled over his order and the price. This was one of its five hundred locations throughout Scandinavia. ADELE & DAVID: The cost of a flat white is seven dollars. And for those of you old enough to remember a pastry called a Danish, don’t bother looking for one in Copenhagen. They don’t exist here.

Bonnie’s Eye on Fashion

Scandi style is simple. Very attractive, but different from what we see in San Francisco. In this cool climate, women wear a variety of nice jackets, from tailored blazers to task jackets in cotton, but all are simple, unadorned styles. Usually boxy with buttons rather than zippers. Neutral colors like black and tan dominate. Young women are not showing off their shape: a long loose top with wide-leg pants are common. Not much jewelry, and scarves are used to keep warm, not to add design interest. Conspicuous bags and designer logos are rare. Many women wear leather shoes rather than sneakers. A majority of Danes use bicycles, and spates of rain are common, so simple clothes probably work best. We saw many interesting, independent clothing stores, but the colorful, unusual styles in the windows didn’t seem to match what women were wearing in the street.

First Danish Meal

Tours by Bus and Boat

We normally avoid packaged tourist sightseeing, but in Copenhagen we signed up for three bus tours and one boat tour. This gave us a great overall introduction to the city including adjacent neighborhoods. So we have a new appreciation of those red double-decker buses we see going down Haight Street in San Francisco.

Carnival anyone?

We encountered this parade on our Saturday walk. Lively Brazilian and Cuban music.

Tivoli Gardens!

A trip to Copenhagen must include Tivoli. We were pleasantly surprised by how charming it is. Lots of gardens. Lots of shops and restaurants, and lots of rides. Probably more restaurants than rides. Even a marching band of kids eight to sixteen years old.

Bonnie’s roller coaster ride. For this sweet little roller coaster, Robert thought adults needed to be accompanied by a five-year old. Bonnie insisted they did not. But she was the only adult without a kid. She had a great time. The photos might appear to be duplicates. They are not. The roller coaster went by four times!

More Walking Around

Christiania

Christiania is a “hippie” compound founded in 1971 when some free spirits squatted on an old military base. Think Peoples Park on steroids. It operates independently of Copenhagen, but ongoing problems with drug sales keep it embroiled in controversy.

Church of Our Savior

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

We took the train to visit this unusual museum enthusiastically recommended by Meredith. We were impressed by the collection but even more dazzled by its park setting. The building complex, a series of small pavilions, weaves organically through the gardens, giving both interior and exterior views—views of lawns, woodland, and the Baltic Sea. Some views are intimate, some are sweeping. Some are from above, some from a slightly sunken walkway. We have never experienced an art museum like this before. Wonderful.

Lund—A Bit of Sweden

Because it is so close—just over an hour by train—we decided to visit Lund for the day to dip our toes into Sweden. Lund is a university town where more than half the population of 92,000 are students. It is quieter and less glamorous than Copenhagen, but easy to explore on foot.

Back in Copenhagen

Frederiks Church

Museum of Danish Resistance

This exceptional small museum chronicles the occupation of Denmark by the Nazis in WWII. It presents a well-balanced understanding of how the Danish people did not fully understand or accept the implications of Nazi occupation and how these attitudes changed. Using shadows cast on the wall over photographs from WWII, actors act out and narrate journals and letters from the period. We needed two hours to hear the majority of the scenes. Definitely worth a visit.

More Walking

Trinitas Church

Uneventful flights from Copenhagen to Frankfurt on Lufthansa and Frankfurt to San Francisco on United. The transfer in Frankfurt was tight after we arrived late and there were two passport checkpoints to go through. Security in Copenhagen was very time consuming. We heard it might be heavy because so many people were flying to the European soccer championships in Germany.

That’s All Folks—For this trip!

POSTSCRIPT

13 June 2024

Next Post—Copenhagen

12 June 2024

This post has a few of the songs we heard playing in the restaurants in Italy and a few in Denmark. We heard a lot of covers. Some good. Some bad. A mix of American and Italian. At times a bit amusing in terms of where we were.

O1-03 June 2024

Cocktails on the Hotel Roof Terrace

01 June 2024

Dinner at I Cucci

01 June 2024

Dinner at Osteria Ballarò

02 June 2024

Lunch at Villa Igiea

03 June 2024

Videos!

Next Post – Music! (We’ve Heard)

01-02 June 2024

Bob Colegrove, with some help from Paul Gass and Domenico, organized three days of celebrations for Richard’s 70th birthday. He definitely raised the bar on this one!

Two days of touring with Domenico!!!

We met Domenico Aronica in 2019 when Robert followed up a Facebook post. A fellow freshman student from UC Berkeley days recommended Domenico. So on our first morning in Palermo we took a brisk three-hour walking tour with him. We were wowed by his knowledge of history, architecture, and everything Palermo.

Robert and Domenico bonded immediately because of the sense of humor they share. Domenico quickly adopted us as part of his family. When we returned in 2022 with Richard, Domenico extended his reach into the Loyd family and then to Richard’s birthday celebration in 2024.

For the birthday gang of nearly thirty people, Domenico broke the tour into two days. The first day focused on cultural aspects of Palermo—churches, fountains, Spanish rule, Normans, French, Christians, and Muslims. On the second day he introduced us to the Ballarò Market—an enormous, crowded street market of fresh fish, fruit, and vegetables plus food ready to eat—as well as another church and a flea market. We highlight only a few sites here. Our posts from 2019 and 2022 have more details on the tours.

When in Palermo, contact Domenico. https://palermowalkingtour.com.
Since we met in 2019, Domenico has become recommended in the Rick Steves guidebook on Sicily. Good choice! We heard great compliments from the birthday group. They all, as we, love Domenico!

Day One

Church of St. Catherine of Alessandria

Il Duomo

Day Two—Ballarò Market, Church, and Flea Market

Mercato di Ballarò

In this open market, vendors sell all types of food to take home and to eat there. The market winds through the city streets for at least a half mile. The tuna season had just begun. We stopped to sample goods like cheese and pomegranate juice. Unlike in prior years, it was very crowded.

Video-Sights and Sounds of the Market

Robert’s Miltza Sandwich

A tradition now for Robert. Spleen fried in lard. Delicious!

Chiesa del Gesu di Casa Professa

Flea Market

Next Post: Palermo Three—Richard’s Birthday Cocktails, Dinners, and Lunch!

30 May-05 June 2024

This is the first of three posts from Palermo.
We, along with twenty-six other family members and friends, descended on Palermo to celebrate Richard Loyd’s 70th birthday! Part One includes our wanderings before, during, and after the main events, Part Two—Walking tours with Domenico, and Part Three—Birthday Celebrations!

We flew out of Rome on ITA early afternoon. Smallest airplane seats ever. But so cheap. At the airport in Palermo we found the taxi stand and Bonnie played bad cop, insisting to know the cab fare before we got in. After two taxi drivers were too vague in their responses, we settled on a third who first quoted 55 euros and then went down to 50 if we paid cash. He later referred to Bonnie as a hard, intelligent, and furbo (cunning, sly, wily). She made quite an impression! We gave him a five euro tip. He was happy.

Our thirty-minute drive at high speeds and at minimal distances from the car ahead of us included an intense rant by the cab driver. For the first half of the ride he complained bitterly about high taxes, low wages, the rising cost of living, and the weak economy in the south. This quickly switched to politics after he asked us: Trump or Biden?

Biden, of course. He fully agreed and then brought up the issues we are aware of, such as Biden’s age. He was well informed. He equated Trump to a neofascist along the lines of Italy’s current prime minister Giorgia Meloni. By the end of ride, we were friends.

Lodging

We stayed in a hotel a five-minute walk from the heart of the city. Very convenient.

The Hotel Ambasciatori has a rooftop terrace for cocktails and dinner with spectacular views over Palermo. They upgraded the elevator since our last visit for drinks only eighteen months ago when the antique version only rattled up to the fifth floor. With a new elevator, white tablecloths, and a stronger menu, the spot now has a big appeal to the younger set who stream in around seven dressed to party. In central Palermo, businesses are quickly spiffing up to attract tourists.

We had dinner on the main pedestrian street of Palermo, which is lined with casual spots, all packed with diners. Simple.

Eighteen Months Doesn’t Seem Like a Long Time

But it is.

We were last in Palermo in the fall of 2022 and saw signs that the city was on the verge of becoming a blockbuster tourist destination. Richard, who was with us then, noticed the lack of large hotels able to handle bigger crowds. This has changed partly because hotel rooms now float in on cruise ships. As many as 12,000-15,000 visitors on three ships arrive in a single day. On this trip we also noticed more a few more glamorous restaurants, some new boutique hotels, and more stylish shops. Things are changing fast.

On our first full day in Palermo we encountered long lines at several churches and historic sites and at one spot in particular—the famous pastry shop in the former convent. (Until recent years it was operated by nuns, but now by a collective who uses their recipes.) On our last trip, Richard and Robert would venture in every morning around ten, select a variety of pastries, usually made of almond paste, and exit in fifteen minutes. Not this time. The line was so long that we gave up and came back later that afternoon.

Walking down Via Maqueda, one of Palermo’s two intersecting pedestrians streets, means running the gauntlet of restaurants where barkers in the t-shirt of their place aggressively grab your attention. Robert estimates that the number of restaurants has increased by thirty percent and the number barkers by one hundred percent. It takes a bit of the charm away from the experience.

Roughly 650,000 people live in the city of Palermo, and the metropolitan population is 1.2 million. So the city population is slightly less than the 800,000 of San Francisco, Most buildings in the city center are between four and six stories. but there are few tall buildings, other than church or civic buildings. No skyscrapers. Perhaps a good thing.

Birthday Prep

The day before the birthday celebrations officially began, we offered to accompany Bob and Richard to check on two locales that they had booked for celebratory meals. The first stop was Villa Igiea, a luxury hotel on the water, twenty-minutes by taxi from the city center. The hotel, with an interior in the Liberty (art nouveau) style, opened in 1900.

The exterior is reminiscient of a fortress because the structure, despite its grandeur, was originally intended to house a tuberculosis sanatorium built by the wealthy Florio family. The site is magnificent. The hotel sits high with gardens that gently descend to the water. A perfect location for a White Lotus episode and for a birthday celebration! Before the trip, Bonnie and Richard were reading Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb, a well-known history of the mafia, and they noted that the hotel was a preferred meeting place in the 1980s and 90s. Perhaps it still is.

Next Day

Richard and Robert ventured back to the pastry shop and had success. Robert consumed a ricotta-filled pastry. Bonnie made quick work of those Robert brought back in a small scatola (box).

In the evening, our pal Domenico Aronica and his boys, Leonardo 9, and Ricardo 6, picked us up for dinner with his wife Laura and his parents. Always fun to see them all together. We have known Domenico since our first trip to Palermo in 2019 when he guided us through the city on a rigorous walking tour and then looped us into his family life. We consider him part of our family now. He met his wife fifteen years ago on the terrace of our hotel. During covid lockdown he and Bonnie organized weekly zoom tours of Palermo for a group of friends in San Francisco.

After dinner, we all drove to a very new pedestrian destination, Molo Trapezoidale, north of the yachting harbor. Robert dubbed it an Apple Store on steroids—low white buildings with clean lines dotted on acres of pavement. It is replete with restaurants, bars, and shops along with a dancing fountain coordinated with colored lights and music. On a warm weekend night the place is a big draw. Lots of people of all ages and cars lined up in search of parking.

Another Day.
Another Breakfast on the Terrace.
A bit of Strolling.

We started Saturday with breakfast on the bright, sun-filled hotel terrace. Because our first birthday walking tour did not start until two, several of us in Richard’s gang decided to use the morning to stroll to the Palazzo Butera Palermo, which we visited on our last trip.

The baroque palazzo is built on the base of the walls that once fortified the city. Massimo and Francesca Valsecchi see their collection of contemporary art as a catalyst between the past and present to produce ideas for the future. They say it is a way of understanding the underlying ties of a range of cultures displayed in their worldwide collection. JESSICA: Robert checked and they appear to offer residencies. https://palazzobutera.it/en

We returned to the hotel for a quick bite before the walking tour and ran into the Hudson family from LA—all eight of them! Ready for Richard’s celebration.

A Church, a Stroll, and Some Drinks

On this trip we visited Chiesa di S. Cataldo, a church built in 1154, known for its unusual Arab-Norman architecture. It is easily identifiable by the three red domes but it is a Christian church. As Eileen noted, since the 1930s it has been part of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. Then we took a leisurely walk down Via Maqueda past the opera house and ended up for drinks at Spinnato, a spot that Richard and Robert went to in 2022 for breakfast.

The next day, after drinks with Eileen, Richard, and Bob, we ventured out for light meal. In the center of the city we have noticed a lot of wedding shoots over the past few days that include a Ferrari or Maserati.

Last Day in Palermo

By Tuesday, the birthday troops had left to explore Sicily or fly home. Bonnie and Robert had decided to stay in Palermo another day. Robert hit the pastry shop and scored a small box of almond and pistachio-filled goodies. Our next stop was the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (Martorana), always worth a visit to amaze our visual senses. The exterior, simple and monochromatic, gives way to an interior encrusted with colorful mosaic tiles—in both geometric patterns installed by Muslim artisans and in religious figures installed by Christian artisans. Centuries of application of the mosaics display a variety of tastes in art, architecture, and culture.(ty WIkipedia).

Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio (Martorana)

Lunch

Robert’s Stroll After Lunch

Drinks and Dinner

While paying the tab for dinner at Assud Sicilian Pizzeria, Robert overheard the owner tell a tourist: We do not serve spritzes here. That’s a drink from Northern Italy. We are a Sicilian restaurant. Nicely stated. But spritzes have innudated all of Italy.

Next Post-Palermo Two-Touring with Domenico!

30 May 2024

Another blast from past.

Next Post – Palermo One—Roaming

24-29 May 2024

We left the lush garden of Gabriella and DInesh late morning for a leisurely drive to Rome. Gabriella suggested a scenic route avoiding the autostrada that Bonnie directed Robert to take. (He follows her lead, sometimes.) Several times during the drive, both Waze and navigation on Google maps suggested some strange, unnecessary loops. We had read that the unusual solar flares this week might affect navigation, and that seems to be what happened.

We stopped on the way at the Centro Botanico Moutan, suggested by cousin Luciana. It is the largest collection of tree and herbaceous peonies in the world. Peonies are Bonnie’s favorite. Carlo Confidati, an italian businessman, began collecting in China in the 1990s and opened the garden to the public in 2003. The grounds are immense. Unfortunately, we arrived at the end of the blooming period so we saw only a few blossoms. But we enjoyed the stroll in the parklike setting and lunch in the cafe. Photographs on line of the fields in peak season are stunning.

We arrived at Luciana’s apartment in the Montesacro neighborhood of Rome and unloaded the car for the last time, including one large tote bag of groceries and household supplies left over from our stay in Siena. Turns out the tote bag was perfect for Luciana and her grandson Liam’s upcoming stay at a beach north of Rome. We returned the leased car the next day near the airport. On this trip we drove only 3,616 kilometers (2,247 miles) and used 260 liters (57 gallons) of diesel.

From the airport we took the train to the Termini train station in Rome, ate lunch at the stylish and bustling Mercato Centrale there, and then walked in central Rome, including a stop at Angela Caputi for earrings.

We also inspected the drainage in the piazza at the foot of the Spanish Steps. We were prompted by our friend and landscape architect Mark Eischeid, who reviewed drainage at famous piazzas in Italy a month ago. (He visited many gardens too during his stay.) MARK: The piazza’s water simply flows into the Bernini fountain. The basin has an overflow drain on one side. Very discreet.

Third time is the charm. As we tried to step into a crowded subway car at the Spanish Steps station, Robert noticed two pickpockets behind him who seemed headed for Bonnie. He pulled Bonnie back away from the entrance to the car and bumped into the young women behind him, giving them the opportunity to take his iPhone from his front pocket. He realized his phone was missing only after getting into another subway car and continuing for a few stops. We were stunned. Back at Luciana’s, he wiped the phone remotely and then headed to Porta di Roma, a giant shopping center nearby, to buy a replacement ($$$).

The next day Luciana, Marta, and Robert decided drive to the intersection near the Termini where the phone was shown to be located. Nothing found. As of 06 June, the phone is in Algeria. Another experience that makes us wiser. On the next trip Robert plans to use a lanyard to secure the phone in crowded city centers.

Centro Botanico Moutan

Back to a Familiar Routine

While staying again at Luciana’s apartment in Rome, Robert returned to Rosati’s for morning a caffe latte and a cornetto. Liam, about to turn two, continues to be cute and full of energy.

Pranzo with the Cousins

We took the cousins out for lunch on Sunday. This time Gino Primo was able to attend. Robert promised GIno to spend more time together on the next trip. He glows when he is with his grandson Liam

Parish Celebration

Montesacro, where Luciana and Adriana live, was first constructed on the northern edge of Rome in 1924 as a garden city, with small villas in a landscape setting. The small civic center includes the city hall and the parish church. While we were there, the church celebrated its 100th anniversary with a Saturday night dinner in the street and a live band. Layers of colorful street lights made the occasion especially festive.

The local parishioners sold tickets (color coded by the type of food) and served the food. Robert saw one young fellow use an electric knife to cut a sandwich. When Robert told him that the last time he saw an electric knife was in the late 1960s, the guy exclaimed that the knife was his grandmother’s, confirming the date!

Excursions with Luciana

Luciana planned a walking excursion for the three of us that skirted the massive crowds in the center of Rome. Our first stop was the Roseto Comunale, a rose garden, near the Circus Maximus, which is open only one month a year. Rome’s rose garden contains historic varieties as well as winners of a competition held each year. Unlike the rose garden in Golden Gate Park where multiples of one variety crowd the same rose bed, here only a single example of each rose bush is on display. While slightly past peak, the remaining blooms were lovely.

A ten-minute walk up the Aventine hill brought us to the Parco Savello-Giardini degli Aranci, filled with orange trees under a canopy of pines. Walking across the park brings you to a panoramic overlook of Rome.

Next to the park, the early Basilica of Saint Sabina at the Aventine, retains its original colonnaded rectangular plan and interior simplicity, after undergoing a restoration that removed ornate additions applied over the centuries. This church is a clear example of how early Christian churches adapted the architecture of the Roman roofed forum or basilica, a two-story rectangular box. Something Bonnie had only seen in classes in architecture history. Sometimes, less is more.

Next we stepped into the Basilica dei Santi Bonifacio e Alessio founded between the third and fourth centuries with a significant restoration in the early 1200s. Of course, additional improvements went on for centuries.

We found a nice place for lunch in the Testaccio with air conditioning for us and the rest of Rome since they leave their doors wide open. We took a subway and a bus back to Montesacro, about a hour, for dinner with Adriana and Gino Secondo.

Shortly after we posted the description of our visit to Rome’s rose garden, Bonnie got an email from her friend Ginevra in Oakland explaining that Ginevra’s grandmother supplied the roses to establish the garden! Ginevra and other grandchildren lobbied the city to add a plaque acknowledging her. The plaque was put up in the garden on May 17,  just before we arrived.

Basilica of Saint Sabina at the Aventine

Basilica dei Santi Bonifacio e Alessio

Dinner plus Bonnie and Liam Watching George of the Jungle

Next Excursion

The next day Bonnie picked the destinations, hoping to avoid crowds and heat, and Luciana came along with us. First stop, MACRO—Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome. We visited one of its two locations at a former brewery in the Salario quartiere. The interior redesign is dramatic and fun. Robert and Luciana were baffled by some of the art installations. Others were good. The buffet lunch was excellent.

After lunch Luciana dropped us off nearby at Gli Spazi Culturali di Villa Torlonia on Via Nomentana. Robert and Bonnie have passed this villa many times in the bus on the way to and from central Rome but never stopped. The wealthy Torlonia family constructed it in the early 1800s. An extensive garden surrounds the villa along with several sizable buildings and many faux Roman ruins. We were amused that the signs explaining the history of the place never mention the most notable fact about the villa: Mussolini rented this as his residence for one lira a year beginning in the 1920s. The gardens show wear and tear, most likely from lack of adequate irrigation.

Gil Spazi Culturali di Villa Torlonia

Drinks and Pinsa!

We ended the day with drinks and pinsa outdoors at Vineria 19–a stone’s throw from Palazzo Sabbatini and always one of our favorite things to do. Marta, Liam, and Francesco joined us. The place is always packed with young and old. Although it is heresy, we think the Montesacro restaurants in San Francisco make better pinsa dough! Still, we love the lively social scene here. Dogs, babies, tattoos, great people watching.

Brian and Kate!!!

We were thrilled to meet our nephew Brian Loyd and his wife Kate Lane to introduce them to Rome. Like us, they were headed to Richard’s birthday in Palermo, and they had just spent a few days in Paris and Florence. We are amazed at how much they pack into their visits to each city and what unusual experiences they choose. In Rome, Bonnie went into full urban geographer mode, starting with lunch in the Giudecca. We insisted, to their delight, on Jewish fried twice artichokes.

We followed a short walk through the nearby Roman ruins and a stroll across the Tiber (very full) through the Trastevere with an excellent beer near the Palazzo Farnese where Bonnie could point out features of Renaissance architecture. In the Piazza Navona Robert recalled a lecture from his class in Roman Baroque Architecture at UC Berkeley in 1972 highlighting the rivalry between the architects Borromini and Bernini. The “kids,” who are much more oriented to the forests of Wisconsin, were remarkably open to our urban design enthusiasm.

Alas, Our Last Dinner with the Cousins . . . This Time

Next Post – Roma 1962–Come Era Una Volta

21-24 May 2024

We left Siena late morning and after a drive of less than two hours through more lush green landscape, we arrived at the house of cousins Gabriella and Dinesh in San Casciano dei Bagni on the southern edge of Tuscany. (KITTY: You remember that Gabriella’s grandmother was a sister of Robert’s grandfather on his dad’s side of the family.)

Over the past fifteen years Gabriella and Dinesh restored an old farmstead, while Dinesh worked at WHO based in Copenhagen. Gabriella had retired from psychiatry in London to be a “diplomatic wife.” The upper floor of the main building was for the farmers, the ground floor housed farm animals. A lot of work, but restraint in the design proved to be an overwhelming success. Contemporary, with respect for the original stone structure and its aesthetics. The house, the interior furnishings, and the surrounding garden are suited to a high-end interior design magazine.

The panorama remains spectacular. When the air is crisp, you can see across the immense valley to rising thermal plumes. This is a region with many thermal pools.

The last time we were here eighteen months ago was in the fall. Think fresh porcini mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and tender as butter. This time, we hit it perfectly to see the garden in full bloom. The huge number of bees attest to the quantity and fragrance of the flowers. The garden resembles an English garden. Gabriella recalled that an Italian visitor said she had never seen an untidy garden before. This was a compliment. Italians are more familiar with gardens with clear geometric patterns. Dinesh keeps adding trees of all sorts, and he has a vegetable garden that keeps them supplied with produce all summer. We can’t wait to see how all this grows in the future.

There is an active archeological dig down the hill in the town of San Casciano, near thermal baths that have been used since pre-Roman times and are still used daily by long-time residents. A few months before we arrived on our last trip in 2022, they made one of the richest discoveries in Italy: many bronze statues and gold coins, well preserved because they were buried in the mud. The tiny commune is now preparing a museum to display the finds, which are currently on view in Naples. At the same time, local real estate sales have boomed and new restaurants are opening.

On our first night with the cousins, they drove us to a nearby trattoria, La Pace, run by three family members. We would have never discovered it without our local hosts. One pasta dish was made with nettles. Very subtle. Very good. The trattoria exemplifies the best in non-touristy Italian restaurants. They emphasize what is in season and what is local. We ordered a side dish of a dandelion green called girasole (sunflower) because it grows flat to the ground in a circular shape. They harvested it from their garden that day. They also warned us that the potatoes would be better in a few weeks. We couldn’t tell. The hand-cut French fries were fabulous.

Patrizia, Gabriella’s older sister, invited us to see her ever-expanding house nearby in Sarteano. She recently sold and bought another medieval flat adjacent to hers to house her extensive collection of art objects and books acquired over fifty years as an archeologist in the Middle East and Asia. Working as a consultant to the UN, she specializes in areas disrupted by war, such as historic sites in Cambodia. For many years she has alternated six months in Asia with six months in Italy.

The next day we had lunch in the piazza in Cetona. For such a tiny town it has a surprisingly large square with school children scurrying through. Dinesh and Gabriella conducted a long conversation with the restaurant owner about local politics and family gossip. Until recently, Valentino had a villa nearby, which attracted a stylish crowd from Rome to the village for long weekends. This accounted for a couple of shops of designer clothing and interesting furniture that were surprising to find in such a tiny place.

Two home-cooked meals. One a delicious vegan risotto by Gabriella and the other an Indian feast in all its splendor by Dinesh. He was aided by his cousin’s cookbook that captures the recipes of the Indian community in Kenya where Dinesh grew up. We were amazed, given the amount of spices he used, that they melded into such subtle, flavorful dishes.

We encouraged these two world travelers to come to San Francisco. They encouraged us to see India, especially Rajasthan.

The Garden!

Spectacular Views

Trattoria La Pace in Celle sul Rigo

Provisioning for Dinesh’s Indian Dinner!

Patrizia!

Cetona

Splendid Indian Meal!

“Come era una volta” photo for a few years from now.

Or “Once upon a time”

Bonnie Is Reading

On this trip Bonnie has finished two books about Italy by Tim Parks, a writer first recommended to us by cousin Kathy in Nevada City. This prolific British author, academic, and translator has lived in Italy for four decades and has great insight into Italians. Bonnie read Hotel Milano, a clever covid lockdown novel, and Italian Life, a novel depicting the politicized world of Italian universities in extensive detail. Bonnie suspects much of the story is autobiographical. The book helped her understand the university experiences of the younger cousins in Rome and Milan.

La Bonnie is in the midst of WWII in Val d’Orcia, the famous wartime diary of Iris Origo. Origo, a young upper-class British woman married to an Italian, recorded daily life during 1943 and ‘44 on their large farm estate south of Siena. The themes are confusion and uncertainty. At one point with Germans in charge in Tuscany, at least one thousand men were hiding in the forest near the farm: Italian men avoiding a return to the Italian army, former Italian carabinieri avoiding arrest, Italian partisans, a handful of Americans who parachuted in to aid partisans, North Africans escaping service in the German army, escaped British POWs, and random men of other nationalities from other fronts. Everyone was waiting desperately for the Americans to arrive from the south, but their progress was agonizingly slow. Robert’s Uncle Rico was at the front edge of the push.

Next Post: This Road Leads to Rome

15-20 May 2024

We said goodbye to Richard, driving him to the Siena train station to catch a train to Florence. The end of our stay in Siena was closing in so we planned a few more excursions beyond the city.

Volterra

We visited Volterra briefly in 2019 as part of Richard’s 65th birthday celebration based nearby in Lucca. Volterra lies a short distance from Siena but the drive takes longer than you expect because of the winding roads. We have seen many gorgeous views in the past month, but the final drive toward Volterra surprised us with even more spectacular vistas because of the bigger more dramatic swaths with green rolling hills dotted by patches of vineyards and large expanses of woods. Bonnie found it difficult to capture the breadth in a single photograph from the passenger seat of the car. Apparently on a clear day, from at the edge of Volterra you can see Elba and Corsica.

We approached this medieval mountaintop comune on a skyline road that increases in elevation with each hairpin turn. The town dates to the eighth century BCE. Like many towns in this area, it thrived as an important Etruscan center when Rome took over control in the third century. Because it sat on deposits of salt and alum it attracted the interest and eventual control of the Republic of Florence. Our friend the Duke of Montefeltro from Urbino eventually sacked Volterra for Florence.

The town is small. You can do it easily in an afternoon including lunch at one of the MANY restaurants. The one we chose was OK but Robert was put off by their insistence on speaking to us in English even after he requested that they exchange the English menus they gave us for Italian ones.

Lunch, a Stroll, and Gelato

Pinacoteca di Volterra

A national museum focusing on local Volterra artists and artisans of alabaster.

Views From Volterra and the Drive Back to Siena

Back in Siena
Grocery Shopping, Another Bracelet for Robert, and Drinks on the Campo

Robert decided to complete his new collection of bracelets with one in silver. He and the jeweler are now friends!

Hermitages

Our art guide Giulia recommended that we visit the Eremo di San Leonardo al Lugo for its frescos. While there, two hikers recommended that we also visit the Eremo di Lecceto.

Eremo di San Leonardo al Lago

This small hermitage near Monteriggioni was established in 1119 by the Augustines. Reconstruction in the 13th and 14th centuries included fortifications against raiding armies to protect the convent and nearby residents. The frescos include those by Lippo Vanni and Giovanni di Paolo del Grazia. When we approached, the site seemed closed or even abandoned, but we read the small sign, rang the bell as instructed, and an older man appeared to let us in.

Eremo di Lecceto
(Monastery of the Holy Saviour)

This Augustine monastery, founded in 1223, has been known for its focus on contemplation. It fell into disrepair and underwent restoration in the late 1960s.

Back in Siena

Bonnie’s Buon Compleanno!

17 May. Bonnie’s birthday wish was to sleep in and rest up in the apartment. She wanted two light meals so she could search for an interesting pastry in place of cake. Her wish was Robert’s command. No big lunches or dinners. She found a very nice chocolate and pear torte at the lovely cafe where Robert goes for breakfast every morning. The staff was very surprised to see Robert in the afternoon!

A stroll, a drink and a snack, and then a surprise event at a small plaza nearby: the local contrada, Civetta, had set up booths selling drinks, porchetta sandwiches, and desserts.Everything except the table with the spinning wheel and prizes.

Montepulciano

Another day excursion. This time to Montepulciano, again about an hour from Siena. Everything is about an hour from Siena. This time southeast. Montepulciano is a total tourist town but very charming nevertheless with restaurants and shops. It is long and thin, stretching for a kilometer along two parallel streets on a ridge. Many of these medieval towns were built on long ridges.

Tempio di San Biagio

We discovered this architectural jewel by chance, looking down over the edge of the parking lot in Montepulciano. After some quick research we determined it was built between 1518 and 1580, a prime example of renaissance architecture. We arrived just before a wedding began, the attendees assembled on the lawn outside and the interior of the church awash in beautiful flowers. We can’t imagine how lavish the reception was. The architect of the church was Sangallo the Elder. We learned about his career and his talented nephew, the Younger, by reading entries in Wikipedia.

A Day of Surprises

We set out around noon for lunch and to explore an abbey.

Robert came across the monastery white trolling the internet. Unfortunately it was closed between noon and 3:00pm. Fortunately, Bonnie found this out before we left.

Bonnie found for a place for lunch fairly near the abbey. There were not many choices. As we got within a few miles of the restaurant, Waze directed us under some train tracks and onto a gravel road. You have to love Waze to show you routes off the beaten path.

We entered, surprise, a tiny village of perhaps fifteen buildings, one of which was Rita and Eraldo’s bistro. English and French-speaking folks populated the outdoor seating. Because there was threat of rain, Eraldo (?) set up an umbrella over a table for us. The food was great. Probably the best bresaola Robert has had on this trip. A ten-minute walk after lunch gave us a thorough experience of this hamlet. Oh. And the views were great.

Then on the way to the abbey a traffic guard stopped us one kilometer from the abbey. Surprise. Turns out there was bicycle race from Siena to Montalcino. About thirty minutes later and after many scouting and police vehicles and motorcycles, the bicyclists arrived, in a dense pack. A few poor souls trailed about fifteen minutes behind.

Finally arriving at the abbey, we settled into an electronically controlled parking lot that worked off QR cards and then proceeded down a tree-lined path to the abbey. Our third surprise of the day was how large it was because Robert assumed a 15th-century abby in the woods would be small and secluded. Not the case. The interior of the church was vast with an ample supply of paintings and statues. None identified.

The return trip home thanks again to Waze took us along a two-lane road that followed a gentle rolling ridge line with, surprise, the best views yet on both sides.

Lunch at Da Rita e Eraldo

Bicycle Race

Abbazia Monte Oliveto Maggiore

Benedictine monastery founded in 1313. The photo below shows the abbey on one of the most notable portions of the Crete Senesi, the clays of Siena. Robert noted that the gift shop reflects those of many catholic monasteries because it offers an extensive collection of liqueurs and homeopathic products.

The Drive Back

Back in Siena

Last Day and Some Observations

We spent the final day in Siena taking it slow and easy, doing our last load of laundry and organizing our packing. Lunch and dinner were at the same restaurant around the corner. We took a stroll while dodging umbrellas, and had a final drink on the Campo.

The citizens of Siena are friendly. Even though the town is a mecca for tourists, shops and restaurants are fairly down to earth and you find locals and tourists eating together. Prices for primo and secondo vary from place to place with the more expensive being 16 to 28 euro (18 to 30 dollars) for each. We tend to choose the 12 to 16 euro range and have yet to be disappointed.

The electronic handshake—using your phone instead of a credit card—has taken over methods of payment in Italy. We even found it on the autostrada where on our last trip we used to dig for change to pay the toll.

Robert figures that since he arrived in Siena, he has drunk 50 to 60 lattes and has eaten approximately 30 cornetti, some filled with crema, at Nannini’s cafe. Usually Carlos served them to Robert along with an occasionally free cookie or two. On the second to last day, he actually gave Robert a discount. Nice guy.

Although we read about Italy’s low birth rate, we see many young couples pushing baby strollers. Perhaps an effect of the severe covid restrictions imposed by the Italian government. (Think about past power outages in NYC and the birth rate increase nine months later.)

Italian residents were not allowed out of their homes except for grocery shopping or medical purposes. There was one exception. If you had a dog, you could go out to walk the dog twice a day. It appears that many Italians adopted dogs, and we see them being walked along the main streets in Siena in the early evening. Robert calls these covid dogs.

Lunch, Drinks, Dinner

Drinks and Dinner

Next stop—More Cousins!—Gabriela and Dinesh!

19 May 2024

Next post—Siena—Part Five (Out and about)

10-15 May 2024

Richard, Bonnie’s youngest brother, flew in from Los Angeles and joined us for four and a half days in Siena. Bonnie prepared a complete (yet flexible) itinerary including a private tour at the art museum. She had read up on many of the sights and served as our guide at no additional cost! Richard is an extraordinary world traveler so she wanted to be ready.

Cena at La Taberna di Ceccho. Second time here. Although Richard went back to his apartment to sleep instead.

The Marche Club of Siena

Walking around early in the day, Robert noticed the open area in front of the Santuario Casa di Santa Caterina was filled with long tables and chairs—enough for at least two hundred people. He strolled back later in the evening to see the celebration dinner organized by the Oca (Goose) contrada. People of all ages filled the space at tables allocated by groups (ala the Marche Club or the Peninsula Social Club in San Mateo). Waiters and waitresses assembled and were ready to serve food about 9:00 pm.

More of Strolling

Forty-two Years

It had been forty-two years since Robert had seen Patricia McCobb. He knew her before her graduate studies in landscape at Harvard’s GSD and reconnected shortly after she graduated in 1981 and went to work with him at POD in Orange County. There was a lot to catch up on. Patricia went on to study architecture in Venice for a year and finished an architecture degree in New York where she met her husband Mario Rivelli, an architect and Italian native who had lived in New York since age thirteen.

Patricia established a landscape architecture practice in New York and split her time between New York and Italy. She and her husband eventually made it back to Italy full time and settled near Montalcino, just outside the UNESCO heritage area, and they are “halfway” (fifteen years) through restoring a series of historic buildings once part of a large landholding. https://www.villeferrano.com

Their most recent project is Villa Ferrano, which they have almost finished. The multiple large apartments inside will soon be ready for visitors. Bonnie was wowed by the elevator, a rarity here, and the professional kitchen. Patricia and Mario have completed refurbishing several other farm buildings and rent them to vacationers by the week. They have yet to start work on some other buildings they own. They added a swimming pool for each complex, a must for their clientele. Mario’s business is design-build, with many clients he has brought from the States.

After an extensive tour, Patricia and Mario treated us to a great lunch in the nearby town of San Giovanni d’Asso. We left with a bottle of Patricia and Mario’s wine. They make olive oil too. And Patricia gave us a copy of her elegant monograph on a renaissance garden nearby in San Quirico D’Orcia. She argues persuasively that the geometric layout, with many triangles and diagonals, was designed by Michelangelo! A remarkable discovery. Incredible scholarship in Italian documents.

Patricia and Mario definitely have a lot of vision and persistence to undertake all this work. It was great to catch up.

Lunch

The Drive To and From

Back in Siena . . . Flags, Music, and Dinner

Next Day . . .

Flags, Drums, and Music

The Oca Contrada was prominent this weekend because they are celebrating Siena’s patron Saint Caterina whose sanctuary lies within their boundaries. Lots of color. Lots of noise. A highlight of being in Siena.

Contrada della Civetta Museum

This museum receives a 4.8 rating on Google that is well deserved. We’d give it a 5. The symbol of the Civetta contrada is the little owl, based on the belief that the site of their church was once an Etruscan/Roman temple for Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. On weekends, volunteers at the doorway of the museum are ready to give you a free personal tour through their beautifully presented displays of winning palio banners, some dating back to the 1600s. There are also jockey helmets, historic costumes, and excellent videos. The contrada museum also displays art by its members that takes a modern view of the owl.

All contrade have a fountain, a wall shrine, a meeting place, and a place of worship within their neighborhood. The chapel of the Civetta was recently consecrated as a church.

Each contrada also has a stable where they secure their Palio horse (randomly selected by the race officials) for four days before the race to prevent hanky panky. They lead their horse into the chapel before the race for a blessing from a priest, which is Go and come back a winner.

Not all seventeen contrade can race at the same time on the tight course around the Campo, so ten are randomly selected in May for the July race. Each contrada hires a professional jockey for the bareback race, but a jockey might be lured away by another contrada for a higher price. If the jockey wins, he earns as much as 200,000 euros. But a horse can win even if it lost its jockey! There is lots of betting, lots of side deals. Anything can happen.

Under the Civetta museum are caves and tunnels dug into the tufo, a kind of volcanic fossilized sand, that lead deep underground. The contrada received a grant from the Italian government, which was supplemented by the contrada, to excavate the tunnels as well as shafts that contained spent pottery and other debris discarded in the distant past.

Each contrada is self-funded by its members. Only a few have museums of this high quality. Civetta is one of the smallest contrade with about a thousand members. The contrada boundaries were first established with roughly equal populations, but because Civetta is in the dense, old center of Siena, and many families have now moved farther out, its numbers have declined. But even with a small membership, its presence in the city is impressive.

The contrade typically offer childcare, activities for youth, frequent social activities, excursions, and other social services. While smaller towns in Italy are struggling with declining population and aging population, it is remarkable to see the medieval neighborhoods in Siena continuing with such vigorous social life.

Luckily our Sunday visit to Civetta coincided with a ceremonial visit by the Contrada di Oca (Goose). We could hear them coming. After they gained permission to enter this contrada, they were ushered in with great fanfare—drums and flags. Our timing was perfect. Hundreds of people in a tight street, many in costumes. Drummers and flag bearers ranged in age from ten to eighties. Bonnie loved it. Richard, with jet lag, maybe not so much.

Dinner

Third time.

Next Day—Chianti

Another drive into the countryside. Amazing views of Chianti without rain this time!

Castellina in Chianti

Greve in Chianti

We had time to explore more after lunch in Castellina and continued on to Greve in Chianti. It was a pleasant surprise to see the unusual triangular, galleried town piazza here. We decided to return to Siena on lesser-known (non-Waze) roads, and, as the navigator for the day, Richard delivered. We found ourselves on a long stretch of gravel roads through the wooded landscape, going past only a few buildings and some vineyards. As the driver, Robert enjoyed the challenge. We encountered very few cars, but one car had to back up a loooong way so we could squeeze past.

Back in Siena . . . Drinks and then Dinner at Our Local Osteria

Next Day in Siena—Lunch, a Brief Stop at the Duomo, and a Guided Tour of the Pinacoteca

Coffee, a Stop at Robert’s Jeweler, Drinks, and Dinner

Next—Sketches Terzo!

04-09 May 2024

Seventeen Contrade

Siena is divided into seventeen contrade (urban wards). The rivalry among them is historic, best expressed in the twice yearly palio, the horse race held in the Campo on July 2 and August 16. Because anything goes in this race, they guard the horses 24/7 for four days before the race.

Each contrada is named after an animal or symbol. The seventeen today are the result of consolidation or elimination from the original fifty-nine contrade that existed in the 1500s. Walking around Siena, you see signs marking the territory of a contrada—streets festooned with flags, a plaque in a wall, a fountain adorned with a turtle or a dolphin, and even street lamps spouting lights from a base painted in the contrada’s colors. As in the television series, Survivor (or is it the other way around?), each contrada forms alliances with other contrade. Several contrade have small museums where they display memorablila includng the banners won in prior palios going back hundreds of years. Extremely impressive.

Historically one is born into a contrada. Your parents might be members, but unless you were physically born in the contrada you were not a member. Until recently some pregnant mothers were known to sneak back to their childhood contrada (not their husband’s) to make sure their baby was aligned with their family’s loyalties. Rules are a bit looser today. But the contrada celebrates the birth of each new member.

The very readable book explaining all of this, La Terra in Piazza by Alessandro Falassi, was a dissertation in anthropology at UC Berkeley in the 1980s. Alessandro was a friend of a friend of Bonnie. The book is still in print in many language.

Museo della Tartuca

Lunch and Some Strolling

Chiesa San Martino

More Strolling

Orto di Pecci

A large green space lies just south of, but at a deeper level from, the old market place. We took a stroll through this park that is a mixture of lawns, overgrown vegetation, and vegetable gardens. A lot of fava beans were ready for harvest. The park has a small restaurant that looks like a nice place for a lunch or a drink.

Neighborhood Osteria

Robert had a great exchange, in Italian, at our corner osteria. Our third time there. At the end of our meal, he asked the waitress to go through the list of dolci (desserts) they offer. When she got to torta di nonna, Robert asked how nonna was doing. The immediate reply was that she was dead but she had made the dessert before she died. Robert asked how many years ago she died. After brief pause the response was that they had frozen the dessert and froze nonna too. And that they were still collecting her pension!

Made Robert’s day!

Day Trip to Montalcino

Another day trip. This time to the attractive hill town of Montalcino, an hour south of Siena. This tourist town boasts of Brunello wine—a red wine of one-hundred percent Sangiovese grapes. Many, many shops here sell it.

After some research Bonnie identified a good place for lunch, Ristorante il Moro. With much urging from Bonnie we arrived a bit early, for Italians, at 12:50, and so we were able to secure a table. The place is family run—mother, sister, and brother. CHUCK: We ordered a flight of three local red wines that they served along with their house wine. They even poured an additional wine toward the end of the main course. The dining room was full so the pace of the meal was slow, but we enjoyed the people watching, and we seemed to be the only English speakers in the restaurant. We heard Italian as well as German.

For dessert, Robert ordered a vin santo with cantucci (small somewhat hard biscotti) that they served with a glass of a slightly sweet muscatel. THEN they brought out grappa on the house. Robert had to stroll for a few hours afterward before he got in the driver’s seat to head back to Siena!

Back in Siena
Lunch and the Duomo Museum

Lunch at Al Fusari. Second time.

OPA Museo

Contains artifacts from the Duomo. The highlight is Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Madonna col Bambino, or Maestà, circa 1283 that is considered one of the finest examples of medieval art. It took the artist three years to complete and was installed in the Duomo with a procession from his studio, grand ceremony, and celebration.

More Strolling

Lunch and More Sienese Art

Liberia Piccolomini

Library attached to the Dumo constructed by the Francesco Todeschini, nephew of Pope Pius II, to house his uncle’s extensive collection of humanitarian writings. Frescos depict important events in the pope’s life. The family’s crescent-shaped symbol is displayed throughout—walls, coats of arms, and floors. The nephew later became a pope too—Pope Pius III—but died within twenty six days.

The Piccolomini family dominated Siena between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. It held titles from Spain and the Holy Roman Empire and produced two popes. You see the family coat of arms throughout the city. Apparently, the name was chosen by Chiaramontese, a Roman exile. In those days, it is said, that it was common for someone changing locations to change their last name too. His was derived from his nickname, piccoluomo (small man), the plural of which is piccoli uomini, shortened to Piccolomini. Get it?

Bapistry

Turns out the majority of the baptistry was shrouded for restoration.

Walking Slowly Around

Next post—Part Four—Siena with Riccardo!—Part Four

29 April- 04 May 2024

Although we are comfortably settled in Siena for a month, we got into our car for several day trips beyond the city. Much of Tuscany is close by, within a sixty- to ninety-minute drive. As with many Italian cities, a lush green landscape embraces you within ten minutes of leaving the dense built environment. No autostradas to deal with. Rather a mix of limited traffic access highways and two-lane roads.

Orbetello

We took our first drive to the southwest, headed to the water—the Tyrrhenian Sea. Bonnie’s goal was to see pink flamingos. Robert’s was to eat fish. Robert won. Despite a World Wildlife Fund nature reserve, Bonnie found the flamingos elusive, which was confirmed by a restaurant server at lunch.

After a fish lunch in the beachy little town of Orbetello, we headed to the almost island of Monte Argentario, connected to the mainland by two tombolo. (JANE: Brought back memories of Roy Mann Associates!). Robert was game to take the scenic drive around the edge of the island.

Four-fifths of the drive went well, with stunning views of the Mediterranean. It was a bit like the seventeen-mile drive in Monterey, although the road was narrow and often rough, with a steep drop off on Bonnie’s side of the car. But the final section of road, beginning with a warning sign about danger, resembled the jeep trail from Lake Utica to Highway 4 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains—narrow with deep ruts. Terrifying for Bonnie. Unmanageable in a Peugeot 3008 for Robert. We turned around.

Grosseto

On the way back to Siena we stopped in Grosseto for a quick look. Despite extensive Allied bombing around the city edges in WWII, the walled old town seems untouched—a pleasant, slightly sleepy city with medieval fortifications intact. And after an extensive search, Bonnie even found gelato.

Duomo di San Lorenzo

Back in Siena—Wandering and a Walking Tour

The next day, we found a guide on Airbnb Experiences for a private one-hour walking tour of Siena that focused on the origins of the city, the traditions of the palio, the contrade, and the underground water system that once served Siena. Nina was great—world traveled and extremely enthusiastic about her city. We always request tours in Italian and this one felt like a fire hose of language. Excellent practice.

Beef! Beef! Beef!
Antica Macelleria Cecchini

Robert now believes that eating a huge quantity of meat at one sitting is equivalent to drinking a 32-ounce slurppy on a hot day—it gives you brain freeze. We had heard about the famous Tuscan butcher in the tiny Chianti town of Panzano, halfway between Siena and Florence. Robert’s friend SIG visited some years ago.

The owner, Dario Cecchini, takes the marketing of beef to the highest level. Not only does he have a small but glamorous butcher shop and several stylish dining rooms, but also a gift shop with all the items you sample in his luncheons or dinners—herbed salt, herbed lard, oil, wine, grappa, and the like, all stamped with his logos. Bonnie tried to get online reservations for lunch twice without success. Robert decided to call. They were booked for the entire month of May, EXCEPT for two slots the following day.

We went.

You meet thirty minutes ahead of the meal in the jammed butcher shop to sample Cecchini Chianti and taste herb lard on bread within a mob of eager diners. We even saw some folks purchasing meat to cook at home. If you want you a photograph WITH the butcher, it will cost you two euros. Robert decided not ask if this was per photo or for “one sitting.” They have three dining areas, each with their own menu. We ended up with the Bistecca Etrusca, for forty euros, which seemed quite reasonable.

We sat shoulder to shoulder at long communal tables loaded with raw vegetables, oil, wine, water, and bread. The staff started grilling beef at the end of the dining room thirty minutes before the 1:00 pm lunch start time. And we do mean start time. It is nonstop eating after that. As much as you want. Our grilled beef was tommy hawk steaks, served sangue. And they continued to put more on the grill until every person in the dining room said “enough.” Robert asked how many kilos they prepare. One kilo (2.2 pounds) per person.

ELIZABETH and ELLIN: The olive oil cake for dessert was fabulous. Although the recipe shows raisins, the cake we ate did not have them. Great without them. Robert plans to try this out in California.

Back in Siena
Pinacoteca Nationale di Siena

A national museum focused on Sienese art. They arrange the collection by year, and the beginning rooms with the work of Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers, Simone Martini, and others from the late 1200s to 1348 (the plague year) are exceptional. It is easy to see how the artists and their art evolved over time. The collection is remarkably coherent. Apparently in Siena, Napoleon did not amass art and ship it away as he did in many other Italian cities. Despite the crowds of tourists outside in the streets, the museum was nearly empty. We will go back.

Siena developed a distinctive school of art, growing out of Byzantine models. Gold backgrounds, long sinuous figures with long hands, halos, and stylized faces are signature features. Only gradually did these painters begin to introduce architecture and landscapes in the background.

Next Day
Lunch and a Museum

Santa Maria della Scala

This is a VERY LARGE and confusing museum with scattered portraits, sculptures, an extensive display of original pieces from the Campo’s fountain, chapels, frescos, a separate national archaeological museum that is appropriately several stories below ground, and big empty hallways. In this complex of buildings, not well signed, some areas were once a hospital, displaying large frescos and engraved stone signs identifying prior uses—contagious diseases, for example.

We spent several hours exploring. When we were ready to leave we were on the deepest level and had no idea where to find an exit. Luckily we found a staff member to help us.

Wandering a Teensy Bit

Another Day Trip

We took another drive out of Siena to have lunch and see historic towns in the area just north of Siena. This is not Sonoma or Napa where wine growers took advantage of land once used for pastures. From what we have seen, the area is comprised of wooded hillsides with patches of vineyards.

Osteria La Gramola

Before our trip to Italy, Robert posted a query to a Facebook group asking about Siena—advice on places to see, questions about how to get around, and the like. One person responded with a persuasive recommendation for this osteria, a forty-minute drive from Siena. Well worth it. Michelin agrees.

Colle di Val d’Elsa

We are committed to exploring Tuscany, but approaching every little town can be a challenge of navigating a complex system of narrow streets, staying alert for all the street signs, figuring out an available legal place to park outside the pedestrian area, and then hiking in to the center/fortress/whatever. Robert uses Waze navigation in the car. (Much improved since our trip in 2022.) At the same time Bonnie is checking against Google navigation on her phone. She also has a guidebook and road atlas on her lap. We still make a few wrong turns.

We did know what to expect of Colle di Val d’Elsa, but it was on our route and listed in our guidebook. We found the public parking lot and looked up, up, up to the old town. Incredibly high above us. Despite all the signs pointing toward the public elevator, we discovered it has been broken for two years. We decided to stay low.

So we went to the museum of crystal glass. The town produces ninety-eight percent of the crystal produced in Italy, and they have recently developed a eco-friendly process that avoids the use of lead. The displays emphasize the variety of high-end designs for all types of glassware. Unexpected.

Monteriggioni

What a charming hilltop town! Tiny and full of tourists sitting at outdoor tables drinking spritzes. Everyone was enjoying themselves on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The walled town was established by Siena to hold a garrison of troops guarding Siena from its enemy Florence. The fortifications are mostly intact. Great views of the Chianti region from the top of the walls. We are surprised that forests seem to dominate the landscape rather than vineyards.

More Wandering

Next Post—Siena—Part Three (Flags and More)

02 May 2024

Next—Siena (and Beyond)—Part Two

01 May 2024

Siena is a profoundly medieval city. The narrow, winding streets enclosed by walls and gates remain somewhat suspended in time—and protected by UNESCO status. Yes, Etruscans thrived here first, and Romans established a military colony. But Siena’s celebrated years occurred from the 11th century to 1555 when the city flourished as a commercial and banking center. Monte dei Paschi of Siena, founded in 1492, is the oldest operating bank in the world. It is still headquartered in the medieval fortress just around two corners from our apartment.

The city’s wealth was channeled into buildings, such as the enormous black-and-white striped Duomo, as well as into Sienese art, including the work by the painters Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers, and Simone Martini. These painters continued using gold backgrounds and stylized figures, inherited from Byzantine art, long after Renaissance naturalism suffused the rest of Europe.

For centuries Siena battled Florence, a city just thirty miles north. In 1260 Siena crushed the Florentines at Montaperti, killing 10,000 enemy troops. An astonishing number. But beginning in 1348 when the Black Death claimed one-third of Siena’s citizens, the city’s economy began to slow. After centuries of rivalry and battles, Florence finally won decisively in 1555. By this time, Florence had eclipsed Siena in economic, political, and artistic power.

The Piazza del Campo, the famous large, sloping, shell-shaped central plaza, lies at the center of the city. Siena was not ruled by a king or despot, and this space in front of the city hall was designed as the center of civic life, large enough to hold all 50,000 residents. The population is only slightly larger today, at 54,000, which includes 16,000 university students. The Campo is the site of the famous Palio horse race held every year, in which the seventeen historic neighborhoods compete. We have seen photographs of the enormous crowds in the Campo and decided we’ll pass.

Next post—Sketches Secondo

22-29 April 2024

We left the cousins in the Veneto and cruised south to Siena. Robert visited Siena with Bonnie for the first time in 1995 PB (Pre Blog). This time, we headed for an apartment Bonnie found close to the city center where we are staying for a month. Here we hope to get a better grasp on Italian life, although we are surrounded by more tourists than we expected. But at this time of year many of the tourists are Italian. From this base in the middle of Tuscany we plan to take day trips to explore the region.

On the way . . . Autogrill of course

Lodging

After temporarily parking our car in a paid spot as close as possible to the center of Siena, we shlepped our luggage on a drizzly ten-minute walk in search of our apartment. After we settled briefly, we headed back out to move the car a little farther away to a large free parking lot in the shadow of a Medici fort. The city center is a ZTL (zone of traffic limited) but the city provides extensive parking at the edges of town for cars and tour buses. And unlike Rome, the city is blessed with an abundant supply of taxis. We plan to use one when we depart with our luggage.

Robert calls the apartment the grandmother’s suite because small touches of decor seem quaint (outdated). But the apartment is spacious with an updated kitchen and an oh-so-valuable washing machine. We are on the primo piano (first floor above ground level), so there is only one steep set of worn stone steps to climb. Quite manageable.

Our building lies only a block off the main shopping and strolling street, but this block has a much quieter, local feel. Robert shops at the bakery two doors down. The local cafe offers caffe corretto for two euros. Quite reasonable. Conad, the main supermarket, is only a ten-minute walk, just outside the limited traffic zone.

One unique aspect of each city is how and when they pick up garbage/recycling. (Very exciting for us to figure out.) Every city seems to have its own way to sort (what do we do with glass?) and its own schedule for pickup. In Siena, the pickup is every day, including Sundays. You just leave the small secured bags, color-coded by type of refuse, on the street. CHRIS: Apparently they do not have the rat problem you experienced in New York.

Robert quickly supplemented the kitchen supplies. (Most people probably stay in the apartment only a few days and don’t cook much.) One month for us required a few additions—chef’s knife, dish towels, frying pan bigger than four inches, cutting board, and larger clothes drying rack. Washing machines here are small, so Robert runs a load every few days. Bonnie is baffled by the controls, like most Americans here. And there are no clothes dryers so we have racks set up in the living room. Works fine.

Colazione

Only a few blocks from the apartment is the cafe Nannini which is LARGE. It caters to tourists and Italians alike. As in other cafes, patrons come and go in waves. The staff are always busy as the flows of customers are intense. They do find periods of calm where they relax a bit and joke with each other. A cornetto con crema and two cafe lattes cost around ten dollars. Robert arrives about 8:15 while Bonnie is asleep and leaves two or two and a half hours later after working on the blog and some sketches. The WiFi fluctuates in usefulness.

Observations, Wandering, and Eating the First Few Days

Siena is a dense city. Its population is 54,000, which includes 16,000 university students. There is a liceo, high school, that empties out for lunch and we see students grabbing a bite to eat and a chance to smoke.

As in other medieval Italian towns, warfare constantly threatened, so families who had the means built towers or even fortresses to protect themselves. The city encased itself in protective walls, and then built out within the confines of that protection. Buildings here are typically three to five stories high. Each story is much taller than what we are use to at home. Streets are narrow and winding, with traffic currently limited to residents and taxis that cautiously work their way through the crowds. It is hard to know if old buildings in the center are occupied by residents or not. We do not see many lighted rooms in the upper floors at night. We do know there is one supermarket. Several other groceries offer pared-down service selling more grab-and-go items.

A walking tour guide we met confirmed that Siena is especially crowded with tourists this year. We pass groups of more than thirty people connected to a guide with electronic audio devices. And it is not unusual to pass three groups in a row strung out along the main street

We found this little osteria (below) close to our apartment. It has been around, according to Yelp, for years. The menu changes daily. Simple food at reasonable prices. Seems to cater mostly to Italians.

Thank goodness for Uno per Due (one for two). We have found restaurants happy to let us split a primo or secondo plate. We often split a primo of pasta so we can enjoy it without overdoing it. Half a portion is more than enough.

Many osterias have a dessert they attribute to Nonna (grandmother). As we left, Robert told the manager jokingly to compliment Nonna on her torta. The manager responded by saying he had no idea who Nonna was, but he appreciated the compliment.

Another lunch. We often choose a lunch spot fairly quickly based on the menu and reasonable prices. We are rarely disappointed and we frequently find the patrons are Italians, both locals and tourists. This trattoria is about two blocks from our apartment.

Mercato

This vast market is set up every Wednesday around a park beyond the city center. If you need a shirt, shoes, scarf, plants, underwear, dress, puffy jacket, bra, table cloth, kitchenware, sewing supplies, or a few vegetables, this is the place to go. The stalls occupy every square centimeter on streets that lead to the fortress. You see women sorting swiftly through piles of clothes priced at three euros. They seem to be practiced and have honed their skills. Bonnie was impressed.

Il Duomo

More Strolling

University Botanical Garden

Basilica di San Francesco

Sanctuary of the House of Saint Catherine

Church at the Sanctuary of Santa Caterina

More Strolling

Our Local Osteria . . . Again

They said they could seat us for dinner at 7:30, but we HAD to be done by 8:30. No problem. We completed the challenge with two minutes to spare.

Lunch before heading into the basilica.

Basilica Cateriniana di San Domenico

More Strolling

Next—Bonnie’s History of Siena!

23 April 2024

Once again, we go back in time. In 1962, Robert came down with the mumps which prolonged our stay, much to the delight of the relatives.

Next stop—Siena!

17-22 April 2024

We headed north out of Venice to stay in Oderzo with Miryam (Marchesin) and her husband Alessandro Piva along with Michele, their nineteen-year-old basketball-champ son. Michele finishes liceo (high school) this year and plans to study economics, leading to finance. He is applying to several universities, with Padua at the top of his list. Leonardo, the eldest son, is studying for exams at a university in Milan where he majors in mechanical engineering.

At Miryam’s urging, we also stayed with them in 2019, so we are well acquainted with the neighborhood and their dog Nocciola (hazelnut). This is prosecco country. This area of the Veneto region is dotted with small, prosperous towns and light industry like furniture, eye glasses, and ski wear production, all floating in miles of vineyards. The Dolomite mountains hover in the background.

(KITTY: As you recall from prior posts, Miryam is the daughter of Giuseppe and Angelina Marchesin. Giuseppe’s father Costante was first cousin to Robert’s mother Emma. So Miryam is Robert’s second cousin once removed. But we feel a lot closer than that.)

Robert’s mother Emma stayed in close touch with her Marchesin relatives in the Veneto, and Robert’s Uncle Rico married Angela Zanette, a woman he met on a trip to Italy to visit them. Because there are at least ten households in this area that Robert keeps in touch with, we booked a series of meals with Marchesin cousins as well family related to Zia Angela.

Between meals with the families, we managed a few day trips to see some sights.

On Our Way

Before heading to Oderzo, Robert needed to visit one of the few Apple stores in Italy to pick up replacement tips for his Apple Pencil. He ordered them on the phone the day before and they were ready when he arrived. The store is in a large shopping center in Mestre, only a fifteen-minute drive, but a world away, from Venice. With new tips, he’s ready for more sketching.

Near Oderzo Bonnie located a great local place in the countryside to eat. We arrived a bit late as the place emptied around 2:00 pm. The waitress told us the menu, in Italian, of course.

Miryam, Alessandro, e Michele

We kicked off the visit with a meal of seppie (cuttlefish) prepared by Alessandro, who makes terrific family dinners. The after–dinner conversation at the kitchen table focused on taxes and the economies of Italy, Europe, and the US. In this household the parents consistently carry on high-level after-dinner conversations with the boys. Solid evidence required! No speculation allowed. Because the back and forth was in Italian, we followed only about eighty percent! This was a teaching moment for all of us.

We are impressed with the high level of high school education here. When we asked Michelle about a historic place or a specific work of art, he went to his room and dug out his current and past school books on Italian culture and art. Very detailed. Very well illustrated. Would make great guide books if they did not weigh several pounds.

Colazione

In and About Oderzo

Robert’s Grandfather’s Home

Robert’s grandfather Costantino (his mom’s father) lived in some version of this house in Pianzano before he went to America to earn a living for the family. It was either he or his brother who would go and because his brother was married and his wife Caterina was pregnant, their father sent the unmarried brother. Although Robert’s grandfather knew Robert’s grandmother Maria Luigia in Pianzano, she had already gone to San Mateo, working in her brother’s boarding house. She insisted that if Costantino was serious about proposing, he had to come to San Mateo to propose in person before she agreed to marry him. This may have been around 1912-1914. Giuseppe Marchesin believes the house is still occupied by a Marchesin (Giovanni). We will knock on the door next time!

You Say Prosciutto. I say San Daniele.

San Daniele del Friuli is best known for prosciutto—sweet and melts in the mouth. If you own a restaurant in San Daniele, you better have prosciutto in your name or at least in your subtitle! The town is only about 8,000, but it is filled with good restaurants. Set on a hill, it overlooks the surrounding countryside, but most views are blocked by the irregular patterns of its historic buildings.

Our San Francisco neighbor Mattia comes from San Daniele. We sent him a photo while we were there and he told us to meet his mom and aunt! But we had already returned to Oderzo.

Porta Gemona—On Bonnie’s list of Andrea Palladio’s projects (1579). This is a small design intervention, below, on a tower of an old medieval castle. Palladio’s refined design discreetly layers onto the tower, rather than copying or overpowering the tower’s rustic aesthetic.

The “Sistine Chapel” of Friuli—Church of Sant’Antonio Abate. The interior of the small church startled us when we walked in. The frescos date to 1469. The town now uses the building for city council meetings.

Driving to and from San Daniele

Although San Daniele is only thirty-five miles from Oderzo, it takes more than an hour for the trip because of the many two-lane roads that zigzag through the agricultural landscape. There are many roundabouts, and we often heard Waze say At the roundabout, take the second exit, meaning head straight. The region recently had rain, and this translated into a new blanket of snow on the mountains. Austria lies just north—a two-hour drive through the mountains to the border).

A Visit from Susan and Family

KITTY: Susan is Miryam’s sister. Lives nearby.

On the way to Villa Barbaro a Maser with lunch in Montebelluna

Palladio—Villa Barbaro a Maser

We discovered a Palladio villa near the town of Maser, less than an hour from our home base at Miryam’s. A villa in good repair and open to the public. Bonnie couldn’t wait to go.

Six rooms in the main block are open to the public. You climb the exterior stairs, then put on felt slippers over your shoes to protect the terrazzo floor. The central space is airy and filled with light from four directions. The view out the back is of a pool and fountain wall set at the foot of a hilly, wooded parkland. In each corner is a rectangular room with fireplace. The space feels just like the interior of the Villa Rotunda in Vicenza that we visited on our last trip to Italy. These villas were used in the summer and meant for entertaining.

Every wall and ceiling surface is covered with animated painting by Veronese. Architecture, family portraits, mythological figures, family pets, landscape scenes. Veronese was known for bright color, and although the walls have faded a bit, they are still exuberant. In some ways the elaborate images seem out of sync with the simplicity of Palladio’s architecture. But the painting was done immediately after construction for the same patron and became an example for other villas of that era.

Ha-tu magnà che?

Trevigiani dialect for What have you eaten? Robert had to find a place in the post for this phrase. In this case, the answer is fish! Vittorio Zanette made the reservation. (KITTY: He is a nephew of Robert’s Uncle Rico and his wife Angelina.) In addition to us, the photo includes Daniela (Vittorio’s wife), Francesco (his brother), and Marisa (Vittorio and Francesco’s mother). The restaurant served about ten different types of fish as the appetizer before we had the main course. We skipped pasta. Dessert was whipped lemon sorbet spiked with vodka/prosecco, and egg whites—sgroppino. (Robert needs to learn to make this.) The food came to the table with such velocity that Robert did not have time to photograph it.

VIRGINA: Vittorio asked if you were still alive.

Al Cason

Miryam took us to see one of the few remaining casone in the region, only a few minutes from Oderzo’s city center. A cason is a small dwelling built by sharecroppers. This one is 300 years old and is preserved for historic interest. The land for the building was given to them by the landowner for whom they work. The materials—clay, reeds, and small pieces of wood—reflect the characteristically poor economic means of its inhabitants.

Prosecco

These are not necessarily prosecco grapes, but this is a good place to correct a post from a prior trip. To be called prosecco, beyond the method of making the wine, it must be at least eighty-five percent glera grapes, the name designated for this grape in 2009. If the sugar levels are not sufficient, wine makers may add other grapes from an approved list. The production of prosecco is controlled by an association that limits the amount produced each year to control quality and price.

Pizza with the Cousins

Miryam wrangled the cousins for a Saturday night pizza dinner in Conegliano—twelve cousins in all. Less than last time but still a lively group. (Susan and her family were in Croatia for their son’s handball match, Fabio’s wife and daughter, Chiara and Marta, were tied up with a volleyball match, Andrea and Sandra’s son was doing teenage things, Leonardo was studying for exams, and Riccardo and his fidanzata were in Milan.)

We had a great time answering questions about our trip and, of course, about American politics and the economy—Who do expect to win the presidency? Biden or Trump? No, I do not think he will be sent to jail. America’s economy is very strong but there is still the problem of inflation. Do you agree? Questions we all think about no matter our native language. Many thanks to Miryam for organizing the gathering of the cugini!!!!

Fabio e Alessandra e Lo Spiedo

Fabio Fattorel and his wife Alessandra Zanette invited us for Sunday lunch at their home on a hill between Conegliano and Vittorio Veneto. Spectacular views! We were joined by Alessandra’s sister Franca and her husband. Plus two teenage kids per family. We sat outdoors to take advantage of the views but the cold weather eventually persuaded us to move indoors for coffee, grappa, and dessert. Fabio cooked chicken, pork, and spare ribs on the spiedo—a traditional rotisserie method in this area. He got up at six to start the fire. The meat, separated by lardo and sage, was on the spits about five hours. Delicious!!!

After lunch, Robert, Fabio, and Alessandra went for a drive while Bonnie took a nap. We ended up in Formeniga across the valley from their home. Also on a hill, it has spectacular views. Their friends Jefferson and his wife, both from Brazil, live there. They relocated to Italy because of the economic opportunities here that Brazil now is unable to offer. We had a caffe at their house and then walked down the hill to tour the cheese-making and salumi-curing laboratories, as they call them.

One person there teaches a five-day course in cheese making that he also does around the world. https://www.accademiacasearia.com/academy/?lang=en The meat curing section also has a teaching component. They refer to vacuum packing as sotto vuoto (under nothing). Robert was a bit envious of the setup. Alas, no room at home in San Francisco!

Cheese and Salumi!!

More Meat!!!

Did we tell you that Alessandro (Miryam’s husband) loves to cook?! He baked a perfect ricotta almond cake on Sunday morning (recipe included) and then grilled spare ribs, chicken, and pork along with polenta for our last dinner with the family. The grill is downstairs in their house. Quite a setup. Robert is jealous!

Next Post—Pianzano a 1962, Come Era Una Volta
Next Stop—Siena!

13-17 April 2024

We left the hustle and bustle of Milano for the hustle and bustle of a different sort in Venezia.

After Waze directed us to the wrong parking garage in Venice, we finally snaked through a small but confusing tangle of streets to the enormous Tronchetto parking structure.

On our trip to Venice eighteen months ago, we glided from Tronchetto to the Piazzale Roma on the people mover. Then we trudged over Calatrava’s bridge with our luggage to the train station. In front of the train station, the main water bus line had mysteriously stopped and the crowd was piling up so we decided to walk over a series of small bridges to our San Polo apartment. A lot of schlepping. With Bonnie’s recently smashed elbow.

This time we took the vaporetto (water bus) from Tronchetto directly to a stop near our Dorsoduro apartment where the landlord met us. Minimal schlepping involved!

Lodging

We were met at the Zattere vaporetto stop (across from the Giudecca) by Alessandro who walked us to the apartment. He gave us an extensive tour of the apartment and garden and then walked us around the neighborhood to point out the best cafes, restaurants, the mini mart, and other key spots. He and his sister own several rentals in Venice and elsewhere in Italy. He showed us another apartment he recently renovated, that faces directly onto the Grand Canal. Not bad.

Bonnie looks for a different experience each time we visit Venice, so she finds apartments in different sestieres (the six neighborhoods of Venice). This time she chose Dorsoduro. Bonnie usually looks for a neighborhood with maximum Italian families, but this time she succumbed to the neighborhood that has long been popular with English-speaking tourists interested in art galleries. We found the neighborhood to be a mix of Italians, European tourists, and Americans. We loved it. In fact, Bonnie likes Venice more every time we come.

Dorsoduro is easy to navigate. It has wider streets. It has plenty of good restaurants with traditional Venetian food. It is close to major vaporetto stops. It is away from the major hordes of tourists. And we still ran into local Venetians. In fact, in the early morning and evening hours we saw many Italians walking their dogs, and in the morning the corner cafe is mostly filled with Italians. Our apartment was very close to the Gallerie dell‘Accademia and the Accademia bridge. Dorsoduro means hard back; it was named because it is on slightly higher, more stable land than the other islands that make up Venice.

Shopping

This is not wandering. We’ll get to that later. After quickly unpacking, we headed to our favorite shop for scarves. This is our third time (once per trip). The proprietor “remembered” us from eighteen months ago. And, yes, we both bought scarves.

Now We Wander

Robert often wondered who bought the little knickknacks that proliferate in the shop windows of Venice. On this trip he overheard two ten-year-old girls pointing to a colored glass piece and cooing Che carina! (How sweet!) They train kids early to appreciate shiny objects.

Anniversary Drinks and Dinner—Twenty-Eight Years!

Colazione

Bar da Gino was about fifty meters from our apartment, and they had WiFi! The $16 cost for a cornetto and two lattes for breakfast is about twice the price as in Milan. Very good service and nice staff. Robert spent a few hours there each morning working on the blog. He might do a sketch or two also.

Day Two

Simple strolling on day two with a bit of purpose. On our last eight-day trip to Venice we packed in so many highlights that this time we felt relaxed about just wandering. Bonnie targeted some jewelry shops that feature pieces in glass and made a few merchants happy. We also stopped into a few churches. Around the Rialto the crowds were large and intense even this early in the season, with Americans talking at high volumes. French and German visitors are also common. Merchants should be in good humor because summer vacationers are barely a month away.

Santa Maria del Rosario

Near our apartment, recommended by Riccardo Marchesin.

Strolling with Purpose

Pranzo—We found Antico Locanda Montin for lunch by chance while walking along the small canals of the Dorsoduro on Sunday. Although their sign said full, they found a table for us in the delightful garden among many Italians as well as tourists. The menu was full of Venetian fish classics that Robert loves. One of our best meals so far. Robert had bigoli in salsa (his mom’s favorite), a type of pasta with a fish sauce. CHRIS: They made theirs with anchovies, onions, olive oil, and vinegar—all finely blended—with a dash of parsley. Pretty good.

We tried to reserve a table for the following night but they were fully booked for a week because the Biennale officially starts next weekend. This is the preview week for journalists and art critics, as well as artists and dealers, who seem to know the best places to eat.

A Few More Shops for Bonnie

Dinner—Bonnie made reservations at La Calcina, the same place on the water where we had dinner with her friend Meredith eighteen months ago. Our reservations were early—6:45 PM—good timing because it got chilly. Italians eat at 8:30 or 9 pm. The early dinner allowed us to stroll afterward, after retrieving our coats at the apartment. During the meal we enjoyed watching the steady stream of water traffic on the Giudecca Canal.

Day Three

Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari

Completed in the late 1400s, this is the largest church in Venice. Our previous apartment was nearby. Beyond the many sculpted tombs it is known for Titan’s Assumption of the Virgin (1515-1518) that rises behind the main altar.

We visited the Frari in 2022 and were disconcerted. We were discouraged by the massive but mostly unarticulated space, the red brick walls, the two-story wooden choir structure disrupting the middle of the space, and the obstructed view of Titan’s painting. But the church is so prominently mentioned in art coverage of Venice that we decided to try again.

Better this time. In San Francisco, Bonnie had watched a ninety-minute zoom lecture focusing on the Titian painting. And the church now has a video on the history of this work and the recent renovation. On our last visit we knew we were seeing a projection (brilliant) of the painting, but we had no idea that the restoration was happening about ten feet behind the projection. Because Venetian painters are known especially for color, restorations are especially revealing.

Basilica Domenicana SS. Giovanni e Paolo (San Zanipolo)

A minor basilica completed in 1430, well-known as the burial site of twenty-five doges as well as two of the Bellini painters. Kids use the church facade aggressively for soccer goals.

La Cena

Day Three

Gallerie dell’Accademia

The Biennale officially opens in a few days, and there is a definite uptick each day in expensively dressed foreigners hanging out in front of the Accademia. The five-month-long, citywide art extravaganza, held every two years, attracts a massive worldwide audience. Many of Bonnie’s friends go. Today was a preview of a DeKooning show at the Accademia organized by Gary Garrels of San Francisco.

On our last trip we were slightly overwhelmed and confused by the art in the Accademia. We knew the names of painters like Titian and Bellini but couldn’t sort out chronology or style. So Bonnie prepared by taking two zoom courses on Venetian art before this trip. She brought her notes, read them to Robert, and supplemented with Google. We were ready. Robert became a whiz at guessing dates before reading labels. We were again amazed at the paintings of enormous crowd scenes meant to cover entire walls of large meeting halls.

An unexpected delight inside the three connected museum buildings was noticing the interventions of two architects. Palladio worked briefly on one building, and one hallway is completely recognizable as his. In 1945, when paintings had been removed from the museum to protect them from war damage, the administrators called the Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa to advise on improvements. His small dark metal touches on displays, doorways, and walkways are unobtrusive but clearly identifiable. To us it felt like recognizing an old friend.

Tips on Gelato

Bonnie’s refresher on selecting the best gelato. If the gelato is brightly colored, in big puffy mounds, sitting in the sun, keep walking. It came from a factory, possibly in another country like Romania. Look for simpler colors and unusual flavors like lemon rosemary or creme brûlé. These will be made fresh in-house every day or two. Ideally, the temperature-sensitive gelato is covered by round, stainless steel lids. In San Francisco, GIO gelato on Union Street does it perfectly. Thank you, Jaime, for taking Bonnie there.

Last Dinner in Venice (For this trip)

Day Four—Partiamo

Next Stop—I Cugini Marchesin!—Oderzo

16 April 2024

11-13 April 2024

When Bonnie told Robert we were staying in Milan for eight days, he worried that we would not have enough to do. Not a problem. There was a lot to see!

Design Week

Milan’s Design Week was opening just as we left town. In fact, we rearranged our schedule to avoid arriving in the midst of this event because the annual trade show draws nearly 400,000 people. This means lodging is full at many times the normal cost. We saw trams already decorated with corporate advertising. The show began in 1961 as a furniture fair. It is now the largest of its kind in the world. We saw installations being set up in museum courtyards, public parks, and piazzas. Street banners, store displays, and special installations by home furnishing suppliers were all materializing in front of us.

Brera Again for the First Time

Although we were in Brera a few days earlier for dinner with Jessica, we really had not seen the full extent of the area. After telling Bonnie’s brother Richard on the phone that we were disappointed that the area was packed with restaurants and bars but few design and clothing stores, he told us the stores had moved a few blocks north. We found them! A totally different experience. Wide sidewalks for strolling, interesting architecture, better restaurants, good people watching. A variety of restaurants AND shops.

Style Notes

• Milan no longer remains the fashion capital Bonnie expected. Rumpled tourists like us prevail.
• The new section of the Brera district is ideal for observing stylish people and for interesting shopping. Bonnie headed for a store she knew and bought earrings.
• White sneakers on everyone. But cuter shoes on weekend evenings. Pastel suede loafers for men and women in many store windows.
• Grey and white hair are common on Italian women now. Usually beautifully cut and styled. Remember ages ago when a cousin made an appointment for Bonnie to get her hair colored?
• Tan trench coats for women are transitioning quickly from fashion pages to the street.
• Super short skirts on young women, with very tall boots or bare legs, startle us.
• Zara shopping bags are ubiquitous. We had a delightful conversation at a cafe with two elderly Swiss men about their big Zara bag. They explained that because the weather had turned warm they needed something different to wear to La Scala.
• Purses in every color and color combination fill store windows but not one colorful purse can be spotted on the street.
• Light tan is the color that rules for incoming summer clothes, as it has for several years.
• Grownup Italian men still wear navy blue—suits, blazers, jackets, pants, sweaters. But they are mostly giving up the traditional brown shoes, Robert hates, for black.
• Scarves have almost disappeared! Unexpected. Shocking. Disappointing. Just a few linger on older people or French men, who look great.
• Six high school girls were sitting on a curb eating lunch, wearing completely nondescript black clothes and white sneakers. But when they got up to leave Bonnie noticed they had especially nice black leather bags of different brands.

Pinacoteca di Brera

Established in 1776, this is Milan’s major public art gallery, containing the foremost collection of 13th to 20th century Italian paintings. The current collection resulted primarily from Napolean’s plunder of churches and other private holdings. The pieces are beautifully displayed, the captions are exceptionally useful, there are two giant glass chambers where you can see restoration work underway, and you emerge, not in a museum shop but in a charming cafe. Bonnie expected to emerge from the big museum exhausted, but the experience was actually delightful. As in most Italian museums, we picked our way through many school groups of young kids.

Navigli

Milan once had a network of canals to transport goods from as far away as lakes Maggiore and Como. Beginning in the 12th century, these were used to transport marble to construct the Duomo. Many of the wide streets and linear parks in Milan today were once canals. Now a tourist destination, a few remain southwest of the city center—about nine tram stops away.

We felt we were about ten years too late to appreciate the charm of the Navigli district. The walkways along the canals are filled with bars and restaurants packed with tourists and dotted with carts loaded with tchakas, sunglasses, and other cheap souvenirs. No t-shirts, but everything else. There is little evidence of a local economy. Worth a stroll for an hour. We had a drink but headed to a different neighborhood for dinner.

Sempione Park

This large urban park lies adjacent to the iconic Castello in the center of Milan. It is characterized by broad walks and large expanses of lawn and mature trees. It is well used on a weekday. Bonnie spotted a Jack Russell just as we entered.

Castello Sforzesco

Dating from the 15th century, this was once the largest citadel in Europe. Extensively rebuilt in the late 1800s, it houses city museums with extensive collections including art, sculpture, weapons, and musical instruments. The density of people flowing through the castle gate reminded us of the portal into Dubrovnik.

Wandering and Dinner

Robert’s Breakfast Cafe

Robert chose the Gran Cafe, just down the street from our apartment/hotel, for his colazione for eight days because it caters to locals. The clientele is office and blue collar workers and the retired. One older fellow arrives consistently around 9:30 with his newspaper, sits down at the same table, and without a word is delivered his caffe, which he does not acknowledge as he continues to read. It is amazing that on the turn of a dime the cafe can empty out or fill chaotically. The staff are efficient and learned Robert’s preference: cornetto vuoto (empty) and caffe macchiato (what we call a latte).

Recap!

Over eight days, we managed to visit twelve sites plus museums, restaurants, cafes, and a variety of shops. At first, many seemed distant from one another, but we quickly learned how close together the major destinations are. Even so, with Bonnie still recovering from Covid in November, instead of walking everywhere we made great use of public transit. Bonnie became an expert!

Next Stop—Venezia!