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A Trip to Italy...or, I never met a Limoncello I didn't like!

A Trip to Italy...or, I never met a Limoncello I didn't like!

Old Oct 4th, 2005, 02:21 PM
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A Trip to Italy...or, I never met a Limoncello I didn't like!

I’ve just returned from 18 wonderful days in Italy! Thanks to Fodorites for all the great information. If you don’t like long, detailed reports, just skip over this one! This was my first solo trip (I couldn’t convince my husband that he wanted to go to Italy). The trip started out with a bang! In Syracuse, as soon as I hand the clerk my ticket, she says that the flight will be delayed due to the weather in Newark, due to Hurricane Ophelia. Oh, great, just what I want to hear! There is an earlier flight, also delayed and full. I get on a waiting list for standby. I really don’t want to miss that connection in Newark to Brussels, as there is only one per day and I’ll have to wait a full 24 hours to get the next one.

When it’s almost time for my original flight to leave, the earlier one is announced and they call a couple of people for standby. I go up, as people are trying to get any additional seats. She doesn’t have the list with my name! I explained that the guy had written them down because he couldn’t get the computer to take the list. She apologizes, but I say I think those people who just got on should have to give up their seats for those of us who had been put on the list two hours ago. She says she’ll be right back and goes off to the plane. I had visions of her dragging people kicking and screaming off the plane! Turned out there were two more seats, so I get on. Hooray, I’ll make the connection!

The flight in Newark is fully boarded and ready to take off on time, but there are so many planes backed up due to the earlier closer, that it’s 1-1/2 hours before we actually take off. In Brussels, I race across the airport, a LONG way, to get my connection to Venice. The plane is sitting there at the gate, but Continental has cancelled my reservation because there won’t be time to transfer my luggage. So frustrating! I have to wait for the next flight, which also leaves late, and get to Venice seven hours later than planned, but it could have been so much worse if I had missed that Newark-Brussels connection.

I’ll say here that I have arthritis in my knees, which definitely affects how much I do. I’m not handicapped, I can walk and do stairs, but slowly (my husband always says I have two speeds, slow and slower!). I know I’m going to be doing a LOT of walking and stairs and prefer not to add more on when I get back to the hotel, so I want an elevator in my hotel. Most Fodorite recommendations, especially in Venice and Florence, don’t have one, and they’re also scarce in Tuscany, so I will have some different hotels to report on.

VENICE

Although I’m not really worried, I wonder whether it will be a hassle getting my luggage on the vaporetto (I just can’t justify over $100 for the water taxi). I buy the 72-hour pass at the airport for 22E. Note, I’m sure I read somewhere on Fodor’s that you can use a credit card for this. NOT TRUE! Cash only. The pass covers the orange ACTV bus to Piazzelle Roma, where I get on the vaporetto. It’s a piece of cake! The floor of the boat is the same level as the boarding platform, so you just roll your luggage right on. I take it to the Rialto stop.

It’s a short walk with only one small bridge to my hotel, Palazzo la Scala, Calle de la Scale, San Marco, 135E for a single room, ensuite bath, with breakfast. The location is terrific, between Rialto and St. Marks, a little nearer Rialto. I know a lot of people like something quieter, but I like to be where the action is. They have the double windows, so noise is not really a problem except from other guests! Small room as usual, but nice, with desk and chair, bedside table, armoire, safe, phone. The bathroom is small but not too small, quite small shower stall (no tub, but that’s OK, I don’t like baths), good water pressure and plenty of hot water. Breakfast buffet includes cereal, rolls, croissants, ham, fruit, yogurt, juice.

At this point, I’m exhausted so I want somewhere very close for dinner. I try Alla Botte, but it’s full and people are standing outside with their wine, so I continue on to Al Buso, right at the foot of the Rialto Bridge. The food is pretty good, nothing outstanding. I’m just about to ask for the check when a waiter brings me Moscato Giglio, a sweet dessert wine. I don’t really like sweet wines, but I don’t want to be rude, so I take a taste. I’ve obviously been drinking the wrong sweet wine! It’s delicious. When I’m just about done, I tell the waiter I really enjoyed it and he proceeds to refill the glass! At this point, I’ve been up and traveling for over 30 hours, had wine with the meal and now two glasses of the dessert wine. I better leave before I fall asleep at the table! Dinner with ½ carafe wine and water, 33E. Note all my dinner prices will include a small tip. Back to the hotel and crash for the night!

The next morning, I’m off to San Polo, so I walk over to the San Angelo vaporetto stop and hop on for one stop to San Toma, where I get off and go to Scuola Grande di San Rocco for all those Tintoretto’s and Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari for all sorts of things. Neither are at all crowded. Plenty of stairs here and everywhere in Venice! Note that San Rocco is one of the few churches or museums anywhere that accepts credit cards. Most require cash and don’t like it if you have big bills. I wander over towards Dorsoduro and go to Scuola Grande d.Carmini with great Tiepolo ceiling panels. I’m the only one there until just before I leave, two men come in. I really don’t find I’m getting lost much in Venice (I’m good with maps), just a couple of times I realize I’m about a block off. At one point, I accidentally walk down what turns out to be a dead end and hear a man singing Happy Birthday in Italian. Lovely! The sort of thing I love to run into. I don’t want lunch yet, but it’s definitely time for gelato. I generally get gelato wherever I happen to be at the moment I want it, so I don’t have specific places to recommend. I don’t have any bad gelato during the trip!

I continue on to Campo San Barnaba, where the mask shop has post cards of Katherine Hepburn in “Summertime,” and over to Ca’ Rezzonico. The guy at the ticket office is ready to charge me more than the admission price because he doesn’t have change. I don’t understand how they don’t have change when everybody has to pay cash! So many beautiful things to see here. Lots more stairs! I don’t find out until on the way down that there is an elevator. Oh well, going downstairs is actually worse with arthritis than going up, so I take advantage of it.

All of these places are well worth a visit. By this time, the knees are feeling it, so I take the vaporetto again, even though it’s only one stop from Ca’ Rezzonico to Accademia, where I get off and go the Accademia Pizza at the foot of the bridge for lunch, sitting outside watching the canal. Excellent Marguerita Pizza and water, 10E. I walk by Santa Maria della Salute but am too tired to go in, just take the vaporetto back around to San Angelo and walk back to the hotel, doing just a little shopping on the way.

I have to say here that although I’m enjoying all the beautiful things I’m seeing, I don’t seem to be really captivated by Venice. Horrors! Have I planned this trip for so long only to be underwhelmed?

I put my feet up for a while to rest and then go over the Rialto to Alla Madonna, Calle della Madonna, for dinner. I like to try local specialties, so I order the Sardins Soar (a very sweet onion sauce) and the Black Squid with polenta. Both are great. And I never would have ordered sardines if I hadn’t read on Fodor’s that they’re nothing like the ones you find here in the can. How true! They were huge and delicious. Two courses, ½ litre wine, water, 35E.

After leaving the restaurant, I pause on top of the Rialto Bridge to enjoy the view. And it hits me…Ah, yes, I’m in VENICE, and it’s beautiful! I can only attribute my previous lack of reaction to jetlag! I walk over to St. Mark’s Square, and as soon as I enter it and see the Basilica, it hits me again. I love Venice! It’s rather cool (everybody else is in jackets buttoned up to their chin), but I’m rarely cold and don’t mind at all. The square wasn’t really very crowded and there was just a wonderful atmosphere. I sit down to enjoy the orchestra that’s currently playing and have my overpriced glass of wine, worth every penny!

The next morning I want to go over to S. Giorgio Maggiore for the Gregorian chants and go up the Campanile. It is raining and nasty, really windy. The San Zaccaria vaporetto stop has several different spots to get on. I’m having a nice chat with a group of young women from South Africa while waiting. We wait and wait and wait, and finally find out we’re at the wrong one, so we go rushing over the correct spot and go over to the island. By this time, it’s time for the chants to start and we just make it. It isn’t as impressive as I had hoped, but I enjoy it nevertheless.

I never do figure out how to get around to the Campanile. It is unbelievably windy on the island and still raining, so I give up and take the vaporetto back over so I can go to La Pieta on Riva degli Schiavone. After reading the novel The Venetian Mask, I really want to go here. It was an orphange for girls where the mother could leave the baby in a special spot without having to identify herself and the nuns would retrieve the baby and raise it, training them to be a Pieta girl if they had musical talent. Vivaldi taught here. I had posted a question asking whether anyone had been here before my trip and got some more historical information. I love this small church, with beautiful velvet hangings in the altar area, and I can just imagine the girls singing behind the gold filigree grates that are in front of the balconies. One of my favorite things in Venice. (Part of the Biennale was also there, an exhibit of paintings by two artists from Morocco.)

My next stop is the Doges Palace. Lots and lots of stairs, and of course, the best stuff is on the top floors! The first floor, where the Doge lived, only has items they have brought from elsewhere, because the Doge brought all his own furniture and it was returned to his family when he died. Obviously, this is a must-do. After a little shopping, I am very tired and very hungry. I want a place where I can sit down to eat, but walking along Calle dei Fabbri, some bruschetta in a window just looks so good, I have to have it! It’s a little shop with a sign sticking out that just says “Pizza,” and inside in huge letters on the wall, it says “Happy Pizza.” The bruschetta is delicious, with several kinds of mushrooms, red peppers, cheese, artichokes and a spicy oil added (that wasn’t really that hot). Along with water, 6E.

For dinner, I go back over the Rialto to Al Paradiso, Calle Paradiso. They are full and aren’t using the outside tables due to the cool, rainy weather, but I don’t think it’s too cool and he says I’m welcome to sit out there if I like. I’m the only one out there, but that’s OK. The buildings across the very narrow street have all the windows covered and are locked up tight, and I wonder what’s in there. Later, I find out the one directly across is owned by the restaurant and used for wine storage, etc. And the one next door is the home of a family with two little girls who come home with Disney bags. I wonder if they’ve been to Florida, but later I see a Disney store in Florence, so maybe that’s where they had been. Anyway, I digress (I was enjoying just watching the people going by, more than you would think for what looks like an out-of-the way place).

After one bite of my beef carpaccio appetizer, I’m in heaven. Mmmm, I may just have to come back here tomorrow just to have this again! The gnocchi with scallops and spider-crab w/saffron is also delicious, as was my ½ litre of Borgo Molino (house) wine. Then he brings out the Moscato, along with almond squiggle-shaped cookies to dip. Wonderful! 49.22E. I find myself recommending this place to several other travelers that I meet who are on their way to Venice.

The next morning, I have a reservation for Basilica San Marco. Oh, I just love walking past that long line that snakes out into the middle of the square (as it had the day before). Makes me feel like I’m getting away with something! I enjoy my time there and then just do some wandering and shopping, repeating yesterday’s lunch of bruschetta. I do go back to Al Paradiso for dinner and naturally have the same appetizer and the Flat Spaghetti w/King Prawns Genovese. Once again delicious, same price. I go for one last time to St. Mark’s square for the dueling orchestras and am sorry it’s my last night in Venice.
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 02:49 PM
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SusanP, I am so enjoying your report. It feels like we are sitting in a cafe and you are telling me about your trip. Looking forward to the rest!
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 03:01 PM
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Love your trip report! (Love Limoncello as well - there's a bottle in my freezer as I speak - perhaps I'll toast Venice.)
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 03:04 PM
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Me, too, SusanP! I can hardly wait for more - please continue to share your trip with us. I'll pour the limoncello or the wine for all of us to enjoy as you weave your story. Thanks!
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 03:16 PM
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Why, yes, thank you Marianna, I believe I will have another glass!
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 03:21 PM
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I'm having a great glass of wine (Canadian Sav Blanc) and thoroughly enjoying your report while I should be doing other things!

I was wondering today about Basilica reservations - until I read your report I wasn't positive you could make them - and I've been to Venice once! (if you have the number/email handy, please post! Otherwise I'll search...)

Please continue - its fantastic!
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 03:34 PM
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FABULOUS trip report. Well written, great info, I feel like I'm there with you. I'd take a limoncello, but I just opened some champagne.
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 03:45 PM
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Welcome back. Great report, Susan. I'm toasting you with wine. No Limoncello left.
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 03:52 PM
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SusanP, I remember reading some of your posts when you were planning your trip. I admire your enjoyment of solo travel, especially with arthiritis which I know can be hard to deal with.

I am thoroughly enjoying your report since I am also a detailed writer, so I can appreciate being right there with you in magical Venezia. And, I'm looking forward to returning there myself in 18 more days....sigh.

Thanks for the report. Looking forward to more.
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 06:58 PM
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Thanks to all, I'm glad you're enjoying the report. Jetlag is hitting me tonight, but I may try to do another installment now.

travelphile, the website to reserve St. Mark's is:
www.alata.it/eng/booking/sanmarco.asp

It is definitely worth it! Anything to avoid long lines.

I was actually afraid I might not like traveling solo, especially for dinner at night. During the day, it's nice to be able to do whatever you feel like doing or want to do without having to consider someone else's goals, but it's nice to have company at dinner. The only very slightly uncomfortable feeling of eating dinner alone lasted about two nights. And I think the second night, the only reason for it was the very small distance between tables and the fact that the couple directly in front of me was having a great time making out. Now, I have no problem with public displays of affection (after all, having someone who can't keep his hands off you can't be a bad thing!), but really, I'm trying to eat dinner here and they might as well have been alone in their apartment. Anyway, I found that very quickly I had no problem eating dinner alone, and in most cases, since the tables are always so close together, you sometimes have company that you didn't expect to have. My report will also tell about a couple of dinners with other Fodorites, which I highly recommend. We had a great time.

I already have the limoncello in the freezer, maybe I need to go pour a glass and continue the report!
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 07:07 PM
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it’s definitely time for gelato

Susan, I am loving this report and that phrase might sum up our trip when we go
Thanks for posting this~
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 08:10 PM
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I am thoroughly enjoying your trip report. I will also be traveling solo and share the same worries about arthritis.

Great to know you had no problems with your luggage when you were boarding the vaporetto. Did you take any trains?

I believe I will have a glass of wine ready for the next portion of your report.
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 09:21 PM
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Scarlett, It's always time for gelato!
Simone, It's always nice to have a glass of wine while reading! I did take the train twice, as you'll see. In Venice, there are about 8-10 steps up into the station, no real problem. I don't try to carry the bag up the stairs, it's really quite easy to just pull it up behind you, one step at a time. And if you're going down steps, just put the suitcase out in front of you and let it down one step at a time. Don't let arthrits or going solo stop you from traveling! I'm not saying that I was never in pain, but it's better to be in pain in Italy than at home, and I have the same challenges at home! Fortunately, I'm not yet at the point where it keeps me from doing what I want to do.
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 09:30 PM
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OK, the next installment:

The next morning, I’m taking the train to Florence. I have the ticketless reservation, since I wanted a specific train (direct Eurostar, no changing trains) that I booked ahead of time. Since this is my first foray into Italian trains, I figure I need ½ hour to get there and want ½ hour to find the train and track needed, plus I need a little extra time in case something delays me (OCD kicking in here). I hop on the vaporetto (that easy boarding with luggage mentioned before), there are no delays whatsoever, so I’m in the train station an hour before my train leaves. No problem, I’ll just sit here and watch the board to see which track I need. It shows up about 20 minutes before the train is to leave, so I have plenty of time to get out there and on the train. A very nice gentlemen throws my suitcase up into the train for me and boarding is a breeze. (Yes, I could have done it myself, but why refuse such generous help?!) I’m in one of those seats where two people face two others over a narrow table. I have great seatmates (a businessman from Sydney and a couple from Toronto), so the time goes quickly with good conversation. It’s a small world, as the guy from Sydney is amazed to find that I come from a very small village called Sidney!

I had decided I would walk to my hotel in Florence. It turns out to be a little further than I thought, but I make it. I’ve decided to stay at Hotel Giada, Canto dei Nelli, 2, right in the middle of the leather market, directly across from the bell tower of the San Lorenzo church. While you can hear the bells, I’m never woken up by them. Now, Rex gives a lot of good information here and he gave a rather poor report of this hotel a couple of years ago, but since then, they have installed an elevator and many more recent reports on tripadvisor were very positive, so I decide to give it a try. I had originally booked a room at Ira’s favorite B&B Peterson, but I decide it’s just too far from the center of town (it’s on the opposite side of the train station from everything you want to see, and that extra 20 minutes of walking to get there is more than I want with my knees).

I like the Hotel Giada. It’s a very small room but only 75E for a single with ensuite bath. The bathroom has a rather funky layout. It’s a long narrow room. When you first go in, there’s the sink, then to the left in the next area is a bidet and another very small corner sink. Then there’s a very large step up (a step I don’t need!) to a third area where you will find the toilet and shower stall. It’s another small shower stall, but again has good water pressure and plenty of hot water. The included breakfast is the same as in Venice except it’s salami instead of ham for the meat. I admit that I would have liked to be even closer to the center of town, but for the price with an elevator, this would have been difficult to find.

I’m hungry and set off to find lunch. I had Nerbonne on my list, in the Mercato Centrale, immediately to the north of my hotel. I never find it, but I see wonderful-looking pizza at Pizzeria Romano, Piazza a Taglio. I can’t believe I didn’t write down the street, but looking at my map, I think it must have been on Borgo La Noce, running north from Canto dei Nelli. I get a huge piece of pizza covered with thick slices of Buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes and sprinkled with oregano (not the usual basil) and olive oil and a bottle of water for 3.50E. It’s fabulous! One of the best and cheapest lunches of the trip.

OK, off to Santa Maria Novella, a very impressive church. I’m not sure why this wasn’t on my original list, but thanks to Fodor’s it was now, and I’m glad. Then down the street to Santa Maria Novella Farmaceutica. Surely Thingorjus would never forgive anyone who went to Florence and didn’t go here! Contrary to popular opinion, it’s actually pretty easy to find. They now have an awning that makes it easy to spot. I buy some aftershave cream for my husband that I hope will be wonderful and some special stuff for eczema, which I have trouble with. You could easily spend a fortune in here if you had it!

I go back to the hotel to put my feet up (something I do every day inbetween sightseeing and dinner). I have a reservation for Ira’s favorite, Il Ritrovo, which is close to my hotel. I hope he doesn’t want to kill me, and I suppose every restaurant has a bad night, but this is absolutely, far and away the worst meal of my trip! When I get there, they inform me that they’ve had to change my table because this group of 10 or 12 people showed up without a reservation. She is leading me into what looks like a “back room,” not even part of the restaurant. I say, but I have a reservation, but she only repeats that this large group showed up unexpectedly. Well, I don’t really care about that, since I had a reservation and they didn’t. She is actually leading me around a large column to a small table that still at least looks out on the rest of the restaurant, and I think, OK, this is all right. I actually tell the waiter that this is OK, I thought she was putting me in that back room.

I order Rissoto with Yellow Pumpkin and Gorgonzola Cheese. It’s good, but not anything special. My next course is Filet Mignon with shallot, brandy & mustard sauce. When the waiter puts it down in front of me, I think it looks overcooked (note that I had specifically asked the waiter, who spoke excellent English, what they considered medium rare and had ordered accordingly), but of course I don’t know for sure and I don’t want to make a fuss. Well, my first bite of the steak is totally grizzle, and several more bites are also grizzle. And I was right, it was overcooked (think well done, which I thought no Italian cook would ever do to a steak!). The sauce was very good, but it couldn’t cover up the lousy piece of meat. They did offer an after-dinner drink on the house. For some unknown reason, I took the Amaretto instead of Limoncello. (What can I say, it just sounded good…). All around, a huge disappointment for dinner. 41E. (I should note here that later when I meet JenV and her friend in Florence, her friend had the exact same steak and thought it was wonderful.)

The next morning, I have a reservation at the Accademia. Again, that wonderful feeling when you walk past a block-long line and go right in! Of course, not more need be said about David, and I enjoy other parts of the museum as well.

Next I go on to the Museo di San Marco, just north of Accadamia, for the wonderful frescoes by Fra Angelico. There is a young American there who is obviously leading an art history class, so his commentary is very interesting. I don’t actually follow him around, but happen to be there for a couple of his explanations. I know that you have to go up one floor (no problem…) for the Annunciation and the dormitory cells, each of which has a fresco in it. Just so you know, that “one floor” is the equivalent of three flights of stairs! Oh well, you definitely have to go up here. When I get to the top of all those stairs, of course I have to sit down for a couple of minutes (when you have arthritis, you never pass up a bench or chair!). Just as I’m getting up to really have a look at the Annunciation, the teacher gets there with his class, so just by luck I get a very interesting background on the picture. Note that these are friars, not monks! I don’t actually know the fine distinctions between the two, but it’s something I plan to look up.

My next destination is Santa Croce, and I decide to take a taxi due to the distance. A lot of it is under restoration, but there’s still a lot to see, so I’m glad I’m here. I should note here that I sometimes get to the point where I no longer care about the history or background to what I’m seeing. If I’m tired, it’s enough just to soak in the beauty that I’m looking at without further information. I’m sure some people think this is terrible, but I enjoy looking at the beautiful art and sculpture and architecture even if I don’t always know everything about what I’m seeing. What I’m getting at is that I don’t get the audio guide for Santa Croce and still enjoy what I’m looking at and will do so again throughout the trip. I go back to check out the leather school and buy a couple of small items and then get a small original painting in the square.

OK, I’ve had my dose of art, history and culture for the morning and am off to do some shopping. My first goal is Capecci, Borgo de Greci, to the left off of Santa Croce square, and recommended by Dean (for those of you who remember him and his impeccable information on Italy), for hand-tooled and dyed leather by a father and daughter duo. I have in mind to buy unique bookmarks for all of my brothers for Christmas (with the idea of giving them along with a gift certificate to Barnes & Nobles, as we’re all great readers), but they don’t have any bookmarks right now. However, I buy a beautiful purse for a very reasonable price (I can’t afford those 300-500E purses, and this one is unique and 69E).

I walk over to Piazza d. Signoria and decide I need a leisurely lunch, so I go to one of the cafes on the square (I believe the one on the northern side of the square) and enjoy lunch in the sun while watching life on the square, 15E. Next, on to Ponte Vecchio for some more shopping. I have gold earrings in mind, but unfortunately, the only pair that I really love are out of my price range. I do get some great red leather gloves to go with my wool winter coat. By this time, my knees have had it and I need a taxi. Like Paris, you need to go to a taxi station, a real pain!, and also like Paris, just because you’re standing under a taxi sign, it doesn’t mean that taxis actually stop there. I am north of Ponte Vecchio and see that the taxis keep turning just north of where I am, so I go over there and finally get one back to the hotel.

As usual, I go back to the hotel and put my feet up before showering for dinner. I call a taxi to take me to Aqua al 2. There is probably some miscommunication here, as you can’t drive right up to my hotel while the leather market is still closing down. The taxi never comes, and this is the only time I have trouble communicating, since there is a taxi there that I think might be mine (but it isn’t!). He speaks no English, but between another guy, he says he will call me another taxi. I don’t know what happens, but it also never shows up, so I end up walking. After all the waiting for the taxis and then walking, I’m ½ hour late for my reservation. I explain the problem, and they kindly say they’ll fit me in. I wait for about 15 minutes and have a table.

My Rissoto with artichokes is OK, but the real star of the show is their daily special secondi platter (you can actually get a daily special for each course, but I could never eat all those courses). The secondi is three different filet mignons, all cooked a perfect medium rare/rare, one with a mustard/green peppercorn sauce, one with a balsamic vinegar sauce and one served carpaccio. Absolutely delicious! A free before-dinner and after-dinner drink are offered, in this case limoncello! Why did it take so long for me to try this? I guess it’s all that free Moscato wine in Venice! I love the limoncello…Two courses, ½ litre wine, water, 39E. Only one thing about this place: There were three ladies at the table next to me. They had finished their meal and paid the bill but were still finishing their wine. The hostess (I think maybe the wife of the owner) came over and told them that she needed their table for the next reservation. They are obviously shocked, as am I. When they get up to leave a few minutes later, one of them looks at me, and I say that I can’t believe what had happened. They can’t either. After they leave, about ten minutes later, the hostess tells another table the same thing. So much for having the table for the entire evening in Italy! Two courses, wine, water, 39E.
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Old Oct 4th, 2005, 10:38 PM
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Susan - Great report. And what perfect timing. I am leaving next Wednesday for my first trip to Italy. Like you, I will be starting in Venince then on to Florence and traveling solo.

I too am a bit aprehensive about eating dinner by myself. But you have put my mind at ease. The spider crab with saffron sounds great!!

Waiting for the next installment.

Tom
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Old Oct 5th, 2005, 05:20 AM
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Susan, what a wonderful report. Love your writing style, so natural, I feel like we're just having a conversation. Thanks.
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Old Oct 5th, 2005, 05:26 AM
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Tom, You'll have a great time. Sharon, I enjoyed your last report, too!

I didn't mention that I had planned to go up to Fiesole and/or Piazzale Michelangelo for the great views in the late afternoon but was just too tired at the end of the day. I have to go out now but will try to do another installment later this afternoon.
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Old Oct 5th, 2005, 06:06 AM
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Enjoying your report, Susan. More please!
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Old Oct 5th, 2005, 11:51 AM
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Continuing...

When I get back to the hotel after Aqual al 2, I’m pooped. I decide that I’m not setting the alarm and will just sleep in as late as I like. It’s well after 10:00 am when I wake up, so guess I really needed the sleep! I’m off to the Bargello this morning. When I go past the Duomo, the line is down the whole side of the building, across the street, and starting up the other side. The line at the Bapistry is more than half way around the building. OK, so maybe I won’t be getting inside these two on this trip, as this is my last day in Florence. There’s no way I can stand in line for a couple of hours (standing still is actually worse on the knees than walking). There’s no line to speak of at the Bargello and I enjoy Donatello’s David, among other things.

I come out and go to Bar Badia, right across the street (Via Proconsola) to the left, for lunch. Panini and water costs 5E. It’s nothing to write home about, but at least I’m not hungry anymore. I move on the Museo dell’Opera to see the original Bapistry doors. The marble choir lofts by Donatello and della Robbia are also amazing, and I enjoy the information on Brunelleschi, having just finished reading Brunelleschi’s Dome before leaving on the trip.

I come back towards the Duomo and Bapistry. Due to my very late start, it’s close to 5:00. Hooray, the lines are way down. I wait less than 15 minutes to get into the Bapistry, and am I ever glad I got in! The 13th C mosaic ceiling is totally amazing. I think this is my favorite thing in Florence. I get the audio guide to learn more about it and just sit there for a while gazing at the gorgeous work. When I come out, the line for the Duomo is really short, I wait about 5 minutes to get in, so don’t give up if you see a long line earlier in the day, just come back late afternoon. Again, having read Brunelleschi’s Dome, I’m glad I am able to get in.

Tonight for dinner I’m meeting Fodorite JenV and her friend, Belinda, at 8:00 at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco on Borgo San Jacapo (recommended numerous times here). It’s a good distance from my hotel, so I take a taxi (and this time I have the hotel call for it and tell them where to pick me up). I had planned to take the bus in Florence a few times and actually had some bus numbers for various routes in my notes. I tried several times in vain to buy some bus tickets. The tabacchi shops were out. Anyway, I get to the restaurant a little early. I had meant to make a reservation but forgot, and they are full. I put my name on his waiting list, and they think they will be able to seat us around 8:15 or 8:20, so that’s not a bad wait.

I highly recommend meeting up with Fodorites for dinner! We have a great time. Also, our table is right up against the next one, so the couple sitting there become part of the party. This guy is a lot of fun, one of those people who has great stories and is good at telling them. He has us all laughing about, among other things, his adventures with absinthe. We all order the wild boar with polenta. It’s pretty good, but not as amazing as we expected. Sort of looks and tastes like beef stew without the vegetables or potatoes. We keep seeing the waiters go by with desserts that look wonderful, including a sampler of several different things. Jen orders something else, but Belinda & I order the sampler. It is heavenly! And the Limoncello we order goes very well with it. Included are Marscapone Cream, Tiramisu, Cream Puffs and Almond (amaretto) Cake. The Marscapone Cream is sooo good, and it’s served in a little glass that is wide at the top and narrows down to a slender bottom that is too small for the spoon to fit. Good heavens, we can’t leave the rest of the cream in there! Belinda decides that, although tacky, the only sensible thing to do is to use the handle of the spoon to get it out. Seems like a good idea to me, and I promise not to tell about it on Fodors! Jen assures me that she will “out” us and spill the beans, so I might as well tell you now! We get every delicious drop! Mmmmm… Two courses, wine, dessert, limoncello, 33E.

They serve the wine in these cute pitchers with a raised white boar on the side. I want one! I ask the waiter if they sell them, and sure enough, they have slightly different ones for sale. The bigger one, for olive oil, is 25E, and the small pitcher with the white boar’s head for the spout is 20E. We all agree that they are definitely overpriced. After we pay the bill, however, I decide I have to have one anyway, I know I’ll regret it if I don’t get it. I’m happy to say that I don’t regret buying it, and it reminds me of a fun evening. I get a taxi back to the hotel and finish packing, as I’m moving on to the Tuscan countryside tomorrow.
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Old Oct 6th, 2005, 09:28 AM
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TUSCANY

I debated a lot about driving in Tuscany. I was going to, but several factors made me change my mind. First, I can’t drive a shift, and automatic cars are very expensive. Add to that the price of gas, tolls, plus I would have felt it necessary to have a cell phone, another expense, and I realized I could hire a private driver for a couple days for less money. Also, I could enjoy wine at lunch or winetasting without worrying about driving after drinking, even though it wouldn’t be big quantities! I also wasn’t crazy about having to both drive and navigate by myself. I used Luca Garrapa, www.hillsandroads.com and this was a great decision. He will design an itinerary for you, but I knew where I wanted to go and just consulted with him to see if what I had in mind was feasible. On to Tuscany…

I originally have two days booked with Luca. When I want to add today as a third, he is already booked but offers me the option of going with his associate, Alioscia, also a native of Siena and a friend since college. I agree, so Alioscia picks me up in Florence and drives me to San Gimignano. He gives me a lot of interesting information along the way about the area. We arrive just after 10:00 am and I’m very surprised to find the town not at all crowded. We walk up the main street, with me checking out shops I might want to stop in on the way back, up to the church. Alioscia gives me a nice explanation of the paintings in the church, pointing out things I would have missed and giving an interesting perspective on some images. As we’re leaving, a young woman asks if I would take a short survey, so I answer her questions (mainly, how did I find out about San Gimignano, did I like my hotel, where did I do research, etc.)

We walk further up a path to a higher point with a beautiful view. There is something there with not too many steps (can’t remember, it might have been a fort), but I feel like I’m getting enough of a view right where we are. We end up spending a couple of hours in San Gimignano and I enjoy it. I do buy a small ceramic tile for my kitchen on the way out. Next we’re off to La Botega restaurant in Volpaia, outside Radda in Chianti. (I had read Weadles’ report here on Fodor’s about doing this and it sounded so nice that I decided to do it as well.) As we leave San Gimignano, for a little ways I’m thinking that we could be in Upstate New York, very similar terrain! (Except, of course, when you pass a villa with red tile roof!) This doesn’t continue, of course, as we get nearer Radda. We drive through that and way up a hill outside of it to Volpaia. Certainly someplace you could never get to without a car. There’s a very old stone church here, can’t remember the year right now, and we have a lovely lunch overlooking the beautiful Tuscan countryside. I offer to pay for Alioscia’s lunch, but he refuses, although I did insist on paying for part of it.

After lunch, we wind our way down through Chianti on the way to some winetasting. Luca had set this up, so I don’t even know where we’re going. We turn off the main road and travel for about another 15-20 minutes on a dirt road to Terra Bianca winery. Looking at my brochure, it’s still in Radda in Chianti. They have another branch with different grape varieties in Massa Marittima. The young lady here gives me an interesting tour of the plant (although they’re not in full operation yet, as most of the picking doesn’t start for another week). They do have the beginning grapes from one area. The grapes taste delicious. We move on to the tasting. The girl says she has never done a tasting for just one person! She says she was a little nervous but that I had put her at ease, which I am glad to hear. I am far from a wine expert. I know red/white and sweet/dry, but mainly I just drink what I like, I’m not afraid to admit I like a cheap wine! I think I tried five wines, including one dessert wine (again, I realize I have been drinking the wrong sweet wines!). They are all good, I particularly like the Campaccio. I tell her that I wish I had room in my luggage to buy lots of wine. She assures me that there is no need for me to buy any at all, but of course I say that I really would LIKE to buy lots. However, I have a train ride in my future and can’t add another suitcase at this point! I do buy a bottle of the Campaccio and look forward to enjoying it. Maybe I’ll save it for our 30th anniversary later this month.

After the winery, Alioscia drives me to my hotel in Siena, Palazzo Ravizza. I have really enjoyed my day with him, and he has told me lots of interesting things about the area. At Palazzo Ravizza, I have reserved a loft room with garden view, ensuite bath, for 100E per night. This is a great hotel, as reported many times here. Very nice public rooms, several with nice couches and chairs, one with what looks like a game table. One little thing, though. I knew that after the elevator, there were steps up to the loft rooms and I had specifically asked exactly how many steps were involved. The answer was 5 or 6. There were actually 16! Not a big thing for most people, but I would have appreciated a more accurate answer. Oh well, I decide that the gorgeous view makes it worth it! A spectacular view out over the beautiful Tuscan countryside. Normally, I stay in inexpensive hotels (no luxury, no views) because I would rather have more money for nice meals and shopping. I don’t think this is a bad price for this view. The room is large, with a long hallway inside the door before you even get to the area where the bed is. The bathroom is large and has nice blue, yellow and white tile. Unfortunately, one of those shower heads that is stuck on the side wall of the bathtub (also my only hotel with a tub, but as mentioned before, I like showers). The main problem with the shower head is that the spray of water is very wide, which makes it harder to keep from flooding the bathroom. I do much better the second night! I relax and enjoy that great view before dinner.

I have made a reservation for tonight at the hotel’s restaurant, Ristorante Il Capricia. The meal starts with a delicious Amuse Bouche, bruschetta with salmon and something else I can’t quite identify. The salmon carpaccio is wonderful and the leek & potato ravioli with prawns & sage is also very good. Two courses, wine, dessert with Vin Santo Dessert Wine, 33E.

The next day, after enjoying my view, I have the whole day to relax and see Siena. I walk over to the Duomo. The restoration work being done results in the entire front being covered by a picture of the front. Not quite the same as seeing the real thing! There is a long line, so I continue on to Piazza del Campo. I’m trying to imagine the mayhem that must reign here during Palio. It’s really not that big an area for ten horses racing around and all those people! Alioscia had told me about the contrada that had won this year (I think the elephant sign) and how it had been many many years since they had won, so the celebrations were still going on. Sort of like the Red Sox winning the World Series after so long!

I would probably have gone to the Museo Civico anyway, but a picture of a particular sculpture makes me definitely want to see it. There is a lot to see here as well, and my favorite is the sculpture I’m looking for, that of a young girl asleep called “Non mi destate” (Luisa Mussini giacente) by Giovanni Dupre. Just love that sculpture!

There is a wedding going on in a small chapel in the museum. Later, when I’m sitting in the next room, they come out for pictures. At first it’s difficult to figure out which man is the groom and which is the bride’s father. The groom looks maybe five years younger than the father. She’s the unhappiest looking bride I’ve ever seen. Not one smile while several friends or relatives were taking pictures, just sort of a look on her face that says, well, come one, let’s get this over with!

By this time, I’m hungry and stop for lunch at Ristorante La Buca di San Pietro on Vicolo di San Pietro directly off the Campo. My light lunch of bruschetta with chunks of tomato, basil & olive oil (delicious) leaves room for Marscapone with strawberries. Mmmmm! With water, 12E.

Next, I go to San Domenico’s Basilica for the fresco of St. Catherine of Siena. I think the stained glass windows here look very contemporary. Maybe they are, I think there is an audio guide available here, but I’m in one of those moods that often happens later in the day when I’m getting tired where I’m just going to soak everything in without the background information. I slowly work my way back to the Duomo. The steep streets are quaint and beautiful, but make walking more challenging. I have a lot of pictures of very steep side streets with old stone buildings, often pretty flowers from upper balconies. The line at the Duomo is short now, so I am able to go in without waiting very long. Again, I’m glad I get in. The amazing thing about Italy is not only that you find a gorgeous church, but that there are so many of them! I walk back to my hotel to put my feet up and enjoy that wonderful view for a while before dinner.

I have a reservation tonight at the highly acclaimed Cane e Gato. Now, this is a very small restaurant and I had asked the hotel to make a reservation over a month ago. I ask them to call me a taxi and get to the restaurant. I’m horrified to find that they don’t have my reservation. Oh, no! I’ve been looking forward to eating here for a long time. The owner says he thinks he has room tomorrow night, but of course I’ll be gone by then. He is sorry and sympathetic and offers to recommend somewhere else. I usually have backup restaurants on my list, but since I had the reservations for both nights in Siena, I didn’t include any there in my notes. (Of course, I don’t really know who screwed up here. When I get back to the hotel and tell the desk clerk what happened, he assures me that if they had told me the reservation was made, then it was made.)

The guy from Cane e Gato calls Al Mangio to make sure they have room and marks on a card how to get there. Fortunately, the walk isn’t long or steep! Although I am angry at what has happened, I decide I don’t want this to ruin my evening and I need to let it go. This restaurant is right on the Campo and I can sit outside, which I always like to do, so I decide to enjoy the dinner. The mussel appetizer is delicious and the lamb is pretty good as well. The dinner is good, but probably not as good as Cane e Gato would have been! It’s expensive (the coperto is 4.50E!), two courses, wine, water, 64.60E. I slowly walk back to my hotel and get a Limoncello at their bar to take to my room and enjoy with a little chocolate—great combination!
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