Interesting reading. Can't wait for more.

I have to ask. Where are you from? Didn't expect to read about Zorbaz in an Italy travelogue. I'm in Detroit Lakes.

Hi athorp- I am also from Detroit Lakes and my good friend is a partner in the Zorbaz corporation. Small world, huh? You would have really felt at home at Misc. with all the memorabilia on the walls. Do you plan to go to Italy soon as I could lend you my maps and guidebook? Here goes... more verbage...

3-10-04

Siena- all buses lead to Siena or tales from the dumb side.

If you actually read and retain your guide book, you would know that to get from Florence to San Gimignano, you need to transfer buses in Poggibonsi. We ask the ticket guy for a bus to San G. which he sells us as a one-way. ( We have a free day tomorrow and haven?t decided where to go yet) That is 5.95E each and we hope on the slow bus that stops everywhere. We see the signs for San G. but we never turn that direction. After nearly 2 hours and no WC on the bus,( remember the somewhat critical nature from the previous notes) we end up in Siena. The driver doesn?t speak English and when we show him our ticket, he just motions for us to get off.

Not that we didn?t like Siena, but we had been there a day or two before. Our reservations had us checking in at the hotel in San G. at a specific time and so we went back to the bus information station, bought another 5.25E ticket each and waiting for the next bus.

It was worth the wait! I absolutely loved this town and the countryside around it. I could not stop smiling! Our day was windy but not raining and we walked everywhere. The town is surrounded by walls and there is an old fortress ruin or tower that we climbed for the most amazing views. One of the highlights was the little church north of town called Sant Agostino. It was quiet, beautiful and connected to a convent by a beautiful courtyard. We lit candles and looked at art ? in situ. One of the best picture we took was of two nuns walking down the hill from the church. It conveyed the feeling perfectly. The families of some little boys were gathered around the campo outside the church watching their kids play soccer. These are the souvenirs I took home from our trip.

Our hotel was the Lion Bianco and it was definitely three star. We overlooked the Oiazza del Cisterna in the center of the old town. Nice big room with beamed ceilings, bath with shower and tub- Yeah- a soak for our tired feet and legs- but the staff was snooty. We paid 90Ewhich included breakfast that was enough to get us by until evening. The food at the restaurants in town is very expensive so we looked in our guidebook and found where the Coop grocery store was outside of town. The goodies along with an expensive bottle of Vino Nobile made our dinner in our room.

The next day was market day in San G. and it is pouring rain. We had planned to walk some nature trails that the TI office had shown us but that won?t be happening. We decided instead to use this as a travel day and head to Venice early. The guidebook came in handy again as we found a cheaper hotel, the San Geremia, and booked a room. It was $75E with breakfast and for Venice, that is not bad.

We shared the train with two gentlemen that did not seem to want conversation so we watched the countryside. Wow- there is a lot of snow on the ground in Bologna. Yikes! We might really freeze in Venice .

Can't wait for the next installment!

Byrd

Venice, Ah Venice

3-11-04

San Geremia is left outside the train station to the Campo San G off Lista di Spagna. We had room #419 at the very top of the stairs. The room was large with a sitting area and private bath with a great shower. The balcony overlooked the campo. The manager was a bit flaky like he had been smoking something earlier, but he had a colorful and interesting hotel. We dropped our gear and headed off to explore.

Here is another tip: carry a small flashlight with for reading the map at night. We ended up getting lost, again, and this turned out to be a good thing.

We saw a beacon of light across a small canal and gravitated to it like moths. It was a little restaurant and inside we had a great wood baked artichoke and ham pizza and some penne with olives. The young couple sitting next to us was from the UK and had been in Venice for a week. I asked if they were as lost as we were and they were able to head us back in the right direction. The young wife was obviously pregnant and talked about this being their last holiday for quite awhile.

We stopped off at a tiny bar for a local red (on tap- ugh!) but the memory of the conversation of the bartender, the old man and his little dog and a burly Irish looking (Italian speaking) boatman was not to be missed. There were still small fruit and vegetable stands open so we bought some beautiful strawberries and cherry tomatoes for later.

3-12-04

The hotel?s breakfast was the usual yogurt, bread, juice and coffee. (Skip the coffee, it was the worst I have ever had!)

We went back to the ferrovia stop and bought our 72 hr. vaporetto tickets and hopped on the first #82 headed down the canal. The #1 or slower bus wasn?t running and we soon found out why. There was a water bus strike and we only were able to go as far as the Rialto bridge stop. So, there goes some of our 72 hrs of ride time. But the Grand Canal is spectacular no matter many times you see it. Just the wonderful old palazzos, the people hanging off the bridges, gondolas, water taxis, barges delivering good to stores and restaurants and did I mention the water! The day was very sunny and we went without jackets for the first time in days.

Day 1 continued:

The first stop was St. Mark?s and a tour of the Basilica. I wish our guide book was better at the description as a lot of this interior is was so dark, it was hard to appreciate everything. We would have tagged along with a group but they were all Japanese and I don?t know that language either! We must have a dozen pictures of St. Mark?s during all the days of our stay in Venice. During the day with all the pigeons and people, at night with a few lovers and dog walkers, it is magical. G. took some great pictures of the people near the canal, sunning and eating with all the birds flying overhead. Alfred Hitchcock, eat your heart out!

I have one of the best restaurant tips for near the Rialto that is better people watching than Harry?s Bar. It is near the WC and is called Osteria Alla Botte. The address from my slip says S. Marco 5482 Venezia #0415209775. We were on another WC mission and saw some guys having a discussion outside this bar. They had drinks in their hands but still managed to talk with both hands! Amazing.

We popped in to have a quick glass of some very new Beaujolais which I have always wanted to try. The place was crowded with lot of good old boys have lunch, drinking and talking. When I saw a plaque mentioning the restaurant had it own sommelier I knew we had to stay to eat. We had to point to the counter of food to choose our antipasti and ended up with a squid salad, some salt cod in a gratin and some shrimp. The pasta was also shrimp and I know the other was a mushroom dish which was wonderful. The waiter did not speak English and the menu was all in Italian. Once again, we guessed well. For two people with wine we spent $32E and had fun watching the businessman on their 3 hour lunch, the mother and daughter taking a break from shopping and the lovers in the corner? as least that?s who we think they were? all spoke rapid Italian. Find this place, it is a gem!

We must have walked all over Venice with the beautiful weather- remember the water bus strike? Every corner has a quiet canal with some boats bobbing along side the buildings, the plants in the wrought iron planters outside the windows, the gulls and pigeons, laundry hung out to dry and don?t forget the Japanese!

Our tired feet brought us to the Osteria ai Promessi Sposi at Calle dell? Oca where they serve cicchetti with gusto, according to our guide book. What a fun, funky place with 45?s and Lp?s on the walls, a large selection of food that the owner dishes up for you and heats in the microwave. Try the stuffed peppers! Very cheap!

They warn you not to hang on the bridges but we bought chocolate and watched the day wind down like lots of other bridge dwellers. It is really romantic.

Pheasant,

This is great stuff... Thanks so much and keep it coming,
j

Nearing the end. Thanks for your patience and comments.


I loved riding the water bus at night and looking in the windows at the chandeliers and art hanging in the palazzos.

3-12-04

We checked into our most expensive hotel today, The Galleria right at the bottom of the Accedemia Bridge. We thought for $115E we would have a canal view? wrong. I was not as impressed with this hotel as I had hope to be, oh well. We had a view of the bottom of the bridge and were next to the reception area. Do not request room #1. The room was small with a private bath but we spent much of the afternoon and evening inside as the weather has changed. We had spent the morning wandering and went to the Frari basilica. I would highly recommend this as it had such wonderful frescos, mosaics and statues and the entrance was only 2.5E. I think this was as impressive as any gallery we have seen so far. G. was wondering what churches, buildings or statues of our generation will be a much visited attraction in the next generation. Anyone have an opinion on that idea? Tried to eat at the Ai Quattro Ferri restaurant just off the square on Calle Lunga di San Barnaba. They had just closed at 2:45p.m. ( so close!) so we settled for a glass of wine at a nearby bar with the neighborhood bulldog standing in the doorway watching for scraps.


3-13-04

The breakfast included with the Galleria?s room rate is bread and cheese. I have learned to pocket the bread for later in the day or to feed the pigeons. Our morning walk took up to the tip of the canal by S. Maria D. Salute church. There are buds on the magnolia bushes nearby and the Lenten roses and ranunculus are blooming. Wonder what it is like at home. Wow- my first thought of home other than dreams of our pets.

Today we have reservation on Lido island and we take the running vaporetto to the island. We found that if you are lost, which we have been, and you don?t have a map to your destination, you just need to go into a hotel and they usually have a card with a map showing the location of their hotel. This worked in our favor in Lido.

Just a note about booking from the venere.com website? be advised that they don?t always re-confirm your reservation. We had reserved a room at the Villa delle Palme and when we arrived, they had overbooked and brought us across the street to the hotel Rigel. I will spare you the details on this 1950?s throwback to a Holiday Inn. Bummer. The worst part is we can see the delle Palme from our room and it is stunning! We ended up asking if we could go up to the turret on top of their hotel to take pictures of the island.

We walked the Lido beach, found a great grocery store for lunch fixings and wine which we ate by the town fountain along with families out doing their meet and greet for the week.

Our hotel booked a reservation for us at a local fish restaurant that was very out of the way and not at all touristy. We had consumed a bottle of red at lunch but couldn?t resist a bottle of the pinot grigio under the house label. It went well with the prawns with radicchio, the spaghetti with clams and the grilled salmon.

3-14-04

Breakfast at the Rigel was huge and we snuck out some baby bell cheese and some packaged bread for later. I may never want to see bread again in my life!

We are headed back to Venice today to check into our hotel for our last two nights and I highly recommend this place. It is the Hotel San Moise and it is very convenient to most of the city. It is on a quiet canal and has a wonderful courtyard with Murano glass lanterns and comfy chairs among the plants. Our room was on the top floor and had beautiful brocade drapes and spread, there was a minibar, a large bath, gaudy Murano fixtures and tons of ambiance. We dropped our bags and headed to the ferry that was headed to Burano island. The ride took about 1 hr. Today is cloudy and cool and we didn?t want to spend another day in a gallery.

I think I have done it all now? the ferry has a WC that you step on either side of a hole, squat and aim. Glad I know how to pee in the woods. I always wondered when that skill would come in handy.

Took a great picture of a couple of little old ladies talking in the doorway of a colorfully painted house. Burano residents are not afraid of color, lots of color! The lace maker is hard at work and the lace is beautiful but expensive. I not a real ?girly? girl so I don?t have the desire to buy anything. We take great pictures of the men in the square. There are all sorts of guys out and about, just talking or walking. I think the women get the shaft as they are probably home doing laundry, cooking or making lace.

From here it is on to Murano where we by pass the large glass factory for the little man operating his furnace off a side street. We get there in time to see him finish a delicate horse statue. Murano glass unless it is the art vases, seems like something you would buy at a carnival. The art pieces in the art galleries are really something however.

We have a quick but wonderful cappuccino at the little shack near the ferry. The young guy is playing old 1950?s American pop music and knows how to make coffee! Make this a priority stop.

We haven?t eaten so it is on the ferry for Venice and a dash to a recommended restaurant before 3:00 p.m. It was Il Cavatappi at Campo della Guerra. Make sure to eat here! We had 3 glasses of wine, some penne with salmon, bow tie pasta with zucchini and ham, and a joint of pork with roast fennel, carrots and zucchini. The very best meal of the trip for under $32E.

There are lots of church bells ringing today. Either a restaurant or private home is hosting a party as we can hear singing and accordion playing drifting through our hotel window. Everywhere we walked today there were street musicians out, tenors singing, violinist playing or some classical guitar.

3-15-04

Our hotel had a massive breakfast and even something that looked like scrambled eggs. G. is in heaven as he is tired of bread and yogurt or panini. We ate a lot to get us through until evening. Today, we took our books and went to a campo to people watch. We had tried to see the Fortuny museum but it was closed as the day is somewhat sunny, we want to be outside.

There was a recommendation in the guide book for big salads and beer and so we went to find the Devil?s Forest Pub. It was all that and MTV. It is on Calle dei Stagneri and the owner gets you in and out fast. The food and beer were as good as advertised. Can?t believe we can eat after that breakfast! We need to get an early start tomorrow as our bus leaves for the airport at 4:40 a.m. We are walking from our hotel and it should take us a little over a half an hour. No water buses are running that early in the morning so I would suggest a later morning flight if you don?t want to hoof it to the Piazzale Roma for a bus.

3-16-04

4:00 a.m. We just passed a nightclub with couple standing outside and here we are, walking throught the quiet streets heading back home. We will come again, maybe to work at a farmhouse in Tuscany? Will hoe and wash clothes for food and lodging... do you think we can sign on for that?

Arrivederci e grazie fellow fodorites!

The molted pheasant

Brava, pheasant, Brava.

Pheasant

Thanks for all the detail, and the effort in typing it all out. Brava!

What wonderful descriptions! I can almost hear the church bells and music in Venice!

Thank you.

Byrd

Great report!!! Fun read!!

Although I got exhausted just thinking of moving from hotel to hotel in each city.
Are you writting a guide book?

What is a semi expensive bottle of wine and how much did it cost?

Yikes, I just looked up the San Moise website and I should think you did enjoy it, it's not exactly in the same snack bracket as San Geremia or the Galleria. Rates in high season start at €190 (higher on weekends and for the superior rooms). And you got this for less than the Galleria's €115? Pheasant, you is the bargain bagger!

Stephen- We spent $11E up to $19E when not having house wine. It is really hard to drink the liter of house wine for $5-6E and have it taste like grape juice with a kick. Guess my sister spoiled me, exposing me to finer wine and it has become a hobby.

Hey Sue- thanks for the complement! We spent $80E and it was far superior to the Galleria. The low season has it's advantages but you also need to bring those silk undies!

What do you think will be the sights our generation will leave for the next?