cupspinner

I have neglected to post a trip report before now, and apologize. With all the helpful input from you Fodorites, my DH & I had a great trip to Italy last July. We are so grateful for all your help. Our nearly three week visit included Rome, Florence, Volterra, Cortona, and the countryside near Certaldo, where I stayed for a week and took a pottery class.

I must admit, that we used Virgin Passports. We had never traveled out of the U.S. before this trip (although I sent both my kids abroad a couple times). It was quite an adventure. I learned a great deal studying the threads on this forum and asking many questions, which you answered so well.

We also took the months before the trip to learn some Italian, which was very helpful!

We flew Delta from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Rome with a stopover in Cincinnati, where we had time for a relaxing meal and a glass of wine. Our overnight flight was smooth, and although cramped in Coach, I was comfortable sitting on my inflatable "full body cushion"(called 1st Class Sleeper), which kept my chronically painful back, pain free. I didn't sleep well, but had a series of naps on the plane.

We arrived in Rome , and as we were waiting to pass through customs I thought "oh my God, what have I done", as the reality of being completely out of my element sunk in. I was rather terrified for awhile. The clouds lifted, though, as we passed through customs, to find our Limo Driver holding a sign with our name on it. I used LimoServiceRome, and Giancarlo, our driver, was great. We were whisked into Rome, and enjoyed using some of our Italian to carry on a bit of conversation.

We arrived at our hotel, La Rovere, around noon. The staff was nice, had our room ready for us when we arrived. Wow, was it HOT outside, nearly 100, and a little less hot in our room. The air conditioner did little to cool it down. But, what the heck, we were in Rome and we were excited! The hotel is located near the Vatican.

Following the advice of you all, we did not crash and fall asleep, but in order to adjust to the time change, stayed upright. We trudged to the Vatican. By the time we arrived I had blisters on both feet. You would not believe the care I took in finding just the right footwear, and spent 3 months breaking it in...what I hadn't planned on was that my feet were very swollen, from the flight and the heat, and suddenly, well-fitting shoes didn't fit. All my moleskin pads were still in my luggage at the hotel, rather than in my purse, so I just kept walking.

Although this forum recommended we see St. Peter's, my DH wanted to see the Sistene instead. The line to get into the museum was unbelievably long. We had just gotten into the line, when we were approached by a Brit, an art student, who offered to have us join a tour group that was two hours ahead in the line. The price was right, and you didn't have to pay until after the tour, so we agreed and moved ahead of a couple thousand in the line to join the others.

By the time we got to the door of the Vatican Museum, my blisters had broken, and I was down to the raw, every step horribly painful. We paid our admission, but told the guide we weren't going to take his tour. To thank him for moving us to the front we pay him for his trouble.

We walked, oh so slowly, in a river of people, to the Sistene Chapel, which was wonderful. I was so glad that I had read "The Agony and The Ecstasy" before coming, because I appreciated it all the more. There was lovely chanting in the background. I wasn't able to see any of the other exhibits, sadly, and spoke to several guards trying to find a first aid station for some band-aids for my feet. None spoke English, and my travel Italian didn't include this situation.

We hobbled to a taxi stand, and took a cab for lunch at Dino & Tony's Hostaria. When we pulled up the driver got out to see if it was still open, it being nearly 3 pm. They were not, BUT, Tony came out and said they would stay open for us!

So, we were seated, and the Show began! I promise, my other restaurant reviews won't be this long, but this was special.

We never saw a menu. We were asked "Vino?" yes! "Rosso?" yes! (Now, this much Italian I was doing well with!) Antipasti? Yes! Out come 2 pizzas, (Margharita and Gorgonzola), and as I taste it I am so HAPPY that I forget about me feet, my jetlag, the hostile temperature. But wait, There's More: a plate of meats, a plate with various breaded vegetables (loved the olive balls), pastry stuffed with cheese and spinach...Tony has also taken our Primi order--pasta, coming up soon, what kind, we know not.

We stopped eating the antipasti, thinking we'd better save room for the next course, when Dino comes out of the kitchen and points to some uneaten pastries... "you eat, I made this special!" He grabs the fork out of DH's hand, and puts more on his plate. He does the same for me! OK, then.

We had three bowls of pasta brought out. All fantastic. We skipped the 2nd course. Then we had dessert, naturally. But white wine comes to the table..we didn't order any. No problem, no charge, they just want us to have the dessert wine, along with the plate of tortes, the tiramisu, the cafe granita, and the caramel panne cotta. All so good. Wine glasses keep getting refilled, we keep drinking...During this whole time we are entertained by the exchange between Dino and Tony.

We thought we were done. Nope! Out come 2 more glasses, and Limoncello! No charge. We drink it, he pours more. We have him call a cab.

We moved to the outside tables to wait for the taxi. Tony came out and observed that no taxi had come yet. Two more glasses appear. More of the white wine is served. What an experience! We finally get into the cab and are delivered to the hotel. It must have been around 6 pm or so. Still not bedtime! So we nap for an hour, bandage feet, and haul ourselves out to walk across the Tiber to explore. Our rather aimless wandering took us to Piazza Navona. It was so beautiful. The evening was cooler, and the piazza was alive with street performers, and people strolling and dining. We got back to the hotel and collapsed, because in the morning, we have to catch a train to Florence.

annhig

well, Cupspinner, it was worth waiting for.

Looking forward very much to the next course!

missypie

What a meal! I fear that I would have upset them by not being able to make a dent in all that food!

cupspinner

Day 2-3 FLORENCE
Rome - We took a cab from the hotel to the Termini station, where we took the Eurostar to Florence. I had booked the train on-line at Trenitalia.com, and had printouts in hand. We traveled in 2nd class, and it was very nice. It was at this point I was glad we'd taken the advise to pack light. We each had one rolling carry-on, and I had a tote, DH carried a wonderful slash-proof day pack.

Rome had been oppresively hot, but Florence was worse...over 100 and humid. We had no problem finding the taxi stand at the train station, and quickly got to Hotel Europa, where we had a nice suite, with a large bathroom (a large shower rather than one of those phonebooth-sized tubes you find in most places). The air conditioning cooled it to about 80. The breakfast room was great, well stocked. The hotel is family owned and they are so nice, and speak English well. There was internet access in the lobby, and an elevator. Clean, and quiet.

We had reservations for the Academia that afternoon. We did some wandering and had some lunch at a cafe, and then saw David, which was awesome in the true meaning of the word. It brought tears to my eyes. We stopped in a bar for a glass of cool white wine and had a nice conversation with the barrista, about the world cup competition and his travels to the U.S. We spoke Italian a little, he spoke English less, but we communicated, and it was fun!

The heat was so punishing that we just paced ourselves, while in Florence, taking breaks for water, wine, or gelato. (We tried Perche No! --a few times--for gelato in Florence, and it lives up to all the hype.) I've read so much on this forum about how fabulous gelato is, and we had it for the first time in Florence. It became an almost-daily habit while in Italy...you guys were right! We also napped during "naptime - riposo", which helped.

We were in Florence for 2 nights. We saw the Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, Medici Chapels. We visited several of the piazzas. The Duomo was too crowded to bother with. By now, we had realized that there has to be another trip for us, to see what we missed. Looking back at the heat and the jet-lag, I think we did quite well.

We had one dinner at Toscano Trattoria, and definitely had to use our Italian there. The food was very good. The second night was a Sunday, and the places I'd read about were all closed, so we broke a rule, and ate at a cafe on a piazza near a major tourist attraction--the Duomo. The food was good but at rip-off prices.

The next day we picked up our rental car in downtown Florence. I used AutoEurope (saved $$ by linking there from InItaly.com). I also had gotten a GPS rental and cell phone through them.

My DH was the driver. He had not driven a stick in 40 years, but jumped into the little Fiat Punta fearlessly. The rental agency was out of maps. Thank goodness for what DH called "Our Lady of Navigation", since the GPS kicked in shortly after backing out of the driveway, and talked us through some twisted way to the highway.

My DH managed to stall the car at least 2 times before the first intersection and twice at/through the intersection. I became more religious as a result..."Please God, don't let me die". I did lots of praying. We were off!

Next: VOLTERRA

Dayle

Can't wait to hear the rest, cupspinner! I never would have made it past the first pasta dish!

cupspinner

Day 4: VOLTERRA

So, we made it safely out of Florence, and were on a nice highway heading towards Volterra.

It was an interesting drive! We actually took the right exit the first time, navigated through a couple traffic circles, and thanks to the GPS, got through a couple turns. Sometimes, I was thinking, where the heck are we going? But just kept following the prompts from Our Lady of Navigation "Turn left in 200 feet and merge right". We faithfully executed her recommendations and found ourselves on the approach to Volterra.

The views were so stunning, as any of you who've driven through rural Tuscany can attest. The hills, a lovely golden color, and those trees like exclamation points on the horizon, were spectacular. At each turn, or over each new hill, another vista, more beautiful than the next appeared. Fields and fields of sunflowers. Ancient vineyards with the bunches already formed, yet still green, olive orchards everywhere.

The road became progressively more curvy...or shall I say scarey? Hairpin turns, so sharp that they have large mirrors positioned to glimpse oncoming traffic. Did I mention NARROW? Geez, yes, and no shoulder to pull off and admire the view. I did get some nice snapshots out the car window, though. I'd say "Wow, look at that! And DH would say through gritted teeth "I can't take my eyes off the road just now, dear!" My stomach has been getting these grabbing pains and I am becoming vaguely nauseaus...

We arrive at Villa Porta all'Arco, and DH unglues his fingers from the steering wheel, and we meet the hostess/owner, Antonella. She says the room is not ready, would we like to wait in the garden? Sure. She brings us cappucino (great) and a ricotta torta (like cheesecake) that Mama made that morning. As we sit in the shade at this cooler altitude, and eat this cake, DH announces that he'd like to marry Mama! My stomach seems to settle.

The villa is beautiful, and the room is spacious. Views from the window are of the Tuscan countryside, and the garden below. Antonella is cheerful and bubbly and unfailingly gracious. She speaks about the same amount of English as we do Italian, and with dueling dictionaries, we're off to a great start.

The villa is located across a small road, 50 feet from the stairway to the Etruscan hilltown of Volterra. We climb the nearly vertical slope, pausing halfway to breathe a little. Then we get to the Etruscan gate. This gate was spared by the Nazis in WWII, because the townspeople took bricks from the street and sealed the opening. There is a memorial plaque with this account next to the gate. It is hard to imagine that it predates the Roman Empire, and is still standing.

We enter through the arched gateway and proceed to climb some more. The angle is very steep. I stop halfway up this street, as I feel a sharp pain in my knee. DH now also says he has a "Volterra Knee", though he didn't admit to injury at the time.

We've barely entered the city, when my stomach lurches, and I know I must get back to my room. We stopped in a bakery to get a couple rolls, the only thing that sounded palatable at the time...

I spent that day and that night sick. Antonella phoned her doctor, got a prescription, went to get it, and delivered it to our room, along with a tray w/hot tea and lemon, and directions from the doctor to drink tea w/lots of lemon, and take the medicine. My symptoms, and directions from the doctor, were all done with the help of 3 language books we'd brought. Thank goodness for them. At 10 pm, we had another visit from Antonella to check on me, with another tea tray. By the next day I was OK.

Breakfast was to die for, and thank goodness I felt like eating. It was the best of our whole trip.

A buffet with many cheeses, the best meats, yogurt, freshly squeezed blood orange juice, breads, tomato bruschetta from Papa's garden, coffee fixed any style you like, platters of fruit, meusli, and then there was the sweets table....Mama's baked goods--pastries, cheesecake, tarts... Which you eat in the garden.

That day we really had fun in Volterra. We saw the Etruscan Museum, the ruins of a Roman Forum, Alabaster workshops, art galleries, gelato.

We had a fantastic lunch at La Pace. The menu board on the street looked very inviting. I had a salad that was stunning in it's simplicity. The freshest greens, grilled chicken, and fruity olive oil, with coarse salt. DH had the Smoked Salmon salad, which was a very generous serving of delicious smoked salmon with tons of parsley, lemon and olive oil. Bruschetta, of course, because the tomatoes are so good, you just have to! And house wine-half carafe of chilled white. Great, great, great!

We spent time in an Internet Cafe, called Web & Wine, and I had a prosecco and munchies at a table on the street, while DH checked his investment websites and emails.

Dinner was at a little pizza place. That night in town was memorable because it was the final playoff for the World Cup. Germany/Italy. The restaurant had the game on, as did every business. Little bars had little 15 inch TV sets, set up with an overflow crowd spilling out onto the streets. The town, at 9:30 or 10, after we finished eating, was just alive with people. Such good energy.

That night, in our room, we KNEW Italy had won, because of the fireworks and honking that went on and on.

At breakfast the next morning the Germans staying there were rather cool and subdued ;-)

With the help of Antonella, we managed to maneuver our car out of her parking lot, only stalling 3 times, and were on our way.

Next stop: Lunch in Montalcino and Cortona

StuDudley

>> final playoff for the World Cup. Germany/Italy. <<

Finals were between Italy & France. We were in France at the time, and there were no fireworks !!!

Stu Dudley

cupspinner

Hi StuDudley-Playoff between Germany/Italy determined that Italy would go to the Championship game, yes? What I call the World Cup Championship game- between France/Italy was truly the final .... Just a difference in words, forgive me, not being a sports fan I may have given it the wrong name. Anyway, the Championship Game, The Big Enchilada, whatever; for that I was in Certaldo, coming up later in my report ;-)

nevertooold

cupspinner - just so that I can anticipate, what towns were you in, for how many days and at what hotels?

cupspinner

Day 6- Cortona by way of Montalcino:

We had another magnificent breakfast in Volterra and left for Cortona. We decided to drive to Montalcino for lunch.

By now, DH is getting the hang of driving, and stalling is becoming a thing of the past, thank goodness.

Our GPS guided us without incident to Montalcino, where we parked on a cliff and climbed, without the aid of ropes, to lunch at Grappalo Blu. The town had streets so steep, that there were handrails on the buildings in places.

We had to try the famed Brunello, and had read good reviews of this restaurant. After antipasti, DH had Guinea Hen and I had the Wild Boar. I was not aquainted with Brunello, and was surprised to see a multipaged "book" for a wine list...all Brunello. The bottle we picked was very good. No House Wine here, no half carafe, as was our custom. DH had one glass, as he was driving, and I had to finish as much as I was able. My duty.

We wandered the town a bit, and stopped at Pasticceria Mariuccia and got an assortment of yummy pastries for the car ride.

Then we went on to Cortona, past Montepulciano and Pienza, where we had an interesting side-tour of an olive orchard and a couple of residential neighborhoods, thanks to a disfunctional afternoon with the GPS.

We parked at the foot of the hill town of Cortona, outside the city gates, and again, were thankful for our light packing, as cars weren't allowed into the city. The streets were so narrow, that DH wouldn't have wanted to try anyway. Up the hill to Hotel San Michele, which used to be a palace in some early century.

Nice room, not large, but the air conditioner WORKED! One thing I was surprised to see, and this is in most all the places we stayed, was that you use your room key to turn on the lights in your room. When you leave your room, and take your key, the power to your room shuts off. This saves energy, obviously, but makes for a very hot room every time you return.

We spent 4 nights in Cortona. It was wonderful and relaxing. It would be a great place to venture forth to Montapulciano, or Umbria, or Arezzo. We stayed put. We'd just had a number of quick stays, and just wanted to absorb the town's atmosphere.

Breakfast at the hotel was very nice. A large buffet, with various breads, cheese, dry cereal, and scrambled eggs. They would make cappucino to order. The restaurants in town are very good. We had super pizza at Fufluns a couple times. Dinner at La Buccachia was very special, great atmosphere as well as food. Bruschetta at Caffe Degli Artisti was superb, the seafood salad was heaped with more tentacles than I care to eat, but if you like an assortment of squid and octopus, very good. Il Cacciatore was so good we went twice. Toscana, small and tasty food. The bars are nice for a cafe or an apertif. Two very good gelato places. All just incredibly good. We can't believe that every meal seems better than the last.

There is an internet place a few doors downhill from the hotel, where we catch up on the emails from home. We do this every day.

The park is great, relaxing and has a really cool fountain.

We did mundane things, like going to the grocery store, where I learned that you have to pay for a grocery cart - one euro. You pay for bags, too.

We went into Camucia to do our laundry, at one of the few self-service laundromats. The instructions were confusing, but a man there, who spoke no English, helped me out with my little bit of Italian, and lots of pointing and gesturing, I figured it out. Then he didn't know how to do the dryer, but I figured it out and told him what to do. It is fun to use the Italian, and in Volterra, and here too, you really do need it.

Getting gas in the car was also a bit tricky, since you put money into the pump, or into a machine near the pump, and it squirts gas in. We put in 5 Euro and got a couple tablespoons, I think. We laughted a lot, and put in some more. Someone there took pity and helped us out.

Just simple things like those errands made us feel more in touch with Italy and the people.

The shopkeepers in Cortona were extremely nice. In one Gallery, Il Pozzo, I bought a photograph. I chatted with the owner, Ivan, about the pottery on display there, saying that I do a similar primitive technique. He offered to introduce me to the artist who made it, and said to come back the next day.

The next day, Ivan locked up his shop, and took me to the workshop of the artist, Giulio Lucarini, who not only gave me a tour, but did two firings for me, and gave me a finished piece to take home. No charge. Ivan did all of the translation. It was truly memorable and a highlight of the trip...to think he'd shut down his business to do this.

We enjoyed the Etruscan Museum, the shops and market day.

We left Cortona, stopping to buy a fan in town, and made our way to Certaldo and the La Meridiana International School of Ceramics, where we spent the next week.

cupspinner

Nevertoold,
Rome 1 night, Hotel La Rovere

Florence, 2 nights, Hotel Europa

Volterra, 2 nights, Hotel Villa Porta all' Arco

Cortona, 4 nights, Hotel San Michele

Certaldo, 5 nights in an apartment at La Meridiana Ceramics School

Chiusi - 1 night - Hotel Sfinge

Rome - 2 nights - Hotel San Marco

cupspinner

CERTALDO -
We stayed in a little apartment over the clay studios at La Meridiana International School of Ceramics. We had a bedroom, bath, kitchen, and patio. I am a potter and was interested in an artist who was presenting a workshop at this place. This is the reason we went to Italy in July, which I wouldn't consider doing otherwise.

The day we arrived was the Big Game, the Final Championship between France and Italy. The potter who owns the school arranged for all of us (a dozen students) to go to a local restaurant to have dinner and watch the game. It was very exciting, the crowd was so animated, that it almost came to a fistfight at one point.

The food was good, but secondary to the "action". When Italy won, the place erupted. People were hugging and running around with the Italian Flag, singing, cheering. Quite a memory.

The class had it's problems, which I won't go into. The surrounding area is beautiful, as it is adjacent to the Chianti Region. Students were adults from France, Switzerland, Germany, Portugal, USA, and Mexico. Quite fun.

Certaldo Alto is a medieval hill town, and Certaldo is at the base of that. We were in the countryside, about 15 minutes drive from there. There was a music festival there at the time, and people in medieval costumes. Cool stuff. I would like to spend more time in the area.

We did our own shopping. We had to go to a couple cities to find a hair dryer. We were VERY glad to have purchased that FAN on the way, because we certainly did need it. Best 20 Euro I spent.

hazel1

Cupspinner - was the name of the incredible "Dino and Tony Hostaria" just that? Where was it located? I'm compiling a list of restaurants in Rome for my trip in May and that one's not on any lists I've seen so far, but it sounds like a place I definitely want to include.

cupspinner

CHIUSI
We left Certaldo and drove to Chiusi. This was our first time on the Autostrada, and I was worried about it prior to the trip. But it was a piece of cake. Once you find the A1, you just stay on it...you don't get lost! We'd made our share of wrong turns and stared with wonder at intersections where you have to read 15 signs at once, so just a fast, direct, wide highway was a relief.

We were in Chiusi to return our rental car prior to taking the train to Rome. We didn't want to drive into Rome, and this car needed to be back Sat. morning. So, we spent Friday night in Chiusi, and returned the car Sat. morning and took the train.

We stayed at Hotel La Sfinge, which had no elevator, but had a very nice room, with the nicest bathroom we'd had. Fancy towels, linens, nice sized room. The desk clerk recommended a place for dinner just up the street, which turned out to be the best meal we'd had.

The restaurant was called Il Kantharos. It had 3 tables. There was no menu. We chose to have all the courses for a total of 19.00 per person, including wine. The antipasti was a plate of roasted eggplant, a plate with roasted sweet and sour onions, artichokes and stuffed mushrooms, a plate of proschuitto & 3 other kinds of salumi, we then got 2 different kinds of pasta, one with a spicy fresh tomato sauce, and the other a meaty ragu, the best pasta we've ever had anywhere. Then came a plate of cheeses with honey and a basket of assorted bread, then after that came a slice of fig tart, an edible chocolate cup filled with a thick chocolate liquer mix, and biscotti to dip in vin santo.

The town was very charming, very neat and clean. We didn't find people who spoke English, so we inflicted our poor Italian on the folks there. We would have liked to stay on an extra day there. It is a nice place.

After a restful night's sleep, we dropped off the rental car and hopped the train to Rome. We went on an IC, first class.

We arrived in Rome at Noon on a Saturday, arriving to a TAXI STRIKE.

Next up: Last days of Rome

cupspinner

Hazel1,

The fantastic restaurant in Rome is:
Hostaria-Pizzeria Dino & Tony
Via Leone IV 60, 00192 Roma
Tel 06 39.73.32.84
Kinda near Vatican City, closed Sun.

cupspinner

Last Days of Rome:

We arrived to find a taxi strike. We went to the taxi stand only to find enterprising drivers, who wanted to charge us 45 euro a piece to cross town to our hotel.

I remembered that Hotel San Carlo was near a subway stop, so I suggested to DH that we go down to the lower level of the Termini station and check out the subway maps...see how intimidating it looked.

We knew that the hotel was near the Spanish Steps, and we saw a corresponding name on the subway maps. We got in line and figured out the ticket machine, figured out the turnstiles, and for 1 euro each, went to the Hotel.

We had our only encounter with THIEVES at this time. We were prepared. A couple young people shoved DH in through the train doors, into another person...He almost fell, but recovered.

We had our 2 carry-ons, purse and daypack. All of our luggage had been secured with black zip-ties. My purse and the daypack were slashproof, as well. All of our money, cards, etc., were safely stowed in our moneybelts. DH felt hands on him, but nothing else happened. We've read about this kind of thing, and had traveled wisely, so no worse for wear.

The A train was fast and clean. We walked through the Piazza Spagna, past some very pricey designer shops, and found our hotel, no problem.

Hotel San Carlo is very nice. We had a large room with a balcony. 4th floor, no elevator. The air conditioning was so great that it actually got cold, too cold in the room.

We knew we only had a day and a half and needed to make the best of it, so we headed right out, and saw the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona. We needed a break, so found a little bar at the end of a narrow dead end street, and had a big plastic cup of wine, and an amazing salad. DH didn't eat,nor had I planned to, but I saw some young ladies eating a wonderful looking salad, so I ordered one too. Glad I did.

We hoofed it back to the hotel, stopping at a grocery near the Trevi to pick up some things for a picnic on our terrace. We rested our feet and watched Loony Tunes in Italian.

On Sunday, we took the subway to the Colisseum. What an incredible feeling, coming up out of the subway tunnel and seeing that famous sight! We got there early so the line wasn't long and the heat wasn't horrible yet. We enjoyed our time there, although we cut it sort of short because inside the arena area the heat was already starting to build.

We visited St. Peter in Chains, and saw Moses by Michaelangelo, as well as other incredible art. We also saw the Cathedral Minerva. We took the subway to the hotel, had a couple of panini, and took the subway to Santa Maria del Popolo, which was wonderful. Such art treasures all over this city, and so little time. We went to Piazza Republica and had dinner in an Irish Pub. Yep, that's right. Sunday night, and so many places are closed. We just wanted a sandwich and an ale. Simple.

The next day we took a limo to the airport, and flew home. What a wonderful time. So short, but so full of wonderful memories. We hope to do it again.

Thanks again for all your help.

missypie

Sounds like a terrific trip!

annhig

hi, cupspinner, a really great report.

I can't help feeling that your positive attitude adds to your enjoyment.

The term you were searching for in respect of the Germany-italy football [ok soccer] match is "semi-final".

Each team has to play in the preliminary rounds, which are followed, for the eight qualifiers, by quarter and semi-finals and hopefully, the final itself. no special route to the final for any team, not even last time's champions, although up until very recently, neither they, nor the hosts, had to pre-qualify.

appreciate you may now be suffering from information overload, but you never know when it may come in useful.

Best Wishes, Ann

cupspinner

Ann,
Thanks for the sports lesson. I need all the help I can get!

We really did have a positive attitude going in. I not only left America, I "left America" in the sense of trying to be sensitive to the people and customs, rather than dragging along my own way of doing things.

I ate with my left hand visible on the table, rather than under the table in my lap.

Salt the bread, water the wine...lots of new things to try! (salting bread-good, watering wine at lunch--not so much!)

I would ask permission before touching merchandise in a store. "Permesso, Posso" go a long way. Also, Pardoname, scusa, the usual courtesies, are appreciated.

I found, as many do, that if you try to speak Italian, it is appreciated, rather than just assuming everyone speaks English.

There was a definite difference in their perception of Personal Space, which was interesting. You only THINK you're first in line to get on the next subway train, that is until someone steps right in front of you, followed by 5 more. Just keep cool, it was actually kinda funny.

I just loved it.

StuDudley

>>>Salt the bread, water the wine<<

Hey!!! - I salt the bread too. In Tuscany, they do not put salt in their bread. It's the only place I've ever seen my Father-in-law not devoure a couple of slices of bread before dinner (and ruin his appetite). He says the bread there has no taste. He's not into dipping it in salted olive oil.

Don't know about watering the wine.

Our closest friends who have a second home in Tuscany, make a trip into France at least once every two years so they can stock up on cassis syrup & make Kirs in Tuscany.

Stu Dudley