socaltraveler

I have not commented before but I have been happily reading about your family's holiday adventures. Excellent and humerous writing. Happy 2011 to all of you.

LoveItaly

As socaltraveler posted I have not commented either but I have so enjoyed your trip report, wayfinder. Especially since we were in Italy for two months when our daughter was 17 years old. That was the best trip to Italy of all! Crowd phobia, I have it and I found out when our daughter was a teenager she does also so I can relate to your girls. I absolutely love your report and I feel like I have travelled along with you and your family while you were in Italy. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures.

annhig

For the first time on our trip, we have an “emergency” and it’s because one of the parents is lost.>>

lol, wayfinder. when we were in Venice with our kids, then about 19 & 16, DH and I went out one night for a drink, leaving them in our apartment as they decided they'd rather watch the italian telly. strange!

we then proceeded to get completely lost, and were wandering around till about 1am until we found a kind person to point us in the right direction.

there was no point in phoning them because they would have had no idea where we were so we just kept on until we were rescued by our anonymous samaritan.

they didn't even notice.

loving your report - sad it's coming to an end.

wayfinder45

taconictraveler, thank you! I did make an effort to take things in stride, to be sure. However, I did lose my cool once ... on the very last day!

ann, me too! That's why I've been dragging my heels with these last few posts! It's been so much fun reliving the trip!

wayfinder45

One thing you notice about Venice is that there is no grass. There’s the odd potted plant on a balcony and tiny courtyards which surely sprout greenery in the spring, but no expanse of grass to lounge on. Now, of course, I didn’t check the entire city of Venice, but let’s just say that if there are stretches of grass, they are rare sightings indeed. There’s pavement stone and water. The streets and squares are barely distinguishable and serve multiple purposes: children’s playground, commuter thoroughfare….doggie park. Still, it was a bit startling to open the front door at 9:00 am on New Year’s Day and find a little terrier doing its “duty” on our front step. The elderly women at the other end of the leash expressed neither embarrassment nor concern. For the most part, I found Venetian streets free of litter, but you do have to watch out for piles of “duties.”

This morning, though, Venice is trashed. The sanitation workers who walk through the streets with pushcarts sweeping up piles of garbage clearly have the day off, or maybe they’re just getting a late start. Litter and broken glass are scattered everywhere.

D and I are heading to San Giorgio Maggiore – I’ve read that there will be a mass involving Benedictine monks and Gregorian chants. This sounds too cool, and I’m looking forward to seeing the view of San Marco from across the water as well. D is 75 and has more energy than my entire family put together, so we leave the rest of the gang sleeping and take the vaporetto to San Marco. I thought we could take a line directly to San Giorgio, but apparently we have to switch piers at San Marco and take another boat across the basin.

The day is cloudy and gray, but fairly mild. However, I long for a crisp blue sky to bring out more vivid colors. The city is hung over this morning…but it’s more than that…Venice seems faded, worn out, crumbling. Venice is still majestic, to be sure, but a melancholy overcomes me as it seems like the city is losing the battle against the elements. And it’s not just the floods, it’s neglect as well. While major renovation projects are underway (witness the ridiculous advert- covered scaffolding), the sheer scale of the need far surpasses the investment being made. In a sense it’s understandable: if my basement was constantly flooding, I wouldn’t worry about painting the house. Still, it saddens me. Faded glory is to be expected, but for the first time, I see ugly as well.

But maybe it’s just the light. Or my mood.

We arrive at San Giorgio Maggiore at 10:15, 15 minutes after the mass should have started – and there’s clearly no mass underway. How disappointing! But up near the altar, lovely Gregorian chanting can be faintly heard. Standing by a roped-off side entrance that must lead down to some private chapel, the soothing sound of Benedictine monks at worship can be heard more clearly. A few others gather with me to listen, but it feels too much like eavesdropping, so I move away.

The bell tower isn’t open but the view from the top must be stunning. Indeed, the view from the campo in front of the basilica is a treat, with a panorama of San Marco and Santa Maria della Salute. The basilica itself is interesting, with a number of paintings by Tintoretto – Jacobo and Domenico. But I was expecting more from the floors I had read so much about. I’m sure this is due to my artistic ignorance. I do enjoy the peek at the courtyard of the monastery that can be seen to the right of the basilica.

D and I could really go for a coffee just about now, but we walk around a bit and don’t find anything promising. A vaporetto is heading to the dock, so we hop on. It’s not going back to San Marco, but down the Giudecca, the long way round to Santa Lucia. That’s just fine with me.

Bokhara2

I'm really enjoying your trip, wayfarer. Thank you so much for a wonderful wander around a city that will always have a warm place in my heart.

Your daughter's desire for a mask on a stick reminded me of a lovely night in Venice. Vitti, a friend who'd moved from Milan to work with the restoration/flood abatement department, invited me to dinner before a concert at the Scuola Grande di San Rocco.

Perched on a stool in her kitchen, with a glass of red in hand, chatting & absorbing the wonderful aromas; I glanced out the window when a light came on in an an apartment across the calle.

It was pure magic. The mask maker bent over his bench, with masks in various stages of creation beside him and hanging from hooks on the walls. An exquisite mask of black, gold and turquoise was on the stand in front of him, with glass jars of sequins, feathers, crystals and braids at his side as he re-started work on it. I felt as if I were peering into Aladdin's cave.

The memory of that night is like a little jewel in my memory, with the mask maker;running through winding calle to the Scuola; the concert; Tintoretto's crucifixion painting, Vitti's wonderful dinner and her laughter making up the facets.

Poconolady

Please don't tell me that your adventure is over-I have truly enjoyed your trip. How did it end?

Gwendolynn

I hope there's more to come.... I've become hopelessly entranced.
(And I had the same reaction at Pisa..... couldn't go more than a few feet before I had to retreat.... and I'm not afraid of heights... must be the angle.)

wayfinder45

Things have been busy while D and I were at San Giorgio Maggiore. Shortly after we left, DH roused the kids and threw them out of the apartment: “Go explore!” he commands. “You’re too soft,” he says to me when I get back. “They had a lot of fun.” I’m too soft on you too, I think. Catapulting them out onto the streets of Venice bought him a nice leisurely spell at our corner breakfast bar.

But I have to say, the kids do look happy. The three girls went over to the Rialto and back, taking pictures and shopping. They tried to take a ride on a gondola and negotiated an offer of 70 euros – which was still too rich for their pocketbooks, but I was impressed nonetheless. I've not seen a better price noted on this forum! DD2 bought a lovely fountain pen along with a few small masks for her friends (and one for DD3). DD1 bought a pretty blue glass ring which she enjoys for less than 12 hours, dropping it on the bedroom floor that night and nicking it. DD3 is out of cash, so she gives me a rundown of all the things she saw that she would like to buy. Venice is certainly their favorite shopping destination.

DH has also been busy working on the heating/cooling system with yet another handyman Roberta has sent over. We've stayed pretty comfortable as the apartment has maintained its heat well (only the clothes still haven't dried), and I’ve been the only one so far to attempt a bath in the little pedestal bathtub. It must be the French guy continuing to pester her. DH explains that there are TWO sets of controls – one that he has been fiddling with in the hallway, and another in the kitchen. Fiddling with the hallway controls threw off the kitchen controls making us lose hot water (so DH is the culprit there). This new guy has a handle on the problem but can’t figure out the hallway controls. DH pulls up the online manual he had googled the day before but couldn’t translate (it was a PDF file he wants me to point out). The handyman takes a look at it and light bulbs go off! And the heat and hot water return!

It’s impressive that Roberta has managed to send two different people by on a major holiday to sort things out, but I wonder that she didn’t just take 5 minutes to come by herself and be done with it. I can only speculate that she took the obscene amount of cash that I (and presumably French guy) handed over to her and absconded to Barcelona for the New Year!

We have leftover pasta and other bits and pieces for lunch at the apartment. Then we all stroll over to the Frari church. I want DH and the girls to see it. The entrance fee is waived today which is nice. We take a good, long look around. DD3 gives some change to an old, sad looking, bent over beggar who stands near the door to the church. G tells us that later on he saw the old man stagger shakily around to the side of the church, then stand full up, count the coins in his cup, and walk merrily away.

It’s drinks time – or close enough. We pop into our favorite bar just across the bridge in front of the Frari. It's called L'archivio and as I said before -- this place has a great feel to it. This time I try something else new: prosecco. I’m not a big champagne fan, so I’m a bit skeptical this is going to be a winner for me – but I love it! I’ll have another, thank you very much.

There are some lovely gift shops around the Frari church, so we browse through them looking for a few last gifts to bring loved ones back home. Here’s where I make a really stupid, regrettable mistake. While the girls have been purchasing the cheap, definitely-not-made-in-Murano glass, like a magnet I’m drawn to this gift shop just to the left of the Frari that has authentic articles from Murano. In the window are several exquisite, translucent glass bookmarks. I immediately fall in love. I’m not a big shopper, and haven’t seen many things on the trip that I really had to have….but those bookmarks….I wanted one of those. They were about 30 euros each, but for a special keepsake, I was willing to go there.

But instead of going in the shop, right then and there, I checked the door and noted that they would be open until 5:30. We then went on to another couple of gift shops just off the square near the grocery store we had found. These were filled with the imitation stuff, but I did want to get a glass hair clip that I had seen. About 5:00 we head back to the Frari campo and the store with the bookmarks has disappeared...literally. (This is one disconcerting thing about Venice – the shops don’t just close – they get swallowed up into the walls. This can be a real problem if you’ve used that corner café or shoe shop as your visual cue to find your way home). At first I don’t believe it…but the shop was right on the campo so it’s not like I’ve mixed up the streets. The shopkeeper must have simply decided to close up early. Our train leaves at 8:30 in the morning, so there’s no way to come back. I’m…REALLY…bummed. [My cheap consolation prize – a pretty 5 euro hair clip lasts for exactly one wear – it literally springs apart when I take it off the first time I wear it back home and I still haven’t been able to put it back together].

We’ve made dinner reservations at an ethnic restaurant right next to L'archivio. It’s sort of a Turkish/Lebanese affair and both the atmosphere and the food are fabulous. Only DD3 is unhappy … no spaghetti pomodoro on the menu. No Italian food at all, in fact. It’s a refreshing change of pace -- and really delicious as well. There's a mixed hors d'oeuvres platter with dolmades, falafel, hummus, and some other amazing dips. The Lebanese wine on offer is not great, but we also order a very nice Pinot Grigio. It’s a lovely meal with G&D, marred only by DD3’s escalating whinefest (we're starving her, after all).

It’s an early night. After dinner, we head back to the apartment to tidy up and pack for that 8:30 am train back to Rome.

KN2011

Great report, thanks for taking the time to write it up. Was fun to read

annhig

yes, we've loved being with you on your travels.

incidentally, as well as taking your empty water bottle to filled with red or white wine at those shops that sell it from the barrel, you can buy prosecco from the barrel too!

Poconolady

One of the greatest lessons I ever learned while traveling is--if you see something and you know that you absolutely have to have it, buy it then. You never know if you will find that little shop again, especially in places like Venice. Then again, it gives you another reason to return.

KTtravel

It sounds like you'll just have to make another trip to Venice to purchase that bookmark!

Cpelk

Oh wayfinder, I may be just as sad at seeing your trip report coming to an end as you were having your holiday come to an end.

I've been loving every minute of it and waiting for every installment.

All I can think of to do is go back and read it again, and this time take notes!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences.

CindyP.

wayfinder45

We make the 8:30 train by the skin of our teeth. We’re wiser than we were three days ago and this time cross Ponte di Calatrava from Piazzale Roma over to Santa Lucia station. It’s a large bridge, but the steps are much shallower. Unfortunately, our suitcases are heavier.

We board the train with just a few minutes to spare. Luckily, it is practically empty, so we have no problem finding a place for our luggage. Oddly, we’ve been ticketed in such a way that three of us are sitting separately. By Bologna, though, the train is packed – solving that little mystery.

In four short hours, we’re back in Termini. DH and the girls go in one taxi, the suitcases and I go in another to Hotel Campo dei Fiori. My driver manages to get to the front of the hotel, probably illegally. I feel like I’m in one of those movie scenes where a taxi is crawling through the streets of Phnom Penh surrounded by hoards of people. DH and the girls have been dropped off a couple of blocks away, but since they’re walking at the same pace as my taxi, they make it to the hotel at the same time I do.

We enjoyed Villa San Pio, but for our last day in Rome – knowing that we would arrive mid-day – I wanted to stay close to the action. I got very lucky with Hotel Campo dei Fiori because January 2nd turned out to be their one slow booking night between Christmas and Epiphany. I snagged their “most romantic room” – with a balcony -- for half the price it was going for the day before and the day after. And while “half price” wasn't cheap (about 200E), it was so worth it. The room was one of two on the top floor of the hotel (one flight of stairs above the elevator, giving it a private and exclusive feel). The view from the balcony is simply divine. There is also a rooftop terrace that all the guests have access to which is a real gem. The room is nicely appointed and indeed very romantic. DH is quite pleased.

The girls are in a triple two floors below us. Their room is a bit tight (three beds in a row), but they are happy with the flat screen TV and list of pay-to-view movies (we give the green light for one). Before anyone gets comfortable though, we’re out the door to grab lunch. The front desk clerk recommends a trattoria close by. I’m pretty sure we screw up her recommendation and end up at a different place. We go to La Curia di Bacco which is just across the street from the hotel and incorporates part of an old Roman cave (I think it’s part of Pompey’s Theater). It’s intriguing and we decide to sit in the cave part, but the lighting is actually awful -- it seems like the cave part usually serves as a disco/bar scene. I can see it being a fun place for young people to hang out at night, but it’s not really appealing at lunch time. And the food is pretty bad. Tip: When the staff act surprised when you walk in for lunch, you are in the wrong place.

We still have some business to take care of in Rome. St. Peter’s Square for one. From Campo dei Fiori it is an easy walk over to the Vatican. Walking into Bernini’s piazza is always breathtaking. DH actually manages to get in a two-minute lecture, pointing out salient features of the piazza before the girls wander off to look at the life-size crèche. Then we have our first sightseeing disagreement of the trip: DH and DD3 want to go into St. Peter’s Basilica. The older girls want one last chance to tour the Colosseum. In hindsight, we should have just split up. Instead, looking at the long line waiting to enter the Basilica, I vote for the Colosseum.

We hop in a taxi, but the driver is only able to drop us near the wedding cake and we have to walk the rest of the way. It’s about 3:30 and the Colosseum should be open until 4:00. But the gates are shut again! There are a couple of Caribiniari vans outside the gates and I can only speculate that some bomb threat has prompted an early closing. I get an “I told you so” look from DH which I ignore, but I do feel bad for DD3 who wanted to see “the most important church in the world.”

She is partly mollified by some sweet Asian tourists who stop to take pictures of – and with – her as she walks along a wall striking various glamour poses. This feeds her inner diva to no end.

The older girls are happy to be back among the Roman ruins. Before we know it, we’re back on Viale Aventino. I’m not sure anyone consciously made the decision to walk this way, but we now decide to see if we can get someone to let us into our old high school. We had gone there shortly after arriving in Rome, but no one answered. Like before, we start pushing all the buttons outside the gate and – someone answers! We explain who we are – on our word that we went to school there 30 years ago, they buzz us in. The caretaker (who is vaguely familiar) shows us around and it turns out we do know him – he is the son of the previous caretaker – the last time we saw him he was about 10 years old! Now he and his family live at the school, taking care of the property, and the students, like his mother and father before him. He patiently shows us around, explaining what’s new and how things have changed. He’s genuinely happy to see us, and for some reason, this encounter reaffirms everything that I hold dear about Italy: the sense of continuity, the importance of family and relationships, the sense of connectedness – to the past, to each other.

We may have missed both St. Peter’s Basilica AND the Colosseum, but I wouldn’t trade the feeling of joy and contentment I have now for anything.

Leaving the school, we head to the Bocca della Verita. There’s not a hope in heck that it’s open, but we venture forth anyways. Walking alongside the Circo Massimo we pass a statute (some guy on a horse) that DH’s uncle had a hand in. It’s a minor part – he worked on the frieze at the base – but the girls think this is the coolest thing. We were going to just give it a wave from across the street, but the girls insist on going over, climbing on it, and taking a bunch of pictures to document this bit of family history.

The gates to the Bocca della Verita are indeed closed. But at least they can get a peek at it. By this time, we’re all a bit pooped, so we hop on a bus going along the river. Traffic is jammed, so we don’t reach Campo dei Fiori any quicker, but at least we get a brief respite. Dinner is right on the campo – at a restaurant with the unique name of Campo dei Fiori. We have a really nice dinner, sitting outside under a protective awning to keep the chill off. The grilled scampi is delicious, but pricey (30E!). The risotto with zucchini is lovely, as is the asparagus soup.

I think we might take one last long walk after dinner – maybe head back to the Spanish Steps or Trevi Fountain, but our awesome hotel rooms are just steps away – too tempting to escape. DH and I have a balcony and a bottle of wine calling. And the girls have pay for view. A perfect last night in Italy.

TDudette

Brava!

wayfinder45

Phew!

wayfinder45

Postscripts

First, a mea culpa. I ragged quite extensively on the restaurant in Venice that blatantly cheated us out of 24 euros. Unfortunately, I misidentified the restaurant. In my defense, my AMEX bill led me to Falciani’s because it listed the restaurant’s parent company as the entity billing me. Right next door to Falciani’s is the Birreria ai Leoncini which is the place where we were actually ripped off. Now, whoever owns Falciani’s must also own the Birreria; otherwise I’m very confused as to why my AMEX bill says what it says. But my apologies. However, I still stand by the opinion that it’s safest not to order more than a cappuccino from any of the restaurants in Piazza San Marco!

Second, I did mention that I really lost it on the very last day of the trip. That would be when the plane was boarding and my darling DH was nowhere to be found. We had had a hurried departure from the hotel (I didn’t even get a chance to step inside what promised to be a lovely little breakfast room). However, we arrived at the airport in plenty of time to make it through security, stand in a lengthy line for some morning sustenance, and take a quick browse through the duty free shop.

About 10 minutes before the plane was to board, DH went off to take care of some personal business. Well, it seemed like the airline went from “about to board” to “final boarding” in about two minutes. I think because they shuttle people out to the tarmac, the boarding occurs in just a couple of large waves. The PA system could not be heard beyond a few feet of the immediate gate. So wherever DH was, he was not likely to hear these feeble announcements. I start frantically walking around, not wanting to go too far, but somehow knowing he was going to have to be physically tracked down or he was not going to make the flight. The gate attendants were becoming increasingly impatient, so I finally told the kids to get on the plane, and I gave the gate attendants one of those wifely “give me five minutes and I’ll sort my husband out” looks and took off. I find him looking out the window in some kind of reverie clear on the other side of this wing of the terminal. THAT’s when I lose it. I probably nearly gave him a heart attack coming up behind him in full rant. He did jump about a foot in the air. I felt bad about that later. About 10 minutes later, in fact, while he and I were still sitting on the bus to take us to the plane, waiting for ANOTHER passenger to show up. So the plane wasn’t about to taxi down the runway with my children on it, but still. It was a double dose of Xanax on the plane for him (I nearly took one myself!).

Third, it doesn’t seem quite fair, but the one family member who did not throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, will be the first to go back to Italy. DD1 decided to apply for that semester abroad in Siena and snagged the last spot! She’ll be studying for three months at the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci beginning in September. She’ll have intensive Italian language lessons five days a week and her other courses include “Art and Spirituality: Treasures of Florence and Siena,” “Saints and Sinners in Medieval/Renaissance Siena” and a Music History class that will include many concerts at the Palazzo Chigi Saracini. How cool is that!

Thanks to everyone for following along and allowing me to relive the wonderful trip our family had.

Buon viaggi tutti!

ellenem

Bravissima!

aussie_10

Thanks wayfinder45 Loved your travelling tales and experiences.
We will be in Italy in 3 months and you have given me lots of ideas and enhanced my pre trip excitment....bravo!!