Trip Report - Perugia, Capri, Pompei, Naples, and Rome with a Recalcitrant Husband
Mar 23rd, 2006, 09:57 AM
#21
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Okay, this is now officially too weird....Kaukauna, I sent you an email.
I never posted the Rome portion of the trip, you're right, so as soon as I have 3 free seconds (since I am now employed and no longer have copious amounts of free time to devote to writing) I'll see what the heck I can remember.
I never posted the Rome portion of the trip, you're right, so as soon as I have 3 free seconds (since I am now employed and no longer have copious amounts of free time to devote to writing) I'll see what the heck I can remember.
Mar 24th, 2006, 03:23 AM
#23
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Day Ten – Off to Rome
Having learned upon our arrival in Pompei that the Scavi stop of the Circumvesuviana line was most definitely not within walking distance when weighed down by baggage, the hotel called us a cab, which actually took us to the Pompei Santuario stop. The train arrived on time and without consequence, we made it to Naples and caught our connection to Rome without any trouble.
We arrived in Rome by 10 a.m, which meant we had almost the entire day still available. We had booked a room at the Mecenate Palace (130 euro a night), which was not too far from the station, so we decided to walk to the hotel. It was approximately a 10 or 15 minute walk, and it was early in the day so we weren’t yet completely exhausted.
We had booked the hotel at about the lowest price you can possibly get, considering the Mecenate Palace is 4-star. Our room size seemed to be directly proportional to the price we paid. The queen bed took up the majority of the room, with a very small space to shimmy back and forth between the dresser and the bathroom. In spite of the size, the room was clean and cool, and we didn’t plan to spend much time there anyway, so the small size was no big deal to us.
After unpacking and resting for a few minutes, we ventured to the bar directly next door to have lunch. They had a really impressive display of lunch items, and we splurged on fresh vegetables, as vegetables were a commodity not readily available during our restaurant meals. Lovely fresh green beans, Roman broccoli, and spinach, along with a flaky ham and cheese pastry. We paid a fairly high price for our vegetables, considering it was a bar – I believe it was about 38 euro for lunch.
Since C was most excited about seeing the Coliseum and the Forum, we headed there first. We walked from the hotel, straight down Via Cavour, stopping briefly on the way for a cocktail. When one views ancient ruins, it is best to be slightly tipsy. Okay, maybe the heat was getting to us!
The line to get in the Coliseum was actually quite short; we only waited about 5 or 10 minutes. Once through the ticketing area, we traveled up through those ancient stone walkways into the main level of the arena. We stood inside and peered up, imagining what it must have looked like in the height of its glory. Since I did not know much about the structure itself, we tried to (discreetly) eavesdrop on some of the passing tour groups. And, since everyone here was acting like a tourist, we took pictures of ourselves in Roman statue postures. My favorite is the one where C is pointing his finger in the air like Augustus.
Our ad hoc tour of the Coliseum complete, we dodged the modern day entrepreneurial gladiators whose main stock in trade is being photographed, and moved on to the Forum. It is incredible to think that you are walking the streets of Ancient Rome. We spent a good bit of time looking for ancient graffiti: the items of interest that were etched into the stone steps of buildings by Romans with an agenda, or maybe just Romans who were bored waiting for their girlfriend to finish sandal shopping. We found a couple of the ancient games carved into some of the steps. Of the monuments that still remain, the temples are some of the more striking, their stately columns reaching up to the clouds.
Since we were already in this neighborhood, we climbed the steps at the far end of the Forum to get to the Campidoglio. In the future, I think I would have taken a cab to the Campidoglio and walked down the steps into the Forum. Climbing large sets of steps after an already long day is not a pleasant experience. (You would think we would have learned our lesson from the Campidoglio. But no – we’ll climb more steps later.) We sat in the cool shade beneath and arcaded walkway and admired the design of the Capital hill and the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius.
It was at this point that we noticed that our return route to the hotel would take us past San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains), and since we weren’t sure if we would walk this particular route again, we decided we would go. That was before we arrived at the spot on the map where the church should be and saw a giant set of steps leading upward. I looked at C. C looked at me. We sighed, rolled our eyes, and began to slowly and painfully trudge our way up the steps. We got lapped by several Italian grandmas. Once we got to the top, the church was blissfully cool and empty. We looked at the Michelangelo statue, speculated on the veracity of the chains, and thanked all the higher powers that while physics required you to climb up the stairs on the way there, it also more gently asked you to climb down them on the way out.
After a quick shower and change, we headed back out to dinner at a nondescript restaurant about a block and a half from our hotel on Via Cavour. Had heard good things about Agata e Romeo, but was too tired to find it or frankly eat too much at this point. And thus, day 10 came to a close.
Day 11, in which man and machine collide outside the Vatican, still to come....
Having learned upon our arrival in Pompei that the Scavi stop of the Circumvesuviana line was most definitely not within walking distance when weighed down by baggage, the hotel called us a cab, which actually took us to the Pompei Santuario stop. The train arrived on time and without consequence, we made it to Naples and caught our connection to Rome without any trouble.
We arrived in Rome by 10 a.m, which meant we had almost the entire day still available. We had booked a room at the Mecenate Palace (130 euro a night), which was not too far from the station, so we decided to walk to the hotel. It was approximately a 10 or 15 minute walk, and it was early in the day so we weren’t yet completely exhausted.
We had booked the hotel at about the lowest price you can possibly get, considering the Mecenate Palace is 4-star. Our room size seemed to be directly proportional to the price we paid. The queen bed took up the majority of the room, with a very small space to shimmy back and forth between the dresser and the bathroom. In spite of the size, the room was clean and cool, and we didn’t plan to spend much time there anyway, so the small size was no big deal to us.
After unpacking and resting for a few minutes, we ventured to the bar directly next door to have lunch. They had a really impressive display of lunch items, and we splurged on fresh vegetables, as vegetables were a commodity not readily available during our restaurant meals. Lovely fresh green beans, Roman broccoli, and spinach, along with a flaky ham and cheese pastry. We paid a fairly high price for our vegetables, considering it was a bar – I believe it was about 38 euro for lunch.
Since C was most excited about seeing the Coliseum and the Forum, we headed there first. We walked from the hotel, straight down Via Cavour, stopping briefly on the way for a cocktail. When one views ancient ruins, it is best to be slightly tipsy. Okay, maybe the heat was getting to us!
The line to get in the Coliseum was actually quite short; we only waited about 5 or 10 minutes. Once through the ticketing area, we traveled up through those ancient stone walkways into the main level of the arena. We stood inside and peered up, imagining what it must have looked like in the height of its glory. Since I did not know much about the structure itself, we tried to (discreetly) eavesdrop on some of the passing tour groups. And, since everyone here was acting like a tourist, we took pictures of ourselves in Roman statue postures. My favorite is the one where C is pointing his finger in the air like Augustus.
Our ad hoc tour of the Coliseum complete, we dodged the modern day entrepreneurial gladiators whose main stock in trade is being photographed, and moved on to the Forum. It is incredible to think that you are walking the streets of Ancient Rome. We spent a good bit of time looking for ancient graffiti: the items of interest that were etched into the stone steps of buildings by Romans with an agenda, or maybe just Romans who were bored waiting for their girlfriend to finish sandal shopping. We found a couple of the ancient games carved into some of the steps. Of the monuments that still remain, the temples are some of the more striking, their stately columns reaching up to the clouds.
Since we were already in this neighborhood, we climbed the steps at the far end of the Forum to get to the Campidoglio. In the future, I think I would have taken a cab to the Campidoglio and walked down the steps into the Forum. Climbing large sets of steps after an already long day is not a pleasant experience. (You would think we would have learned our lesson from the Campidoglio. But no – we’ll climb more steps later.) We sat in the cool shade beneath and arcaded walkway and admired the design of the Capital hill and the bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius.
It was at this point that we noticed that our return route to the hotel would take us past San Pietro in Vincoli (St. Peter in Chains), and since we weren’t sure if we would walk this particular route again, we decided we would go. That was before we arrived at the spot on the map where the church should be and saw a giant set of steps leading upward. I looked at C. C looked at me. We sighed, rolled our eyes, and began to slowly and painfully trudge our way up the steps. We got lapped by several Italian grandmas. Once we got to the top, the church was blissfully cool and empty. We looked at the Michelangelo statue, speculated on the veracity of the chains, and thanked all the higher powers that while physics required you to climb up the stairs on the way there, it also more gently asked you to climb down them on the way out.
After a quick shower and change, we headed back out to dinner at a nondescript restaurant about a block and a half from our hotel on Via Cavour. Had heard good things about Agata e Romeo, but was too tired to find it or frankly eat too much at this point. And thus, day 10 came to a close.
Day 11, in which man and machine collide outside the Vatican, still to come....
Mar 24th, 2006, 04:07 AM
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Day 11 – Scooter Mania
We woke up earlier than planned to the sound of garbage trucks emptying the giant trash bins outside our window, but chalked it up as extra time in Rome and decided to just get going and have some breakfast. The Mecenate Palace hotel offers their breakfast on the rooftop terrace, and the combination of the cooler mornings and the view of Rome was a great way to start the day. Another plus was that they had coffee. Now to me, this was no big thing – I could drink espresso all day every day. C likes espresso, too, but every once in awhile he just wants to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee, which is something the Italians don’t do. He found heaven at the Mecenate: his own pot of steaming hot, mostly Americanized coffee. The rest of the breakfast was nice, but not particularly memorable.
Our second day in Rome, we planned to tour the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica. We decided that we would arrive at the Vatican before its planned opening time in order to get in “right away.” We grabbed a cab from the cab stop outside of Santa Maria Maggiore, and arrived at the Vatican at approximately 7:45. The line outside the museums already wrapped around 2 sides of the building. Early morning optimism quickly pushed aside, we settled in for a long morning of waiting in lines. It was while we were standing in line that one of the more frightening episodes of our trip occurred. There is a street that curves around the outside of the Vatican museums. At one of the curves, someone placed a crosswalk, rather without any sort of foresight. An older lady started to cross the street with her shopping bags. Around the corner, a Vespa traveling just a little too fast. The next thing everyone knew, the Vespa had slid out and collided with the woman walking across the street. She was actually knocked out of her shoes. In the end, the only real damage was to the Vespa (thank goodness), but after that, crossing the street always felt like a crapshoot.
Once inside the Vatican (about an hour after we started standing in line), we toured all the rooms and ended with the Sistine Chapel. We looked for the back entrance to go to St. Peter’s, but couldn’t seem to spot it in the throngs of people, so we went out the regular way and trekked around the walls to the Basilica. St. Peter’s is always unbelievable. In retrospect, I wish we would have booked the Scavi tour and gone underneath, but the main area of the Basilica has plenty to look at. We watched the faithful rub St. Peter’s toe, rubbed it ourselves for good luck, and headed out into the columned piazza to catch a cab back to the hotel.
Walking through the museums and St. Peter’s is tiring, so we went to the grocery store across the street to buy some lunch provisions, ate lunch in our hotel room, and crashed for the remainder of the afternoon hours into a sleep uninterrupted by the pedestrian sounds of garbage truck music.
Later that evening, we managed to wake up, and we got dressed for our evening out. We were going to the Pantheon and Spanish Steps areas, so we pulled out all the stops for our evening wear. We went to the Pantheon first – and now that I am remembering, we passed an electrical fire happening inside one of the buildings about a block away. I think this was our day for witnessing misfortune! At any rate, we arrived at the Pantheon and went inside. For some reason, it was not completely jammed at that time of day, so we had time to look around at the tombs and inscriptions, and C had time to make plenty of jokes about how the Romans had left a hole in the ceiling. He also spent a lot of time asking me what they did when it rained. After the Pantheon, we decided to break with tradition and have dessert before dinner. We went to Gelateria della Palma, which had a really great selection of flavors. I think I had fig and mango, and C had lemon and strawberry.
After our refreshing break, we walked to the Spanish Steps area and wandered up and down Via del Corso, stopping to purchase a Furla handbag for our friend who was dogsitting. I was hoping to purchase a pair of gloves at Sermoneta, but they were unfortunately not open when we were there. After exploring the area and spending some time sitting on the steps in front of the fountain, we decided to try and find somewhere to eat. Trying to find somewhere to eat in the Spanish Steps area at 8 p.m. on a Saturday without a reservation is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Eventually, we found a larger restaurant that could squeeze us in, and we started to eat. We ordered antipasti of olive ascolane, and bruschetta. I tried a local Roman dish of pasta with chickpeas (cold), and it was actually really delicious. C had pasta carbonara. We had planned to have the braised beef for a second course, but were so full that we had to cancel, and we went for a dessert of panna cotta instead. Our stomachs nicely full, we walked one more time down Via Del Corso, weaving in and out of the “beautiful people.”
We woke up earlier than planned to the sound of garbage trucks emptying the giant trash bins outside our window, but chalked it up as extra time in Rome and decided to just get going and have some breakfast. The Mecenate Palace hotel offers their breakfast on the rooftop terrace, and the combination of the cooler mornings and the view of Rome was a great way to start the day. Another plus was that they had coffee. Now to me, this was no big thing – I could drink espresso all day every day. C likes espresso, too, but every once in awhile he just wants to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee, which is something the Italians don’t do. He found heaven at the Mecenate: his own pot of steaming hot, mostly Americanized coffee. The rest of the breakfast was nice, but not particularly memorable.
Our second day in Rome, we planned to tour the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica. We decided that we would arrive at the Vatican before its planned opening time in order to get in “right away.” We grabbed a cab from the cab stop outside of Santa Maria Maggiore, and arrived at the Vatican at approximately 7:45. The line outside the museums already wrapped around 2 sides of the building. Early morning optimism quickly pushed aside, we settled in for a long morning of waiting in lines. It was while we were standing in line that one of the more frightening episodes of our trip occurred. There is a street that curves around the outside of the Vatican museums. At one of the curves, someone placed a crosswalk, rather without any sort of foresight. An older lady started to cross the street with her shopping bags. Around the corner, a Vespa traveling just a little too fast. The next thing everyone knew, the Vespa had slid out and collided with the woman walking across the street. She was actually knocked out of her shoes. In the end, the only real damage was to the Vespa (thank goodness), but after that, crossing the street always felt like a crapshoot.
Once inside the Vatican (about an hour after we started standing in line), we toured all the rooms and ended with the Sistine Chapel. We looked for the back entrance to go to St. Peter’s, but couldn’t seem to spot it in the throngs of people, so we went out the regular way and trekked around the walls to the Basilica. St. Peter’s is always unbelievable. In retrospect, I wish we would have booked the Scavi tour and gone underneath, but the main area of the Basilica has plenty to look at. We watched the faithful rub St. Peter’s toe, rubbed it ourselves for good luck, and headed out into the columned piazza to catch a cab back to the hotel.
Walking through the museums and St. Peter’s is tiring, so we went to the grocery store across the street to buy some lunch provisions, ate lunch in our hotel room, and crashed for the remainder of the afternoon hours into a sleep uninterrupted by the pedestrian sounds of garbage truck music.
Later that evening, we managed to wake up, and we got dressed for our evening out. We were going to the Pantheon and Spanish Steps areas, so we pulled out all the stops for our evening wear. We went to the Pantheon first – and now that I am remembering, we passed an electrical fire happening inside one of the buildings about a block away. I think this was our day for witnessing misfortune! At any rate, we arrived at the Pantheon and went inside. For some reason, it was not completely jammed at that time of day, so we had time to look around at the tombs and inscriptions, and C had time to make plenty of jokes about how the Romans had left a hole in the ceiling. He also spent a lot of time asking me what they did when it rained. After the Pantheon, we decided to break with tradition and have dessert before dinner. We went to Gelateria della Palma, which had a really great selection of flavors. I think I had fig and mango, and C had lemon and strawberry.
After our refreshing break, we walked to the Spanish Steps area and wandered up and down Via del Corso, stopping to purchase a Furla handbag for our friend who was dogsitting. I was hoping to purchase a pair of gloves at Sermoneta, but they were unfortunately not open when we were there. After exploring the area and spending some time sitting on the steps in front of the fountain, we decided to try and find somewhere to eat. Trying to find somewhere to eat in the Spanish Steps area at 8 p.m. on a Saturday without a reservation is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Eventually, we found a larger restaurant that could squeeze us in, and we started to eat. We ordered antipasti of olive ascolane, and bruschetta. I tried a local Roman dish of pasta with chickpeas (cold), and it was actually really delicious. C had pasta carbonara. We had planned to have the braised beef for a second course, but were so full that we had to cancel, and we went for a dessert of panna cotta instead. Our stomachs nicely full, we walked one more time down Via Del Corso, weaving in and out of the “beautiful people.”
Mar 24th, 2006, 04:25 AM
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Day 12 – Porta Portese with the 2 Fabrizios
Before departing on our trip, we had gotten in touch with a fellow Atari collector (C collects Atari) in Rome. He had very kindly offered to meet up with us and take us to the Porta Portese flea market. The market starts early, and Fabrizio and his friend (also named Fabrizio) came to pick us up at the hotel at about 8:00. (Later in the story they will be referred to as F1 and F2). I asked to ride in the front seat, because I was pretty sure that my motion sickness medication was starting to wear off. On the way there, I got a little bit sick, but managed to grit my teeth and get there without any incident. The flea market was unbelievable. So much STUFF crammed into one section of Rome. Rugs, shoes, coins, shampoo, electronics (possibly hot) and food stands all jammed cheek by jowl provided a convenient environment for the pickpockets to practice their skills. Again, we planned ahead and carried virtually nothing with us. C actually found several Atari cartridges, I purchased some neat looking coins for my mom who had asked me to be on the lookout, and we just tried to soak up the atmosphere. After about 2 hours of bumping into people, we were finished and turned into a bar nearby for Cokes and espressos. F1 nicely paid.
On the way back to the hotel, trouble was brewing. My medication had DEFINITELY worn off. The cobblestone streets combined with F1s driving was enough to make me pretty darn sure I was going to lose my cookies in his Jeep. After trying unsuccessfully to hold onto my dignity, I had to ask him to pull over to let us out, and we ended up walking the rest of the way back to the hotel. Luckily, we were only about a 20 minute walk away. The Fs were cool about it, and invited us to dinner with them and their girlfriends that evening at a Roman steakhouse.
Back at the hotel, by way of a McDonald’s stop for some Coke and French fries (which for some reason settles your stomach), we rested for awhile before wandering across the street to finally check out Santa Maria Maggiore. The front steps of the church are populated by an odd assortment of individuals, from students catching rays to homeless people asking you for money. The church belongs to the Vatican, but it is left to languish in the middle of a grimy intersection. The inside of the church is slightly better kept, and viewing both what is purported to be the first nativity scene as well as the fragments of the manger was very interesting. We had a nice divinity student show us around for 3 euro.
Later that day, F1 came to pick us up at the hotel again for dinner. We then went to pick up his girlfriend at her apartment, and off we went to a restaurant in a completely untouristed part of town. At the restaurant we met F2 and his girlfriend, and went inside to grab a table. As you came inside the restaurant, steaks were displayed behind glass for you to look at before you chose one. All the Italians ordered steaks. C and I, thinking that it was our last night in Rome and we could get a steak at home, ordered pizza. Big mistake. The steaks looked thick and juicy and came with steak cut fries. Our pizza was just okay. The moral of this story is that you should order the specialty of the house.
We returned late to the hotel, after a drive in F1s second car that had Bluetooth technology in it that could link up with his cell phone. C was drooling. Unfortunately, our departure was scheduled for the following day, so we did some packing and drifted off into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of pickpockets and uneaten steaks.
Before departing on our trip, we had gotten in touch with a fellow Atari collector (C collects Atari) in Rome. He had very kindly offered to meet up with us and take us to the Porta Portese flea market. The market starts early, and Fabrizio and his friend (also named Fabrizio) came to pick us up at the hotel at about 8:00. (Later in the story they will be referred to as F1 and F2). I asked to ride in the front seat, because I was pretty sure that my motion sickness medication was starting to wear off. On the way there, I got a little bit sick, but managed to grit my teeth and get there without any incident. The flea market was unbelievable. So much STUFF crammed into one section of Rome. Rugs, shoes, coins, shampoo, electronics (possibly hot) and food stands all jammed cheek by jowl provided a convenient environment for the pickpockets to practice their skills. Again, we planned ahead and carried virtually nothing with us. C actually found several Atari cartridges, I purchased some neat looking coins for my mom who had asked me to be on the lookout, and we just tried to soak up the atmosphere. After about 2 hours of bumping into people, we were finished and turned into a bar nearby for Cokes and espressos. F1 nicely paid.
On the way back to the hotel, trouble was brewing. My medication had DEFINITELY worn off. The cobblestone streets combined with F1s driving was enough to make me pretty darn sure I was going to lose my cookies in his Jeep. After trying unsuccessfully to hold onto my dignity, I had to ask him to pull over to let us out, and we ended up walking the rest of the way back to the hotel. Luckily, we were only about a 20 minute walk away. The Fs were cool about it, and invited us to dinner with them and their girlfriends that evening at a Roman steakhouse.
Back at the hotel, by way of a McDonald’s stop for some Coke and French fries (which for some reason settles your stomach), we rested for awhile before wandering across the street to finally check out Santa Maria Maggiore. The front steps of the church are populated by an odd assortment of individuals, from students catching rays to homeless people asking you for money. The church belongs to the Vatican, but it is left to languish in the middle of a grimy intersection. The inside of the church is slightly better kept, and viewing both what is purported to be the first nativity scene as well as the fragments of the manger was very interesting. We had a nice divinity student show us around for 3 euro.
Later that day, F1 came to pick us up at the hotel again for dinner. We then went to pick up his girlfriend at her apartment, and off we went to a restaurant in a completely untouristed part of town. At the restaurant we met F2 and his girlfriend, and went inside to grab a table. As you came inside the restaurant, steaks were displayed behind glass for you to look at before you chose one. All the Italians ordered steaks. C and I, thinking that it was our last night in Rome and we could get a steak at home, ordered pizza. Big mistake. The steaks looked thick and juicy and came with steak cut fries. Our pizza was just okay. The moral of this story is that you should order the specialty of the house.
We returned late to the hotel, after a drive in F1s second car that had Bluetooth technology in it that could link up with his cell phone. C was drooling. Unfortunately, our departure was scheduled for the following day, so we did some packing and drifted off into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of pickpockets and uneaten steaks.
Mar 24th, 2006, 04:35 AM
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Day 13 – We leave Rome in high style
After messing around with public transportation for 12 days straight, we decided to return to the airport in high style. We had the hotel request a private car to take us to the airport. At this point in the trip, not having to mess with a bus, train, or our bags seemed well worth 50 euro. We got up, had our breakfast, and arrived downstairs to meet our driver. Our driver had clearly had his training at the Andretti School of Driving. We tore off through the city streets, monuments passing by in a blur as we glimpsed flashes of things we wanted to take one last look at. Oh, there’s the Coli – zoom.... Hey look it’s the zzrroooaaammmm…Wait, isn’t that the – vroooomm vrooooommmm… If you ever have 10 minutes to see the city, call this guy.
We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, had our last real Italian espresso and a cornetto, and wandered into the music store upstairs. We found no shortage of items to purchase, as I wanted to update my Italian music collection. C even joined in the party by purchasing an 883 album since he liked one of their songs we had heard on our trip.
Last purchases made, last espresso consumed, last possible drop of Italy distilled into our blood, we waited at the departure gate for our flight to Heathrow. As the plane pulled off the tarmac and out along the coast, I had the same feeling I always had upon leaving Italy. Remembrance of the things I had done. Regret for the things I had not managed to do. Plans already forming in my head for what I would do the next time…
THE END - thanks for reading!
After messing around with public transportation for 12 days straight, we decided to return to the airport in high style. We had the hotel request a private car to take us to the airport. At this point in the trip, not having to mess with a bus, train, or our bags seemed well worth 50 euro. We got up, had our breakfast, and arrived downstairs to meet our driver. Our driver had clearly had his training at the Andretti School of Driving. We tore off through the city streets, monuments passing by in a blur as we glimpsed flashes of things we wanted to take one last look at. Oh, there’s the Coli – zoom.... Hey look it’s the zzrroooaaammmm…Wait, isn’t that the – vroooomm vrooooommmm… If you ever have 10 minutes to see the city, call this guy.
We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, had our last real Italian espresso and a cornetto, and wandered into the music store upstairs. We found no shortage of items to purchase, as I wanted to update my Italian music collection. C even joined in the party by purchasing an 883 album since he liked one of their songs we had heard on our trip.
Last purchases made, last espresso consumed, last possible drop of Italy distilled into our blood, we waited at the departure gate for our flight to Heathrow. As the plane pulled off the tarmac and out along the coast, I had the same feeling I always had upon leaving Italy. Remembrance of the things I had done. Regret for the things I had not managed to do. Plans already forming in my head for what I would do the next time…
THE END - thanks for reading!
Mar 24th, 2006, 01:59 PM
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Hi nnolen, isn't it terrible when you have to leave Italy. So depressing. And you had me laughing regarding your driver that took you to the airport. I have a couple of friends that drive like that. I have never said anything
(I am sure my clenched fist are a giveaway though) but at times have silently said several Hail Mary's. Guess that has worked because I have always come home in one piece LOL.
I love reading about spouses having such a great time travelling together as my DH and I did also. I know so many couples that don't, it is so sad. Thanks again for sharing your trip!! Wishing you two many more.
(I am sure my clenched fist are a giveaway though) but at times have silently said several Hail Mary's. Guess that has worked because I have always come home in one piece LOL.
I love reading about spouses having such a great time travelling together as my DH and I did also. I know so many couples that don't, it is so sad. Thanks again for sharing your trip!! Wishing you two many more.
Mar 25th, 2006, 06:24 AM
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Nnolen!
Thanks for a GREAT trip report!!
I can SO identify with many of your adventures and experiences!
My husband also purchased a Dopey Hat so his head wouldn't get burned (he'd forgotton to pack something and it was purchased in France), which he likes because it covers his ears so they won't get burned. I usually pretend I'm not with him when he wears it.
Except this one time in Capri -- for a visual, go to our website / trip report at www.freewebs.com/mr2llman.
Italian TV -- Italy must be the place where faded American "stars" end up!! On a previous trip, we also witnessed a game show (which we couldn't figure out)with Sherman Hemsley and "Weezie" from the Jeffersons! (btw, he's now on "Surreal Life" wandering around with the same confused expression as Patrick Duffy...like "what am I doing here?"
We also got dropped off in the middle of nowhere, had a driver from the Andretti school, and took a limo to the airport (well worth it)!\
Thanks for sharing and bringing back memories!
Melodie
Thanks for a GREAT trip report!!
I can SO identify with many of your adventures and experiences!
My husband also purchased a Dopey Hat so his head wouldn't get burned (he'd forgotton to pack something and it was purchased in France), which he likes because it covers his ears so they won't get burned. I usually pretend I'm not with him when he wears it.
Except this one time in Capri -- for a visual, go to our website / trip report at www.freewebs.com/mr2llman.
Italian TV -- Italy must be the place where faded American "stars" end up!! On a previous trip, we also witnessed a game show (which we couldn't figure out)with Sherman Hemsley and "Weezie" from the Jeffersons! (btw, he's now on "Surreal Life" wandering around with the same confused expression as Patrick Duffy...like "what am I doing here?"
We also got dropped off in the middle of nowhere, had a driver from the Andretti school, and took a limo to the airport (well worth it)!\
Thanks for sharing and bringing back memories!
Melodie
Mar 25th, 2006, 07:38 AM
#30
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Melodie,
Thanks for the feedback - I have to say that your husband's hat is actually less dopey than my husband's, so next time you travel you can feel better about it! Love your site, by the way...
Cheesehead,
Have not been back since 7/04, which pains me. I'm planning a trip for 2007, which is not soon enough but it is the best I can do. In the meantime, I've got my copies of Bell'Italia to tide me over.
Thanks for the feedback - I have to say that your husband's hat is actually less dopey than my husband's, so next time you travel you can feel better about it! Love your site, by the way...
Cheesehead,
Have not been back since 7/04, which pains me. I'm planning a trip for 2007, which is not soon enough but it is the best I can do. In the meantime, I've got my copies of Bell'Italia to tide me over.
Nov 13th, 2006, 05:51 AM
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Thanks Astaroth. Glad you enjoyed it. I'll be returning in april (the week before Easter with my parents who have never travelled internationally before). I'm sure I'll have more to share.
May 17th, 2010, 06:02 PM
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OMG-have just started reading this. We were in Perugia last year and I have been saying ever since what a luxury it would be to take that course!
Are you willing to share any info about the course? Know it'll be diff in 2010 but was it terribly expensive? I'm in my 60s so wonder about accommodations for someone older.
We LOVED Perugia and met several lovely students who stayed on "while we are young and free".
Back to reading your TRs....
Are you willing to share any info about the course? Know it'll be diff in 2010 but was it terribly expensive? I'm in my 60s so wonder about accommodations for someone older.
We LOVED Perugia and met several lovely students who stayed on "while we are young and free".
Back to reading your TRs....
May 18th, 2010, 04:13 AM
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TDudette,
I'm sorry - I took the course in 1997 through my college and I honestly have no idea what the price of the actual "Universita' per stranieri" portion was.
It was a good learning experience. We took classes mostly in the mornings so we had afternoons free, and I believe it was either a 3 or 4 day a week class schedule, so we also had long weekends every weekend.
Honestly, the best way to learn is to get out there and speak to people in Italian as much as possible. That combined with the course would get you set up in no time flat!
I'm sorry - I took the course in 1997 through my college and I honestly have no idea what the price of the actual "Universita' per stranieri" portion was.
It was a good learning experience. We took classes mostly in the mornings so we had afternoons free, and I believe it was either a 3 or 4 day a week class schedule, so we also had long weekends every weekend.
Honestly, the best way to learn is to get out there and speak to people in Italian as much as possible. That combined with the course would get you set up in no time flat!
