9/19/13 10:32 pm
We spent some time in the hotel room searching for the best pizza in Rome that was within a reasonable distance. We walked over near the Colliseum which took about a half an hour and found Li Rioni. As the Guardian reviewer claimed, the pizza was cracker thin and fantastic. Simple fare at a very reasonable price. When we sat down, there were only tourists as far as we could tell, but later into the evening the Italians started showing up (with their dogs), also noted by the reviewer. It was definitely off the beaten path and you would have had to know it was there because the whole building was obscured by restoration scaffolding. We had a pleasant meal and some fabulous tiramisu.
Afterward we wandered over to the Colliseum and took a few night photos. Everything is so much more grand in scale than I remember it. We have planned out some destinations for tomorrow including the Pantheon (top of my list; 1st century dome), gelato, Coliseum, The Forum, gelato, gelato, Market, gelato. We might stop for gelato at some point too.
Kevin is cooling off in the shower and I'm trying desperately not to scratch my mosquito bites! All is good, check back tomorrow!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
In Rome
9/19/13 4:10pm
We've arrived in Rome and I can't say we're all that excited to be here. We have had nothing but trouble from large cities in Italy. I'm hoping this one is the exception. At the very least we found our "b&b" without too much trouble and they provided a fan! Hoping to avoid more mosquito bites. Yesterday afternoon we had a lovely lunch in an outdoor courtyard only to find 15-20 new bites each after we left! Wish I'd packed some Benadryl. Live and learn I suppose.
I'd like to take some pictures of the markets and fountains, maybe the Colliseum. And we hope to hit at least 3 famous gelaterias. That's all for the agenda. I am not looking forward to watching out for pickpockets and scammers. Hard to walk around with a camera and not look like a target. Maybe I'm just sad it's all coming to an end. We both want to see more of France in the future. Italy has been fun and I don't regret a day (even Florence was saved by Osteria L'Brincello) but the people of France were much more welcoming than Italy. Perhaps it has something to do with the austerity measures and the state of their relative economies. The French never once ripped us off or tried, but the Italians know how to do it and don't think twice. I don't speak for everyone, but get charged 5euro for a 2.50euro slice of focaccia pizza more than once and you start to get irritated. Well, that's my rant for now. We're off to go get charged tourist prices once more on a grand Roman scale! Ciao!
We've arrived in Rome and I can't say we're all that excited to be here. We have had nothing but trouble from large cities in Italy. I'm hoping this one is the exception. At the very least we found our "b&b" without too much trouble and they provided a fan! Hoping to avoid more mosquito bites. Yesterday afternoon we had a lovely lunch in an outdoor courtyard only to find 15-20 new bites each after we left! Wish I'd packed some Benadryl. Live and learn I suppose.
I'd like to take some pictures of the markets and fountains, maybe the Colliseum. And we hope to hit at least 3 famous gelaterias. That's all for the agenda. I am not looking forward to watching out for pickpockets and scammers. Hard to walk around with a camera and not look like a target. Maybe I'm just sad it's all coming to an end. We both want to see more of France in the future. Italy has been fun and I don't regret a day (even Florence was saved by Osteria L'Brincello) but the people of France were much more welcoming than Italy. Perhaps it has something to do with the austerity measures and the state of their relative economies. The French never once ripped us off or tried, but the Italians know how to do it and don't think twice. I don't speak for everyone, but get charged 5euro for a 2.50euro slice of focaccia pizza more than once and you start to get irritated. Well, that's my rant for now. We're off to go get charged tourist prices once more on a grand Roman scale! Ciao!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Pienza & Montecchiello
9/17/13 8:33pm
We slept in today. Well deserved and needed. I think we're going to need a vacation from our vacation when we get back! Ha ha ha.
In Pienza you pay for parking from 8am to 10pm. Crazy, right?! We stayed for two hours. We stopped into a shop selling fresh meats, giant wheels of local cheese, olive oil and dried pasta from the region. We bought some Pecorino di Pienza Stagionato, sliced it up in the nearby park and added it to our baguette of mixed meats (prosciutto, Stagionato, pancetta, lobo, coopa and salame to be exact). What a fantastic sandwich. We had some fresh green olives (oh how I've fallen in love with green olives!) and mini datterino tomatoes on the side.
Tonight Kevin has cooked us a feast!
We slept in today. Well deserved and needed. I think we're going to need a vacation from our vacation when we get back! Ha ha ha.
In Pienza you pay for parking from 8am to 10pm. Crazy, right?! We stayed for two hours. We stopped into a shop selling fresh meats, giant wheels of local cheese, olive oil and dried pasta from the region. We bought some Pecorino di Pienza Stagionato, sliced it up in the nearby park and added it to our baguette of mixed meats (prosciutto, Stagionato, pancetta, lobo, coopa and salame to be exact). What a fantastic sandwich. We had some fresh green olives (oh how I've fallen in love with green olives!) and mini datterino tomatoes on the side.
Tonight Kevin has cooked us a feast!
Quiet Tuscany
We are so glad to have arrived in Tuscany. We had a bit of a rough night last night after a misunderstanding in Florence. I'll spare the details now but I'm sure you can ask us later. The visit wasn't a complete loss, however, since we found a great restaurant. We ate waaaaay too much and ended the night with a shot of limoncello with the chef! It was a really fun experience with great local food and a very lively staff.
Because we were so full and the rains had died down, we decided to make a trek across the city to take a panoramic photo of the city at night. It was beautiful.
We are so glad to wake up to our own quiet escape in Tuscany. If you make this trip, just skip the big cities and go straight to the countryside! Yes, the Duomo is Impressive but you'll not regret skipping the crowds, dirt and noise of the big city. Go straight for the peace and quiet. :)
The pics are of our farmhouse studio and Leo, the mostly deaf, very sweet 12 year old watchdog.
Because we were so full and the rains had died down, we decided to make a trek across the city to take a panoramic photo of the city at night. It was beautiful.
We are so glad to wake up to our own quiet escape in Tuscany. If you make this trip, just skip the big cities and go straight to the countryside! Yes, the Duomo is Impressive but you'll not regret skipping the crowds, dirt and noise of the big city. Go straight for the peace and quiet. :)
The pics are of our farmhouse studio and Leo, the mostly deaf, very sweet 12 year old watchdog.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Firenze
It's an unfortunate reality when you're thankful you only have planned a single day in a location. That's how we're feeling about Florence. There are SO MANY PEOPLE here. It's nuts. You can barely walk through the streets it's so crowded.
We stumbled across to the other side of town in hopes of escaping the crowds. We found an Irish Bar called the Gate Pub and have been using their free wifi to look up a restaurant and photo vantage point for the evening. It just started raining again too. We're headed to San Miniato Al Monte cemetery for a panoramic view of the city and then to Pizzeria Tarrocchi.
Here's a picture of us from Ponte Vecchio.
We stumbled across to the other side of town in hopes of escaping the crowds. We found an Irish Bar called the Gate Pub and have been using their free wifi to look up a restaurant and photo vantage point for the evening. It just started raining again too. We're headed to San Miniato Al Monte cemetery for a panoramic view of the city and then to Pizzeria Tarrocchi.
Here's a picture of us from Ponte Vecchio.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Napping
I tried to look up the Italian word for "nap", but all I found was "nappy" and "nappy rash". I don't even know what those mean in English let alone need an Italian translation. Thanks for nothing Lonely Planet!
So, what I was going to say is that Kein is taking a short nap after our gigantic lunch and very long stroll around Lucca's city walls this morning. Less walls than an elevated park, many people, Luccans and tourists alike, use the circular promenade as a place to ride bikes, run, walk or walk Fido.
It's hard not to fall in love with Lucca. Around every corner is a charming piazza with breathtaking architecture or inviting side streets with hidden lunch spots. There are tourists here, but it does not feel crowded. The pace is much slower than many other towns we've visited so far. Lots of tourist destinations feel like the locals can't wait for you to leave, but here, they don't seem to mind as much, getting on as they otherwise would, enjoying exactly the things you are also enjoying about their beloved city.
So, what I was going to say is that Kein is taking a short nap after our gigantic lunch and very long stroll around Lucca's city walls this morning. Less walls than an elevated park, many people, Luccans and tourists alike, use the circular promenade as a place to ride bikes, run, walk or walk Fido.
It's hard not to fall in love with Lucca. Around every corner is a charming piazza with breathtaking architecture or inviting side streets with hidden lunch spots. There are tourists here, but it does not feel crowded. The pace is much slower than many other towns we've visited so far. Lots of tourist destinations feel like the locals can't wait for you to leave, but here, they don't seem to mind as much, getting on as they otherwise would, enjoying exactly the things you are also enjoying about their beloved city.
In Lucca, it's all about the food
9/13/13 4:00pm
We just returned from our second grand lunch in Lucca. We looked up a few places on TripAdvisor and found a cute little spot next to the Camera de Commerce. The fixed price menu for 15 Euro had a number of 1st and 2nc course options. Kevin and I both chose the Tortelli Luccanese which consisted of a meat filled 1/2 ravioli type pasta with a bolognese meat sauce and polenta ragu with sautéed mushrooms. We thought the second course would be small but it was huge! With it we had a delicious vino rosso della casa. The two servers were very nice and funny also. There was an obnoxious group of Texan ladies that just got louder the more wine they drank. We, along with the server, who unlike them knew the difference between Spanish and Italian, couldn't wait for them to leave. When he came by and asked if we were German, we smiled and had to reply no. I was embarrassed to say that we were also American. We managed to get out a couple of compliments in Italian which helped. I think people here are just delighted when you try to speak their language. Probably because most tourists are too lazy or regrettably, arrogant to try.
We just returned from our second grand lunch in Lucca. We looked up a few places on TripAdvisor and found a cute little spot next to the Camera de Commerce. The fixed price menu for 15 Euro had a number of 1st and 2nc course options. Kevin and I both chose the Tortelli Luccanese which consisted of a meat filled 1/2 ravioli type pasta with a bolognese meat sauce and polenta ragu with sautéed mushrooms. We thought the second course would be small but it was huge! With it we had a delicious vino rosso della casa. The two servers were very nice and funny also. There was an obnoxious group of Texan ladies that just got louder the more wine they drank. We, along with the server, who unlike them knew the difference between Spanish and Italian, couldn't wait for them to leave. When he came by and asked if we were German, we smiled and had to reply no. I was embarrassed to say that we were also American. We managed to get out a couple of compliments in Italian which helped. I think people here are just delighted when you try to speak their language. Probably because most tourists are too lazy or regrettably, arrogant to try.
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