My Travel Blog
I'm not sure there is a more idyllic place on earth. We are sitting on the terrace of our little apartment that is part of a 500 year old olive farm; the dappled sun makes the temperature perfect and we have surrounded ourselves with local wine, olives, and marinated artichoke hearts. It is so beautiful that words can't really describe the peacefulness of it, but right after we arrived Chloe did say, "Wow, this is pretty. Thanks for bringing me here!"
We left Rome this morning and caught a 12:15 train to Florence. As soon as we got off the train I was hit with a wave of nostalgia - I remember Jeff and I taking a self-portrait on a bench while waiting for a train out of Florence 14 years ago. I swear I saw the exact bench - the picture and moment are burned into my memory. When we entered the arrival hall I was met with another flashback… we were young (and admittedly not the brightest tools in the shed) and we got off the train in Firenze. We looked all around wondering where we could catch a train to Florence and were just about to ask at the Help Desk when we saw a few travel posters and realized (to our surprise) the Florence is Firenze. We inwardly grimaced, blushed, and were quite happy not to need to get on another train. So, for those of you who didn't already know - Florence is Firenze. What can I say, we were young. You're welcome.
The train we took today may have been the nicest train we have ever taken in Europe, and we have taken a lot of trains! It was a Eurostar through Trenitalia and amazingly we actually arrived 10 minutes early on a 1 hour and 35 minute trip. We were in first class (no, it's not like the difference on an airplane) and the cost upgrade is minimal but well worth it. We had a lovely little four person 'booth' and service included hot coffee (the strength of regular espresso but with half the water we're used to), delicious rosemary breadsticks, and sparkling wine! The kids had sparkling orange soda and chocolate chip cookies - pretty civilized!
Me looking slightly stunned on the train. --------------------------------->
Technology is amazing and it was utilized to it's full advantage today. Before we left Rome Jeff used Google street view to look at the route we needed to take from the train station to the Europcar rental location. He knew we needed to turn right out of the station, walk two blocks, turn left at the bank, walk two more blocks and it would be on our right. Amazing! We walked to the place like we knew where we were going - and we did! The lady who worked there was very friendly and fluent in four languages - one of them being our own. We ended up with a very snazzy red Alfa Romeo and with excellent directions from the lady at the desk we were off! We made it out of Firenze with no complications and after driving down tiny winding roads with beautiful vistas we arrived at Podere Patrignone - our home away from home for the next week. After a quick tour of the place we quickly unpacked at headed down to the pool. The entire place is covered with beautifully trimmed rosemary bushes which give off the most amazing smell. Combine that earthy smell with unending views of vineyards and olive trees and you have this little slice of heaven. I totally understand why people get addicted to this area!
We needed to get a few groceries so off we went to Castellina in Chianti - any idea what they're famous for? Our gelato meters were low so we needed to re-fuel and we all agree that this was the best gelato so far on this trip. I had half coconut half banana and it was amazing. Jeff kicked it up a notch with half coffee half bacio (chocolate hazelnut) which seemed like an excellent choice as well. Keeping with tradition the kids chose mainly fruit flavors although Chloe went out on a limb today and added crème caramel to her peach. I have a feeling we'll be heading back to that town just for their gelato, not to mention the fact that the town is really cute and completely quintessential small town southern Europe. Small cobbled streets, restaurants with tiny outside patios jammed along narrow alleys, church bells ringing and little old couples walking arm in arm. Love, love, love.
Later that night…..
Just got back from dinner in San Donato - what an adorable little town! Certainly a quiet one but really well preserved - I remarked to Jeff that if a lady from 1584 was shot into the future (well, present for us) she would have no trouble finding her house. The little streets feel so authentic, and probably because they actually are! It's so clean and the best part is that it didn't smell like pee! There were only a handful of restaurants so we had to wait for half an hour to get seated at a very busy pizzeria, then wait another 15 minutes for our order to be taken, and another hour until we received our pizza! Thankfully the kids were playing with some Belgian girls from another table (one being a 7 year old who could speak English mind-blowingly well). Thankfully between playing tag and watching the pizzas being made they were well entertained, because by the time our dinner hit the table it was 10:15 pm.
We're back and ready for bed. My mom is flying in tomorrow so we'll be picking her up from the Florence/Firenze airport around noon and then we plan on spending the rest of the day sightseeing in Florence. She's here for a quick 5 days then jetting back home again - just enough time to eat some great pizza and soak in the Tuscan atmosphere.
Buonanotte!
Jetlag shmetlag! Last night the kids went to bed and slept for 11 hours straight - and I'm happy to report that I had a solid 9 hours. Jeff, on the other hand, after sleeping great the first night woke up today at 5 a.m. and never went back to sleep. Still, we're feeling pretty good and should be fully on track before we know it.
Due to yesterday's grocery excursion we were able to relax a bit in the morning and have breakfast here at the apartment. Jeff attempted coffee but the combination of a strange pot and weird looking coffee didn't work out as well as we'd hoped; I never did have a cappuccino now that I think back on it. Our first stop today - Vatican City. The kids didn't find it too exciting aside from the fact that they have now been to the world's smallest country. Well, city-state to be exact, but why fuss over the details? We marveled at the crazy line-ups and were glad not to be amongst the people all wearing the same sticker following their leader with a 'R.M.P. Tours' stick in the air. The line-up to get into St. Peter's Basilica was wrapped all around the outside of the piazza and the people looked HOT. You can't have bare shoulders or knees and the people were melting. Not to worry though, there were vendors selling small bottles of cold water for 3€ - how helpful!
We wandered away from the crowds into the empty back alleys and came across the fanciest parking lot ever - how often do you park under frescos from hundreds of years ago and giant marble monuments? I peeked into one of the huge old windows and saw a man sitting and working on his computer - not the original usage of that room I'm sure. We stopped to examine the cobbled road and imagined workers using their chisels to get the rocks square and flat; when you look at the sheer number of stones you realize the magnitude of the job and it's mind blowing. What people did thousands of years ago is so amazing - and making flat stones is the simplest task - how about building the Pantheon? Now there's an architectural marvel that is beyond my comprehension even now with modern equipment!
We wandered aimlessly back into Rome where we had a light lunch then meandered through cute little roads that surprisingly did not have the ubiquitous odor of dog pee we've encountered everywhere else. Perhaps we unknowingly entered a pee-free zone? Gelato beckoned (as it always does) and we found ourselves sitting enjoying yet another cone. Today my choice was half coffee and half mint chocolate; I really love how you can have two flavors on each cone, this is especially helpful for someone like me who has trouble making decisions. Jeff tried the coffee granita today and it looked so good I may have to break away from gelato and have one of those next time. So many days, so many choices!
As is the Italian tradition we came home in the afternoon for a break, and as they say 'When in Rome…'. The kids played, Jeff had a nap, and I tinkered around on the computer. We also needed to hang up a load of laundry that we'd put in this morning and we're hopeful it will dry by tomorrow morning. The washing machine looked so simple and yet it took me an hour to figure it out! I found the user manual and read all about installation but it didn't say how to actually turn it on. I had various lights flashing but nothing would go - until I watched a YouTube video posted by steve63 two years ago. What prompted him to take a movie of putting a load of laundry in and turning it on? Who knows, but I'm thankful! Just knowing which buttons were supposed to be lit was enormously helpful.
After our extended break off we went - destination Coliseum. The Rome transit system requires you to have a ticket before you board a bus or tram, and if you don't already have one you are out of luck - you can't buy one on board. We have both a bus and tram stop very close to our apartment but we did not have tickets so instead set out on foot. The Coliseum was a 30 to 40 minute walk but I broke it up nicely for the family by stopping in a shoe store along the way. Minutes later we walked out with me happily carrying a bag containing new sandals. What - you remember I just bought new ones yesterday too? Well those had heels and these don't so it all works out. It actually was very fortuitous because we ended up walking all around the exterior of the Coliseum and up a giant hill to look into the Roman Forum and it would've been very difficult in the shoes I'd left the apartment in. Let me tell you - roads made 2000 years ago are not high-heel friendly, not even if they are wedges. This explains gladiator style sandals… popular in 100 A.D. and popular now.
<-- Gladiators sporting sandals!
We approached the Coliseum at the perfect time of day, about 6 pm. The sun was low in the sky making for perfect lighting and the temperature was cooling off. An added benefit was that all the tour buses had left for the day so the crowds were very manageable. We didn't actually enter the Coliseum but the kids enjoyed the view and we spent about an hour looking at it from all angles as well as into the Roman Forum (Foro Romano). This excursion produced tired children which led to our second gelato stop of the day. The coconut gelato was insanely good, actually all of the flavors were. With renewed energy we set off in the general direction of home hoping to find a good restaurant along the way. (We have adopted the 'dessert before dinner' routine here.) We walked and walked and walked… this August shut down caused us to walk past many closed restaurants and the few we encountered along the way were either yucky looking or all of the outside tables were already reserved. We all had tired feet but persevered; I think we walked well over 5 km today. Eventually Jeff's 'good restaurant' radar went off and we turned down a lovely little pedestrian-only street filled with lively bars and restaurants. Hooray! Chloe proclaimed her meal to be 'the best spaghetti of my entire life' and Julia left only crumbs on the plate that previously held a pizza margarita. We dragged ourselves the rest of the way home and we all let out audible sighs when removing our shoes. Is it possible to actually lose weight while still eating gelato twice a day?
Now bath and bed and time to get ready for a new adventure. Tomorrow we catch a train to Florence (Firenze in Italian) then rent a car and head out to the Tuscan hills. It will be nice to get out of the big, hot, crazy city of Rome but I'm glad we came here and showed the kids the history that exists on every corner. Our apartment here has been perfect - great layout, lots of sunlight and much needed A/C. The two bedrooms had very comfortable beds, both the water pressure and temperature were perfect, and the bidet was useful for washing our feet multiple times a day! I would recommend this apartment as well as the company (Friendly Rentals) that we booked it through. Very easy, and very friendly!
Family summary of Rome;
Chloe - I liked how it was so different from other cities, it was both old and new but I didn't like the smell.
Julia - I thought the Coliseum was pretty but I don't like all of the graffiti.
Jeff - It smells bad but the food is excellent!
Kira - The graffiti was distracting but the people were super friendly and exceeded my expectations.
So, we all agree that they need to do something about the graffiti and dog pee. But, even with that they lure us in with amazing things you can't find anywhere else - where gladiators fought and the heads of the Roman empire sent out their armies to conquer an enormous portion of the world - especially considering the lack of motorized vehicles and airplanes! Imagine marching from Rome to the western coast of Portugal? Or all the way up to northern England? Without even being able to send your mom an email and let her know you're okay? Crazy. Do you think the native Moroccans thought the Romans looked funny in their plumed helmets and heavy chest plates?
Okay, so enough 2000 year old cultural ramblings. Rome is an interesting city but I think that 3 nights was enough for us and we're happy to move on to a slower pace among olive trees and vineyards. And a pool! Divine.
Grazie Roma!
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