italy – Page 3 – Our Travels

Toscana- see, we’re Italian. Ha!

November 16, 2024December 13, 2024ssolsen12Leave a comment

On November 12, we left Modena and the so-called “Motor Valley Penthouse,” bound for Carmignano in Tuscany. (Toscana in Italian 🇮🇹.) Famous in so many ways – wine; history; heck, even architecture! As well as plenty of Hollywood movies. The region stretches from the coast (think Pisa) all the way past the middle of the country, containing our target, Firenze (Florence)! As is the Olsen MO, however, we were going to stay outside of the “big-ish” city in the more peaceful countryside.

About an hour away from our stop at the Iris Cottage, we passed a sign that made us do a doubletake (and a U-turn for the photos). The 44th parallel?! Huh? Well, that got us thinking about where it lines up in the States. Bet you won’t come close (without cheating). Think right below Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. It’s more than 1100 miles straight from its northernmost point to its southernmost point in Sicily! Halfway down Sicily is lined up with… Richmond, VA! We sure hope the weather will be better when we get there. ha!

We spent a day or so settling in – unpacking, shopping for groceries, doing laundry, researching stops, etc. (And per Susie, downloading hundreds of photos…)

Then, it was time to explore!

A great view of olive trees on the hillside

We were headed to Torre Pendente di Pisa (the Bell Tower of Pisa)!

We followed the crowd through the archway onto the plaza and deftly wound our way through the many souvenir vendors, then joined the other tourists posing for photos of the landmark cathedral and bell tower.

The massive Baptistry beside the Cathedral

After trying our hands at it (punny, get it?), we purchased tickets and joined the short line to go inside and climb to the top. While awaiting our turn with the rest of the group, we checked the stats for the freestanding bell tower:

Construction began in 1173 & was completed in 1399
The original height was 196′ 10″
It is now 183′ 3″ above the ground on the low side & 185′ 11″ on the high side
The walls at the base are 8 feet thick
The weight is estimated at 14,500 tons

No wonder the tower leans nearly 4 degrees on its unstable foundation!

There’s a twisted stairway of 251 very worn steps to the top!

The crowd squeezes in from BOTH directions, navel to navel, Susie saying, “scusi” with both hands on the wall…

After regaining our equilibrium back on solid ground 🙂 , we went inside the cathedral, which, along with the baptistry, is also reported to be sinking. The interior of the cathedral is quite elaborate from top to bottom.

Yeah, kind of amazing, these cathedrals. Any-hoo, a quick stop and then more stairs (thankfully not tilted this time) in the massive Baptistry where Galileo was baptized in 1565.

Our last stop in Pisa was the Camposanto Monumental Cemetary. Camposanto translates to “holy field” because it is said to have been built on 53 shiploads of sacred soil from Golgotha, the Hill of Calvary in Jerusalem. The construction of this huge, oblong Gothic cloister was begun in 1278 and completed in 1464.

What remains of a large collection of Roman sarcophagi

Whoaaaa, that’s enough for one day.

The next day, we headed for Firenze! Florence to us non-Italian-speaking Americans. Come on, it’s not really English, either. ha!

After a quick treat from the fresh market conveniently located just outside the parking garage, we walked into town to see what we could see.

We were making tracks to the Piazzale Michelangelo to see David in all his glory when some prehistoric creatures near the sidewalk snagged our attention. The next thing we knew, we were talking to the animals in the Natural History Museum.

After all those skeletons, we needed something alive. Nothing could better fit the bill than a stroll through the third oldest garden in the world!

The Orto Botanico di Firenze was established by Grand Duke Cosimo dei Medici, in December 1545. And almost every plant tag in the place was read by Todd Olsen in 2024. 🤪 So many tree species that we have never seen! It was quite a walk.

So, a word about planning, or more accurately, the occasional hurried lack thereof. We didn’t prebook tickets to see David. Why? uh… Todd’s fault? Ha! Anyway, the line for those without tickets was just too much for these weary travelers. So, we’ll save Michelangelo and David for another trip.

Based on the remembrances of Todd’s dear mother, we did not want to miss a stop at Ponte Vecchio. Todd’s parents visited in the 60’s (his best guess 😇) and simply said, “Son, if you ever get to Firenze, you must go to the Ponte Vecchio.

There were plenty of statues and fountains

With Michelangelo’s piazza behind us, we quickly headed down the last street and rounded the corner onto the Piazza del Duomo (Cathedral Square) of Florence.

And…

WOW. 😃😃🤩

Talk about being stopped in your tracks!

There are no words to describe this cathedral that seems to go on for blocks.

Unfortunately, what also went on for blocks was the line to get inside and there we were without tickets (again). So, we took some photos, placed another item on the list for “next time,” and single-mindedly focused on reaching Ponte Vecchio before dark. Todd! Let’s go.

Okay. Okay. About this Ponte Vecchio, just what is it??

From Britannica, the Ponte Vecchio (‘old bridge’) “… is the first segmental arch bridge built in the West… and is an outstanding engineering achievement of Europe’s Middle Ages. Its builder, Taddeo Gaddi, completed the bridge in 1345.”

Through the centuries, the bridge has survived changes, floods, and wars. During World War II it was the only bridge across the Arno that the fleeing Germans did not destroy, instead blocking it by demolishing the medieval buildings on each side.

There have been shops on Ponte Vecchio since the 13th century, initially all types of shops – including butchers, fishmongers, and tanners, whose waste, as one can imagine, caused a rank stench. In 1593, Ferdinand I decreed that in order to improve the wellbeing of all, only goldsmiths and jewelers (😍) would be allowed to have shops on what is now referred to as “the gold bridge”! (And with sky-high gold prices! Mama Mia! 🤯)

Naturally, the ancient bridge with its shops is structurally fascinating
But what draws the tourists in droves is …
… the JEWELRY!

Look at all those sparkles! Do we have to leave…?? 😢

“Fast cars and slow food”

November 12, 2024December 6, 2024ssolsen12Leave a comment

After the cable car ride in Trento, we drove approximately 200 kilometers south to Modena, a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The trip out of the Alps took us through miles and miles of vineyards. Ahh…Italy!

We turned off the main road in Verona, bound for our first Italian wine tasting!

Signs directed us, but the road got smaller

Another car had also stopped and already called the number listed on the sign, so the owner of this smaller winery was on the way. Voila! Impromptu tasting for four!

Grape vines & olive trees dotted the landscape

The city of Modena and the nearby area proudly embrace their reputation for “fast cars and slow food.” Let’s begin with the cars. Think famous Italian sports cars. Maserati. Ferrari. De Tomaso. Lamborghini. Pagani.

Unbeknownst to Susie as to why, Todd said, “let’s go to Ferrari!”

Modena was the birthplace of Enzo Ferrari, the man who sold his house when he was twenty years old to buy his first race car and went on to create a legend.

For her part, Susie likes the Prancing Pony logo. 😉

Todd smiled.

Win win.

We worked our way through the two Ferrari museums, admiring lots of super-fast cars.

From the available options, Todd chose classic yellow

Todd happily took a turn in the simulator, and claiming it to be harder than it looks, only hit the wall once (okay, maybe twice). He performed better on the second lap. Quick progress!

Apparently slower-reacting, old-ish, fat-ish guys aren’t built for the superfast, tiny movements of the F1 cars. So, off we went to see some of the many, many models made by Ferrari, each carefully produced one at a time with amazing precision.

An older model that seemed perfect for James Bond

Now about that slow food. The Modena area is famous for two food items – parmesan and balsamic vinegar – about both of which we had plenty to learn.

Parmigiano-Reggiano

We started our culinary education with the so-called “King of Cheeses,” parmesan, which was created by local monks sometime before 1300. 4 Madonne Caseificio dell’Emilia, built in 1967, is the largest dairy among the several hundred now located in the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium (1901). (The dairy’s tongue-twisting name comes from a nearby pillar depicting the Virgin Mary on all four sides.) With seven facilities and a team of 80 employees, they produce an average of 380 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano daily, totaling approximately 140,000 wheels annually. Mama Mia, that’s a lot of cheese!

It takes approximately 160 gallons of milk to make each wheel. After a day or two in a ring mold, there’s an imprint left on the wheel that includes the “born on date.” Out of the ring, the wheels are then submerged in a salt bath for 15-20 days! After the soak, the wheels go into huge ripening rooms where the tens of thousands of wheels are flipped and brushed by “robots” every week. After 20 months, each wheel is inspected by government experts that grade it to be either Parmigiano Reggiano (since 1928) or… meh, just cheese. If it passes the test, the wheel gets the official dark stamp.

We saw stamped wheels that are more than 25 years old. Each wheel starts at 40 kilos (88 pounds)! The older ones are lighter.

Oh, and that rind on the outside is all cheese, nothing artificial. Toss it in soup to impart a bit of salt. 🙂

Balsamic Vinegar

Next up, the other famous slow food of the area, balsamic vinegar, which has ancient roots involving a strict method of production handed down from generation to generation. We visited Villa San Donnino, one of many small “acetaias” producing traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena.

From Wiki, “The practice of cooking grape must (juice) can be traced back to ancient Roman times, where it was valued both as a medicinal remedy and a sweetener or condiment in cooking. The story of this quintessential Italian product began in the 11th century in the small city of Modena.”

Once cooked, the grape must is poured into the set of barrels and ageing begins. Just like wine, the barrels lose “water” through evaporation. So, every year, to refill the smallest barrel, some grape must is removed from the next smallest barrel and poured into the smaller one, and so on through the set. The largest barrel then gets “new” must. The process is repeated each year, until twelve years later one has a small barrel of fresh balsamic vinegar. Don’t use it all, or you have to start over! Keep going for 25 years and you will have the really good stuff, a thicker concoction than we Americans hardly ever get, that is perfectly balanced between sweet and vinegary. Think small bottle, more expensive, only one ingredient and at least 12 years old.

After all that focus on food, boy howdy, we needed a walk, which we took in the form of exploring the historic center. Into downtown Modena we went!

We parked outside the city center & set out on foot to find the Piazza Grande

After a few wrong turns, we made it to the square and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo and San Geminiano. (See, “Duomo di Modena” is a whole lot easier to say.)

Romanesque architecture from the Middle Ages

As with so many of the churches and cathedrals, the interior was quite ornate and full of religious artifacts.

When it was time for lunch, we grabbed a bite at a sidewalk cafe, where, due to the language barrier, we each ended up with a plate full of cipollini onions for dessert! The quaint, onion-serving cafe was located near the Military Academy of Modena, a military university founded in 1678 and now housed in the Ducal Palace. There are heroic statues along the roofline of the large palace and touching memorials to those killed in past wars in the interior foyer.

After a week experiencing the fast cars and slow food, we took in the sunset on November 11 and packed our things. Next stop, Tuscany!

The Italian Alps

November 6, 2024November 30, 2024ssolsen12Leave a comment

On November 3, after one more pretty sunset over Lake Como, we packed the car for an a.m. departure from Nesso.

Sorry, George. 😉 The Olsens are bound for the Alps!

Not the Swiss Alps, the Dolomites, otherwise known as the Italian Alps. We’d planned a 175-mile drive north and then east over to Trento to skirt along the lower edge of the Alps. Too close to winter to venture way up there – we prefer to see the snow only from a distance.

But first, a boat ride on Lake Como!

A quick dash inside for tickets to Varenna

From the shoreline at Varenna, we wound our way up the mountain via switchbacks and through the mountains in numerous l-o-n-g tunnels.

Per the sign, this tunnel is 2060 meters (1.28 miles) long!

Along the way, we passed through towns of various sizes.

While stopped for an early lunch in the town of Vezza d’Oglio, we researched (i.e. googled) the unusual name. Legend has it that after a flood destroyed the ancient village of Rosolina, a large barrel of olive oil was found among the debris, giving rise to the name for the new town to be built on the ruins. The dialectal translation of Éza is “barrel,” thus basically “Barrel of Oil.” Tada!

The other tidbit we picked up led to a small adventure to find the nearby Parish Church of San Martino, one of many of the same name in Italy, this one dating back to 1100. Google claimed we could drive up to the small church. Unfortunately, you cannot always trust Google’s interpretation of “roads” to mean a car will actually fit. After reversing back down out of a particularly tight squeeze, we parked and set out on foot. When we tried to ask a few residents, the language barrier got in the way, so we were on our own.

This is a nice two-way street
(much wider than the lane we’d backed out of)

Once we could aim for the bell tower, we easily found the church. The inside is surprisingly ornate, from an entirely different time period than the tower, which, sadly, is the only thing remaining of the original church that was destroyed by fire in 1700, along with a large part of the town.

We arrived in time to watch the bells at Noon

Post lunchtime adventure over, it was time to return to where we’d bailed on the car. Hmmm… Honey, just where was that again?? Oops.

In addition to not trusting Google Maps for what’s a viable road, we’ve now learned, A) the Italian word for church (since apparently neither making the sign of the cross nor folding hands in prayer are helpful gestures in the game of language charades); and B) to drop a pin on the map on one of the phones before wandering away from the car (since cars don’t have handy, easy-to-spot bell towers). 🙂

Once back on the road, we cheerfully enjoyed the fall color and snow-capped mountains! Until…
UH OH

If cruising is aptly referred to as “working on boats in exotic locations,” just what do you call it when the alarms go off on the foreign rental car and the main thing you can make out on the panel is WARNING OF IMMINENT ENGINE FAILURE. Huh. Not good.

Well, as we were more than five miles from the nearest town, we considered ourselves lucky to slowly make it to a place to pull off the narrow, curved mountain road, into the large parking lot of a ski lift. Bonus, perhaps we could ask the workmen over there for assistance in reading the instrument panel! No go on the assistance part, as both of them soon drove off right past us. Heading to lunch perhaps? (Insert enthusiastic raspberry here.)

No worries, we had our resident mechanic, Todd. Radiators being the same in any language, we waited for things to cool down and fortunately located the blown radiator cap in the engine compartment! Hmm, now we needed water, and we just happened to have most of a 1.5-liter bottle Susie had brought with us. Into the radiator, it went (yeah!), and we were back on the twisty road with fingers crossed and those praying hands folded, hoping to make it off the mountain and to Trento before dark. (Susie, you can stop hyperventilating now.)

While trying to photograph the poles that line the road to guide the snowplow (think about that one – yikes!)

As the sun was setting, we reached Trento, left the car resting in a small parking garage outside the town center, and set out on foot to find our small B&B, supposedly very near the historic Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. We found the church easily enough – those bell towers are so helpful – and after a few wrong turns, located our lodging.

The church was built between 1520 and 1524

Since we would only be in Trento one night, we dropped the luggage, downed the water, and dashed back out, utilizing the remaining daylight to find the duomo of Trento / the Cathedral of San Vigilio.

The pleasant street near our B&B
(Yes, cars also pass through here…)

With roots back to 397 A.D., the L-shaped structure of the Cathedral of San Vigilio is so large, it took three shots to capture the facade from our perspective on the piazza.

The next morning, we strolled over the bridge and along the river to the Church of Sant’Apollinare, one of the oldest buildings in the city. The church has looked this way since the 14th century, and among those buried in the outer walls is Marcus Apuleius, gravestone dated 23 BC. Now that’s old!

Our last stop in Trento was a cable car ride to the town of Sardinia at the top of the mountain.

While waiting in the lobby, should we be worried about the man on top of the car??

The scenic ride up and back was fairly quick. We found the most interesting part to be identifying the historic town center of Trento from the top. Game time!

It is easy to see the oldest church near the bridge (lower left), but can you spot the town center on the other side of the river?

The black arrow shows the distinctive tower of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, behind which is the small B&B (not visible). The red arrows show the L-shaped Cathedral of San Vigilio. Now look back at the other shot – bet you can find it.

And with that, we grabbed our luggage and a bottle of antigelo (antifreeze) and confidently departed for Modena. Moving on!

Duomo di Milano

November 2, 2024November 11, 2024ssolsen124 Comments

Our venture into Italy was based largely on the quest for… great food, right? No, no, that’s a side benefit. We wanted to see the historic architecture, especially the many cathedrals. You might recall that we have now been in a basilica in the U.S. (It’s more than just a church. We’re learning.) This time up, it’s a real cathedral, a duomo /dwō′mō/. And so, it begins!

On October 31, we drove a couple of hours south of Nesso to tour the Duomo di Milano (Cathedral of Milan), one of the largest Roman Catholic cathedrals in the world. It depends on which list/criteria you’re considering, but at any rate, it’s really BIG. Capable of holding 40,000 visitors! May as well start there.

Construction began in 1386 and wrapped up around 1965, with ongoing maintenance continuing most likely… forever.

The drive into the city center took a bit longer than we’d planned. Susie worked on the fly to identify the parking garage closest to the cathedral, and Todd made it happen, squealing in on two wheels. We then practically jogged (okay, one of us gimps…) the last few blocks to arrive just in the nick of time to meet the guide, don headsets, and head into the cathedral with the group.

It was amazing, far bigger than anything we’ve seen. Even bigger than the stunning St. Patrick’s in New York!

As expected, the cathedral is full of grand pillars, stained glass, paintings, statues, and buried saints. There are also interesting things like the “red bulb” way at the top in which is stored a nail from Christ’s crucifix and the sundial built into the floor (no photo – partly cloudy day). The place is full of history. What we had not accurately anticipated was the size of the crowd milling about, necessitating reaching up over people’s heads to snag photos. Yeah, us grumpy oldsters wanted some quiet time, not a selfie. Ha!

One of the more curious – and frankly creepy – statues in the cathedral is that of the fisherman Bartholomew (died about 70 AD), one of Christ’s Apostles, who, according to one tradition, went as far as Armenia, where he converted twelve cities to the Christian faith. In the process, he aroused the envy of the priests of the local divinities, for which he was ultimately punished – skinned alive, and beheaded. Yikes!

Created in 1562, the statue of Bartholomew is depicted still holding the Gospel in his hand. The sculpture is characterized by close attention to anatomy and without skin, which, in fact, drapes around him and down his back like a robe. All carved in stone!

Saint Bartholomew – what looks like an extra hand is actually part of the “robe” of his skin

Beyond the grandeur (and the bizarre), for us, one of the more fascinating parts of the tour was beneath street level, below the front of the cathedral, where we walked among the remains of two previous churches dating back to a time between the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages. Demolished to make way for the construction of the new cathedral in 1386, the ruins reflect the square where two basilicas once stood, along with the Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti, built in 378! Augustine was baptized here in 387, when Milan was the capital of the Western Roman Empire.

Wow! Talk about history beneath your feet.

Next, we joined the queue waiting to go up to the multi-level “terrace” (roof).

256 stairs!

Our mamas didn’t raise no dummies, as they say. The tickets included the small elevator for the ride to the first level. 🙂

We would have to take the 256 stairs back down.

The first level of terraces is approximately 101 feet off the ground. After that, two steep stairways (with no elevator option – it’s exercise time) lead to the second level 148 feet above the ground, i.e., the Central Terrace, the highest point reachable by visitors.

There are more than 3,400 statues, 150 gargoyles, 96 giants, & 410 corbels! On the roof! Oh, these crazy, wonderful Italians!

The central “Great Spire” was commissioned in 1762, and in 1765, the proposal was made to top it with a statue of the Virgin being brought to heaven.

Even the Madonna’s Great Spire is surrounded by scaffolding

The Madonnina has been watching over Milano since December 1774. Of course she’s been worked on throughout the years, with the last re-gilding in brilliant copper in 2012.

Back out on the piazza, we spent a few minutes watching the antics of the crowd with the pigeons and then paused for a quick selfie to prove we are cool before moving on. (Cool?? We took our selfie with a long arm and an actual camera, Honey. 🙂 )

The streets of Milan are b-u-s-y with a capital B!

Ultimately, it was quite a day. We were happy to complete the two-hour drive back – heck even yet another trip up the mountain – to the peaceful Villa Lorenza overlooking Lake Como, where we could take deep breaths and contemplate the historic, lovely duomo we’d been privileged enough to see. Thank you, Milan!

The “Pearl”

October 31, 2024November 7, 2024ssolsen12Leave a comment

We’d planned to explore both Como and Bellagio during our stay in Nesso. Our few ventures into Como, however, proved somewhat too challenging for our taste. WOW! What a crazy, bustling city! Instead, we chose to spend a couple of days enjoying the much less busy town of Bellagio – not the one in Las Vegas, but the so-called “Pearl of Lake Como.” Ha, imagine finding a place that has the same nickname as our car!

Having worked our way through the main street of shops in the historic center and checked out the 11th century chapel, then down to the lakeshore area for a late lunch, it was time to return to the car. Whew!

First step, a lot of steps back up to street level!

Not owning a house at the moment, we don’t really have need for a great deal of shopping. Surprise! The next day, we opted to return to Bellagio not for the shops, but for a stroll through the Giardini di Villa Melzi (Gardens of Villa Melzi) instead. The complex was created between 1808 and 1810 for Francesco Melzi d’Eril (1753-1816), Duke of Lodi, vice-president of Napoleon’s Italian Republic and, later, Grand Chancellor of the Kingdom of Italy…and a, oh, well, there’s more, but enough is enough! Most importantly for us, it would close for the season on November 3. Time to go!

Melzi dwelt in the villa until the end of his political career, after which it became his summer home.

_{Not too shabby…}

The villa itself, still privately owned by the family, isn’t open to the public, but there are plenty of grounds to enjoy. One of the highlights is the sprawling, diverse garden filled with loads of majestic century-old trees that are in some cases quite massive. Even better, a great biological garden that included signs on the special plants. Todd loved it. No Todd, we can’t read them all! 🙂

Atlas Cedar that’s way taller than the villa

Scattered through the garden is a fine collection of commemorative and mythological statues.

This fine nobleman was fortunate enough to have his own family chapel on the grounds.

After wandering all through the garden, we hurried back to the car and headed off to find a “nearby” restaurant named Trattoria Baita Belvedere, enthusiastically recommended by the kind agent at the gate as her “favorite.” She failed to mention, however, that it is located near the top of a mountain. A wonderful drive until the last mile or so of the skinniest “one lane” road to date! Thank goodness Todd doesn’t have much because it was absolutely hair-raising! NO pictures were captured on the way up. (Breathe, Honey….)

Near the end, it seemed even this guy was chuckling.

But make it we did.

That’s our spiffy blue Renault parked in the “lot” at the top of the mountain.

UGH. Do we have to drive back down? NAH. It must be a one-way drive up & another down (he says, optimistically…)

One thing at a time. How about lunch?

Corner table with a view
(Villa Melzi marked by the arrow)

Our friendly young server, Francesco, delivered a spectacular lunch along with plenty of local knowledge and basics he felt we needed to know. In fact, we closed the joint while pondering (putting off?) the drive back down. Eventually, we really had no choice but to hit the road. Francesco assured us that we shouldn’t meet anyone coming up since the restaurant was now closed until 7pm. Todd thinks he winked. 🙂