Lights out!

The trouble with an evening flight is that one usually has to check out of their lodging in the morning. Being in a short-term rental apartment complicated this even further because there is no place to store luggage.Fortunately for us, the Musee d'Orsay in Paris does. If your luggage is not too sizable, they will store it in their cloak room!
After our exhausting few days in Paris, coupled with jet lag, it felt good to sit still on an airplane! The flight was about three and a half hours, part of which was over the beautiful Alps.

We were really surprised at the lack of security at the extremely small Pisa airport. We grabbed our bags and headed out to find the bus. The driver was a dear man who stopped a block from our hotel and gave us directions.

Hotel Bologna is a stylish hotel in the historical area of the city. We were happy to arrive and have some time to relax. It's roomy and quiet, complete with Wi-fi access (for a daily fee) and a free full breakfast.

We were happy with the room until the lights went out!

We groped around in the dark and found a flashlight. Using it to explore our room, we finally found a slot in the wall near the door. We inserted the key card and voila! Let there be light!

Apparently, electricity is very expensive in Europe. A lot of establishments have features that force the inhabitants to conserve electricity. This would not be our last experience of this nature!

A most memorable meal

One of the draws of Italy is the food. Really good food.

A friend recommended one which far exceeded our expectations: Da I'Conte Diladdarno. It is owned by Luca, who after finding out that we had a mutual friend insisted that we not order and that he would cook for us. We were not disappointed.

We started with crostini con bruschertta and crostini con carabaccia.

Next up was zuppa di ci polls Medicea, a white bean soup, Medici style. Beans and I don't always get along, but Kevin said it was good!

It was followed by Pappa Pomodoro, a tomato stew that was out of this world.


After appetizers and soups, we could easily have walked out happy, but this wasn't to happen. Luca was having a wonderful time in the kitchen!

And we were glad. Luca emerged from the kitchen with a rice dish with provolone cheese and radicchio. My mouth waters even now as I remember it! We ate half of it before I remembered to document it for you....
Luca's assistant wrote down all the dish names for us, but I'm having difficulty translating, so I'll make a guess at the names.
By this time, we were really getting full, but it's difficult to relate this to a wonderful Italian chef. But we endured. ;)
I don't recall ever having wild boar before that day and it wasn't what I expected at all. It was tasty, but I wish I hadn't been so full already!

We're almost finished! Our last main dish was Turkey Medallions with lemon and mint. This is melt-in-your-mouth turkey and I highly recommend it! Again, we consumed half of it before I remembered to photograph it!

Luca was anxious to make another dish for us and his face fell when we told him we didn't want anything else. But it came back to life when we told him, "Va bene! Tutto bene!", which loosely translated means "I like it! All is good!"

But he was not to be stopped.

Out came biscotti and dessert wine, which turned out to be the perfect complement to a huge meal. And a meal is not complete in Italy if you haven't tried grappa, a brandy with assorted flavorings added to it: cinnamon, basil, peppers being among them. We each tried a couple.


I do not like alcohol. And I still don't. I got to practice my very useful Italian phrase, "Mi dispiacci, ma non va bene."

"I'm sorry. I don't like it."

Luca got a good laugh out of that and informed me that grappa is "only for men." Or something along those lines!

It was a two-hour meal that will be one of my fondest memories of Italy for the rest of my life.
I think Luca enjoyed it, also!

One day in Florence

After a wonderful day in Pisa with our home school friend Tracy, we took the train to Florence. Italian trains are convenient and comfortable. Unlike Roman buses, which I'll discuss later.

Our accommodations in Firenze (Florence) were at Relais Cavalcanti. It's nestled among various restaurants, shops, and outdoor markets. The lovely owners, Anna and Francesca, were the most gracious hosts, available to help in any they could .

Relais Cavalcanti is located on the fourth floor of an old historic building built in the 13th century It was owned by the noble Cavalcanti family, whose name the esablishment adopted.

Since the 13th century did not use elevators, modern builders did their best to cram one into the building, which means that it is diminutive. First there was a door which one opened with a key, revealing the elevator gate. The three of us barely fit inside. The picture at right is not a display of affection between my husband and son....that's just how close we had to stand to fit!

Luggage had to be lugged up the stairs. I guess that's why it is called luggage! At least this task only had to be performed once!

The proprietors, Anna and Francesa, are two of the friendliest woman you'd ever want to meet. They bent over backwards to help us with tours, restaurants, directions, transportation. They claim not to serve breakfast, whichI suppose is technically true; however, their breakfast room is always laid out with Italian delights. My favorite was palmine, a flaky glazed pastry that quickly became my breakfast each day.

Our room was spacious and had a view of the side street on which Relais Cavalcanti resides.

There is a lot to see in Florence, but just wandering around and absorbing Italian culture is a highlight not to be missed. It is easy to get around. In fact, I recommend walking - you'll need to after you experience Italian cuisine! I'll focus on that in a later post.

A gem of Florence is the Uffizi Gallery, built in 1581 to house the offices of the powerful Medici family. Over time, it evolved into a display for the many works of arts collected by the Medici. One of the more famous works is The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli.

But the highlight for us was The David. The original is housed at Galleria dell'Accadamia...don't settle for the copy! But beware of the scam artists (pun intended) who display their reproductions on the sidewalk in front of the Accademia - literally on the sidewalk like a throw rug. Tourists are intent on getting in the door and don't pay attention to where their feet are being placed.

Yes, I am talking about myself.

After placing said feet on reproductions just waiting for an oblivious tourist, Italian men surrounded me. I can only assume they wanted me to pay for damages done. I muttered an apology and proceeded to the gallery entrance. Kevin, the conscientious person that he is, stayed behind. I asked a security guard inside if I should pay and he emphatically (as only an Italian can do) declared, "No! No pay!"

I went back outside to find Kevin with a print rolled under his arm and called to him, "Don't! Do not pay them!" He handed the print back to the vendor and followed us in, leaving behind one disgusted Italian scam artist.

Don't get me wrong, We absolutely fell in love with the Italian people; however, Italy has its share of scammers and thieves. Beware!

One could spend hours wandering through either of these galleries, so don't waste your time standing in line to get in. Pay the nominal extra fee to obtain a reservation. Arrive early to ensure your entry.

More to come...

Two Italian Men

Traveling to a foreign country is a true adventure. Experiencing the culture up close and personally is only done by spending time with the people. Not the tourists who have cameras dangling from their necks, although they can be an adventure also, but the locals.

On our recent trip to Europe, we endeavored to stay in short-term rental apartments and B&B's when we could. This led to experiences we never would have had otherwise.

Let's start with Italy.


We rented an apartment (pictured above) in the Trestavere (tress TAH vare eh) neighborhood, far from the madding crowds who frequent the more touristy areas of Rome. It was on a side street, part of a maze that got us lost trying to find it on our first day. There were numerous small restaurants nearby, along with bakeries and small grocers.

Our first night required that we do some laundry, having already been travelling for 16 days. I was thrilled that there was a washing machine. A small one, but a washing machine nonetheless. The rental agency representative showed me how to use it upon our check in, while Kevin had chatted with another rep.That was the first mistake! I was fatigued and knew I probably wouldn't remember all the buttons and their purposes.

I proceeded to load it with a small load. Well, a small load for me, anyway. When I went to unload it, I discovered that the machine was still half filled with water. We fiddled with the buttons, all to no avail. The rental agency office opened at noon, so I emailed them to explain our problem, knowing that they would see it as soon as they opened....or maybe sooner.

In the morning, Kevin and Daniel went to the local grocer to buy bread, milk, etc for breakfast. Upon their return, there was a man waiting at the apartment door. Assuming he was there to repair the washing machine, we let him in.

The thing about traveling to a foreign country is that they often don't speak your language!

This was definitely true in our case.

I led him out to the balcony, where the offending machine resided in a closet. The man shook his head.

Oh.

The man started explaining - in Italian - what he wanted. He found the electric box on the kitchen wall and made motions of snipping wires. What?!

He wanted to turn off the electricity! He showed Kevin a bill with an outstanding balance.

We tried to explain that we did not own the apartment and were just renting it for a few days. This did not sink in.

The man motioned as if he were writing and said "Escrive?" At least, that's what I thought he said. Ah! Write it down! Maybe he can read English or we can read Italian better than we hear it!

I'd like to give credit to whom credit is due, but I don't remember who came up with the idea of using the Internet to translate. Brilliant! We went to the babelfish web site and merrily typed back and forth, both shaking our heads as we tried to understand each other. It became quite comical, but frustrating at the same time. I imagine he was truly baffled when the computer screen said we were renting from under the roman sun, not knowing it was the rental agency name!

The man was determined. The electricity must be turned off. We finally called the rental agency and explained our problem. The person who answered the phone told us something to the effect of calling back.

Were we supposed to call them back? Were they going to call us back?

As we were about to call them again, a knock came upon the door. We let yet another Italian man into our apartment. He began conversing with Italian Electric Man. After a few minutes, Italian Electric Man departed. I turned to Italian Man II and asked "Parla inglese?"

"Yes, I speak English."

Oh, hooray!

Apparently, the apartment owner had been away from Rome for several months and had not settled his bill. Italian Man II had convinced him to wait.

Italians are wonderful people. They help one another out whenever they can. You see, Italian Man II didn't even work for the rental agency. He was just a friend who lived in the area. The agency had asked him to come over and intervene, which he did willingly and happily.

I just love the Italian people.