Day 14 - Taking it all in

Our last day in Rome. Sigh. The trip is almost over and our plan is to soak in as much as we can before heading home tomorrow. Curious about breakfast at this hotel, we weren't expecting anything more than pastries for some reason, but we were looking forward to any kind of change up from the same items we had for the past 6 days in a row in Cortona. To our surprise, it was quite excellent! Scrambled eggs, non crispy bacon, pancakes (in a made to order machine where you pushed a button and watched it make them on a little conveyer belt), fresh fruit, liquidy yogurt from a machine, toasts, breads, pastries and some kind of ham and cheese tort. The jelly and syrups were in fancy high-tech dispensers. Like breakfast of the future. The servers made any kind of fresh coffee drink you wanted and had the milk steamers and everything. We noticed last night from a card in our room that they'd bring breakfast to your room. We know why, and that is because the little breakfast area only seats about 30 or less.

After that surprising treat we headed out to catch the hop on hop off. This very sweet Indian boy was giving us the spiel, even tho we already knew we'd take it. Once we said ok, he asked us to follow him to the ticket office. He was on a Segway and asked Guy if he wanted to drive it. Guy said no, but the young man insisted, so Guy hopped on and took it for a spin. Funny. So at the ticket shop we paid with a credit card (sometimes that's been a problem in the past and they only take cash) and hopped on the bus. The narrated tour took us all around the city with a drop off near the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Coliseum, several piazzas, and more. After seeing it for a little bit we realized we had actually done the tour before. Still, it was a beautiful day and we sat on the top of the bus and took the sights in. Europe is also rich in smells as well, and this week I tried to take in as many as I could, paying attention to everything. The flowers in the evening, the distinct smells of the old buildings, pastries, diesel fuel, cigarettes, coffee. We just took it all in. From the bus I got several nice shots of the Coliseum and Circus Maximus. We also saw a couple in their wedding clothes having a photo shoot outside the Coliseum. And in front of a church today, their were tiny white paper hearts all over the ground. It is very romantic here.

For lunch we headed across the river to the part of Rome called Trastevere, where we grabbed some lunch at a familiar restaurant called the Grazie and Grazzinella. We've been there before and it's more of a hipster place, with a young friendly staff. When you walked in they gave you a tiny little plastic cup of proscecco wine. We had bruschetta and I ordered the lasagna (the guy next to me had it, so that pretty much sold me on it) and Guy had the carbonara. His was ok, but not as great as the other day and my lasagna was the best so far (it's my first, LOL, therefore the best!). It was really good. As we left they gave us limoncello and we clinked our little shot glasses together "salute". From Trastevere we headed on foot towards the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. The Pantheon was so crowded they had a line going in and a line going out. We just walked up like we were going in as we had before, but we were quickly informed of the queue. Hmm. Police presence is really heavy in Rome, lots of police, and I've seen at least a dozen machine guns. Combination of heavy tourist season and reality of today's times is suppose. It certainly isn't scary. You can be at the wrong place at the wrong time pretty much anywhere. Well, except for maybe Elkville. :)

Slowly working our way back to the hotel for a rest, we hit about every shop along the way searching for goodies. Guy spied a Tshirt earlier today and we couldn't find it in his size. Most of the shops have the same things, so we searched until we found it, and we sure did! Success! Along with a few other items we had a full and successful day just hitting the highlights. After a short rest I went up to the rooftop and blogged while Guy showered and read. It seemed a bit hot today, but really the high was only 82 with a nice breeze. Sunny and perfect.

Dinner tonight was at the iL Falchetto. Another recommendation from our hotel guys. They made a reservation for us at 8pm and we walked there with no troubles. Guy had eggplant bruschetta to start and he ordered cod with potatoes in a tomato sauce. It was good. About as described on the menu. Being my last night in Italy, I had to have one more gnocchi and I'm so glad I did. It was the best I've had on this trip. It was in a red sauce that was a bit sweet, kind of like I make. It was baked with cheese on top. It melted in your mouth and I was so happy. We opted not to have dessert, but they brought out small biscottis with the check. They were a vanilla flavor, very good.

As we walked back we hit one more shop that we had been in earlier to pick up a goodie and then we went to the chocolate shop called Venchi. They had a wall of streaming chocolate and it was recommended to us by Dino to try their gelato. I think it would not be prudent to skip gelato on my last day in Italy, so we stood in the long line and we watched the guys behind the counter craft the most fabulous cones. This was one time I actually had a cone, it was just more fun. I had chocolate and stracciatella. They also dipped the top of my cone in chocolate and caramel bits. Yeah. It was good.

Now for the last paragraph of my alongituscany2017 blog. We are back in the room packing our bags. The hotel booked us a car to be out front tomorrow morning at 9am to take us to the airport. Our flight leaves at noon and we'll be back in STL Sunday night at 9:30pm. It's been better that fabulous. The weather, the glass class, the company, the cooking class, the eating, the leisure mornings, the stories, the MEMORIES! Thank you, Italy, for another great adventure and letting us be a part of your world for a short time. Prayers will be sent up tonight for safe travels home for us tomorrow and our Herrin students/church family that are coming home in a few days. Ciao until next time!

Day 13 - It's Hard to Say Goodbye

This morning was our last in beautiful Tuscany and we are heading for the craziness known as Rome. The ride in the car was about two hours and besides some rain and patches of heavy traffic, it was an easy trip from Cortona to the Rome airport. Why the airport? Because Guy was kind enough to let me return the car there vs. me having to drive in Rome. I've done it before and it isn't easy. Last night Guy hopped on his phone and booked us a car to pick us up. The cost is about the same as a cab, but you have the price from point A to point B in an email, and it's not as likely you will be taken advantage of. At the airport we returned the car to Sixt car rental on the 4th floor of a parking garage. That was interesting. It was a great little car and I enjoyed driving it. It was called an Opel. Guy thinks it is a German-made car. Anyway, it was returned without a scratch, but we sure did put some serious mileage on it! The car/limo company called us as the driver actually came up to the 4th floor to find us, but our email said to meet them outside, which we were. We hopped in the black Mercedes and headed for the old city.

The ride into Rome was about 30 minutes. That gave me time to catch up on Amanda's blog of the Herrin high school's European travelers. Her stories are always fun and it's like reading a well written novel. Her mom is with her as well as Tricia and Madeline Asbury from our church. I can't wait to hear their stories. - In Rome the cabbie got a bit lost but he wasn't too far off from our hotel, which he said is "Invisible" which is true. The tiny door of the Hotel Piazza Venezia is between a gelateria and a police station. Two nice things to have close! Entering the long tiny tunnel of a reception area, I was thinking how I couldn't work there as the entire space is claustrophobic to say the least! Our room is on the second floor and the stairs are nice and open. As we entered room #209, it is quite stunning inside with a beautifully decorated modernistic feel, air conditioning, marble floors, good size shower, shampoo and other fancy toiletries, free wifi, breakfast in the morning and best of all...slippers! And they are BLACK and quite fancy. This place officially gets high marks once I saw the slippers. Our only unpleasant surprise is scaffolding out our window. But even if it wasn't there, the view is of the building right next door. However, it does pass the fire test...I can hop out the window and shimmy down the scaffolding two floors to the ground. Ha Ha. 

After settling in and freshening up, we head out and grab a sandwich and coke from a local bar and took it to the Coliseum to have a picnic. Well, more like a people watching adventure while sitting on a stone wall. It is packed with people and there are two military hummers/tanks with two guys with machine guns blocking the road from traffic. We haven't figured out why they were there just yet, but they were letting public busses go through and that is about it. Sadly, the Forum is officially blocked off and you have to buy a ticket to go inside. We aren't sure if it was totally fenced in two years ago, but the years before we could just walk through. The fencing is sad to see, but if it protects it for future generations, then I suppose it's ok. The giant stone arch by the Coliseum, which we once freely walked underneath, is now also fenced in. :( 

We walked through the Victory Emmanuel which is just a block from our hotel and explored the military museum. We took some pictures with a friendly bird at the top and even managed a selfie with him. I think he is pretty well fed up there. Afterwards we came back to the room and decided to take a short nap. It is nearing 90 degrees today and if it wasn't for the overcast skies and fairly strong breeze, it would be on the verge of miserable. So we thought we'd cool off and head back out for an evening stroll or perhaps a tour of the city on the hop on hop off bus. We don't think we've done this in Rome before and since we aren't planning on any official tours this time, the bus will give plenty of insight to the area and we'll learn something new I'm sure. And if nothing else, the ticket is good for 24 hours and we can use it as our cab tomorrow when we plan on lengthier visits in our favorite areas.

After naps we suffered from a bit of "itis" (lazyitis) and we decided not to do the hop on, but instead eat at a recommended restaurant around the corner, then walk to the Trevi Fountain if it wasn't raining. So Dino, at the reception, told us about a great little restaurant around the corner called the La Cabana and he made us a reservation for 7:15. It literally was only 75 feet away. When we peeked inside it was totally adorable and they had our table waiting with our name on it. Our waiter spoke great English and was so nice to us. Everyone was. Most of the patrons were English speakers, but there were a few Italians there and one old fella that walked in that was clearly a regular. The waiters huddled around him when they weren't busy. So we both ordered starters. Guy had the fried cod and I had bruschetta. Both of us were a bit surprised because his plate was nearly big enough to be his meal and my bruschetta wasn't tomato, but mushrooms instead. They also brought us fresh-from-the-oven bread that they called focaccia, but I would call plain pizza bread with maybe some olive oil and salt. Very good. For our main entree Guy had veal with prosciutto and I had penne primavera. Guys was good but a bit salty and mine was good but I would have called it penne caprese. The pasta was hot, but it was topped with cold tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. I would have tossed it in a hot pan for a bit just to heat it all through, but I really enjoyed it as it was light and not too oily or buttery. Not much sauce at all. Very fresh. I enjoyed it.

We talked about walking to the Trevi Fountain for a gelato, but then we saw the dessert cart. There was no way you could say no. Seriously, even Guy got something, which is pretty unusual. I had the ricotta and chocolate tart and Guy had the apple pie. I also had a coffee, which was wonderful, and it was the end to a really fun meal. Guy spoke with the owner that sat at a little desk in the middle of the restaurant and told him what a nice time we had. The service was excellent and it was nice to be with such friendly people. While we were there, Dino (from our hotel) came in and got some food Togo. We laughed.

It wasn't raining, so to walk off our big fabulous meal we headed for the Trevi. Our hotel is a tiny thing, but is located in a pretty darn good spot! Only 7 minutes walk from the Trevi Fountain and maybe 10-15 to the coliseum. The Vatican is a bit further away, but I'm sure we'll get lots of walking in tomorrow. Guy wants to see the Pantheon tomorrow because you can't be this close and not go by. It, too, is just a short walk away. Now, back to the Trevi...we guessed there were 1000 people there, everyone with smiles. One young boy had just asked his girlfriend to marry him and she was crying and they were kissing. Good spot for "the big question". ;) Guy and I made our lame attempt at a selfie and I took several shots. My phone wasn't quite big enough to catch all of it, but we got several nice shots. It's about 8:45pm and the sky still has a bit of light. But the fountain is lit up beautifully. Two years ago, when the entire family came, it was all covered in scaffolding, so the kids didn't really get to see it. We've never seen it look so beautiful! Great job! Guy did a bit of research and there has been some kind of fountain with running water to this spot via viaduct for 2,000 years, but the fountain as we see it today has been there for 250 years. They gather up about 3,000 euros per day from the fountain and it goes to area charities/needy. Plus, lots of dreams are made here with a wish sent upwards with each coin that is tossed in. I hope they all come true.

We had a lovely stroll on the cobblestone streets as we headed back to the hotel. The ladies in their stilettos know to be on the sidewalks where the pavement is solid and flat. On this trip I've seen a lot of totally inappropriate footwear for strolling, but sometimes we must suffer for fashion. As we entered the hotel, Dino and the other fella at the desk wanted to know how our dinner was. We said great and we told them we even had dessert. The one guy asked Dino where his dessert was as he apparently was a recepient of the carry out Dino had picked up earlier. We all laughed. They are so nice here. They told us tomorrow afternoon they will be there and they will tell us of another great restaurant to go to. As we bid them a good night, we could hear them bantering back and forth about the best place to send us to tomorrow. It was hilarious.

Back in the room the hot shower will feel good after a long hot day of traveling and sight seeing. Guy has already had his and is sporting his fancy black slippers. I still have mine from the Excelsior, so I'm going to save mine for another trip. They are quite fabulous.

Not sure what tomorrow brings, but that is part of the fun! Good night from Rome.

Day 12 - Siena

We woke up to an absolutely gorgeous morning. After breakfast we jumped in the car and scooted toward Siena. Had I had all my camera equipment and the day off, it would have been perfect for photographing beautiful Tuscany. It rained last night and the weather is cool, with hardly any humidity. Unlike most days, the haze has disappeared and giving us one last day of picturesque views.

The trip was about an hour and it was an easy one. Chatting with the person at the hotel desk before we left, they mentioned the same parking lot that Guy had found online, as Siena was supposed to have problematic parking. This lot supposedly has hundreds of spots and always has something open. Until today. The parking garage gave us a ticket and the gate opened. The claustrophobic underground parking garage's digitized sign said it had two parking spots on level -2. The gate was open and we went in and drove the entire length without finding a spot. I backed all the way up and we drove it again as some cars had passed me and we were hoping someone had left. They had not. So putting my ticket back in the machine to get out, the gate opened and led us back outside. Fortunately we spied out another parking area on the way up, that was about a 10 minute walk, and we went back and parked there.

We were in Sienna probably close to 15 years ago and as we were walking in I wasn't remembering too much until I saw the Duomo. It's quite spectacular and almost like a miniature version of the one in Milan. You had to purchase a ticket to go in, but I went as far as I could and peeked inside before I was asked to go buy a ticket from the lovely lady with the metal detector. I got several photos and the sky is blue with puffy white clouds that made for a beautiful backdrop to a truly amazing structure. Guy said "You sure did pick a good day to come here," but after waking closer to the square we commented on how many tourists there were. And then there were more. Then even more! Then...the sound of a cannon and yelling. What the heck?  So Guy goes to see what I going on while I pop into a shop. He comes to get me, excited that today they were racing the horses around the square. He was just commenting that he didn't really know a lot about Siena except for the beautiful church and the horse races. Today is his lucky day. Kinda.

Getting closer to the action we see that the police are everywhere and blocking people from getting inside the square. We guessed that because it has already started you couldn't go in. We walked near some bleachers filled with people (hence several butt shots in my photos today) as I thought that might be as close as I get. A gentleman in a shop told us in pretty good English that we would be able to enter the square in an hour or so. So we walked around the shops and watched a bit of the race on TV. All the bars had their TVs on. We walked past several shops that overlooked the races and one in particular, a perfume shop, had the windows open facing the square with no one looking out. Guy asked if we could look out and they said yes. We didn't overstay our welcome, but got lots a great photos and thanked them for the birds eye view. Next, we stopped for lunch. Guy was in the mood for just a sandwich, but when he didn't see a shop that fancied him, we went ahead and sat in a restaurant to rest our feet and enjoy a break. We ate at the Osteria il Vicolo and I had ravioli with cheese in butter and sage. He had the carbonara, commenting that it was his best so far as they've all seemed a bit salty on this trip. The pasta was cooked aldente and he was happy with it. Afterwards we visited a pastry shop and headed for the square.

The racing was over and the crowd cleared quickly. There are 17 districts in Siena and each district is represented by a flag. People walked around all day with their flags draped around them like a scarf, clearly proud of their respective areas. The mood was fun as this was a day of excitement for the locals. When I figured out the TEP wasn't on, I got the wifi going again and Guy googled Siena to get us some details. Apparently they officially race two days per year. The next race is July 2 and then one in August. Three days before the big race are preliminary races. We are here on one of those days. The district can win a race even with a horse that has no rider. We actually saw that on TV today. One of the riders fell off, but the horse kept going. Poor thing. It had to be scared but came in at a strong second. 

As we headed out to the piazza to sit and enjoy our pastries, we walked across the dirt where the horses had just been and commented on how much work it is to haul all the dirt in, then to remove it. I'll have to read up on this a bit more later. So we sat in the center and watched the families play and young people kiss as it was the ultimate people-watching location. Our pastries didn't taste as good as they looked, and not that I needed a break from gelato (NEVER!), but we like to try new things and we still enjoyed the experience. So after a nice break, we headed to a shop, that had been closed earlier, for me to pick up a few items and we came across this a.m.a.z.i.n.g. chocolate shop where they lured me in with free samples and I walked out with a delightfully stuffed bad full of treats to bring home. I guess I had chocolate sucker written on my forehead.

Back to the il Melone I took a quick nap and Guy headed to the pool with his kindle. I joined him later to start the blog as tonight after dinner we'll pack up getting ready to drive to Rome tomorrow. It won't be too hard to pack up the purchases, because there haven't really been too many. **Family notice** Not bringing home much, so expectations need to be low. It's been a wonderful trip, but shopping hasn't been too excessive. I guess because it's a repeat trip and the towns are selling all the same stuff as before, there is no real excitement in the shopping. So chocolates will have to do. :)

Dinner tonight was once again at the Cantanapoli, same place as last night. They specialized in seafood and we were eyeballing everyone's muscles last night. So we went back tonight for the spaghetti vongoli, which we both had, which was delicious. We started with the crostini, which was toasted bread with toppings. There were four: tomato and cheese, mushrooms, ham and cheese and then one mystery topping. We think it was some kind of sausage in a sauce, but it was hard to tell. Either way it was tasty. For dessert I had chocolate and coconut mousse. It was more cake than mouse, but it was lovely and I demolished it. Ahhhh vacation.

Back at the hotel we hoped to get one more sighting of the boar, but perhaps they have fixed the fence or the piggy is just a night owl. We looked, but no luck. We went ahead and checked out tonight just to save us time in the morning and went back to the room and packed our bags. We have everything we need for the next few days in Guy's smaller suitcase and we hope the big one is now packed until we get home. Rome will be fun. We like just walking around and seeing everything again. Guy is going to google things to do in Rome, just in case there is something cool we've missed in the past. We've pretty much done all the tours, but it's such a fascinating place I just like walking around. 

So goodnight from Cortona, it's been a blast. Tomorrow...Rome.

Day 11 - Cortona

A day off.  My alarm rang at 8:45 so we'd have time to get ready and still make breakfast. Guy suggested we sleep in and eat granola bars. I concur. Up and ready by 11, today is going to be our day off. It looks like it could rain any second, so we nixed Sienna, postponing it for tomorrow. First task of the day was to do laundry. We have plenty of clothes, but will probably need clean shorts for Rome and I needed to do my airplane pillowcase, so we just did up everything and except for what we had on, we have nothing dirty. At first I was a little put off by the property not having washers and dryers, but I actually think I prefer the Bluewater as it is fast, has multiple washers and the dryer can have it all dried in about 18 minutes. Today, at our laundry visit, we washed and dried in about 45 minutes. We now consider ourselves professionals. :) This time the owners were there and asked us if we needed any help (in Italian but we guessed what they were saying). Guy told them we were here the other day and we were good. It was nice they asked, tho! Also, while we had 30 minutes during the wash cycle, we left the Bluewater to go to the bank. Guy exchanged for a few more Euros and we should be set now for the rest of the trip.

After the laundry was folded and collected up, we drove up to Cortona for lunch. We decided to let TripAdvisor pick, so #1 was Gelateria Snoopy. It had food, too, but just had a problem with our restaurant being called Snoopy. So we went for #2. Closed for lunch. #3. Closed for lunch. #4 Open!. It looked beautiful and a bit on the fancy side, but the prices weren't more than a Euro or two higher than anywhere else. As we sat down he gave us menus and Guy saw him inside opening something. We heard a cork pop and Guy was like - shoot. I knew what he meant. We were the only ones there and that had to be for us. We didn't ask for it. So now we are flashing back to a really bad experience we had in Burrano. I wanted seafood risotto and the server said that it was the special of the day, did I want to try it? I said yes, but what I didn't realize was... I said yes to some kind of all inclusive 5 course deal. They kept bringing items out and we kept telling them no, but they kept bringing it anyway. Clearly taking advantage of the language barrier and the young tourists. So we are thinking that maybe this is what was happening here. Guy went to go wash his hands and before he got back out, the server came out with these gorgeous plates of cold potato soup with ricotta and a quail egg. Yeah, it's happening again. So Guy walks up and the server is still there. I said "It's happening" and he told the server we didn't order it. The server said, "Please, a welcome for you". Guy said "Free?" And again the server said, "It is a welcome to you from the chef". Ok. So being a bit more seasoned travelers we can usually see when a good scam is happening, but 1. it is top rated on Trip Advisor, 2. Guy asked if it was free and he kinda said yes, and 3. Guy will only pay for what we eat. It was so good but I couldn't enjoy it in fear that we were being scammed. Next our food came out. Guy had homemade pasta with rabbit ragu and I had pasta stuffed with Burrata cheese. I love Burrata. It was SO GOOD. Guy says possibly his best pasta so far. Again, with reserved pleasure as we didn't know what was next. I ordered a side of veggies and those didn't come out until the very end, but they were hot and yummy. We pretty much cleaned our plates. The server asked if we wanted dessert, but we said no and he brought us the bill. Scanning it closely, we were only charged for what we asked for. Too bad we didn't know he was legit as we would have enjoyed ourselves a lot more, because it was certainly delicious. Oh, and when we got the bill they also gave us a nice little map of the town. It had their restaurant on it, circled...what a great marketing tool!

After lunch, we walked around streets we'd never been on, just taking in the sights and visiting the church. We shopped a bit and I got a cute little leather embellishment for my new purse and I love it. Pic will be in the link for today. We walked leisurely back to the car because at that time it was only 77 degrees with a strong yet refreshing breeze. On the way back down to the lower part of the town, we got some gas. We do the full service just so we put the right kind of gas in the car. It took awhile for someone to come out, so I Googled the word "full" in Italian - "pieno" and when he walked up to the car I said "Pieno, grazie". Hee Hee. What a dork he was probably thinking. But he knew what I said and filled her up! :) Once again we ran into the Coop, have I mentioned I love the grocery store, we got a few more things and they have the cutest reusable bags that you purchase, so I bought several -my sweet friend Amanda Hickman describes purchases as "treasures"- and we headed back to the room, threw or swimmies and are soaking in the full sun of the afternoon. We aren't sure what is for dinner yet, but thinking about the hotel's restaurant. The menu is limited, but would be sufficient as we already had a lovely lunch.

Well, when we headed back to the room, we decided we'd go to the local pizzeria instead. The hotel made our reservations and we got ready for our big night on the town! Just kidding, it is really less than a block away. :) So off we went for dinner (we had lots of clothes options since EVERYTHING is clean). We fancied up a bit and headed for the Ristorante Pizzeria Cantanapoli. I remembered eating here because the road to get out was crazy steep and with our stick shift from before...it was, well, let's say...memorable. Once inside Guy totally remembered. We had our table waiting for us and as we looked around, all tables had reservation cards on them. So we felt lucky to get a seat. The menu had lots to choose from at reasonable prices. I had the gnocchi alla Sorrentina and Guy had the Bufala pizza (buffalo mozzarella and basil). Our food came quickly and we jumped in. We had a big lunch and did the best we could, but left a bit on our plates. It was SO GOOD! Being on vacation, and Amanda Hickman says European calories are zero, we ordered one pineapple Tiramisu. Oh my. Creamy and delicious. So note for anyone coming to Cortona. You must check out this fabulous restaurant. Very friendly to tourists, checked back on us regularly and was an overall fabulous night.

Once again I'll be in bed before 10pm!

Tomorrow...Sienna!

Day 10 - Orvieto & Lago Trasimeno

Gearing up for a day of exploration, we fueled up on breakfast and adorned our shorts for a very hot 90+ degree day. For breakfast I just pulled my hair up really quickly, but afterwards I figured I wouldn't want to attempt to wear it down today due to the heat, so I sported the "breakfast bun" all day. Not glamorous, but sensible. We headed out about 11:30 and followed the A1 to Orvieto. We were give the suggestion to visit this town by a couple from Wisconsin we met in at the laundry the other day. They have been coming here for the past 11 year and stay for 6 weeks at a time. They have friends here who helped them buy a car and the friend keeps it on their property while they are back in the states. They love it here and it shows. So we took their suggestion to visit this hilltop town about an hour away.

The drive again was easy, with beautiful scenery. We exited Tuscany and entered into Umbria. Arriving at the town we take the bus to the piazza to avoid the walk up. It is quiet here. Not too touristy, but they clearly get plenty of visitors because they have a fair amount of shops. By the time we get to the shopping it is nearly 2pm and most shops were closed (Guy says "yay") but I had fun window shopping and enjoying this new town. We started to get hungry so we began scouting out a place to eat. Meandering down a small side street, we come across a small place that appears to have a lot of locals (and a few drunken American teenagers). The kids were unpleasant as they were tipsy and noisy, but we watched in quiet observation as the owner and a local patron made fun of them. It was better after they left so we could finally enjoy a quiet lunch. The place was called da Carlo Trattoria and it appeared that Carlo and his 80+ year old grandmother were running the place. There were only seats outside (not sure what they do in the winter) and no more than 7 or 8 tables. Lots of local visitors came by while we ate and they chatted with them. The mama was adorable with red, professionally highlighted hair and big Harry Carey glasses. She took our order, not writing anything down, then came back with a pen and paper and repeated our order as she wrote. She remembered everything perfectly. We ordered a bruschetta and it was not the traditional kind we were expecting. It was actually puréed tomatoes, but you could tell they were fresh. I actually really enjoyed it more than the traditional kind as the little tomatoes were not falling off with every bite, making it easy to eat. I recommend it! Then I ordered a pasta dish with fennel, pork cheek and pecorino. Guy ordered a cod fish over garbanzo beans that were slightly puréed into almost a hummus texture. His dish was drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fennel. He says it was his best meal so far. 

After lunch we stopped for a gelato from a shop on the main strip and the gelato freezer was a circle that would spin around. The gal at the shop could speed it up, slow it down or stop it. Very funny. It was good, tho and I got chocolate and another flavor that Guy could pronounce but I couldn't. Basically it was some kind of nut and light brown in color. It was good mixed with the chocolate. We then headed back down to the parking area where we had caught the bus up and put a few of our trinkets in the car. We had exactly two minutes before our parking ticket expired. Great timing!  We explored the fort, walking around the edge and looking over into the hazy valley. Then the well. The well is really the main reason we came. Here is a Wikipedia bit:  Pozzo San Patrizio, well built on the orders of the pope. During the Sack of Rome in 1527 the Pope took refuge at Orvieto, and fearing that in the event of siege by Charles' troops the city's water might prove insufficient, he had this spectacular well constructed by the architect-engineer Antonio da Sangallo the Younger (1527‑37) with double helical ramps for one-way traffic, so that mules laden with water-jars might pass down then up again unobstructed. Its inscription boasts QUOD NATURA MUNIMENTO INVIDERAT INDUSTRIA ADIECIT ("what nature stinted for provision, let application supply"). We bought tickets to go in, but once I got closer I could see that it was one way in and one way out. That meant walking down 12 stories circling down into a dark pit, then walking back up. Somewhere between the down and the up would have been tears, a panic attack and language unfitting to a Christian woman. Then I see a sign that warns against people with claustrophobia. Done. The sign sealed the deal. We did, however, use my ticket. Guy went in, took my phone (all well photos - photo credit: Guy W. Alongi) and after he had seen enough, walked back up the stairs on the same side and I used my ticket to open the glass doors so he could come back out. Truly, the engineering feat of this well is amazing. I mean they brought mules down, loaded them up with water and walked them up the other side. 12 STORIES! Holy smokes! I'm feeling a bit fortunate tonight that I can just twist a knob and water will come out!

After the adventures in the well, we head toward Lago Trasimeno. It is the fourth largest lake in Italy and just happens to be somewhat on our way back. We went to go check it out to see if it is worthy of an entire day to explore, but alas, it was not. It was beautiful and we drove around it in a few different spots to get a good view, and even entertained the idea of taking a boat ride to an island with a small castle on it, but after a walk along a small pier and being slightly tired, the idea of being in the pool after a hot day won the coin toss. However, we made a quick pit stop at the Coop to get a few items for dinner. Since we've been eating so much, we decided to keep it light, shower early and maybe watch a movie if the hotel's wifi is good enough to stream Netflix. A vacation from our vacation. 

Back at the hotel, Guy headed for the pool to scout out a spot and I went into the hotel to get pool towels. At the counter was the sweet gentleman who had so kindly made our dinner reservations for us yesterday and I decided to ask him about the parking lot pig. When I told him we had seen it two nights in a row his eyes got really big. He said "On the property?" I told him yes! In the grassy parking lot. He said they are definitely in the area of course, but never on the property! So I clarified, "So it's not a pet." He said "NO! Nota peta". He told me he'd have the owner check the fences around the property because this little wild feller should not be hanging with the guests. :) I can't imagine we were the only ones to see it, but this was all news to him.

We took a dip in the pool while I uploaded images from the day and then headed for our favorite little table outside and around the corner from our room. Guy ran up for our snacks and brought them down in a shoebox. Yes, I bought shoes...I'm in Italy. Don't judge. We ate and enjoyed our little feast, then enjoyed the cool night air and the sunset over the trees. Another glorious day and the photo link from today will help fill in any gaps. 

Ciao until Wednesday.

Day 9 - Pool, Pecorino and Pigs

Not being sure we can top yesterday, we woke with a plan to hang out by the pool and do some grocery shopping before meeting the clan for dinner. Breakfast was good and filling, all we needed to start our day. As the cleaning sweetie was in our room we sat in the shade and enjoyed the breeze. Guy told me stories from the book he just finished about how the war for the Germans could have gone so differently with just a few different plans. It made me think of God's plan for this world. All of us. Wars. Peace...Someday I'll know the whys. 

After our extended chat in the shade, we headed to the car for a trip to the Coop. (Grocery store). I could have stayed in there for another hour at least. But let me tell you what we bought!! **So excited** Today we are going to be by the pool, so we bought some goodies for lunch. Focciacia bread fresh from their bakery, a cheese spread that is several kinds of cheese mixed together, sliced like the size of a piece of banana bread, and coated with walnuts. I'm sure it is spreadable and will be the topping to my bread today. I have a hankering it will be sweet, but I'm going to love it either way. Guy picked up some speck and prosciutto, cold cokes, aqua panna and other necessary items for the picnic. As I strolled around I also bought some disposable ice cube packets (I'm sorry Geory - I promise to recycle the plastic) that we saw yesterday at the Morefield's villa. In an effort to still have time for the pool, I tore myself away from the isles and got in line to pay. Ahhh...I do love the grocery store.

Back to the il Melone we changed into our swimmies and headed for the pool. Its a warm one today and the pool water is perfecto. I'm keeping the blog up to speed so there is less to do tonight, and Guy noticed I forgot to blog about Volterra, so I added that back into the blog from two days ago. Internet speed at the pool is fast - the hotel's juice, not the TEP. Very nice. I'm also going to have to delete some old photos off my phone because yesterday I got a warning I was almost out of space. Yikes! It's cleaning day for the iphone. I did delete a bunch of pics at the airport in STL, but when you have 7,000 photos and videos on your phone, that is slow going ... deleting one by one. I did back everything up before I left, but I just couldn't get myself to dump everything. I enjoy looking back on "my life in photos". 

Lunch was great! And two things about the cheese...it wasn't sweet and didn't really spread, however it was soft and yes, we managed to eat almost ALL of it. Our bread and speck made for a delightful lunch. We didn't sit at the pool and eat because they serve food poolside. We didn't know that until we got out there, but not to worry, there are tables and chairs all around the grounds and the weather in the shade is warm but lovely. Afterwards I came in to get ready for our evening out and dinner. This week has consisted of ponytails and tank tops. So tonight I actually curled my hair and put on a dress for dinner. It felt good to be dressed up a bit.

The drive to Montepulciano was wonderful. The homes are quaint and well manicured with gorgeous trees. Very much what you'd expect to see when you think of Tuscany. It was mostly country roads and small towns. Never did we get on the autostrada and that was fine with us. It's a beautiful day and we are having such a good time. We've never been rushed and it's been a relaxing, leisure time. - When we arrived at Montepulciano, we got a good parking spot and Guy paid the meter until 9:15. That will be cutting it close, but we'll see how dinner goes as we have reservations at 7. Walking up through the town, it seems pretty empty compared to the weekend visitors in Volterra and Cortona. The shops were open and we saw several familiar things, including the guy who makes the fabulous mosaics out of tiles. I took his photo last time, so he is in a past blog, but I did snap of photo of an old guy making shoes. Very sweet. I did buy a purse as mine was falling apart (literally...it was leaving black on the bed when I laid it down). This was a vacation purse I got for 5 euros years ago in Stressa. So I supposed it has done it's job well, but retirement came today as the replacement held all it's contents before I even left the store and my old friend met the trash can in town. 

Walking up through the main piazza, I still get the warm and fuzzies from the doors Edward came out of in Twilight. The part were he thought Bella was dead and he was going to expose his sparkly self to the world so he would be killed by the Volturi. I stood in the doorway for just a minute. I need to watch that movie again. There is much less Twilight memorabilia around these two towns now. How quickly it all fades. In that same piazza we see the Morefield kids playing cards and eventually met up with everyone. We visited for about an hour then headed to dinner at the Osteria del Borgo. It's a favorite of ours because of the beautiful terrace and the wonderful cheese, honey and walnut appetizer. Everyone seemed pleased with the location, view and the food. I do have to say that the cheese wasn't as good as in past visits. It was baked just a bit too long and the cheese was browned around the edges making that part hard to eat. Plus it got a bit separated and was a bit oily, making the honey disappear. Still, it was good, but it has definitely been better. I also ordered the spinach, pear and pecorino risotto. Delish! And Guy had the wild boar pici. Like a really thick spaghetti. We both gobbled it all up. After dinner we were too stuffed for dessert so we walked down to where the Morefields had to head to their car, and we all hugged and said our goodbyes with a promise of a trip to California sooner than later to see them again. We had such a great time and we feel so blessed to have been invited to spend a part of their vacation with them. 

The drive home was easy and for some reason seemed really dark. Not as many fun lit castles/towns to see, but it was certainly beautiful during the day. Back at the hotel we laughed about last nights wild boar sighting and wondered if we'd see it in the parking lot again. AND WE DID! I'm not kidding. There it was again in the parking lot. It's a black one and really ugly. I tried to get my phone out, but it scampered up into the trees as there is a little olive grove there. This time there were more cars and we had had to park further way, which meant a longer run to the hotel, but at least we didn't forget the room key in the car and didn't have to go back. We'll have to mention it to the staff tomorrow and see what they say. We couldn't believe we saw it again. It must be a regular to the parking lot. It's still gross and creepy.

Tomorrow we are contemplating a drive to the lake but will make the final decision at breakfast. That's a pretty good plan, isn't it. "What do you want to do today, honey?" "Oh, I don't know? Shop, swim, got to the lake, check out another cool town?" Ha Ha. So many options and so little time. Speaking of time. I wish I could freeze it right now. 

Ciao from Cortona.

Day 8 - The Cooking Class

I didn't want to get up this morning. Enjoyed a cold room, but the bed is not really on the cushiony side - at all - and the pillows feel like a sack filled with rice. Secretly I found a good spot between Guy's pillow and my pillow and rested there most of the night. I woke up later with a stiff neck and pondered our next 5 nights here. Certainly not complaining, but just making a note the property has really expanded. We feel maybe not for the better because it has put a lot more people here, the pool, at breakfast, etc. Still nice but no longer quaint. The rooms are plain but clean with a minimal Italian feel, but it's cool at night, has a warm shower, and that makes it exceptionally lovely as the days are running close to 90 degrees. 

Breakfast seemed better than last time with a pretty extensive spread of eggs, pastries, yogurts with all kinds of toppings, breads, fruits and a really nice espresso machine that made cappuccinos and other things. Probably with more people now staying at the il Melone, it has prompted a bigger spread. We opted to eat inside as it was a bit cooler even tho the morning was lovely. After breakfast we went to the room to sort laundry and get it ready to send off for cleaning. Guy brought back the cost sheet and after counting up our small sack of necessary laundry, we were looking at 85 Euros. Gah. Not what we expected. So Guy googled the closest laundry and it was less that two miles away. I went to get the car. Instead of being selective with the laundry, we did it All. For 18 Euros. :) Later I realized i had forgotten to wash may airplane pillow cover, but will probably go back once before we leave. It was 30 minutes to wash and 30 minutes to dry. So an easy process. The Bluewater laundry. 24-7. Very nice.

On the way back to the hotel we decided to pop into the Coop grocery and get some lunch, waters, snacks and other things that look fun. We pulled in and walked to the door. It was 1:01pm. They closed at 1pm. It's a Sunday. No food. Headed back to the room and asked if the restaurant was serving lunch. No. The local restaurant? Booked. No worries, we have a car! Headed up to Cortona on the hilltop, found a parking spot, walked in a bit scouting a few spots. Grabbed a slice of cheese bread, a sandwich, and two warm cokes and headed for the cooking class with Kevin and Bart's families. 10 of us making dinner. I'm blogging now while the chef is setting up. We are sitting out of the way until we are called to do a job. They brought everything. The food. The tools. Hopefully the instructions. The kitchen here is really small, but it appears to be sufficient. The chef has stepped into the restroom to change his clothes. I suppose to look the part. This is fun.

Let the cooking begin! Everyone went outside where tables were set up with individual cutting boards, knives, etc. We pealed potatoes, peaches and chopped fresh herbs to prep for the meat and potatoes. Next we went back inside and learned how to make the panna cotta because it needs several hours in the fridge. So he used double cream (assuming heavy whipping cream), sugar and 3 fresh vanilla beans. Kevin took it to he stove and continually stirred until it got hot but never to the boiling point. Bart stirred the peaches with sugar on the stove as well. While this happened, there were sheets of gelatin soaking in cold water. When the cream and gelatin were ready, they were stirred together with a whisk. Then with a small strainer, to catch the vanilla bean skin, the mixture was poured into individual cups and put in the freezer for about 40 minutes to get an initial chill. Once set we will top with the peach purée (the peach purée also had a sheet of gelatin stirred into it after cooking) and chocolate chips. Sounds terrible...wink wink. 

Next we watched Fabrizio make the pork. He had it setting in a little tub of garlic, rosemary and other herbs. He took it out and poked a hole in the center with a knife, then with the stick of a wooden spoon he made a bigger hole, then stuffed with oregano, rosemary, marjoram. With layers of bacon on top he used string to wrap it all up. The oven in the kitchen is more like a big toaster oven and the chef has never seen anything so small in a working kitchen. So he was searing it in a pan on the stove with olive oil, butter and wine first, then into the oven with the potatoes. 180 degrees C for about 40 minutes to an hour in a normal oven. Here, a bit longer. ;) As he was frying up the pancetta for the carbonara and cooking the pork on the stovetop, we heard a clap of thunder and it came up a downpour. Fabrizio said "We musta protecta the flour!" Which happened to still be outside on the table along with all the cutting boards and other things. Everyone ran out to grab stuff and came back in soaked and laughing. It was a hot day, so the rain cooled everyone off and it actually felt pretty good. The rain lasted all of about 5 minutes, but was enough to put a damper on the setup they had for us.

Back outside we learn how to weigh out the flower for the pasta, make a volcano, add the egg, a small amount of olive oil, a pinch of salt, and then work in the flour ever so slowly. Not to fast or the dough was tough (that was mine) but instead gently and slowly, then once most was incorporated you could use your hands. Fabrizio said mine wasn't ruined (probably wasn't usable for ravioli, but ok for fettuccini) and he showed me how to work it with my palms to get it softer and then to wrap it in plastic wrap and wait about 30 minutes. That worked a bit of magic to make it soft enough to go through the machine. 

Back inside we got the panna cotta out of the freezer and Riley topped it with our peach purée and mini chocolate chips, then back into the fridge to finish setting up. Fabrizio said it is a good dish to make the day before and could even go 5 days in the fridge. Good to know. He also was very patient with us, interesting, answered questions, and had the day certainly planned well. He even gave us all a copy of the recipes to keep. Yay!

Next we all go back outside and take our turn making the pasta. Each ball was cut in half, pressed gently into some flower and the put through the machine. If it was dry and cracking on the edges, it goes through once, the folded in half and then run through again. About four more times through the pasta maker, each time turning it to be smaller and smaller so the pasta gets thinner and thinner. We chose to do fettuccini instead of spaghetti. Everyone takes a turn and then Alan and Riley finish up the rest, like pros. All a little bit hungry we watch the process of the carbonara with great anticipation. He said to use one full egg but then all yokes after that. In the egg bowl he used pecorino cheese, pepper and a little water from the cooked pasta. On the stove was some pancetta cubed small that he had fried up and added truffles to it. He added the pasta to the pancetta, then the pasta to the bowl of egg mixture. After this he told us to head out to the tables and they would serve us. Pasta first, pork second, and the panna cotta last. It was delicious, but I think the dessert was my favorite part! I could have eaten 3 or 4 of them. Oh so good.

So what a really cool day! We were so happy to have participated in this adventure. For a day filled with road blocks and unexpected rain, a mini oven, and 10 people in a very small kitchen, we sure did have a great time. 

On the way home, we came a different way and really enjoyed the drive. It was dark, but we passed a few small hilltop towns that had their towers and city walls lit up perfectly. It was beautiful. Then nearing Cortona, it reminded us of a ski mountain but we laughed because we were in shorts and have been pretty sweaty all week. So we came the back way into the hotel and since they are remodeling and we are staying in the back section of the hotel, our parking lot is actually in a field/grassy area. So as we pulled in, there stood a wild boar staring at us. We drove up close enough to try to get a picture of it, but it ran up the hill and disappeared. Well, the parking lot/field of grass was really really dark and we had a bit of a walk to the room. Neither one of us too excited to get out, took our iPhones out and put our flashlights on, grabbed our stuff and starting running. Almost to the hotel room we realized the room key was STILL IN THE CAR! Gah! So as quick as we ran away from the parking lot, we barreled back in to get the key and ran back to the hotel again. I think we got our exercise. The good thing was it must have been a female because we didn't see any tusks, but still we've heard stories about how mean they can be and they kill a lot of people's dogs. Boo.

So back in the room, safe from the crazy pig, I'll be asleep by midnight with a smile on my face due to a successfully adventurous day.