All posts in category Trips In Italy

“Another” Day by the Sea

Ciao Readers!

So, when we lived in Florence (the more times I write that the less real it seems) we took a day trip to a little town called Castiglioncello to see the ocean, which I followed with the blog post “A Day by the Sea.”  Hence the title of this post…

When you go to tourist language schools in Italy they want to make sure you have a nice time, so there are usually optional activities most afternoons.  Sometimes they are educational, sometimes cultural, sometimes culinary, and sometimes just a chance to get out and about with other students…. Wednesday’s “giro” was a drive to a little seaside town, Portovenere.  If you’re familiar with the Italian coastline (NW side), Portovenere is just a short ways from the much more famous Cinque Terre, in Liguria.  While it is an adorable little town and there are a couple of minor “sights,” including a couple of very old churches, it’s really all about the sea….

Enjoy:

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by Newmexicotoitaly on March 29, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Italy, here we come!, Trips In Italy
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Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on March 29, 2017

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2017/03/29/another-day-by-the-sea/

“The Wanderer’s Guide to Lucca”

Ciao Readers! And happy Monday after Spring Break! We have finally made it to Italy….

The title of this post reflects both its focus, as well as the book from which I got most of the substantive information.  As you may recall, back when we lived in Florence (was that real?!), we took a day trip here and had a thoroughly lovely time.  Now I have 10 days in which to really explore this place…

Lucca is mainly known for two things – primarily, its wall; secondly, Puccini.  Apparently there have been 3 sets of walls built around Lucca, dating back to Roman times;  the current wall, which completely circles the town, was built from 1550 to 1650, using much of the town’s resources (human and economic) for 100 years!   Either it was money and time well-spent or wasted, depending on your perspective – no one ever tried to bombard the town again (Pisa had in the past).  Of course, the walls did little to protect Lucca from “modern” warfare, and Napoleon took over in the early 1800’s and “gifted” the city to his sister, Elisa.  Now the wall basically serves one perfect function – THE town park where everyone bikes and jogs and partakes in the lovely Italian ritual known as the “Passeggiata” (ambling, chatting, and basically passing the time).  I spent my first two days here doing my own passeggiata – come along with me:

In addition to the lovely wall, the entire town has lots of cool old architecture, complete with more churches than you can count, and relaxing little bistros and shops now occupying the old historical buildings.  I am sure I will learn more and post some specifics, but for now, take a wander with me around Lucca (saving my stop at the truffle store to taste and shop for a future post about food), ending at the picturersque building that is my school (which I start tomorrow/today when this posts):

Thanks for joining me!

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by Newmexicotoitaly on March 27, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Italy, here we come!, Trips In Italy
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Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on March 27, 2017

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2017/03/27/the-wanderers-guide-to-lucca/

Newyorktoitaly

Ciao Readers!

It’s been awhile!  So, the title of this post is a play on the title of my blog, and a preview of some hopefully exciting blogs to come.  I am off to New York next week to run the NYC half marathon (check out the very cool course – map below).  As you all may remember from my other posts about running, I am no world-class athlete, so I got into this race the old-fashioned way – by getting my name drawn in a lottery.  It was very exciting to get the email this past December telling me I had made it in.

Now, I have to tell you I was worried about going, as I (had) an upcoming jury trial in April.  I thought I was cutting it close, but would make sure I was well-prepared in advance.  Then what do you know – the trial just got reset for June.  While that was rather disappointing, suddenly I had a big swath of open time….and lots of miles saved up…..and the ongoing dream of going back to Italy (to language school in Lucca to be precise)….  It seems as though the universe wanted me to go…..so after NYC I am off to try and remember how to speak Italian (and I am certain, take a cooking class or two).  Stay tuned!

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by Newmexicotoitaly on March 9, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Italy, here we come!, Learning the Language, Trips In Italy
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Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on March 9, 2017

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2017/03/09/newyorktoitaly/

A Trip to Pisa (complete with kitchy leaning tower photo)

Ciao Readers!

Today I am taking you on a trip to Pisa.  And, as a very special treat, I am taking you on a sunny day (yay!).  We took this trip the Saturday before last in order to catch the Kandinsky exhibit there before it was over.  Of course we weren’t going there to do the cheesy tourist thing and see the leaning tower – we were going there for intellectual/artistic pursuits.  But ya know what…the leaning tower is cool!  And the Kandinsky exhibit…not so much.

Pisa is about an hour train ride from Florence and also sits on the Arno river (so the photos of the buildings along the Arno may have a familiar look to them).  Since you can read more about it online, and I took a ton of photos since it was finally sunny out, I’ll just point out the highlights of our trip.

As with many of the smaller cities in Italy, Pisa was pedestrian friendly, though it didn’t have quite the charm of Lucca (it has a large University, so more of a college town).  The famous leaning tower sits in a piazza with several other buildings, including the Duomo (cathedral), pictured.  Entry to the church (unlike the other buildings) is free, though you can’t just enter – you have to walk across the piazza to the ticket office to get a free ticket (it wouldn’t be Italy without some unneccessary hoops to jump through).  The inside of the church is amazing, as with most old churches in Europe (I commented to Steve how the first time we saw one it was awe-inspiring, but now that we’ve seen at least 20….).  The tower itself (started in 1173, completed in 1350 though it had already begun to lean) is very cool.  I’m not sure how it looks in the photos, but in person, it doesn’t look a little tilted – it looks like it might fall over at any moment!  (It was actually closed for a time in the 90’s so it could be stabilized).  And, what visit to the leaning tower would be complete without an obligatory photo of me pretending to hold it up?!

We stayed and enjoyed the piazza and took a walk along the Arno as this was the first sunny day we’d had the pleasure of experiencing in…. (so long I forget).  We enjoyed a typical leisurely Italian lunch and when it started getting later/cooler, we decided to head to our original destination – the Kandinsky exhibit at Palazzo Blu (pictured).  Honestly, it was the anti-highlight of our trip.  First off, the museum was hot (while Italians have an aversion to air-conditioning, they have no such aversion to heaters) and packed with tour groups blocking most of the artwork.  Also, while there were a few pieces we found interesting (pictured), the truth is….  Have you ever been to a museum and you know the art is famous and you know you should be impressed and “understand” it, but what you’re actually thinking is “really?!?!?! any 5 year-old could have done this” – it was like that (my apologies to any hardcore Kandinsky fans).  (I would have taken photos of some of those, but as usual, I got yelled at taking pics [though I actually thought it was permitted].)

The more interesting piece of art we got to see was a mural (“Tuttomondo”) by Keith Haring, painted in 1989, just a few months before he died in 1990.  We had no idea before going to Pisa and looking at our tourist map that it was there, so it was a nice surprise ending to our visit!

Since the sun was out I went a little bit photo happy….enjoy!

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by Newmexicotoitaly on February 4, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Art, Trips In Italy
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Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on February 4, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/02/04/a-trip-to-pisa-complete-with-kitchy-leaning-tower-photo/

A Town Called Lucca

Ciao Readers!  And Happy (early) Birthday Selma!

The last weekend of Steve’s break we took a trip to Lucca, a little less than an hour and a half by train from Florence (thanks again for the spare ticket, goal42). Lucca is a lovely little Tuscan town, completely encircled by a wall (built for defense purposes in the 1500 – 1600’s), and laid out in its original ancient Roman street plan (rectangular grid).  You have to walk through one of the cool “portas” (gates) to enter the town (the one we walked through is pictured).

As with many of the smaller towns we’ve visited in Italy (Orvieto, San Miniato), Lucca had a much friendlier and more relaxed vibe than Florence.  I can’t help but think that if we were living in one of the smaller towns we’d be having a different (i.e. less stressful) experience.  Part of the charm of Lucca is its wall, the top of which has been turned into a tree-lined park, complete with running trail.  More of the charm of Lucca comes from its nearly car (and dog poo) free streets; you can actually take a leisurely stroll without fear of being either being run over or of taking your eyes off the sidewalks to admire the amazing architecture.  Ahhhhhh…..

Of course, it never hurts adding a fabulous lunch into the mix.  I had found Piccola Osteria Lucca Drento online, and it had glowing reviews in both English and Italian.  While it is a tiny place (hence the name), the quality of food was suburb and we had a long, relaxing and delicious meal.  Below is a photo of our gorgeous salumi and cheese antipasti (which came with the first multi-grain bread we’ve been served in Italy).  Now, I’ve had my share of pork products since we arrived, so believe me when I tell you the charcuterie on the platter was exemplary – even the two prosciuttos had completely unique flavors from one another.  Add in a couple of secondi (pork with mushrooms for Steve, baccala [cod] with ceci [garbanzo beans] for me), some vino, and finish with the requisite cafes – YUM!

After lunch we strolled the town for a while, encountering winter festivities including an ice-skating rink, and happening upon several interesting churches (every town in Italy seems to have these cool old churches, Lucca just seemed to have more than usual, and they are really old – 11th through 13th centuries).  Notice the interesting detail in the columns and the mosaic (both created in the 13th century!)…. (as usual, it was cloudy/hazy, so forgive the flatness in the photos):

As always, thanks for coming along on our trip!

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by Newmexicotoitaly on January 18, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on January 18, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/01/18/a-town-called-lucca/

Venice, Part II (The Peggy Guggenheim Collection)

Ciao Readers!

Today we continue our trip to Venice, specifically to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.  As I mentioned, we’ve actually been to Venice twice before (before we moved to Italy), but for some reason this museum managed to escape my attention.  Just when I was pretty sure I’d have to wait for a trip to France to see any art produced post-1600, I discovered this oasis of modern art!

Now, if you’re like me, you may have a vague sense of the name “Guggenheim” and be thinking “isn’t there a Guggenheim museum in…..?”  If you’re more art-savvy, you already know that there are in fact Guggenheim museums in New York, Berlin, and Bilbao, Spain.  You may even know that there have been other Guggenheims that have closed (e.g., Las Vegas), and yet others in construction (Abu Dhabi).  As usual, because you can Google this yourself, here’s the short version: The Guggenheims were an über-rich family (made their money in mining and smelting) of Swiss/Jewish ancestry.  With lots of that money they became serious patrons of the arts.  Solomon Guggenheim started the foundation that now runs all of the museums…. which brings us to Peggy Guggenheim and her collection in Venice.

Solomon was actually Peggy’s uncle (interesting fact, Peggy’s father Benjamin went down with the Titanic).  Peggy was an eccentric socialite and art collector who decided to settle down in Venice in 1949, after her divorce from surrealist painter Max Ernst.  She lived out her days there (until 1979) with her art and many dogs (who are buried next to her [see grave picture below]).  That home is now a museum (run by the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation), filled with all of the (modern) art Peggy collected.  It’s pretty mind-blowing that this “museum” and its contents were just one person’s house and stuff!  As you’ll see in the pics, there are Picassos (larger of the two pictured), a Chagall, a Dalí (I love Dalí), a Kadinsky, and many others not pictured (Pollocks, Mirós, Ernsts, a Warhol, and more).   In addition, there’s a very cool garden with some strange sculptures (a G-rated one [I think] is pictured) as well as the actual burial place of Peggy and the aforementioned dogs.  (There’s also a “wish tree” donated by Yoko Ono in 2003.)

Aside from the art and the garden, the other surreal part of the experience was that you really have no idea you are in Venice, Italy.  When we approached the ticket counter, all 3 ticket-takers were speaking English to each other (in English accents), and much to our surprise, all of the arts’ explanations were written first in English, then in Italian.  The museum’s docents had buttons reading “Ask Me About the Art” (in English).  It felt like we stepped through some secret portal to another (English- speaking) country.  Weird.  In any case, we had a great time in this little secret oasis of modernism in an otherwise ancient city.  Thanks for coming along!

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by Newmexicotoitaly on January 14, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on January 14, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/01/14/venice-part-ii-the-peggy-guggenheim-collection/

Venice, Part I (The City)

Ciao Readers!

Today I am going to take you to Venice, though I am saving the visit to its Guggenheim until next time (it was so cool it gets its own post).  If you have never been to Venice, it is definitely one of those “must see” kinda places.  It’s an incredible city, actually made up of 118 tiny islands, linked by canals and bridges.  There are no cars, so the only means of public transportation is by “vaporetti” (boat-buses) – definitely the most fun type of public transportation ever!  The main focus of the city is the Grand Canal, lined with tons of gorgeous palazzos built between the 13th and 18th centuries.  There are only a few bridges which cross the canal, with the Rialto being the most spectacular (and its base being the location of the daily local produce and fish market).  Some of the little islands of Venice are semi-famous in their own right (Burano for lace, Murano for glass-blowing and Lido for its beach).  All-in-all it is a little fairy-tale place which is hard to describe with words!

In a way, I don’t feel like I’m the right person to take you to this amazing place.  You see, I’ve been here twice before (before we moved to Italy), so I don’t have that same sense of “WOW!!!!” as I did the first time (and it really deserves a major “WOW”).  Maybe you know what I mean – once you’ve been somewhere so amazing it is hard to recreate the experience – either because you are no longer surprised or because you have pretty high expectations for what a great time you should have.  The first time I saw Venice, not only was it the first time I saw Venice, but it was the first time I saw anywhere requiring a passport.  We stayed on a little island off of Venice (Giudecca) in an apartment overlooking the water, requiring us to enjoy taking the boat-buses everywhere (pretty hard to top).  The photo of Steve and I, and the view from our apartment (pics 2 and 3) are from that inaugural visit, in 2006.  Jaded or not, Venice is gorgeous and if you have never seen it in person, no blog post could do it justice.

While we weren’t surprised by how gorgeous Venice was, we were surprised that even though Venice is usually a tourist magnet, this time of year it was much less crowded than Florence and it felt peaceful in comparison (some of this is likely the lack of cars and requisite honking of such cars’ horns).  Since there are only 60,000 full-time residents, without most of the usual 50,000+ tourists Venice averages a day, the town seemed almost sleepy (notice the one lone elderly man crossing a bridge in the picture).  It gave us plenty of room to meander the streets and take photos uncluttered by crowds.

We discovered that many Venetians close up shop for the winter, which left us without the option of eating at one of the restaurants I had pre-researched.  Instead we ended up in what seemed like a popular local seafood place (no English menu, usually a good sign), and while the food was fine, it wasn’t the spectacular food I had in mind from our first visit there (so the picture below is of a memorable meal from 2006).  When we entered the restaurant the day was clear and bright, as you can see from the photos; when we emerged after lunch the city was completely shrouded in fog and you could no longer see across the lagoon (notice the solid white behind the row of gondolas).  After the Guggenheim (which was new to us), we wondered across the Rialto Bridge (the fog mixed with the Christmas lights created a cool polka dot effect in my photo), warmed up with some hot chocolate, and headed back to Florence on the train (about 2 hours).

Seriously, you gotta see it for yourself, but here’s a little sample:

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by Newmexicotoitaly on January 9, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Trips In Italy
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Posted by Newmexicotoitaly on January 9, 2013

https://newmexicotoitaly.com/2013/01/09/venice-part-i-the-city/

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