Tuesday  11 December 2012

We tried to go to Siena late Monday afternoon but the weather gods had an alternate plan for us.  Just as we started the drive it began to drizzle and the temperature was 1.5 degrees Centigrade.  For those not into the metric system, that would be just the United States, the freezing point of water is  zero degrees Centigrade.  Not wanting to spend an evening walking around in the rain, much less trying to drive on icy roads on the return, we decided to chicken out and headed back to Montepulciano.

The Tuesday alternate was a MUCH better idea.  Sunshine, blue skies, and no wind.  So on to Chianti country and Siena we went.  We made a brief stop in Rada looking for some ceramics but all the shops were closed and it was very quiet.  I did manage to find one store open that sold some nice bicycling jerseys and bought a couple of new ones.   I will be riding with Tuscany and Chianti when I get back home.

We arrived in Siena, found a parking garage, and made our way into the city just at sun down.  The Christmas light were on and the streets were quite busy with shoppers and folks leaving work.  Laura was on a shopping mission so we went up one side of a street and then down the opposite. We repeated the same process on the next street or two but she was successful.  Project two for the evening was a glass of wine.  Then some more strolling around and finally dinner.  We were pushing the early seating at 8:20 but needed to eat because we had a little over an hour drive back home.  Let’s just say the meal was forgettable.

Reflections of a church on the main piazza in Rada.

Into Siena just as there was a little light in the sky still. This is one of the larger piazzas on the main shopping and strolling street.

I am pretty certain this is the second appearance for this well head in the blog. The warm office light spilling into the courtyard was too nice to pass up while Laura shopped.

I think I like the Duomo better at night than in the daylight.

I CAN’T move!!! Helllp!! So this is how the Michelin man started.

A typical street in town.

Is it just me or are the elves REAL ugly over here???

The attention to detail with the light placement leaves a bit to be desired. Start at the top and go straight down. Next strand, repeat the same.

The chestnut roasting man was still at it.

Now these are some Italian Christmas colors I can really sink my teeth into!!

The main piazza in town was pretty empty.

This is the same place as the second photos above just 4 hours later with nobody around. On to the car and the drive home.

Saturday  8 December 2012

This post should have preceded the Tough Decisions one but it didn’t.  Oh well.  Laura and  I did the Vin Santo and olive oil festivals on Sunday evening.   I went on Saturday and checked out the events to make certain that it would be worth taking Laura and her cold out into the cool evening the next day.  Needless to say, I was impressed enough and my taste buds were happy that I/we were definitely going to do this again.  So here it is in the daylight this time.

Starting in Montefollonico and the Vin Santo Fest.

The early bird get the vin santo. I was there before the melting frost had been wiped from some of the tables and before they were set.

I am certain that this guy was mentally scolding his master for leaving him tethered. But the raised leg pose was too good to pass up. 

The north edge of Montefollonico has a great view over the valley below. The little white dots are sheep in the pasture.

Grape vines are twisted into decorations.

The fairly cool temps allowed the local ladies to break out the fur coats for the event.

I just can not pass up stuff like this. A “Green Door” post is in the works.

Elegantly understated.

Meanwhile, over in San Quirico the wood fired grills are working and the first of my sausage panini is about to be served! So dang good!!

The restaurants are open and the them of decorations is olive branches. There certainly is no shortage of them in the surrounding country.

Italian mood lighting.

The outdoor warming area. My camera hand was very happy here.

On the north end of town the only other street was real quiet.

Just in case you needed another sandwich there was a second grill to help you.

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Yes, thank you. And a glass of vino also. Grazie!!

I’ll just stand over here and keep warm.

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Decorating ideas for next year.

OK. The hard work and planning are complete. Time to come back and really enjoy ourselves.

Sunday, 9 December 2012

Laura had a nasty cold and spent the better part of the day just hanging out at the apartment.  I took a little exploratory drive and visited a couple of towns to check out the local festival happenings.

There are lots of festivals throughout the year in various small towns and cities all over Italy.  This past Sunday there were two events in the teeny tiny towns of Montefollonico and San Quirico very near to us.  Both of these towns are no bigger than about one or two city blocks at best and SQ is the larger of the two and definitely better know and has more “guide book” sites.  This predicament can lead to some tough decision making scenarios.  ” Which one do we go to?”  “What time to go?”  The final decision???  Do them both!

Montefollonico was having its annual Vin Santo festival to celebrate the making of this liquid of the gods, sweet dessert wine.  If you have never tried some you are missing a real treat.  They tend to be a bit on the expensive side for the bottle size but you are worth it!  There were over a dozen small businesses and even people’s homes open for you to come in and they pour you a nice size “taste” at NO charge. Some of the old cellars under the houses and roads of the town were absolutely magical little places where you can only imagine how long the same sort of activity has occurred.  Most of the tasting venues also have ‘cantuccini’ which are small almond flavored cookies that are classically served with the vin santo.  The small Christmas lights in town were on and there was music along the main street in town.  (There are only two streets in the old town.)  We made our way around, did a good job of tasting and brought home three bottles.  Now if they will just make it to Texas.

On to San Quirico.  The liquid of this festival is fresh pressed olive oil.  So this is not so much a pour a glass and taste event but it more than makes up for it.  There were probably a dozen small wood grills set up along the streets and fresh bread was toasted over the coals then brought inside and smothered with oil and a shake of ground salt.  I was not complaining at all.  The air was filled with the smell of wood smoke and the street, once again singular, was busy with people from 2 to 92 years old.

Stop drooling long enough to take a look at the pics!

There is a small church, S Anna in Camprena, out in the middle of the woods at the end of a dirt road. It is closed this time of year but is quite beautiful and with nobody around the setting is idyllic. I wandered into the little walled cemetery and wondered who still put flowers on the graves there. The writing on the markers was long gone but some one still tended the place.

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The internment date was in the 1920’s, yet some one had placed flowers here recently. The morning frost had taken its toll on them.

The wall surface was disintegrating and falling onto the bench surface.

Inside the small chapels was the rack for carrying coffins and a cross propped in the well weathered corner.

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There is no shortage of scenery.

Another one of those darn “trees out in the middle of nowhere” for whatever reason.

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I visited San Quirico during the day to see if it was worth bringing Laura back to in the cool evening.  Yes!

Sometimes it’s the little things in life.

I absolutely the vintage look of this child.

The day time marching band.

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The band leader was definitely in the party mood!!

On to the piazza.

It’s night time and you are underground drinking Vin Santo.  Life is about to get a whole lot better.  And it is already pretty dang good.

You could absolutely package the atmosphere of this place. As the kids say “it was sooooooo legit!!!”

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It needs a good cleaning but that would just ruin the place.

This end of town was quiet.

In the food tent little pork salami’s shaped like pigs. Maybe I should ship some home to every one.

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People opened their house doors, moved the furniture aside and served you their home grown stuff. This is so wonderful!

It was 33 degrees. That is why my nose is red.

The owner had been making vin santo for 50 years. We brought some home.

Would somebody please just lock me in this place and send food!!

All of our new friends made it also.

On to San Quirico for some toasted bread and wonderful olive oil.

This is “Times Square” in SQ. I think I like it better.

This nice fire was there for keeping your fingers warm.

A serious game of foos ball was going on inside one of the buildings. I shot this looking in through the window from the sidewalk.

The evening marching band playing While the Saints Come Marching In.

You don’t see this as much as when we first came to Italy 25 years ago. This is chalk drawn sidewalk art that is done for donations.

“Kicking” off the big show in the piazza.

The little kids were not to be out done.

Jammin’

The big finish.

These girls were so much fun to watch.

Based on careful research and observation I have come to the conclusion that door bells are an endangered species in Italy.  Yes, there are a hand full of intercom systems on some of the doors to building with multiple apartments in them.  But for the most part it is more typical to grab one of the door knockers and give it a few taps.  I hope you enjoy the variations and styles.

Click the blue link “What Knockers” immediately below.

What Knockers!

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Thursday,  6 December 2012

When the girls get here and we are in Rome we plan on a day trip from Rome to Naples via the train to go look at a museum in Naples.  Therefore, we thought it might be a good idea to introduce ourselves to the train service.  To do this we thought why not take the train from near Montepluciano down to Rome for the day and then return?  We are glad to say that it all went pretty well and the travel day was a success.

The rail station was easy to find.  The long term parking for the rail station was another subject.  After driving in a few circles around the immediate area at the front of the station we stopped a police officer who gave us good directions to where the lot was located.  Off we went.  Got the car parked and headed back to the station and heard a train pulling in.  Must be ours!  We hustled through the turnstile and boarded the train proud of our efficiency and timing.  Just to make sure we were in the correct train we asked another passenger if the train was bound for Roma?  NO!  It was northbound to Sienna.  OOOOps!  Jumped off the train and headed over to track 4 where there was no train yet.  After about 5 minutes the train rolled in, we got on, eventually found a seat, and the trip, to Rome this time, began.

We arrived in Rome and the station was bustling!  We are used to quite busy airport terminals but this really gave us an idea of just how popular train travel is in Italy.  There were people in all manner of travel.  Some hauling too much luggage and others looking like they were starting their day of work.  We were in Rome.  A place we thoroughly enjoy and the sun was shining.  Instead of taking a cab as we had discussed the decision was made to hoof it across town and see some of the wonderful fountains that are spread across the city and whatever else we could find.

This is the fantasy of the day. It was a little cool for a Vespa!

I first saw photos of Bernini’s Ecstasy of St. Theresa when I was in High School. At that time I was very impressed by the beauty captured by the sculptor. Laura and I first saw it in person 25 years ago. We took Claire and Alessandra 6 years ago. It was wonderful to be able to stop by again and see one of the worlds great works of art.

This is the main altar in Santa Maria della Vittoria which houses Bernini’s work. It is a small, nondescript church away from the major attraction of Rome.

Don’t forget to also look up.

Back out on the streets and decided to stop into the Barberini Palace. It now houses the National Picture Gallery and contains works by Titian, Raphael, Fra Angelica, Holbien. Sadly no cameras are allowed inside. Sneaky cell phone shot coming up!! These are the decorations along the fence and gate in front.

The first fountain of the day in front of the Palace. This place at one time was the property of the Borgia Pope. The ones in the TV show!! Walking in history here.

Your typical Palace ballroom ceiling paint job.  Sneaky cell phone stitch job of three images to get it all.

Setting up the tree in a building courtyard.

Laura, helping to make the Trevi Fountain an even better attraction!

Details from the Trevi.

This is the first church that Laura and I visited on our first ever trip to Rome. It is still just as impressive as when we first saw it. From then on we knew that Italy was always going to impress us.

The center piece of the Pazza Navona is Bernini’s Fountain of Four Rivers. There are four large human figures surrounding an Egyptian obelisk. The fountain was covered with scaffolding six years ago when we brought the girls. They will get to see it all now.

North and south of the center piece are two other large pool fountains. This location is one of Rome’s jewels.

It must be the holidays. Chestnuts are roasting on an open fire. And Jack Frost was out big time last night!

A hand full of holly is headed to someones home.

Children were riding the brightly painted carousel in the piazza.

We found the location of the apartment we will be staying in while in Rome. This little gem of a church is just half a block away.

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Carriage rides from the Piazza di Spagna.

Just who are you calling fat?

Made it back to where we started. A short drive back to the apartment and bed. We will be back in a few weeks for New Years Eve.

Monday & Wednesday   3rd & 5th December 2012

We have pretty much worked our way through the lists and guide book recommendations of things to see that are within an easy day trip of our apartment.  We headed southwest to look at a little town, Castiglione d’Orcia, that we eventually figured out we had seem ten years ago!  The old fortress at the top sure did look familiar as we hiked up to it’s locked doors.  Too bad the brain didn’t kick in a little earlier in the effort.  Never the less the views were great and the place was pretty much empty.   As we returned home Laura suggested that we take a different route instead of the main road which we have traveled so many times.  This turned out to be a dirt farm lane that meandered among some very scenic country side.  It would make a wonderful hike on a slightly warmer day, and if you could get someone to drop the car at the far end, 12 miles away.  That would also motivate you to finish the hike!!

Wednesday, Laura and I had consecutive Italian classes in town so I got ‘volunteered’ for the early class.  That left me with two hours to wander the town of Montepulciano with my camera, poking around for some photo ops.  It was well worth it.  The temp was a balmy 35F degrees and the place was all mine.

The old town well in Castiglione d’Orcia.

Forgotten, missed, or left for bird food? The last of the grapes.

The antiquity of the places we visit never ceases to amaze me.  It shows in the sidewalks, stairs, and doorways.  My Italian instructor’s house was built in 1100. She can trace her family back to 1600 in the town baptismal records!! That is amazing to me.

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On the drive home we came upon an olive grove with fresh grass coming up under the trees. Obviously the pheasants loved it for dinner because we easily saw over a dozen in this one small area.

Nice hiking real estate.

Wandering the streets of Montepulciano.

As I walked to class the snow, or neve (neh veh) was slowly coming down.

The town park and garden were deserted.

Downtown Montepulciano. On the north side of the Piazza Grande opposite the Duomo, is the Palozzo De’ Nobili-Tarugi.

Just to the left of the Palazzo is the Well of Griffins and Lions.

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The ‘in town’ side of one of the entry ways in the walls of the town

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I wandered into another open garage door and found this little chair with at least a years worth of dust on it.

I stood in the darkness and let my eyes adjust. I could barely make out items stacked against the back wall cut some 40 feet into the rock below town. It was so dark that the camera could not focus. I walked back toward the opening, adjusted the focus distance to 12 feet, returned into the dark, estimated 12 feet and took this image. The real treasure was discovered!! Wine stored in demijohn containers!!  Anyone have a glass or some straws?

100% original, and old.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Monday, 3 December 2012

As if things have not been magical enough during this trip!  Late Sunday night we had some very impressive thunder and lightning.  Then, about at 11 o’clock I looked outside and it was snowing!!  Coming down pretty hard if I remember from way back when.  We do not get snow very often in Houston so this was fun for us.  I was up early like a little kid on Christmas morning waiting for a little bit of light so  I could go out and take some photos.  Luckily the roads were in ‘decent’ shape except for a few slick spots.  No salt over here.  I had a great time!

First stop right outside the back door to the edge of the yard. It is still 30 minutes before sunrise. Nothing but a big blue cloudless sky for light.

Montepulciano up the hill waiting to warm up.

I was making the first set of tracks down a dirt road and bumped these three from their bedding. Sorry girls.

A chilly morning for the winter wheat.

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Montepulciano catching the first rays of sun.

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I wonder what the story is behind leaving the one tree?

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By the early afternoon it was pretty much all gone except for shaded hillsides.

Sunday, 2 December 2012

Sunday morning was a fairly nice looking in Montepulciano so we decided to travel to the absolutely small town of Montebennichi where we had stayed ten years ago.  From there it was on to Arezzo and the once a month antique sale that is held there.  It did not take very long to see that the weather was not going to be in our favor and that the umbrellas would most likely be necessary.

Nothing had changed in Montebennichi with the exception of a tall yellow crane towering over the tiny hamlet.  Apparently there was some restoration work occurring on one of the buildings on the east side.  We knew that the hotel was going to be closed and most likely the small, but also the quite good, little restaurant we used to eat in.  It was nice to see the place once again and it served as a reality check to the memories we had from that trip.  The town is definitely more isolated than where we are now but it had served us well.

We arrived in Arezzo around one in the afternoon under some solid grey skies and were lucky to find a great parking spot just a short walk to the center of town and the market stalls.  The crowds were thin and we could easily look around at what was being offered.  That lasted about 30 minutes before the rain started coming down.  Time for plan B.  Into the first restaurant we found, all of 50 feet away, for lunch and some wine.  It worked out great.  An hour later we were done, the skies had cleared and we got back out and continued the looking, shopping, and a bit of buying.  As the afternoon slipped into the evening the crowd of people had grown substantially and there were many folks out for the Sunday promenade under the first of the illuminated Christmas lights that we have come across.  Many of the stores are beginning to decorate and the mood was quite festive.  It is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Arezzo.

The sign basically translates to “pharmacy of deer”? I think it was a little late for any doctoring for the deer.  Most of the meat products inside were venison which made it my kind of place. Let the shopping begin!  The second line is the family name with “E figli” or, “and sons.”

There were 3 or 4 streets lined like this one with stalls selling everything from glass wear, paintings, furniture, pottery, and what ever else you could want or need.

Some of the locals just kicking back and making sure it all goes well.  They must be waiting for the wine to be served.

I like the circular stairs joining perfectly with the sloped surface of the main piazza in the center of the city.

The decorations are starting to appear. Apparently this coming weekend is the real kickoff for town lights and some local festivals.

You can have any color awning you want as long as it is white.

The two major churches in Arezzo are decorated quite differently from each other. This one obviously is the more simple of the two.

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Do I need to say this is the fancy one? I didn’t think so.

And one of the “small” side chapels of the church.

Some very nice old wood carving chisels that almost make you want to start a new hobby.

Elegantly understated entry way. Anybody need one of these???

Losing the afternoon sun. And loving it.

Basically “Shirts and Tailoring”  I din’t even know my daughter Alessandra HAD a business???!!

And the lights are on!! But I do not think I will ever be a fan of the
LED light color. At least they were not blinking.

All of our friends hated to see us have to leave them. I did have to drive back home yet.

Laura and I had driven past Perugia on our first visit to Italy long ago and again, earlier on this trip as we made our way from the Como area on down to Sicily.  It was definitely on the schedule of places to visit.  The only caveat is that there really is no schedule.  It is more of a “what do you want to do/see tomorrow/today/this afternoon?” type of schedule.  It’s not fancy but it works.  So it was off to Perugia.

As with a number of our most recent stops, Perugia began as an Etruscan city, continued as a Roman city and was quite prominent throughout early Italian history.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perugia    It is best recognized today by it namesake chocolates manufactured by the Perugina company.

We made our way into the “Centro (chentro) Storico”   by following the sign that best resemble a bulls eye target.  The old part of Perugia is located high on a hill top and the parking garage we were in was quite a bit below.  Much to our surprise, and relief, there is a series of escalators from just outside the garage up to the edge of the centro storico.  You exit the highest series into a labyrinth of huge, middle age, brick walled, arched arcades which were constructed to extend the upper city.  The arched areas have now been restructured into use as a gallery spaces, coffee bars, and the occasional retail space.  We were quite impressed.  This country never ceases to surprise us.

We shopped a bit, toured an art museum and decided that the Perusian school of painting was not quite our style.  We found a very local trattoria on a back street to have lunch and quite possibly the best tiramisu desert we have ever had!!!

My sweet tooth is tingling!

The arcades at the top of the escalator.

They are not real but you do have to look twice to make sure.

This is the closest thing they had to “Pancake.” Our dog back home. But….. if you read the label it is supposed to be a Border Collie??? That would never do.

There are lots of narrow streets leading off of the main corso and piazzas to wander and get lost on.

This guy was actually pretty good and entertaining.

Dropping in on a little wedding party

Local fountain action in the piazza.

Into the old city.

Still there.

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Laura has taken control of the camera!

The main piazza in town.

Looking down on a series of curved steps.

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The western side of town catches the setting sun.

One of the local ladies sitting in the park

The last bit of sunlight sneaking under the door.

Friday, 30 November 2012

The past 3 days have been cool, windy, foggy, and rainy.  We have attended our Italian classes, made a few short touring trips to some of the nearby towns,  had a few meals at some of the local restaurants and pretty much stayed in the apartment otherwise.  As a result, the camera has had a rest and for a day or two.   I would try to grab a shot or two here and there but it is darn hard to that while holding an umbrella at the same time.  The result is a series of images captured from around  the towns of Citta della Pieve, San Quirico, Pienza, and Montepulciano.  These are photos of the little things, the details, the people, and the experiences that have made this journey so enjoyable and unforgettable.

I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I do searching them out.

The fog rolled in and the sunshine and the local church dissappeared for a few days.

Even though the fog is rolling in how bad can a day be when it starts with a cappuccino that has a heart on it??

These are some of the roof tiles on a part of the building where our apartment is located.

One of the seven wine producing cellars under the town of Montepulciano.

A break in the clouds, a sliver of space between a couple of buildings and this woman just happened to be in the right spot. The timing was perfect.

These hats must be popular somewhere.

If you were into restoring old Italian motor bikes this “garage” in Citta della Pieve would have been pay dirt!! There were three of them that looked like they had not moved in 40 years. The door was half way up, or down, depending on your point of view, but I could not pass up the chance to duck inside.

On top of the motorbikes was one old fashion pedal powered type.

An archway in the newer part of town.

These little three wheel vehicles are fairly popular in the towns and around farms for delivery and transportation.

Come on in. The 300 year old door is open.

The old water well on the south end of San Quirico.

Even the drain openings have some style.

The leaves are disappearing quickly.

The red ones must be tourists!

At the door to a store.

And on the north end of San Quirico is this well.

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Shopping the afternoon rush in town.

Right place, time, and light. Did that sign at the door really say “No Foto?”

Side of the road shot. I would love to walk out in the plowed field for a better composition but would need hip boots for the mud.

Yes! There is the sun and a rainbow. Way to go Tuscany!!!

This is going to be good. Salami, prosciutto,, wild boar (chingiale), pheasant, duck, and venison! Some killer red wine and a bit of bread. WOW!!