35. Villa Demidoff, Pratolino and Ruralia

It's another Satuday when Annette is working in the morning. I drive in to Florence, pick her up at 1 o'clock and we are off on our travels again...

Todays's destination is the Medici Villa Demidoff, situated in Pratolino, an area just to the north of Florence. It's only about half an hour from the city. We drive up the Via Bolognese, an old road that leads to Bologna. The views down the valley are spectacular and in no time we're there. The Villa is set in the huge Park at Pratolino and looks very much like an English style park with actual grass, rather than the olive groves and vineyards we have become used to. This is no mistake as it was originally created in an English style in 1818 by Ferdinando III.

Surprise, surprise, today there is a special festival on. It's called 'Ruralia' there are stalls set out selling local produce, wild mushrooms, a reptile house, milk? and a concert in the evening.

The Villa is not especially interesting. Apparently the original Villa designed by Buontalenti in 1575 and which cost twice as much as theUfizzi to build, was pulled down in the 19th century.

The Pratolino estate was bougt by the Russian Demidoff family and they restored the various buildings that you can see today.

One of the great draws of the park is this huge sculpture that has been hewn out of rock. It was created by the artist Giambologna in 1580. It's called 'Apennini' after the mountain range and is certainly very impressive!

We have an enjoyable stroll round this pretty park and explore some of the noooks and crannies. There is also an interesting looking hexagonal chapel by Buontalenti that's being restored. Of course we laze about on our trusty rug for a bit an then check out the concert.

It's a local musician, Riccardo Marasco and he is singing some Baroque style, Tuscan folk songs and playing this strange looking guitar...

We've had a lovely time here and decide to stay out for dinner. On our way back we stop at Fiesole and find a romantic restaurant with a rather nice view   overlooking Florence. As the sun goes down, it's a very pleasant way to end the day.



(Original journal entry 25/5/02)

34. Gaiole-in-Chianti and 'the road of the castles'

Gaiole is one of the main towns of the Chianti region and one that we haven't visited yet.

Today we change that as we have a work-free late morning and early afternoon. It's a lovely sunny morning and the hour's drive not too much of an effort, especially considering the scenery!

Gaiole is one of Chianti's smaller towns and while it is nicely situated on two small rivers, there isn't really much to it, but on the way in we spot a very fashionable looking restaurant with some cool looking al-fresco seating.

As it's lunchtime we install ourselves on a table and enjoy a relaxing lunch, that is, until it's interrupted by a huge Alsation, which bounds over the fence and after sniffing around a small poodle, decides to start mauling it! Fortunately the owner follows him over the fence and manages to stop the potential blood bath!

We hastily move on to one of  Gaiole's main attractions and that is  'La Via Dei Castelli' or 'the road of the Castles'. There are many Castles in the area, but on one particular short stretch of road, thre are three together.

The most impressive of these and dating from the 13th century is the Castello di Meleto, with its two cyclindrical towers, definitely one of the most Castle-like looking structures. 

We bump into one of Annette's American classmates, whose studying Italian with her at the moment. She's doing some summer work at the castle.

We drive a bit further on and find Spaltenna, which is more of a curch than a castle. Built on an Etruscan site in 1115.

It's a pretty, but simple structure and next door is a granary, cellar and barns.

Our final destination for the day is Vertine. Here there is a small hamlet which dates to 1013, so the oldest of the three and once belonging to the Ricasoli family, apparently famous in these parts.

We enjoy a pleasant stroll here, soaking up the history and charm of these ancient buildings, certainly there's still much to learn about our new surroundings...










(Original journal entry 21/5/02)

33. Parco dell'Ucellina (and Siena)

One of the many places that people have recommended is the Parco dell'Ucellina (little bird park) It's a national park down in the south west of Tuscany, an area of outstanding natural beauty, wild, rural and untamed (jst like Annette!)

It's quite a long way from Florence and we're not sure of its exact location, so today is a bit of an experiment...

We leave home at about 11.00am, with lunch and swimsuits packed and take the route through San Casciano, Colle VAl d'Elsa and Volterra. From there we head south west through Massa Marittima and on to Fllonica on the coast. Here we find quite a nice beach and stop for lunch and a sunbathe.

We driveon towards Grossetto and find another nice beach beyond a pine forest, but we must press on to Ucellina... Only a bit further and we're there!

No signposts of course, but it's more of a region than a town. The region which Ucellina is part of is called the 'Maremma.' There is one long road down to the beach at a place called 'Marina di Alberese.' We come across a baby wild boar nonchalantly ambling along the road, not seemingly worried about us at all! By now it's getting quite late, but we've found the park and at Albarese there are small, secluded, sandy beaches of powder white sand... we will just have to get here a bit earlier to enjoy them! Apparently we've taken the 4-hour scenic route!

Our journey home takes us by way of Siena. So impossible to pass up. We park the car, take a stroll to the Piazza del Campo and stumble on an interesting looking restaurant for dinner. It's called 'Hosteria il Carroccio'.
(Here's the trip advisor link!)
http://www.tripadvisor.it/Restaurant_Review-g187902-d696583-Reviews-Hosteria_il_Carroccio-Siena_Tuscany.html

On the wall there are photos of famous film stars, including Tom Hanks...and very tasty the food is too! Well if it's good enough for Forrest Gump, it's good enough for us!


(Original journal entry 18/5/02)

32. The Iris Garden

For one month every year a garden on the slopes of Piazzale Michelangelo is opened free to the public.

Since about 1955 this has been the site of an international Iris competition, as bulbs from all over the world are brought here, planted and left to grow...

In the month of May you can see them at their glorious best.

As you can see Irises don't just come in purple or blue! It is a real explosion of colour and the setting is magnificent.

The Iris beds are layed out between olive trees and rose bushes and at the bottom there is a pond with some wate lillies.

 Of course being on the side of Piazzale Michelangelo there are some wonderful views, especially toward Pontassieve.

We amble round picking out our favourites, some are one colour, others a combination of two or more!

Some of the names are very imaginative too:  'Death by chocolate'  'Hotel California'  and  'stolen Dreams' to name but a few..

As this is an annual event, I'm sure we will be back here again to steal a few moments out of our working day.

The May flower theme continues with another flower show in Greve, as the triangular square is filled with all kinds of delightful colours and scents...

For this one we're in buying mode and we purchase several small plants for our modest terrace back home.




(Original journal entry 10/5/02)

31. Rufina

Sunday lunchtime and we're happily on our way into Florence, only today is the first in a series of 'Ecological Sundays'. An effort by the council to lower the pollution in Florence, by keeping all the cars out! Fine by us! So we can either turn around and go back home, or go somewhere else? It's a gorgeous, hot, sunny day and as we're on the Eastern edge of the City, we decide to go and explore Rufina.



Rufina is an area at the foot of the Apennine mountains, green, wooded and hilly and where the Chianti Rufina wine comes from.

We drive through the low lying towns and up through some stunning countryside. We end up in a small village called Acone. Narrow, windy roads cling to the hillside as we rise to about 500 metres. By now we're starving, so we go for a walk and happen on this restaurant. Fortunately they're still serving food and so we enjoy a nice big, hearty Sunday lunch.



Time for a siesta and we spot a gorgeous looking olive grove, rules are in Italy that if it's not fenced off, then the public have right of access! So we spend a few hours on the  rug, relaxing among wild irises and poppies, enjoying the sun and spectacular views... La Dolce Vita!

(Original journal entry 12/5/02)

30. 'the most beautiful road race in the World'. The Mille Miglia

Saturday lunchtime and from the kitchen I can hear the distant rumble of  what sounds like no ordinary car engines coming from the road.

I walk down the driveway and am greeted by some classic cars whizzing by on the Chiantigiana. There are some people gathered by the side of the road and I discover that today is the 'Mille Miglia'. The name sounds familiar...

The Mille Miglia is an historic car ralley that started in 1927. The course starts in Brescia near Milan and goes down to Rome and back up finishing back in Brescia.

The originators Aymo Maggi and Franco Mazzotta were so upset that their home town of Brescia lost out to Monza as the choice for the Italian Grand Prix, that they started  a new road race, the Mille Miglia, or 1,000 Miles, from Brescia. Originally it was a race for unmodified production cars and so gave rise to the popularity of the G.T. or Grand Touring car.

In 1938 the race was briefly interupted after an acident killed a number of spectators, but continued again after the war. Notable contestants included the great Stirling Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio.

The Mille Miglia as a flat out race came to an end in 1957 after another fatal crash took the lives of a Spanish driver and co-driver and 9 spectators, including 5 children.

It wasn't until 1977 that the Mille Miglia was revived, but this time as a leisurely procession, over several days and with pre-1957 vintage cars. This is why it is known as 'the most beautiful road race in the World'.

I stay on the drive for an hour or so, cheering and waving the competitiors on. There is some very hair raisng overtaking going on for what is supposed to be a non-competitive race! But it's a marvellous sight to behold, with all these 1930's 40's and 50's Ferraris, Maseratis, Alfa Romeos, Aston Martins etc. sputtering engines and tanking it on the very beautiful Chiantigiana road.

Today is also F.A. cup day in England and they're showing it at the bar down the road. So I go back and get my car and for a few minutes I am part of the Mille Miglia! I wave back at some rather confused spectators... Now I know the Nissan is old, but not that old!

My team, Chelsea are playing against Arsenal and unfortunately we lose 2-0, but an unexpected treat, witnessing my 1st Mille Miglia!



(Original journal entry 4/5/02)

29. Cinque Terre

Today is the 1st of May and here in Italy it's the worker's holiday, which means no work for us too! Traditionally for Italians it's the first big outing of the year to the countryside... (even though we've been picnicing since February!)

Some friends have invited us out with them to Cinque Terre (or the Five Lands) on the Ligurian coast. Instructions are to bring our swimsuits and a strong pair of shoes, as there may be some walking...

It's an early start, 7.00am at Santa Maria Novella station for the two and a half hour train ride up the coast. The journey is pretty spectacular, through the white Carrara mountains.

Our itinery has already been meticulously planned by Andrea, veteran mountaineer and frequenter of this area. There are 12 of us, so quite a nice sized group and at 10.00am we all pile off the train at the most northerly town, Monterosso al mare in glorious sunshine. Some sustenance is required and so we all tuck into one of he local specialities, 'Farinata', a kind of chestnut flavoured flat bread. There is a great sandy beach here, but no time to stop! We begin climbing what seems to be a billion steps up a sheer cliff face, with hair raising views back towards Monterosso and onto our second town, Vernazza. Tiny coves hug the coast and we are walking amongst olive trees, vines and heaps of wild lilac coloured Irises. We reach Vernazza in about an hour and a half and, wow! What a view! It looks like Positano on the Amalfi coast.

We're beginning to break a sweat and just about ready for a swim. Some of us strip off and plunge into the crystal clear, cold sea!  Some 'Hawaian style' diving off 10m rocks 'up' the tension, but fortunately the sea is deep enough and I live to tell the tale. Lunch and a nice sunbathe and we're off to 'Terra' number 3, Corniglia. Again a breathtaking climb taken at Olympic speed in swelterng heat! Is there a prize for finishing 1st?  We want to stop and absorb al this beauty, but no, we are lagging behind and must keep up with the group. Corniglia is a gorgeous little fishing village, civilized people are enjoying a fish lunch at the many al-fresco restaurants...

Andrea takes us for some wine tasting. The local tipple is a dessert wine called ' Schiacchetra' similar to our Vin Santo, but 5 times the price.

Unfortunately the 3rd leg of this 'endurance test' is closed due to a landslide, so we take the train to the 4th town. Shame and I was looking forward to another hour and a half climb! Manarola is our 4th 'Terra' and it's here that Andrea treats us to his party piece, jumping from 20m rocks into what looks like certain death! Loads of people have gathered around to watch and cannot believe their eyes!
From Manarola we have the final walk, which is the shortest one and takes only half an hour. It's called 'La via dell'amore', the way of love... to the final town of Riomaggiore. By now it's getting quite late and we've had a long day, tiring, but very satisfying. We take the train back to Florence, arriving after midnight. The legs will ache, but what an incredible place!



(Original journal entry 1/5/02)

28. Lake Garda, Verona and Venice

April 25th is a national holiday here in Italy, it's to commemorate the day when the Allied troops finally liberated Italy in the Second World War. This year it falls on a Thursday, which is perfect as we are introduced to a very special new Italian word 'ponte' which basically means 'bridge', or a very nice 4-day weekend! So we're venturing outside of Tuscany and have booked 2 nights in the most romantic city in the world, Venice. I've been there once, with a friend in 1990, but this is going to be Annette's first time, so it's quite exciting.

The plan is to drive up and stay in Verona, a city we've both never been to before, on the Thursday night, then head to Venice, staying on the Friday and Saturday night and finally returning home Sunday evening.

LakeGarda

Thursday 25th

 The trusty Nissan Sunny is packed up and we set off at a very civilized 10.00 am, taking the A-1 Motorway north towards Bologna. The road is completely clear as everyone else seems to be heading south? We drive through the very flat, but wealthy region of Emilia Romagna and on to the Veneto. The area around Verona is fairly flat too, but we can see the faint outline of mountains, so we keep on driving north, through the more hilly areas of Soave, Valpolicella and Bardolino. (Just can't seem to get away from wine in Italy!) until we reach Lake Garda...

The Italian Lakes, for some reason are one of the most popular destinations in Italy with English tourists and again neither Annette nor I have ever been there, so we decide to check out Garda... The Motorway takes you along the Eastern side of the lake and we come off right at the top at Riva. Annette recognizes the name as her parents stayed there once. We stop for lunch and enjoy the spectacular views of the Alps to the north and the whole of the lake spreading south. Maybe it would be a good idea to find a place to sleep here and go back to Verona tomorrow?

The town of Riva seems fairly uninspiring, so we take the small road back down the Eastern side of the lake and not before long come to a small town called Malcesine... There is an interesting looking castle and some quaint looking streets, which we stop and explore. This is definitely the place for us! So we stop at the tourist information office and book a room at a small hotel a few kilometres down the road at Cassone. Apparently it's an old Venetian palazzo and is situated on the smallest river in Europe...

The hotel is easy to find and very pleasant and after checking in we relax on the terrace with an ice cool Prosecco, soaking up the April sun and then head off back to Malcesine and have a wander through the pretty cobbled streets.

We find a charming little restaurant and enjoy a relaxing candlelit dinner in their garden with some wonderful fish and local Valpolicella wine. Afterwards we hit a swanky bar for a night cap, before heading back to our hotel.

Verona

After an indulgent buffet breakfast we're on our way to Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet. We have the best part of a day to try and do it some kind of justice. First stop is the rather intriguingly named 'Piazza Bra' (unfortunately no bras to be seen!)dominated by the Roman Amphitheatre, which was built in the 3rd century A.D. and second in size only to the Colosseum in Rome. Its seating has been restored and we take a look inside. In the summer they hold Operas here, which would be a dream to come and see.

Next we go for a walk alongside the river to check out the Castelvecchio and Ponte Scagliero and succumb to the lure of ice-cream. Verona has many arched gateways of which the 1st century Roman  'Porta Borsari' is superb.

We now make our way to the heart of the city, site of the original Roman Forum, now Piazza Erbe. There are many elegant buildings, a well in the middle, fruit and vegetable markets and some colourful umbrellas. Next to Piazza Erbe is Piazza Signoria, a very peaceful and harmonious square with a statue of 'that' man, Dante, just to make us feel at home. We search out Juliet's house and to our horror it has been completely covered in graffiti! It seems that it is the tradition for lovers to sign their names on the walls.. The balcony is cool an their is a pretty bronze statue of Juliet in the tiny square.
We enjoy our whistle stop tour of Verona and vow to com back and dig a little deeper. For now we have to head on to Venice, as the watery canals and lagoons await and so does our hotel receptionist!

Venice

We take the Motorway through Vicenza, almost a sin to go past the Villa Rotunda without taking a look, but check-in time is aproaching. We park the car in Mestre and take the train over the lagoon and onto the island of Venice. The station comes out right on the Grand Canal and nothing can quite prepare you for the view. I remember it from 12 years ago and now Annette witneses it for the first time.
Our hotel is a 5-minute walk from the station, very basic, but clean. It's a balmy evening, so after unpacking, we are back out to explore the narrow passageways, discover tiny bridges, waterways and paths of forgotten dreams, mysterious, mesmerising and hey! I'm lost, how do we get back?

We find a small restaurant and settle for a simple pizza after yesterday's fish extravaganza and afterwards we amble back to our hotel. It's 12.00 curfew and we make it back just in time!

Saturday and we have a full day in Venice. Plenty of time to go where the mood takes us. A trip down the Grand Canal by water bus is wonderful. Past ancient buildings, Palaces and churches, straining our necks to peer down impossible side canals. We disembark at the Rialto Bridge.

There are multitudes of tourists fighting their way to get across, and endless shops enticing you in to buy their wares, they all seeming to be selling, what else but Carnival masks and coloured glass from nearby Murano.

We follow the signs to San Marco, the main square and in no time we're there looking up and marvelling at the huge bell tower and Byzantine Cathedral. The square is huge and around the side there are cafès with 3 and 4 piece orchestras playing, a bizarre sight and also probably charging exorbitant prices for drinks. Also there are the fattest pigeons I've ever seen!

 Just around the corner is the Doge's Palace, a wonderful gold coloured building with Moorish arches and Sansovino's Renaissance library. These open out onto the Grand Canal, with sweeping views toward Palladio's masterpiece, San Giorgio Maggiore. Everybody appears to be heading somewhere, so we follow them and discover the Bridge of Sighs. Oh! so that's where it is. By now we decide to actually look at our guidebook.

I spot an interesting staircase that I want to check out. The two major art galleries are the Doge's Palace and the Accademia. We decide on the former, but not before we have some lunch. 

After lunch we find the staircase, which is pretty impressive and then head back to the Doge's Palace. It is a jaw-dropping experience. Totally over the top, just like Venice itself.

From the monumental Sansovino courtyard and giant's staircase right to the loggias with their unique views over the canal. Room after room of huge floor to ceiling canvasses, painted by such illustrious painters as Tintoretto, Veronese and Titian. Celebrating the glory of the ruling Doge families and all their naval victories as well as many classical allegories. The canvasses are sumptuous, dark and very rich in colour.

A surprise which we hadn't bargained on was a walk inside the bridge of sighs, which leads to the old prison. This is the route that prisoners would have taken from the courthouse.  After this we are exhausted and make our way back to the hotel, skilfully avoiding the countless Gondoliers that are trying to lure us on to their slender boats, but we resist! Far too expensive for poor English teachers! We are glad just to be here. After a rest and freshen up we are back out, wandering the narrow lanes, browsing at the shops and on the hunt for a nice restaurant for dinner. Some of the more interesting ones are fully booked or have large queues waiting to get in and by now it's getting late, so we are forced to settle on somewhere that looks rather empty and has a rather uninspiring menu... Not quite what we had hoped for. 

Sunday morning and check out time is at 10.00, but we are able to leave our cases until 2.00, so time for a last wander in Venice. We find a perfect small, secluded Piazza and enjoy a cappuccino while soaking up the atmosphere and watching the world and his wife go by... We check out a temporary Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, with some working models of his inventions, fascinating! And bringing our 'Venice experience' to an end. A bit different to my fist visit here 12 years ago on a rainy evening for only 2 hours! We pick up our cases, head for the station and in no time are back in Mestre to pick up our car. Rather than drive back down the Motorway, w decide to drive along the Adriatic coast. On our journey back, we stop for a late lunch on the beach at Lido da Rosalina and stop to see one of my favourite Palladian Villas, Villa Malcontenta. We drive through Ravenna, failing to find the historic centre and drive over th Apennine mountains at the Muraglione pass for some superb views, bringing to a close 4 days packed with some great new experiences.  

(Original journal entry 28/4/02)

27. Borgo a Mozzano and the Devil's Bridge

                                    Book 2

" Who so goes a reading among these stories, let him pass over those that vex him and read those that please him. That none may be missed. Each bears on his brow the epitome of that which it hides within its bosom..."
                                                                              Boccaccio

It's a pleasant Sunday afternoon and we've decided to hunt down this bridge that I've been reading about... It's called 'Ponte della Maddalena', but it's known affectionately as 'the Devil's bridge'. Evidently, so the legend goes, the builder took too long in building the bridge and wasn't going to be able to finish it by the agreed date and so made a pact with old Nick himself that he would sacrifice the first living thing that crossed it. Obviously the Devil was hoping for a nice young Maiden, but instead the sneaky builder sent over a scraggy little pig!

The bridge is in a town called Borgo a Mozzano and today there is an Azalea flower festival on, so a perfect excuse for a visit.

We drive towards Lucca and then north alongside the Serchio River through an area called the Garfagnana. It's a beautiful, mountainous region and eventually we arrive at the town. The bridge is just to the north of the town and looks pretty spectacular. Most bridges are fairly uninspiring, but this one rises out of the banks like a wave in mid-ripple!

We take a lingering walk over it, admiring the stunning views.

It's aperitivo time, so we indulge by sitting in a cafe on the opposite side.

Afterwards we head to the town, which has been completely taken over by Azaleas! The 3-day festival is coming to a close and we resist the urge to buy as we have already bought an Azalea in Greve.

However we try some spicy mulled wine and chestnut crepes with ricotta and chocolate... mmm and then check out a 500-year old house which has been especially opened or the festival. A one-time registry for the town and now converted into a library, with some very old furniture and a great sun terrace.

A very pleasant afternoon in a very beautiful setting comes to an end and we wind our way back to Chianti








(Original journal entry 21/4/02)

26. San Marco and the Archaeological Museum

San Marco

It's our last chance to take advantage of 'culture week' here in Florence. A friend has recommended San Marco - onetime residence of Fra' Angelico, Fra' Bartolomeo and the 'mad monk' himself, Savonarola. One of my friends in England was obsessed with this guy, famous for 'the Bonfire of the Vanities'.

 San Marco is a church, monastery and museum and the complex turns out to be enormous! On the ground floor is the lovely cloisters, one of the first of the Renaissance, built by Michelozzo when the Slvestrine monks were thrown out and replaced by the Dominicans. There are also several chapels, one dedicated to Fra' Angelic and the other to Fra' Bartolomeo, which has a stunning preparatory drawing, the famous Savonarola portrait and Last Supper by Ghirlandaio. Upstairs is the beautiful Fra' Angelico annunciation and all the old Monk's cells, each with their own Fra' Angelico fresco! Who says Italia Accommodation is lousy?

An American art historian said of the Fra' Angelico works here; "It is as if all the sugar in the world had been concentrated in one place." Angelico was the typical painter of the transition from the Medieval to Renaissance. We even see Savonarola’s 'double' cell, where he wrote all his damning sermons.

Annette has to rush off to work, but I have some more free time, so decide to check out the Archaeological museum, which is a stone's throw away from piazza San Marco.

TheArchaeological Museum

I know they have the Chimera here. This is a famous mythological bronze dug up near Arezzo. Surprise surprise it's just as big as San Marco! The guide book says it has the best collection of Etruscan artefacts and the second best collection, after Turin, of Egyptian treasures... That same book says you need 3 months to see all the art works in Florence... presumably that is 8 hours a day for 21 days? So no chance for the day visitor then!

The museum is spread over 2 floors, the first section is the Egyptian collection, not wildly exciting. However the next section is the Etruscan, Greek and Roman period and contains many exquisite bronze statues and figures. Showcasing the extraordinary skills in sculpting and casting of bronze that the relatively unknown Etruscans had.

The Chimera is mesmerizing, part lion part goat and part snake. Very impressive too,  is a huge bronze Minerva, which is a Roman copy of a statue by Praxiteles and Idolino, an athletic youth from the 5th century B.C. and the Orator, an Etruscan/Roman piece from the 1st century B.C. There are also many Etruscan funerary sculptures and a marble sarcophagus of the Amazons and an alabaster Etruscan sarcophagus.

The second floor also houses an important collection of Greek Attic vases. The most valuable ad impressive being the famous 'Francoise vase' from 570 B.C.and depicting the life of Achilles.

So a very successful afternoon and all for free!!!



With this entry, my 1st Tuscan/Italian journal came to an end.




As of May 2010 I have filled 20 books with my tales of Tuscan and Italian life, so plenty more cultural discoveries to go!

On to book 2?


(Original journal 19/4/02)