Wednesdays Somewhere Else

We've been busy planning next years trip. It's about spending time with friends - they are what makes life more interesting, and somewhat more enjoyable. We've been very fortunate in our travels and our time at "Melbourne - home on the bay" to have good friends.

Two weeks in Italy

We've booked our lease car, a Citroen C4 which we pick up in Milan before driving to Tuscany to meet our Bayside cycling friends for the Retro cycling event called L'Eroica in Gaiole, Chianti. It will be a little bit silly as we ride on old steel bikes over the strada bianco - gravel roads in the hills of Tuscany. No carbon fibre or uncountable multi-gears on these bikes. We trade our Lycra for wool that was popular up until the 70s.
The local towns offer the riders local food and wine as we ride the 135 kms, some may do the 200 kms. Not for me the 200 kms. I could do it but it would mean less talk, less food and more importantly, less wine.

We've even booked an apartment in Paris for our last week. We've stayed there before in 2010 and we know an American fellow who lives in the Loire who spent some of his younger years in the district (you know the area well, don't you KB).

On the street where you live - returning to our apartment from 2010.

And some time in the Loire - can you guess where?

After two weeks in Italy, we'll meander towards France and the Loire valley to meet up with people we've met from past travels to the area. I may have mentioned it previously but Sue believes the Loire is her spiritual home. We've certainly had some memorable experiences in this very pleasant part of France.

So until next September we only have pictures on the wall to remind us.

Only eleven months and much saving ahead to go.'

A Wednesday in Venice

We drove from Tuscany

to Venice for a three night stay.

Venice is a city like no other

a must visit place in your lifetime.

2006

Almost forgot my Wednesday in Italy

The Bridge of Sighs

Venice

Sue had been there before me

in a former life.

She wanted to share her experience

with me.

The Bridge of Sighs comes from Lord Byron

who said it was the last view of Venice

before prisoners were marched across the bridge

before being lead down to their cells.

A photo from our 2006 trip

A Wednesday in Italy

Both these photos are of a hilltop village in Tuscany.

Montalcino is where we will return in 2014. It's hard to believe it was 2006 since we were last there.

The reason for our return is to meet a group of cycling friends from Australia to do a ride called "L'Eroica". The event is basically a Gran Fondo, a ride for fun over three choices of distance. It covers the hills and dirt roads throughout the Chianti district on October 5, 2014.

Our bikes must echo the romantic period of Italian cycling up until the 1980s, before carbon fibre frames and all the modern technology of today. As we cycle from village to village we will be fed along the way by the friendly local inhabitants with cheese, pizza, pasta and of course the beautiful wine of Chianti.
Talking of wine, the most furthest distance from the start of the ride will be Montalcino where the famous Brunello di Montalcino rosso is produced. It lies about 30 miles from Siena where Sue and I hope to stay for two nights before the ride.

Looking out from an archway of Montalcino over the Val d'Orcia

A wall hanging bought in Montalcino will always bring back memories from Tuscany.

Just a teaser for our ride

A Wednesday in Tuscany

San Gimignano - a Medieval New York

13 towers in all - just like the ones you see here

The plague of 1348 held its people in fear

Although it put the town in decline

It was also preserved it in time.

From our 2006 trip - a week in Tuscany

Another Wednesday in Italy

The Tuscan autumn morning sun

highlights a shuttered window

in the hilltop walled village of

Monticchiello - 2006

Let's do Italy on Wednesday

The Church

in Monticchiello.

(2006)

We'd just returned 

from Firenze

where we delivered our son Andrew

to catch a plane to Moscow.

Sue lit a candle

in the church

for our son not yet 21

to symbolise

a safe journey.

Wednesday in Italy

Look out any window

Look out any open door

(by Bruce Hornsby)

Monticchiello Tuscany 2006

Montalcino Tuscany 2006

A week of a windows theme with pictures and music

Another Wednesday In Italy

On the hilltop village

with only 300 others.

We spent a week

in Monticchiello - Tuscany

Not far away was

Montepulciano

Montalcino

and just over the next hill

Pienza

Tuscany seems to have

its own colour pallet of greens and ochre.

From our 2006 "once in a lifetime trip"

Back in 2014 for the L'Eroica cycling event.

Can't wait.

A Week in Toscano 2006

From Rome it was off to our one week stay

in Monticchiello.

Barbara was waiting at the hilltop village gates.

The village sits looking towards Pienza,

between Montepulciano and Montalcino.

Next year we hope to return in October.

Siena, San Gimignano and Florence.

Hello again.

The only way in to Monticchiello

Teatro Povero di Monticchiello

For more than twenty years the company of the Teatro Povero of Monticchiello; a village perched on one of the hills surrounding Pienza, stages a particularly interesing experience of life and culture.
The local inhabitants, in fact, from the last week in July for almost all of August give their daily performances in the main square. The drama enacted is written directed and staged by them alone, who also create the music and scenery.
During the past few years the performances "recited" in the typical Val d'Orcia dialect; have been divided in two parts, the first enacting experiences of peasant life during the first half of the 20th century, the second dramatising themes of current events.
The theatrical experience of the people of Monticchiello though having had a popular or folk origin has become a significant example of "making" theatre in Italy enjoying public acclaim and critical approval. 

Circus Maximus - Wednesdays in Italy

My son Andrew decided on a jog around Rome - it was 2006, he met us there.

The jog took us along the Tiber and through the relics of the Forum.

Turning back towards our apartment in the Campo de Fiori,

we passed by a park that once was,

CIRCUS MAXIMUS.

Where chariots raced - I sat in awe of what once was,

on the very same spot where the people of Rome

watched chariots race over 2300 years ago.

WOW!

My photo from 2006

A replica showing Rome of the era.

A photo from Wikipedia 1978

Wednesdays in Italy

Ionic - Doric - Corinthian

A Classical Order

Sue and Leon in Italy 2006 looking out from the Pantheon

Wednesdays in Italy

Memorials in Rome
 People rush by in a blur. Maybe its just a daily pass by for them

but not for us.

It's all an experience, a time to wonder why, when, who and what

this memorial is all about.

We saw a few of these in our time in Rome

and took a moment to stop and wonder.

Wednesdays in Italy

The Campo de Fiori - Field of Flowers

We stayed here for a whole week just absorbing the goings on in the square. Our apartment door opened up on the Campo. Breakfast, and dinner on occasions, or just a glass of wine mid-arvo was enjoyed.
The morning market filled the square in the mornings. As the market leftovers were cleared away the lunch time trade filled the cafes. Night time brought the young out to enjoy the balmy evenings.

With his back turned to us, Philosopher Giordano Bruno looks down on the people walking by. Most of us unaware that he was burned at the stake for heresy at this very spot - just for saying that the earth revolved around the sun.
Blood stained the cobblestones of the square with murders and executions in Medieval and Renaissance Rome.

The Campo de Fiori - not always a field of flowers.

Wednesdays in ITALY

Back in 2006, we took our "Once in a Lifetime" holiday to France and Italy

Little did we know at the time that we would return many times to France

We never did go back to Italy despite its charms

But in 2014 - all going well, we'll be back.

So - for a little while

Wednesdays in France

will become

Wednesdays in Italy.

We aim to return to Tuscany with friends and our bikes to ride the L' Eroica - Strada Bianca.

The white roads of Tuscany.

As we passed the French border from Menton, 

we drove to Viareggio not far from Lucca in Tuscany.

The son of the owners in the hotel where we stayed

had been to Australia several times.

Only 15 months before we return to France and Italy.

Leaving Venice and the Back Pack Saga

We enjoyed our stay in Venice and we would certainly say that it is one of those "to do in one's lifetime" experiences. From the taxi boat bandits to the lost or stolen back pack, it only added to the colorful memories.
Two nights gave us only a small taste of Venice and if the opportunity arose, we would return. With Sue's 60th on the horizon, it could be an option although her thoughts are with a Spanish theme for 2012.
In our short stay, we saw a flooded San Marco square, the running of the Venice Marathon and a relaxed few days before heading off to Milan, well almost.


Goodbye Venice - maybe some time in the future we will return.

After much angst, I said to Sue that I didn't feel very confident in taking the leased Citroen into a city of 1.5 million inhabitants. I actually freaked at the thought so we changed our plans and booked in closer to Malpensa airport where we would leave the C3 and fly out for a few nights in Paris before flying back home. I had the Alfa Romeo Museum on my personal itinerary which was in Arese, half way between Milan and Malpensa.
We decided that leaving Venice to pick up the car would be by the water bus this time, and it proved to be economical and a very pleasurable method. We saw more of the local sights and saw more of the local people on their way to wherever local Venezians go during the morning. We even met this huge dog out with his master - where do you walk a dog in Venice?

Our bags were packed into the C3 and we were off down the road towards Milan. Again we passed by cities with names that we had only read about such as Padua, Verona and as we left Veneto and on to Lombardy, we passed by Brecia and Monza. Why didn't we have more time to explore these cities?

We arrived at Arese and did the usual, I'm lost thing before approaching a local delivery van driver. We asked the whereabouts of the museum, but he didn't know. This didn't stop him from helping us though. Next thing he was on the phone to his brother and before we knew it, we were following him at break-neck speeds to where he took us directly to the door of the museum.

Well let me say, I was in 7th heaven. Having owned Alfas in the past, I have a passion for them. Yes, I know - they rust, they are temperamental, but they are just gorgeous. And that exhaust note, what can I say!!!
Nuvolari, Fangio both add to the mystic of Alfa Romeo.
Unfortunately, all of my photographs of the cars at the museum somehow were deleted, but if I close my eyes, images of the museum reappear. (these pics appear by the courtesy of the internet).
After some time, I felt a nudge from Sue - time to move on but not before I put in a request to meet the curator.
Being a member of the home based Alfa club, a life member of the club suggested that I introduce myself and mention his name. This I did and had an opportunity to discuss some of the classic Alfas we have in Australia with him. He was aware of some of these rarities as well. A great experience...

Back in the car we took off to find our hotel for the night before catching our plane to Paris,
This was not an easy task. It had not stopped raining since leaving Venice and this made navigation all the more difficult. We had Mappy maps - in subsequent trips we have take our Tom Tom (Tommy or when we are mad at him, Thomas)
After many U-turns we still couldn't find our hotel or a sign leading to it, so out of sheer frustration I decided to stop out front of another hotel that might send us in the right direction. Sue went in and came out with the most supercilious look on her face - this WAS our hotel.
I drove around the back to unpack the car while Sue investigated our room.
While taking our bags out of the car and giving it a general tidy up before returning it the next morning, I made an amazing discovery.

The contents of our back pack (remember the back pack) lay on the floor behind the seats. All of our travel, accommodation documents and plane tickets, all of which Sue was able to download while in Venice were there on the floor.

Can you imagine how I felt when I walked into our room and handed the file of documents to Sue?

How they came to be left in the car before catching the water taxi into Venice I don't know. What I do know is that whoever souvenired my pack pack had our tooth brushes and toothpaste.

Our last meal in Italy was a short walk down the road from the hotel at a family establishment. It was fun to observe the dynamics of the owners and staff. Momma sat waving her arms and issuing commands while watching the television.

From what we can remember, it was another enjoyable experience as we rolled back to our hotel room with full stomachs and just smidgen too much vino.


It was a very sad occasion when I had to give back OUR Citroen C3, but we've had the occasion to continue the fantastic "Drive Europe" leasing program on subsequent trips to France.

A phone call to Mr Moroni ensured the pick up of our cute C3 at the appropiate time before our flight. The C3 served us well. Its 1.3 litre diesel engine delivered an average of 4.9 litres per 100 kms over the 3500 kms that we travelled. We leased the car in Australia through the Australian Citroen importer from a lay called Ellie. She has been our contact on the three occasions that we have leased on subsequent trips. Providing you need a car for a minimum of 17 days, it is an excellent program. Our time in Italy had come to and end and so had most of our first overseas holiday together in 20 years of marriage, but not before two more nights in Paris.

More on the Alfa Romeo Museum if you have the interest or time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAiUAllsn5E&feature=related

VENICE

Our week long stay in Monticchiello had come to an end. The little Citroen C3 was chokkas full of our cases - why is it that on your first big overseas trip, you pack more than you need. We travel with less these days.
I think Tuscany was sad to see us leave as the sky was crying. We had rain most of the way but by now I was comfortable driving in all conditions with the steering wheel on the opposite side.
The drive took us by the many towns we never had time to visit. The signs enticed us to Cortona, Arezzo, Prato, and Bologna as we drove along the A1 before diverting to Venice on the A13 to Padua.
We decided we wanted to be in Venice as early as possible to explore as soon as we arrived - well that was a silly notion. I think it took as much time to find our hotel as it did to drive to Venice.


What more can I say - this is Venice as we all imagined!!



The view from San Marco on a rainy day as the water encroaches on the Piazza.



The bridge of sighs where between the Palazzo Ducale and the prison.


On arriving at the Tronchetto parking island we were escorted by what we thought were very thoughtful and courteous valets to our waiting water transport to Venice proper. WRONG!!
These guys were Venice Cowboys soliciting motor boat transportation at incredibly high taxi fares compared to the normal water buses. We were ushered down flights of stairs and out of the car park to some shaky wharf to be whizzed off with one or two other couples. Oh, well - you live and learn. And we did because on our return journey a few days later we took the water bus.



And how lovely is the Rialto Bridge across the Grand Canal?

 We arrived just near Piazza San Marco by the cowboy water taxi and our first view was of Palazzo Ducale.
With my hand in my pocket, I paid our fare and before I knew it, the water taxi was gone to look for other unsuspecting souls like us.
With map in hand, we walked the labrynth of Venice with no idea where to find our hotel. Sue need to stop and absorb her inner self before returning to the map. Being the Mule, I quite enjoyed the rest and took off my back pack and leaned against a wall for less than 5 minutes before we were off again. Before I knew it, I was less one backpack. PANIC. I couldn't remember what was in it. Our travel documents, I don't remember. Back and forth but no backpack to be found.

These two photos were taken from either side of the Rialto bridge

We finally found our hotel and reported our stolen/lost backpack. Sue hates me, I feel so miserable.
The people at the hotel when told of our predicament were so helpful and our room was lovely after a full on stressful day.

The following day we emerged from our hotel to discover Piazza San Marco flooded. The Piazza was set up with trestle type walk ways so the tourists didn't get their little cotton socks wet, while the locals wore gum boots.

We were walking on the trestles when confronted with a swarm of Japanese tourists, all with cameras raised at eye level. We turned and scampered away before almost being pushed into the knee deep in water.

We spent the whole day just wandering the streets and taking in the truly uniqueness of Venice. Our afternoon coffee was interrupted by the familiar accent of Aussies and we couldn't help ourselves in joining in with them. They were a bunch of mature women enjoying a crusine tour and cooking classes.

That evening we had no idea where we would eat so we decided to just stroll the narrow passageways and let our noses choose the way. I can't remember our meal but I do remember striking up a conversation with a couple from California, well San Francisco really. I do like their relaxed accent. I told them that I spent a summer there in 79 and they said that I was fortunate to be there at that time. They had recently move to one of the outlining wine growing valleys and had become disenchanted with SF city life.

Our stay in Venice was short but very moving and the photographs bring back pleasant memories despite the trauma of losing my backpack and the documents that I believed may have been inside. But this all had a very strange twist to it and more will be revealed next Wednesday.

Goodbye Monticchiello

Friday October 20, 2006 was our last full day in Monticchiello. Rather than rushing out to discover more of the surrounding sights, we decided to just enjoy what has been our home for the last week. It was a home in many ways to us. Since this first trip we have always organised other week long stays during our travels. Spending a week in one place allows you to appreciate your surroundings, meet people and treasure the memories in later years.

We sat in the cafe to just enjoy our local surroundings for the last time before leaving for Venice.

From the diary:
A restful, rainy day that we used to hang around Monticchiello and recharge our batteries for the long drive to Venice tomorrow.
It has drizzled or rained all day and the colours of the hills are soft and subdued, but still lovely.
We packed and repacked our bags in an effort to take only one suitcase to Venice after leaving the car just to make it a little easier for our three day stay.


Although only a small village, small undiscovered areas would emerge.



We took a visit to the cemetary outside the village walls. It ocurred to me that the cemetary had a greater population than the village. Monticchiello can be seen at the top of the gates.

 Lunch was at the little bar down at the entrance to the village - We both had Crostini, Leon's with egglant and mozzorella, mine with pecorino and colonarata because I really didn't know what it was. (she's adventurous). The waitress said it was pork but really it was just pork fat.
With the usual coffee and nibblies, it was a pleasant experience with conversation with the waitress/owner and then with a group of middle-aged Irish walking group.
Later in the afternoon our host Barbara popped around with a warm doona as the weather had turned cooler. How thoughtful of her.

Why is it that cat's always seem to find the most comfortable spots to rest?

In return, we gave her our remaining tube of Vegemite to remember us by. Not sure it was to her taste but it's the thought that counts, isn't it?
Off to La Porta for dinner tonight to celebrate a week that will remain with us a lifetime.

Check it out here.

http://www.osterialaporta.it/monticchiello.en.php

And don't forget to look at Barbara's Website.

http://www.lemaribelle.it/

Although not religious, Sue decided to light a candle in the church of Monticchiello for our son Andrew who was now safely in Moscow.



One last look at Monticchiello and hoping one day to return.

After a wonderful dinner at La Porta it was off to bed for the drive to Venice and another life experience to be remembered. Oh, yes and another minor drama but more about that next Wednesday. 

Montalcino - home of Brunello Wine

A late morning start was in order for the short drive to the village of the well known grape growing district of Montalcino. Montalcino is the home of Brunello wine and many tourists come here for the tasting of the local vino.

It's a lovely hilltop village, more easily walked than Montepulciano, meaning that it has less steps but still enough to open the lungs.

It seems every village in Tuscany involves steps, not something we are use to at home.

  

More steps of the up-kind.

 

Finally some decending!!!!

 

As we entered the village I saw some young women on bikes, how could I resist chatting with them and they did speak english. Well in a strange sort of way!!!! They were Canadian and American. How brave were they, the weather was a little damp and they rode from Montepulciano, via Pianza to Montalcino, just to taste the Brunello.

The steps always reward you with a view that makes it all worthwhile.

Our lunch was to die for but Sue will explain.
Leon had hand made and rolled pasta, picci, which is common to the region. He loved it.
I had wanted to try wild boar for ages and, being the right time of year, it was on the menu.
It was in a ragu and served with creamy soft polenta. Delicious.
Our waitress was a little concerned when I ordered the polenta and began to explain it to me. She was astounded when I told her that I cooked it at home in Australia. I don't think she thought it had travelled out of Italy, let alone to such an exotic place as Australia!

The waitress was marvelous and just chatted on endlessly when she discovered that we were Aussies. I have to admit that this seems to be common wherever we have travelled. Maybe its because we are so casual and open, and the Italians seem the same which makes good for some interesting experiences.

After sampling and buying some wine, we ambled on to the fortress which reminded me a little of the one on the shores of Lago Trasimino in Umbria. I think we could have sat there for ages if I had a good book to read. It was so tranquil.

Photo and text from Wikipedia
The first medieval walls were built in the 13th century. The fortress was built at the highest point of the town in 1361, on a pentagonal plan designed by the Sienese architects, Mino Foresi and Domenico di Feo. The fortress incorporates some of the pre-existing southern walls, the pre-existing structures including the keep of Santo Martini, the San Giovanni tower and an ancient basilica which now serves as the fortress chapel.

But it was time to move on and so we wandered back to Pienza, Sue's favorite Tuscan village to do some shopping for ingredients to match the wine we purchased.



Before retiring to our little villa in Monticchiello, we decided a glass of wine in the local bar would be a fitting tribute to "our" village. We chatted with the owner and during the conversation she mentioned she had a friend who recently married in Australia. Do all Italians have a friend or relative in Australia?

Sue rang our son Andrew to discover that he arrived in Moscow safely but the authorities were still to return his passport. More to come later about that.

Our time in Tuscany was drawing to an end before our next destination to Venice.



It really is a nice village, isn't it Leon - can we come back some time?

We leave you with this lovely wall of painted pottery.

Oh, by the way - on returning to Australia we located some Brunello which we decided to revive our memories through our palate, but at a premium. We discovered that Brunello is $65.00 a bottle here at home. (that was in 2006)

One more day before leaving Tuscany for Venice.