March 3: Rome to London

St Peter's in the rain

Amanda and I must have either used up all our luck in the first days of our trip or seriously offended some Roman god. We had a new roommate in the snorer's bed, and were really excited. Unfortunately for us, turns out he was just as bad! He got in at 2am and within 30 seconds was sawing logs like Paul Bunyan. Unlike the other guy, shaking his bed, slamming the door and opening the window had no effect. He just kept on snoring. It was so bad. He, mercifully, shut up around 4:30 but started again at 6 so I just got up, took a shower and used the computer till the proprietress set out breakfast at 7:30. I read my wonderful book, one I got at the international bookshop at Termini Station, called "Inkheart" while I munched on the excellent croissants the proprietress had set out for me along with different yogurts, toast, orange juice, chocolate flakes cereal and tea and coffee. It was such a lovely breakfast after an awful night. Amanda came out at 8:30, shaking her head and saying he had gotten worse after I'd left. Yikes. That just can't be healthy. We packed up and left our stuff to the side and left the hostel around 10. It started raining just as we walked out the door (figures-again, sorry to whatever god we displeased!). We walked to St Peter's Basilica, just because we had time to kill and had done just about everything there is to do. When we got there it had just started pouring. The line, we were surprised to see, wound all the way around the bare space outside the church. When we had come last week, the line had been minuscule. It must just be super busy on Saturday mornings close to Lent. Instead of waiting for hours in the pouring rain, we snapped a few pictures then hit the tourist shops for souvenirs. I got a cloisonne bracelet for myself, a St George medal for Erin, and some pretty little charms for my little girl cousins. We walked to the Frigidarium for one last cup of gelato for "lunch" (by this point it was noonish) and I had cookies and double dark chocolate, dipped in chocolate. It was so amazing. We wandered home slowly, stopping for a green and yellow Carnivale mask fridge magnet for our collection of foreign magnets on our London fridge.

St Peter's

This is the amazing apple pastry I bought because
 I had way too much small change and needed to lighten
my purse. It was incredible.

We had literally nothing left to do in Rome and it was pouring so we picked up our stuff and bought tickets to the airport. As luck would have it, there was a train about to leave at the far end of the station, so we ran all the way over to catch it. We were at the airport by 2. We had hoped to get earlier tickets back to London because our flight didn't leave till 7 but the nice lady at the desk couldn't change them because of a new rule, so now we're camped out here in front of a window. It's sunset and very pretty, and a young Muslim man is praying on the floor nearby. This has certainly been quite a trip! Italy is quite the place and I have had a lovely time here, though now I am pretty darn exhausted and very ready for home sweet London.

March 4: Naples and Pompeii



On the way to Naples



Last night was beyond awful. Our roommates were an odd artist girl named "Echo" from LA who ground her teeth and moaned in her sleep, and a Brazilian boy named Marco who snored so loud I was honestly afraid he might choke himself and die. I have NEVER in my life heard someone make noise like that, and that includes all my uncles put together sleeping off their beer and steak at deer camp. It was indescribably and strange-he came in around 2am but didn't start snoring till 4. Unfortunately, I got no sleep after that. I got up extra-early at 6 and got ready, then went to meet at the tour office at 7:15. On the tour there were English, French, Spanish and Japanese speakers. Our guide had a very heavy accent, but she spoke 4 languages (There was a separate Japanese guide). We drove to Naples/Napoli, past some very pretty mountain scenery. The city was pretty from a distance-crescent shaped on a slope around a bay with the island of Capri and some others visible through the mist. Up close, though, I don't think I particularly liked it. It was all high-rises and was way too crowded and dirty. The bus picked up our local guide, 85-year old Franco who spoke 5 languages.

Bay of Naples

Naples

I was happy to be on the way to Pompeii. First though, we stopped at a cameo factory to see the pretty jewellery made. I almost got something there for Erin, but I figured she should probably pick it herself because there was just way too much for me to choose from for her. We then drove to Pompeii in the shadow of Vesuvius. It just looks sinister to me. We went to a restaurant and were served decently good spaghetti, fish soup and a main course of pork and potato and cheese casserole-y slices with clementines and orange slices for dessert. It was a huge meal and very good. I had a lovely conversation with a South African couple next to me. They wanted to know all about Wisconsin after watching the Packers in the Super Bowl.



First view of Pompeii



Walking up to Pompeii, I'll admit I wasn't immediately thrilled. I could only see the wall and greenery at first, which were not at all exciting, but then we climbed up to the city and wow! It was so amazing! I guess I hadn't realized just how perfectly preserved the buildings all are, even though I've studied the city in school before. It was really like a true working city, just caught still in time. The mosaics and frescoes were still colorful and amazing, in spite of the centuries since they'd been created. I'm so glad I was there with a guide who knew what he was doing (Franco has been doing this for over 50 years). Without, I would have been lost and clueless. He showed us wine shops and a bakery where loaves of bread had been found buried in the oven. He pointed out the lead pipes that were the city's plumbing and the dents worn into the drinking fountains by long-dead hands. He took us to the city's biggest brothel where explicit frescoes are still perfectly preserved, and showed us the men and women's separate bath houses. Then he said, "Now we a-go to see the petrified people, yes?" and we saw the poor citizens of Pompeii in their death poses. I learned that the forms were created by the original excavator of the city in the 1800s when he noticed people-shaped cavities in the deep ash he was removing, where all the organic matter had decomposed and only bones were left in the negative-space. So, he filled in the holes with plaster and now we can see the forms of the doomed people running from the ash cloud. The saddest were a prostrate pregnant woman, a curled up dog, and two young slaves who had been stuck in leather straps in the fish market.

From most places in the city, you can see Vesuvius in the distance, looking dark and foreboding. At the end of the tour we walked through the ruins of a temple to Juno, who was supposed to protect the city. Boy, did she fail. I really, really enjoyed my visit to Pompeii. It was by far the best part of my trip to Italy.

Wine shop in Pompeii

Storeroom of a house

Fresco in a middle-class living room

Ruins

Stepping stones in the streets, and Vesuvius in the distance

Franco demonstrating a drinking fountain

Pompeii's central forum

Poor doggie

Pregnant victim

"Beware of Dog"

Bakery, with grinding stone in the fore-ground

Fish market slave, chained so he couldn't run

Forum

The drive back was uneventful. It got dark fast so I listened to my music till we finally got back to Rome at 8:30. I ate peanut butter sandwiches for supper. Hopefully tonight will be better. We have a new roommate (yay!) so I'm looking forward to a last night of decent sleep in Rome before heading back to London.

March 3: Back to Rome

Collapsed into bed last night and took a Tylenol PM to make me sleep. My Japanese roommate and I thought we had lucked out and not gotten a 3rd girl in our room but at midnight the proprietor came in and informed us that a young man named Franco would be sleeping there. I do not much like the proprietor. Anyway, Franco was nice and seemed decent so I rolled over and passed out. Got up and was on the train by 8:30, left at 9:13. It was raining lightly, but not bad. The ride was pretty uneventful. I did see a knocked over dead cornfield with a pheasant picking through it, which I thought was funny. It reminded me of North Dakota. I saw a lot of scratching chickens and sleepy sheep. By the time I got to Termini Station in Rome, I was exhausted. I ate a peanut butter and chocolate chip sandwich for lunch with Amanda at the hostel (which is great) and we went out to find a neat-looking church on our map called San Giovani in Laterano.

The rain held off just till we got there. The church was very big and very, very pretty. The outside had statues of Jesus and the Apostles and a few extra saints. We decided to walk back past the Colosseum, but a big add printed on our map on top of the area we needed got us lost. We were off our map and very confused but with my compass we found our way eventually. We went back and took a nap because we were wet, sweaty and exhausted after our longer than expected excursion. Woke up at 5:30 for pizza from our favorite vendor. I'm pretty sure it was the best pizza I've ever had. It had big chunks of seasoned mushrooms and artichoke, and the cheese was white and soft and mild and wonderful. This meal has tied with my bacon and sausage pasta for best meal in Italy. SO good! I took a shower in the wonderful, CLEAN shower here and can't wait to sleep tonight. I'm so exhausted.

March 2: Siena and San Gimignano



There was snow in the mountains! I thought
I had left Wisconsin!



Well, last night was awful. Thank goodness I'd taken Tylenol PM before bed so I was able to fall back asleep during the constant loud interruptions...till 5am, when for whatever reason, a big group of Italians decided to throw a raucous party in the hallway. From 5-6 it was horrible. I don't know what's wrong with them, but I really hope they don't do it again. It was not fun. I got up a little after 7, though my tour didn't start till 9. After a big, juicy apple and a nutella sandwich, I went with Amanda to the station and saw her off. I went across the road from the station and hopped on my bus, which was like a mini coach bus. The tour was in English and French for the 15 or so people. The guide had a very heavy accent and limited vocab, but I could usually understand her and since her English is better than my Italian, I'm not going to complain. We were soon out of the city and in the countryside, which I really loved. I feel like this is why I came to Italy, for the olive groves and vineyards and mountains and yellow villas and hilltop castles. I was surprised at how much the forests resemble the woods at home in the springtime. There were some trees that held onto their leaves like our oaks do. I was also surprised at how much forest there actually was. I had assumed that much of it would be developed or agricultural, but there were lots of woods.

Rhinoceros Contrada

We got to Siena around 10:30, and had to walk up a hill past market stalls selling tasty-looking cheeses and meats and veggies and flowers. It was cloudy but not raining, which was good, but super cold! I was freezing in minutes. We met the local guide in the city, "Nicolette," who introduced us to Siena. I quickly learned that the most important thing to remember is: Siena and Florence HATE each other, even today. I was surprised at how strong these feelings were in the 21st century. They really know how to hold a grudge here. Everything they said was joking, but there was a hard edge to it that no one really bothered to veil. Also, Siena is divided into 17 sections, called "contrades," and each person belongs to whichever contrada their parents lived in at their time of birth. The sections are named after strange animals. Your membership never changes, even when you move or marry. For example: our guide was a Caterpillar and her mother had been too but her dad was a Ram. Her husband was an Elephant, her oldest kids were White Geese and her youngest was a Ram. Wow. The contrades become important during the twice yearly famous Sienese horse race, the Palio, which are held in the town "square"-really more a half-circle or fan shape set on a hill, maybe about a half acre or bigger. Anyway, we saw lots of painted ceramic plates separating the cantrades around town. Siena is a super old city, and no new buildings are allowed, which is pretty amazing. The oldest private palace was built in 1205, I think. The city is big into banking and always has been. The guide said 1/3 of all Sienese work for their bank and the rest either work for the University there or in tourism. Going around a little street corner, I ran into my friend Jamie and her sister, who I'd also seen in Rome on the street. It was pretty funny, since they'd booked the tour last-minute and neither of us knew the other would be there.

Siena



Siena's Duomo



We saw the Cathedral Museum, which houses the original outside statues from the church to protect them, the famous altar piece that never made it into the church, and the masterpiece stained glass rose window that was moved and hidden in pieces to protect it from WWII. The cathedral was supposed to be enormous (bigger even than St. Peter's which is a no-no), but just after they started construction, the black plague hit and killed 40,000 out of 50,000 Sienese, so they had to make it much smaller. It sort of looked like the Florentine Duomo, with stripey marble in black and white (the colors of Siena) and lots of statues outside, but unlike the Duomo, the inside is really decorated. Even the floor has lots of mosaics and marble inlays (which I loved. They're not of saints or virtues like I'd expected, but are mostly Pagan symbols for fortune and witchcraft. I guess after the plague the survivors figured they'd better cover all their bases, just in case). There are two very minor Michelangelo statues and an absolutely incredible set of frescoes by Raphael and his assistant. The guide said they're extremely famous because they are the only major fresco works that haven't been restored. I really loved the inside of the dome, which was painted blue with gold stars.

Bell Tower

Inside the Cathedral

Floor mosaic

Mosaic of Fortune's Wheel...in a Church

The town's "square"

Pigeon taking a drink

The town's office building

The guide left us around 12:30, so I found some cheap pizza and warmed up while I ate it because I was frozen. Then I roamed the streets for awhile and froze some more. The city is fun because it's so old. It's like it got stuck in time, or at least the buildings did. They still have iron hitches for horses. When I got too cold to go on, I went back to the central square. The sun had poked out and it was heavenly as long as it was shining. I sat and listened to music and watched pigeons for awhile. It was nice, but it got windy which was agony on my poor fingers. It's pretty crazy to imagine 45,000 people crammed into the square where I was sitting for the horse race.

Vineyard on the way to San Gimignano



View from San Gimignano



We finally left Sina around 2:30, just as I was turning into a popsicle, and headed to San Gimignano. I was so excited to see it, since it looked so great from the bus. But the first thing I saw getting off was my two friends Mandy and Leigh from London, who had caught a bus to the little city on a whim. Crazy! They were just leaving but recommended a gelateria up towards the church, which is on top of the hill. Basically, the place is just a tourist town on a hill, so every tiny street is full of souvenir shops. I walked straight up the main street and found the gelato shop and wow. It was seriously incredible. I had cinnamon flavor and rosemary raspberry (which Mandy had demanded I try) and it was beyond amazing. The cinnamon was creamy and delicious and the raspberry had little bits of berry in it and the rosemary gave it the perfect extra zest. As I enjoyed my gelato, I wandered around the top of the hill marvelling at the Medieval architecture. I saw only one car the entire time. Other than  the street signs, it could have been a city frozen in time. I didn't have time to go into the church, but I'd love to come back here someday. The views from the top were extraordinary and indescribably beautiful.

San Gimignano

Cinnamon and Raspberry/Rosemary Gelato...Heavenly!

Flowering mimosa

I went down a tiny deserted side street following a "scenic overlook" sign and almost came home with a cat. Like really. I was taking pictures and this yellow-eyed velvety black cat came up to me so I took a picture of him and it got closer and closer but I figured it was like every other Italian cat I'd seen and would leave soon especially if I ignored it. I was wrong. It rubbed against my legs and purred till I betted it against my better judgement. I thought it would scurry off or snap at me but the blasted thing just purred louder! When I stopped, jumped up into my arms! Eventually I just gave in and enjoyed the incredible panorama while snuggling with my new best friend. He was obviously well-fed and cared for, so I'm sure he was someone's pet. He just wanted some love! When I eventually tried to leave, he wound between my legs and followed me. This cat followed me for a very long time, all over town! I tried repeatedly to get rid of him but I guess being an Italian cat, he just didn't understand my English. Finally I really had to go, so I took him back where I'd found him and darted across the street into an alley. He turned and looked for me, then parked himself in the middle of the road like he'd wait for me, but then a loud garbage truck drove by and he got scared and ran back where he'd come from. I'll miss that cat.

My shadow

Goodbye, Kitty!

Goodbye, San Gimignano!

On my way out of the city, I picked up a Tuscan-style painted ceramic plate for Mom (Shhh, it's for her birthday! But I'm going to give it to her when she comes to London so she can take it home for me.) The ride home was pleasant and I had just started to thaw out by the time we got back. I went to the grocery store for peanut butter (less insanely expensive than in Rome), jelly, and some more blood oranges. Then I was craving protein so I got a cheeseburger from McDonald's. Don't judge me. I was cold and hungry and it was the best cheeseburger I've ever had. I went back to the hostel to eat it and an orange for dinner. My train leaves at 9:13 tomorrow, so hopefully I can get some sleep tonight.

Also: When I got back to Florence at 6:30, there was another mysterious bird flocking episode. SO much fun to watch!

March 1: Florence Day 2

My view while I ate breakfast

The Captives and The David

Not the greatest night. Everything was ok till 1am, when apparently a bunch of Italians decided to throw a party right outside the door. Not ok. I got very little real sleep. Then my alarm was set for 6:40 and I woke up at what I thought was 6, got up, started getting ready, then realized it was actually 5. Anyway, I was out the door on my way to the Galleria dell' Accademia and the David just after 7. I got going early because I'd been warned of the long lines by my guidebook (It doesn't open till 8:15). It was very cold out even though I'd worn my warmest clothes. I went too far and got just a little lost before I'd realized I had passed the building. I had expected a line already formed, but the (nondescript) entrance was deserted. So, I went to the very nearby San Marco Piazza and sat on a bench to eat my nutella sandwich and oreos (breakfast of champions). I watched the pigeons till I got too cold to sit, then walked to the Duomo and back to warm up. Finally the door opened. I don't know why I'd been so worried about a line-I was the 7th person inside. They charged 6.50 Euro in cash, which was annoying. Walking up to the David surrounded by the Captives was amazing. I really, really love the sculpted men struggling out of the marble. My favorite is the on in the front on the left, the one without a head, seeming to push skyward out of his rock prison. There are no pictures allowed, but I managed to snap one while the guard was yelling at a clueless Japanese tourist. "Oops." Since I had to pay about 10 US Dollars to get in, I don't feel bad. The David is, of course amazing. He really is a marvel. Michelangelo deserves his status as the greatest of artists. I do think that the tree stump by his right foot is pretty ugly, though.

Looking at the relatively few paintings in the Gallery, I was really struck by one artist, Alessandro Allori, who lived in the late 1500s. He was fascinated by plants and flowers so his works contain lots of botanical references that I just loved. The hall of plaster models of famous and student works was interesting. I stretched my time there to the absolute max, but I was thoroughly done by 9.

My plan was to walk to the Uffizi Gallery nest. I knew there'd be a line, but I figured it would probably move along pretty quickly, being such a large institution. Boy was I WRONG. The line was huge. I waited for 2 hours and 40 minutes to get in. It was beyond freezing. I was miserable, to say the least, and still sick. To top it off, there was a huge school group of particularly obnoxious pierced Italian "cool" teens right in front of me, trying to impress each other by smoking cigarettes, with anxious teachers running about trying to stop them. It really, really wasn't fun. At all.

View of Florence from the top of the Uffizi.
This was the only picture I could get
away with taking.

Inside, it was incredible, of course. I had planned ahead and made a list of all the must-see works from my guide book, and I am SO glad I did. I was able to see everything on my list, and I even did it in an organized, orderly manner. Here's a list of some of my favorites and the most famous: Martini's 1333 "Annunciation," da Fabriano's 1427 "Adoration of the Magi," Fra Filipo Lippi's "Madonna and Child With 2 Angels" from 1455, "Pallas and the Centaur" 1482, Filipepi, Boticelli's "Birth of Venus" and "Primavera," da Vinci and Verrocchio's "Adoration of the Magi," Bronzio's 1548 "Eleonora of Toledo," Piero di Cosimo's "Perseus Frees Andromeda," Melzi's 1505 "Leda and the Swan," Raphael's "Madonna of the Goldfinch," and Abraham Mignon's "Still Life" with grapes and a half-peeled lemon that look literally real.

I really made the most of the Uffizi. I stayed there till 2:30, when I finally decided to make my way back to the hostel after stopping at the Duomo to warm up (the Uffizi's inside had been little warmer than outside). I ate my second nutella sandwich and an absolutely incredible, amazing, scrumptious blood orange. I'm glad I got back when I did, because it started raining by 2:50, when Amanda got back from her time shopping at the market. We warmed up for awhile, though I still don't think my poor fingers are completely thawed even now, then set out to buy our train tickets back to Rome, Amanda's for tomorrow and mine for the 3rd. Unfortunately, my options were a 9 am train or a 12 pm train and since the ride is 4 hrs long I had to go with the 9am, which doesn't give me any time to explore the Florentine markets that morning, but oh well, I'll have most of the day in Rome at least. We stopped at a nearby shop for paninis on the way home. Mine was soft cheese and lettuce and basil and spices, a little bland but very good and nice and warm. Tomorrow is Siena and I really can't wait! Hopefully I'll be able to get some sleep tonight so I can really enjoy it.

The lovely view from our broken window

One of my incredible blood oranges