Category Archives: Italy

November 17, 2012 · 4:30 pm

Day 12 – Siena & Spoleto

10th June

Siena Italy

Siena Italy

Next stop for our big orange bus was Siena. We had about a ten minute walk from where we parked to the Piazza del Campo. We, along with possibly every other visitor to Siena, took some photos along the way looking over the city at a magical spot near the Proserpino Cafe. I took a photo of the shop because there is a town in Queensland called Proserpine!

Anyhow, the highlight of Siena for me was lunch in a little restaurant somewhere down a back street. I had a local specialty(I’ve forgotten the name already) but the family told me it is a mixture of meats cooked on the bone and gained widespread use during and after the WW2 because of the shortage of meat. I’m not usually a fan of casserole type dishes but this one I enjoyed. I was pretty pleased with myself for getting off the beaten track and I loved talking to the family members at the restaurant – if you could call it talking, lots of smile and nod going on from my end.

Piazza del Campo before the lunchtime crowd descended

Piazza del Campo before the lunchtime crowd descended

We were introduced to Siena’s traditional panforte cake at a little shop just off the Piazza del Campo. I liked the cake but the elderly gentleman who owned the shop was the real star, he was very charming, a real darling. Apparently while we were in the cake shop our own resident older gentleman, Terry, came to the designated meeting point, couldn’t find us and went off to other corners of the piazza thinking he was in the wrong spot. We waited outside for five or so minutes but he didn’t show so we had to return to the bus one short. Again, we were all craning our necks trying to find him but it’s just impossible in the crowds to pick anyone out. When we got halfway back to the bus the tour guide set us on our way and he ran back to have another look. Terry arrived in a taxi just a couple of minutes after we got there, clever man decided that would be the quickest way back. I don’t think I would have thought to do that. I felt so sorry for him, he was really apologetic and you could see he felt badly but I’m pretty sure almost everyone took the time to tell him not to worry which was nice.

Sleepers on the bus

Sleepers on the bus

I can’t believe how everyone goes to sleep on the bus in the afternoons, I sometimes think it would be nice to have a nap but then I think I might miss something so no sleeps for me! Jenny and I had each other just about in hysterics this afternoon talking about times we’ve fallen asleep and woken or been woken up doing embarrassing things like dribbling or talking. I have no idea how but we ended up doing our impressions of the Titanic scene where Kate Winslett is standing on the bow with her arms out, and then about 10 minutes later I looked over and here she was fast asleep – good one Jen!!

We arrived in Spoleto with plenty of daylight left for exploring, I found the remains of the Roman amphitheatre just behind the hotel and saw the locals having their afternoon chat sessions outside their shops and houses. Welcome drinks and nibbles tonight went down well, it was a big day.

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November 14, 2012 · 10:33 pm

Day 12 – San Gimignano

10th June 2012

I was a little sad to say goodbye to my lovely hotel room and Montecatini today. It’s been great to have 5 nights in one place and have little day trips around the region. I doesn’t feel so much like a packaged tour when you’re not moving every day or so. We’re off to Spoletto for two nights with stops at San Gimignano and Siena today.

View from San Gimignano Italy

View from San Gimignano Italy

We drove through some really pretty country on the way to San Gimignano, “Town of Towers”, lots of patchwork paddocks and green hills. I must have thought Europe would be wall to wall towns and cities and it keeps astounding me how, for such a small area, there is so much open country in Italy.

There is a Torture Museum as well as a Death Penalty Museum – maybe we should all be on our best behaviour! There were also quite a few wooden statues of naked men along the street we walked in on, I’m not sure what their significance is but I guess there’s an interesting story in there somewhere – another one for my next visit. I seemed to pack a fair bit in to the short time we spent here although I’m not sure everyone would agree with me.

Hidden garden, San Gimignano Italy

Hidden garden, San Gimignano Italy

I had morning tea at a cafe in the main piazza and spotted Andrea throwing a coin in the wishing well – although he wouldn’t own up to making a wish. I meandered around the back streets and found some lovely gardens and interesting old wheels and took photos of course. I bought a dress and t-shirt and some photographic prints of old San Gimignano, had a taste of gelato from “the only gelato shop in the top 10 best gourmet places in the world” and generally just soaked up the quaint atmosphere.

Men's meeting, San Gimignano

Men’s meeting, San Gimignano

I love how the Italians congregate outside and sit around talking and laughing. I came across a group of older men sitting on assorted old chairs near the main square obviously having their morning chat and watching the world go by. Seeing them made me chuckle, they looked so laid-back and happy.

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November 12, 2012 · 10:54 pm

Day 11 yep, still – I Cipressini

Cemetery below Montecatini Alto Tuscany

Cemetery below Montecatini Alto Tuscany

9th June 2012

I’ve really been looking forward to this afternoons outing to visit I Cipressini just below Montecatini Alto. Andrea had his work cut out for him taking the bus up there but as usual had no problems where we would more than likely have trouble in a car. We stopped near a little cemetery to transfer to smaller vehicles for the last little ride to the farm. Even the cemeteries are different from ours at home, it was really well-kept with masses of flowers and photos around. The burial ground was enclosed within stone walls with lovely little alcoves built into the walls and traditional graves in the middle. Cemeteries usually leave me feeling a bit sad but they are interesting all the same and I took a few photos. Jan, George and I elected to walk down to the farm to save someone coming back for us – we found an interesting old drinking fountain on the way and took some touristy pics of ourselves there – just for something different, not!!

I Cipressini is owned by the wonderfully friendly Simoncini family and has about 400 olive trees as well as chestnut woods. The farmhouse is quite a few hundreds years old and there are three little units behind available to rent. We had a look through one of the units and you could just imagine having  a romantic week-end there, it was rather lovely.

Dante teaching the Aussies about olive oil

Dante teaching the Aussies about olive oil

The first treat for the afternoon was olive oil tasting and appreciation class presented by Dante Simoncini who is the father of the family. He was very passionate about his olives and the art of oil making, looking around I could see everyone else was as engrossed in his stories as I was. Some people can love what they do yet not hold an audience’s attention but Dante was a real entertainer as well as having a wealth of knowledge. We had three different type of olive oil to taste, I couldn’t believe how much he poured over the bread but it was definitely ‘the good oil’ and I could even taste the differences between them thanks to Dante’s tuition. No olive oil tasting session would be complete without a few glasses of well-chosen wine would it – and they were very nice too.

Antipasta at I Cipressini, Tuscany

Antipasta at I Cipressini, Tuscany

We were then treated to more sumptuous food from the I Cipressini kitchen, also scoring the recipes for a few of the dishes so I’m looking forward to trying them when I get home. The pickled vegetables and a red cabbage and apple salad were two of my favourites although the meats, cheeses and wines were delicious too. I’m surprised they didn’t just roll us back down the hill to Montecatini Terme after all this food and wine.

I joined the locals promenading around the town this evening, I’m sure with a ridiculous smile on my face, because again I’ve had an outstanding day shared with some fantastic people.

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November 9, 2012 · 8:56 am

Day 11 still – Pisa

Pisa Umbrella

Pisa Umbrella

9th June 2012

Seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa wasn’t a factor when deciding which tour to do but it’s included so today I visited another famous place. We had to park outside the city walls again and the bus park was a real shock, it’s the first time we have encountered street vendors in any number. There were a few dozen just in the bus park trying to sell everything from knockoff bags to sunglasses to umbrellas to jewellery, you name it they had it. Mostly they were quite okay if you just said “no” firmly enough but there were a couple more persistent ones who the tour guide ended up speaking to rather sternly. I didn’t ask what nationality they were but heard someone say they would most likely be from Africa. It’s funny the things that make you so aware of being away from home, this was one for me.

First view of Leaning Tower of Pisa

First view of Leaning Tower of Pisa

We caught a little train thing closer to the walls and walked about 50 metres down a little side street following our guide. He stopped,  we all stopped behind him like we do, he then took another couple of steps and turned right – and there was the Leaning Tower of Pisa!! What a wonderful way to see it for the first time, totally unexpected and unannounced, it was terrific. I was pretty awestruck then to actually be there and really did appreciate the theatrical way we were introduced.

Markets in Pisa, Italy

Markets in Pisa, Italy

I must say I didn’t have the patience to wait in line to climb the tower but instead wandered off to have lunch and a look at the town. Had a lovely melon granita and stumbled on some markets where I found a few treasures to top up my luggage (I had just posted 6kg home so what the heck). I bought a couple of old fashion magazines, one from 1958 and the other from 1960 as well as an old map of Rome that I’d love to have displayed on a wall one day. Think I might be a bit “sightseed” out at the moment because people watching and taking street life photos is about all I’ve done today. Then again, it doesn’t matter what I do so long as I am enjoying it I guess.

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