Auto e Moto d'Epoca a Roma Fiera

Last Saturday Dom and I drove to Rome for another classic car and motorcycle show.  It was a beautiful day for a drive down the coast and we enjoyed the trip.  The show was at the Roma Fiera not far from the airport at Fiumicino.  The complex is HUGE and it took us a while to figure out where the show was within the many buildings, how to get into the parking area and then how to get into the show itself.  Eventually we did and found a number of interesting vehicles.  Of course, the vehicles I find noteworthy are not always the same as those Dom likes.  So, here is are my highlights from the show.

I loved the display of four classic Fiat Cinquecento models.  They were "dressed" as the four seasons.  Here we have "summer" with all that one needs for a day at the beach.

Here is "fall" with debris from the vendemmia (grape harvest).

Here is "winter" complete with fake snow, a sled and skis.

And finally we have "spring."

I also always enjoy the different permutations of Vespas and other scooters.  Here is one with a sidecar.

Here is a Vespa with a trailer.  It has an interesting "hitch" that allows the trailer to rotate around the seat portion of the scooter.

Here is a bright pink Vespa, exactly the color I would like if I had one!

In one section of the show was a great mass of different types of scooters and motorcyles.

Here is another view of the scooter mob.

Here is an American import I did not find terribly appealing.  This giant Jack Daniel's bar complete with country music on a big screen TV and...

...a giant buffalo for "bull riding."  I actually saw someone on the buffalo!

Outside the Fiera complex there were several GIANT olive trees.  These had the biggest trunks of any olive trees I have ever seen.  Obviously very old, they were probably transplanted here from another location.  We see this frequently and the olives are so hardy they seem to come through the transplanting with no trouble. 

In another post I will give you Dom's favorites from the show.

Kate's Fantastic Adventure - The Island of Capri

The day we planned to go to Capri we woke up to threatening skies.  Nonetheless, we at breakfast and then made our way down to the ferry dock.  By the time we reached the harbor it was pouring.  We bought our tickets and then ducked into a nearby bar/ristorante for cappucino and the use of the toilette.  Kate was obviously happy but the rest of us were a bit concerned about the weather.  Luckily, it turned out to be a passing squall and by the time we reached Capri the sun was shining.

After reaching Capri we stood in line for the funicular, rode it up the hillside and reached Capri town.  Here are the ladies framed by Monte Solara, the highest point on the island.  The mountain gives one a good idea of the topography of the island.  Almost everywhere the rocky ground drops precipitously into the sea.  This made the island highly defensible but the inhabitants made a poor living from the land and were mostly fishermen.  However, since Roman times it has been a beloved spot for a holiday and certainly for the last several hundred years that has been the island's main industry.

We started out by walking through Capri town.  The shopkeepers were still in the process of opening up and it was interesting to see them washing windows, sweeping the street in front of the boutiques and chatting with each other.  All the major designers have shops that were fascinating too look in but too expensive for us.  Eventually our strolling brought us to the old monastary on the far side of the island.  Apple and cherry trees were blossoming and other trees leafing out.  The grass was an incredible shade of green.  One advantage of being there early in the spring is that the lack of foliage on the trees allows one a better view.

Emily had a purse that Cherie and I thought just screamed out to the pickpockets, "I'm easy!"  In this photo you can see that Cherie is trying to teach her daughter a lesson.  Unfortunately, Emily exhibited great reflexes and tried to break her mother's finger. 

The girls seemed unphased by the attempted pickpocketing.  Emily was able to block out Cherie's whining about her finger.

We finished our stroll at a beautiful park that was being readied for spring.  The gardeners were just in the process of planting the annuals and the color was marvelous.  The park is a frequented by tourists as it has beautiful views of the cliffs and the town of Capri.  We explored the different terraces before setting off for Villa Jovis.

From the park I could see the back side of the monastary.  Dom and I explored it last fall and parts of it are in good repair and are used by a school and as a museum.  It was interesting to see that parts of it are obviously abandoned, covered with vines and slowly disintegrating.

We decided to hike to Villa Jovis, the Roman emperor Tiberius' palace on the south end of the island.  It is a 45 minute walk along paved pathways set between houses and fields.  Along the way there were some lovely views such as the one at left.  Unfortunately, I did not emphasise the "45 minute" part and some in the group were surprised at how long it was taking.  It was also quite an uphill hike.  Kate and I blythely strolled ahead whilst behind us some (who shall not be named) were in danger of collapsing.  Luckily at about that point we stopped to buy sandwiches at a little alimentari (grocery).  The proprietress, while not as friendly the one in Atrani, made us delicious panini with mortadella, fresh mozzarella and tomato before we set off for the rest of the hike.

A little before we reached Villa Jovis we decided to stop for our picnic at an open area that offered a spectacular view over the Bay of Naples.  The surroundings were not the more "romantic" but we found some steps to sit on and Cindy even stretched out for a little snooze in the sun.

The view from our lunch time perch was much better than these pictures reflect.  Or, perhaps it was just our ability to look beyond the gritty foreground to the beauty beyond.  We never did figure out exactly what the area was--there were several more open terraces below this one.  However, we hypothesised that it could be a campground in the summer months.

On our way back into town we made the acquaintance of a couple of cute dogs--possibly a mother and child.  They followed us all the way back to the middle of the shops.  Cherie and Emily were plotting how to bring the puppies back to the U.S.  I managed to dissuade them by telling them yes, they could bring dogs into the U.S. but no, they could not bring a dog in the rental car. Eventually the dogs took off on their own and left us behind.  I am sure they are well-loved Italian pets.  They were certainly friendly enough.

We were back in Sorrento by late afternoon--time for a little shopping and lazing.  Kate and Cindy cut up one of the giant lemons they had bought the day before.  It was fascinating to learn that the huge lemons are mostly rind.  The lemony part is actually not much larger than a regular size lemon.  The two of them thought it was quite good.  I let them have it all as I am not a fan of eating a lemon like an orange.

It was that afternoon I believe that we found the BEST gelateria of the trip.  Gelateria Davide II (recommended in Rick Steves and other guidebooks) had the most delicious gelato fo the entire trip.  We ended up going there three times in two days.  If we could have gone for a last dish the morning we left Sorrento we would have.  Unfortunately they are not open that early in the morning!

Kate's Fantastic Adventure - Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast

On Sunday, March 28 we set off for Sorrento by train.  This involved taking a train from the main station in Rome, Stazione Termini, to Napoli Centrale.  From there we took the local train called the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento.  From Rome to Naples we had five seats in a six seat compartment.  The poor Italian man who sat with us had to put up with a lot of hilarity, including Cherie pulling up her pant legs to show how badly she needed to shave.  He was a good sport and when we reached Naples he helped us get out suitcases down from the overhead racks.  Maybe he was just eager to see us go.

The Circumvesuviana is a local train that stopped at every station along the route and took over an hour to reach Sorrento.  The rest of the girls were fascinated by the groups of "gypsies" that were on the train.  They looked to me like family groups out for the day but I did such a good job of warning the rest of the group against them that they clutched their bags and kept a wary eye on the gypsies until they got off about halfway to Sorrento.

Sorrento is a lovely town that makes a good base for exploring the Amalfi Coast, Capri and Pompeii.  Its pedestrian friendly medieval core is full of shops selling all sorts of things but the two main specialties of the area are lemons (and all associated products including Limoncello) and sandals. 

Our hotel was a small guesthouse located right in the historic center.  The Palazzo Marziale was a great find.  The rooms were nice as was the location--only a short walk from the train station.  The breakfast was also good.  Being very small it had no front desk and we rarely saw any staff while we were there.  We also never saw any other guests.  Every morning we were the only ones at breakfast and we heard very little in the way of noise from other people.  On the last day we had to ask the breakfast staff what we had to do about paying for our rooms.  It turned out one of took care of it.

While not right on the seaside bluff, the hotel is separated from the water view only by a park.  Our rooms were at the back of the hotel but the streetside rooms probably have lovely vistas of the water.

After getting settled in our rooms we went to the nearby park and took lots of pictures.  Then we headed off for a little exploration of the Sorrento streets.

After exploring for an hour or so we sat down for a little snack at a cafe on Piazza Tasso, the main square in Sorrento.  It was cappucinos and a little food all around except I had a glass of Prosecco.  We had been breaking for "elevenses" most mornings so Kate christened our late afternoon stop "fiveses."

The next morning we headed back to the train station and found the bus to Amalfi.  This is the main town along the Amalfi Coast.  The bus ride is a must for any tourist to this area.  The road is cut right into the side of the cliffs that line the coast and in some places the rock drops thirty or forty stories to the water and even further to the tops of the mountains above.  Both coming and going from Amalfi we snagged the five seats along the back of the bus.  On our way there this turned out not to be the idea spot.  About three rows in front of us several small children had bad cases of motion sickness and upchucked in the aisle.  Where I was sitting I could not really see the evidence so when I saw that Kate was turning green I made her climb over me and sit next to the window.  Cherie and Emily spent much of the rest of the bus ride with kleenex over their mouths and noses.  It wasn't bad when the bus was moving but when it stopped the odor was pretty bad.

One of Amalfi's claims to fame is a nice sandy beach.  It was also one of the great Italian maritime republics of the Renaissance (along with Pisa, Genoa and Venice.)  Its great wealth is evident in the beautiful church in the middle of town and other lovely buildings.

As you can see from the pictures we were incredibly lucky in the weather.  The day was spectacular and warm enough that we were soon in shirtsleeves.

The church has a number of lovely features including the broad stairs leading up from the main piazza, a secluded cloister, the old church that is now a museum and the new church with its beautiful facade. 

In the Rick Steves guidebook we read of a trail (lane) that leads from the middle of Amalfi to the next small town on the coast, Atrani.  The latter was advertised as charming and lacking in tourists.  As it was only a fifteen minute walk we decided to stroll over and have lunch.  The route led up some stairs and a series of narrow paths between houses and rock.  It was a lovely encounter with back street Amalfi.

As we came out of the narrow lanes the view opened up and we could see down into Atrani and further along the coast.  With weather like this it is easy to understand why sunglasses were much discussed as an essential fashion item.

Charming as Atrani is, there is not much in the way of tourist services.  We opted to get sandwiches at a local alimentari (grocery).  The woman who made our sandwiches was charming and just buying the food turned into quite the experience.  We made our way down to the water's edge and settled down onto the rocks for our picnic.  It was not the most comfy of seats but the view was spectacular and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Afterwards we made our way along the sandy beach and back towards the path back to Amalfi.  At a gelateria we spotted earlier we bought dessert.  The gentleman who served us was quite good looking and took a lot of pleasure in having his picture taken with several of us.  He was nicknamed "Arms" and was talked about off and on for the rest of the trip!

I should have taken a picture of the water view but for some reason the view up into the hills behind us fascinated me.  In particular, in the middle of the left side of this photo can be seen a white building--a church.  It must have been a monastary but all I could think of was what a trek it must have been to get anything up there, including all the building materials.

Back in Amalfi we saw a number of spots where someone has built tiny versions of Amalfitani towns into various nooks and crannies.  We also saw more of this along the road on the way back to Sorrento.  The why of this is a mystery although someone suggested they might be some sort of ghost villages to divert the evil spirits from invading the real houses.

I could not help taking this picture at an alimentari in Amalfi.  Who new spicy peppers had such properties?!?!

Coming soon:  Capri and Pompeii.

Kate's Fantastic Adventure - Rome Day 2

On our second full day in Rome Kate, Cindy, Cherie, Emily and I made our way to the Vatican Museums.  Before leaving Seattle I made reservations online for a 10 am entry.  It worked like a charm!  We were able to bypass all the lines, make a quick stop at a window to exchange our voucher for tickets and then we were past the turnstiles.  I highly recommend it if you are going to Rome and want to see the Sistine Chapel and the rest of the museums.  We did a pretty quick run through but it still took us a couple of hours.  The Museums do have great bathrooms and reasonably priced food.  The premium for the reservation is also only a few Euros and the convenience is well worth the cost.

I did forget that unless you are with an organized tour you have to exit the Museums in about the same place you enter them and then walk quite a ways to visit St. Peter's Basilica.  If I recall correctly, we found a place for lunch after we finished at the Museums and then trekked over to the Basilica.  Both inside the church and outside in the piazza the chairs and barriers were already set up for Palm Sunday and the rest of the Easter week masses so we were unable to walk freely through the center of the Basilica.  Still, one was able to get a good feel for the enormity of the structure, the grandness and the history.  Although the church decoration is about 300-400 years old, I always think the church has a quite modern feel.  It is an odd combination of ornate and simple.

Having been to St. Peter's a number of times, I discovered later that I took only one picture. Here are Emily, Kate and Cindy propped on the base of a faux column waiting for Cherie and me to exit the restrooms. 

After this we needed to find a grocery store to buy a few small items.  Knowing the area to the south of St. Peter's is a residential area we headed over there and, after asking someone on the street and in a bar, found one on a back street.  The items we needed were purchased (plus cookies and water and who knows what else) then we headed back to the hotel.

As we were off to Sorrento the next day we actually went to Stazione Termini to buy our train tickets.  It was a good thing we did as the lines to purchase were long.  It took us about 45 minutes before it was our turn at the window.  The gentleman from whom we purchased the tickets really seemed to enjoy selling to 5 American women.  He was interested in where we were from and was a nice contrast to the usual taciturn Italian train officials. 

From the station we took the Metro (subway/underground) back to our hotel and rested (or went out shopping) before heading out for dinner.  We went to what I thought was a really touristy spot (Old Bear near Piazza Navona) that a friend of Emily told her about and we had stumbled on the evening before.  It turned out to be the favorite spot of everyone in the group except me.  The restaurant did have great service and loads of food.  The squash lasagna was very cheesy but not very squashy.  Still we had a fabulous time our last evening in Rome.

Here are a few other pictures from Rome.

The room Kate, Cindy and I shared did not have a shower, just a large soaking tub.  That would have been fine except the tub did not drain very well. 

Kate, being used to a shower, was not sure how to manage her hair in the tub.  So, our second evening there, Cindy washed it for her.  Kate sat on her suitcase and hung here head over the side.  It all worked out just fine except for Auntie Lou Lou taking a picture!

We saw lots of Smart cars in Rome, many of them parked the way this one was.  I wish I had taken a picture of the row of three Smart cars parked next to each other in this manner.

The weather we had in Rome was terrific.  It might have sprinkled a little but in general it was warm and sunny.  The first day we were probably overdressed but the second we all managed better.  The evenings were a little chilly but still a welcome contrast to the weather we left in the Seattle area.

One last photo from Rome.  On two of our three evenings there we walked past Via Condotti on our way back to the hotel.  I always love looking up it at Trinita dei Monti at the top of the Spanish Steps.  The streetlights seem to lead one's eye right there to the prize at the end.  This photo really does not do it justice.

Although Dom and I rarely stay in the area because of parking issues, I love being at a hotel in the Spanish Steps area.  There is just so much to do and see at night, all within an easy walk.

As was mentioned above, after Rome we took the train to Naples and then Sorrento.  More on that in a future post.

Kate's Fantastic Adventure - Rome Day 1

Kate's Fantastic Italian Adventure started in Rome on March 25.  Everyone had made the overnight flight from Seattle to Europe and we all arrived in the early evening.  It was 9 o'clock before we checked into our hotel near Piazza del Popolo, washed up and headed out to find dinner.  The weather was quite warm and there were several interesting restaurants within a few blocks.  We chose one and had a good meal.  The highlights were deep fried artichoke pieces and a good plate of spaghetti carbonara.  Afterwards we walked towards the Trevi Fountain where we planned to have gelato.  Along the way we stumbled across a restaurant call Gusto that Cherie's Italian teacher recommended.  It was very trendy with tables and loveseats in a covered area out front.  The latter screamed for a photo op--one of the first of many!

We continued on to the Trevi Fountain which is always a beautiful location at night.  At nearly 11 pm it was far less crowded than it is during the day.  There are several gelaterias on the piazza so we enjoyed the first of many cups of the best of Italy's oh-so-delicious version of "ice cream."  Somehow gelato is always tastier though it is difficult to know if it is the product itself or the Italian ambiance.

Everyone except me took the opportunity to throw a coin in the fountain.  As most people know, this is supposed to ensure a return visit to Italy, Rome and the Trevi Fountain.  Since I am fairly certain I will be back regardless, I saved my coins for other purposes.

In the lower left of this photo you can see Cindy and Kate admiring the fountain up close.

It is appropriate that this photo of Cherie and Emily was taken in front of a shop selling shoes and bags.  They were on a mission the entire trip to stock up on both.  However, at this point they were probably focused more on returning to the hotel and collapsing with jet lag.

The next morning we set off to explore Rome's Centro Storico (historic center) and ancient Rome.  Our stops included Piazza Navona, Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Venezia, the Campidoglio, the ruins of ancient Rome and the Colosseum.  Cindy, Kate and I are pictured here in the winding, Medieval streets of the Centro Storico.

I did not take a lot of photos but here is one of many obelisks or carved columns that dot Rome.  Kate took one look at it and declared it to be a "Roman Totem Pole." 

At one of the stalls at the market in Campo dei Fiori, this gentleman was doing an excellent job of selling interesting tools for cutting vegetables in culicues and other shapes.  He had quite the patter going--all in Italian--that managed to hold his audience spellbound, even those that did not speak Italian.  He did such a good job that a few of his interesting tools made there way into the luggage headed back to Seattle.

The vegetable tool man also had a number of photos showing him with all sorts of famous world figures including Obama, Bush and the Pope!

We continued on to the ruins of Ancient Rome and walked the same streets as the caesars and vestal virgins.

Here we all are at the Colosseum thanks to the kindness of another tourist.  As you can see by our short sleaves, the weather was beautiful.  By the time we finished here it was early afternoon and definitely time for lunch.  Not far past the Colosseum we found a restaurant and were able to get a table outside.

We had pizza at the restaurant and in spite of some initial misgivings, everyone managed to eat most of their individual pie.  Here is Kate making a good job of eating her pizza with a knife and fork as the Italians do. 

After lunch we headed to the Colosseo subway stop and too the Rome Metro back to our hotel.  After late afternoon naps (and shopping on the part of Emily and Cherie) we all went to dinner at Gusto.  Rather than have a full meal, we shared a variety of antipasti (salami, cheese, fried nibbles and salad).  It was a delicious meal. 

We were all exhausted by then so it was back to the hotel for a not too late night.

Back in the Italian Groove

Today Dom and I got back in our Italian groove.  That means I cleaned the house and Dom started cutting the grass. 

We thought someone was coming to view the house this afternoon but that was cancelled.  Luckily I continued with the house cleaning as someone else came by.  It really was not that dirty but I had done nothing since arriving because of our guests.  I also ran two loads of wash but still have not caught up with all that.  If the weather holds (for drying the clothes outside) I might be caught up sometime next week.

Dom spent the day getting all the machinery (weed whacker/strimmer, mower and chainsaw) functioning.  He was able to start with the weed whacker and made great progress.  It was a cold winter so the grass is only about 6-8 inches tall.  That is rather short in comparison to some years.  Although it must also be noted that we are here earlier than usual.  The shorter grass makes cutting it a lot easier.

Yesterday as we were eating lunch outside our favorite local kitty, Squeak, showed up.  Her lack of appearance had led me to believe she did not survive the winter.  We have seen all three of her kittens from last fall.  They now appear almost full grown and are definitely fending for themselves.  Squeak is pregnant again so perhaps there will be more kittens before we leave.  The above photo is from last fall.  It always takes time for her to warm up to us but she spent all morning hanging around the back door.  Unfortunately I have neglected to buy cat food so I am behind on my bribes. 

The weather today was spectacular--sunny and warm.  It felt more like late May than early April.  After all the chores were done I put on a pair of shorts and sat on the patio with my book for over an hour.  This is why we LOVE Italy!

Kate's Fantastic Italian Adventure!

The 2010 Girls' Trip to Italy was a wopping success!  This was my niece Kate's Italian adventure and we were joined by her mom Cindy and my friend Cherie and her daughter Emily.  The above picture was taken our first night in Rome.  Over the next few weeks I will post the details of our trip but for now here is a quick overview.

We started in with two full days in Rome.  The first day we focused on Ancient Rome.  Above you can see us at the Colosseum.

From Rome we took the train south to Sorrento where we had three full days.  The first was spent taking the bus to Amalfi where we walked to the nearby town of Atrani for lunch.  The bus ride itself was quite the adventure (urp!).

Then we took the boat to Capri and explored the little island.

We also spent a day at Pompeii.  The weather in Rome and Sorrento was spectacular.  The Italians might have thought it was still chilly but 65-70 degree weather was a delight for a bevy of Seattle area women.

From Sorrento I drove the gang to Partigliano.  We managed a flying stop at the Prada Outlet near Florence but it was a bit of a disappointment.  A lot like Nordstrom but pricier. 

Our first day in P. involved laundry, groceries, a stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa and picking up Dom at the airport (yeah!).  He put up with the gaggle of girls superbly.

Actually, Dom got left at home his first day here.  The rest of us went to Florence for a visit to the Uffizi and SHOPPING!  Italy's economy got quite a boost as can be seen from the shopping bags.

We also spent a day at the Cinqueterre in spite of MY whining. It turned out the best idea as the weather in P. was damp but it was sunny and warm on the coast.

Everyone was flying out of Bologna so we packed up and spent the day in Venice before overnighting in Bologna.  The next day Dom and I dropped the gang off at the airport and headed back to Partigliano. 

It was a REALLY fun two weeks but we did do a LOT.  So, I am sure all my dear friends now need a vacation from their vacation.  Meanwhile, Dom and I are getting back in our Italian groove.  More tomorrow.