.9th Chapter – Italy Travel
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Chapter One – Montpellier
Chapter Two – Aix en Provence.
Chapter Three – Paris
Chapter Four – Nice
Chapter Five – Spain
Chapter Six – Nice Revisited
Chapter Seven – Bordeaux
Chapter Eight – Florence
Chapter Nine – Italy Travel
Ortesei – Saturday, September 3
We began with breakfast at the BnB, there we met a couple from Germany with their daughter. The husband told us he had been staying at our BnB for many years and loved this area. We could not agree more.
After breakfast we took the rental car into town, again getting frustrated in finding our way around. we finally found parking near the Adler.
We took a gondola to a different summit to hike a bit. this time without the eBikes. Unfortunately the weather was overcast with rain predicted. We ascended around 11 AM and trekked for a few hours leaving just as the rain began around 1:30.
Jackie and Lee had spa reservations at their resort so we gave them some free time and drove back to our BnB for a bit of rest. Again it was not easy task navigating the area in the car.
We met up again for dinner and had a nice walk about town after. We will be driving them to the train station tomorrow as we leave for Venice. But first we hope to squeeze in a visit to Otzi the iceman tomorrow morning.
Ortesei – Friday, September 2
We had breakfast at our BnB and then walked down to the Adler to meet up with Jackie and Lee.
Lee had reserved two eBikes which we took up to the top of a mountain via a gondola ride. We then explored the beautiful trails for several hours while Rebecca and Jackie walked the hiking paths. The eBikes were incredible as we navigated the hills and paths.
We met up with the ladies at the Gondola and made it back to the Adler for pastry time at 3:30 PM. After we chatted and then headed out for dinner.
After dinner Rebecca and I took another taxi (20EU) back to our BnB.
It was an amazing day and we were glad to spend it with Jackie and Lee.
Sirmione/Ortesei – Thursday, September 1
Today is travel day to Ortesei. We booked a taxi from our apartment to the train station for 9;00 AM and he arrived on time.
From there it took the 9:49 AM arriving Verona at 10:17 and then the 11:01 AM arriving Bolzano at 12:31 PM. We had to take a taxi from the train station to the Airport to pick up our Hertz car. Arriving around 1 PM we had an hour wait for Hertz to open at 2PM. Part of the train trip to Verona was standing room only.
The drive to Ortesei from Bolzano was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and took about an hour.
It was a challenge finding our new hotel as the local streets are confusing and very narrow. We did finally locate the hotel (Garni Halali Sacunstr. 109, 39046 Ortisei, Italy) which was more of a BnB small but charming. The host lady was very German. She gave us bus passes to get into town. We had about 5 minutes to catch the next bus to town so we scrambled but did catch it.
Our purpose for vising Ortesei was to meet up with Rebecca’s sister and brother in law (Jackie & Lee), who are there for a bicycle trip in the Dolomites. They were staying at a very nice resort – The Adler.
We met up with them for afternoon pastries and dinner afterwards at there resort.
Afterwards we were quite tired so we took a taxi back to our hotel (20 EU) and went to bed early.
Sirmione /Lake Garda – Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Smile till it Hertz.
We reserved a Hertz car in Ortisei to get from the train (Bolzano) to the hotel. Rebecca booked it for a noon arrival. After consulting the train schedule I realized that we would not arrive at the car rental office until around 1PM.
I was concerned that we might lose the rental if I arrived an hour late so I tried to change the reservation to reflect the new arrival time.
The Hertz web site did not help. We made it so far and it seemed to try and cancel the reservation. No thanks.
The Priceline web site did not help. After several screens it gave me an 800 number to call, which did not work.
I finally connected to the online help for Priceline and was able to battle my way passed the answer bot to get a real human on line.
Ten minutes of back and forth typing on line didn’t help. BUT they did give me a phone number to call which turned out to be directly to the Hertz office where we were renting the car.
I called and explained my concern about arriving late. I was told not to worry as the office closes from Noon to 2PM for lunch. Nobody would be there anyway.
What is more important in Italy, customer service or lunch? Obviously lunch, this time to our advantage.
In the evening we walked over to the lake a few blocks away to enjoy the calmness and sunset.
Sirmione /Lake Garda – Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Again, another nice weather day here, so we headed back to our bike guy bright and early for a third day of biking in and around Sirmione. It is a walking town so one must park their bike just outside the castle area.
A high point was our revisit of our Sunday restaurant for lunch. It was just good as before.
A low point was spotting this gold wrapped Rolls. Shame.
Today we just meandered around town enjoying the seaside view and town. One stop was the ruins of the Monastery of San Salvatore
Queen Ansa, wife of the Lombard king Desiderio, founded the monastery of San Salvatore between 766 and 774.
The church consisted of a single nave, marked by three pillars on each side and ending in a raised presbytery. The apsidal wall was rectilinear, with rounded ends and under the presbytery a crypt formed by three apsidal rooms opened. The central space, equipped with an altar, was larger and served as a sacristy.
Later we biked back to ET Bikes and the owner loaded us a eBike to test (Bosch Flyers). We took it for a spin to the next town (Peschiera del Garda ) and Rebecca fell in love with the bike.
We topped off our trip with a bit of gelato and returned home mid afternoon after another enjoyable day of biking and sightseeing.
The weather report for tomorrow is rain all day. It will be a relax and pack day as we leave for Ortisei on Friday to catch up with Rebecca’s sister and husband who are touring on a bike trip. It will be great to see them here.
Sirmione /Lake Garda – Monday, August 29, 2022
The weather was again warm and sunny so we returned to the bike rental place. We saddled up and stopped by the post office to buy a few postcard stamps, then off to the main town. On the way there we stopped for market day to look around.
We headed off to the restaurant we visited yesterday for a repeat lunch, but it was closed on Monday much to our disappointment. We ended up at another restaurant was noticed yesterday for an average lunch.
After lunch we decided to visit the Roman ruins – Grotte di Catullo, which was built in the first century BC. the scale of this estate was huge and impressive.
ALONG THE SOUTHERN SHORE OF Lake Garda, a two-mile promontory projects into the water. At the very end of it lie the ruins of a large Roman villa. The oldest part of the structure dates back to the first century B.C., but most of the villa was built about 100 years later. By the third century it was abandoned, and over time it was incorporated into the city walls of Sirmione, the nearest town.
During the Italian Renaissance, many Roman poets were rediscovered, Gaius Valerius Catullus among them. In one of his poems, Catullus describes his return to a home in Sirmione, which led 14th century scholars to believe that the villa on Lake Garda was the country house of the famous poet. This is unlikely, as most of the villa was built after Catullus’ death, but regardless of the true owner, the place became known as the Grottoes of Catullus. It became a popular destination for scholars and nobles.
The complex was renovated in the 20th century and it is now a museum and archaeological site. Some areas in and around the villa have yet to be excavated. It is considered one of the most impressive examples of Roman villas in northern Italy. At its prime, the villa consisted of two large residential areas with a garden in between, surrounded by long colonnades, and decorated with porticoes and terraces.
After the visit we treated ourselves to some gelato and headed home mid day.
Sirmione /Lake Garda – Sunday, August 28, 2022
The weather cleared up and today looked very promising so we rented bikes at ET Bike sirmione (18 EU /day) and rode to – The Scaligero Castle of Sirmione (about 6 KM)
The Scaligero Castle of Sirmione is a fortification built after the middle of the fourteenth century on the waters of the lake by the Veronese Della Scala family, from whom it takes its name “Rocca Scaligera”.
Cansignorio and Antonio II Della Scala, to whose period it is attributed, intended it to be used as a defensive post for the entire territory of Verona and its surroundings, over which the Della Scala family ruled between 1259 and 1387.
Having been to our share of castles lately we opted to walk by it and explore the town.
Our first stop was to the dock to sign up for a boat tour (10 Eu each) of the peninsula. There we saw the ruins of a Roman home complex.
Then we headed for lunch at Bar Moderno at the dock area. We had a great lunch at Bar Moderno (seared tuna for me and steak for Rebecca) and vowed to return later this week.
After that we walked about town for awhile. I visited an 8th century church- San Pietro in Mavino, and then headed back to the bikes for a ride home.
San Pietro in Mavino, located in the historic centre, is the oldest church of Sirmione, it was built in the Lombard era, in the 8th century AD, and was then restored in the 11th century (as far as the Romanesque bell tower) and XIV.
It is a rectangular building with three apses on the outside plastered and without decoration, rhythmic only by the five monofore on almost straight shoulders, buffered for the paintings of 1321. The roof has wooden trusses and the interior, of an austere simplicity, preserves a pictorial cycle dated to 1321
Inside you can admire frescoes from the XII-XVI century: in the smaller apses there is a Crucifix with Madonna and Saints and a fourteenth-century Madonna Enthroned with Child and Saints.
Sirmione /Lake Garda – Saturday, August 27, 2022
The weather ahead does not look very good. We were greeted with thunderstorm all morning. The rumblings and rain patter did sound cool, however.
Fortunately we purchased a few provisions last night so we can eat in for awhile.
Well the rain stopped around 3 PM and we went for a walk at 5 PM. We found a walking path along the Lake which was very nice.
After the sunset we returned home with a heightened appreciation for our new stay. Tomorrow we will rent bicycles to visit the main town.
Cinque Terre/Lake Garda – Friday, August 26, 2022
Today is another travel day.
We leave Vernazza before noon and arrive at Sirmione/Lake Garda around dinner after four trains. It should be rather easy (says he who has had several travel “adventures” in the past).
Cinque Terre – Thursday, August 25, 2022
I headed out to revisit a previous favorite which I thought was Manarola. Getting off the train I realized the village I really wanted to see was Riomaggiore, so I went back to the train and went one more stop south. It is rather difficult to keep these 5 villages separate when visiting them all.
Rebecca headed out to her favorite village of Cornglia where she relaxed after climbing up the many steps leading up to the village, visiting her favorite restaurant there Nunzio for three espressos and fruit juice.
Riomaggiore is very hilly with steep streets and winding paths. I manages to get lost a few times which provided its own adventure.
We regrouped in Cornglia to do a bit more exploring, caught a light lunch and headed home around 1:30 to get out of the heat and crowds. We navigated the many stairs back to the train which was much easier than going up. On the way down we briefly spoke with a couple who was visiting from Austria. The man was lugging two suitcases up the many stairs which is a very arduous (fools) task.
After a bit of rest, Rebecca and I had a light dinner and then walked around Vernazza for a while and climbed the stairs to a church overlooking the village. The view was great.
Walking back down we watched the sunset at the harbor for a relaxing evening after a long day of visiting nearby villages and climbing stairs.
Tomorrow we leave for our next stop – Sirmione, in Lake Garda.
Cinque Terre – Wednesday August 24, 2022
We headed back to Monterosso this morning to check it out in the daylight.
Rebecca stayed on but I opted to revisit Manarola.
Rebecca shopped and had lunch talking to a couple from Bocca Raton on a cruise and an 85 year old guy from Australia.
I hit the port and climbed the hills to get some nice shots of the village. We reconnected mid day both getting tired of the heat and crowds and took the train home.
In the evening we caught the sunset in Vernazza and than headed to Monterocsso to sit by the shore walk and listen to the keyboard player.
We made a short visit to the town and then headed back around 9:30 PM to spend a few minutes at our port.
Cinque Terre – Tuesday August 23, 2022
I went out early to catch the early light and the village waking up.
Today was explore day so we bought a Cinque Terre pass for unlimited trains rides.
First stop Cornglia – first city to our south.
Corniglia is an ancient Roman village that has a long and rich agricultural tradition. The village is surrounded on three sides by vineyards and terraces. Its architecture is closer to that of a rural inland village than that of a coastal village.
Arriving by train it is a steep climb up to Corniglia, a small town via many switch back steps.
in my opinion it t was rather unremarkable town and we noticed a rather large contingent of gay men and women, perhaps due to the nude bathing area there. Rebecca liked it much more than I did and made it one of her favorites.
Rebecca had breakfast there while I explored a bit. We took the bus back to the train to avoid walking down all the steps.
Next stop was the farthest south Riomaggiore –
Riomaggiore is the most southern village of the Cinque Terre, situated just a few minutes by train from La Spezia. The town climbs up along the ridges overlooking the sea and it is characterized from the typical stone houses with colored façades and slate-roofs.
Then we headed north one town to Manarola – Here one walks from the train down the street with boats parked in them to the coast where the young kids practice diving from the rocks.
Manarola, built on a high rock 70 metres above sea level, is one of the most charming and romantic of the Cinque Terre villages. The tiny harbor features a boat ramp, picturesque mult-icoloured houses facing the sea, a tiny piazza with seafood restaurants.
Along the main road the boats are pulled onto dry land every time the sea is rough. Although there is no real beach here, it has some of the best deep-water swimming around.
The village is all ups and downs, with steep narrow alleys carrugi, leading to the sea.
Here one walks from the train down the street with boats parked in them to the coast where the young kids practice diving from the rocks.
There are several walking paths here offering great views of the town.
It was getting quite hot in the sun so we headed home to relax and recharge.
We set out again to enjoy the sunset in Vernazza which was beautiful.
Then we thought we would revisit Manarola one of our cities from earlier that day so we took the train.
Oooop, we headed the wrong way and ended up in the northernmost city of Monterosso quite by accident.
Monterosso al Mare is the largest of the five coastal villages. The village is located on hills cultivated with lemons, vines and olives. Its amazing beaches, its beautiful reefs and the sea’s crystal clear waters make this small village one of the most hospitable of the Ligurian Riviera.
Monterosso is divided in two parts marked by the medieval tower of Aurora. The new part of town, Fegina, is full of life, it is the reflection of an area that tourism has made rich, as the great quantity and excellent quality of hotels and restaurants give evidence.
The old town of Monterosso is dominated by the ruins of the castle and characterized by typical narrow medieval streets, carruggi, with multi-coloured terraced houses.
The beach is the only extensive sand beach in the Cinque Terre and runs along most of the coast line and is well used by tourists and locals.
Turns out it was a good accident. It was dark when we arrived but we immediately noticed its large beach. We walked along the beach street to the town. After a brief stop we returned to the beach area to enjoy the sound of the waves and a musician playing a keyboard. It was a wonderful way to end the day.
We headed home around 10 PM and as we waited for the train, met some folks from New York with their daughter who was studying at Northwestern. We had a nice chat.
Cinque Terre/Vernazza – Monday August 22, 2022
Today we head to Vernazza in the Cinque Terre area. We will be there for 5 days.
Cinque Terre (Five Lands) is a string of centuries-old seaside villages on the rugged Italian Riviera coastline. In each of the 5 towns, colorful houses and vineyards cling to steep terraces, harbors are filled with fishing boats and trattorias turn out seafood specialties along with the Liguria region’s famous sauce, pesto. The Sentiero Azzurro cliffside hiking trail links the villages and offers sweeping sea vistas.
To get there we take a 10:26 train to Pisa (46 mins) , transfer to a 11:24 train to La Spezia Central (54 mins) and then connect to a third 12:25 train to Vernazza (18 mins) to arrive at 12:43 .
Well that was the plan,
We left the apartment to drag the bags to a Tram we had not taken before to arrive at the Florence Rifredi train station. GPS directed us to some not-so-nearby park, no tram in sight. We finally said screw it and decided to grab a cab. Walking back to a not-so-nearby hotel Rebecca snagged a taxi for a 18 EU ride to the station.
Checking the schedule board we were directed to platform 6 to catch our 10:26 train. The unmarked train arrived on schedule and we boarded it. I couldn’t find our seat number so my spider sense told me that something was off. It took me a few stops before I asked a passenger if this was going to Pisa and was told that we were on the wrong train.
Par for the course.
I flagged down a conductor who suggested that we get off at the next station (Prato), catch the next train back to our original station and start over.
Not a big deal just part of traveling. One has to accept such inconveniences when saddled with illiteracy in a foreign country.
We finally returned to the original station and caught a later train modifying our connections along the way, Fortunately our original tickets were good on the later trains.
We arrived about two hours later than planned but no big deal.
Getting off the train at the Vernazza station we were greeted with a sea of tourists as we tried to find our new apartment. Swimming upstream, dragging our bags I finally left Rebecca with our stuff and set out to locate our Air BnB. GPS was essentially useless as the winding streets were too close together to be accurate. I finally located the apartment
Home (for now) at last.
The apartment (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/5472563) up one flight of steep stairs was modest but air conditioned. It was in the heart of things but quiet.
We discovered Vernazza to be a quaint small town with brightly painted buildings and a nice port. We spent to day wandering around and purchased a few provisions for out stay. We were both a bit tired after our travel adventures that day.
In the evening we enjoyed the sunset from the harbor just outside our apartment. We noticed a new Rolls Royce which we were told was there for a photo shoot.
