Greenman's Meanderings

2010-05-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

I’m posting this from home. I’m back in Oregon it was a very long day in the air with seriously long lines and heavy security in Italy… but I survived.

Venice brings out the artist in everyone...
Okay… It’s my last day in Venezia. I’m pretty much worn out (at least my knees are). Because of the regatta and the maniac crowds that were here over the weekend getting around was, at best, difficult.

Even the dogs are smarter in Venice... This one is walking himself!
This morning I decided to pace myself and visit the Corer Museum and Doge’s palace The Corer Museum is at the big end of the Piazza San Marco. When it opens is practically deserted. In fact I was the first visitor there. This is the “big secret” that Rick Steves talks about… Get a ticket and visit the Corer, you also get a pass for the Doge’s Palace. A lot of people don’t know this and line up to buy tickets for the Doge’s palace tour, blowing off the Corer, which has some pretty neat Venezia related exhibits. Afterwards, you get to waft by the proles standing in line and get right into the Doge’s digs… which is seriously cool. There isn’t much to his personal chamber. The evidence of the opulence of the Venetian empire cannot be hidden by the removal of some furniture. To get the full impact you should imagine yourself a visiting dignitary… say from England or, one of the Germanies (there were quite a few of them), being ushered into one of the official spaces with all the sculpture gold leaf, etc. These guys could buy and sell your whole country if the mood took them.

Dweeb Alert!!!
If your heart doesn’t go pitty-pat with the talk of arms and armor skip this next paragraph… If Venezia suspected you might have designs on horning in on their “rice bowl” they showed you the armory. A smidge was left for us to see… but what a smidge! Swords, halberds and implements of destruction by the hundreds… row upon row. Along with the cutting implements there were suits of full plate armor that I have never seen before… and I’ve looked at lots of photos of armor and seen enough “in the steel” over the years to know this stuff was rare and quality. As for firearms there were various varieties of matchlock muskets and early flintlocks on display. What really was impressive was the number of wheel locks in the collection. There were easily over a hundred wheel locks, mostly pistols. To see even one or two good wheel lock firearms in any given collection is not unusual. A dozen would be notable… but hundreds? They had so many of a particular design pistol the curators had taken one apart to show you how the sucker worked… on the inside… very Impressive! Many years ago I built a wheel lock dragon, the weapon that gave mounted infantry troops their name… “dragoners…” or “dragoons.” I know what it takes to make one, and how delicate the mechanism can be. I also know how thrilling it is to fire one, standing next to someone shooting a flintlock, which when the wheel lock is working well (rare enough in its own right), is slow and cumbersome by comparison. Also in the collection there was a lovely little decorated light cannon and a breach loaded ship’s gun that were quite nice as well… my renaissance militaria nut rears his head. The tour continued into the Venetian Senate halls and on down into the prison and across the “Bridge of Sighs” which once was crossed, there was no going back.

A last look at Venice from the "Bridge of Sighs"...
The Corer Museum was quite nice but the Doge’s Palace knocked my socks off.
After the Doge’s palace I wandered back, window shopping, on the way, I ran across an open air market...I took my time and did some shooting.

Once back at the hotel Rialto I quizzed Marco before he went off duty. I told him of my great meal at the Alta Madonna the night before. I asked him where he would go for a great Venetian dinner, my last in the city. He gave me the address of a place around the corner. I quizzed him again. Where would I get a truly good dinner that local Venetians would enjoy. “Do Spada” he told me. Then he got out a map and drew me directions. The rest of the afternoon was spend in repose, sitting in a bar drinking Campare and soda and getting something in the stomach, crudo e melone (prosciutto and cantaloupe) to cushion the NSAIDs I was taking for my knees. I had a nap then went wandering in a direction away from where I had been walking (without camera for once). I wound up near the Ponte Accademia. As I neared the bridge I hear a number of different classical music pieces drifting through the air. Drawn by the music I found myself standing I front of a music conservatory. Violin music was coming from one window, piano music coming from another. Different compositions were being played… don’t ask me to tell you whose music it was. Somehow it all fit and sounded “right”.
It occurs to me that I haven’t told you how much music there is in Venezia. Of course you’ve got the Gondoliers singing, though not as often as you would expect (music hikes an 80-100 euro 40 minute gondola ride significantly). There are a few street musicians but mostly there’s music coming from everywhere. There’s music coming from bars, theaters and concert halls. Music was coming out of window of private domiciles and of course there are the battling 5 piece orchestras at various restaurants on the Piazza San Marco. Anywhere else in the world it may have seemed like a cacophony, somehow in Venezia it worked. When dinner time rolled around I found Do Spada easily. It was located down a small alley on the far side of the Ponte Rialto. The food was fresh seafood, on display in a bar top glass case. The bar tender asked what I would like… what I would like? Cheeze… it all looked so good. “Make me a suggestion,” I answered. The first course was two different kinds of fried calamari and a sardine patty cooked in pastry. It was wonderful the Calamari was crispy and had great flavor the sardine patty was unlike anything I’ve ever had before. Like the marinated fresh anchovies I had in Levanto there’s nothing I could compare it to other than to say it tasted like really good fresh fish. The second course was a variety of different sea food a prawn some fish, probably monkfish and a baby octopus all cooked in a tomato gravy. Each item had its own flavor enhanced and coordinated by the tomato gravy. Kind of like an orchestra you can hear the individual instruments but the gestalt of the thing was far better. The house wine which I had with both courses was a Pinot Grigio which gave just the right note of fruit and citrus making adding lemon to any of the seafood unnecessary. I didn’t have desert at Do Spada. I’d been promising myself a gelato sundae at this place I’d been passing in my wanderings. It was a chocolate hazelnut beast, rich chocolate and hazelnut gelato served with chocolate syrup, fresh hazelnuts and whipped cream. I’ve come to really enjoy gelato, especially the fruit flavored sort I’ve found nearly everywhere. I wish American ice cream could taste half as fresh and fruity as the gelatos I had in Italy.

2010-05-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I arrived in Venezia. I certainly wasn’t prepared for walking out of the train station to have the Grand Canal staring me in the face. It’s a bit overwhelming to step out of the 21^st century into a renaissance travel poster at one shot. Once I figured which vaporetti (water bus) would take me where I needed to go (it only took one mistake). I arrived at the Hotel Rialto, my hotel… right next to the Ponte Rialto. On check in I found the room I had reserved would not be available until Sunday. The hotel upgraded me for the night to a double room with (get this) an actual bathtub. It was a first in Italy, where some showers are so small you can almost scrub your ass without reaching around. What was even better, the tub had a Jacuzzi (bliss). My knees have been giving me fits lately with all the walking. Once I got settled I got directions to Piazza San Marco, I set out to find the focal point of the Venetian empire.

I haven’t had chills at anytime during my trip. Sure, I’ve been thrilled and surprised (in both directions) and have been moved almost to tears at the sheer beauty of the Tuscan countryside. I’ve got to tell you I got chills In the Piazza San Marco. In Mercedes Lackey’s book “The Shadow of the Lion” in a mythical Venezia, the city was protected by an elemental spirit (a winged lion). There is an elemental spirit in Venezia and there are enough winged lion images scattered about to give it form. Any great city has its elemental spirit. I’ve felt it in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and oddly enough Portland Oregon. Sometimes it’s subtle. Sometimes like with New York City, it’s a slap in the face. If you don’t feel it, you’re just not trying hard enough.

On the way in on the vaporetto I had been seeing posters for “Venezia” a live theater production of the story of Venice. History buff that I am I figured it was just the thing to get tossed into the deep end of the Venetian pool. It took several tries to find the Teatro San Gallo just off Piazza San Gallo, naturally. The show was real fun. Think of street theater with help from modern audiovisuals. 5 actors 2 male 3 female told with genteel comedy, the story of Venezia from its beginnings as a swampy refuge from barbarians, to the fabulously wealthy Mediterranean powerhouse it became, then the decline into decadence. It was well worth the 39 Euroes a ticket cost. I had dinner at a bar on the way back (as you might suspect a bar can be more than just a place to buy a beer in Italy). I had Spaghetti ala frutti di mare along with a good Sicilian rosso. It was very nice, but not earth shaking. While I was eating dinner the big soccer match came on. Milan’s united team versus Spain (I think)... Milan won 2 zip. Rick Steves said it’s fun to get lost in Venezia… he’s right. On the way back I got lost… on purpose.

I wanted to see what I could get hand holding the camera in the dark. I kept running into other photogs doing the same as I. Every time I did the line was “…what are you shooting at” (referring to ISO (film sensitivity), shutter speed and F-stop)? All of us giggling like children and “chimping” (looking at the resulting shot on the display at the back of the camera) madly at what the camera shot.

On Sunday the city celebrated (a Venetian tradition… celebrating that is) with a regatta on the Grand Canal. Vaporetti service was suspended while rowers and paddlers vied for the best time around the “fish” that is Venezia. A swimmer lead the multitude of gondolas (single and multi oarsmen), canoes (both the regular sort and outrigger variety), kayaks, rowing shells, boats, and there were a few dragon boats with drummers for contrast. There was a lot of shouting from and to the district rowing teams from their families and friends on the quayside… great fun.

Later I took the Vaporetti out to Murano. By that time I’d been on my feet for nearly 8 hours and my knees were letting me know enough was enough. I returned to the hotel to write this. . My new room was even smaller than the dinky thing I had at the Best Western in Milan (it is possible to scrub your ass without reaching around) but the view… killer. I planned to go out again for dinner later… a restaurant, “The Madonna” recommended by the owner of “Trattoria Milanese” where I had dinner Friday night.

Well I’m back and I’m not quite ready for bed, so making you wait for what I had for dinner just doesn’t seem fair. For starters I had a mix of seafood. It’s kind of hard to ID everything on the plate… but I’ll try. There were tiny boiled shrimp and slightly larger boiled shrimp, what I think was scallop, but a honking huge chunk of one, something that kind of looks like a shrimp but bigger and with mantis like front claspers, a baby octopus and what I think were snails… sounds kind of creepy but everything was done beautifully and tasted for the most part excellent (the snails were ok but I’m not sure how you could have made them taste better). The main course was squid cooked in its own ink with white polenta… very good! Everything was served with a house white wine which was delicious. Desert (I know you’re just waiting for desert) was almond cookie “Ss” served with a sweet white wine. I’m not sure which Dolcetta it was, but it was very tasty.

Milano 1... Petrolati... 1 (Maybe)

2010-05-22T23:16:00.000-07:00

Obligitory Duomo shot to comply with Photo Cliche Regulations

I’m sitting in the Hotel Galles (Best Western) in Milano. In a little while I’ll be boarding the train for Venezia. Yesterday I had hoped to get to the Alfa Romeo Museum just outside of town. I had an address and rough directions. With the help of the front desk staff (who were surprised I didn’t want directions to the Duomo) and the Italian railway system (Chiara, you were so right, they’re idiots) I wound up in Varese an hour out of Milano in sight of the snowy Italian Alps. When I finally got back to Milan (delays in both directions) I grabbed a taxi back to my hotel to sulk. I whined about my situation to the cabby. His response was “I know where the museum is…” His advice however was to not go at this late an hour. The cab fare would have been 30 euroes out (which at that point I would have been willing to pay), as traffic would be relatively light. Coming back would have been during rush hour when the fare could easily have been double, if not more… even if I could have gotten a taxi at the museum at that hour.

Once back in my room I checked my emails then decided Milan was NOT gonna get the better of me. It shames me to say I took the Metro to the Duomo, where there was some sort of youth rally going on… They had a Jumbotron and some guy shouting into the mike. I never saw him. The crowds were astounding. I wandered around for a bit then headed for the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Remember in the film Crocodile Dundee where a tough sticks a switchblade in Dundee’s face?

Now that's a mall...

Leonardo DaVinci... `did some work for the Sforzas, That's the Galleria behind him

Dundee, hauling out a hyperthyroid Bowie, responds, “Call that a knife? …this is a knife…” When I first went in the Galleria I thought about the cheesy shopping malls in the states… “Ya call that a mall? …THIS is a mall…” The Galleria soars over 100 feet over your head. Over there was Prada… over here… Gucci… Mercedes Benz? Right here madam! The interior is stunning (I’ve said that word so many times it seems to lose its impact… but it is). High up near the glassed ceiling are beautiful mosaics of legendary characters like Cleopatra. I was to starting to feel a bit hungry (of late and whenever I could get away with it, I’ve been skipping lunch, to have a really great dinner).

Inside the courtyard at Castle Sforza

To work up more appetite I walked the few blocks to the Sforza castle. It’s a great bastion, but to my mind’s eye the guy didn’t have much worry about being attacked. It looked strong, but not a place that was really meant to defend against a really well equipped determined foe…. impressive none the less. It was pretty late in the day so the museum was getting ready to close. I wandered out with the carabinieri and the rest of the crowd. I used Rick Steve’s book to find the Trattoria Milanese, a neat little restaurant not too far from the Duomo. I only needed to ask one local and found it right where they left it. Dinner was an antipasti of steamed asparagus in butter and parmesan… a revelation! I like asparagus but never thought to use parmesan with it! Dinner was Osso Buco on a bed of saffron risotto… wonderful accompanying the foods was the house red a Montepulciano, which complemented the veal perfectly. For desert the house specialty was zabaglione… another breathtaking end to the meal. Stuffed to the gills I staggered back to the Metro and managed to find my room before the lights went out.

Some More Pix For You!

2010-05-21T07:39:00.001-07:00

Street scene in Porto Venere

Restaurants and shops along the waterfront in Porto Venere

View of Porto Venere from the fortress church

Cute kids in Riomaggiore (check the girl on the left doing "cheesecake")

Via D'Amore on pix left looking back to Riomaggiore

It’s Tomorrow... and it’s Entirely Different...

2010-05-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

Boarding the ferry at Monterosso... who are all those old people... eep!
Elisa’s sister, Chiara, shares duties with her at the front desk. At breakfast she helped me plan my day, giving me great advice as how to get the most out of my time in the 5 Terra. I did the lazy man’s tour of the Cinque Terra. I took the train to Monterossa al Mare. There I boarded the ferry and cruised on down stopping at most of the other towns of the Cinque Terra (the seas were up a bit for stopping at Vernazza and Corniglia).

I think this is Corniglia... or possibly Manarola
to Porto Venere… where Lord Byron hung out and liked to swim from the fort there to a nearby island… at least, he did until that last unfortunate evening. I also took the 3 island cruise (no, it wasn’t on the S.S. Minnow). There may be more photogenic places on the Ligurian coast… but I haven’t found them.

Porto Venere

It wouldn‘t surprise me to find that it’s probably been in a few films. The tourist trade was brisk (mostly folks from Germany) but you could always get away from the crowds. I found a secluded little piazza and enjoyed a piece of tuna pizza I bought from a little pizzeria in an alleyway (fresh tuna folks… it’s a whole `nother animal). After wandering around for at least another hour, I felt the need for more sustenance and had some fresh mozzarella and prosciutto with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I took the ferry back as far as Riomaggiore (Big River). On the way I was told if you bought your tickets at the trailhead for the Via D’Amore it would be pricier than if you hiked up the hill to buy at the tourist office. So-o-o, I hiked up the hill (working off some of the second lunch I had) …did I tell you the hill goes straight up? When I got up to the top of the hill I was asked “why did you come up here for your ticket?” When I told them what I was told, the young man there said, “No… it’s the same price.”After a snide comment about the church situated halfway up the hill needing to be where it was so they could perform last rights on climbers… I bought my ticket (didn’t want to have made the trip for nothing). And I schlepped back down the hill… it goes straight down too! The Via D'Amore is possibly one of the easiest trails in the Cinque Terra and after the hike up the hill it was JUST FINE WITH ME! I opted to take the train back Levanto from Manarola. Still full from lunch I opted to pass for dinner. 10PM I felt rather peckish so I went down to the Casino Piazza for a Goodnight Gelato…

Here Comes the Sun....

2010-05-20T08:05:00.002-07:00

I couldn't post in Levanto because of a computer mis-communication (probably my machine) this post is a couple days old... `sorry for the delay.

Levanto and fer-heavens-sake what's that big yellow thing in the sky?

I turned the car in Siena this morning and after a brief taxi ride I had ticket in hand for Levanto. 2 train changes and about 3 hours later there’s all this sun Sunlight unencumbered by even the hint of a rain cloud all over the place (I begin to do a happy Snoopy dance in my head). The trip was made quicker with conversation with the Morgensterns, from Northeast Portland Oregon. They were on their first trip abroad and doing a “recce vacation” for future trips. We compared notes as to where we had been and what we’d been doing. They were in Siena while the football craziness was going on. OBTW, there was no joy in Sienaville last night. The local football team got blanked (I think by Milan).

The trip from Spezia Central station onward was spectacular, very high mountains, with quarries way up the sides of those mountains (Carrara marble comes from there) and beautiful hill towns too. I would love to have taken tons of pix but the windows on the train were so grubby you would only see dirt. The Morgensterns got off at Manarola in the Cinque Terra. About an hour and a half later later I was drawing a bead on the beach in Levanto. The word from my concierge, Elisa, here, at A Durmi’, a beautiful B&B just down the hill from the train station, is that many of lower trails in the Cinque Terra have been washed away by the almost constant rain, leaving most of the higher trails and the serious work of climbing them intact (I don’t know if my knees are up to the trails). The Elisa was a great help suggesting places to go to for good shots of the environs as well as some less touristy places for even better shots.

I just heard what sounds like an ocean liner! Is THAT a change from rural Tuscany or what!

After dark (had to use the monopod at least once on this trip)

Tonight dinner was at “Ristorante da Rino” a place specializing in Ligurian specialties and one of the restaurants listed in Rick Steve’s book. I chose the marinated fresh anchovies for starters. If all you have for anchovy reference is the salty wizened up things that most folks pick off their pizza, you are in for one serious treat. The little fish came with olives tomato and a bit of rocket. For secondi I had the grilled swordfish… excellent. Trust a sea front town to get fish right. The swordfish was a fall back choice because all the seafood dishes I really wanted were for 2 or more. Which brings me to a subject I tried to breech a couple of days ago when it was raining gatti e cani, but it sounded too maudlin so I deleted it. It’s traveling alone…

I love the act of exploring. To me there’s nothing better than getting in a car and taking off for god knows where. But now 2 weeks in on my “Big Road Trip’ I’m beginning to miss having someone to share it with… Italy is just too cool for one person alone. The worst times are at dinner. Here dinner is an event. It can last all evening. Sitting at a table for one is starting to get a little depressing… at home at least I have the cats........................... man… that’s REALLY depressing. Maybe I’m hitting sensory overload or just getting tired of living out of a suitcase, but that’s what I’m feeling at the moment. Tomorrow could be entirely different.

Last Day in Tuscany...

2010-05-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

It wasn’t actively raining this morning when I set out for Siena to “see what I could see”. The trip over was uneventful but by the time I got there it seemed all of Italy had turned out with about half a bazillion Carabinieri there too. As I sat in traffic to get to where I could find a parking place near center city I started seeing folks in black and blue regalia… a football crowd. There must be a match in Siena. Just as I was directed to turn around to where parking could be found (probably several kilometers away) the sky opened up and it began to pour. Ah well… Siena will have to wait for another time.
On the way down I noticed a castle brooding fairly close to the highway… plan 2. Go to the castle, mosey around. The castle was Monteriggioni, one of the major fortifications that protected Siena from Firenze. The fortification stood from the 13th century undefeated until it fell finally by treachery (as these things do) in the 1500’s. The site is much older. It’s been a fort since Roman times. It commands a chunk of important highway from Rome to the north and is mentioned in “The Inferno” by Dante who visited the place before it fell. The site is fairly well preserved with restaurants and shops dotting the small square. There are also several small hotels or B&Bs within the walls. If you wanted a sense of a medieval fortress here is your place. I found a small museum of arms and armor (most were reproductions, but beautifully done by a master of the craft). Unlike at the Stibbert Museum in Firenze, where the suits are standing row upon row, these were dressing really nicely done manikins in little dioramas. The chainmail for the most part was riveted and very impressive. The plate was very nicely done. The men at arms wore cruder gear than their officers. There were several opportunities to actually handle the exhibits, Trying on the fully articulated gauntlet, handling the crossbow and hand cannon was worth the price of admission! The museum fee got you admission to climb up on the battlements and look at the surrounding countryside… very cool. Monteriggioni is quite small compared to Cortona, or Volterra. If someone was really ambitious enough this would be a wonderful place for a living history museum…

A neat thing happened while I was there. I was walking down an alleyway (there only a couple of streets here) when I heard Jazz coming from one of the shops. It was one of those moments where the input of what you are seeing and what you are hearing collide. Whoever was playing piano was a good as you’d hear in any Jazz club in New York, Chicago or New Orleans. There was a great combo backing him/her up. I poked my head into what was a lavender and herb shop, the size of a small walk-in closet. “Jazz,” I said, molto bene!” I gave the shopkeeper a big thumbs-up. She grinned back and said in English “One of my favorites… they’re Italian!” We talked about our favorite musicians briefly then, I continued down the alley which bent sharply I soon heard Edith Piaf crooning in her bedroom voice coming from another shop…
I didn’t linger too long in Monteriggioni. It was around noon and I wasn’t particularly hungry so I headed back to Impruneta and was there in time for the Formula 1 race in Monaco (Mark Webber won it for the Red Bull team). Watching the race broadcast in Italian was fun. You didn’t really need to know what the announcers were saying. I spent the rest of PM kicking back and drinking the leftover Sangiovese from last night... heaven!
For my last night in Tuscany, I had dinner here at Inalbi’s trattoria. Primi was ravioli fresci stuffed with ricotta and spinach in tomato ragu, Secondi was an excellent grilled steak, served rare, from the farm’s livestock which I had first heard when I arrived. Of course there was plenty of the house Chianti and I finished the meal off with a glass of grappa. I think the stuff’s growing on me. Tomorrow it’s back to Siena where I turn in the rental and take the train to Levanto and Cinque Terra.

Rainy Day in Tuscany...

2010-05-15T23:56:00.001-07:00

The view from Agritoursmo Inalbi

It’s raining again today. Not the showery sort but the steady stuff that will last all day. I had planned to head out and see where the road would take me but with the cold I don’t want to chance making things worse. Tomorrow should be better… I’ll head out to see what I can see then. There’s supposed to be a festival, a palio, not too far away. I spotted it while internet surfing before I left. Perhaps I can find it again and get over there. If it’s still nasty tomorrow there’s always the Formula 1 race from Monaco. Besides, I need a little down time before next week, which will be busy. I’ll be returning the car in Siena on Monday then, traveling by train from that point on. Alan gave me an over the shoulder bag while I was in Switzerland. I’ll move some of my clothes into it to make room for the stuff I’ll be schlepping back… I can’t believe there’s 2 bottles of grappa in there! Gods help me, but the stuff is beginning to grow on me.

As I mentioned, I’m staying at the agrtourismo Vecchio Borgo di Inalbi, just outside of Impruneta which isn’t too far from Firenze. Inalbi is a working farm with olive orchard (olives come in orchards… right?) and vinyards. It’s a gorgeous setting on the side of a hill with great views. It’s not a just single building like where I stayed in Umbria but a rambling affair with rooms, separate apartments, swimming pools, and open terraces where you can sit and soak up the sun (if there were some).Set beside the walkways are small lemon trees in pots. The trees have fully grown fruit as well as lemon blossoms on the same tree. I assume (I’m agriculturally challenged… black thumb, don’tchaknow) cranking out lemons all the time is what a lemon tree is all about. The Trattoria here has served some of the best food I’ve had on the trip.

Another direction another breathtaking view

Unfortunately, because I’m here by myself (very few folks until this weekend… and they were passing through) I wasn’t able to take the cooking class that was mentioned on their website (they need more than 2 people to do the class).

For dinner tonight I went to out to our next door neighbor (so to speak). I believe the place is a resort. Its ristorante is called “Sessi Neri”. It’s about half a K down the road from Inalbi and is the place they recommend when the Trattoria here isn’t open. I flew in the face of tradition by leaving out the “Primi” course. I went straight from “antipasti”, scamorza salami, thin sliced around a bed of endive and walnuts with honey (If you like proscuitto with melon… this is better), to the secondi course of thin sliced smoked swordfish with pine nuts olive oil and rocket. Along with the sword fish they brought more olive oil and balsamic vinegar to add to the mix. The olive oil is locally produced and is wonderful. The balsamic vinegar… holy cow! It’s the consistency of light syrup and defies description… it’s THAT good. With dinner I had a Sangiovese wine, a 2007 “Tenuta Sassoregale Maremma Toscana Sangiovese” … wow! I’m a huge fan of this particular grape. It’s the primary grape in Chianti Classico. For me it’s like drinking history. Sangiovese grapes were found in the Balkans a seriously long time ago. The Romans drank its wine. It’s possibly one of the oldest grapes known to man. This Sassoregale is exceptional.

Since I had been such a good boy all day I had desert. You desert makers from Vienna… go home. You Parisians, get back on the freaking bus. I had a chocolate cake (essentially a wafer) with kind of a gelato wedge laced with Strega. The chocolate wafer was flavored with nutmeg (a natural) and sat in a small puddle of chocolate syrup. Perhaps there’s a bit of the “ball park hotdog” thing going on here… to be honest, I haven’t had a bad meal while I’ve been in Italy. Here food is not just sustenance… it’s art.

A Picture Perfect Day...

2010-05-14T13:46:00.000-07:00

From Volterra's battlements

Yesterday was fantastic. Finally the weather cooperated and I had a sunny day for my trip to Volterra. 1.5 hours away a brief run on the Firenze-Sienna highway then it’s about 30K across country 2 lane past San Gimingnano to Volterra. It’ll take you longer… I assure you. The views are stunning and for the car nut the road is great… I mean really great! Volterra is about my favorite place so far in Italy. It’s another Tuscan fortified hill town where almost the entirety of history is on display. Volterra has been around at least since the Etruscans. There’s a gate there that has stood for over 2500 years. It has narrow twisty streets neat little alleyways and a collection of museums (the torture would be an S&M devotee’s Mecca) and shops. Since the weather was good, I went a little nuts, photographically. Later, Lunch was a paninni of fennel salami with fresh pecorino cheese and a glass of the local rosso. Not worried about driving (I would be there for a few more hours I felt it was safe to indulge. I also sampled some of the “Super Tuscan” wine and picked out some to send home. As I was meandering about I ran across a craftsman working, making reproductions of Roman and Etruscan bronze pieces. He was okay with me taking a couple photos of him working. I bought a 2 tailed bronze lizard (supposed to be good luck) from him to take home. Volterra is a great place to find alabaster sculpture and there was a perfusion of shops selling stuff of various qualities. Some of the pieces were reproductions of ancient artifacts, other of more classical and modern design (I even saw a small bust of Albert Einstein sitting on the shelf between Gallileo and Pucini (`wouldn’t have known it was Pucini if it hadn’t been labeled). The trip back from Volterra was uneventful with only a brief detour around some road work. I guess there are only 2 seasons in Italy too… winter and construction

The Etruscan Gate at Volterra

This is seriously cool...
Well I knew I couldn’t be so lucky. All the late hours, lack of sleep and bizarre weather… you guessed it. I’ve got a cold. It doesn’t appear to be serious. I’ve been taking OTC meds an aspirin substitute called Saridon and a cold med called Antigrip for the scratchy throat. I’m determined not to let it take over so I went into Firenze this AM. I visited the Frederick Stibbert Museum (it’s an arms and armor nut’s wet dream) and had planned to go to the Palazzo Pitti, but it’s just plain nuts there. I got scared away by the crowds and traffic so I opted to come back to Imprunetana to chill out. I had lunch on the square and am back in my room for a quick nap and to write this. This evening I met Peter and Amelia Schilp for dinner. They’re vacationing from Holland spending a few day here before heading down to Urbino.

I’m hoping this cold thing will pass and I’ll be feeling better by tomorrow.

Some Pix for You...

2010-05-13T11:24:00.001-07:00

Huzzah! Whatever they did in Photobucket Land I can upload pix again!

The view from my room in Papiano

Breakfast in Papiano was lovely!

Okay, got the shot with the dumpsters in the background...
Where's the port-a-potty?

Some folks can just be happy anywhere... even in traffic...
others... not so.

Hell for leather in Spoletto...

Still Catching Up...

2010-05-12T22:22:00.000-07:00

Obligitory Ponte Vecchio Photo (to comply with Photo Cliche Police)

The gods of the internet are proving somewhat capricious at the moment. I’m unable to make contact or upload pix to my photobucket account. Until I do you’ll have to content yourself with words only… if I can get on line long enough to post them. I’m a bit too far from the node to get any consistent link to the web unless I sit outside the office.
I took Tuesday off to post as much as I could (when I had access) and scale some photos for you all to see. I did get into Firenze, briefly to go to Fort Belvedere, it was closed in memorium to a careless young woman who fell from the battlements last year (I hear it’s a bit dangerous there). On the way, I passed Piazza Michelangelo where the bronze of David hangs out. I think the marble one was moved indoors a number of years ago. It’s… just… there. I mean ya come around a corner and there he is… larger than life! Inconceivable! I stopped on the way back, not for the statue, but for the view…….. yeah… it’s that good. Of course it’s photographic cliché… naturally I took as many shots as I thought I needed from various locations there anyway. Who am I to break with tradition? At least I hope the continuing weather issue provides my shots with a mysterious moodiness the picture post cards won’t.
Sitting under cover (it was bucketing down rain… again) with tuna and pickled onion on ciabatta sandwich in hand I tried with my terrible Italian to ask stall owner about the weather. Fortunately we were able to communicate (he had some English I enough phrasebook Italian). He told me this has been the worst period of rain in Italy for years. They get just a few days of sun then a bunch of days of rain and it’s been like this since the beginning of the year. I told him I was used to the weather coming from Oregon, but I would like some sun so I could get some decent photos to take home. At least everything is seriously green. Hmmm, `wonder what this will do for the 2010 vintage come fall? Hopefully things will dry up soon. Grapes need to struggle to make great wine.

I got back to my room feeling a bit punchy (I must try to remember not to keep pace with the British when drinking) so I took a nap before dinner… which I had here at the agritourismo’s own trattoria. Primi was Tagliatelli in a wild boar gravy (truly breath taking), Secondi was roasted bunny in olive oil, garlic, sage and rosemary with roast potatoes (a little dry but with great flavor). I washed it down with Inalbi’s chianti (no fava beans). I opted not for desert… getting too much of that lately. The waiter comped me a glass of the local grappa. I usually think the stuff tastes like paint thinner, but this was reasonably okay. Instead of what I associate with grappa, raw alcohol and resin flavor (kind of like drinking a file) I got a bit of raisin along with all the octane. It’s still not a favorite, but somewhere there’s gotta be a better grappa that's a work of art… I’ll keep trying for all your sakes!

Victory at the Laundromat.
Over breakfast this morning (Wednesday) I plotted out with Rick Steves (well his phrase book anyway) what I needed to say to get my dirty clothes done. `Wrote it all out then went into Impruneta to the self serve “washateria”. As it worked out I didn’t need to stress. No one was home… but the instructions were very clear. I dumped my stuff in the Speed Queen (no lie) paid at the cash point, got soap and bingo – bango the job was done! It only took about an hour (note to self: do not try parking on the really narrow street… don’t ask).

This afternoon I drove down to Cortona. It’s one of those famous Tuscan hill towns and it’s gorgeous. There’s lots of climbing to do. I took lots of pix despite the rain showers that moped about in the area. It was something of a long drive (about an hour) so instead of sampling some Super Tuscan wine (no designated driver), I had some excellent chocolate and mint gelato at “Gelateria Snoopy” in the town square. Then I visited the Etruscan exhibit in the museum there. I also spent some time talking with Antonio, while I browsed in his beautiful ceramics shop. We compared notes about how small the world is, family (do you sense a pattern here?) and a mutual love… Frank Zappa. Getting back to Firenze was a bit of a nightmare on the A1. Once back I put together what you’re reading. Then it was off to dinner. The Trattoria here was closed, so I hit the Garmin and picked something not too far away. The San Martino was just over 7 clicks and specializes in sea food. Primi was scallops broiled on the half shell with porcini mushies, butter, garlic and bread crumbs. Secondi was grilled squid served with lemon, endive, tomato grilled zucchini and potato. All served with a very nice house white wine. They talked me into desert… a lemon sherbet topped with raspberry salsa. Yum!

Cool Down Laps

2010-05-11T01:40:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting in my room in the Inalbi agritourismo (near Firenze), it's cloudy and drizzly... and I'm recuperating. The past weekend is almost a blur. There was lots of good racing, great food, more drink than I've consumed in a long time and camaraderie par excellance. The best part was meeting some of the Slot Forum community in person for the first time. I keep saying this but it's so true, you don't know what close friends you have until your virtual conversations become face-to-face conversations.

Friday's events revolved around getting things organized at the venue and then traveling to Spoleto to see the Mille Miglia drive through. Our plans originally were to be in Assisi to see the cars in a more historic setting but a local festival there forced the change of route.

A Drive-by Shooting in Spoleto

By the time we drove over to Spoleto and lined up in front of what's called a "strip mall" in the states, the modern Ferraris (Ferrari was the feature this year) that preceded the old cars were already passing through. When the old cars started to arrive the pilotti had to contend with normal city traffic, staying on course, as well as everything else that it takes to drive old machinery… oh yes and the dodgy weather. I managed to say “Hello” and shake hands with Doug Nye, who was passing by in a Mercedes SSK. Nye is a motorsports journalist and book writer… a very familiar person in the vintage race community. Our Mini Mille Miglia regalia got noticed by at least one driver in the lot. When he was told about our race for charity his response was “Very good” and “Good luck”!

Dinner for the group was at a local restaurant back in Castello Delle Forme. I suppose the drinking that followed has addled my brain… for the life of me I can’t remember what I ate. The carousing lasted until 3AM… at least that was what my watch said when just before my head hit the pillow.

I’m not sure how I was able to be functional the next day, but somehow I was… The day’s event included the non period Ferrari break-out session. Cars were timed through Graham’s Mille Miglia course with penalties for going under or over the proscribed time of 40 seconds for one lap. Drivers for the various cars were determined by drawn lots, so I wasn’t able to drive my 250 SWB… again retaining my title of “he sucks overseas”, I came in dead last… It was the car I tell ya… it was!

The festivities continued with a barbecue at Graham and Linda's beautiful home on a terrace overlooking the farmlands around Castello Delle Forme. Barbecuing was done by neighbor Marty Lang (from Wisconsin!) with locally produced meats and a really remarkable sausage. Other dishes were too numerous to remember, but the cous cous and home made tiramisu do stand out in my mind. The conversation was lively and the wine flowed freely. Later more yacking was done at the local bar until, once again we closed the joint... sensibly around 2 AM.

Sunday's schedule was pretty busy. There was the pursuit elimination race where 2 digital race cars were placed at the opposite points on the track for the start. The run would continue until one car "overtook" the other (which usually meant knocking it off the track). I managed a 20 minute run (not bad) but didn't survive the first elimination. Better, but no cigar. Following the pursuit, came the Mini Mille Miglia. As with the Ferrari Challenge, it was a break out race with 45 seconds being the optimum time. Somehow I managed to turn in the 2nd closest time, however, because all the times were averaged (we ran multiple cars) for the final result I was low man once again. The final event was the concours d'elegance... the beauty contest. People voted for their faves. I had prepped 4 cars for the event. The Ferrari 166 Touring Coupe (returning from last year), a 125 Ferrari Barchetta (with a modded Ninco body on scratch built brass chassis), a Ferrari 375MM (Proto body on scratch built brass chassis) and a completely scratch built `32 Alfa Romeo 8C Corto MM car made specially for the event. The Alfa was 2nd (if I remember correctly) but there were 3 Petrolati car in the top 5... my memory is a bit hazy at this point. The last event for the Mini Mille Miglia was the awards dinner, held at the venue. I sat next to Marcia, an American from Portland Oregon, living in Umbria... we had a great conversation about most everything from families to shared backgrounds. aparently her father worked in Conshohoken, PA where my dad grew up... amazing! Once again we were served an excellent dinner of Antipasto misto and bruchetta with various sauces. Primi was Umbricelli al Ragù, a local pasta, rather like thick spaghetti in tomato sauce. Secondi was Tagliata e rucola, thin strips of beef with rocket. Dolce was a wondeful cake all prepared by 4 remarkable local ladies.Afterwards we didn't quite close the bar but it was a close run thing.

Modena and Points South

2010-05-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

I got a little behind what with all the excitement of the Mini Mille Miglia. Now that things are a bit quieter, I'll try to catch you up over the course of the next couple of days...

The Hotel Garden Vigano... here we stayed in Reggio-Emilia

We put the top down on the MG on Thursday morning (finally) for our trip to Modena and the Ferrari Gallery. The Gallery is situated near the factory (where mere mortals are forbidden). The gallery is sort of a theme park for Ferrari… without the rides… `though I have a number of ideas about that… Alan and I were given discounts for our entry fee because the museum was in the middle of a display change (with so many visiting for the MM `Storica, and a high school class it possibly wasn’t the best moment in timing). Despite the fellows in Ferrari red schlepping new display boards in and old display boards out there was quite a bit to see. Race cars occupied space on the first floor, Occupying "pride of place" at the front of the collection was a 1947 Ferrari 125 MM. A number of other GP cars progressing forward in time were scattered about. In another room was a 512 coupe in red Sandemann livery and a 312 CAN AM sports racer. The “Boss’s” office was on display at the back of the first floor. It’s a small office tastefully finished in a blond colored wood. It’s really ironic Enzo Ferrari wielded so much power over so many lives from such a modest office. You’d almost expect something like a grand court from the Renaissance for his seat of power.

Alan tries not to drool
The latest toys from the Ferrari Candy Kitchen were on the second floor. The hardware was accompanied by color samples (including a duplicate of a specially designed container with a bit of Ferrari Red which went into space and is currently on the moon somewhere), videos (in Italian), old photos and Ferrari inspired art work (when your name becomes an adjective art naturally seems to follow). Of course there was a museum shop… of course they gleefully separated me from some of my loot… after all this is Ferrari.

Alan and I met Maurizio Ferrari again for lunch nearby the Slotit office before heading south for Perugia. The conversation ranged from Italian politics, volcanoes and the slot racing business to American politics and health care and family.

The sky looked like it would rain so it was top up again for the trip south. Running late (anyone who's been to Italy knows horking down lunch an running, just isn't done) we went for expedient, taking the A1 to the cutoff for Perugia. Arriving at rush hour we fought our way through traffic arriving at the Girasole, our B&B, a beautifully restored home in Papiano. Avra, Roberto and their seriously cute children welcomed us and got us settled. Once the dust was washed of we drove over to a local restaurant for dinner. Alan had a braised beef dish I had pizza, with Proscuitto, mushrooms, rocket, and parmesan. While we were enjoying dinner, Paul his wife Jen, and their son Harry arrived. They're from Liverpool, here for the MMM. After dinner we drove to Graham Lane's beautiful house in Castello Delle Forme where we met even more of the slot community and joining them for some local alcohol... an indication of things to come...

Castello Delle Forme

For the Visually Oriented...

2010-05-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pix from the trip down...

A small town on the way to the San Bernardino pass

Lake Lugano in Switzerland

Italy at last!

My first drive in Italy

It's not snowing today thank god!

2010-05-05T22:52:00.000-07:00

I used to be able to say that in Irish Gaelic... somehow I've forgotten. Yesterday (Wednesday) was a very long wet day on the road. Alan and I loaded the MG with our kit and set off for Italy at about 5:30 AM. `Still a bit jet lagged and dealing with about 3 hours of sleep and a several more of fitful dozing.

Most of the trip was done in varying degrees of drizzle, rain... and more rain. What could be seen of the Alps were spectacular! Alan took me on a brief run off the main highway on a lower section on the San Bernadino pass to get a dose of the REAL ALPINE pass driving... Okay Oregon, your roads are beautiful (one of the many reasons I moved). But baby, come back and see me when you've grown up (heh).
We stopped in Lugano for Capucino and I met "Edo" from the Slot Forum before contiuning on to Brescia and the Mille Miglia Museum.

Holy ground. We had reservations at "La Taverna" where "Il Commendatore" (Enzo Ferrari for you non-motorheads)used to "hold court". The gnocchi in creamy tomato was very nice... an excellent "Primi" with my Sangiovesi. "Secondi" was a pan seared veal in olive oil with a hint of oregano. Things at the museum were all a-bustle with preparations for the Mille Miglia Storica which starts on Thursday. The museum was great! lots of reference pix and a few chotchkies later we started for the Alfa Romeo Museum and then realized we'd have to fight our way back through Milan Traffic... It was just too late in the day to start. We opted for a nice country drive to Mantua, birthplace of "Il Maestro", Tazio Nuvolari, "The Flying Mantuan" (a very famous pre WWII racing driver). We knew the museum would not be open until the fall but we had the time. We were to have dinner with Maurizio Ferrari and family in Reggio-Emilia that evening. Maurizio needs no introduction to the slot racing community. For the rest of you... He is Slotit. Maurizio produces the best engineered ready to run slot cars and slot car parts available today. We met him at his office and "got the tour". He showed us some very exciting new things they're working as well as test mock up of the upcoming Ford GT 40... very cool. We followed him to the B&B he had arranged for us in a city park then we went to his home and met his family for dinner. Maurizio's wife, Olivia had prepared a marvelous dinner for us. Primi was two wonderful home made Tortelone. One was spinach and cheese the other was pumpkin and mushroom. I'm blanking about the "Secondi" course at the moment but, I'll fill that in when it comes to me. Desert was a wonderful cake with a sugar egg white glaze and fresh strawberries. Conversation ran the gamut from slot cars and family to motor sports. Maurizio and Olivia are wonderful hosts. They made us feel more like family than visiting friends.

Wow... Just... Wow!

2010-05-04T05:14:00.000-07:00

Alan picked me up in his Porsche at 8 this morning for a run to Einnerthal, a small lake East of Zurich nestled in a tiny valley for "second breakfast". The weather continues to be "challenging" but not enough to force us indoors. Hokey Smokes!!! There are just no superlatives that will do the ride justice. So I'll just fill what space I can with pix.

Unfortunately, it appears the mountain pass we were going to take is still closed. For our trip into Italy, we'll still use the San Bernadino Pass... but taking the tunnel instead of driving to the crest. Up at "Oh-dark-thirty" tomorrow!

Local Egg

2010-05-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Today Alan and I drove out and climbed the lookout tower near Egg. It was still cloudy and foggy with sprinkles but not enough to deter having a good recce of some of the environs around town which is very beautiful. From there we went to pick up the MGA we'll be driving to Italy on Wednesday. After doing a little photo file sharing, road trip "housekeeping" and having dinner with Toby and Ami, Alan's kids, it was off for a hot night of slot car racing with the local club.

Their rented facility sports two excellent tracks. An 150' foot fairly open routed and braided road course and a very challenging copper taped ~80' Scalextric (Mugello) Sport Track (both 4 lanes). The cars for the evening were rally sports cars. I won't "guild the lily" `cos I sucked... big time. Maybe I could fob it off by saying it was jet lag, the unfamiliar track, controller and car but I still sucked... On the bright side, I did mostly manage to stay out the "serious competitors" way and nothing was damaged, except my pride which I hardly use anyway.

Like Clockwork…

2010-05-03T01:42:00.000-07:00

I’m sitting here in Gasthoff St. Antonius, in Egg Switzerland… it’s 5 ayem… and I’m momentarily awake. My flight yesterday… no… That was when I landed. My flight from Portland on the 1st went without a hitch. 11 hours in the air later I’m schlepping my gear through Amsterdam’s air terminal security. Sadly the Marion berry jam I bought at the terminal in Portland to give as a “prezzie” to my host here, did not survive the run through the scanner. I was briefly held up in Amsterdam owing to a computer crash with the airport system there. The one hour flight to Zurich seemed to take forever. I’m not very good at sleeping while flying. So I was more than a bit hammered when I met, Alan Wakefield AKA, Swissracer my friend from the Slot Forum in Zurich.

I’ve encountered this time and again but I’m always amazed when you meet someone in person that you’ve only talked to on line for the first time how it’s like picking up a conversation with an old friend you just spoke to yesterday. Alan and his wife Sally and their kids made me feel right at home. We stopped at an antique tractor show in Egg and then had barbecue at Alan’s place before I had to hit the hay…

The weather in Zurich was and still is rainy cloudy just like it was when I left the states. On the other hand, it’s beautiful here. What I can see of the mountains is striking. There’s recent snow there… sort of unusual, Alan tells me for this time of year. It’s a huge contrast to go from Oregon where a really old house is 150 to perhaps 200 years old to here where a 200 year old house is considered “that new place they just put up.”

It's Here!

2010-04-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'll be on my way... tomorrow. The time has just flown by. This is my first trip out of the country since I was stationed in the Philippines back in the late 60s... not counting the few times Sjanna and I vacationed in Canada. As a globe traveler I'm a total noob.

I finally had my appointment with the ENT specialist last Friday. He confirmed that I had ruptured both eardrums, but they're healing well. He said my symptoms will resolve over time. At the moment my hearing is still a bit strange but getting better and my Eustachian tubes are finally open. Thankfully, it won't be painful to fly.

I've been packing for the past 2 weeks. "What to wear" is something I've never really considered. I usually wear what's comfortable, so planning for mid spring in Switzerland and Italy has been... well... I'm layering. In the middle of the clothes and stuff, I've packed a few slot cars, my entries for the MMM. I'll also be taking my Nikon and laptop so I can keep you all updated.

Stay tuned!

The Gods Conspire?

2010-04-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

I was just getting over a moderate head cold I caught two weeks ago when I was hit with after effects... Both ears closed up and I got an infection. I've been dealing with this, the OHSU health system, trying to finalize plans for the trip and study my phrase book, with not much effect. After a blast of two different antibiotics, "real" sudafed (not that pseudo-sudafed you get OTC) spray steroids and NSAIDs I can truthfully state that... yup my ears are still blocked up, though not as bad as they were last week. I'm still waiting for a call back from the otologist (ear guy) on an "urgent" consult my primary doc made last Weds. AM (I guess what I consider "urgent" and what he considers "urgent" is somewhat... divergent". Maybe with almost 2 years in the northwest could I be developing some allergies to the spring stuff here?

Another feature of not hearing well and having your head is stuffy, your brain doesn't like to work either. Needless to say I haven't made much progress on the phrasebook.

I have had a couple meetings with my travel agent and things are coming together for the trip, with where to stay two nights in Milan the only minor hang-up.

You can bet I'm keeping an eagle eye on the volcano in Iceland that's making an ash of itself...

Hey Thor! Could you please cut me a break?

I know... I know... what sort of cheese do I want with this whine... (sigh).

Stay tuned!

Laying the Groundwork...

2010-04-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

My first trip to Italy is less than a month away... Exciting yes! Scary... A bit. I suppose at 62 I should just suck it up and get on with it.

For those of you who don't know the story, I entered a proxy slot car race last year, the Mini Mille Miglia. It was held in August by a British Ex-pat, Graham Lane. Graham lives in Umbria. He planned the event to raise funds for the Alzheimer's Research Trust in the UK to honor his late mother who died from the disease. One of my favorite authors, Terry Pratchett, is also a victim of Alzheimer's, so It was sympatico that I enter the event to show support and contribute a bit to this worthy cause. I built one car especially for the race and sent another with it. After the race Graham announced that the MMM for 2010 would coincide with the Mille Miglia Historica, a modern day vintage road rally, commemorating one of the greatest road races of all times.

I've always wanted to see the MM Historica (that many significant old cars in one place just staggers the imagination). Having an opportunity to do this, get a little slot racing in and visiting the land of my ancestors was something too good to pass up. I checked with my personal excehquer and discovered I could afford to make the trip. I mentioned on the Slot Car Forum that I was planning to come over. Alan Wakefield Jones, another Brit, living in Zurich said, "why don't you fly to Switzerland and we can drive down to Italy together?" Better and better! I contacted a Travel agent, got Rick Steve's "Italy 2010" and bought "Italian for Dummies" and a Phrase book and got the ball rolling.

Right now the plan is I fly to Zurich, drive down to Umbria with Alan, making stops along the way at the Mille Miglia museum in Brescia and possibly at the Nuvolari Museum in Mantua. The MMM is on the following weekend with a trip to Assisi to watch the cars from the MM Historica drive through. After the MMM I have a week to drive around Umbria and Tuscany before going to the Cinque Terra for a couple of days. I'll take the train to Milano to see some sites and the Alfa Romeo Museum, then take the train again to Venice for a few days of site seeing before flying home.

Exciting... YES! Stay Tuned!