Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622604928635/
8:10am: sitting on Eurostar City from La Spezia to Pisa. Slept horribly again last night, wish I knew why - maybe the not-too-comfy bed in our room. Anyway, took the 7:16am train from Vernazza and then had no problem booking this Eurostar with my credit card, go figure.
9:30pm: Holy shit what a day. Got to Pisa with no problems, checked our bag, got bus tickets to go to the tower, and set on our way. Finally found the right bus and made it out to the tower, which was teeming with a bazillion and one obnoxious Japanese tourists. They rival Germans in their obnoxiousness.
Anyway, we tried to go to the Baptistery and the guy said it was closed, so we got a ticket to the cemetery instead. It was... Interesting…and creepy. Lots of skulls and crossbones. So the tower is, well, the tower. Not sure quite what the mass hysteria is around but I figure, now I've seen it and I can move on with my life. We reversed Rick Steves's walking tour back to the station and got a tasty gelato on the way. Got our bags from the left luggage desk and got a taxi from the station to the airport car rental desk.
A bit before noon, got the car with no problems. I laughed because it took me going to Italy to drive an American car. It's a Ford Fiesta. Thank goodness, the GPS worked and after trying for a few minutes to, well, start the car, I figured it out, and we were on our way to Lucca. A bit less than a half hour later and a leisurely drive on a 4-lane highway, we arrived. The GPS led us to a street I had seen was potentially good for parking. Well, I misunderstood my own notes and thought we were to go into a garage. Well, we pulled down the ramp and the garage door was closed and since we had gone downhill, putting the car in reverse was pointless and it was way too narrow to attempt to turn around. Needless to say, I started completely freaking out. So we called Hertz around 1:15 and they said they'd send a tow truck. I asked a few people around town and they spoke no English and couldn't really help. The funny thing is that this "ramp" was literally steps away from a Hertz office, which of course closed at 1pm. Anyway, then I saw a sign that said this was the parking for a hotel in town. So after running around and begging people for help I found out where the hotel was and asked if there was any way we could purchase a parking pass so that we could open the door and drive through and out. He was very friendly and helpful but said that the garage was actually closed for repairs. OY VEY. So needless to say I'm freaking out and finally about an hour later (so around 2:15), the guy shows up and backs the car out for us. I could've given him a hug and kiss right there. So, finally able to calm down at my own stupidity, we drove around and saw some parking spots around 2:30. Parked and got a slip for all of 20 cents for 2 hours and went in to see the town a little bit.
A medieval town surrounded totally by walls/ramparts, it's a pretty cool place and tents were set up all over town for some reason. So we just wandered around a bit, went into a few of the churches, got a quick sandwich and Lemon Soda, and set off for the farmhouse around 4:15. All was well with this lovely drive at a stunning time of day under a beautiful blue sky, mostly through country roads of vineyards and olive groves, until we were getting near the farmhouse. The GPS said we were there, but we were at a farmhouse of another name. Renee's phone wouldn't let her make outgoing calls at all so, in the fading daylight, we booted my computer up in the car and I called his cell phone and he said it was near there but not the right place. Then we got disconnected but I had gotten enough info to attempt it again. So we started heading in another direction - ignoring the GPS - and finally stumbled upon the place.
It's up a high and winding road that's really no fun at all to drive around, especially not at night, but the place itself is truly adorable and just like pictures. We called him to let us know we were here and he asked if we'd found the keys he left. We said no but that we would and he said he'd be here in 5 minutes. So we found them, with a nice note, and we let ourselves in to our wonderful little apartment. He came and showed us a few things, took our passport information and was on his way. He told us about a restaurant down the road only a couple miles that was thankfully open. We brought our luggage up and set off for dinner at Antico Desco.
It was a tad further than we thought it'd be, but at least we ultimately got there. Right after us, a family showed up and otherwise, it was just our two parties the whole time. It was a nice (not so little) place, the server was lovely, and the food was delicious. I had spaghetti. I definitely think we'll go back at least once, if only because it's so convenient, and also reasonably priced. Driving around up here is not fun, the roads are narrow and the locals get mad for going slow, but I don't care. :)
So, day one of driving in Tuscany is over and I must say it wasn't a great one. But we learned some lessons. I am still a bit nervous driving this car because even though it's automatic it still works a bit differently. I'm not used to always having to use the emergency break and I'm not used to having to turn the lights on and off manually. Going down hills it kind of "grabs" the road and makes a weird sound without me even stepping on the brake, but we're assuming (hoping?) it's supposed to do that.
Tomorrow will be interesting as we're going to Siena and it's Sunday. Supermarkets (even the super big ones) are closed, so we'll probably have to eat granola bars I brought from home for breakfast. Ah well, better than nothing! :)
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Cinque Terre October 23 - Blog and Pictures
I went a bit overboard at sunset: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622726192848/ videos too!
5:00pm: sitting in the room with the windows open, listening to the sea slap against the breakwater and the people below enjoying a cloudy and drizzly but otherwise nice late afternoon while I snack on some olives.
Started the day at Il Pirata again, this morning with a croissant bisected and stuffed with nutella. Went to catch a train around 9:30 to Riomaggiore but it was delayed 25 min. So it finally came at 10 and we started there. Riomaggiore is quaint with some lovely views. There was one shop in particular where a lady made dolls out of mohair and stuff. They were adorable. I almost bought a mouse but it was small and 20 euros. Around 11:30 we went to a snack place and got some focaccia pizza. Mine was covered with a couple slices of salame. They heated it for us and we got cans of Lemon Soda and ate it outside on a bench. Around noon, we did the via dell'Amore to Manarola. It was an easy level stroll but I was not particularly thrilled with walking 20 min on the side of a cliff :) the views were quite amazing though. In Manarola, we stumbled upon a wonderful ceramic shop I'd read about and I bought a couple small things. Then we did the Rick Steves walking tour, stopping at a gelateria where I had the best dark chocolate ice cream/gelato I've ever had. From this point forward, all chocolate ice creams will unfortunately be compared against this one :( I also bought my obligatory cheesy magnets.
We made it to the top of the town to a church and some amazing views, then we did this great 20-30min or so vineyard walk which was high but not too scary. It ended in the town's cemetery which is pretty unique and interesting (I guess they all look like this). There are pictures of the person outside the tomb, which I find to be a little creepy. We made it back to town and went to the train station where we had to wait almost an hour for the train back to Vernazza. What I'll really remember about this walk is the smell - of rosemary, lemons, and grapes (even though they'd already been picked). Really amazing.
Once back, I picked up something and we went to the "Internet Point" but the internet was down. Awesome. So we went to the Blue Marlin Bar where they also have a couple computers and we checked the train schedules for going to Pisa tomorrow. The guy/owner was hilarious. I didn't even notice but I was kind of half sitting on the stool and half standing and he was like "why don't you sit with your whole ass on the chair? Do you prefer the left half of your ass to the right? I like my whole ass." We were dying of laughter. So we confirmed the train schedule and got our tickets to La Spezia tomorrow. Then came back to the room to pay the owner since we'll be leaving early tomorrow. We buzzed from downstairs and he (the dad) casually just shows up and we pay and just will leave the key in their box tomorrow. So casual.
10:05pm: So around 5:30 we went down to the water to see if there'd be a visible sunset. Though it was drizzling a bit on land, there were clear skies in the distance, so we figured in a little while the sky would be quite beautiful. We wandered around a little bit. I got some money from the ATM which is just next to the Blue Marlin Bar and the hilarious guy saw me and came up and started joking. What a character. Anyway, we went back down to the breakwater and along with everyone else took tons of pictures and enjoyed the sunset. It was gorgeous and around 6:30 or so the sun was finally set. We moseyed up to the Il Pirata restaurant once again and it was almost full just before 7. They're one of the few places - maybe in all of Italy - that serves dinner starting at 6pm. Maybe it's an off-season winter thing but I doubt it. Anyway, our buddy from the morning has a brother (twin maybe?) and it was quite funny. The brother we'd seen in the morning was telling stories about what job he does when they close from December to March and which people from which cities request bacon and eggs the most (the two I remember were DC and Chicago). Anyway, I had risotto and it was pretty good. We tried to order tiramisu for dessert but he made a face at us and went into a long diatribe about how bad it is and they only make it because people requested it and how we had to have the panna cotta with strawberries. He didn't really give us a choice actually. It came out wearing a pink cocktail umbrella. It was pretty tasty but not what something chocolate would've been. Then we asked for 2 pastries to take tomorrow on the train. He was trying to convince us to come back early tomorrow morning because they'd be fresh, which is great but we explained it'd be early and we wanted to just get on the train and it'd be easier. So we got 2 nutella twists and he just gave them to us for free. He also went into a whole diatribe about how Mike's Pastry - so he's heard - has nothing on their cannoli. I'm sure that's probably true ;)
Then we came back here and looked at some of the pictures I took and watched some downloaded TV shows. Ah, stuff in English!!!!!!
Gotta go to bed early - or at least try to - tomorrow I finally see the leaning tower - and also have my first experience driving in italy - yikes! I am especially nervous since I turned on the GPS here today and couldn't get a satellite signal. Hope it's OK in Tuscany tomorrow…or else we'll be in trouble and I'll be pissed since this is the only reason I got it!!
5:00pm: sitting in the room with the windows open, listening to the sea slap against the breakwater and the people below enjoying a cloudy and drizzly but otherwise nice late afternoon while I snack on some olives.
Started the day at Il Pirata again, this morning with a croissant bisected and stuffed with nutella. Went to catch a train around 9:30 to Riomaggiore but it was delayed 25 min. So it finally came at 10 and we started there. Riomaggiore is quaint with some lovely views. There was one shop in particular where a lady made dolls out of mohair and stuff. They were adorable. I almost bought a mouse but it was small and 20 euros. Around 11:30 we went to a snack place and got some focaccia pizza. Mine was covered with a couple slices of salame. They heated it for us and we got cans of Lemon Soda and ate it outside on a bench. Around noon, we did the via dell'Amore to Manarola. It was an easy level stroll but I was not particularly thrilled with walking 20 min on the side of a cliff :) the views were quite amazing though. In Manarola, we stumbled upon a wonderful ceramic shop I'd read about and I bought a couple small things. Then we did the Rick Steves walking tour, stopping at a gelateria where I had the best dark chocolate ice cream/gelato I've ever had. From this point forward, all chocolate ice creams will unfortunately be compared against this one :( I also bought my obligatory cheesy magnets.
We made it to the top of the town to a church and some amazing views, then we did this great 20-30min or so vineyard walk which was high but not too scary. It ended in the town's cemetery which is pretty unique and interesting (I guess they all look like this). There are pictures of the person outside the tomb, which I find to be a little creepy. We made it back to town and went to the train station where we had to wait almost an hour for the train back to Vernazza. What I'll really remember about this walk is the smell - of rosemary, lemons, and grapes (even though they'd already been picked). Really amazing.
Once back, I picked up something and we went to the "Internet Point" but the internet was down. Awesome. So we went to the Blue Marlin Bar where they also have a couple computers and we checked the train schedules for going to Pisa tomorrow. The guy/owner was hilarious. I didn't even notice but I was kind of half sitting on the stool and half standing and he was like "why don't you sit with your whole ass on the chair? Do you prefer the left half of your ass to the right? I like my whole ass." We were dying of laughter. So we confirmed the train schedule and got our tickets to La Spezia tomorrow. Then came back to the room to pay the owner since we'll be leaving early tomorrow. We buzzed from downstairs and he (the dad) casually just shows up and we pay and just will leave the key in their box tomorrow. So casual.
10:05pm: So around 5:30 we went down to the water to see if there'd be a visible sunset. Though it was drizzling a bit on land, there were clear skies in the distance, so we figured in a little while the sky would be quite beautiful. We wandered around a little bit. I got some money from the ATM which is just next to the Blue Marlin Bar and the hilarious guy saw me and came up and started joking. What a character. Anyway, we went back down to the breakwater and along with everyone else took tons of pictures and enjoyed the sunset. It was gorgeous and around 6:30 or so the sun was finally set. We moseyed up to the Il Pirata restaurant once again and it was almost full just before 7. They're one of the few places - maybe in all of Italy - that serves dinner starting at 6pm. Maybe it's an off-season winter thing but I doubt it. Anyway, our buddy from the morning has a brother (twin maybe?) and it was quite funny. The brother we'd seen in the morning was telling stories about what job he does when they close from December to March and which people from which cities request bacon and eggs the most (the two I remember were DC and Chicago). Anyway, I had risotto and it was pretty good. We tried to order tiramisu for dessert but he made a face at us and went into a long diatribe about how bad it is and they only make it because people requested it and how we had to have the panna cotta with strawberries. He didn't really give us a choice actually. It came out wearing a pink cocktail umbrella. It was pretty tasty but not what something chocolate would've been. Then we asked for 2 pastries to take tomorrow on the train. He was trying to convince us to come back early tomorrow morning because they'd be fresh, which is great but we explained it'd be early and we wanted to just get on the train and it'd be easier. So we got 2 nutella twists and he just gave them to us for free. He also went into a whole diatribe about how Mike's Pastry - so he's heard - has nothing on their cannoli. I'm sure that's probably true ;)
Then we came back here and looked at some of the pictures I took and watched some downloaded TV shows. Ah, stuff in English!!!!!!
Gotta go to bed early - or at least try to - tomorrow I finally see the leaning tower - and also have my first experience driving in italy - yikes! I am especially nervous since I turned on the GPS here today and couldn't get a satellite signal. Hope it's OK in Tuscany tomorrow…or else we'll be in trouble and I'll be pissed since this is the only reason I got it!!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Cinque Terre October 22 - Blog and Pictures
including Monterosso, Corniglia, and Vernazza: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622590291715/
9:25pm: Whew, long day! Renee finally made it in around 10:30pm last night and all was well. Still was raining on and off.
This morning not long after 8, it was raining but we set off to the Il Pirata place at the top of town - it's owned by Sicilians but they make pastry there OH DO THEY MAKE PASTRY. I had a "twist" of flaky pastry and nutella and a cappuccino. It was melt in your mouth. Renee had a croissant filled with lemon cream. The problem is that they offered us a "latte" which is simply milk in Italy. They also have freshly squeezed orange juice - which is fine, but not particularly Italian I don't think. The owner or whoever was there is quite a riot and a funny guy, but I just hate that this is like an English-first town.
Just before 9 we bought tickets to go to Monterosso - the biggest and furthest north of the 5 villages - but the next train wasn't for an hour and a half. So we just wandered around Vernazza in the rain and caught the train when it came. It was raining pretty hard in Monterosso, which is the biggest most resort-y of the towns. There was the weekly market which, after Bologna's emporiums of inexpensive fresh food, was a little disappointing. We went into several shops, most of which seemed overpriced, touristy, and all selling the same thing (but which were good respites for the rain). In fact, I didn't really like Monterosso at all. There were bigger tour groups, cars, etc.
Around noon, we went to a place off the beaten track called AltraMarea, or something. I tried the troffie with pesto, which I liked more than I thought I would. The troffie was homemade and fresh, but very al dente and the pesto wasn't as "basily" as I was expecting. All in all a good meal, til we were almost done and the place FILLED UP WITH A GERMAN TOUR GROUP. Holy shit they were obnoxious and everywhere. Then we were kind of over Monterosso and the weather was bad (it thundered loudly while we were eating lunch) and we caught a 1:30 or so train to Corniglia. It was raining when the train left Monterosso and nearly sunny by the time we arrived in Corniglia 10 minutes or so later!!!!!
We had to wait about 45 min to the bus up to town, because neither of us was excited about walking 365 steps (which the sign said would take 15 minutes!!?!?!?!?!). No problem, because we weren't in a rush, and the weather was improving by the minute. So we got up to the town, which is smaller than either Vernazza or Monterosso and has more alleys and winding streets. I think we both agreed that this is why we came here, for views and towns like this. With the blue sky and puffy clouds surrounding the cliffs of vineyards and olive groves below (and the tiny town of San Bernardino up high, eek), we took tons of pictures and just took it easy meandering through the town. We were going to have a gelato break, but it was closed. So we ended up having a focaccia break instead. There was quite a selection and the owner was quite a nice fellow. We ended up having focaccia with bits of black olive and diced fresh tomatoes. He heated it up and cut it in 2 and it was AWESOME. I also introduced Renee to "Lemon Soda" which I fell in love with 2 years ago and she agreed it's AWESOME. It has 12% lemon juice and actually more lemon than sugar, so that's probably why it's so good. Anyway, it was a satisfying snack indeed. So a little more wandering and photography and we came back to Vernazza shortly after 4pm. The weather was so much nicer that I wanted to take some pictures of the same things I did yesterday since the lighting/coloring was so much better against a bright blue sky. Did that, wandered in and out of the lovely little shops, and picked up a gelato, which was creamy and delicious as always. Saw my British friends again, who also had a gelato.
Went into this art store I had spotted yesterday and I bought a print of one of his paintings. The artist was the shop owner and he signed the print for me. It was only 15 euros but I tried to pay with a credit card and it was either denied or just didn't go through - twice. So I will try again tomorrow and call CapitalOne if I have another problem. Hopefully not :( But - and you all know how much I don't really like art - the print is quite lovely indeed.
Came up to the room and took a load off for a little while before setting out around 7 for dinner. We looked at a few places and went up to the Sicilian place but it was small and already full, so we came back down and ate at Gianni Franzi, which was a bit more expensive but very nice inside with all the stone arches and good atmosphere. I had "spaghetti scarpara" - a local dish a bit like arrabiata I guess, but with oregano? It was quite tasty, and spicy!
9:25pm: Whew, long day! Renee finally made it in around 10:30pm last night and all was well. Still was raining on and off.
This morning not long after 8, it was raining but we set off to the Il Pirata place at the top of town - it's owned by Sicilians but they make pastry there OH DO THEY MAKE PASTRY. I had a "twist" of flaky pastry and nutella and a cappuccino. It was melt in your mouth. Renee had a croissant filled with lemon cream. The problem is that they offered us a "latte" which is simply milk in Italy. They also have freshly squeezed orange juice - which is fine, but not particularly Italian I don't think. The owner or whoever was there is quite a riot and a funny guy, but I just hate that this is like an English-first town.
Just before 9 we bought tickets to go to Monterosso - the biggest and furthest north of the 5 villages - but the next train wasn't for an hour and a half. So we just wandered around Vernazza in the rain and caught the train when it came. It was raining pretty hard in Monterosso, which is the biggest most resort-y of the towns. There was the weekly market which, after Bologna's emporiums of inexpensive fresh food, was a little disappointing. We went into several shops, most of which seemed overpriced, touristy, and all selling the same thing (but which were good respites for the rain). In fact, I didn't really like Monterosso at all. There were bigger tour groups, cars, etc.
Around noon, we went to a place off the beaten track called AltraMarea, or something. I tried the troffie with pesto, which I liked more than I thought I would. The troffie was homemade and fresh, but very al dente and the pesto wasn't as "basily" as I was expecting. All in all a good meal, til we were almost done and the place FILLED UP WITH A GERMAN TOUR GROUP. Holy shit they were obnoxious and everywhere. Then we were kind of over Monterosso and the weather was bad (it thundered loudly while we were eating lunch) and we caught a 1:30 or so train to Corniglia. It was raining when the train left Monterosso and nearly sunny by the time we arrived in Corniglia 10 minutes or so later!!!!!
We had to wait about 45 min to the bus up to town, because neither of us was excited about walking 365 steps (which the sign said would take 15 minutes!!?!?!?!?!). No problem, because we weren't in a rush, and the weather was improving by the minute. So we got up to the town, which is smaller than either Vernazza or Monterosso and has more alleys and winding streets. I think we both agreed that this is why we came here, for views and towns like this. With the blue sky and puffy clouds surrounding the cliffs of vineyards and olive groves below (and the tiny town of San Bernardino up high, eek), we took tons of pictures and just took it easy meandering through the town. We were going to have a gelato break, but it was closed. So we ended up having a focaccia break instead. There was quite a selection and the owner was quite a nice fellow. We ended up having focaccia with bits of black olive and diced fresh tomatoes. He heated it up and cut it in 2 and it was AWESOME. I also introduced Renee to "Lemon Soda" which I fell in love with 2 years ago and she agreed it's AWESOME. It has 12% lemon juice and actually more lemon than sugar, so that's probably why it's so good. Anyway, it was a satisfying snack indeed. So a little more wandering and photography and we came back to Vernazza shortly after 4pm. The weather was so much nicer that I wanted to take some pictures of the same things I did yesterday since the lighting/coloring was so much better against a bright blue sky. Did that, wandered in and out of the lovely little shops, and picked up a gelato, which was creamy and delicious as always. Saw my British friends again, who also had a gelato.
Went into this art store I had spotted yesterday and I bought a print of one of his paintings. The artist was the shop owner and he signed the print for me. It was only 15 euros but I tried to pay with a credit card and it was either denied or just didn't go through - twice. So I will try again tomorrow and call CapitalOne if I have another problem. Hopefully not :( But - and you all know how much I don't really like art - the print is quite lovely indeed.
Came up to the room and took a load off for a little while before setting out around 7 for dinner. We looked at a few places and went up to the Sicilian place but it was small and already full, so we came back down and ate at Gianni Franzi, which was a bit more expensive but very nice inside with all the stone arches and good atmosphere. I had "spaghetti scarpara" - a local dish a bit like arrabiata I guess, but with oregano? It was quite tasty, and spicy!
October 21 Pictures Part 2
2nd part of October 21 pictures are up - from when I arrived in Vernazza. Some of them look repetitive because there are panoramas at the end of the set. Enjoy! I'm going to post the rest of the blogs and pictures when I get home!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622711540498/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622711540498/
October 21 Blogs and Part 1 Pictures
Cheese tour pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622585466171/
And blog:
1:50pm: Train to Cinque Terre (through La Spezia) just pulled away from Parma station. Pretty empty so I have a whole little cubby of 3 seats to myself :)
So, what a morning!!!! Didn't sleep too well for some reason but woke up to the alarm at 6:30 and finished packing. Went down to Lino's Coffee (one of Italy's few chains) for a cappuccino and fresh chocolate cream-filled (and I do mean filled) croissant (for all of 2.40 euros. Eat that starbucks.)
Walked to the taxi stand about 10 min into town and was a bit earlier than I needed to be so I wandered around a bit before hopping on a taxi a little after 7:30. This was so much easier (and cheaper) than calling one. About 10 min and 12 euros later I was at the cheese dairy, called C.P.L., seemingly in the middle of nowhere yet so close to town. I must be honest, this was one of the things I was looking to most about my whole trip. I was there a bit early and soon after a group of 4 Swedes showed up, then an older American couple with their son and his Italian wife, and finally a few other people showed up. Then we were waiting for a big group of students from BC of all places. How funny. Anyway around 8:30 we went in and saw the milks (they use part skim from the day before, mixed with raw whole milk less than 2 hours old from that morning) mixing together with the rennet. It was basically a 3-man operation, and this is one of the bigger of the 400 dairies (it's a consortium of 12 milk farmers). This is simply fascinating. I took many videos and pictures to try to remember it all. We then went into the room where the cheese sits for just a couple days. In my pictures you'll see many cauldrons of milk - each one of those produces TWO WHEELS of parmigiano. That means this dairy makes about 24 wheels a day. Unbelievable. So after they sit for a few days, they sit in salt for about a month. Then they go to the warehouse where they must sit at least 8 months before they can be tested because, she explained, that's how long it takes the salt to permeate all throughout the wheel. And as this process continues, they keep losing moisture and weight (and calories and fat!). After about 1 year the cheese can be stamped with the official parmigiano-reggiano seal and can be sold with that name. In the warehouse, a machine (and sometimes by hand) brushes and flips each wheel. We got to see this unique "robot" in action. The cheese is whacked by a hammer and only is approved with the seal if it passes the test. Otherwise it gets processed or sold within Italy and stuff. This warehouse holds about 17,000 wheels of cheese when full. Then they have to send it out to the wholesalers where it sometimes finishes aging.
She explained the aging process, how it is best for the cheese to age through two summers until it develops the white spots throughout it. She said that's not salt deposits, but amino acids, which gives the cheese the complexity, smoothness, and easy digestion. Very interesting stuff.
Then we went back in the main cheese-making room where the curds and whey had sufficiently sat in the rennet and cooled and whatnot, so the three guys collected the curds in each cauldron with a huge cheese cloth, cut it into 2 pieces, then let them hang there before putting it into the wood molds. Absolutely incredible ordeal this milk goes through to become parmigiano.
Anyway, then I bought a piece of cheese (of course) - it was only about 11 euros a kilo, which is about half of what the good stuff costs in the states - plus someone said he finds it just tastes better when you buy it from the dairy (plus it directly supports these hard-working people). We also got to sample some 30 month old cheese - amazing. And everyone on the tour got a little authentic parmigiano knife! So then I asked the tour guide how I could get a taxi back. The professor from the BC students' tour heard us talking and said if I needed to go back into town I could catch a ride on their bus! AWESOME! It would've been more expensive to call a taxi to get back, because in Italy they start charging you from the moment they leave from wherever you call them, so it saved me probably close to 20 euros!
Anyway, this has to be one of the coolest experiences of my life. Forever I will respect and admire how they make this cheese - these three guys doing all the work and carrying around these approximately 100 pounds of cheese. I don’t think I can ever by "parmesan" again. It's worth it to know the amount of work and love that went into this stuff. The tour guide said that this dairy's master cheesemaker has been doing it for around 40 years. That's dedication. I'm so glad we were able to take pictures so that I can always remember this special experience.
Anyway, I got back earlier than I expected so I wandered around a bit as I meandered from where their bus stopped back to my B&B. I went back to Lino's coffee and got a hot chocolate, because it started to rain. Then I went to the pizzeria and got a margherita foccacia for all of 1.60 to tide me over til the train ride. Went to my "room" where the maid was cleaning. Got my luggage and left the money and keys on the table like Max told me to do. Hope that was sufficient as he didn't answer his door.
Bought a bus ticket and got on the 12:41 bus to the station. This ended up to be quite a pain because what seemed like an entire class of kids got on the next stop after me. Anyway, I confirmed the schedule and waited til the train came and now at 2pm here I am on the way to Cinque Terre. It wasn't really raining in Parma when I left but it is raining now on the train. Definitely out into the countryside here with beautiful scenery (would be even more beautiful under a clear blue sky but maybe not as mysterious-looking :))
2:23pm: after not being checked from Florence to Bologna, or Bologna to or from Ferrara or Bologna to Parma, or on any of the city buses I've ridden, I was FINALLY asked for my ticket. Amazing!
2:55pm: don't know where we are but it's raining pretty hard out :( Also, this is a Regional train, so it is not as fast or nearly as smooth as the high-speed trains. Blech. We're passing on ground level underneath some pretty freaking high bridges that I am really glad we're not driving over.
3:05pm: stop in Pontremoli, wherever that is. Think La Spezia's about 40 more min.
9:14pm: Whew, long afternoon. Made it to Vernazza fine. Found Piazza Marconi (hard to miss, it's the main square and there's one main street through town) and got Martina's brother, I believe. He showed me the room and everything's good to go. The room's nice, the view's wonderful, you can hear the breakwater crashing against the harbor. No tv, no phone, no internet, pretty bare bones, but very big. And up a LOT OF STEEP STAIRS. Anyway, got settled and went out and about to take some pictures and explore the little town. Had a gelato at a little place that said theirs was homemade. It was quite tasty, of course. There's a little coop supermarket and I bought a delicious-looking jar of olives from Livorno (a town near here). They look, quite frankly, awesome. I guess it's because these towns are remote (and touristy), but things are eeeeeeeexpensive here. The coop prices are a good 2 times that of what I saw in Bologna and Parma.
It's really quite gorgeous here, stunning and unique. But, the first thing I noticed was the prevalence of English. Having just come from Bologna and Parma which are not all that terribly touristy (and completely ignored by Rick Steves), it's a bit shocking to see some things in english ONLY. And almost everyone walking around is American (or secondarily, British). I can see why people come because it's so uniquely beautiful, but I can also see why a lot of people are disappointed by the "Rick Steves effect." I can only imagine what the locals think.
So it's much warmer here, but it has indeed been raining on and off. All of the hiking trails but the one "paved" one are closed, at least today. Not that that's a problem for me. The main street's lined with shops, enotecas and restaurants, pretty much. Besides some production of local agricultural products, like pasta, olive oil, wine, lemons, etc., I'm pretty sure the only industry is tourism :/
Chatted with a British guy and (I presume) his son, who've been in Vernazza several days already - said the weather only started to change this afternoon. Of course. Very nice people and we talked about the "Rick Steves effect" a bit.
Had dinner at a recommended pizzeria right next door to my hotel. I had olive pizza and it was delicious and definitely homemade - the pizza was not at all round, the crust not at all even, and just tasted homemade and cooked in a wood oven. And while olives and pizza are definitely two of my top five favorite foods, I really don't think I like them combined together that much. Anyway, it was still good. The place is really cute inside, all old and stoned with arches and whatnot. What bugs me though is that all these Americans come and that's great but, at least try to speak a few words. It's just so incredibly rude. Imagine if an Italian went into a restaurant in the US and just started speaking Italian without even asking first.
Anyway, wandered around a bit more, came back to the room, washed out a few things in the sink, and now just waiting for Renee's arrival. It should've been around now, but her train out of Pisa was delayed :(
10:05pm: I don't have much to do. Organizing and photoshopping the pics I took since I arrived in Vernazza. Day 1 with no internet or TV… 11ish more to go. Oy vey.
And blog:
1:50pm: Train to Cinque Terre (through La Spezia) just pulled away from Parma station. Pretty empty so I have a whole little cubby of 3 seats to myself :)
So, what a morning!!!! Didn't sleep too well for some reason but woke up to the alarm at 6:30 and finished packing. Went down to Lino's Coffee (one of Italy's few chains) for a cappuccino and fresh chocolate cream-filled (and I do mean filled) croissant (for all of 2.40 euros. Eat that starbucks.)
Walked to the taxi stand about 10 min into town and was a bit earlier than I needed to be so I wandered around a bit before hopping on a taxi a little after 7:30. This was so much easier (and cheaper) than calling one. About 10 min and 12 euros later I was at the cheese dairy, called C.P.L., seemingly in the middle of nowhere yet so close to town. I must be honest, this was one of the things I was looking to most about my whole trip. I was there a bit early and soon after a group of 4 Swedes showed up, then an older American couple with their son and his Italian wife, and finally a few other people showed up. Then we were waiting for a big group of students from BC of all places. How funny. Anyway around 8:30 we went in and saw the milks (they use part skim from the day before, mixed with raw whole milk less than 2 hours old from that morning) mixing together with the rennet. It was basically a 3-man operation, and this is one of the bigger of the 400 dairies (it's a consortium of 12 milk farmers). This is simply fascinating. I took many videos and pictures to try to remember it all. We then went into the room where the cheese sits for just a couple days. In my pictures you'll see many cauldrons of milk - each one of those produces TWO WHEELS of parmigiano. That means this dairy makes about 24 wheels a day. Unbelievable. So after they sit for a few days, they sit in salt for about a month. Then they go to the warehouse where they must sit at least 8 months before they can be tested because, she explained, that's how long it takes the salt to permeate all throughout the wheel. And as this process continues, they keep losing moisture and weight (and calories and fat!). After about 1 year the cheese can be stamped with the official parmigiano-reggiano seal and can be sold with that name. In the warehouse, a machine (and sometimes by hand) brushes and flips each wheel. We got to see this unique "robot" in action. The cheese is whacked by a hammer and only is approved with the seal if it passes the test. Otherwise it gets processed or sold within Italy and stuff. This warehouse holds about 17,000 wheels of cheese when full. Then they have to send it out to the wholesalers where it sometimes finishes aging.
She explained the aging process, how it is best for the cheese to age through two summers until it develops the white spots throughout it. She said that's not salt deposits, but amino acids, which gives the cheese the complexity, smoothness, and easy digestion. Very interesting stuff.
Then we went back in the main cheese-making room where the curds and whey had sufficiently sat in the rennet and cooled and whatnot, so the three guys collected the curds in each cauldron with a huge cheese cloth, cut it into 2 pieces, then let them hang there before putting it into the wood molds. Absolutely incredible ordeal this milk goes through to become parmigiano.
Anyway, then I bought a piece of cheese (of course) - it was only about 11 euros a kilo, which is about half of what the good stuff costs in the states - plus someone said he finds it just tastes better when you buy it from the dairy (plus it directly supports these hard-working people). We also got to sample some 30 month old cheese - amazing. And everyone on the tour got a little authentic parmigiano knife! So then I asked the tour guide how I could get a taxi back. The professor from the BC students' tour heard us talking and said if I needed to go back into town I could catch a ride on their bus! AWESOME! It would've been more expensive to call a taxi to get back, because in Italy they start charging you from the moment they leave from wherever you call them, so it saved me probably close to 20 euros!
Anyway, this has to be one of the coolest experiences of my life. Forever I will respect and admire how they make this cheese - these three guys doing all the work and carrying around these approximately 100 pounds of cheese. I don’t think I can ever by "parmesan" again. It's worth it to know the amount of work and love that went into this stuff. The tour guide said that this dairy's master cheesemaker has been doing it for around 40 years. That's dedication. I'm so glad we were able to take pictures so that I can always remember this special experience.
Anyway, I got back earlier than I expected so I wandered around a bit as I meandered from where their bus stopped back to my B&B. I went back to Lino's coffee and got a hot chocolate, because it started to rain. Then I went to the pizzeria and got a margherita foccacia for all of 1.60 to tide me over til the train ride. Went to my "room" where the maid was cleaning. Got my luggage and left the money and keys on the table like Max told me to do. Hope that was sufficient as he didn't answer his door.
Bought a bus ticket and got on the 12:41 bus to the station. This ended up to be quite a pain because what seemed like an entire class of kids got on the next stop after me. Anyway, I confirmed the schedule and waited til the train came and now at 2pm here I am on the way to Cinque Terre. It wasn't really raining in Parma when I left but it is raining now on the train. Definitely out into the countryside here with beautiful scenery (would be even more beautiful under a clear blue sky but maybe not as mysterious-looking :))
2:23pm: after not being checked from Florence to Bologna, or Bologna to or from Ferrara or Bologna to Parma, or on any of the city buses I've ridden, I was FINALLY asked for my ticket. Amazing!
2:55pm: don't know where we are but it's raining pretty hard out :( Also, this is a Regional train, so it is not as fast or nearly as smooth as the high-speed trains. Blech. We're passing on ground level underneath some pretty freaking high bridges that I am really glad we're not driving over.
3:05pm: stop in Pontremoli, wherever that is. Think La Spezia's about 40 more min.
9:14pm: Whew, long afternoon. Made it to Vernazza fine. Found Piazza Marconi (hard to miss, it's the main square and there's one main street through town) and got Martina's brother, I believe. He showed me the room and everything's good to go. The room's nice, the view's wonderful, you can hear the breakwater crashing against the harbor. No tv, no phone, no internet, pretty bare bones, but very big. And up a LOT OF STEEP STAIRS. Anyway, got settled and went out and about to take some pictures and explore the little town. Had a gelato at a little place that said theirs was homemade. It was quite tasty, of course. There's a little coop supermarket and I bought a delicious-looking jar of olives from Livorno (a town near here). They look, quite frankly, awesome. I guess it's because these towns are remote (and touristy), but things are eeeeeeeexpensive here. The coop prices are a good 2 times that of what I saw in Bologna and Parma.
It's really quite gorgeous here, stunning and unique. But, the first thing I noticed was the prevalence of English. Having just come from Bologna and Parma which are not all that terribly touristy (and completely ignored by Rick Steves), it's a bit shocking to see some things in english ONLY. And almost everyone walking around is American (or secondarily, British). I can see why people come because it's so uniquely beautiful, but I can also see why a lot of people are disappointed by the "Rick Steves effect." I can only imagine what the locals think.
So it's much warmer here, but it has indeed been raining on and off. All of the hiking trails but the one "paved" one are closed, at least today. Not that that's a problem for me. The main street's lined with shops, enotecas and restaurants, pretty much. Besides some production of local agricultural products, like pasta, olive oil, wine, lemons, etc., I'm pretty sure the only industry is tourism :/
Chatted with a British guy and (I presume) his son, who've been in Vernazza several days already - said the weather only started to change this afternoon. Of course. Very nice people and we talked about the "Rick Steves effect" a bit.
Had dinner at a recommended pizzeria right next door to my hotel. I had olive pizza and it was delicious and definitely homemade - the pizza was not at all round, the crust not at all even, and just tasted homemade and cooked in a wood oven. And while olives and pizza are definitely two of my top five favorite foods, I really don't think I like them combined together that much. Anyway, it was still good. The place is really cute inside, all old and stoned with arches and whatnot. What bugs me though is that all these Americans come and that's great but, at least try to speak a few words. It's just so incredibly rude. Imagine if an Italian went into a restaurant in the US and just started speaking Italian without even asking first.
Anyway, wandered around a bit more, came back to the room, washed out a few things in the sink, and now just waiting for Renee's arrival. It should've been around now, but her train out of Pisa was delayed :(
10:05pm: I don't have much to do. Organizing and photoshopping the pics I took since I arrived in Vernazza. Day 1 with no internet or TV… 11ish more to go. Oy vey.
Parma October 20 Pictures and I'm Back!
Hello all! Back on the internet in Florence for one last day. Had a wonderful time in Cinque Terre and Tuscany and I will be getting everything I've written and photographed posted as soon as I can, I hope! To start, here are pictures of Parma from Oct. 20 - Beautiful city! http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622585379989/
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
October 18 and 19 Pictures all finally up
Oct 18 in Bologna: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622495984701/
Oct 19 in Ferrara and Bologna: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622627170574/
All further pics will have to wait til I'm back "on the grid" :(
Oct 19 in Ferrara and Bologna: http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622627170574/
All further pics will have to wait til I'm back "on the grid" :(
Italy 2009 Trip Day 7 - Tuesday October 20
3:15pm: sitting in my practically 2-bedroom apartment in Parma. Still 60 euros, but Max, the friendly owner, said the room was available to he gave me the upgrade. What a nice guy. Woke up a little before 7:30, finished packing, got breakfast, and checked out of the lovely Hotel Paradise. They called a cab for me and I made it onto the 8:30 slower train to Parma.
My luggage is getting progressively heavier and the slow Regional trains have much smaller space between them, so I had to put it above me on the rack. Luckily a couple friendly people helped me get it up and down! The girl who helped me get it down was about my age and I said sorry I didn't speak Italian but I just didn't want to hurt her. She spoke English and started asking me where I'm from and she got all wide-eyed when I said I live in LA. I assume she's never been there ;)
Arrived shortly after 9:30am and purchased my ticket for tomorrow so I'd have one less thing to worry about then. Had to wait a while for a taxi but then went quickly to the B&B. My room wasn't quite ready yet, but Max invited me into his apartment (he lives downstairs from the rooms he rents), gave me a map and booklet and showed me some things. We arranged to meet at 2 so I could get the keys to my room.
Did all the "tourist" stuff, including the impressive Teatro Farnese, the gorgeous Duomo and Baptistery, a few other churches, the main square (Piazza Garibaldi), and general wandering. Parma's very compact and easy to get around. It's very beautiful and classy. And I got my obligatory cheesy magnet! (in this case literally cheesy :))
Found Trattoria Correiri, which had been recommended a lot of places, and had lunch around noon. Got torta fritta - typical fried bread that I had wanted to try - and prosciutto. The bread was awesome. Even the ham was awesome. Then I got capellati (I think?) in brodo, which was similar to the tortellini in brodo but a different shape. This place was interesting, once you ordered they put a slip on your table, and the waiters kept looking at it. This one waiter looked at my slip and made a face. Still kind of wonder what he was thinking. Anyway, by the time my soup came I was pretty full so I ate about half of it and went. It was a fairly expensive lunch but I'm still full almost 3 hours later and if you don't eat well in one of the best food cities in all the world, where will you eat well?
After lunch I wandered around a bit and back to the B&B. I checked out the Billa supermarket right nearby just to see what it is like. Pretty impressive. Met Max at 2 and he showed me everything I need. My "room" is beautiful. I'm trying to upload pictures from yesterday and the rest of the day's before, but the internet connection here is weak and the large files of my pictures is killing it. I'm looking into getting the flickr uploadr, which would maybe be able to shrink the size of the pics and make for easier uploading.
5:50pm: wandered around the gorgeous park. Wandered through the historical center again when I felt a couple droplets of rain, so I came back to get my umbrella and jacket just in case it continues to get worse as the sun sets.
10:20pm: back from dinner. Decided to go back to Trattoria Correire, after walking around for a while and not seeing anything that really struck my fancy. I almost got the same thing I had for lunch (minus the soup!!!!!!) but the waitress spoke more English than the guy at lunch so I asked her what the "risotto parmigiana" was and she said, it was just cheese. So, I tried that. And some Lambrusco (I still don't like red wine:)). It was, well, rice (cooked al dente, interestingly) in a sauce of melted parmagiano. No other way to describe it! With three big thin slices laid on top of the rice, then they also brought a bowl of grated cheese to me. Really? Not enough in the dish already??? So I ordered a "crumbly almond cake" for dessert, having no idea what it was going to be. Basically, it was a big hunk of handmade "cookie" that had at least a hundred huge, whole almonds in it. It was delicious. Parma's reputation for great food is certainly deserved, even if I did only eat in one place :p however, right near my B&B there is a pizzeria/foccaceria and the smells coming out of this place are… wow. I think I will check it out tomorrow after the cheese tour when I'll need a quick lunch before getting on the train to Cinque Terre.
So I was able to get up the pictures from yesterday and the day before, so that completes Bologna. Parma's pretty so I took a lot of pictures here and I need to go to bed, so there's no way I'm going to get these pics up before I "drop off the grid" unfortunately. This will, I believe, be the last blog I can post until my very last night in Florence. :( Don't forget to come back and check then!
One final note about Parma: There are a lot of bike-riders here. And half of them have a cigarette hanging off their finger as they ride. Pointless much?
My luggage is getting progressively heavier and the slow Regional trains have much smaller space between them, so I had to put it above me on the rack. Luckily a couple friendly people helped me get it up and down! The girl who helped me get it down was about my age and I said sorry I didn't speak Italian but I just didn't want to hurt her. She spoke English and started asking me where I'm from and she got all wide-eyed when I said I live in LA. I assume she's never been there ;)
Arrived shortly after 9:30am and purchased my ticket for tomorrow so I'd have one less thing to worry about then. Had to wait a while for a taxi but then went quickly to the B&B. My room wasn't quite ready yet, but Max invited me into his apartment (he lives downstairs from the rooms he rents), gave me a map and booklet and showed me some things. We arranged to meet at 2 so I could get the keys to my room.
Did all the "tourist" stuff, including the impressive Teatro Farnese, the gorgeous Duomo and Baptistery, a few other churches, the main square (Piazza Garibaldi), and general wandering. Parma's very compact and easy to get around. It's very beautiful and classy. And I got my obligatory cheesy magnet! (in this case literally cheesy :))
Found Trattoria Correiri, which had been recommended a lot of places, and had lunch around noon. Got torta fritta - typical fried bread that I had wanted to try - and prosciutto. The bread was awesome. Even the ham was awesome. Then I got capellati (I think?) in brodo, which was similar to the tortellini in brodo but a different shape. This place was interesting, once you ordered they put a slip on your table, and the waiters kept looking at it. This one waiter looked at my slip and made a face. Still kind of wonder what he was thinking. Anyway, by the time my soup came I was pretty full so I ate about half of it and went. It was a fairly expensive lunch but I'm still full almost 3 hours later and if you don't eat well in one of the best food cities in all the world, where will you eat well?
After lunch I wandered around a bit and back to the B&B. I checked out the Billa supermarket right nearby just to see what it is like. Pretty impressive. Met Max at 2 and he showed me everything I need. My "room" is beautiful. I'm trying to upload pictures from yesterday and the rest of the day's before, but the internet connection here is weak and the large files of my pictures is killing it. I'm looking into getting the flickr uploadr, which would maybe be able to shrink the size of the pics and make for easier uploading.
5:50pm: wandered around the gorgeous park. Wandered through the historical center again when I felt a couple droplets of rain, so I came back to get my umbrella and jacket just in case it continues to get worse as the sun sets.
10:20pm: back from dinner. Decided to go back to Trattoria Correire, after walking around for a while and not seeing anything that really struck my fancy. I almost got the same thing I had for lunch (minus the soup!!!!!!) but the waitress spoke more English than the guy at lunch so I asked her what the "risotto parmigiana" was and she said, it was just cheese. So, I tried that. And some Lambrusco (I still don't like red wine:)). It was, well, rice (cooked al dente, interestingly) in a sauce of melted parmagiano. No other way to describe it! With three big thin slices laid on top of the rice, then they also brought a bowl of grated cheese to me. Really? Not enough in the dish already??? So I ordered a "crumbly almond cake" for dessert, having no idea what it was going to be. Basically, it was a big hunk of handmade "cookie" that had at least a hundred huge, whole almonds in it. It was delicious. Parma's reputation for great food is certainly deserved, even if I did only eat in one place :p however, right near my B&B there is a pizzeria/foccaceria and the smells coming out of this place are… wow. I think I will check it out tomorrow after the cheese tour when I'll need a quick lunch before getting on the train to Cinque Terre.
So I was able to get up the pictures from yesterday and the day before, so that completes Bologna. Parma's pretty so I took a lot of pictures here and I need to go to bed, so there's no way I'm going to get these pics up before I "drop off the grid" unfortunately. This will, I believe, be the last blog I can post until my very last night in Florence. :( Don't forget to come back and check then!
One final note about Parma: There are a lot of bike-riders here. And half of them have a cigarette hanging off their finger as they ride. Pointless much?
Monday, October 19, 2009
Sunday Oct. 18 Bologna Pics (first half up)
Bologna Oct 18 pics (first half): http://www.flickr.com/photos/debstah1/sets/72157622495984701/
Off to Parma tomorrow where it should be my last day with internet. I'll try to at least get all my Bologna and the day in Parma pics up :/
Off to Parma tomorrow where it should be my last day with internet. I'll try to at least get all my Bologna and the day in Parma pics up :/
Italy 2009 Trip Day 6 - Monday October 19
Woke up at 7:30 to my alarm on my ipod. Went down to breakfast and set out to find the Mercato delle Erbe. I knew it was on via Ugo Bassi but I didn't know where. I wandered up a ways and couldn't find it. I should've asked someone :) Instead I walked up to the train station and got on the 10am train to Ferrara, arriving at 10:30. Conveniently, I was able to find a poncho in the Ferrara station's market. As an aside, there was an American family in the seats across from me. The kid was probably about 10 or 11 and the things he was saying clearly suggested they've been in Italy for an extended time…doesn't he have school?
Followed signs to the Castle in the center of town and the walk from the train station was farther than I thought it was going to be. But I made it in about 15 min and the castle is quite an impressive building. Wandered around a bit more, found the tourist info office inside the castle, got a map and asked where the Jewish museum was and set out to find it. The tour was at 12 and it was about 11:30 so I wandered these old alleys a bit. I went into a 99c store! HAHA!! I bought an emery board, since I'd broken a couple nails.
At 12, went in to the museum. There were 2 other couples - both italian. And as an aside, I'd like to note that 3 of the 4 of them were wearing BLUE jeans and ALL FOUR of them were wearing SNEAKERS. So me, the only American, was wearing nice slacks and black shoes. That's all I have to say about that.
Anyway the tour was interesting enough. There was quite a strong/old jewish community in Ferrara dating back to medieval times. They had the keys from the ghetto gates from the 1600s and even a torah scroll from the 1700s. The remaining active synagogue (with 70 members) is quite small and beautiful and the museum contains quite a lot of old memorabilia type things.
I was so hungry after the tour around 1, but on Monday it seemed like 90% of the restaurants in Ferrara were closed. Really annoying. I kept wandering and wandering til about 2ish when I finally gave up and went to a 'touristy' place right on the main square. I just had a sandwich. I tried to go to the castle, and it was closed. Wish I knew about that earlier.
Tried to catch the 2:30 train back to bologna but I miscalculated the time and got a bit lost so I showed up about 2:50. there was a slower train leaving at 3, so I caught that instead of waiting til a 3:30 train.
I'd say Ferrara was a bit of a waste. The Jewish tour was interesting and their duomo is quite beautiful but I should have planned better and caught a much earlier train.
Back in Bologna about 4pm, I took a bus down to the main square, figured I'd just wander around a bit more. Lo and behold, on the bus, I saw a sign for MERCATO DELLE ERBE! So I got off at Piazza Maggiore and wandered there for a few minutes. Went into the famous Tamburini shop/deli and looked at the goods. It was really quiet in there though. Then went back to the Mercato delle Erbe, which would not reopen til 5. Found a coop supermarket right near it and bought a bottle of water and some of the local shape of pasta.
The Mercato delle Erbe is….amaaaaaaaaaazing. It's like the Boqueria in Barcelona, except 100% Italian. There are no bananas at this market. Why? Because bananas don't grow in Italy. I think you get the point. But the best thing about the market is that it's freaking cheap. Many stalls had several types of grapes for one euro a KILO. And they're the biggest grapes you've ever seen. It's also very very un-touristy, and one guy even glared at me for just having a camera around my neck. Whatever dude, I caused no harm. Bought some tomatoes and tangerines for a whopping 1.40 euros, and some Baranese (or something?) green olives. They're delicious!
Wandered around yet a bit more and bought a cheesy magnet to add to my collection - it's a TORTELLINI with the two towers in the middle, I love it haha. Came back to the hotel a little after 6pm and here I am typing at a little after 7. Started packing up so that I can try to do as many pictures after dinner as possible before I leave for Parma.
8:30pm: back from dinner. Managed to get into Trattoria del Biassanot, which is the one that turned me down on Saturday. They said I had to be done by 8:30, well for me that's no problem eating alone. Only a few minutes later they started turning people away. Most of the people in the place seemed to be tourists, but the food was awesome. I had the traditional pasatelli in brodo, which is glorified (but delicious) chicken noodle soup. Then I had pasta, which was also delicious. Interestingly, this place had a cover charge AND then added 10% for service. Whatever. It was still tasty.
Now I want to do as many pics as I can and finish packing up so I can get out pretty quickly tomorrow.
Bologna is different. I don't think it has an attracting heart and soul like Florence, but the food really is indeed the center of this city. I could shop at the Mercato delle Erbe every day of my life. There aren't that many sites and the architecture is not THAT interesting, but it's definitely a cool place that's bustling without the annoyances of Rome.
Followed signs to the Castle in the center of town and the walk from the train station was farther than I thought it was going to be. But I made it in about 15 min and the castle is quite an impressive building. Wandered around a bit more, found the tourist info office inside the castle, got a map and asked where the Jewish museum was and set out to find it. The tour was at 12 and it was about 11:30 so I wandered these old alleys a bit. I went into a 99c store! HAHA!! I bought an emery board, since I'd broken a couple nails.
At 12, went in to the museum. There were 2 other couples - both italian. And as an aside, I'd like to note that 3 of the 4 of them were wearing BLUE jeans and ALL FOUR of them were wearing SNEAKERS. So me, the only American, was wearing nice slacks and black shoes. That's all I have to say about that.
Anyway the tour was interesting enough. There was quite a strong/old jewish community in Ferrara dating back to medieval times. They had the keys from the ghetto gates from the 1600s and even a torah scroll from the 1700s. The remaining active synagogue (with 70 members) is quite small and beautiful and the museum contains quite a lot of old memorabilia type things.
I was so hungry after the tour around 1, but on Monday it seemed like 90% of the restaurants in Ferrara were closed. Really annoying. I kept wandering and wandering til about 2ish when I finally gave up and went to a 'touristy' place right on the main square. I just had a sandwich. I tried to go to the castle, and it was closed. Wish I knew about that earlier.
Tried to catch the 2:30 train back to bologna but I miscalculated the time and got a bit lost so I showed up about 2:50. there was a slower train leaving at 3, so I caught that instead of waiting til a 3:30 train.
I'd say Ferrara was a bit of a waste. The Jewish tour was interesting and their duomo is quite beautiful but I should have planned better and caught a much earlier train.
Back in Bologna about 4pm, I took a bus down to the main square, figured I'd just wander around a bit more. Lo and behold, on the bus, I saw a sign for MERCATO DELLE ERBE! So I got off at Piazza Maggiore and wandered there for a few minutes. Went into the famous Tamburini shop/deli and looked at the goods. It was really quiet in there though. Then went back to the Mercato delle Erbe, which would not reopen til 5. Found a coop supermarket right near it and bought a bottle of water and some of the local shape of pasta.
The Mercato delle Erbe is….amaaaaaaaaaazing. It's like the Boqueria in Barcelona, except 100% Italian. There are no bananas at this market. Why? Because bananas don't grow in Italy. I think you get the point. But the best thing about the market is that it's freaking cheap. Many stalls had several types of grapes for one euro a KILO. And they're the biggest grapes you've ever seen. It's also very very un-touristy, and one guy even glared at me for just having a camera around my neck. Whatever dude, I caused no harm. Bought some tomatoes and tangerines for a whopping 1.40 euros, and some Baranese (or something?) green olives. They're delicious!
Wandered around yet a bit more and bought a cheesy magnet to add to my collection - it's a TORTELLINI with the two towers in the middle, I love it haha. Came back to the hotel a little after 6pm and here I am typing at a little after 7. Started packing up so that I can try to do as many pictures after dinner as possible before I leave for Parma.
8:30pm: back from dinner. Managed to get into Trattoria del Biassanot, which is the one that turned me down on Saturday. They said I had to be done by 8:30, well for me that's no problem eating alone. Only a few minutes later they started turning people away. Most of the people in the place seemed to be tourists, but the food was awesome. I had the traditional pasatelli in brodo, which is glorified (but delicious) chicken noodle soup. Then I had pasta, which was also delicious. Interestingly, this place had a cover charge AND then added 10% for service. Whatever. It was still tasty.
Now I want to do as many pics as I can and finish packing up so I can get out pretty quickly tomorrow.
Bologna is different. I don't think it has an attracting heart and soul like Florence, but the food really is indeed the center of this city. I could shop at the Mercato delle Erbe every day of my life. There aren't that many sites and the architecture is not THAT interesting, but it's definitely a cool place that's bustling without the annoyances of Rome.
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