The Charm of Italy
By Betsy Husband
Was it seven weeks in Italy, or two years? It's hard to tell. We started planning
our trip almost two years before going. At first it was just casual conversation,
then actually talking about when and where. Before long I was enrolled in Italian
classes and actively searching the Internet for villas in Tuscany, for accommodations
in other areas we wanted to visit, and for the best airfare. We also spent time
talking to people about their experiences and soliciting suggestions from them.
All the while, I was experiencing Italy from afar, living my travels far before
getting there.
We were lucky enough to have a 10-day trip to Italy in February before our
big summer trip. My husband had the opportunity to attend a meeting in Rome
for five days, and we spent another five days just playing. Rome in February
is spectacular. The days were crisp and clear, and there were plenty of people
and activities. I spent five days exploring on my own during the day, and finding
special restaurants that I had read about with my husband at night. By the time
his meeting was over, I felt comfortable with the city and the transit systems,
and I was able to play tour guide for my husband. Even though the weather was
chilly, everyone bundled up with coats and scarves and spent a great deal of
time outside; walking, sitting at sidewalk cafes, and wandering through the
piazzas and along the Tiber River.
One day we figured we walked about 15 miles, beginning in the morning and not
returning to the hotel until 2 a.m. Rome is so full of history that it seemed
at every corner we would come across a historical point of interest. Most memorable
was rounding a corner and just happening onto Trevi Fountain. It took my breath
away. I was so excited!
After our spontaneous trip to Rome our planning intensified. We had a taste
of the fruit, and wanted more. By now my thoughts were concentrating on learning
Italian, and researching as much as possible about the places we wanted to see.
We both spent hours gathering information on the Internet, collecting catalogues
advertising villas in Tuscany, which we would use as a home-base while touring
and hiking the hill-towns. What became obvious after gathering many catalogues,
is that several companies offer the same villas for varying prices. The best
find was a small, local company, based out of Montepulciano, which is where
we had decided we wanted to be. The rental company, Terre Toscana, offered a
catalogue, which had several of the same properties that an upper-end rental
company also had, but at a fraction of the cost. We chose a location and started
negotiations with Terre Toscana. We found a small house within walking distance
of Montepulciano with two bedrooms and one bath, full kitchen, and patio for
outdoor dining and relaxing, all for the weekly price of about $400. With this
as our home base, we continued to plan our trip.
I
must say that I get so much enjoyment out of planning a trip that it's almost
as much fun as being there. Using the Internet, I found a beautiful room in
Bellagio, which had a balcony that wrapped around a corner, offering us a view
of Lake Como on one side, and the town on the other. The Hotel Florence, while
not one of the most luxurious hotels in Bellagio, offered a clean, romantic
respite with fresh air blowing through the French doors and what we considered
to be the best view in town. The town of Bellagio is one of the prettiest towns
I've ever seen, with cobblestone streets lined with flower boxes brimming with
bright flowers. The town is clean and the people are friendly. We found the
easiest way to make reservations throughout Italy was by fax (compared with
phones or e-mail), which allowed us to have confirmation usually within 12-24
hours.
Our next great adventure was in Venice, the most romantic city in the world.
I'll admit that there is some pollution in the water, but while we were there,
which was late June, the air was clean and it wasn't too crowded. During the
day it was fun taking the water taxis and wandering through museums, but during
the night we strolled along the canals, watching and listening to the gondoliers.
We sat in a restaurant on a canal, watching a small part of the world glide
by; people in their own world with their private thoughts and a distant look
in their eyes, taking it all in, just as I was. We happened upon Piazza San
Marcos, where musicians entertained scores of people listening to the familiar
violins playing classic Italian music. It seemed that even though we spent several
nights there, it wasn't nearly enough time.
From Venice we headed to Montepulciano, Tuscany, where our house and hosts
awaited us. The house was split in two, with our section on the backside, surrounded
by olive orchards and vineyards. The couple who lived there were the typical,
wonderful, Italian country folks. Amerina and Tranquilo had built the house
20 years ago and take great pride in their house and acreage. Every piece of
the property was perfectly manicured, every piece of furniture polished and
clean. They spoke no English, so we were lucky that our kids were with us for
a few days. My daughter speaks Italian, so she was able to help get us settled.
Once they left, we were on our own with my newly learned language, which came
in quite handy. From our hilltop home, we traveled every day throughout Tuscany,
with hiking books in hand, each day searching for a new area to discover. We
found thermal baths, Etruscan roads, Etruscan tombs, catacombs, labyrinths,
and even went to Florence for a couple of days, all the while paying close attention
to where the best restaurants were, according to books and word of mouth. We
toured small, private wineries, and found abbeys and fortresses that were hundreds
of years old. Each night we would return to our own private patio out in the
country, where we would sit outside in the warm, quiet night.
There's
so much more to this story, but I'm just going to tell you about two more places
… the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre. Once again, on the Internet, I found
a beautiful bed and breakfast through Karen Brown's web site in Positano, on
the Amalfi Coast. Positano is written up as the most romantic place on earth,
and I won't argue that point. The mountains rise straight up from the ocean,
with small, winding roads leading from one small town to another. Because it's
hard to get to, it's not nearly as crowded as it could be. The town is built
on the hill along the winding road, ending up like a layered cake, painted with
beautiful pastels and decorated with flowering window boxes. Along the waterfront
are restaurants and one or two exclusive resorts. The next level has shops catering
to tourists; and above that, shops for everyday needs and the bus stop. Our
bed and breakfast was many levels up…not for the out-of-shape travelers.
It had a huge patio, partly covered, partly not. It was there that we were served
our breakfast each morning at a time that we would determine the night before,
telling the host just before going to bed. Each night we would wander the streets,
ending up down by the waterfront, watching the biggest, fullest moon rise up
from the horizon, casting a beam of light that led directly to us. Now THAT'S
romantic!
And
finally, there is Cinque Terre. If it's possible, this may have been my favorite.
We stayed in Santa Margherita, which is about a one-hour train ride from Cinque
Terre. This part of the trip had not been planned ahead of time, and the accommodations
were adequate but nothing special. By this time it was late July and I felt
we were lucky to find anything decent for a week without the benefit of reservations.
Because we had a car, it was necessary to stay somewhere that could accommodate
one, as Cinque Terre can't. Cinque Terre is a region along the Italian Riviera
that consists of five (Cinque) towns, all connected either by train or by walking
paths. Our goal was to walk to each of the towns, which can be done in one day,
but we chose to do it in two. We were having so much fun, and we found a restaurant
in Vernazza called Gambero Rosso, which had such great food, great service,
and great wine, that we chose to walk from the northernmost town to Vernazza
in one day. Then, we trekked from the southernmost town to Vernazza a couple
of days later. We ended each walk with a wonderful lunch and a fine bottle of
wine. This left us with just enough energy to get ourselves to the train to
Santa Margherita. The hiking trails straddled steep cliffs overlooking the ocean,
and wound up and down from village to village. The weather was hot, creating
camaraderie among the hikers because of the shared misery.
We've been home from Italy for nine months now and I am still living the trip through memories and sharing it with friends and family. From the planning stages to the memories and pictures, this trip was much longer than the seven weeks we were there. When I first got home I was totally satisfied, and felt that I had seen everything in Italy that I had ever wanted to see, and would concentrate on the many other places I want to go. But I find that as the months go on, I look forward to returning … the sooner the better!