Nasty!!!

I don’t know what it is, but I get really disgusted by toenails and fingernails! Especially if they aren’t well kept! Its one of the first things I notice. Ironically, I also can’t stand the sound of clippers! Whenever Maurizio has to clip his nails he has to warn me and I have to turn the TV up loud and he runs water in the sink so I don’t hear it. Yes, I realize I am strange but if I hear it I cringe. It doesn’t really bother me when I do it myself but I can’t stand filing my nails. It makes me crazy!

Anyhow, I guess you can understand how I must feel when while walking to the gym one day I barely missed somebody’s nail clippings as they threw them out the window. I literally saw them falling in front of my eyes! GROSS!!! They could have fallen on my head if I had been any faster. Or another time as I was returning home and I turned my corner and almost tripped over a gypsy lady cutting hers off with a knife! It makes me want to puke!!

This afternoon, I had just called my sister when I heard click click click! I knew what it was immediately and I told my sister “Someone is cutting their nails I can hear it!!!” Since I knew it was coming from my window, I ran to the window and YES across the street there was a guy cutting his nails and letting them fall to the ground below him. Keep in mind, we live on a pedestrian street and it is always filled with people so, these poor people taking their Saturday afternoon stroll were greeted by his nasty nails on their head!!!! Seriously people do this inside and put them in the garbage or flush them down the toilet. I really don’t want to watch you groom yourself and I definitely don’t want to wear it if I just happen to be passing below your window!!!!

Gelato Festival

Sunday afternoon I woke up pretty late. I have been so anxious about moving that I haven’t been sleeping at all. So by the time I woke up and had my ritual caffe latte it was already close to 11:30. The weather outside was hot and sunny but I didn’t have much to do all day so I decided to go ahead and do my run. I knew it was going to be hot at 1:30pm but it looked a bit overcast so I wasn’t worried. Boy was I wrong, those 5 miles were BRUTAL! While I was stopped at a cross walk at the end a 65+-year-old Italian man ran up beside me and we discussed how hot the weather was and both continued jogging across the road. WOW he was a trooper, at his age; I hope I will be doing the same when I am older.

After some running I took a quick shower and headed out wet hair and all to the Festival of Gelato. Most Italians believe that you get sick if you leave the house with wet hair and Italians have also asked me about it, why we “Americans” do this. You always see college students running around the city with damp hair and most don’t understand this and give you concerning looks. To me its quite funny and I usually tell them that us “Americans” just aren’t as delicate as Italians! ☺ So, after receiving my many concerning looks I arrived at Piazza della Santissima Annunziata.

The festival was basically a setup throughout the major piazzas throughout Firenze with local gelato from shops around the city and Italy. You could purchase an assaggio (taste) for 1 euro or purchase a card, which allowed for more tastes. There were many different flavors and many people enjoying the cold delights in such hot weather.

This festival was exactly what we all needed in the city during such a hot week.
See a few pictures below:

Race for the Cure Roma

Sunday Maurizio and I made our way to Roma for the Susan G Komen race for the cure. It was a race composed of a 5k competitive and non-competitive run and a 2km passeggiata (stroll/walk). I knew there would be a lot of people but didn’t expect as many as we saw. To give you an idea, our race numbers were in the 32,000’s and we pre-registered. There were still a lot of people registering the morning of the race. There must have been 50,000 people there, which is great considering all the money goes towards breast cancer.

This event was Maurizio’s first race and I was really excited for him to participate with me. He has run a little bit with me the last months but definitely hasn’t been training for a 5K so he was a little nervous. I felt terrible because he had worked 11 straight days without a day off and now I was making him run 3.1 miles. Ouch!! Oh well, he was a trooper and never complained about it.

We had to wake up at 6am. Because Maurizio worked late the night before and we were preparing all our stuff we didn’t get to bed until around 2am. When we woke up it was very hard to get moving and by the time we made it to the train station in Florence we were able to just barely sit in our seats before the train departed at 7am sharp.

We arrived in Roma at 8:45 and quickly made our way to the metro station in Termini. It was already packed with people in their pink shirts! When the train arrived we packed ourselves in so tight, many people didn’t even fit and had to wait for the next train. Everyone was so cute in all their pink gear. When we finally got to the Circo Massimo stop everyone pushed off the train and we all climbed the stairs to the street where we met thousands of others in their pink. It was very cool to see everyone participating.

After we got our t-shirts and race numbers we found a hiding spot in the bushes for our backpack and crossed our fingers we didn’t get in trouble. On a side story my family has a joke about us and a backpack in Rome. When Maurizio and I were in the process of filing for his green card we had to travel to several Italian cities to sign papers etc. When we came to Rome we had carried all our documents in a backpack. Well, the embassy didn’t allow backpacks inside so we didn’t know what to do with it, I asked several hotels if they would hold it that we would even pay but they refused. So, I went across the street from the embassy and just threw the backpack in the bushes next to a tree. When we came out of the embassy there was a sort of Italian swat team surrounding the embassy entrance and the backpack on the opposite street. We had to run up to the Italian officer (who was holding a large gun) and explain that it was our bag and why we left it there. Thankfully we were only scolded for not telling them in advance. So, whenever we have to leave a backpack somewhere we tread with caution. Thankfully nothing happened and our bag was still there when we returned.




The race started at 10am and we were right in the middle of the crowd of thousands. I have to say, of the 3 races I have done in Italy, this was the most organized event I had ever seen. I was impressed considering the amount of people that were there. We took off on and ran the 3.1 miles, which took you past the Circo Massimo, the Roman Parliament Building, The Roman Forums, and circled around the Coliseum. It was amazing and the race went by super fast. By the time we made it to the side of the Coliseum it was already 3km. I couldn’t believe how fast it went by. When we got close to the finish line I ran ahead so I could see Maurizio cross the line, when he arrived it was 30minutes and 34 seconds. He did so well! I was so excited for him. He had achieved his goal of finishing in 30 minutes and not walking once. He said he had a lot of fun so hopefully this will inspire him to do more races with me when we return to the states!




Have a look at some video below!

PaperBack Exchange in Florence, Italy

So, I have to write about this in my blog because it was the 2nd bad experience I have had with the English bookstore in Florence. I will try to keep this short mostly because it’s just me being upset with the lack of courtesy from this particular store.

The first time I heard about the Paper Back Exchange in Florence I thought it was such a great idea. It’s an English bookstore where you sale used books and receive credit towards the purchase of other used and new books. I read so much here that I thought this would be great! The first time I went to the store, I was looking for a travel book of the Tuscany area. I was interested to see what the store was all about so I went in. Since it was my first time to the store I wasn’t sure of the layout. I browsed around a bit, was never greeted by the two English girls/ladies behind the register, and couldn’t find the travel book area. I noticed the girls had been in conversation the whole time and slowly approached the register to ask for the travel section. I stood by the register waiting for them to stop their conversation and hoped they would acknowledge me. Keep in mind I was literally right in front of their faces, they were blatantly ignoring me. So, after about a minute of standing there I finally said “excuse me for interrupting but I was hoping you could tell me where your travel books are” this was followed by one girl saying “can’t you see we are talking?? They are over there” she pointed in a direction. I replied with a “sorry” and immediately left the store without even looking at the books. I later found what I was looking for at the Italian bookstore for a price I am sure was cheaper. So, after this experience I had a bad taste in my mouth and never went back.

My friend Andrea had sold some books to the store and had a credit of 15euro and some change. Before she left Europe she gave me the credit to use since she wouldn’t need it. It was super nice of her. This was over a year ago. Since I haven’t been back, I still had not used it. So, the other day I decided to go through some of my books and sell them to the store and use the credit Andrea gave me. I gathered about 6 books and left for the store. When I arrived I immediately approached the register and asked if I could sell back the books. The girl behind the register (I believe American because she didn’t have an accent) was very nice and took the books. She told me to go ahead and browse around while she figured how much they were worth. So, I started looking at the cookbook area, which is directly in front of the register. While I was looking I noticed an Italian man came to the register and they talked about his break etc. (in Italian) and then she walked towards the back. I thought she was going back there to work out the price of my books. I kept browsing the books and it only took me about 5 minutes to find what I wanted. An Italian Vegan cookbook for Maurizio’s collection. I was waiting, waiting, waiting… the girl didn’t come back. In the mean time, I saw a student come in with books and she went to the register, the Italian man behind the register took her books and told her how much credit she had. After a few more minutes another girl came in with a big bag of books. She asked the man “do you buy back books?” he said, “yes, let me see them”. She then put the big bag on top of the desk and he said in a very rude manner “TAKE THEM OUT OF THE BAG! DON’T JUST THROW THEM UP HERE” the girl was embarrassed and very apologetic as she started rapidly taking the books out of the bag. I couldn’t believe how rude he was; he was such a jerk (well I really had better more vulgar names for him). So, she got credit and left. I still hadn’t seen the girl. I still didn’t know how much credit I had. My phone rang and I stepped to the entrance to talk to Maurizio for a bit asking him about the cookbook. After I got off the phone with Maurizio, I decided to ask what was going on, it had been well over 15 minutes. I went to the register and asked the man “excuse me, do you know where the other girl went that was here” he replied sharply “which girl, there are several girls that work here, not everyone is here today, some are off, one is in the back, one is on break…..” I interrupted his rudeness and said “I apologize, I am looking for the lady that was just here speaking with you” he said “like I said, one is in the back and one is on break I don’t know who you are talking about” so I said, “I don’t know her name, she had a nose ring and blonde hair” he replied “Who?? What is her name? I don’t know who you are talking about”. I decided this conversation was going nowhere so I tried a different approach.
“Okay listen, I gave some books to a girl just a few minutes ago, she was supposed to give me a price but she never did, I have been waiting”

“Well what is your name”?

“My name is Whitney but that wont matter because she didn’t write my name down, she just took them and told me to browse around”

“Well how am I supposed to know then??”

“I don’t know, that’s why I am asking where she is?”

“WHO are you talking about”?

Then I noticed my books on the shelf

“I think those are my books right there, the first one is the same title I turned in but I can’t see what’s underneath.”

“Those aren’t your books, I priced them and you didn’t give them to me”

“I already said I didn’t give them to you, I gave them to the other girl but I am pretty sure they are mine”

“Those aren’t yours!!!”

Then I just started walking to the back to find the girl myself.

“Wait, are these yours?” He pulled them from the shelf

“Yes, those are the ones I just brought in.”
“I priced them, they aren’t yours”

“Look, I don’t know who priced them but I am not leaving until I have the books or I have the credit, either way”

“Are you sure these are yours?

“YES, they are mine”

“What’s the big deal???” as he slams them down “HERE!! Here is the price”

So I gave him the cookbook and Andrea’s credit. It worked out that I didn’t have to pay any extra and that he owed me 5cents. He got the coin from the register threw it down on top of the cookbook and said, “THAT’S ALL”

So I said “Grazie” and left.

I will NEVER go back to that store. You are much better off going to the Italian bookstores; you can still buy books in English there for better prices and a more tolerant and friendly staff. Anyone who reads this, I hope you don’t waist your money in that store. I really have nothing good to say about it and have had friends with similar experiences.

here is the link to their website http://www.papex.it/

Guarda Firenze 2010 10K

Well, I ran in my last race in Florence before going back home for the summer. It was a local 10K non-competitive race. The race itself was open to everyone and was setup to help promote health and fitness for young people and to basically get the community of Florence together in activity.

I knew the race was approaching but had sort of forgotten about it. Then Friday May 7th I happened to look on the Firenze Marathon website where they list local runs and saw that the 7th was the last day to register. So, I threw on some clothes and headed out to register. I went to the closest sports store to register only to find that so many people were interested that they ran out of registration forms. I then had to walk a couple miles to another store (in the rain) where thankfully they still had some. I got my race number and information packet and was all set for the 10K in two days.

I researched the race map and saw that the course was going to be tough. Thankfully I had run the area a couple times but it is pretty brutal if you aren’t used to running hills. I definitely am not trained in hill running and need to work on that for future races.

Anyhow, race day was completely chaotic! We were supposed to be able to pick up our race shirts the morning of the race at 8 am, however, they didn’t have them ready so we had to wait until after the race. When we arrived to Piazza del Duomo there were people everywhere. On top of the main event which was the 10K they also a course designed for kids and another course for walkers. There were basically three starting points in the Piazza and no one seemed to know where to go. Everyone was mixing in with each other and there were thousands of people there. The 10K started at 9:30am and like I said, at the gate there was everyone mixed in, people were in their wrong area etc. People were crammed in the Partenza area and then the gun sounded you could barely move. I am NOT an aggressive runner, in the sense that I don’t like to push and shove. This particular race was FULL of these aggressive runners.

It wasn’t a competitive race so they weren’t giving out prizes and they weren’t really keeping track of time so there wasn’t really a need to push everyone especially since it was a personal test. If you had your own stopwatch you would be able to see how you did. However, once the race started you were pushed along. I was basically running in place for the 1st 2km. It was so packed. As we were crossing Ponte Vecchio I saw a small boy trip and because we were so close to each other, about 3-4 people fell on top of him. Then some runners came by me elbowing there way through the thick crowd. It was sort of scary! You have to be careful running on those old cobblestones as it is, its much scarier if you have to worry about someone pushing you down.

So, until the 2nd km I couldn’t really get off to my running pace and after the 2nd km started the really fun part, complete up hill. It was a gradual, steady incline from km2 to km6! It really kicked my butt. My calves were feeling it. I was able to make up a little bit of time on this part of the course but not much. There were just a few dips in the hills and I would run as fast as I could and tried to catch up. After km 6 it went downhill to km7 and I was able to make up a lot of time. At km7 the course leveled out until the end back at the Duomo.

This was the first race where I didn’t have a whole lot left in me by the end. I was able to kick it in a little bit at km9 until the finish line but not near as much as past races. I was mentally and physically exhausted. Then the worst thing happened. At the end of the race, you basically slammed into a brick wall! Everyone who finished was stopped immediately and you had to stand in a crowded line in order to pass through the gates. They were handing out little cards to say you completed the race and it was terrible. I had just finished, I was hot, sweaty, and thirsty and now I had to stand in a cattle call for about 15 minutes. It was gross, people rubbing up on me with their sweaty bodies! YUCK! So after you passed through this line, you moved into another crowded line where you had to pick up your race shirt. That took another good 15mins. Then I finally found Maurizio who was waiting with some drinks for me. It was absolutely insane. But all in all it was a pretty good race. I ended up finishing in 58:18, which was really slow, but considering everything I was okay with it. It was still a lot of fun and another really good experience of Florence.

In the video below you can see some of the people at the gate and finishing the race as well as the entertainment of the old fashioned flag throwers dressed in the old time clothes. They usually are present for city events.

Una Tragedia (THIS IS GRAPHIC CONTENT!!!!)

Una Tragedia

A Tragedy

Note *** this is graphic content***

Monday on our way home from Livorno Ferraris we witnessed an awful tragedy. We had no idea what was happening but it definitely made me rethink my own problems. I guess the saying is true, no matter how bad you may think you have things, there are always others who have it worse. Be thankful for what you have.

On our way home I found myself aggravated, we had made the travel from Livorno Ferraris to Novara and all the train tracks seemed to be at a dead stop. We were going to miss our connection in Milan with the Eurostar and we would be late getting back to Florence. We were at the end of our trip and I was ready to get home to my own house, in my own bed. This bump in our road was a major annoyance to me. I was happy at least that we weren’t going northwest because the trains going to Torino were delayed 60-80 minutes. What the heck was going on??

Finally our train was approaching the binario (track) and we were still on time. Just before boarding it came over the loud speaker that the reason there were delays was because someone had been hit by a train in Magenta. At this moment I felt terrible for the anger I felt and immediately prayed that the person hit was okay and we also prayed for the family. We didn’t know how bad it was.

Magenta is a stop on the way to Milano, actually only a few stops from Milan. We were still on time with our train and we still had the chance to get our connection. We weren’t worried about this anymore we couldn’t stop thinking about what was happening further down the tracks in Magenta. Everyone on the train was talking about the accident trying to get more information from the conductor. He didn’t know anything just that someone was hit.

As we approached Magenta, the train stopped completely. We knew we were close but had no idea what we would find in the town. I figured that perhaps someone was hit as the train was taking off or hopefully that it wasn’t anything too serious.
I was wrong, VERY wrong.

The train approached the station and the first thing we saw was the fast train, which normally goes to France. It was stopped a little way up from the station. Next, what we saw I can’t even describe the horror. The accident remnants were still there and you could see everything. The train pulled in slowly and to our right was the remnants of what had happened. You could see all the yellow numbered placks on the ground marking the start of the accident #1 to what I could see was all the way down the track to #6. There were white chalk circles everywhere. There were 2 large pieces (body parts) far apart covered in sheets and there were pieces of blood and bones scattered all over the tracks and some on the station platform circled in white chalk. There was a shoe right beside my window. It was terrible. It was complete horror like something you would see out of horror movie. It was as if the body had completely exploded.

I will never get this site out of my head. I felt terrible, I felt sad for the person, for the family and even more for the feelings of annoyance I had felt earlier.
Maurizio and I both began praying for the family and the person.

Later we found out after reading the newspaper that the person hit was a 23 -year old boy. Apparently the boy had some psychological problems and the authorities think and based on witness accounts that the accident was a suicide. The boy threw himself in front of the fast train as it made its way through the station. The train was going at top speed. How awful it is that this 23 -year old boy had such problems on his shoulders that he didn’t feel he could go on.

Please remember there is NOTHING so bad that God hasn’t given us the strength to survive. Our life is precious and we must live it to its fullest.

*Sorry for the graphic detail above

Il Compleanno di Bruno, 73 anni

Bruno’s Birthday, 73 years

This past weekend Maurizio and I made a visit to his hometown in Livorno Ferraris to celebrate his father’s 73rd birthday. Since we have come back to Italy Maurizio and I have been able to celebrate 4 birthdays with his father. Bruno made sure to point out to Maurizio that these were the first 4 years his whole life. When Maurizio pointed out all the years that extended from his birth until he was 14 when he left his home in Italy his father jokingly pointed out that those didn’t count because he had to come then.
(Bruno, my father in law, the birthday boy)


Maurizio’s mom made sure to point out that Bruno always gets a party on his birthday unlike everyone else. Not only is May 1st Bruno’s birthday, it is also a national holiday (a holiday for workers called Festa dei lavoratori).
(Davide, my nephew and Teresa, my mother in law)

Since usually no one works on this day Bruno has always been able to have friends an family available on his birthday. This year was no different and all the family got together to do carne alle brace. This basically means on the grill except the meat is cooked on a piece of stone. At Maurizio’s home they have two wood burning stoves, one is the Pizza oven and they other is for the brace. They both can act as typical wood burning ovens.
(burgers cooking on the stone)

(Salvatore, my brother in law Rosanna's husband. The grill master)


One thing we never lack at Maurizio’s mom’s house is food and this day was no different. We had meat galore. There were sausages, pork chops, steaks, chicken, hamburgers, and hotdogs. With those we had french fries, various salads and condiments. For dessert my sister in law Rosanna made an awesome tiramisu with strawberries. It was DELICIOUS!

Needless to say we were all stuffed after the lunch and we all went outside to visit and play with my niece Matilde and nephew Davide. I can’t believe how much I have been able to see all my nieces and nephew grow. Its only been 4 years but they have grown so much since I first met them. They are all turning into beautiful young ladies and a gentleman. In particular I have seen my niece Francesca grow from a young teenager to a beautiful young woman. Its been such a great experience and even though one day I wont be able to spend as much time with them I hope they will always remember these first 4 years we have had together. They have been able to see me go from being able to only say Ciao to hopefully now feeling comfortable to have a conversation with me. I love them all very much and definitely consider them my Family. My Italian family, La Mia Famiglia Italiana.
(Davide playing soccer)

(me and Matilde after I dressed her up with a little makeup)

(Erika (niece), Salvatore (brother in law), Matilde (niece), and Francesca (niece))

(matilde and sara (mother of Matilde and my sister in law). She is married to Maurizio's twin brother Riccardo)

After some hours resting and digesting it was time to start dinner. We all decided that for dinner we would have home made pizza cooked in the wood burning pizza oven. This oven is awesome and definitely not something we Americans are used to having but I have made Maurizio promise to build us one in the future. My sister has already picked out where she wants hers at her house too. Anyhow, Maurizio and Rosanna made the dough and laid it out, then Rosanna went to work covering the pizza’s with homemade pizza sauce (made from Teresa’s, my mother in law, tomatoes) left over sausages, mozzarella and some were topped with prosciutto cotto (cooked ham). Needless to say they were delicious especially when being washed down with some cold beer.


All in all we had a very nice visit with the family and celebrating with Maurizio’s dad. I am not sure if I will get to see everyone together again before I leave for the states but I know and I hope they know they are in my heart with me everyday no matter where I am.

Have a look at the video of the family and making the pizza:

Avere Coraggio!!

Have Courage!!

I don’t know what it is about the local hot spots around Italy, even those little carts with the Trippa and Lampredotto always seem so intimidating to me. I have actually never been to them by myself and all of the hole in the wall places we frequent I only go when I have Maurizio in tow to do all the talking.

Tomorrow Maurizio and I are going to Livorno Ferraris to visit his family and to celebrate the birthday of his father. Maurizio’s father Bruno absolutely loves Trippa so to do something special I thought we would take him some of the Florentine Trippa from the stand frequented by so many locals and located a stones throw from our apartment. In thought, I figured after suggesting this that Maurizio will be able to find the time to run over and buy the Trippa. Unfortunately things didn’t work that way and he had to go to Palazzo Tornabuoni for a banquet and I had to step up to the plate to get the goods.

So after making two stops at local grocery stores hoping they might have some Trippa I had no luck and had to go to the stand. Its hot outside today and I was sweating, I am not sure it was really the heat or just my nerves. I thought since I waited until after 2pm that the lines would have died down quite a bit. Even though there were definitely less people, there was still a crowd of about 15 students stuffed in at the front of the bar.

The customary thing to do is just scream out your order but since I lack confidence with my Italian language this is always difficult for me. I so need to get over this confidence thing. I mean I can speak Italian, I can be understood and I can understand about 90% of the language when being spoken to, even some of the Florentine dialect but I am just so afraid of making mistakes. I know I should get over it and speak but I am still a little nervous and timid when it comes to speaking.

So, I stood at the back of crowd for a bit watching what they did and not really knowing what I should do. Finally the younger man behind the bar said, I am making the Lampredotto and Babbo (Florentine for Dad) is making the Trippa. I quickly shuffled over to Babbo and waited for him to notice me. He gave me a look to order and I quickly spit out “Una vaschetta di Trippa”. Obviously he knew right away I wasn’t Florentine and not even Italian for that matter. He gave me a big smile and said “Arrivo subito bella” (coming right away beautiful). Afterwards we went through a series of questions about how much I wanted, if I wanted it spicy, if I wanted cheese, if I wanted to eat it there or take it away etc. At first he went through the motions of showing me things and pointing to things to make sure I understood but as I responded with more than 1 word and actually spoke to him he started treating me like I was one of those Florentine’s in the crowd. It was such a good feeling! What did I have to be afraid of? The old man was so nice and that big smile wiped away my fear and built up my confidence. I walked away with due porzioni di Trippa (two portions of Trippa) and a skip in my step. I love those days when the people around me make me feel like one of the locals.

Chianti

After living in Italy for over 3 years Maurizio and I finally decided to make the trip to Chianti. It’s actually quite sad that we haven’t been already considering the center of the region is literally only 1 hour away! I guess we just didn’t know quite where we wanted to visit and where to stay and all that good stuff. I always wanted to rent a scooter and tour the whole of Chianti but Maurizio is the more grounded one, the always wanting to be safe one in this family of two, so he was very hesitant of driving from Florence to the region.


Finally, a couple weeks ago I bought a nice book of Chianti with maps and we made a compromise to stay over night in the region and rent the scooter when we were actually there. So, we decided to stay in Greve. Greve is almost the center of Chianti and it’s a pretty descent size city with a good bus stop that takes you directly to and from Florence. Since we don’t have a car we couldn’t stay in the agriturismo’s located throughout the area. If you travel to Chianti I totally recommend staying at one of the many castles and agriturismo’s in the area rather than a typical hotel. This way, you can truly experience the “Italian way”.

We ended up finding a hotel right in the center, after a lot of hard work. We had a hard time finding a place because of the volcano; there were a lot of tourists stuck in their hotels. After first finding one hotel and booking they called us to tell us they no longer had rooms because people weren’t checking out so at the last minute we had to find another hotel which ended up being great anyhow. My only complaint was the mattress was completely uncomfortable and I woke up with a backache and Maurizio woke up with a crick in his neck, which he still has to this day. But, otherwise, we had a great trip.

Day 1:
We left Florence on the bus at 8:30am and arrived in Piazza Trento in Greve at around 9:45. After we checked in at the hotel Casa al Sole we headed down to Ramuzzi’s scooter shop. It was only a 5-minute walk from the hotel. We rented a 125cc scooter and headed off on our first day in Chianti. We broke our itinerary up into North Chianti and South Chianti and decided to spend the whole day visiting only the south because there was more land to cover. We left Greve and headed south towards Siena. The weather was sadly cloudy and absolutely FREEZING but we didn’t let that get us down.


The first part of the day we covered: Lamole, Panzano, San Donato in Poggio, Cortine, Pietrafitta, and Castellina. When we arrived in Castellina we decided to have lunch and we stopped in the town center where we ate baked pecorino drizzled with honey and I had ravioli stuffed with meat sauce from Maremma (a region in Tuscany) and Maurizio had Pici (a pasta shaped like spaghetti but it has a hole in the middle) with pepper and pecorino. It was delicious; obviously we washed that down with some Chianti wine.


After touring the city we left for the second half of the day in which we covered the cities of: Tregole, Fonterutoli, S. Leolino, Quergrossa, Petroio, Vagliagli, Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Castelvecchi, Volpaia, and back up to Greve in Chianti.


By the time we got back to Greve in Chianti it was 7:30pm. We had a super long day on the scooter and we were exhausted. We went back to the hotel relaxed on our balcony a little bit and headed out for a stroll and ended up at dinner. For dinner we went to a restaurant that specialized in grilled meats and fish. They had a wood fire grill and it smelled heavenly. We shared a bottle of the Castello Verrazzano Wine (a local castle of Greve in Chianti) and shared appetizers of cured meats and crostini. For dinner we shared a mixed grill made for 2 people that contained pork chops, sausage, steak, and short ribs. It was delicious. For dessert we had simple biscotti with Vin Santo a typical dessert wine from Chianti (and a very standard dessert in general in Italy). After dinner we corked the leftover wine and went back to the hotel to relax and finish it off. I have to admit even though the bed wasn’t comfortable, we passed out immediately.


The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. We checked out and asked them to hold our bag for day 2 of exploring and headed back to the scooter rental shop. We decided since we had already explored the largest part of Chianti the day before that we would only rent the scooter for 4 hours and then go wine tasting in Greve at Le Cantine before heading back to Firenze. This way Maurizio didn’t have to worry about drinking and driving.

We left Greve in Chianti at 11am and our first stop was the Castello di Verazzano. It was absolutely beautiful. Thankfully day 2 was a gorgeous day and sun was out and it was definitely less cold. We toured the castle then setoff for the Castello di Gabbiano. After the 2nd castle we covered the following cities: Le Quatro Strade, Mercatale, S. Casciano in Val di Pesa, Cerbaia, Chiesanuova, Tavernuzza, Montebuoni, Grassina, Imprunetta, Strada in Chianti, Passo dei Pecorai, and finished at the Castello di Vicchiomaggio before returning back to Greve in Chianti at 3pm. During our ride it was such a gorgeous day and the scenery was beautiful all the flowers were in bloom. On a side note because of this, there were a ton of bugs out. Which meant, ever so often we would get smacked in the face by an insect as we were riding on the scooter. Poor Maurizio hit a bee and it stung him in the ear. It was kind of funny, not for him though.




Anyhow, once we returned to Greve in Chianti we went to Le Cantine where they have a TON of wines and you purchase a wine card then you can drink the amount on the card. Whatever you don’t use, they will give back to you. It was an awesome concept. We were able to taste a lot of the wines from the cities we visited and we snacked on some local salami’s and bread in olive oil in the process.

We spent a few hours in the Cantine and then headed on a tour of the city in search of somewhere to have a late lunch. We went to one of the famous Antica Macelleria Falorni and afterwards had a quick lunch. I had pasta with truffle sauce and Maurizio had bruscetta with mozzarella and sundried tomatoes. At 6pm we caught the bus back to Florence and by 7:15 we were happily relaxing in our home. It was a long two days and absolutely worth every second.
See below a video of the area.

Cinque Terre

Monday Maurizio and I decided to finally visit Cinque Terre. We have both wanted to go for a long time and although we had been to the Liguria area and actually lived in Northern Liguria and traveled to Portofino we have never actually been to the famous Cinque Terre (literally 5 lands)

Cinque Terre is composed of 5 cities all located on the Italian coast. The cities are: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Each city is connected by train stations, boat taxis, and (the most adventurous) hiking trails. If you choose to do the trails, the total hike is 9km (5.59miles) and takes about 5 hours depending how fast or slow you go. There are actually two trails the easiest being the coastal trails Sentiero 2 the other is Sentiero 1 which is 24,6km. The second trails go from Porto Venere to Levanto and is much harder. We only went for the day so we chose the more eye friendly views and easier paths. When I say easy, it’s not a walk in the park, its very narrow in parts and at times completely uphill for 30 mins or more at a time. You must be able to easily climb LOTS of steps. It wasn’t very difficult and you can take as much time as you want but even I got a little out of breath in certain areas.

Just Arrived



Maurizio and I took the train from Florence, which left at 10:27am and headed out to Monterosso. We arrived to the city at about 1pm. As soon as we arrived we decided to immediately have lunch before everything closed. I had searched out a couple good places recommended by other travelers on the internet and decided on lunch at Ristorante Via Venti (http://www.ristoranteviaventi.it/). The prices in the area are definitely not economic but thankfully the food made up for that. We weren’t very surprised by the prices, they were actually a little less than when we went to Portofino with my mom and there a plate of Pasta was around 20E. We shared some local white wine and I had Gnochetti with Crab and Maurizio had Spaghetti with Anchovies. The area is very famous for its wines and seafood, especially anchovies. I don’t like anchovies normally but here, I tried them and they didn’t taste as fishy as they normally do. I actually liked them; I recommend that you try them if you are ever in the area.

Lunch time

Gnochetti

Pasta with Anchovies



After lunch we started on the path to the beginning of the trails. At the entrance of the trails there is a ticket booth and they charge 5euro per person to use the trails. You can also buy a Cinque Terre card and choose different days for different prices, which also allow you to have full access to trains etc. We were only there for the day so we just got the normal trail pass.

at the beginning

Lots of stairs

this tree was growing out of the side of the trail


The first part of the trail (we chose to travel from Monterosso to Riomaggiore but you can start anywhere) was from Monterosso to Vernazza. This part of the trail typically takes 2 hours and is 3km long. It’s not very long at all and the reason it takes the longest is because it was basically UPHILL the WHOLE way. Nonetheless, we still finished the first part of the trail in about 1hr and 30-45mins and we stopped a lot along the way to take pictures. The trail, even though it was pretty brutal on my legs after running that half marathon the day before, was absolutely beautiful! You passed through wine vineyards and acres of olive groves. I am glad we started from this point because after this part of the path, the rest was easy money.

Vineyards

View of Monterosso on our way to Vernazza

another one of Monterosso


When we arrived in Vernazza we found a little table at a bar close to the sea and we had a beer. Ironically while sitting at the table we overheard some Americans trying to communicate to the waiter in Spanish (even though he spoke English) and later I spoke with them after finding out they were from Destin, FL! Although I wanted to remind them that we were not in Spain and actually in Italy, I couldn’t get over how small the world is? The beer was much needed after the workout we had. The weather was beautiful. It wasn’t too hot and there was a nice breeze. During the hike it was hot and I wore a tank top but when you stopped and started to cool down it got a little chilly and had to put on a light long sleeve shirt.

Coming up on Vernazza

Vernazza

boats in Vernazza

church


Beer!!!



After we visited the town for a little bit and saw one of the old churches we continued on our way down the path to Corniglia. The path from Vernazza to Corniglia takes about 1hr and 30 mins and is 4km. The path was definitely easier than the first and was a more even mix of uphill and downhill. The majority of the scenery was olive groves. We managed to finish this part of the trail in about 1hr and 9mins. Corniglia is the only town that is not directly on the sea; you can’t reach this city by boat taxi. The only options are by car, bus, train, or hike. When we arrived to Corniglia, we found a little bar in the center and decided to have a glass of white wine and try out the Focaccia. Liguria is also famous for their Focaccias. So we tried two flavors, one was stuffed like a sandwich with tomatoes and anchovies and the other was covered in pesto and topped with fresh mozzarella. Pesto is also famous from Liguria. They were both delicious.

on the way to Corniglia

view of Vernazza as we left



more stairs

olive trees

Corniglia in the distance

arriving to Corniglia



more wine

Focaccia with pesto


After some time in the city and refilling our camelback we headed out for the 4th city Manarola. This part of the trail can be a bit confusing because to find your way back to the trail you have to follow the street (for cars) a bit before finding the walking path. It wasn’t too difficult to find and once we found it, it was a super easy trail. The trail between Corniglia and Manarola is only 1km and about 1hr and 10mins. We finished pretty quickly in about 30mins. The trail curved back towards the sea and it was beautiful. The sun was starting to set and we were getting pretty late to get our train back to Florence so we were moving a bit quicker by this point.

on the street to Manarola

following the signs to get back to the trail

on the path


arriving to Manarola

sun setting


We didn’t stop much in Manarola, it is definitely a smaller town and instead we looked around the small little port a little and continued right away through the town to the final part of the path to Riomaggiore.

at the small port in Manarola. The man was making fish nets

fisherman coming in from sea



The most famous part of the path is on Via dell’Amore. The path from Manarola to Riomaggiore along the Via dell’Amore is only 1km and about 20mins. Anyone can do this part of the path. The path is completely paved and definitely the easiest. There were NO extreme uphill or downhill points. Along the path there are many places to take beautiful pictures. You will also see many locks signed by couples. The locks are a symbol of love. When we go back we will have to join in all the cheesiness and bring one too.

the entrance to via dell'amore


beautiful scenery


on the kissing bench and all the locks


at the end of the trail in Riomaggiore

artwork


When we finally arrived at Riomaggiore is was about 7:30pm and we had already missed our train back. Luckily we spoke with one of the agents and found some connections back to the city. Unfortunately, however, it took us forever to get back. We left Riomaggiore at 7:39 and didn’t arrive to Florence until almost midnight. It didn’t matter much because we were excited and surprisingly on the way back home we got a really interesting phone call from the Four Seasons about a possible transfer back to the United States so we had a lot to discuss those long hours back home.

It was an absolutely beautiful trip and I fully recommend that everyone find some time to visit these cities!
Have a look at some video footage below: