Florence - the jewel of Italy.

 

Florence is pretty. Wrapped around the Arno river, it takes advantage of the geography and at the same time provides the necessities for a touristy place where people have to live and work. Its nicely set out for all "users". It also has art everywhere. I LOVE these 2 pieces above found in front of one of the lesser museums in Florence. Check out the "old bridge" below that is covered and full of jewelry shops on both sides. Between Stevie and Brigitte ooooing and awwing we just made it through.

But here's where Florence gets really interesting. The Uffizi museum rocks. There is a fair amount of art (mostly sculpture) in the square. While the real "David" by Michelangelo is housed at the accadia museum a short distance away, the Uffizi square was where it stood for most of it's life. There is a cast replica in the original spot and some other famous works that for me were stunning.

David with a pigeon....beauty and functionality

Above are 2 pictures of the sculpture I have liked best so far. I absolutely love this piece. There is so much movement and passion communicated by this work. It seems to me to be screaming about the injustice. The work is called the rape of the Sabine women by Giambologna.

For more on this work: http://giambologna.comune.fi.it/scheda.php?Id=8&lang=eng

Once inside the museum it is said that there is no place on the planet with more art per square foot. For me there are only 2 pieces that really matter. Both by Botticelli they are The Birth of Venus and Primivera. I couldn't tell you why - I just know I like them and his work in general. There are plenty of other exceptional pieces to see - but these are the standouts in my mind

After the Uffizi we wandered around Florence a bit more wishing we could stay longer. It's the place where our phrase of the day makes the most sense. "Il Dolce far niente" The sweetness of doing nothing.

We then travelled to Nice to drop off the rental car as it has to be left in France or a 2000 Euro penalty would be applied. Not doing that! So we headed to Nice in our little Opel we had affectionately named Wally. And once in Nice - for the first time our luck ran out and the hotel had no record of our reservation. Hmm - Nice at 9:30 in the evening and no room. This was not looking good. We tryed a few hotels and then got lucky. One room left at this smashingly great hotel and though the rate was a bit high - it was an executive room (tons of room) with a rooftop pool and bar. What a great way to end another excellent day in Europe. Pictures are below. Off to Milan tomorrow by train.

The pool on the roof of the hotel - perfect after a hot hot hot day

The view from the roof top bar where we enjoyed a couple cold bevies

Jake and the waiter discuss football and traveling

The Vatican and other super religious stuff

 
Our second day in Rome starts and ends with the  big "V". Between St. Peter's Basilica  and the Vatican museum, there is a lot to see. Add in the fact that we have tortured the kids with a zillion museums over the past days and the fact that it is going to be - ready for this - 40+ degrees today, super V is definitely a whole day.


On the left is the Vatican with St. Peter's in the background. Surrounded by 5 meter columns and really really big - its an awe inspiring moment. St. Peters takes that to next level. The largest church in Europe (Maybe the world) it's on an immense scale. As you walk in, you go "Wow!" and then like the finale of a fireworks display it gets better and better. Above is one of the little wings off the main area.



Check the sculpture above. Taking it in is delicious. The setting, the ambiance, it all combines to be a powerful moment. One that you'll have a hard time forgetting. On the right is one of the many domes on the ceiling of the Church cleverly constructed to give the illusion of heaven above. The interplay of light and painting combine for a spectacular effect. And that's today. Imagine what the "commoners" thought and felt as they gazed upon these spectacular vistas.

On to the Vatican museum reported to be 5.5 kms of hallways and one of the most complete collections of renaissance artwork in the world. (Oh and 40+ degrees - did I mention that? - and the women must have their shoulders and legs covered and the men must wear pants - perfect!)

There are some great sculptures here and I really did enjoy them. Here an early sculpture of our dog Oscar. I've added the real Oscar here for comparison sake. What a handsome fella now immortalized in marble forever. Below - Jake Stevie and Brigitte have found an air conditioner and thought they'd hang there for a while.

 

 There are great paintings throughout. Savadore Dali, Matisse and many of the all star from various times but it really is the ceiling of the Sistine chapel that seals the deal for this great museum. Michelangelo's ceiling depicting the "creation" is as thought provoking as it is awe inspiring. The 12 frescoes on the walls are created mainly by Perugino and Botticelli (my favorite painter) along with others I am not as excited about. But these too are as inspiring and beautiful as the ceiling. Imagine gazing on images of the creation of Adam - or the seperation of light and darkness, the creation of the sun and moon. What an amazing room. It's like the condensed milk of renaissance art. Tomorrow we'll be traipsing around Florence (The jewel of Italy) and doing the uffizi museum. Hope the weather holds.....

Roma - The empire in ruins

Rome is hot, dirty, disorganized, frustrating and quite frankly a beautiful mess. It's both exciting and wonderful in many ways yet frustrating and disappointing in others. Today we toured the Coliseum, the Roman forum, Pantheon and threw in the Fontana di Trevi for good measure. The easy way to do this is take a cab from a hotel. Nope - not us baby. Public transit in 37 degree weather. You run the gauntlet of pickpockets all day with a steady stream of sweat running down you back or elsewhere. Not only that - the metro and train systems for Rome are...well....sketchy. The doors often don't work so its hard to get off and on and results in mad panic on the platform. Stations may be closed without notice. Time schedules are more of a general suggestion than something you set your watch by. There was a horrible accident last night when a train derailed and burst into flame. Makes you kinda nervous. Mussolini - where are you! (Kidding - it was said that he made the trains run on time.

Quick side bar - Mussolini's son said at dinner one night. "Dad - what is Fascism?" "shut up sand eat your peas roared Benito!!" By the way - even though he is one of the most "famous" figures in Italian history, he does not appear anywhere. Guess he kinda went the wrong way on that whole Hitler thing.



Pictured here is the train. The graffiti is everywhere in Rome (and Pisa for that matter) This is just one car with grafitti on it but I would say 40% of them are covered. It is everywhere and for me begs the question - hey guys - do you really care about your city? That said - much of it is really well done. What would Raphael have said about this fresco?????

I understand the graffiti problem has been ongoing for over 500 years. Some things never change.




So on to the Coliseum. There is no doubt that it is one of the most significant structures left behind by our Roman friends. Its massive - It's awe inspiring - and it's clearly very old.The structure is badly deteriorated but still gives a window into the glory days of the Empire. Not much else to be said - it has to be seen to be a appreciated. You take a moment and transport yourself back to the days when the Gladiators battled for their reputations - the cost of failure being death. The lions vs. the criminals. What a time that was. It's like UFC with a turbo charger. I added this picture of the kids who appear to be happy. They are doing a great job of absorbing the history and balancing that with having fun.



 We are practising Italian words and phrases as we go along and our phrase for the day is "Mi sono cadute le braccia" which literally means. I throw my arms down. More generally it means I have had enough and just can't believe this. I am indignant. So you have to say it with a bit of gusto - just the way the Italians do.

So that leads me to my comments on the Roman Forum. Pictured below are the ruins of what is likely the most historically significant real estate of Western civilization. This is where Julius Caesar celebrated, gained support for his ambitious campaigns from the senators and ultimately was assassinated by those same people.

 
Directly above are the ruins of the forum - to the right a nice young businessman selling his genuine wares from the remains of the top of a column in a small park. Prada! Gucci! Coach! Get it all right here!!!!! All real too!
So here's my point - and I may be way off base here but are these not historical treasures of all humanity? Should we not be doing more to protect these? I guess when you have so many "chunks - o - history" why not use some for practical purposes. "Mi sono cadute le braccia"

 Jake and I found our way into an old Church. We are still not sure how we got in and down into the basement but there we came across the skeletal remains one of the priests in a glass case. Super creepy. And as we poked around we found a secret hidden door that we think was to escape if the congregation didn't buy your message....or the barbarians stormed the church. I felt like Harrison Ford for just a few minutes..... We were ushered out of there shortly after but a great experience none the less.

We went on to visit the Pantheon which is now a museum. It is particularly impressive from the approach seen below.

Pictured below that is the Fontana di Trevi. I have talked elsewhere about my love of great public places. This is certainly one. There are people to watch, places to sit and an overwhelming sense of peace and tranquility in the center of one of the busiest cities on the planet. While clearly an historically important place, for me its much more than that. It's supports my notion that well-designed public places are of incalculable importance to cities of yesterday, today and definitely tomorrow.

Brigitte in front of the Pantheon attempting to kiss one of the handsome Italian guards. Not again....

Fontana di Trevi - one of my favorite place so far.

Pisa - why not?

In the guide books Pisa is listed as a "lesser" destination but we put it on our "to do" list anyway. The history is really interesting adding to the whole "how the heck did they do that anyway?" sense you get as you view these interesting remnants of the Roman Empire. Except in this case - they blew it. More accurately, over a couple hundred years 3 architects blew it.

On the plus side - it's more beautiful than I expected... and smaller. The 156 (I think) columns and exquisite architecture give this 40 ton building a look of lightness that contradicts reality.The marble is all shades of a very light color and quite striking. It really looks like a gem.

But here's where they went wrong. You have to get the foundation right - and they did not. Over the years they have made many attempts to fix the 15 foot off center lean finally having success a couple years ago moving it back about 6 inches. That's where it was when Galileo was chucking stuff off the top.


Both Jake and Stevie took turns holding it up for a bit. This action more than any other will contribute to this testament to Roman ingenuity and brilliance in architecture for many many years. (Even if it is a bit cock-eyed.)

My top moment  of the day was a moment when Jake and I took a walk around our Hotel and ran into this shop where lunch was being prepared in the window. We chose to stay the night off the beaten track again in a working town 15 kms outside Pisa. This restaurant was not for show and tourists - this is lunch being prepared in full view of passers by. A real wood fire and an assortment of meat being carefully prepared.




Off to the side a group of Italian men stood talking about this and that while the mouthwatering aroma swirled deliciously around us. Food in Italy is amazing and another reminder to me as a North American that food should be enjoyed - just like life. This is quintessential Italy. Off to Roma!!

Inexpensive Gavi and overpriced Porto Fino

Waking up in Gavi was the best morning so far. The shutters were open and the European windows wide open (they open like barn doors so you can have 1 or both open creating a huge opening) and the sounds of the public markets in the street below.


 Looking on the morning scene, people are chatting and going about the business of buying fruit, vegetables and so on. Above the square is the Gavi fortress impressive and begging us to explore.


Above is the cheese and part of the vegetable stands. Look at the huge chunk-o-cheese on the right. Amazing. And on the right, fresh mushrooms - there must have been 6 or 8 different types.



And the square is invariably surrounded by cafes and gelato shops. This morning was our first challenge with language as there is no English being spoken here. Jake and Steve went to the cafe first and tryed to order coffee for the 4 of us. After a couple orders that weren't quite right, they got our coffee. We ordered pizza from the place next door and sat back to enjoy. The view and sounds of the market, the warm weather, (about 30 by 10am), the fabulous cafe latte and pizza that is far and away the best I have ever tasted, combined to make this a moment I'll not soon forget. Oh yes - and the price - all this for about $10.


 Time to tackle this fortress. What a treat! It's an excellent example of Roman ingenuity, remarkably well preserved and no line-up to get in. Along with another couple we toured the old structure with an Italian tour guide. Our fellow tourist spoke enough English to translate the fascinating story of this old building.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, it traded hands over the next years until finally becoming a prison in the 18th century.





Here Brigitte looks over the wall for barbarians or folks from the credit agency. You can see the Italian countryside in the distance,. It really was a remarkable view.

The best story goes like this: The fortress has been under siege for some time and the food was all gone except for a single cow. The leader in the fortress (emperor I think) talked all the people into releasing their last cow and letting it run away. The attacking forces couldn't believe that the attackees had so much food they could afford to let the cow escape and so abandoned the siege. Smart thinking. That had to have been a tough decision by the leader - and how did he get support for that plan? Not even Obama could muster support for a move like that!






We reluctantly left Gavi and headed to the coast. We had been told that Porto Fino was worth seeing. We had wanted to g to Chinko Terra but heard it was very difficult to get to. They do not allow cars in the village so public transit is the only way to get around. So Porto Fino it was. Made famous by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and others of that era - it is without a doubt heart stopping in its beauty.

But here's the thing - the mountains meet the beach leaving very little room for parking or beach. So little that there is nowhere to park (Except scooters and there are thousands of them) and the beach areas are fenced off so that you have to pay to sit on the beach. The cost is 17 Euro or about $25 per person. Here's where it gets really crazy - when we enquired about paying and using the beach - we learned that it was a 2 days wait!!!! The beach was full and you had to pay $100 for a day and get a reservation in advance. Ok enough complaining - Check out the pictures of the beach.


We did check out the narrow alleys in search of reasonably priced food. We eventually found lasagna that was out of this world with earthly prices. Off to Pontedera which is near but Florence and Pisa

Cannes and a pretty good party in Italy.

We were due to refresh the rental car so headed for the closest Eurocar to do the paperwork. Hilda got us lost ( she needs an update) so we toured the French countryside along the French Riviera for a while coming across some fabulous "off the beaten path places". I will say that some of Hilda's mistakes (combined with our commitment to a lack of planning) has lead to some excellent adventures. Bandol was the nicest little place you can imagine and not in any of the literature we have read. Spectacular scenery and the most beautiful beach's we have seen so far. We eventually made our way to Cannes where we were a little disappointed by the town's layout and reputation for "Hollywood/US magazine" appeal. Its nice but - not what as we had expected. Where is J-lo, Ashton Kutcher - the Kardashinans!!????

We did, however spend a couple hours swimming and enjoying the turquoise blue water and the ability to float in the water without doing a damn thing. Love that!

Back to our lack of commitment to planning - that in itself had lead to some tense but interesting adventures. At 6 pm we found ourselves at McCafe (McDonalds) in Cannes where they have free WIFI. We were desperately trying to find a place (any place) to sleep! Just so you know - rooms (if you can find one) can range as high as $6000 per night with the median being $500 or so. ( This is well out of our price range)Finally we found a room in a place called Gavi (?) about 2 hours away in Italy somewhere. Well - that's the direction we're generally.going so what the heck.
First - spectacular scenery on route (above)....
Then we drive through very sparsely populated countryside prayng that Hilda will not once again deliver us to the midle of a cornfeild in the middle of the night. We eventually arrived in a small village and everyone (the entire town ) was walking down the road. Naturally we parked the car and followed. We gathered with the townspeople and watched a spectacular fireworks display. It was cool to see that every person in the town had dressed up for the occasion (Please see my earlier and likely unpopular comments on exercise gear !)


Once the fireworks were over we tryed again to find this hotel in the middle of rural Italy. 11 pm and no idea where we are or if the hotel is even in this town. Finally success! And what a hotel - there was more marble in the room than a large Italian quarry and it was located right on the town square. Big windows open on 2 sides of the 3 room suite onto the square with Roman ruins spectacularly lit above the town. Amazing! And just our luck - there was a band playing and the town was partying! We joined in for the next hour or so very aware that there were few if any other tourists in this part of Italy. Perfecto!



Brigitte looking out  over the square from our beautiful and inexpensive suite



Sitting in a sidewalk cafe listening to cool jazz on a hot hot hot summer night - somewhere in Italy.



Toulon - The French Riviera

We travelleded from Arles to Toulon today taking the non-tolled road which added 40 minutes to our 2 hour drive. It was worth it. As usual the road less travelled is more interesting. I'm assuming that we crossed through the foothills of the Alps as we wound through some spectacular mountain scenery. This is our little car in the forground. Train travel is ridculously expensive whereas the car with unlimited kms is abour $50 per day. Much better and you have a place to keep your stuff !

We stopped at a small village with an awesome outdoor market where the girls bought these fancy new digs.

While both looked more beautiful than a bucket full of flowers, I was a bit taken aback by how pretty Stevie is. For a Dad - it's a difficult time watching your little girl transition to a beautiful young woman. Despite significant reasearch on my part int o this problem - there is nothing that can be done. She will grow up.

Most of the day was spent on the beach in Toulon. The water is crystal clear and beautiful blue even when at a depth of 20 feet or more. The water is teaming with all kinds of interesting fish you can watch while floating in the warm water. The temp was low 30's. Pretty much a perfect day.









We overnighted in an apartment just outside Toulon. The region is what Westbank is to Kelowna. It's very similar actually with the slopes covered in grape just up above the sparkling blue mediteranian. We expect to be in Italy tomorrow decding to get out of the riviera before we end up paupers. It is expensive here - more so than anywhere else that we have visited. A couple cool shots of local vegetation. A powegranite and oversized Aloe Vera