Navigating in Bella Italia

Bob The Navigator sent us a lively report of one of his trips in Central Italy.

It was our eighth trip to Italia and our 20th to Europe, but would you believe that I had never set foot in Roma. Susan has been there with her college friends in 1958, and was quick to comment that a few things had changed. I had purposely avoided the big city experience until I could do it right, and we gave ourselves six days to do just that.

We found Rome to be more user-friendly than anticipated. They had spiffed up the city for the Year 2000 festivities and it showed. We had done our homework, and with a good map and help from the Scala Reale people we embarked on our Roman odyssey. I would be remiss not to say that a good deal of our plan came directly from Ed & Julies wonderful web site [www.twenj.com ]. It is a great resource for anyone planning to spend time
in Rome. The other resource was Scala Reale. We had booked two walking
tours with them [www.scalareale.org]. We were a bit disappointed in the
first tour, but their fabulous four hour Vatican tour is not to be missed.
Our Rome highlights included:

* The Scala Reale walking tour of theVatican museum and St. Peters

* The self-guided walking tour of the Roman Forum

* A half-day trip by bus tour to Tivoli to see Hadrians Villa and Villa d'
Este

* Enjoying la dolce vita on a sunny afternoon in Piazza Navona

* The Galleria Borghese on a beautiful Sunday afternoon---not to be
missed

Our best meal was at Il Giglio near the opera house, but we also liked the Ristorante Abruzzi for a more homey experience. Our best lunch was at Il 34, near the Piazza di Spagna. We used the taxis a lot and found them very reasonable. We would typically taxi to the far point of the day and then meander back home on foot. That plan seems to work well.

Off to south Tuscany: We got our Auto Europe rental car at the Termini
station, the small A-class Mercedes, and managed to get out of Rome
unscathed. We exited A-1 at Orvieto and drove into the heart of town,
parking less than 200 meters from the magnifico Duomo. We both like
Orvieto and decided to stay for lunch at a very nice trattoria, the Antica
Bucchero. We then decided to stay on the old road, the S-2 Via Cassia, all
the way to our base in south Tuscany, the tiny spa town of Bagno Vignoni.
We stayed at the Posta Marcucci for two nights and would recommend it for
this region. It is well located to explore this part of Tuscany---the Val
d'Orcia---and is halfway between the wine towns of Montalcino and
Montepulciano. Most of the guests were there for the famous thermal baths.
We used it to explore the beautiful rolling hills and charming villages of
south Tuscany. The topography and look is different here---fewer trees,
deeper shades of green, and a more peaceful ambiance. My trusty Canon was
working overtime as we drove the loop to Castiglione, St Antimo, and
eventually to Montalcino. We had lunch at the wonderful but expensive
Poggio Antico, about 5 km. south of town.

Susan got the menu with no prices and ordered the artichokes and goose liver appetizer. It only cost 36.000 L [ $17], about what we would usually pay for an entire lunch for both. Thanks to KAM for her tip on this place---we finally made it and it proved to be a real experience.

The highlight of the PM was our quest to find that beautiful tiny cappella
with the cypress trees in the middle of the open fields---you know the one
that you see in every photo album of Tuscany. I had spotted it once on a
previous trip but did not have the time to find the farm road to get to
it. This time we did. It was not easy, but a local farmer directed us to a
dirt road that led us to within about 100 meters. Wow--you should see the
photos. You too can find it---located about halfway San Quirico and
Pienza on the south side of the road. You can see it well from the road,
but I was not going to be happy until I could touch it. There are few tour
busses in this area---it is my favourite part of Tuscany.

END OF PART ONE---TO BE CONTINUED IN SIENA AND ASSISI

We meandered to Siena by way of the Abbey at Mt. Oliveto Maggiore and Asciano through the heart of the Crete Sensei region of Tuscany. The murals depicting the life of St. Benedict are most impressive at the Abbey. The topography of this region is unique, featuring deeply eroded fissures in the hilly landscape. We arrived at our Siena hotel shortly after noon---the Santa Caterina, a mere 100 meters from the impressive Porta Romana south entrance into the walled city. This is a great location for a base in Siena if you are driving. You can walk to the Campo in about 15', which is exactly what we did.

It was our third time in Siena, but one never tires of the ambiance of
this living museum. The next morning we took a taxi to San Domenico and
started an abbreviated version of Paulo's famous walking tour of Siena.
Grazie to Paulo--we experienced Siena in more depth this time. After
lunch, we got our car and headed north into the Chianti countryside. It
was a near perfect sunny day as we drove a route to Radda, Gaiole, and
then back home via Castelnuovo Beredenga. We had made reservations for
dinner at the Cane e Gatto that night but decided to cancel---just too much food and gelato after ten days in Italy.

We left Siena on an overcast morning en route to our next destination in
the hills near Assisi. We hit Cortona in time for their Saturday market
day, and then on to the famous ceramic town of Deruta. We got there about
the time that most of the shops were closing for the mid-day respite, and
decided to have lunch ourselves. I had visions of escaping Deruta with my
wallet intact, but I should never underestimate the resolve of a dedicated
ceramic shopper like Susan. It was relatively painless--two small
attractive pieces for our kitchen. It was not until the next day in Spello
that she hit the jackpot with a large round centerpiece that weighed about
10 pounds. Ironically, she found it in the shop that Sally had mentioned
on the forum---I think the name is Baiocco and it is not far from the
Palazzo Bocci hotel in the centre of this charming hill town. We agreed
that she would get the honour of carrying it home.

We needed some detailed directions to find our Umbrian base
destination---the Santa Maria degli Ancillotti. It is placed in a beautiful setting on a hilltop in the middle of olive groves about five miles from Assisi. It is a most impressive rural estate, built in 1993. Our room was actually a small apartment and easily the best accommodations of our trip.

We were the only guests for the first night, and our hosts prepared a
wonderful 4 course dinner for us and several of their local friends--a
delightful experience.

We were at the Basilica San Francesco in Assisi in time for the 10:00 mass
on Palm Sunday. We had learnt that the tradition was to have a procession
following that service, and so it was. The entire congregation, the local
children, and the robed clergy all paraded through the Piazza and grounds of the basilica waving olive branches rather than palms. They seem to be more plentiful in Umbria. Both the Canon and the Olympia were busy for this scene. It was the fifth time that we had spent either Easter or Palm
Sunday in Italy, Spain or Portugal and have captured the majesty of local
pageants. We spent the next few hours exploring most of Assisi before
driving a few miles south to Spello.

Our last day was spent exploring the small hill towns of Bevagna,
Montefalco, and Todi en route to our hotel on the shores of Lago Corbara.
This location is only a two hour drive to the Rome airport, and an early
start got us to the departure gate the next day in exactly two hours. We
had separate flights, so I gave Susan a big kiss as I dropped her and then
took my time returning the car. The only negative for the entire 2 weeks
was the long flight home---over ten hours for me. I ended a 24 hour day by
falling into my bed at 02:00 and dreaming of the many delights of another
sojourn to Bella Italia. I have been procrastinating for years, but after
several varied European destinations in recent years, our next trip may
finally have to be New Zealand. It has taken eight trips to Italy to
satisfy my appetite.

BOB THE NAVIGATOR
http://www.bobthenavigator.homestead.com