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Italy 2018 - Siena, Venice and Milan

JMichael

100+ Posts
Trip Report Part 2 - Italy - Sept/Oct. 2018 (Part 1 is in the Other Countries Forum)

After ten days in the Czech Republic, we took the train to Vienna for the day (Demel for lunch). The same evening, we headed south in our compartment on the overnight train to Italy. We changed trains in Florence and made our way south to Siena, the largest of Tuscany's hilltowns. It is famous for the Palio held there each summer. There are two large churches in Siena. The Basilica of San Domenico greeted us from our apartment's bedroom windows with a choral of bells each morning at 7:30 sharp. The 14th century Duomo of Siena is the main church in town and holds a magnificent array of sculpture and paintings by Donatello, Pisano, Michelangelo and others. Of all the churches we've been in through the years, this is my favorite.

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I mentioned the Palio in Siena. There are really two horse races, one in July and the other in August (they were also doing a special one in 2018 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI). Each neighborhood or "contrada" in Siena is eligible to compete. There are 17 contrade and 10 spots in the race (chosen by lottery) which is held in the city plaza, Il Campo. There is a great deal of medieval pageantry that takes place in the weeks surrounding the Palio, with drummers and flag bearers marching around town. It all reaches a bit of a frenzy on the day of the race. The horses make a mad dash of three laps around the campo. Jockeys, riding bareback, are allowed to hit and whip each other in an attempt to knock each from their horses. The horse that finishes first, with a rider or not, wins great honor for its contrada. If you saw the 007 film Quantum of Solace, you saw shots of a Palio at the beginning of the movie. When they're not running the Palio, the restaurants around Il Campo put out tables on the track. It's a great place to people-watch over a spritz or two or three.

You may have heard food and wine are kind of a big thing in Italy. We spent some time at a couple of small, family run wineries in Chianti. The first was Fattoria Tregole outside Siena. It's run by a mother and daughter in a 12th century villa. They served us lunch in the garden overlooking the Tuscan hillsides. Their Chianti Riserva rivals any we've had. The second winery was outside Florence and part of a day where we toured the winery and then had a cooking class in which the six of us made ravioli for dinner. We also witnessed the Carro Matto, the blessing of the Chianti grape harvest, in front of the duomo in Florence. The other pics are some dishes we had to go with the wonderful wine.
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From Florence we headed to our favorite city in Italy, Venice. Many say it's overrun with tourists as cruise ships dump thousands of people for the day. True, it's shoulder to shoulder walking between Piazza San Marco and the Rialto or along the Strada Nova, but there are still quiet places in this ancient city. Our apartment for the week was off the beaten path in the Santa Croce neighborhood. This is an area of few tourists and many Venetian families. Our second night there, we met up with Nan McElroy of Row Venice for a lesson rowing a voga, the flat-bottomed boat used by Venetians for centuries. Most people think of gondolas when they think of Venice. However, gondolas were the limousines of the rich. The voga was the everyday transport for goods and people in this city without cars. As with a gondola, the voga has no rudder and is rowed while standing up. It's very different from paddling a canoe or kayak. After a quick bit of instruction, Nan, Meredith and I snaked our way from the marina to the Grand Canal, two of us rowing at a time. Not only did we feel as though we were part of an historic tradition, but we got to see this romantic city from a perspective few tourists ever get.

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So, in a city such as Venice with so many first class hotels, why go to the trouble of renting an apartment? There's no daily maid service, no front desk to call, no in-house restaurant or cocktail lounge. However, with an apartment, you get to live in a neighborhood with locals instead of being insulated from the culture and staying with other tourists. The Campo San Giacomo dell' Orio was our neighborhood square, where kids play and adults sit and talk each afternoon and early evening.
Most important for those of us who love to cook, you get a kitchen! On our first visit to Venice, we were overwhelmed by the abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables, and fish brought into Venice daily from the lagoon and outer islands. Since then, we have always rented an apartment so we could prepare and enjoy seafood available nowhere else. These pics are of the market and one of the meals we made of the incredible bounty.
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We paid homage to the arts while in Venice. Not so much viewing famous paintings (though we did do some of that), as going to the places some of our favorite authors, composers, and performers visited. If you're keen on Charles Dickens, you might like to go to his favorite spot on Piazza San Marco, Caffe Florian. Opened in 1720, it was also a favorite of Casanova because it was the only cafe where unaccompanied women were allowed. When the weather is good, it's a treat to sit outside, have lunch and a spritz, and enjoy the orchestra. Another stop was a hangout for Ernest Hemingway, Alfred Hitchcock, and Orson Wells: Harry's Bar. This is the home of the first bellini, a velvety combination of peach puree and prosecco. The bar's fame far exceeds its actual size. Surprisingly, there were only twelve or so tables for dining and six stools at the bar, two of which we occupied. When we were there, George Clooney..........was not.
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Our last stop was admittedly a bit fancy. When planning the trip, we thought we should experience opera in Italy at least once. The opera house in Venice, Teatro La Fenice (The Phoenix) dates back to 1792. An arson fire in 1996 left nothing but the exterior walls. Many cities would have replaced the old girl with a more modern structure, but not Venice. Seven years of working 24/7, using the same materials as the original, recreated what was. We were able to see The Barber of Seville in the same place as Rossini premiered it.

My grandfather used to say, “You can’t see the forest for the trees,” meaning that focusing on the individual parts close to you, doesn’t allow you to appreciate the whole. So it can be with Venice. The Piazza San Marco can be a virtual zoo of tourists with hours-long lines of folks waiting to get into the Doge’s Palace, San Marco Cathedral or take the elevator to the top of the Campanile. A vaporetto ride across the Grand Canal will get you to the tiny island of San Giorgio Maggiore. It has a near twin to the bell tower of Piazza San Marco, has no lines and offers a view far superior to that of the Campanile.
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Aside from the main islands, Murano is among the most visited by tourists. Venice was famous early on for its beautiful glass. However, after several catastrophic fires in the city, all glass furnaces were moved to the island of Murano in 1291. Today, tourists are lured here by hawkers around San Marco who offer “free tours” of the glassworks that usually end up in some little shop watching a guy make a tiny horse over a butane torch. Many of the pieces offered for sale are actually from China or Indonesia. The real furnaces and artisans are off the central canal, and in summer, only operate in the cool morning hours.

Giorgio Bruno blew his first glass in his father’s workshop on Murano at the age of fourteen. He has lived on the island his whole life, and currently teaches his craft at the glass school of Murano. He is a master of glass fusion, lampwork, and blown glass. We happened to walk into Giorgio’s shop in 2007 and were amazed at the variety and beauty of the pieces he created. This trip marked our third visit with this lovely man and his family. A fringe benefit of our acquaintanceship is that his wife introduced us to her aunt’s and uncle’s restaurant, Al Corallo, on the island.
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Milan was the last stop of our vacation. We were only there for three days before flying home, so we didn't wander too far from the Duomo area. Highlights included a visit to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Built in 1865, its the coolest mall you'll ever shop. It is also the home of the Campari Bar where Davide Campari introduced his famous liqueur (the key ingredient in my favorite spritz). We also spent a day exploring the Duomo and its museums. Our pass included a trip to the roof of the Duomo for a close-up view of its statue-laden gothic spires and panoramic view of the city. The Duomo took 500 years to build, has just over 3,500 statues, and can hold 40,000 people.
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