Italy

Hello, and thanks for comin’ back. 

For a little over a week now, we have been visiting Ms. Karen’s favorite, Italy. Here, we found much fun, and uncompromising beauty. Oh yeah, they have a food thing goin’ on up in these parts too. Hmmm…

Siracusa

On Saturday, we were very excited to finally make it to Sicily, which is kind of a whole (large) island separate from the rest of the boot-shaped country of Italy to its North. It was made popular in The Godfather movies, and is an autonomous region of Italy, meaning that it is kind of a country in a country. 

Our visit took us to  the city of Siracusa, where there has been a thousand year old argument regarding the spelling and punctuation of the city’s name. Italians call it Siracusa, Sicilians call it Siracuse, and Americans call it Syracuse. Right or wrong, the most common pronunciation by the locals seems to be  “see·raa·goo·saa”.

Lots of rich history here. My favorite are the story’s of one of the world’s first mathematicians, their citizen Archimedes (born c. 287 BCE). His inventions included the catapult, a grappling hook that they were able to deploy over their city walls that snagged attacking ships and lifted them out of water, and even a “heat beam”, a collection of magnifying mirrors that purported to have been used to igniting attacking Roman war ships during the Siege of Syracuse, which ultimately lasted pretty much his life. 

Speaking of heat beams, we decided that, in order to beat the heat, we would disembark first thing in the morning. Although much of the town was not open at 7:00, the portion of the city nearest us had many fun public spaces that would be cool and uncrowded. 

After a quick look around, we found a quiet cafe, and had warm crescents and cappuccinos. Like most Italian towns, ruins can be found everywhere, intermingled with the cityscape. Grabbing photos along the way, we headed to an open-air market, featuring miles of fresh fruits, vegetables, clothing, and the likes. Also present were many buyers from the local restaurants, loading up on ingredients for today’s delectable offerings. 

While Ms. Karen enjoyed the market, I tackled other areas of town, stealing away precious photographs, and enjoying the vacant streets and piazzas. 

As things warmed up a bit, I stumbled across a local beach, tucked in a cove just outside the city’s walls. Very nice! As I did my best to blend in with the locals enjoying the cool water, I could not help but wondering what it would be like to live in such a beautiful place. A different world here for sure…

A bit before the lunch hour, Karen made her way to the part of town I had been meandering, and we waited in line at the top rated restaurant in the area. It had seating for 2 dozen, but 8 of these were outside, and would not be  shaded until an hour into lunch. We counted ourselves lucky for getting there a bit early, as there were dozens of people in line behind us when they opened. 

It was worth the wait! “a Putia delle cose buone” was tiny, but lived up to its large reputation. We opted for rigatoni with meatballs. It was outstanding! 

We enjoyed this small town. Although we sailed away earlier than usual, the afternoon was equally outstanding. We were able to catch a glimpse of our first active volcano (Mount Etna) smoldered on the horizon. As we forged our way northward, the shores of Italy and Sicily closed in around us, making the narrow watery passageway between them an adventure onto itself. 

Alas, we found ourselves in open waters, heading towards our next stop. 

Naples

On Sunday, we made our second trip to Naples. Outside of Pompeii and the city’s train station, we did not see much of this city during our 2012 trip. While we were excited about returning, it is said that Naples is “rough around the edges”. This is largely due to its reputation for pick pockets and such, and the overwhelming amount of trash, everywhere. One fellow traveler noted that, as a local restauranteur began setting out the outdoor dining tables, instead of sweeping away the trash, they just set the table up right on top of it. I guess it is just their way…

Regardless, we had important business here. So we “battened down the hatches”, which in this case meant hiding our money in our socks, way down by the toes, before walking down the trash-ridden alleyways that are Naples. You see, the secret lies in wearing high top sneakers. Yup! Even the most brilliant criminal mind couldn’t penetrate those fortresses!

No, all seriousness aside, we took additional precautions, and visited the one, the only, the only one. We visited L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele!

I know what you’re thinking. “What in the heck is a L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele?” Well, I’m glad that you asked. 

L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele was to be our first MICHELIN-starred Restaurant. Pretty hoyty-toyty, right? Not so much, but it is the oldest and number one  pizza place in Naples (who claim to be the birthplace of the world’s favorite pie).

L’Antica Pizzeria gained popularity as a setting for the critical “muffin-top” scene in the movie Eat. Pray. Love. In the scene, Julia Roberts and her girlfriend are reluctant to travel down the road to Naples and eat pizza, even though their local friends tell them that this is a “do not miss” Italian adventure. So they compromise, traveling to Naples and eating pizza, then buying new (larger) pants afterwards! 

At any rate, the movie, and the pizza were great. Understanding that the restaurant was a 25 minute walk from the port, and that, do to its popularity, it is next to impossible to get a table, we headed out early. 

The pizzeria is located in a muy authentico Naples neighborhood. Arriving an hour before they opened, we found that they had expanded, adding pizza ovens and carry out windows in the neighboring buildings. Up and down the street, all of the local cafes with outdoor table advertised that you could sit with your pizza if you purchased your drinks from them. 

Waiting in line, which soon stretched up the street, was pretty neat. The owner, who was the grandson of the original owner, came out and introduced himself, sharing his family history and thanking us. 

We were seated at one of only a handful of tables, and watched as the cooks created their legendary pizzas in their wood-fired oven just a few feet away. (These are cool, so to speak. You see, they never let them cool down. Even overnight!)

They only had a handful of pizzas to choose from, the traditional Neapolitan (“margarita pizza” with San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil, a drizzle of olive oil) or marinara with or without cheese. 

So, I left out the part about it being 10:30 in the morning, but I have to say , this was the best breakfast pizza we ever had. Yummo!

After a bit of sightseeing, we headed back to cool off in the pool, (and wash our shoes, and leftover money). A perfect way to end our day in Naples. 

Rome 

So, we had visited Rome in 2012. While we had a tour of the Colosseum scheduled, the Italian Department of Tourism workers were on strike that day, so we were only able to experience the outside. 

We later learned that it was common in Italy for warriors workers to randomly go on unscheduled one day strikes. Luckily, we did not experience this on this year’s visit.

Rome is chaos. So much to see, and many people. Today’s excursion included a 1.5 hour bus ride from the port, followed by 3 hour to wander the People’s Square, home of the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps (among other things).  

This experience was very eventful and fun. Rome’s contrast with Naples was extraordinary. 

Our guide was a hoot. What an accent. And her hands must be exhausted by the end of the day. The best part was that she had a microphone, and the -8 of us had earbuds. We spent several hours on the bus and a half day walking through the Coliseum, with her 10 feet in front, us following in single file. She never stopped talking, and every time that I caught up with her, her hands were going a mile a minute as she talked to the mic. 

So, to set the scene, for the next five paragraphs, please add an “a” at the end of every word and flail your hands wildly as you read. Okay”a”?
😉

One thing she said really stuck. As she was explaining the history and architecture of Rome, she said “Rome is built like a lasagna. There’s a lota layers!”

So a couple of interesting facts. Rome’s gladiator’s games lasted 3-4 months every year, for some 650 years.  Contrary to the movies, generally gladiators were not killed, and when injured, lived to fight another day. However, sometimes, up to nearly 100 animals a day were killed during the battles. 

The ruins were seen today were under the arena, and there were trap doors where they would let the lions and other animals up to take on the gladiators, which were sometimes already in the heat of battle with other gladiators. In fact, records show that it was common for 6-12 separate  battles between gladiators goin on simultaneously! 

So all of this was very expensive. And the citizens did not have to pay to attend. Guess who paid for the expenses of the animals and gladiators. (Insert pause for effect here, but you can keep moving your arms if you want…)

The up and coming politicians. Paying for the games bought you air time to speak! ( During intermissions? I do not know)

At any rate, The Coliseum was awesome. I can see how was chosen as a Wonder of the World.

So, moving on. (You can stop adding “a”s and moving your hands about now.) Next stop…

Carrara 

So we docked on Carrara, and nearly everyone onboard headed out, taking trains to Florence, Pisa, and our favorite, Cinque Terre . Problem being, we have been to all of these places. So we stayed in Carrara, which you probably think you have never heard of before. But you likely have. 

Carrara is where much of the world’s Italian marble has been mined, for centuries. In fact, The Coliseum, and all of the adjoining castles, Forums, etc. were all finished using marble from Carrara. (Part of the lasagna layers was that the marble was later stripped off of these places, and was repurposed to build Rome’s churches and Basilicas.)

Of course, the down side is, they mined the mountain from the front. So for the last 2000 years, the city has been wedged between a really ugly mountain and the Mediterranean Sea. “When in Rome” I guess… But IO do have to say, this is the first city I’ve seen that has all marble sidewalks and curbs. Pretty!

So this was a pretty small town, casual day. We had a nice dinner featuring Cacio e Pepe, which is a cheesy white cream sauce, heavy on the black pepper. Very unique. Highly recommended. 

Last stops…

Portofino/Genoa/Santa Margherita/Camogli

Today, Karen spent her day exploring Portofino, I had an all day tour exploring this, and several other towns. Each was stunning, and somehow unique in its own way that you cannot quite put your finger on. Loved them all, but I will say one thing. Portofino is expensive. Like $19 for two ice cream cone expensive! Also, it was much move crowded than the other towns. 

And so, we had our fill of wandering the winding cobblestone streets of Italy. Next stop, the south of France, but that my friends is yet another story. 

Ciao, ciao!
– Mike
“Just follow your front wheel.” – Neil Peart, Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road