Florence, Home of the Renaissance

We caught a mid-day train from Naples to Florence via Rome.  Hotel Milu (Hotel Milu) was a 10 minute walk from the train station but I was feeling lazy and took a cab.  The hotel has only been open for a year and it is quite nice and close to everything.

We had tickets for the Accademia (Accademia)for late afternoon entrance.  If you plan on visiting the museum I highly recommend you buy them online before leaving home since the line is quite long if you don't.  Also, before getting in line, go to #51 up the street to exchange your confirmation for actual tickets.  It will not take you more than 45 minutes to see all you want to see since The David is the main attraction.

We crossed the Arno River to reach our dinner destination.  On the way we ran across a photo shoot on the bridge the Ponte Vecchio in the background with three models.  It attracted a bit of a crowd.  This same bridge was also a gathering spot for watching the sunset on our way home.

The next morning we had arranged for a tour guide, Maria Angela Solda (www.belaflorence.com) to take us on a tour of the city.  This isn't exactly correct.  I had arranged for a guide through toursbylocals.com, but our original guide was in an accident this morning and called her friend from the ambulance to meet us in her place.  I would highly recommend Angela to anyone visiting Florence.

To get our bearings, our first stop was in the Plaza della Repubblica to look at a relief map of the city.  As with most cities of this age, there is a main street that runs north south and another that runs east west.  This square marks the center of the city and also the center of the government.  If you're in the mood to feel like a child, a carousel is also in this square if you want to go for a ride.

Next we walked to short distance to the baptistery and the Duomo  (Florence Cathedral), probably the two most famous structures in Florence.  Covered in white and green marble they really are breathtaking.  We first stopped to look at the bronze doors of the baptistery by San Giovanni which were created to give the feeling of depth.  Each panel depicts a scene from the bible.

The cathedral is right across from the baptistery (the walkway is called paradise) and is quite large.  Towards the back of the church is the duomo, or the dome, that can be seen from miles around.  It was quite an engineering feat at the time of its construction because of both its size and the method used in building it.  Up until this point, domes were built using a frame supporting it during construction which was removed once it was completed.  This one, designed by the famous architect Filoppo Brunelleschi, was built free standing using a series of rings hidden between the outer dome and the inner one.  Because of the line to enter the church, we opted to continue on our walking tour.

Florence is a very old city and the buildings can be divided into medieval (1000-1399) and renaissance (1400-).  There are many little squares in the city with buildings surrounding them.  There are also many churches and museums (and museums that used to be churches).   After looking at several examples, we made our way to the Uffizi Gallery for the final part of our tour.

Uffizi means office building, which is what this was before being turned into a museum.  It now houses some of the finest examples of art from Florence.  Angela showed us pieces that related to the times they were painted and also showed the progression of the artwork from very flat to very dynamic.  It makes a big difference having someone explain what you're looking at, especially for a non-artistic accountant like me!

We concluded our tour in a square not far from the Uffizi that contains a copy of the David (the original one was displayed here until it was decided that it needed to be protected).  All the sculptures in the square are originals except the David.  She dropped us at La Grotta Guelfa (Facebook Page) for lunch.  This was the best meal we have had in Florence.

We returned to the hotel to rest before meeting our photography group.  We knew about half of the group from previous trips.  The rest of the people seemed to have taken workshops from Joe before.  It's always fun catching up with people and meeting knew ones.  We walked to our group dinner before returning to our hotel for bed.

Tomorrow:  First full day of class

Sorrento

Even though this was our home base for this portion of our trip, we had spent very little time exploring the charming town of Sorrento.  While larger than its cousins along the Amalfi coast, Sorrento is worth spending time exploring the streets.  We had a later start this morning, allowing ourselves time to catch up on much needed sleep.  By the time we hit the streets it was mid-morning and already getting a little warm.

Tasso Square is the center part of the town and the jumping off point for the pedestrian alleyways containing both retail establishments and churches of various shapes and sizes.  When we came to a church that was open, we popped in for a look even if only for a few minutes.  By far the most spectacular was the Sorrento Cathedral, home to the Archbishop for the region.  We spent several minutes exploring and taking photos.

We stopped at other churches along the way.  One displayed black and white photos of Raffaele Celentano, a local photographer who has documented Sorrento locals over the years.  Some were quite funny like the one with nuns enjoying tree swings.  Others showed much emotion on the faces of their subject.  He also has collected photos of Sofia Lauren over the years and these photos were on display at another museum which we also visited.  The third site of his photos was in the Saint Francis Cloister where we got to meet the artist.

For lunch, we hunted down  Inn Bufalito Taverna which specializes in all things buffalo.  We started with the mozzarella sampler which contained 5 kinds of cheese all of which were delicious.   We all tried different main courses.  Pasta with buffalo ragu, spagheti with pesto and muscles and salad with tuna were all delightful.  Don't miss trying this place if you are ever in Sorrento.

After lunch I was on a mission to find a pair of sandals from one of the many streetside vendors.  We ended up at a small store which would custom make a pair for you and have them ready the next afternoon.  This was exactly what I was looking for and was thrilled that I found a pair already in their inventory since we have an morning departure for Florence.

The last item on my Sorrento bucket list was swimming in the ocean.  Our hotel has a deck at water level filled with chairs and umbrellas along with a ladder that allowed entry into the water.  After seeing beaches of people playing in the ocean, I assumed the water would be warm and inviting.  Warm it was not even though the clear waters were quite inviting.  I took the plunge if only for a few minutes so I could say I had done it.

Early evening we set out to find other unexplored streets of the city.  Heading in the opposite direction up from Tasso Square, we ran across an abandoned water mill in a valley far below street level.  Quite overgrown, it was still a site to behold.  We then wondered further up the hill which took us into more of the locals area.  We came upon the leftovers of an ancient fortification which also housed a inlaid wood museum.  Franco demonstrated how inlay is made and gave us a souvenir to take with us.  Next we climbed to the top of the wall for a view over the city.

It was almost sunset, so we hurried down to the waterfront for our final sunset over the ocean.  This was the best of the trip because some scattered clouds added interest to the red setting sun.  People gathered in a ritual found all over the world, witnessing the end of another day.

Dinner consisted of ice cream drinks and potato chips which was all we needed after our early afternoon lunch.  Sorrento welcomed us with open arms and we loved exploring her sites.

Tomorrow: Traveling to Florence 

Amalfi Coast

One of the only ways (boat being the other) to experience the Amalfi Coast is to get a car and drive the curvey roads cut into the side of the cliffs.  Our driver from Monday picked us up early for our day on the coast.

Our first stop was the beautiful hillside village of Positano.  Buildings and houses cling to the volcanic rock slopping down to the public beach which was filling with locals and tourists.  The narrow lanes contained shops, mostly for tourist, and cafes.  Bougainvillea covered trellises over the walkways protecting shoppers from the sun.  Towards the bottom was a church that wasn't yet open.  This was the one village I was looking forward to visiting the most and I was not disappointed.

Back onto the road down the coast it was apparent that tourist season was in full swing with the number of buses on the road.  They can cause a backup when two meet on a curve because only one can go at a time.  The road has been likened to the inside of a conch shell, spiraling up then down with very few straightaways.  One spot is only wide enough for a single lane of traffic, so a light is used to change directions every few minutes to allow movement both directions.

The next town on the drive was Amalfi.  A cruise ship was already in port, which meant everything was very crowded.  We opted to continue on the route and perhaps stop on our way back to visit the cathedral.

The last town on our tour was Ravelo which was also our lunch destination.  We ate at a lovely restaurant with beautiful views of the bay.  It was a leisurely affair capped off by the standard shot of limoncello.  This left us with a few minutes to walk to the square in the heart of the town.

Amalfi was much quieter on our return so we stopped to visit the cathedral.  After climbing the fifty steps that lifted the cathedral high above the square, we entered a large room filled with cases containing various pieces of art and serve-ware.  Down a flight of stairs was the crypt which was quite beautiful but much smaller than the first room.  Upstairs we finally entered the cathedral which was large in both height and and flooring.  Descending the stairs, we found a fountain where it was  apparently good luck to refill your water bottles since everyone seemed to be doing it.

The final leg of our journey was mostly quiet which meant I found myself nodding off.  I guess our late night was taking its toll on me.  None the less, the journey was breath-taking and well worth the time and effort.

For dinner tonight, we went less touristy and more local at Pizzeria Franco.  Seating was at benches along long tables that were packed into the dining space.  The menu contained much more than pizza, but I had come for the pie.  This was by far the most extensive pizza list we had seen up until this point.  Wow, this was what I expected for a region known for this dish!  If I lived here, this would be a weekly stop.

Tomorrow: A day in Sorrento  

Capri

When we were planning for this trip I had commented that I wasn't sure I wanted to visit Capri since I'd been there before and found it very overpriced and touristy.  However, since our friend that is traveling with us has not been to Italy before, we decided we should give it a go.  Boy, am I glad I did!

Since Capri is an island, the only way to get there is by some form of boat.  The port in Sorrento sells tickets for ferries to the nearby ports including Capri.  It's a quick journey that lands you at the only point on the island that is accessible from the water.  From here you have several options: a boat tour around the island(including a stop at the Blue Grotto), the Venicular to Capri, buses to Anacapri (the more interesting of the two communities) or cabs that will take you to Anacapri for $25 euro which is the option we took.

The roads to the top are very narrow and wind their way up the steep cliff.  The views of the bay are quite spectacular.  The taxis are mostly open top with canvas shielding you from the sun.  Considering the people in the buses resembled sardines we thought it was well worth the price.

One of the main attractions in Anacapri is the chairlift to the top of  Monte Solaro.  This was worth the boat ride over and I highly recommend it to anyone visiting the island.  You have views down onto the bays surrounding the island.  You also have good views of I Faraglioni, rock formations that jut out of the water in dramatic fashion.  There's a little restaurant at the top along with WC (bathrooms) so you can hang out awhile admiring the views.  The one man chairlifts whisk you back down the mountain when done, dropping you close the the main part of the town.

Walking back down the hill a ways will bring you down a cute little pedistrian street, Via Orlandi, that will take you past Casa Rosa (a red house that is now a museum) and St. Michael's Church.  There are also many small shops and eateries along the way if you need other distractions.  After our stroll and lunch break, we took a cab back down the mountain to the port to catch a ferry to Sorrento.  This really was a great way to spend our day.

Tonight, we met two other friends in Sorrento touring also for dinner at Il Buco.  This Michelin starred food haven was a meal experience which lasted right at 3 hours.  They specialize in gin and tonics which made a couple of our Party very happy.  The food was outstanding and I would definitely recommend a visit if you have a chance. 

Travel Day

Part of the price you pay for traveling to cool places is the day it takes to get there.  We started with an 8:00 a.m. flight out of Tulsa to Dallas.  After a few hours in DFW (one of my favorite airports) we boarded our overnight flight to Rome. I have never found the perfect combination to get +6 hours of sleep but I managed a couple of long catnaps along with a couple of movies to pass the time.

The easiest way to get to almost anywhere is to take the airport express train to the Rome Termini.  I made the mistake of buying the tickets before we left home which meant we waited almost 2 hours for our train.  I would suggest buying when you're ready to leave since they run every 15 minutes.

After another wait (remember, the price you have to pay) we boarded our high speed train to Napoli (Naples).  This turned into nap time since this is about the point in the trip when you could sleep through an NBA finals game laying in the middle of the court!  We had a driver meet us at the station for our last segment into Sorrento.

The Amalfi coast is simply breathtaking with is volcanic hills falling off into crystal clear waters.  Our hotel, The Grand Hotel Royal, sits directly above the water with an elevator down to the beach and outdoor terraces for a bite to eat or a cocktail at sunset.

We chose a typical Italian eatery right down the street, Pizzeria Tasso, for our first real Italian meal.  Along with pizza, they also serve pasta dishes and house specialties.  It was really excellent.  We watched the sunset before calling it a night.

Tomorrow: The isle of Capri

A Little Closer to Home

Our last few trips have been to some pretty exotic locales, so when the opportunity came along to visit Italy we grabbed it.  Even if we don't speak the language, we at least recognize the alphabet and recognize items on the menu.  We also will have the opportunity to work with a legendary photographer, Joe McNally (Joe McNally).  Having visited Italy before, we know we will have great photo opportunities and the food's not bad either!

Since we're already paying for a ticket over, we've decided to go a few days early and spend some time in Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast.  If you have never been there it should be on your bucket list of places to go before you die.  I hope I'll be able to post photos that will do it justice.

After a few days on our own, we plan to meet up with our group in Florence.  When I mention this to friends, more times than not they say this is absolutely their favorite city in the world.  Florence (or Firenze as the Italians call it) is a manageable size city that packs a big punch.  The museums contain world famous art, the surrounded areas produce world class wine and the food is amazing.  We have some friends joining us that have never visited here and I can't wait to see their reaction.

So, settle back and join us for our adventure in Italy.