Reflections of Italy Alphabetically - Part 3

I have been busy this past week typing up, cutting out and taping captions onto the backs of my photos from my Italy trip.  After 15+ trips to Europe over the past 40 years I think I need a different way to organize photos.  I have decided to buy some decorative boxes (hope to find some at Ross or a similar store) in which to store photos.  I will have one box that will contain all the photos from the most recent trip - this one being my Italy trip.  Other boxes will be organized according to places rather than trips and years.  I will go through my stack of past photo albums, which never get looked at anymore, will choose my most favorite, will write the date and place along with a short caption on the back of each and then put it in the box dedicated to that city or country.  I think this will make it easier and less bulky to store photos than keeping them in albums.  We'll see how that works!

So, today I will finish my "Reflections of Italy" posts using the letters "Q - Z".  I had to get a little creative for some of these letters, as you will see :-)

Q -
Questionable driving in Rome! (the first of my creative labeling!):  What is it about Italian drivers?!  Driving in Rome - or rather watching the driving in Rome as I wasn't doing any of it (thank goodness!) - is like the driving I've seen in Paris.  There are often wide streets without any lane designations so drivers make up their own lanes.  Traffic lights are green (go as fast as possible), yellow (go even faster) and red (only a suggestion!). 

R -
Romans and Rock:  I think the two must go together!  The Roman Empire was built, quite literally, on the foundation of the ancient "tuffa" rock which is the bedrock (forgive the pun) of Italy.  The Romans were geniuses at cutting perfect squares and circles with which to build their temples, arenas, aquaducts, roads, arches, etc.  Did you know it was the Romans who invented cement?  That's why so much of the ancient Roman structures are still around today.  And then, of course, all the marble and travertine that was used for sculptures and churches well into the Middle Ages.  So impressive still today.

The San Biagio Abbey built of local travertine

An example of Roman carving in the Forum

The Roman Colosseum

S -
Scarves:  everyone wears them - men, women, children.  It's part of the European culture and somehow they all know how to pull it off effortlessly while we Americans have a hard time just wrapping it around our necks and hoping it somehow looks OK.  I bought 2 lovely scarves in Italy and will try to be European :-)
Sculptures:  everywhere you look in Italy you will find sculptures, some of which date back to the Etruscans who predated the Romans.  Every square, piazza, church (inside and outside), government building, even street corners are decorated with sculptures - of actual people, Biblical people, mythological people and creatures, animals, birds, plants.  I love that art surrounds you in Italy.

A sculpture by Michelangelo in Sienna

A sculpture by Donatello in Venice

Smart Cars:  Rome was filled with them!  I've never seen so many little Smart Cars in all my travels.  They are so handy in the big cities because in a parking situation where it might require parallel parking, the Smart Cars can just pull right in!  Plus, when gas is close to $6.00 a gallon (equivalent to) it makes sense to drive something that is gas efficient!
Saints:  so many saints - everywhere - every church is dedicated to a saint.  Every little town (or big city) has their patron saint.  There are patron saints for every occasion and possible disaster.  I think it is perhaps a comforting thought that there is a particular saint looking out for you.  Most people living in a predominately Catholic country will be given a saint name at birth and then they get to celebrate their "Saint Day" along with their birthday.

T -
Tuscany:  that beautiful province that is south of Florence and north of Rome going down the center of Italy.  Tuscany is known for its wines, olive oil, marble, alabaster, abbeys and sunshine! 

The beautiful, almost sculptured, Tuscan countryside

A view from one of our walks

Terraces:  While not as abundant as in France, I still noticed that many of the apartments and townhouses in villages had terraces where the occupants grew flowers, herbs, and potted trees.  The Tuscans take advantage of the presence of sunshine most of the year.  The dogs and cats enjoyed the terraces, too!

A most lovely terrace in a Tuscan town

Taxis:  I don't think I've taken many taxis in the US, but we took quite a few taxi rides in Rome.  The metro in Rome is not very big.  They only have 2 lines because as they were digging below ground to put the metro in they kept running into ruins!  Imagine that!  So there is a lot of walking between major sights in that big city.  It was just easier and faster to take a taxi.  Here one also gets a sense of that Italian driving mentality.  Hold on for dear life!!  It's one grand adventure! :-)

U -
Can you say "Uscita"?  It sounds like "oo sheet ah" and it means "exit".  It was fun practicing all the Italian words.  I'm pretty good at figuring out pronunciations and can read Italian and sound like I know what I'm saying!  But I don't speak it other than a few phrases.  I WISH I could speak Italian as it is so melodic and expressive.  A beautiful language!
Uffizi Gallery in Florence - this is a former Medici palace and is now a museum which houses the most important paintings of Italian artists for the past 500 years.  If you are a painter, this is a must see place for you!

V -
Venice - one of the most magical cities in the world!  In the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, Venice was one of the powerhouse city states of wealth and influence anywhere in Europe.  You can still get a glimpse into its "golden age" as you cruise down the canals and wander the little streets.

Cruising the Grand Canal in Venice on a vaporetto

An entryway into the Doge's Palace in Venice

Vaporettos - these are Venice's public transportation.  Like taking a bus on a city street, these are boats that carry 50-60 people at a time up and down the canals.  There are no cars or any motorized vehicles in all of Venice which makes it much quieter than any other city in Europe.  Like I said, "magical".
Vineyards:  what a joy to have walked through and passed by so many vineyards and to see the fruit hanging heavily on the vines and to see the workers as they cut and gathered and processed the grapes.  The ordered and well tended vines on the hillsides spoke to the importance of this crop as a national treasure.

The well-tended straight rows of vines

The orderliness of a healthy vineyard in Tuscany

W -
Walled towns:  Every little hill town that we walked to or through or around had a magnificent wall.  These were necessary in the Middle Ages as many battles were being fought for control - the Florentines against the Venetians, the Guelphs against the Ghibelines, the forces of power and wealth vying for more land to prove their power and wealth.  The poor little towns were at the mercy of whoever had the stronger army and greater weapons.  Walking through those towns was walking through history.

The walled hill town of Monteriggioni

X -
"X" marks the spot: (another of my creative attempts here!)  How useful this would have been on a street corner in Venice where we were often lost!  Just a little map that says "here you are" and shows the closest street to get you back to Saint Mark's or the Rialto Bridge.  So glad that Ken (we called him "Ranger Rick") had his compass.  I would look at my map and say we need to go north or south (or east or west) and he would point me in the right direction!

Y -
Yummy food!:  (creative, no?!)   I remember only one bad meal on the entire trip.  It was at a very crowded restaurant in Rome and some of our group actually got up and left part way through.  But everything else was fabulous.  We even tried some local specialties like the wild boar stew which we all thought was wonderful.  Meats were cooked just right, pasta was perfect, pizza was the best ever and the seafood was unbelievable.  The Italians know how to eat!

Z -
Zed:  this is how Europeans say the letter "z" and I think it is quite charming! 
Zeus was changed to Jupiter by the Romans:  Zeus was the chief god in Greek mythology.  It's interesting to me that the Romans "borrowed" the Greek gods and myths and changed most, but not all, of their names.  The temples to Zeus in Greece and the ones to Jupiter in Rome were always the largest to honor the most important of the gods.

I hope you've enjoyed my alphabetical reflections of Italy.  I've enjoyed putting it together for you.  Besides finishing the captions for my photos this past week I also started reading my instruction book on house sitting.  I will probably share some of that info with you in future posts.

Thank you for reading my blog and commenting on the posts and telling me how much you have enjoyed them.  It means so much to me!  And thank you for joining me on my journey.  It's all part of the process  - deadlines met and deadlines changed.  But the important thing is to have plans and to have something to look forward to.  What is there just around that next bend?  I'll  be sure to let you know!

Reflections of Italy Alphabetically - Part 2

Ciao a tutti!  (Hello everyone!).  I've been going through all my photos this past week of my 17 day trip and love reliving those days, especially the ones where we walked from hill town to hill town through vineyards and farmland, woods and meadows with hills and sometimes mountains in the background.  It was wonderful!  I shall pick up this week with the letter "I" in my alphabetical journey through Italy.  If you missed "A - H" I invite you to read last week's blog post.

I -
IHS are letters we saw all over the churches and abbeys in Italy.  I finally asked one of our city guides what the letters stand for.  She told us that they are for the Latin phrase "IESUS HOMINUM SALVATOR" which means "Jesus, Savior of Mankind". 

You can almost read the letters IHS on the sun above fake David's head

J -
There is no "j" in Italian unless it is from a foreign word.  Interesting, huh?

K -
Kisses: in Italian they are called "bacci" and they are given on both cheeks as a greeting among good friends.

L -
Leather:  Italy is renowned for its wonderful leather makers.  They are everywhere and at every price.  I love the smell of leather!  And yes, I did buy a leather purse, as did many of the ladies on the trip.
Lace:  the island of Burano in the laguna near Venice is known for its lace making.  They have been making lace and fishing nets (the island is also known for its fishing) for hundreds of years.  I was able to see a few ladies making lace and linens.  My grandmother used to tat lace and so it felt special to see it all over this little island.

The brightly painted houses on Burano

Lamborghinis:  It was wonderful to get a glimpse (they go really fast, you know!) of these awesome cars!

M -
Michelangelo!  Probably my most favorite Renaissance artist, sculptor, architect.  He was a genius in every medium that he attempted.  His David and Pieta, the design of Saint Peter's and the paintings in the Sistine Chapel are beyond compare.  To see his works in reality and not just in a photo is a true pleasure for which I shall always be grateful.

Michelangelo's Pieta in Saint Peter's in Rome

A bronze bust of Michelangelo in the Accademia in Florence

A Michelangelo statue in the Duomo in Sienna  

 

 

 

 

The Medicis:  There probably would not have been a Renaissance without this powerful family providing the money for the artists and spreading their wealth all over northern Italy.  They married into French royalty and so took the Renaissance to France in the 1500s.  This family provided two popes!
Monte: this word means "mountain" in Italian.  So many of the little hill towns we visited had names beginning with "monte"; Monteriggioni, Montecatini, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Monte Amiata.  Wonderful ancient volcanic crowns.

The almost 6,000 foot Monte Amiata in the clouds

N -
"Naturale":  unless you like fizzy water you need to specify that you want yours "Naturale" - no bubbles!
Nature:  One of the reasons I chose this tour is because I wanted to experience the countryside and nature of Italy.  The beauty of Tuscany surrounded us and was calming and serene as we walked through the woods and fields.

The beauty of the Tuscan countryside

O-
O'Hare:  may I never ever ever again have to fly through Chicago!!!
Olive Oil:  it is abundant all over Italy, fresh and vibrant and tastes green!  The only way to eat fresh Italian bread!  Besides all the vineyards we walked through, we were also often surrounded by olive groves with their silver green leaves, ancient twisting trunks and bright green fruit. 

An olive grove with vineyards in the background

OPERA - this word literally means "work" in Italian.  We associate it with music in this day and age, but originally it was written on structures that were built by the local mason unions starting in the Middle Ages.  You see it everywhere in Italy.  It signifies that a structure was built by city workers.

P -
Pizza:  I love pizza!  In all its forms and flavors.  Italian pizza is fresh and inexpensive and available everywhere.  I would never tire of it, especially the one they call "Quatro Staggione" (Four Seasons) which has four toppings - ham, black olives (sometimes still with the pits), mushrooms and artichoke hearts.  Yum!
In Italy you eat your pizza with a knife and a fork.  Only those uncivilized Americans eat with their hands :-)
Pasta:  I actually got really tired of pasta as it is the first course of every lunch or dinner.  Second course is the meat course with vegetables, but the meal always begins with pasta!
Piazzas:  Every Italian city, no matter its size, has a main piazza or town square.  It is still, as it has been since Medieval times, the center of all town activities whether it is market day or feast day or festival week or a religious parade.  The piazzas are full of life and activity, often with a fountain or well in the center and all the shops and sidewalk cafes radiate around it.

The piazza in Sienna

The Piazza Navona in Rome

 

Alora, mi bel'amici (And so, my wonderful friends) this concludes Part 2 of my reflections of Italy.  Please join me next week as I conclude the alphabet and the thoughts on my trip.  I hope to start (restart) on the house this week so I can meet my new goal of having all work done by January so I can put the house on the market in February or March depending on how the housing market is doing. 
Merci and Grazie, for reading my blog and joining me on my journey east (towards France, in case you are a new reader!).  I'm more excited all the time.  Until next week . . . . 

Reflections of Italy Alphabetically - Part 1

I'm back!!!!!   I've been back a week after spending 17 absolutely wonderful days in Italy - most of the time in Tuscany.  I was trying to figure out the best way to tell you about the trip without it being a chronological journey of Day 1 through Day 17 and decided it might be fun (for all of us!) to take it alphabetically.  So, here are my reflections on my trip from A to Z.

A -
Art: everywhere you look in Tuscany you are reminded of the Renaissance and the power of the Medici family as well as the Catholic church. Art abounds whether it is paintings, sculptures, fountains, city gates, palaces, government buildings, Roman mosaics.  Italy is an art lovers paradise!

A wrought iron doorway

The facade of the Medici palace and the fake David in Florence

A painting inside the Santa Croce church in Florence

 Alabaster:  the tiny town of Volterra sits high above the rich farmland and vineyards encircled by impressive walls and topped with a grand fortress.  It was one of the main Etruscan towns dating back to the 8th century BC!  But today is home to many alabaster carvers.  The rock is abundant in the hills outside the town and many of us bought beautiful bowls or candle holders which show off the skills of these modern artists.
Apes:  (pronounced "ah pays") no, these are not primates, they are tiny trucks that run on 3 wheels that every farmer owns.  "Ape" means "bee" in Italian and these little vehicles buzz all over the countryside.

An Ape - every farmers pride and joy

Abbadia:  the Italian word for "abbey".  These were everywhere along the hiking trails that we took.  The trails were part of an ancient path called the "Via Francigena" leading pilgrims from France to Rome back in the Middle Ages.  The abbeys were built to show the power and also the benevolence of the Catholic church for the faithful pilgrims.

Sant'Antimo Abbey

B -  
Bambino:  I agree with Frances Mayes.  In my next life I want to come back as an Italian baby!  Everyone stops to talk to the family and the baby in the carriage.  Children are catered to as precious gems.  They make a fuss over them and stop in the middle of the sidewalk or market or restaurant to give them kisses!

C -  
Chianti:  the region of Italy that gave its name to the particular type of red wine that is produced here.
Calamari:  I never missed the chance to have fresh calamari with my meal!  Always perfectly cooked.
Cousins:  I was so happy to have my cousins, Cindy and Sharon, along on the trip with me!

With cousins Sharon and Cindy

"C" - FYI, the letter "c" never makes an "s" sound in Italian.  It is always a "k" or a "ch" sound.

D -
Duomo:  this word is used in place of the word "cathedral".  It comes from the Latin word for house as it represents the "house of God" - Domus Dei.  We visited more duomo's than I can count at the moment: the most famous being the Duomos in Florence, Pisa, and Venice.  They are filled with art and awe - true works of faith in every aspect.

The Duomo in Florence

David:  No matter how many times I've seen Michelangelo's statue of David I still am in awe.  When you turn that corner in the Accademia in Florence and see him at the end of the gallery underneath the sunlit dome, it takes your breath away.

Michelangelo's David

E -
Etruscans!: They were the mighty civilization that predated the Romans.  They were contemporaries of the Greeks and in fact traded with them.  They had realistic sculptures and gold coins.  They were warlike and yet valued family as seen in their artwork.  Much of their language is still a mystery.  Most of the hilltowns that we visited had roots dating back to the Etrustcans.

F -  
Fiats and Ferraris: Lots of the first and a few of the second!  The Italians love their cars.
Fountains: every town square (or piazza) had a fountain.  Even in the tiny towns.  Often the fountains were the old wells of the town and still offer good artesian spring water to visitors.

G -  
Gelato is at the top of my list!  I seldom turned down a chance to have this amazing Italian ice cream.  What we call "gelato" in the States pales in comparison.  It is creamy and sweet and melts in your mouth.  Yum!
Gardens:  we walked through fields and vineyards and noticed that just about every house we passed had a vegetable garden and also lots of flowers.  What a wonderful way to live, surrounded by nature and being as self-sufficient as possible.

A lovely pumpkin

Grapes!!!!

      Gattos:  I had fun watching the cats of the towns, neighborhoods, even churches, as they "claimed" their territory and yet were willing to share their space with us.  Most (along with the dogs) were quite friendly.  They even responded to "here, kitty, kitty" which must be a universal call :-)

An Italian "kitty"

H -  
History: it's everywhere.  We walked Roman roads, medieval pilgrimage paths, Renaissance streets.  We were surrounded by civilizations long past who left their marks on the present.  The Italians have an insightful way of bringing the past along with them.  Nothing is ever too old, too out-dated, too mundane.  It makes me wonder what impact on history will our country leave.  Certainly nothing as lasting as the
Italians see every day.

OK, my lovely readers, I will end today's post here and will pick up with the letter "I" next Sunday.  As always, I thank you for taking the time to read my blog.  I plan to start working again on my house.  It's time to paint the addition - ceiling, walls, etc.  I know it won't take that long, I just need to get motivated to get it done.  It is good to be back at home, but I'm always looking ahead to that next trip.  The next one will probably be when I move to France.  I have bought a book on house sitting and will start going through that and making notes.  My updated plan is to have the house ready to sell by February and then we'll go from there.  The journey continues . . . .