Day 5: Firenze and Chianti

When you travel to Italy, there are three things that transcend all other needs and desires to see. I am of course talking about the “other” holy trinity of Pizza, Pasta, and Wine! Approaching our fifth full day in this country, we have had approximately 8 pasta dishes, 10 different pizza varieties, and enough wine to make Bacchus, the roman god of wine, blush. 

But upon arriving in Florence, which is located in the heart of the Tuscan wine region that produces Italy’s best and most famous wines, we took things to another level and went on a full day wine tour with Tuscany Wine Tours through a sub-region known as Super Chianti. Our guide, Tom, was a 7 year native of Florence, who moved from London to pursue a Sommelier course for three years. He decided to stay for the same reason any one moves to Florence and stays, at least based on the movies I have seen, LOVE!!! He story was a little different in that his fiancee is Mexican and they met in an English Pub, and they were going to Mexico to get married. 

We began our tour just outside Florence with two other couples, one from Taiwan about our age, and another younger couples from Hong Kong who just got married in November and were on their honeymoon. Both seemed quite nice, but were content to talk to themselves for the most part (other than the questions peppered by the basketball fan from Taiwan about Michael Jordan who practically wanted MY autograph once he found out I grew up in the same city as MJ), so Lauren and I talked to Tom for the most part. He was able to tell us not only all about the wine, but the culture that surrounded it in Italy, such as drinking and driving compared to US/UK, acceptable levels of intoxication, and the prominence of hand gestures and horn honking by Italians...all critical topics to learn about.

We first visited a winery in the Chianti region that had been family owned for centuries, and specialized in not only wine, but extra virgin olive oil and cheese making. The cheese was made using sheep’s milk from their 598 sheep (apparently two recently wandered a little too far off the broken path and onto the cemented car path…). We walked through the intricacies of the planting, pruning, harvesting, and “fertilization” of the vineyards, as well as the different levels of wine that can be produced. The farm only employees 6 full time employees for all their production, though they will usually have friends and family join for the wine harvest, which will only last 2-3 weeks.

Italian wine can fall into one of four categories, which are loosely tied to wine quality. Table wine is at the bottom, which has no regulation and can be made from blending any grapes and any vintage together. Cheap, but usually good enough to enjoy at dinner if you aren’t too much of a wine snob, and served in carafes as they usually aren’t bottled individually. Next is the IGT, which is what most wineries produce as their lower level product. Similarly lesser regulation, it must be monitored in its blending to ensure consistency, but still has no rules as far as what grapes can be used. Following is the DOC wines, which in the Chianti region must contain 50-60% of the Sangiovese grape (the grape that makes Chianti what it is), and follows some rules for handling to qualify. Finally is the DOCG, the crème de la crème of Chianti wines, of which only 43 of the 360 regional wineries qualify. Not only must these wines contain 80% Sangiovese grape, but they must follow strict rules for handling. Irrigation must be natural, relying on early spring rains to grow the roots and hot dry summers to make the best grapes. No fertilizer can be used, but I put it in quotations earlier because they can naturally fertilize their vines by planting Fava Beans between the rows and tilling them into the soil in early summer. Like most legumes, fava beans act as a natural Nitrogen replenisher to keep the soil fresh and fertile. Finally, all harvesting and processing must be done by hand, though machines like stem removers and mixing tanks are ok to use for the more mundane parts. Now even though these guidelines are only required for wines to be marked DOCG, most of the farms take pride in following the same steps as their fore-fathers and follow these regulations for every plot of vines, from Table wine to DOCG.

So after enjoying the cheese, EVOO, and wine from the first farm, we were off to our next stop. On the way, Tom pointed out a new vineyard built only 10 years ago that was completely underground, at a full modern $150M facility built into the hillside with top of the line automation and processing. Unfortunately we didn’t stop there, but as Bob Dylan said, “the times they are a changin”, so hopefully the changes stay within that underground bunker and don't effect the traditional wineries. We continued on to the small town of Panzano, where we met a famous butcher Dario Cecchini, a vibrant gregarious character that was constantly singing and dancing to the Italian music blaring overhead, while hacking away at his meat with a skill so evident he hardly needed to look where he was cutting. While waiting to eat at his restaurant, the girls that worked there were passing out wine and bread with EVOO and spreads to enjoy, leading to a rambunctious but friendly atmosphere where the locals clearly visited daily. Once our table was ready, we traveled down into a cellar to eat at a family style table with a local family, and then the food came. Fava beans and fresh veggies to start, but then endless plates of 4 different varieties of beef, from rare roast beef to braised and shredded shoulder, hands down the best meat spread I have ever encountered (sorry Midwood Smokehouse). Of course more wine to wash it down (seriously, if table wine is this good why even bother with the pricier stuff???) and the plates kept coming until you had to decide whether to keep eating or just succumb to the food coma in happiness. After lunch you had the choice of coffee, or a shot of Grappa with Dario. Easy choice, made easier by Dario walking around blaring his “Grappa trumpet” to invite anyone else who wanted/dared to join. Grappa, for anyone who hasn’t had it, is like the bastard child of vodka and tequila made from the leftover grape skins after fermenting the wine. Yum?

Back in the van more content than we got out, and onward to the next vineyard, Poggio al Sole, or “Hill in the Sun”, which is located in the Chianti Classico region (not to be confused with the Chianti region). The owners stemmed from a long line of Swiss wine makers, and though they had only bought the property 20 years ago, the buildings and area had stood since at least the 1700’s, and was likely used to grow grapes for over 700 years. With such big shoes to fill, the husband and wife owner, with Catherine handling the business and tours and her elusive husband handling the wine making, gladly rose to the challenge, producing 100,000 bottles a year of which 80% are exported around the world (still considered a small vineyard somehow…). We again toured the facilities, which was decked out with solar panels to cool the cellars and pallets of new vines to plant later in the week, then sat down with Catherine and tried 3 of their wines; one that was not a Chianti, one DOC Chianti Classico of 90% Sangiovese, and one DOCG Chianti that was 100% Sangiovese grape and quite nice to say the least. These Chainti Classico wines are marked with a black rooster, which legend says comes from the winning black rooster in a rooster race (totally a thing) between roosters from Florence and Siena, which mark the top and bottom of the region. The legend is probably a lie, and I am sure each city claims the rooster as their own, but what’s the point of having a good logo if it doesn’t mean anything???

After downing our 6^th and 7^th glasses (or was it 7 and 8? I lost count), we started heading home, making a small pit stop in the quiet town of Greve. Or what is usually a quiet town that had exploded with activity for the Italian holiday of Pasqueta, or Little Easter. A national holiday, it is meant to be spent with family, just relaxing and enjoying food, parades, and open-air markets, of which there were plenty. Each booth was packed with crafts, painting, antiques, and furniture, which I unfortunately couldn’t enjoy because I had to keep a close eye on our wallets. No, not for pick-pockets, but because Lauren had that look in her eye that said “yes, I can spend all our money on these things, we will figure out how to get it home later!” But by using the countless little dogs walking around with their owners to keep her distracted, we were able to safely get back to the van and back home to Florence.

Thanks to the Pasqueta traffic, we got home a little later than expected. So while we were able to see il Duomo and a few other beautiful churches, but couldn’t go inside any. After a quick pizza dinner, we headed back to the hotel to fall face first into bed, and prepare for our trip to Cinque Terre in the morning.

Florence, it was too short, and we will be back, so be sure to stock you wine cellars in preparation!

Day 3: The Vatican and Walking Around Rome

Saturday morning was a SUPER early morning for us—we had a tour at the Vatican Museum beginning at 7:30 am, about an hour and a half before the Museum opens to the public. When the alarm clock went off around 6:00 and we were struggling to get ready and eat breakfast on time, we weren’t very appreciative of how important it was to get there before it opens to the public—but we sure did find out later on!

The entrance to the Vatican Museum

We went on an official tour through a company called Walks of Italy (we absolutely would recommend them by the way if anyone is going to Italy and wants a tour of any major site in Rome, Florence or Venice—they were awesome and worth every penny!). When we first got into the museum our tour guide, Guido (yes, that really was his name), told us we were going to have to move fast and we were going directly to the Sistine Chapel. Other private tour groups would be coming in behind us and we wanted to spend as much time there as possible before it got crowded. Guido was NOT KIDDING about moving fast through the museum. The little old man ran faster through the Vatican Museum than Devin and I did in the marathon. When we got to the Sistine Chapel, he told us about the various paintings inside and what to look for because once we were inside, the church is very particular about their two rules: NO taking pictures and NO TALKING IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL. At this point I would like to remind all of you what chatterboxes Devin and I turn into when we are excited about something. So put us in the Sistine Chapel and tell us we can’t talk to each other about it?!? Luckily we are pretty good whisperers J We walked into the chapel and the had maybe 30 other people there with us. It was completely silent and we were able to take it all in. We got to sit down on the benches and stare up at the beautiful ceiling painted by Michelangelo. We were able to walk around easily and look at each of the paintings along the walls. All in all, we spent about 25 minutes in the Sistine Chapel and we loved Every. Single. Minute. Then we began to walk around the rest of the Vatican Museum. We got to walk back through the places we had already gone through and talk about the art we had missed. We walked around looking at the various pieces of art for 4 hours and honestly could've kept going had it not been for the fact that we were nearing starvation. Art is a lot less fascinating when you're hungry, even when it is really impressive art.

A view of St. Peter's Basilica from the halls of the museum.A nice little garden view to the side too :) I loved how big the Vatican Gardens are considering you are surrounded by a major city.

Us with St. Peter's in the background.The teenager who took our picture had a little trouble with the autofocus.. sorry its a little blurry!

When we were nearing the end of our museum tour we began noticing how crowded the halls were getting. All of a sudden the Vatican Museum went from basically empty with just a few tour groups to feeling like Disney World on a summer day. I don't know how in the world anyone could've enjoyed themselves in the museum when it was that crowded, and we were SO GRATEFUL that we were able to enter before it opened to the public. 

As we were walking out of the museum and headed towards St. Peter's, we had to cross back through the Sistine Chapel as a cut through. The peaceful, quiet, serene Sistine Chapel from earlier now  had so many people in it you could hardly squeeze through to walk from one end to the other. You would not have been able to walk from picture to picture, you would not have been able to sit on the bench and stare up at Michelangelo's ceiling without being squished or having to sit on someone's lap. Again, so happy we got there when we did and got to spend some time basically alone in there. 

Here we are in front of St. Peter's Basilica. They were setting up for Easter Mass with thousands of chairs and beautiful floral bouquets. 

The inside of St. Peter's Basilica. Everything was so massive and elaborate and had historical significance. We could've spent at least an hour just in here, but it was getting crowded too and we were both getting hungrier and hungrier...

More St. Peter's. 

After our day at the Vatican we stopped for lunch at a random sidewalk cafe and had delicious pizza and pasta and then went back to the hotel to freshen up. We headed back out to dinner at a little place Devin found on  TripAdvisor called Piccolo Buca and it was AMAZING!! Our favorite meal of the trip so far. The best part of Piccolo Buca? It was right around the corner from the Trevi Fountain, so we stopped by for one more look and to toss some coins into the fountain. Legend has it if you toss coins from your right hand over your left shoulder into the fountain, you will return to Rome again one day. Here's to hoping that legend is true!!

Love you all and miss you!!

Day 2: Capri and Welcome to Rome!

Sometimes when you go off book and skew off the path you had planned out, it doesn’t work out. Fortunately, this was not one of those times. Visiting Pompeii during a cool, cloudy day fit the mood of “whole city disappears in a split second” perfectly, leaving us a perfect sunny day to visit the picturesque Isle of Capri.

Before taking off, I woke up early to grab some sunrise pictures from the roof of our hotel. This is essentially the view during breakfast every morning, and I imagine it would be hard to find a better one in the city. Between the sun rising over Vesuvius and the Amalfi coast, hitting the harbor, Castle, and city before it wakes up, really captures the beauty of this coastal city.

After another full breakfast, we stumbled down to the ports to jump on a ferry, and after a quick 45 minutes trip, and we are docked and ready to explore and experience the Isle of Capri.

Capri has been occupied by various peoples since the Stone Age, serving as a safe-haven for a number of people throughout history, including Emperor Tiberius near the end of his life. Mix a little paranoia with numerous political backstabbing’s to become Emperor, and a tiny fortified island with steep hills and 360 degree unimpeded views sounds like a nice place for a retirement villa. Lucky for us we haven’t made that many enemies (I hope) so we were just able to enjoy the winding roads up to the main town.

It appeared that literally every single property had between 1 and 20 lemon trees, meaning that the entire island had a slight lemon smell, and every store prominently displayed their varieties of Limoncello and lemon gelatto or sorbet (yes, obviously we had some). Don't be surprised to find a lemon tree in our backyard in the near future, since the climate and soil of Charlotte are basically the same as Capri, right?

The island itself is separated into two areas, the more populated but lower elevated Capri, and the hilltop AnaCapri, which gave us the best views of the entire Amalfi coast. The “only” way to get to the top (without climbing 2,000 steps) was a gondola ride up, which in and of itself wasn't a bad view.

Once you reach the top, you had plenty of places to look around, or just as easily find a place to just sit back and enjoy the scenery. Here you can see the lower town of Capri, the Faraglioni rock formations, and the Amalfi coast in the distance. 

Once we made our way back to the boat, it was a whirlwind of getting back to Naples, getting our bags, getting to the train station, and making our way to Rome. Similar to travelling in China, the high speed train was a dream, with a smooth ride, more space than an airplane, faster trip once checking in and boarding times were concerned, and easy access to food and beverages when you want. Get on it America….

After getting to our hotel, the Marriott Grand Flora, we made our way to Piazza Novona to start our “Welcome to Rome” tour. Our guide, Angela, was excellent, an Italian with good English that had an obvious passion for the history and art she showed us. We saw a ton of Bernini sculptures, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and a few other sites. The tour also included gelato, which makes it our second gelato stop of the day, for those counting (and hopefully not judging!)

But of course, the highlight was the Trevi Fountain, which we got to right at dusk (definitely not romantic…not at all). Some of us were more excited than others…..

The fountain was huge, taking up the entire block and backside of a building. It was built to celebrate the water system of Rome, for which the people were proud of, since almost any fountain in the city is clean enough to drink (though some are illegal to drink from, so please ask first). The fountain dates back to the days of the aquaduct system of Rome, which would carry almost twice as much water back in its prime per capita as it does now. Lauren may like the artistic beauty, but I'm a sucker for the engineering feats myself. To each their own I guess.

Overall it served as a great start to Rome, and looking forward to a full day of Vatican tours and meandering Rome, followed by some casual typical Easter mass with Pope Francis with our 75,000 closest friends.

Bienvenito a Italia!

Hi Family and Friends! We miss you! We figured this was the easiest way to share pictures and stories with all of you rather than sending multiple emails with multiple pictures attached. Hopefully this helps you follow along with our fun :)

Before we start, just a few fun pics from our flight in:

A beautiful view of the French Alps... it is a little hard to tell what was snow and what is a cloud in the picture, but was much easier to tell in person.

A view of the Italian coastline as we were coming in! No idea what town this was, but it was exciting to know that we were getting close.

So today was our first real day in Italy and we decided to veer away from the agenda and go to Pompeii rather than Capri. The weather is a little chilly and cloudy here today and we knew if we went to Capri we would not get to see the beautiful views, so Pompeii it was!

Prior to being tourists, we decided to have a nice big breakfast at the hotel and then head out on our way. All you can eat for 15 Euros, and pretty delicious! We took a few pictures from the rooftop pool/hot tub area of our hotel and then settled in to breakfast.

Il castel nuovo, a short walk from our hotel :)

Not surprisingly, Devin made a few friends. This couple is retired and is traveling around the entire world, mostly through frequent flyer miles/hotel points. Not too bad of an idea, eh? Free hotel stays, free flights, needless to say Devin found his real life superhero.

 

We walked from our beautiful hotel (Renaissance Hotel Naples Mediterraneo) to the Stazione Napoli Centrale, the Naples Central Train Station. On the way there, we saw orange trees lining the streets, because what else would you find in the most adorable country?

Notice the orange trees behind Devin?

 

We purchased our tickets and hopped on the train for a quick 30 minute ride to Pompeii. The town of Pompeii is adorable and surprisingly a very normal town  (I don't know why I expected the entire town to be ruins?? Obviously that was not the case)

Devin in the town of Pompeii.

Me in the town of Pompeii.

We made our way to the ruins after a quick 10 minute walk and were truly amazed by what we saw. It was incredible how well preserved everything was. The town of Pompeii was buried by volcanic ash in 79 AD (some of the buildings are much older than that) and yet some of these buildings were preserved so well you can truly picture what their lives were like. Obviously there have been renovations along the way, but it is incredible to see life in Pompeii as the Romans did during that time. We were also blown away by how civilized the people of Pompeii were considering it was 2,000 years ago.

Devin by some frescoes inside a wealthy home.

The ruins of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

Devin inside the courtyard of a wealthy home in Pompeii.

One of the things we were so surprised to see was how ornate many of the homes/buildings/frescoes/décor was for 2,000 years ago. The legs on the table of this sink were so intricately carved and amazingly well preserved for being 2,000 years old.

 

Without a doubt one of the most somber parts of Pompeii was seeing the bodies of people who tried to protect themselves from the volcanic ash. The people who covered their faces and crouched down to try to hide/protect themselves were very moving. Even more sad were the dogs who tried to run and hide. Again, it was so incredible to see these knowing they were 2,000 years old.

The Forum of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background. Also some very strange statues we didn't understand. Clearly there was not a statue of an angel laying on its side in the middle of the Forum 2,000 years ago, so why is it there now??

 

Walking through an alleyway of ruins and we realized we had the place to ourselves, had to stop for a picture of course!

 

More ruins with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

 

Our first, but definitely not last, gelato experience! Devin got chocolate chip cookie flavor and a mystery flavor. I got strawberry. Delicioso! Clearly somebody wasn't ready for the picture here...

 A little jet lag and one super long day later, we were a little tired on the way back to Naples. One of us was a little more tired than the other :) We came back to our hotel to freshen up, went out to grab some pizza and wine for dinner, and now are headed up to the rooftop hot tub for a little more vino.

We miss you all so much (especially Tucker-- Jenni, give him some extra kisses for us!). Tomorrow we will venture over to the isle of Capri and then on to Rome!

Ciao!

-Devin and Lauren