Land Cruising in Central Italy
Joan and Clark Scarboro of LaConner, WA joined us in Rome, Italy for a week of land exploring before we all took TEKA III across to Sardinia for two weeks of cruising.
Sunday, July 7, Denis and Clark hopped on a bus outside Marina Porto di Roma to pick up a pre-arranged rental car at Rome’s Fumicino Airport. (Clark and Joan had made all arrangements through Kemwel out of Portland, Maine via Internet before leaving the States.) The guys returned to the marina and picked up the luggage, Joan and me. Bidding TEKA III to “sit, stay,” we headed toward Rome’s Ring Road and the beginning of our land adventure.
After a filling lunch of interesting bruschettas, gnocchi, and a heaping plate of spaghetti (we all ordered something different), we drove the Via Cassia past Lago di Bracciano, stopping late afternoon at a beautiful hotel in San Martino al Cimino--Balletti Park Hotel. The flowers astounded you, from large many colored hydrangeas, flower boxes jammed with petunias and geraniums, ivy everywhere, a magnolia tree and very tall evergreen trees. The pool invited us to just laze around. Kids there really enjoyed the water while we just watched. Sea bass won as the best dinner prize. (80 Euros for a double room with a nice breakfast spread.)
First stop the next morning, Viterbo--an important medieval center and residence of the popes in the 13th century. The LONELY PLANET Guide for Italy tells about the townspeople in 1271, upset because the college of cardinals failed to elect a new pope after 3 years of deliberation, locked them up, removed the roof and put them on a starvation diet. That did it. They managed to elect Gregory X. Could there be a lesson there for our politicians?
We visited the Cathedral di San Lorenzo there and envisioned the old city from a vantage point facing some of the remaining walls before strolling through some narrow streets and alleys back to the car park. En route to the dying medieval hilltop town of Civita, we purchased wine at the Montefiascone EST winery and wandered through the Bagnoregio street market. There we purchased cheese and porchetta for future snacks.
Civita perches alone on a point at the end of a pedestrian causeway with tufa ravines all around. The original land bridge out to the walled village eroded away and a sturdy walking causeway took its place. Less than two dozen permanent residents remain; however we stumbled on a small olive-processing cellar and the man in charge made us a sample plate of unique bruschettas for a neat lunch.
In Orvieto we marveled at the Duomo, a black and white marble building, started in 1290, with a facade of mosaic and sculpture, plain stone and dazzling color. LONELY PLANET refers to it as a “giant outdoor altar screen.” We decided not to stay there for the night, so drove on and on, finally stopping at Panicale. We stayed inside the walled city at Le Grotto de Boldrino for 72 Euros including breakfast of rolls, juice, coffee, fruit. Walking around the city at night and early morning gave us the flavor of what it would have been like living in a place with two portas (gates), three plazas, and three main circular streets inside the walls. Reminded one of Romeo and Juliet times. Being circular the streets and buildings all had a gentle curve to them with connecting sections on the second floor above the cobble stone street. The brochure said, “those concentric circles made it an invincible defense strategy.” There had also been a moat at one time. Quite an event sleeping in a walled city.
On to Montepulciano where we wisely took the bus up the steep main street to the Plaza, visited the church, yelled down its ancient well and climbed up the clock tower stairs in the town hall for a spectacular view of town and countryside. We then slowly meandered down the streets back to the car. At Montefollonico, a stop at the alimentaria yielded us delicious paninis which we took to the park for a picnic. Such a treat, complete with cake brought from the boat and a freshly purchased watermelon.
A recommended hotel, Al Pichetto, over 20 kilometers south of Siena on S223, became our home for the night so we could check out the hot springs near Pari the next morning. 67 Euros bought a room and breakfast. Dinner at their restaurant featured an appetizer buffet for 6 euros that included fried olives and fried mozzarella balls. Both nice items. We also had white pizza, the first time ever. Air conditioning did not work and neither did the phones when we tried to call the States on our pre arranged time schedules. On our way up S223 we saw two African women we termed,”layby ladies,” standing near the trees in laybys, waiting for a pickup.
The hot springs were a disappointment plus a turnoff when one dread-locked hippie guy walked up to one of the pools and threw all his washing in, climbing in behind, wearing his filthy undershorts. So we continued along the trail. We were disappointed at Volterra (too many tourists), with the exception of a bookstore where we purchased two Tuscany cookbooks.
Lunch at a restaurant with hotel, pool and view made us think about an arrangement like that for the night. When we stopped for Denis to take a photo of San Gimignano (from 3 kilometers away), it appeared just off the road--Le Case Holiday Home with ready to use apartments. 105 Euros per night for two bedrooms with eating facilities and a pool, plus a charming manageress--what else could we want? So we booked for two nights.
San Gimignano called in the late afternoon after a restful time at the pool during the heat of the day. We had dinner and a good walk around, which included buying supplies for our morning feed at the apartment. Clark had a dish of boar with mushrooms and noodles. Quite nice he reported. Denis had a venison dish. What was really tasty? The spinachi with cream. Did manage to phone home, finally. All well there.
Early Thursday morning we took in Siena. Drove just inside the wall and parked in a designated garage marked “Duomo.” Nowhere near the Duomo though. Did locate the snail church on our walk--Cavallo. The Duomo, one of Italy’s great Gothic churches, gleamed in the morning light as we approached. Inside were inlaid marble panels carved in the floor, black and white banded marble pillars, small chapels with ornate paintings, and a pulpit carved in marble.
From there we checked internet e-mail nearby, mailed some cards, and got a large cappuchino at a sidewalk cafe facing the Piazza del Campo. What a place! Shaped like a scallop, it is paved with brick and encircled by a ring of stone slabs. Eight white lines radiate out dividing the area into nine segments, each symbolizing one of the nine members of trade and banking who ruled the city during its greatest period of prosperity from late 13th to mid 14th centuries. Twice a year the towns people put on a pageantry for the tourists. Dressed in period costumes they parade around the piazza; then race horses with much betting on the outcome.
Outside the Town Hall in the Piazza stood two men holding birds of prey. Attached to chains on their heavily gloved hands sat a bald eagle on one man’s arm, and an great horned owl with intense yellow eyes on the other man’s. They were to do a demonstration after 12:30 from a nearby field where you could see these birds of flight “soar among the towers of Siena.” We watched them walk down to the place, but did not follow them.
Back to the car, then a quick drive into town looking for a bank machine to no avail, and on to our apartment, stopping for more supplies en route. That night we dined at a nearby panoramic restaurant.
On our last day of travel, serendipity ruled. First we found Monte Oliveto Maggiore, hidden among cypresses, just by following some signs. It is the Mother House of the Olivetans, a congregation of Benedictine Order founded in 1313 by Blessed Bernard Tolomei of Siena. Immediately inside the church is a courtyard filled with sunlight. Along the walls are 36 frescoes depicting the life of St Benedict, yet the frescos appear mostly fresh and untouched by the light and air. Quite a way to portray the life of St Benedict. Inside the church are beautiful stained glass windows and paintings which catch the eye and heart. We had the extra honor to hear the organist practicing. What could follow that but a chanting by six monks at the 7th century San Antimo Monastery, not too far away. Contrasting Monte Oliveto, this monastery appeared bare and bleak, but the chanting had a special effect. Crusaders and pilgrims visited there long before Columbus and thoughts about discovering America.
We were not interested in a large lunch that day. At the place we stopped the owner quite cleverly introduced some items from the menu that would manage what we needed, in between feeding small bites of lunch to a busy 2 1/1 year old boy. He raced around the restaurant carrying a cat hither and yon or danced to music from his nursery rhyme box, stopping only when confronted by a fork in his face.
On our last night we stayed at Saturnia, another hot springs place recommended by cruisers at the Rome marina. They described it as a place where five overlapping rings of hot springs water provided places for soaking and relaxing, but we chose the cool pool at the Clodia Hotel in town. We enjoyed pizza at a place in the town square that evening and a lovely breakfast at the hotel before hitting the road back to Rome. Room with breakfast there: 68 Euros..
Saturday it took us only 2 hours to return, unload and take the car back. After replenishing supplies, we remained poised for a middle of the night departure for Sardinia, but weather got the upper hand. We waited another 24 hours and had time to organize a sundowner party for all the American flagged vessels in Porto di Roma Sunday, July 14.
Some vivid scenes we carry with us: vistas and walled cities; towns named “monte___” meaning hill; towers, crumbling or still standing tall; cut hay in rolls or in bales all over the fields; sunflowers in huge fields; corn tasseling; wheat ready to harvest; English and German speaking tourists; olive trees; walnut groves; fig trees; red tiled roofs; two lane winding roads, a prison out in the hinterland with a large parking lot across the street for employees, a ferret and grouse crossing the road, older women sporting their practical house dresses which let in the cool air top and bottom; layby ladies; hippies at the hot springs; flowers, especially bougainvillea; and of course, our car, “Gertie.”
Sardinia is the next report.