Cinque Terre

I wrote this post last May, but was unable to upload the pictures that went with it. Here it finally is!


I realized that, though I posted pictures on Facebook, I never blogged about our trip to Cinque Terre! The last weekend of April we went to Cinque Terre, on the west coast of Italy. The primary reason for going was that my cousin Beth and her husband Scott were going to be there on their 10th Anniversary trip, but we had also heard great things about the area and wanted to see it. The name Cinque Terre (chinkway terray) literally means Five Lands, and refers to five towns built into the hilly coastline on the Ligurian Sea. The area is a National Park and has a bunch of hiking trails between the towns and up into the hills.We drove over on Friday, April 24, to Levanto, which is not technically part of the Cinque Terre, but is right next door. Levanto has a larger, nicer beach than the other towns, and accomodations are a bit cheaper there. It is a 5-15 minute train ride from Levanto to any of the Cinque Terre towns. We spent the afternoon at the beach, and Emily had a fabulous time playing in the sand and water. We also had some delicious gelato just off the beach. I was pleased to find raspberry, which I had not seen before, but it was wonderful!

The beach at Levanto
Emily enjoying the beach at Levanto
Sunset at the beach in Levanto

On Saturday, we took the train over to Vernazza, where Beth and Scott were staying, and met up with them. We decided to take the boat over to Riomaggiore and hike back to Manarola on the easy hiking trail called the Via dell'Amore (Way of Love). We followed Rick Steves' advice in Manarola for a lunch place and had some delicious pasta with homemade pesto sauce. After lunch, we took Emily to the playground with the spectacular view. Then, the train back to Vernazza to rest for a bit in Beth and Scott's room with a view. We ran into some friends from Ferrara in Vernazza on the way to dinner, enjoying the 3 day weekend like we were. Dinner in Vernazza was good. Emily tried fried anchovies and loved them! Anchovies are a specialty of the area, apparently. Finally, we caught the train back to Levanto (just within the 6 hour validity of our tickets) and got to bed.The water in VernazzaView of Riomaggiore from the waterJeff and me on the Via dell'Amore

Emily on the Via dell'Amore

Beth at the playground with a view

Jeff looking down at Manarola

Jeff and Scott at the playground with a view

The view from Beth & Scott's room

Beth in the hotel room

View down to the water in Vernazza

Unfortunately, it was raining when we got up on Sunday, so we didn't make it back to the beach like we had hoped. But, it was a lovely trip, and we had a great visit with Beth and Scott!

Piadine

I met some friends downtown today to walk around and visit. We walked through the market and just around town for a couple of hours. For lunch, we stopped at a mobile food vendor for the regional specialty, piadine. A piadina is a type of sandwich which is popular in our particular region of Italy. It is made with a flat bread (similar to pita, but without the pocket) that is grilled and wrapped around whatever toppings you like. The one I had today was one of the specials the vendor was advertising. It was made with Fontina cheese and Zia, which my Italian friend informs me is a local salami made with garlic. I also had grilled vegetables on mine: zucchini, onion, eggplant, and bell peppers. It was delicious!

Belly Bulletin #2

Here is the latest belly picture at 18 weeks.

The bean is becoming a noticeable bump now, but not really obvious yet.

Of course, Hamlet didn't want to be left out, so he had to have a picture taken of his tummy, too!

Buona Pasqua!

For Easter, several families got together for a picnic and Easter egg hunt. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful, and we had a great time!

Emily and her friend Grace all dolled up for Easter.

The guys enjoying beer and fellowship.

The hunt is on!

Watching the hunt.

Checking out the loot.

After the hunt.

In Italy, rather than put out Easter baskets for the Easter Bunny, the children are given large, hollow chocolate eggs with prizes and toys inside. They range from about 6-9 inches high, to really enormous ones 3-4 feet high! The eggs are usually wrapped in fancy paper, and I have seen some wrapped in clear cellophane with writing in icing on the outside.

Emily with her Italian Easter egg. I neglected to take a picture of it before she unwrapped it, but it was a Disney Princess egg, and had a Belle comb inside. The eggs are very similar to the Kinder eggs that Emily enjoys all year round. Kinder eggs are hollow chocolate eggs about 3 inches high with little toys inside. Emily has a very large collection of Kinder egg toys.

Ancorra Venezia

On Thursday, April 9, Daddy, Jeff, Emily, and I took the train to Venice. Venice was also crowded with Spring tourists. The funny thing about Venice is, if you move 1 or 2 streets off the main tourist thoroughfares, there are almost no tourists at all. If you are lost, just look for the throngs of people - they will be on the main route between San Marco and the Rialto Bridge! Of course, we hit both of those spots. We did the tour of San Marco and the Treasures of San Marco, but did not go up in the belltower or on the upper walkway outside the Basilica itself.

The Basilica di San Marco.

The Basilica from the side, in front of the Doges' Palace.


The view from our hotel room. That is San Marco, just over those buildings.

The view from the hotel room, looking down.

Thursday evening, Daddy took Emily to see some Opera selections that were being performed at a local theatre by artists in 18th century Venetian costumes. They had a great time. Jeff and I had a date night, exploring Venezia on our own and enjoying a nice dinner. We, too, had a wonderful time.

On Friday, we attempted to go see the Jewish Museum, but it was closed because of Passover. We did find a museum of decorative arts and costume that was very interesting, and toured the Accademia Galleries as well.

This was just a building that I saw while we were waiting for the water bus, and particularly liked.

Jeff, Emily, and I took the train back to Ferrara Friday evening, and Daddy flew back to Atlanta from Venice on Saturday morning. We had a very nice visit, but, of course, it was too short!

Firenze in April

On Monday, April 6, Daddy and I went to Florence. We had a little trouble getting there, as the train we had planned to take was full. So, we took a regional train to Bologna and caught another Eurostar to Firenze. It delayed us about an hour, but not too bad. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm.

Monday afternoon we went over to the cathedral of Santa Croce to look around.

The front of Santa Croce. Note the abundance of tourists. Tourist season has definitely started now. There were many American high school and college kids on Spring Break.


The wooden ceiling inside Santa Croce.

The ceiling outside in the cloisters of Santa Croce.

We took a nice, leisurely tour, so it took most of the afternoon, and we didn't see much else on Monday. Tuesday morning, we walked over to the Duomo, but were deterred from going inside by the throngs of people in line. The Duomo is closed on Mondays, so apparently everyone tries to hit it first thing Tuesday morning.


The front of the Duomo and the masses of people milling around in the Piazza.

The back of the Duomo. They are in process of cleaning the outside of the building. Compare this picture with the one above. The front has been cleaned, and the back has not.

The Neptune fountain and other buildings on the Piazza della Signoria.

After our walk around the Duomo, Daddy went to tour the Galleria Accademia and see the David, and I went to the Duomo museum to see Michelangelo's unfinished Pieta and other works that have been removed from the Duomo itself. Daddy had booked the same tours that we took in February to see the David and the Uffizi Galleries. I met him for lunch and took the train back to Ferrara Tuesday afternoon. He took the tour of the Uffizi that evening, and went to an exhibit on Galileo at the Strozzi Palace on Wednesday before heading back to Ferrara.

To be continued...

A day at the beach

On April 2, my dad came for a visit. I picked him up at the airport and we just hung out that day because he was very tired. On Friday we walked around Ferrara, checked out the market, the Duomo, and the Castello Estense. Saturday was a rainy, dreary day, so we didn't do much, though that night we went out to one of our favorite local restaurants, Via Vai. After dinner, I took Emily home, and Daddy and Jeff went to have a glass of wine at Al Brindisi, a local wine bar, which is supposed to be the oldest wine bar in the world. It was apparently well known by the 15th century.

On Sunday, the weather was finally nice, and we went over to Porto Garibaldi to enjoy the beach. It was warm and sunny, and not too crowded, so we had a lovely walk and enjoyed picking up shells.

Emily showing Grandpa her shells.


Amy, Jeff, and Emily.

Amy and Jeff


One of several crabs we found and observed.