Italy in November

Bologna, Italy November 14, 2013

We had decided to go to Italy a few days before our cruise, mostly to meet with our former neighbors who live in Milan.  Bob and Mary, we call them Roberto and Maria, agreed to meet us in Bologna, a city we all appreciate. It was a good decision and gave us a chance to adjust to Europe time before the cruise.

The Italians do a good number of things brilliantly.  For instance, in almost every bathroom in any hotel, you will find a spotless, gleaming facility. The tiles are glistening, the mirrors cleaned to perfection, the towels starched and bright white. There are little pull stings near the toilets and in the shower - in case you need help you just pull them and someone will be there to assist you.  The only thing that really doesn’t work in an Italian bathroom is the plumbing! There have been no innovations since Caesar Augustus introduced the open Roman Baths, which used thermal water and fresh water from the aqueduct system.  Our bathroom had no hot water pressure and despite the best efforts of two bellmen that I’m sure have never used a wrench before, the only thing that we had when they concluded their work was a dirty sink and no hot water. Yet, they proclaimed the operation a success, despite evidence to the contrary.  This is a small price to pay for being in a city that can rightfully claim to be the gastronomic capital of Italy.

We ate divine food and drank lovely light wines and we walked and walked and walked.  There is a church at the top of a 300-meter hill called San Luca that is accessed by a covered walkway with 660 pillars.  I thought my legs would simply buckle a third of the way up, but we persisted and made it to the top only to find that the church was closed and there wasn’t even a snack bar or café, so we turned around and headed back down the hill and reveled in a well deserved bowl of pasta with a few glasses of the sparkling wine of the region.  Never has food tasted so good or been so appreciated.  I know of very few places in the world where I’ve been and can say I’ve never had a bad meal, but Bologna is on the top of the list. Everything is fresh and locally sourced. The pastas are bright yellow from the fresh egg yolks and the sauces are light and filled with herbs and garlic. They are famous for their cured meats and thick steaks but we stayed with pastas and vegetables and were not disappointed.

Our dear friends Roberto and Maria, arranged a spectacular diner for their first night in town and we had a marvelous time talking, laughing and eating our way around the beautiful city for several days. They knew some special places where we dined like royalty, enjoying what appeared to be endless courses of little bites, each better than the last.  We never seem to tire of each other’s company and every reunion takes up where the last one ended.

We drove to Siena for two days of exploration and were simply amazed at the beauty of this Tuscan delight. Everything about it is imposing from its position on the top of a hill, the huge walls that surround and protect it, and the massive cathedral. It is another city that seems to have no flat surfaces, just up or down, but it seemed to be mostly up.  The famous Palio is run there twice a year and even that track is angled.  Cindy actually ran the track a few times and I’m sure she could have beaten some of those horses.

We hit the road on Tuesday and headed for Civitavecchia, the port that serves Rome.  We had rented from a company called Sixt, which claimed to have the only rental car service inside the port area so we thought it would be an easy drop-off and then we could head to the ship.  It was not to be!  There was simply no sign anywhere that indicated where the Sixt Company was. We entered and departed the port several times, always asking directions and always getting misinformation.  We finally found it, but of course it was now lunchtime so they would not be back for ninety minutes and there was no lock box to deposit the keys and documents.  I stayed with the car while Cindy took all the luggage onto a bus which deposited her at the ship.  When the agent finally came back from lunch he said they had only moved to this office a few weeks ago and that is why there was no sign!  Ah Italy, love it or leave it.

More later, Cindy and Wm