Italy

Lucca

Posted by Jim St. George on July 18, 2017
Posted in: Europe, Italy. 1 comment

Here we are with Mary Beth atop Guinigi Tower with great views of Lucca and Tuscany. Built in the 14th century as a status symbol by Lucca’s ruling family, it has trees and a garden on the top.

The plan was to spend two weeks in Lucca, a Tuscan city of about 90,000 people that lies 50 miles west of Florence. In his quest to master all the languages on earth Mark would study Italian for two weeks with his old college friend Mary Beth while I would hang out. Mark & Mary Beth kept their end of the deal but I took the opportunity to spend most of those two weeks back in Minnesota.

Lucca is an interesting city, but perhaps better for my four-day stay than Mark’s two-week sojourn. There is some interesting history: Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus met here in 56 BC to reaffirm their triumvirate that ultimately led to Caesar taking sole power (and then getting killed). The city was, for several centuries, and independent city state and, after Venice, the second-largest city state with a Republican constitution. And one of the city’s most notable features is that the medieval walls remain intact and today are topped with a great elevated parkway for walking and running and reading and hanging out.

Mark on top of Lucca’s city walls, now a great two-and-a-half mile parkway

Today Lucca is a major tourist destination for those passing through Tuscany. Mark and I had been here twice before, but both times just on day trips so we figured this time it made sense to linger a bit. The problem for Mark was that apparently it’s a little small to justify two weeks. The old city walls encase an area of narrow, winding streets with some good restaurants and lots of fancy shopping, but ultimately there’s not a lot to do or things to explore. I had the notably strange experience of arriving in Italy from Minnesota feeling strangely “at home” here – I’ve spent more time in Italy in recent years than in Minnesota, I guess – but Mark was ready to get out.

The elegant – and hot – living room in our apartment

Part of his problem was that he didn’t like the apartment we rented for two weeks. It was a huge flat – entrance hall, big kitchen, massive living room, three bedrooms, servants quarters (seriously), and a small balcony with access to a clothes line so you could feel like a real Italian hanging clothes to dry – but a little shabbier than it appeared in pictures. The big deal, though, was that there was no air conditioning. With daytime temperatures up into the low 90s and night temperatures in the low 70s, that meant it was just too hot in there. I suspect that’s extremely common in Lucca’s many older buildings but that didn’t make it any better. It was just too hot.

While I was in Minnesota Mark and Mary Beth hosted a few guests. She was in Italy largely because her 13-year-old son Luca (crazy coincidence, huh), participates in an annual summer music festival in nearby Garfagnana so during the weekend Luca and Sven (the father/husband) came to visit. And entirely coincidentally another old college friend of Mark & Mary Beth’s, Lisa, was in Italy too so she stopped by for a couple days.

Old college friends – Mark, Lisa, and Mary Beth

Lucca: nice old town surrounded by intact city walls, good tourist infrastructure, Italian classes, and good friends. All good. But too hot without AC if you’ve become spoiled. As we have.

Mark, Luca, and Sven hanging out

Luca in Lucca. While he was up in Garfagnana for his music competition Lucca has some music chops of its own. Puccini was born here and the city hosts a summer-long music festival that attracts stars like Eric Clapton and – later this year – the Rolling Stones. Yes, they’re still alive.

Isn’t that just attractive?

Some great food in Lucca

Mark is having vitello tonatto, his favorite Italian dish, while I discovered steak tartare on the menu. Pretty much a perfect lunch sitting out there on the street.

On a summer day in Europe, there’s pretty much nothing more refreshing than an Aperol Spritz. It’s not low carb, but sometimes you just have to.

Lucca’s San Michele in Foro, built over the ancient Roman forum. The façade dates from the 13th century.

The first day of school is always exciting!

Here we are back up on the Guinigi Tower with those crazy trees way up in the air

Mary Beth is fun, smart, and stunningly photogenic. Oh, and the mother of four great kids. You try to find something to fault her for, but it’s hard.

And one last shot from our apartment. This is part of the servant’s quarters. Not bad!

Athens & Rome

Posted by Jim St. George on July 13, 2017
Posted in: Europe, Greece, Italy, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Leave a Comment

Al, Anita, & I beside the Erechtheion, a temple to Athena and Poseidon on the Acropolis

After a couple weeks island hopping in the Cyclades Islands we took a brief, two-day stop in Athens. Mark & I have been to Athens a couple times, including just two years ago, but we were eager to show Anita in particular the Acropolis and other great Greek sites. So off we went.

We were leaving on Friday, when you an see the forecast high was 111 degrees. Definitely eager to get out before that but needless to say the heat on Wednesday & Thursday was oppressive.

The first thing we observed was that in late June when we were there (yeah, I’ve gotten way behind in my posts here) it was hot. Seriously hot. We’d been here in August 2015 and thought it was hot then but this was on a whole new scale. Our strategy was to wait until 6:30 PM before heading up to the Acropolis when it was “only” in the low-90s. Made us pretty reluctant to do a lot of outdoor touring.

Still, even if you’ve seen it before the Acropolis is just a remarkable place. As a common noun, an acropolis is just a citadel built on high ground, typically with steep sides, particularly for defense. As a proper noun the Acropolis is the site of the Parthenon, the ancient temple to the goddess Athena built by the great leader Pericles in the mid-5th century BC during the city’s golden age. It’s faced a lot of challenges in the 2,500 years since then – ravaged by time, blown up by the Venetians in the 17th century when they hit it with artillery fire while the ruling Ottomans used it to store gunpowder, vandalized by Britain’s Lord Elgin in the 19th century when he convinced the Ottoman Sultan to let him remove the best remaining statues – but it remains one of the world’s great sites. So yeah, it was hot, but I still loved it.

Near the Acropolis is the Acropolis Museum, a modern – and air conditioned – building with great displays of Greece’s ancient greatness. Again, we were here two years ago but this time was different for me. I had, you see, recently finished a Anthony Everett’s The Rise of Athens: The Story of the World’s Greatest Civilization. Suddenly stuff I’d seen last time but didn’t really understand leapt to life, now seen in a context I just hadn’t understood before. Last time I saw rocks and broken statues; this time I saw a story. Who says an old dog can’t learn something new?

Four of the original Caryatids, female statues taking the place of columns, supporting part of the Erechtheion

That was it with Greece, then. The plan had been that after saying goodbye to Al & Anita, Mark and I would fly to Rome and then catch a train to Lucca (in Tuscany) where Mark would study Italian for a couple weeks. After making those plans, though, I decided to take advantage of Mark’s stationary plans to go back to Minnesota to see my family. Given the flight schedule I would have to spend one night in Rome so Mark decided to spend the night there with me and enjoy the briefest of Roman holidays before he headed north.

It was definitely brief – we arrived in the afternoon and my flight out was at 6:30 AM the next morning – but we made the most of it. Needless to say, there is something cool about leaving the center of one great center of Western history to go to an even greater historic center. We stayed at a very cute hotel just off the Campo de’ Fiori, one of our favorite Roman squares and a short walk from Piazza Navona, one of Rome’s great squares. So there was good food, a big church or two, and a spin through the ancient Pantheon. Not bad for less than 20 hours in Rome.

Our three favorite Italian dishes are saltimbocca ala Romana, vitello tonnato, and eggplant parmesan (clockwise here from upper right). So when we saw all three items on the menu at a restaurant just steps from our hotel, it was a no-brainer.

For me, then, it was a 4:00 AM alarm to catch a 4:30 taxi to the airport. Except that for whatever reason my alarm didn’t go off and I didn’t wake up until 4:18, still needing to shower and pack. It felt a little rushed but by 4:32 – yes, I was late – I was in the taxi, off to Minnesota. Mark got to sleep in before taking a high-speed train north to Florence and then the local to Lucca. Those stories are next.

Mark in front of the Parthenon

Al & Anita up on the Acropolis

Mark and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The temple was started in the 6th century BC, and Athens’ great builder Pericles tried to finish it in the 5th century BC. It was of such a massive scale, though, that even in the city’s Golden Age they couldn’t complete it. In fact, it sat unfinished until the second century AD when the Roman Emperor Hadrian – a noted Hellenophile – finally finished it. And to be honest, this picture doesn’t exactly belong here. I took it two weeks earlier when we passed through Athens en route to the islands. I forgot to include it in a blog post back then, so I figured this is close enough.

We only had a few hours in Rome but that was still enough to walk through a few grand churches

The view from our great little hotel near Campo de’ Fiori

And Rome’s Pantheon, today a church but originally a temple to all gods. This was also built by Hadrian early in the second century AD. It has been in continuous use since then which I assume must make it the oldest building in the world still in use.

Rome

Posted by Jim St. George on August 9, 2016
Posted in: Italy, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Leave a Comment
The bunch of us - Dan, Charlie, Mark, Jim, Laura, and Elizabeth - in Piazza Navona

The bunch of us – Dan, Charlie, Mark, Jim, Laura, and Elizabeth – in Piazza Navona

Traveling can be full of surprises, one of the reasons I love to travel. Even traveling to places you’ve been lots of times before.

I wasn’t too keen on coming back to Rome, particularly in August. Been there several times, too hot, too many tourists. A lot of old rocks. But how could Dan & Laura come to Italy and not show Elizabeth and Charlie Rome? So from Venice we hopped on a high-speed train for a comfortable ride south. Or at least, it was comfortable for me. I had headphones on and was listening to music while a baby cried and cried in the back of our car. And then apparently some guy got up and started brow beating the mother about getting that kid to be quiet. According to Dan & Laura, who were sitting closer to them, the fight went on and on and on. And I missed the whole thing, blissfully enveloped in music.

Rome, the Eternal City, sometimes changes. This is the Via die Fori Imperiali, a major street that runs between ruins of the Roman Forum and the comparatively newer Imperial Forums. It used to be clogged with traffic but apparently now it's car free. Not only makes it more pleasant but fundamentally changes your perspective on the two-thousand year old ruins on either side of you.

Rome, the Eternal City, sometimes changes. This is the Via die Fori Imperiali, a major street that runs between ruins of the Roman Forum and the comparatively newer Imperial Forums. It used to be clogged with traffic but apparently now it’s car free. Not only makes it more pleasant but fundamentally changes your perspective on the two-thousand year old ruins on either side of you.

To my surprise, I loved Rome. Yes, it was unbearably hot, well up into the 90s every day. And yes, over the years – I first came to Rome in 1975 when I was stationed just a little south in Naples, and this was the fourth time Mark & I have been there in the last 20 years – I’ve seen the Roman Forum and the Colosseum and St. Peter’s too many times.

What I discovered, though, is that after you’re done with the regular tourist haunts there are amazing churches and museums that aren’t remotely crowded. I discovered I love Renaissance Rome perhaps even more than ancient Rome. You can just stumble into some church that you’ve never heard of before and find some Caravaggio or Raphael or Bernini or Filippo Lippi or something that just grabs you. Similarly, some of the lesser-visited museums are extraordinary. So despite myself, I loved Rome, though to be clear August is not ideal.

Last time we were in Rome the Trevi Fountain was blocked off and under renovation. Now it's clean and all but new.

Last time we were in Rome the Trevi Fountain was blocked off and under renovation. Now it’s clean and all but new.

It’s worth noting that we did the usual stuff: we went to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St. Peter’s, the Trevi Fountain, and up to the Palatine Hill. Thanks to Laura & Dan’s planning efforts we had tickets to the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums. We even had a tour of the Vatican crypt, with St. Peter’s alleged burial site. As interesting as those things are, though, there are only so many times you need to see them. Yeah, definitely a First World problem. So what was it that I found this time that made Rome great?

There were two museums that were really great. The Capitoline Museum isn’t quite off the beaten trail; it’s a pretty standard “must see” destination. Still, it was not at all crowded and had lots of good stuff – great old statues; a beautiful painting gallery with all the Titians, Tintorettos, and Caravaggios you’d expect; a spectacular view of the Roman Forum. And it had one of the best audio guides I’ve ever used. Then there was the National Museum of Rome (Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme), all but empty except for a great collection of statues and mosaics. Totally worth the sweat I worked up walking to it in that god-awful heat.

From the Capitoline Museum, Mark and I both loved this old statue of a drunken woman clinging to her wine bottle

From the Capitoline Museum, Mark and I both loved this old statue of a drunken woman clinging to her wine bottle

The lesser-known churches were certainly some of my favorite stops. The Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, built on the spot where Emperor Nero was supposedly buried and where his ghost was still haunting Rome, with two Caravaggios and a Raphael chapel. The Church of San Luigi dei Francesi with three Caravaggios. The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, with 13th century mosaics and a piece of the baby Jesus’s manger; the real one! The Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, built on an old temple to the goddess Minerva, with a statue by Bernini outside, a little-known Michelangelo inside, and the (headless) body of St. Catherine of Siena under the alter; recall that we saw her head in Siena, so now we’ve got the whole picture covered. The Church of the Jesuits (Chiesa del Gesù), where Jesuit-founder Ignatius Loyola lived the last 12 years of his life and where he’s buried in an opulent tomb. The Basilica of St. Peter in Chains with its stunning Moses by Michelangelo and the very chains that held St. Peter in prison. The Basilica of St. Andrew della Valle, with a couple old pope tombs and just general awesomeness.

Caravaggio's "Crucifixion of St. Peter", hanging in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, is one of many great paintings strewn about churches in Rome

Caravaggio’s “Crucifixion of St. Peter”, hanging in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, is one of many great paintings strewn about churches in Rome

You get the idea. It seemed as though any church we went into just drew us in and gave us something to gawp at. And we’ve seen a lot of churches over the years!

So we loved Rome. Our hotel was a few rooms in a residential building right smack on Piazza Navona, perhaps the best location we’ve ever had in Rome. The hotel wasn’t perfect – on our first night we got stuck in a brutally hot and airless elevator for 40 minutes or so – but the location was ideal. Then there was the 50-minute wait at a store for a five-minute transaction to add time to our phone SIM cards. It was classically Italian in the confusion, the absence of any idea how long it would take, the staff taking repeated cigarette breaks while there were huge numbers of customers waiting.

A morning view of the Piazza Navona from our hotel room. In a few hours it would be packed with people but in the morning and evening it was beautiful

A morning view of the Piazza Navona from our hotel room. In a few hours it would be packed with people but in the morning and evening it was beautiful

And then there was that perfect moment, when you saw Italians had learned a thing or two about tour groups. At Michelangelo’s statue of Moses, a dazzling work of art intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II, there was a sign that read in Italian, English, and French

It is forbidden to stop in front of the statue of Moses to give explanations to the groups.

We were so impressed; Rome really does change. Everyone should do that, we thought. Until Dan and Laura went there the next day … and said there was a tour guide standing right there with her group blocking everyone else’s view while she droned on and on about the statue. Damn, and they almost got it right.

From Rome we’re off to a week-long “vacation” in the Loire Valley. But first here are more of the reasons I fell in love with Rome all over again.

Yes, we made it to the Colosseum. Brutally hot. But I learned where the name came from. Near the entrance there had been a replica of the great Greek statue, the Colossus of Rhodes. Long after it had fallen into disuse, the site became known as the Colosseum in memory of the now long lost Colossus statue.

Yes, we made it to the Colosseum. Brutally hot. But I learned where the name came from. Near the entrance there had been a replica of the great Greek statue, the Colossus of Rhodes. Long after it had fallen into disuse, the site became known as the Colosseum in memory of the now long lost Colossus statue.

Laura & Elizabeth

Laura & Elizabeth

Oh yeah, there was food in Rome, too

Oh yeah, there was food in Rome, too

Michelangelo's stunning Moses, where tour guides are not supposed to block your view

Michelangelo’s stunning Moses, where tour guides are not supposed to block your view

Michelangelo's "Last Judgment" in the Sistine Chapel. For centuries art critics have been dazzled but Mark thought it was ugly. I think history is going to have to rethink Michelangelo's genius.

Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel. For centuries art critics have been dazzled but Mark thought it was ugly. I think history is going to have to rethink Michelangelo’s genius.

A bigger view of the Sistine Chapel. Mark & I went there late in the day and by the time we got here it wasn't quite as empty as this makes it look, but there weren't many people in it.

A bigger view of the Sistine Chapel. Mark & I went there late in the day and by the time we got here it wasn’t quite as empty as this makes it look, but there weren’t many people in it.

The Vatican Museums have a whole bunch of Raphael, including this one showing the world's great philosophers discussing stuff

The Vatican Museums have a whole bunch of Raphael, including this one showing the world’s great philosophers discussing stuff

A random Michelangelo - a very masculine Jesus - in the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

A random Michelangelo – a very masculine Jesus – in the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

The Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme had an enormous and grand selection of statues, including this classic discus thrower

The Museo Nazionale Romano: Palazzo Massimo alle Terme had an enormous and grand selection of statues, including this classic discus thrower

A closeup

A closeup

An athlete, another original Greek bronze from the Museo Nazionale Romano

An athlete, another original Greek bronze from the Museo Nazionale Romano

Arguably the most ornate sarcophagus I've ever seen. Note that in the middle there is a face that's unfinished. That was left to display the person who ultimately was going to buy and pay for it.

Arguably the most ornate sarcophagus I’ve ever seen. Note that in the middle there is a face that’s unfinished. That was left to display the person who ultimately was going to buy and pay for it.

This is a small part of a fresco taken from the walls of the country home of Livia, Augustus's wife. The fresco covered all four walls of the room.

This is a small part of a fresco taken from the walls of the country home of Livia, Augustus’s wife. The fresco covered all four walls of the room.

And finally, one last piece from the National Museum of Rome. This ivory face has a room of its own in the museum and a great story, to boot. It was found in the 1990s in a barn in Italy. As officials investigated they discovered that it was being hidden there by a cabal of archeologists who sell to secret collectors in violation of all sorts of national laws. This particular group was busted, but apparently sales of this sort of stuff to secret collectors is quite a thing.

And finally, one last piece from the National Museum of Rome. This ivory face has a room of its own in the museum and a great story, to boot. It was found in the 1990s in a barn in Italy. As officials investigated they discovered that it was being hidden there by a cabal of archeologists who sell to secret collectors in violation of all sorts of national laws. This particular group was busted, but apparently sales of this sort of stuff to secret collectors is quite a thing.

The body - minus the head - of St. Catherine of Siena, from the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

The body – minus the head – of St. Catherine of Siena, from the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

A wooden Baby Jesus that's supposed to be great at healing. Now, though, a replica, as the original was apparently stolen a few years ago. And there's a little basket next to it where you can leave a message. There are even note cards available that start with "Dear Baby Jesus". Isn't that just precious?

A wooden Baby Jesus that’s supposed to be great at healing. Now, though, a replica, as the original was apparently stolen a few years ago. And there’s a little basket next to it where you can leave a message. There are even note cards available that start with “Dear Baby Jesus”. Isn’t that just precious?

A view of the Roman Forum

A view of the Roman Forum

Part of Jesus' manger!!

Part of Jesus’ manger!!

Statue of Giordano Bruno in the Campo de Fiori just south of the Piazza Navona. Every evening we'd meet here for a drink before dinner and admire his gloomy face. He was a most unusual Dominican Friar, since he didn't believe in the Trinity, the virginity of Mary, the divinity of Christ, or transubstantiation. You know, so he was a heretic. Who was burned at the stake but is now considered a martyr to science. Cool guy.

Statue of Giordano Bruno in the Campo de Fiori just south of the Piazza Navona. Every evening we’d meet here for a drink before dinner and admire his gloomy face. He was a most unusual Dominican Friar, since he didn’t believe in the Trinity, the virginity of Mary, the divinity of Christ, or transubstantiation. You know, so he was a heretic. Who was burned at the stake but is now considered a martyr to science. Cool guy.