Le Terra, Day 8

We decided to go to Florence by train to avoid the driving and parking difficulties. It's easy to get to the train here, and parking is 1 Euro a day. We did the fast train up, and the slow train back. It meant a reserved seat going and a real time, which was good. Our train was at 7:13 a.m., so it meant an earlier start here at the villa, where leisurely mornings are the pattern!

As soon as we got off the train, we found a spot for coffee and pastries to get ourselves energized for the day. We had made reservations for the Uffizi Gallery, which is the only way to go, especially as it was the Italian cultural week when all museums are free. So tons of people go, as well as the loads of students. So even though the museum was technically free, we paid the normal price and the reservation fee to make sure we saw it. Our reservation wasn't until 2:15 p.m., so we started out going to the Ponte Vecchio and then walking through the Piazza Duomo. The line at the Duomo was huge (it had just opened), so we gave that a pass and kept walking towards San Lorenzo and the market. There was a demonstration parade going along our route. Turned out it was Ivory Coast people having a "Liberez (free) Gbagbo" rally, so we gave it a wide berth and headed for the market. It was lots of fun to wander around, although there's a lot more souvenir stuff than goods these days. Jean and Eileen bought the same style purse in different colors!

We went into the Mercato Centrale and oohed and aahed over all the lovely food. Here's a picture of Larry's favorite meat and cheese place:We were enticed to find some lunch, and did so at a fun spot in one corner of the market.
After lunch, the Faddens went to see the Fra Angelico's at the San Marco Museum, and the rest of us wandered about some more in the San Lorenzo market and Jean bought a scarf for a friend.
When we walked back through the Piazza Duomo, there was no line, so we spent a few moments inside.We all met again at just before 2 p.m. to get our tickets for the Uffizi. First there was a line to pick up our tickets, then the line to get into the museum (MUCH shorter when you are a ticket holder!), and then there was the line to go through security (which was a bit confusing and not terribly secure), and then there was the stairway way down into the basement of the building to find the toilets, then back to the main level and up the four long flights of stairs to the museum on the second floor. Phew! But oh, is it ever worth it! This is one of those must-see places, like the Louvre or the Met in New York, or the Prado, or the British Museum. It's not very big, especially compared with those places, but the scope and depth of the art, especially from the Renaissance, is just wonderful. It was, even with the staged entries, very crowded, but we manage to see all we could handle in about an hour and half. (Looking at art is hard work!)

After the Uffizi we went on a little errand to the Florence paper shop Il Papiro, found some gelato, and headed for the train. It was a lot packed into a short time, but we were ready to relax and head back to the villa. The total round trip train ride was 5.5 hours, but it was well worth the time. And we enjoyed the scenery from the comfort of the train.

When we got back, we went for pizza at Eureka in the Orte "suburb" of Petignano. Yum! Really good!

LeTerrae, Day 7

This was a very cool day, both in weather and activity. When we had been in Orvieto the Monday before, we had seen a sign for a performance of the Verdi Requiem conducted by Zubin Mehta scheduled in the duomo on April 15. We inquired, and learned that it was free! So when the Faddens arrived, we asked if they'd be interested in going, and we all agreed.

We started out by deciding to go to lunch at the same great place - the Trattori di Moro Aronne. We had another fine meal and then hung around and did some exploring and shopping. (Nancy and Jean bought shoes they had seen in a shop window on Monday!) We also saw more majolica (it isn't only from Deruta). Here's a photo of a woman doing very interesting working in her tiny studio just off the Piazza Duomo:

It was rainy and cold in Orvieto (we're convinced it's always cold there) and we found shelter here and there and then went for a coffee. We'd learned the duomo opened at 5:15 for the 6 p.m. concert. We saw that the line was increasing around 5, and we got there just as the doors opened. It was a kind of annual Easter time civic event as well. The main nave was cordoned off for people with tickets - probably local leaders and donors and the like -and the rest for all the others. It was also televised for broadcast on Good Friday, so our seats were behind the television setup. Watching the whole TV production was as fascinating as the concert itself, especially the big boom that was moving around right in front of us:
It was fun watching everyone come in and get settled. Some people had a quite proprietary sense, and Jean literally had a woman take her seat from her! It all worked out. Eileen sat next to a couple who were there with students on an architecture term from Kansas State University. They had a good conversation, and the woman told her they had been there the year before (it isn't always the same music or performers) and so this year they came prepared with wool hats and mittens! It was cold in there! But the performance was really splendid - great soloists, especially the American soprano, Kristen Lewis. The group, which has been conducted by Zubin Mehta for 20 years or so, is Florence's orchestra and chorus - the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. It was quite an experience to hear that impressive music in that space. We were very glad we could be there. Here's one more picture:
We made our way back to our car. We had planned to park as before and take the funicular, but we took a wrong turn and ended up in a much better lot actually carved into the bottom of the town. You accessed the town through an amazing series of elevators, stairs, and passageways. It was very neat! Although it was a long day, it had been a very wonderful one in Orvieto.

And thus ended our first week at Le Terrae.

Le Terrae, Day 6

On Thursday we decided to go to the northeast to Deruta, home of the famous majolica ceramics, and to Assisi. Both are about an hour and half away.

We got to Deruta in the late morning, and wandered through the shops in the old town. If you want to do serious majolica buying (i.e., a whole dinner set or the like), you do it in the big shops down in the newer town. But up in the old town you can still see the artists at work in their shops, and buy pieces done by them. It is painstaking work, but the results are so unique and gorgeous. There is a school there for people to learn the craft, it was most interesting to see the modern manifestations of this old form. Really cool stuff! Here is a picture of one artist with two painted pieces before firing:We had lunch in Deruta and then headed for Assisi. We found good parking and walked through the town jammed with school students to see the famous Basilica San Francesco. This had been severely damaged in the 1997 earthquake which shook many of the Giotto frescoes of Francis' life into tiny pieces on the ground. It has all been painstakingly restored to its simple beauty, and it was good to be there, despite the crowds. It was interesting, however, to observer the teenagers. There is something about Francis and his story that really connects with them.

We wandered down a lovely side street to go back to our cars. We drove in a huge rainstorm back to Vasanello. We spent the evening cooking our chicken and enjoying the results! Beautiful roasted potatoes and vegetables to go with it, and the requisite amount of wine!

Le Terra, Days 4 and 5

Tuesday was a quiet day. Jean had come down with a cold, so we all decided to take it easy at the villa. It is a great place to just sit and read. The spring is beautiful all around, from the 100 year-old oak in the back to the about-to-bloom irises by the door. There are pots of geraniums, azaleas, and begonias all around the porches and the deck, and the whole thing is full of bees and birds and a few geckos as well. Lavender is everywhere.
We were also awaiting the arrival of the rest of our group, Del and Sandy Fadden, who were flying into Rome late that afternoon. They were renting a car and driving up. We had coordinated some ways to connect once they were close. Well, that kind of went awry when they missed the sharp left turn to Orte at the toll plaza - it was really dark, and it's hard to catch in the middle of the day even when you know it's there! They called and we finally got them turned around and eventually they arrive at the villa, with Larry up on the road to make sure they got to the right driveway! (The drive from the paved road down the villa is a very sharp hairpin tight radius 180 degree turn!) It was lovely to see them and welcome them to the adventure. We got them settled, and all settled in for the night.

The next day, Wednesday, was market day in Vasanello, so we checked it out. These weekly markets are not as big as they used to be, but many people still get things like household goods, clothing, and especially plants and meat products here. We bought a chicken to roast in the outside oven, and went into the panateria for good Vasanello bread, and bought delicious veggies at the veggie shop. Here's a picture from the market - the stand where we bought our chicken:After taking our purchases back to the villa, we headed west to find Etruscan tombs. They are everywhere. The ancient Etruscans had their major population centers in this area, and so the ancient ruins and tombs are prolific. We went to find the ones at Norchia. First we drove around Lago Vico, an extremely beautiful park and resort area. The drive, much of it on a high ridge and tunneling down through brilliant green trees, was magnificent. We stopped for lunch at a little trattoria in a town along the way where they were grilling meat on an open fire in an inside fireplace. We finally found Norchia, after some odd turns directed by Dorothy, our GPS voice, and several map consultations. It was at the end of a road at the end of a road, and we walked down to it on a path along a farm field. When we arrived, there was a posted sign telling us (in English as well) about the town that had been there since 4000 BC! It was a deep canyon with tombs carved into the walls and layers of walls from several millenia of cultures. Everyone except Nancy (a bit steep and treacherous) walked into the bottom of the canyon to see what could be seen. It was nothing fancy - just a canyon by a field in the forests of western Italy. But all the peoples of the place came together there. Amazing. Here's a picture from Norchia:We enjoyed the landscape again as we drove back to Vasanello for supper at the villa.

Le Terrae, Day 3

One of the many great things about this place is how easy it is to get to many other places! You do need a car when you are here, but it is easy to drive to lots of fascinating and beautiful towns and sites.

Orvieto, famous for its cathedral (duomo in Italian), is only 40 minutes away. We parked the car amidst the tour buses and made our way to the funicular, the fun way to get to the top of the hill. At the top, we walked through the lovely streets, checking out the local shops as we went. Eventually we arrived at the duomo at the very top. It is an amazing building of striped travertine and tufa, with a detailed front that is glorious. Here's a picture of the duomo and a detail of one of the columns:
We added the St. Brizio chapel to our ticket and it was well worth it. In the south transept of the duomo, the chapel features frescoes by Luca Signorelli. They are quite amazing, and it was interesting to learn that Michelangelo came there and learned about painting nudes from this painter in the generation ahead of him. It is always interesting to learn all the connections between people, places, art and life. They connect not only through one region, country, or culture, but with the whole wide earth.

We had a great lunch at a recommended restaurant in Orvieto. Everything was closed down (the daily 1 - 4:30 p.m. lunch break!), so we wandered back towards the funicular, finding some gelato along the way, and taking in some of the scenery from this magnificent hilltop.

Le Terrae, Day 2

On our second day at the villa we explored the local area - the village of Vasanello and the hill town of Orte. There are few tourists around here, and even fewer Americans, so it's fun to "live like a local" as Rick Steves' says.

We parked part way up the hill to Orte and then walked up into the town. It was Sunday, and people were just coming from church and making their way home for lunch or just standing in the piazza visiting. There was a fresh pasta shop open, and we saw lots of folk walking away with their pasta for their meals.

The views from all these hill towns is spectacular, and little Orte is no exception. Here's picture (not the best personal shots!) of the view to the southwest from the place where we parked on this foggy Sunday:We walked around for an hour or so and then found a place to have some lunch - just a few plates of bruschetta, other antipasto and wine. (We have had no problems adjusting to wine at lunch!) Here's a photo of a pretty doorway in Orte:That evening we had dinner at Il Sassolino is Vasanello. It was great. It's typical - no menu, a liter of vino rosso locale plopped on the table, and a couple of options given for antipasto, primi piatti and segundi piatti. We had a wonderful meal, and the owner was delightful, even though he had no English and we have very limited dictionary-dependent Italian!

Le Terrae

We had a beautiful drive diagonally across Italy from Ravenna to Vasanello, the location of the villa Le Terrae where we will spend 16 lovely days. The route took us over the Appenines and the hillsides were splendid in their early spring greenery.

We arrived in Orte (the nearby hill town) in time to stop at the grocery store to get provisions for the first couple days. We arrive at the villa just before 3 p.m., and Alessandra, one the of the sisters who owns it, was there to greet us. She showed us all the things we needed to know, and added one little piece to life here - could we please feed the cats that live here? We were happy to do that! Food and long-life milk were all provided, and that has been part of our morning routine.

This is our third stay in this wonderful place. The two sisters - Alessandra in Rome and Anna in Seattle - provide a wonderful space here in their family home. You can learn more about Le Terrae and the surrounding area by clicking here.

After Alessandra got us oriented, we got in the car to drive to Fimuncino (the Rome airport - also known as Leonardo da Vinci) to pick up Wally and Eileen Powelson and Eileen's sister from Perth, Australia, Jean Schonberg. By complete luck and a couple bonuses, we drove into the parking garage closest to the international terminal, walked into baggage claim and saw them all right off! We all got back to the car and on our way to the villa. We cooked a dinner of pasta and salad and settled in for our great holiday here in Italy.

Here's a picture of the oven behind the villa in the morning fog: