Where has the time gone! My sister Brenda was here for only a week and now three weeks later it feels like she just left! What a wonderful but regrettably fast visit we had with her. For anyone who has been to Italy, you know that you need more than a week to see all of the sights but that was not to be this trip. Instead it was more of a sampling of all the wonderful places, sights and tastes that she must certainly come and experience at another time for a longer period of time.We began our whirlwind sightseeing adventure in Rome. She flew into Rome so it only seemed to make sense that we stayed there for a few days to take in the sights. We stayed at a wonderful old hotel, The Colosseum where we booked in for 2 night. It was right down town so we were able to park the van and walk or take taxis to all of the best spots.
Although jet lagged, tired and sick Brenda wanted to start right away, so after settling into our rooms we walked over to the Colosseum and toured around the outside. We took some awesome pictures as we made our way around the building and walked down the promenade toward Circus Maximus. What's nice about travelling during the low season is that you don't have the crowds that you might otherwise experience in the summertime. However, Chinese New Year was just about to start so that was not the case for us! Anyway, we walked for several blocks and eventually came upon the Capital Building which is truly a sight to behold. From afar there are chariots with horses positioned on the roof. We had been told that up close they are as large as buses but in the distance they don't appear that large......That's why you need to be up close and personal! I can't even begin to imagine how they ever placed them up there! Brendan was thrilled b/c during our walk he saw the elusive Lamborghini police car that he had read about! I will admit that it was pretty swish! He tried desperately to convince his dad to do something wildly illegal to draw their attention but I think John's crazy years are behind him!
For dinner we walked down one of the main tourist streets and were welcomed into a pizza/pasta establishment (imagine that in Italy!!). We ordered pizza and wine and had a wonderful time enjoying spending time and catching up on all the news from back home. Brenda really enjoyed hearing the accent and the language and particularly liked to try her hand at the word "bonjourno"! After dinner we continued along the street and found some wonderful souvenirs for her to add to her Christmas tree (she likes to collect key chains for here trees!). We made our way up the hill to our hotel and then enjoyed a glass of wine while listening to the rain falling outside and Skyping with family back home.
On our second day in Rome we were up in really good time and then proceeded to spend the first hour and 1/2 sitting at breakfast while enjoying wonderful meats, cheeses, pastries and coffee. The best part though was the company! We had such a wonderful time just visiting and relaxing over our coffee! Then we were off to Vatican City. We took a taxi and it was only 15 Euros to be dropped off at the entrance to the museums.(Much better than trying to navigate through the crazy traffic and trying to find parking) There was a long line up to buy tickets but they had a number of ticket booths open and we were through the line in no time. You have to check your backpacks there but you are allowed to take photos everywhere except the Sistine Chapel. (We didn't realize this b/c we had read a couple of blogs that indicated that there was no photography allowed anywhere :( ) But we're going back in March so we'll be able to take lots of pictures then. You need a full day as well as a full tummy when you go to the Vatican Museums b/c the first indication of restaurants is early on in the tour but they don't actually materialize until quite a long stretch in and by then your crazy brain takes over and after being teased for 2 hours you really feel that you must be close to starving!
We were in awe of the wonderful works of art throughout. It just goes on forever. So much history and so many wonderful exhibits. The papal apartment was our favourite spot to see. It was filled with frescos painted by Michelangelo and Raphael. Their depictions of early Christian landscapes were so incredibly presented that you could see the Bible stories of your youth unfold right in front of you. We enjoyed the Sistine Chapel very much but it was unsettling b/c there were priests as well as security personnel there who were constantly telling people to be quiet as it is a holy place of worship and continually reminding people that no photography was allowed. People are really hard of hearing when they're on holiday I've come to realize! The ceiling was all that one would expect to find. As the story goes, Pope Julius had commissioned Michelangelo to paint it and it took him 4 years to complete.
Of the Vatican City your day would be a complete disappointment if you din't visit St. Peter's Basilica. The line up looks daunting and you feel as though you won't have time to see it if you go later in the day - but it's a church so people just keeping moving through. The line up only takes maybe 15 minute and it's definitely worth the wait. Our family has been to a number of basilicas since arriving in Italia but this one is by far the most opulent and historically significant. It rivals Westminster Abbey but John and I both felt that it was a better representation b/c it wasn't stuffed full of dead people! (can't imagine how William and Kate enjoyed their wedding with that many dead people around them!) - worst place to be if there's a zombie apocalypse! We took lots of time looking at all the different monuments and paintings. We stopped a few times to give prayers of thanks and pray for family members past and present and then went through the crypt. I was particularly interested in paying respects to Pope John Paul but his burial place wasn't in the crypt so we had to go hunting. We finally had to ask one of the guides and were directed back into the main basilica where his burial place is to the right of the main choir. This place of honour was afforded him b/c he was so loved by so many and it is a clear and fitting representation of that honour. Could not have asked for a better day! Rome certainly was not a disappointed in any way!
Our last day in Rome we spent at the Colosseum. Brendan decided to stay at the hotel b/c he's going to see it in March when his friends come. So we had breakfast and then set off walking. It was showering off and on but we had umbrellas and so it was fine! The walk from our hotel was about 10 minutes and as we had eaten a few extra pastries at breakfast it was probably a good thing that we had to walk! Once we arrived we were besieged by "tour guides" telling us that we'd be better off if we took their package and that they could get us in quickly instead of waiting in line for over an hour. But we had seen this at the Vatican and were aware that this was a scam so we stayed in line and were through and waiting for our official tour guide within 20 minutes. While we waited we took some pictures and Brenda scoured the ground for the perfect piece of rubble to take back for her boyfriend, Randy. (Just a tiny piece!!) Our tour guide finally arrived, gave each of us a listening device so we could hear her explanations as we went along and we set off to see the interior. What we found was an incredible piece of history in the contradiction of old and new rubble and rebuild. In sections there was just remnants of what used to be and you had to use your imagination to give you a sense of what must have been. (Seating and the stadium floor) In other areas the stadium floor has been replaced and a few of the seats have been rebuilt (marble) to give a sense of the opulence that existed at one time. The information given to us by the guide was so interesting and surprising. We had always heard the stories and seen the movies of the gladiators at war with the animals. But in fact that never happened. It was always animal versus animal and gladiator versus gladiator. When the Colosseum was finished there was a huge 21 day celebration and there were more than 5000 animals killed during that first 2 weeks of celebrations. (there was no mention of how many men died.) The other surprising fact, the animals and gladiators made their way to the fighting arena from beneath where they were transferred up by way of a manual elevator! The engineering of the Romans was incredible! Eventually the Colosseum was left in ruins and people would come and take pieces of it for other building projects until the 1800s when the Italian government finally proclaimed it to be a national treasure and began to protect and rebuild it.
We all 3 really enjoyed our visit and once finished made our way to the souvenir kiosks so Bren could pick up some key chains! We stopped on our way to the hotel to warm our bones over a cup of coffee and then made our way back to Brendan. Once we had packed up the van we headed out for home. The rain had stopped so we knew the drive would be relatively relaxed and laid back. The drive to Castigneto Carducci was pleasant and we all took turns napping. (Not John of course, he was driving, that would have been crazy!!)
Sunday was a day of rest. We had been going hard, doing a great deal of travelling and touring so John in particular needed to have a down day. This is fine if you have a couple of weeks but when you only have a week and 2 of those days are travel days, it means that your down day is taking away one of very few days for sight seeing. But we all rested and really enjoyed hanging around the villa and walking on the beach where Brenda was able to find lots of "perfect stones" for Randy's collection!! The rest of the day we spent visiting, drinking cheap wine and trying find the Super Bowl on our mostly Italian speaking TV! It was so great to have a down day but we had to make the most of Bren's visit so we were off to Pisa the next day.
On the same day we travelled to Vinci to visit the birth place of Leonardo di Vinci! The drive up to the village was wonderful as we passed through old Italian villages resplendent in their antiquity, olive groves and vineyards. Vinci itself is a large town filled with shops that are the cornerstone of every good tourist town, gelatarias, gastronomies, cafes and of course the Museo di Vinci! Just 5 minutes up the hill is where the great artist was born. He was illegitimate but was allowed to live in the home of his father with his legitimate children. Many of di Vinci's earliest works are reflections of his childhood memories, looking down over the valley and the village. His life story is quite sad and tells of a very lonely existence. The Vinci home itself is nothing to speak of but the life story that is told there is worth the trip up if you have the time.
When we left the house we travelled back through Vinci and stopped at the vineyard that makes Leonardo di Vinci wine. It was late so we were unable to do the tour but they did take the time to allow us to do a tasting of the younger wine and explain where it is made. It was unfortunate that we were unable to to the tour but the owner gave us a pamphlet on the vineyards that are in Sienna where a great deal of this wine is made so we decided then and there that we would go there the next day!
Sienna was a great surprise for us. We travelled along secondary roads and climbed higher and higher into the hills of the Sienna region. If you have the time really stay off of the motorways and take the scenic route, it is truly one of the most breathtaking scenic places to see in Italy. As you climb higher and higher the villages you drive through seem to age as you drive along! A monastery here, an old church there. On this foothill an old fort, on that one an old villa. You need a camera with infinite space as you are forever taking pictures along the way. However, if you're afraid of heights maybe stay on the main roads!!! After the 2 hour drive up to the vineyard we were disappointed to find the road closed to the vineyard due to all the rain there had been the week before. ("time spent on reccie is seldom wasted"!) But it was still a wonderful way to spend an afternoon with my one and only, but still favourite sister!
On our way back we stopped into a shopping centre in Florence so Bren can say she saw that city as well!! Although she and I sat in the van and waited for John to take care of some internet business, we were able to visit and enjoy the peace and quiet for a bit and take in the people coming and going! What a way to finish off her trip! It went so quickly that I was shocked to realize that we were finished and it was time to pack up and hit the road back to Rome. To finish off her visit we went out for a lovely dinner by the sea just down the street from our villa. It was a seafood restaurant which prides itself on cooking the catches from just outside its doors from the sea. What a wonderful way to end her trip. Good wine, wonderful food, and amazing company! Does it get any better than that?? One of the last things on her to do list that hadn't been accomplished yet was to set foot in the Mediterranean. So John and Brenda took off their socks and shoes and made their way into the waves on the beach in Carducci! I don't know that I've laughed that hard in forever!!! (I took lots of pictures!) I'm so not used to hearing my sister scream like a little girl!!!!! It was awesome!!!!
And so her whirlwind trip came to an end and we sent her on her way with tons of hugs and kisses. We had a wonderful week and were missing her before she was even through the security area. Brenda is just one of those rare human beings that always emits wonderful energy and love. She is one of my most favourite people in the entire world and other than my husband and children I can't begin to imagine anyone else that I would rather have had this year's experience with.
My dear sister, you are a rock star friend, mother and sister and I am so honoured to be part of your wonderful life. Thank you for not only supporting us this past year but also sharing in it with us in both Scotland and Italy. We love you so much and feel incredibly blessed to call you 'sista'! xo
Oh and by the way if you ever need a really good fire started just give her a call!!
