2 posts tagged “italy”

There were plenty of Christian images, of course.  I thought it was very nice of Ihor to give Jesus a break from the rain, which accompanied one of our intensive walks through the city.  Also, he usually isn't the type to put me up on a pedestal, but just this once he did.  We were in the Borghese park, having just seen the breathtaking Borghese exhibit, when we happened upon this pedestal obviously in need of a goddess.  Never one to miss a photo -op, he persuaded me to climb on.

And then we were off on a train to Spoleto, where we embarked on the hiking part of our journey.  (I don't suppose the 20 k per day we logged in Rome counts.)  After that I lost my pedometer, which may have been just as well.  Although billed as a "walking" tour, it's important to remember that the part of Umbria we were in is situated in the Apenine mountain range, so there was quite a lot of up and down.  We were joined by Pat and Linda of Calgary and we supported each other quite well through the rigors, which included hail at one point and misleading but hilarious written directions that were translated from Italian.  One phrase I remember was "the path unravels ahead."  Which put me in mind of yarn, which of course made me think of sheep. Magically, who should appear but a very friendly Italian sheep. Note to my spinning buddies, check out the staple length on this guy.  I think these sheep are mostly kept for their milk and cheese making potential, not their wool.  
Think pecorino.  Ihor made friends with many critters on the path,

including this very friendly horse, earning himself the nickname, "Ihor of Assisi."  He also befriended a very cute puppy, who followed us to the most fabulous place that we stayed -- the Abbey of San Pietro located in the middle of nowhere.  Breathtaking nowhere.  After a long uphill hike there, we were treated to juice on the lawn overlooking this incredible valley.  Taking off hiking boots has  never felt so delicious.  There was also an ancient pagan altar there.  
Evidently the monks founded their abbey on a "holy spot"  co-opting the local pagan practices.  As we were hiking through the hills we would often see signs for the "strega" hike, and I am under the impression that this area was quite a hotbed of pagan practice.

I think if I had been better able to adjust to the time zone, I would have enjoyed the hiking part even more than I did.  We had mostly good weather and the scenery was really incredible.  Here are a couple more shots of us on the trail, courtesy of Linda.

That's me picking my way down the hill ever so slowly with two walking sticks.  I definitely do the uphill parts better than the downhill parts.  Starting to feel those joints. 

Then we had a couple of recovery days in Assisi, a wonderful, but touristy, old village,before getting on to my favorite part of the trip, Venice.  For as many pictures as I have seen and movies I have watched and books I have read about Venice, I was still unprepared for the reality of it, which gives new meaning to the words, "over the top."  One of the nicest parts was that there are, of course, no cars. Just simply amazing art and views and gondolas.  We went out to the famous glass-making island of Murano and unexpectedly fell in love with the chandeliers, so after looking at thousands of them, we commissioned one to our specifications.  It should be here in a couple of months and I'll be sure to post a picture.

I did get a great smooch in the gondola from Ihor, just as we were approaching the Rialto, which you can see in this picture on the left.  Many people were up on the bridge watching us, and there were cheers of "Bravo."  It was quite a moment.  The famous Bridge of Sighs (on the right) was so named because it connected the palace of the Doge, where justice was administered, to the prison, next door.  As prisoners walked to their eventual death, they looked out on their last view of Venice and sighed.

It was a great trip, but really intense.  I must say it seems like we were away a lot longer than we actually were, and it feels really good to be back to "la dolce far niente," that is, the pleasure of doing nothing. 

We are busy wrapping up the final details before we take off tomorrow for 17 days in Italy.  We will be 4 days in Rome, 7 days on a walking tour of Umbria (think little villages in Italian hills) a couple of days in Assisi; then finishing up and departing from Venice. 

My fondest travel memories are of Italy, where I have been three previous times.  It feels good to be able to relax and not feel the need to see everything on this trip.  I wish I had spent more time brushing up on my Italian, however.  It will be interesting to see how much comes back to me.  But I've discovered that even a little bit of Italian opens doors in that very friendly country. 

I'm hoping Ihor gets bitten by the bug and falls in love with the people, the food, and the eye candy.  It will be different for me, traveling as a couple.  Solo, I tended to be perceived as a native, and was treated quite royally, I thought.  The men were especially gallant and helpful, and not at all sleazy.

We are not bringing computers, and it's a pretty packed trip, so it's unlikely I'll be blogging or checking email very often.