Finding my Roots

When I was a child, I often used to walk down the street to my Great Grandma Marcozzi’s house to chat with her. I don’t remember much of what we ever talked about, but I do remember receiving a crisp one dollar bill every time I visited. I look back at my childhood and realize how lucky I was to not only live on the same street as her, but on the street over from both sets of grandparents, as well as another great grandmother. To top it all off, the family business, where my uncle and cousins worked, was just a quarter mile down the road. While having such a large portion of a family’s life so concentrated in one area is a rarity in California, this family closeness is commonplace in Italy.

After my parents headed home, I made my way down from Venice to Ascoli Piceno, a small city that dates back to before Roman times. More important, though, is the fact that it is the hometown of my Papa’s side of the family. Greeted at the train station by my cousin Marino, I was welcomed immediately by the whole family, as usual in Italy. Croce, my Papa’s cousin, owns a hotel in Ascoli, and they were nice enough to let me stay there for the week. Croce and his wife, Slyvanna, took care of me like only an Italian family can, making sure my belly was always full of food and that I always had everything I needed. Their two sons, Marino and Marco, toured me around the city and taught me all the essential Italian slang I needed to sound somewhat like a local. Ascoli has a great feel to it: fun atmosphere, beautiful scenery, medieval architecture, and elegant churches. There is enough going on to keep you busy, but it’s small enough that the odds are you will run into more than a few friends during an evening passegiata.

The first trip we took outside of the city was to San Gregorio, a small village up in the hills and the place in which my great grandparents grew up. Today, the village has a total of 8 permanent residents. Overlooking the orange and yellow tree covered hills, I could imagine Grandma Marcozzi playing in the town square while her parents walked down to the spring to get the necessary water for the day. Maybe that’s where she met my great grandpa Jimmy, who lived about 20 feet away from her family. Or maybe they met in the church, about 30 feet from her house.

As we enjoyed lunch on the more than 100 year old table in the kitchen, I couldn’t help but think to myself what Grandma must have thought about the small distance between her house in California and all her family there. Troppo lontano io penso.

Too far away indeed…

Salute!

Having had our fair share of sit down dinners in Italy, we decided to do a Venetian pub crawl to mix things up a bit. Scattered all around town are small eateries serving tapas and cheap glasses of wine during the dinner hours. We made our way to about 4 or 5 places, sampling their wine and snacks. From crab, swordfish, and smoked tuna sandwiches, to stuffed calamari, to meatballs, we had a great evening sampling all we could, finishing it off with some seafood risotto. The little joint shown in the picture has been around for about 500 years, the original Venetian dinner hotspot.

Bidding farewell to my parents, I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face as we truly enjoyed the trip of a lifetime together. Here’s to good food and family: Together, as it should be, the Italian way…Salute!

Venice, Italy

The last stop on the journey brought us to Venice. Throughout my travels in Europe, I’ve been to quite a few canal-filled cities that call themselves the “Venice of the North,” or east, or west, or wherever they are located. Just to make a clarification, none of these cities holds a candle to Venice. Cars and Vespas are replaced by boats and gondolas. I’ve never walked across so many bridges in my life, or hit so many dead-ends. An explorer’s and photographer’s dream, Venice is filled with back alleys, eerie canals, colorful buildings, and bridge after bridge after bridge. I could fill an entire day doing nothing but getting lost, both on purpose and on accident. All it takes is one turn in the opposite direction of the crowd and you find yourself on an empty street, with a decision to make: left down a little alley with a low ceiling and no end in sight, or right towards the direction of the water (or so you think).

Besides doing our fair share of wandering, we camped out in St. Marks square to listen to the dueling orchestras at the high end cafes, made the trip out to Murano island to see the famous glass factories, visited the famous Rialto fish market, and took a few rides up and down the Grand Canal to see the palaces and churches from Venice’s main “street.” Surprisingly, it didn’t take too long for me to know my way around the island and, by the time I left, I think I knew the streets like the back of my hand.

I think…

Florentine Dinners

Not only did we eat 3 incredibly delicious dinners in Florence, but we got some entertainment with them as well. One restaurant sat all of 16 people inside, with one server (the son), one cook (the mom), and one person making sure everything was just as it should be (the dad). Our server turned into our friend, recommending what we should all order, helping me with my Italian, and working his way into all of our photos. The next evening, we were treated to some live impromptu music as one of the patrons, a friend of the twin brothers who run the restaurant, decided to play a little airhorn while another friend played some guitar, singing his little 5'4" Italian heart out. While the locals saw it as just another night out, it was the quintessential dinner for some Americans doing their best to take part in the true Italian experience…

Florence, Italy

Back in sightseeing mode, we explored Florence as soon as we arrived. When I say we explored Florence, I mean we shopped. And shopped. My mother was in her element as every other store was either a leather shop or a shoe shop or a scarf shop. The famous San Lorenzo leather market was where most of our time was spent, as we enjoyed listening to the sales pitches of every booth we passed, doing their best to sell us “the best leather in the city.”

We did accomplish more than just shopping, though. We climbed to the top of the famous dome of the duomo (seen in the photo), explored markets, saw Michelangelo's David and the Uffizi gallery, and enjoyed the views from some nearby hills. While we hit a little bit of bad weather, it didn’t affect us too much and by the time we were ready to leave, we had covered (walked) just about every square inch of the city.

Naturally…

You Were Wondering Why it Leaned So Much?

After leaving the Cinque Terre just in time before major flooding occurred, we headed to Florence, but not before making a pitstop in Pisa to go check out the leaning tower. The tower actually leans much more than I had anticipated, and it’s quite a sight to see. The official lean is 5 feet from the vertical, but after my contribution that you see in the photo, those experts might have to change it to 6…

30 Years

What better way to celebrate 30 years together than in the most romantic country in the world…Bella Italia.

The last two towns of the Cinque Terre are connected by the Via Dell'Amore, or the Walk of Love. Best walked at sunset, the path is covered in lovenote-graffiti and padlocks attached by lovers who throw the key over the cliffs once they’ve attached their symbol of love for each other, sealing it forever. They didn’t have a lock, but after this much time, I think it’s pretty clear that Mom and Dad threw their key away long ago, never to be found again…

Everybody 1,2,3…..Awwww

The Cinque Terre

The tranquil atmosphere of Monterosso, the last of the five villages situated along the coast and the next stop on our trip, was a welcome change after the 4 weeks, I mean days, we spent in Rome. Our first day was spent wandering around the town and enjoying the beautiful waterfront views. A trail connects all five towns from Monterosso down to Riomaggiore, and we spent the second day hiking from start to finish. The views were well worth the sweat as we marvelled at each village from above, below, and inside. The photo shown is of Vernazza, the 4th village of the five. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to hike, and watching the sunset from a cliffside bar in Riomaggiore was the perfect ending to a memorable day.

The train ride back to Monterosso took about 7 minutes, just a little longer than the 7 hours it took us to walk!

Back in Time

While basically everything in Rome outdates anything back home, ancient Rome takes things a step further. It truly is difficult to fathom ideas like sharing a footpath with Julius Caesar or hanging out underneath the Colosseum where lions and tigers (and bears??) were kept before they battled gladiators. The ancient Romans truly were an advanced society, evident in the sophistication of their technology and the survival of their constructions. The only reason why many of their buildings aren’t still around today is simply because they were looted for material to build other things around the city.

Being inside the Colosseum and hearing our guide speak about how audiences were treated to free all you can eat and drink shows involving exotic animal battles, slaves fighting for their lives, and gladiators taking down beasts had me in disbelief that I was actually standing where all this occurred.

I’d like to think that if I were a gladiator, I’d be a crowd favorite. I mean, I’ve got the pose down, right??

Just Like Home, Only in Rome

Being accustomed to staying in hostels for the last few months, it was nice to be able to spread out all my belongings as much as possible in our little apartment. The fact that I made a mess of the place didn’t matter too much as we never spent more than a few minutes inside. With the Spanish Steps right down the street, it was easy to kill what downtime we had watching the scene unfold: friends catching up, lovers laying in each other’s laps, the constant stream of picture takers, rose-sellers doing their best to convince men to buy roses for their companion, vendors unsuccessfully selling squishy head toys, and the rogue police officer chasing them all away.

Rome has something historical or monumental around every corner. Somehow, you kind of get used to it; so by the 7th or 8th time we passed the Pantheon, we really didn’t stop to admire the 2000 year old domed structure that inspired so many great artists and architects. We had more important business to handle anyway, there was a famous gelateria hiding somewhere in the area.

Exploring Roman sights at night provides a whole new scene and experience than what can be seen during the day. One of our hotspots was the Trevi Fountain, seen in the photo. A coin toss over our shoulders into the fountain ensured that we will all one day return to Rome again, hopefully sooner rather than later…

Benvenuti a Roma

After running around Rome for a couple days making my way around a few of the hundreds of churches, I packed my bags and headed to the airport. Where was I headed? Well, right back where I came from, with 2 extra travel partners. After 3 months of reading guidebooks nightly and about the same amount of time packing, my Mom and Dad finally made it to Italy.

Two days without sleep was nothing a couple of cafes couldn’t fix and, before they knew it, they were off an a whirlwind walking tour of the city guided by yours truly. It was great to see the wonder and amazement they had seeing streets, people, buildings, and culture that was all brand new. I think I had forgotten to truly appreciate the little things about places that make traveling such an enjoyable experience. Street performers, vendors, markets, out of control Vespas, colorful streets, hanging laundry, ornate churches, and buzzing piazzas are just a part of everyday life for a typical Italian (cough, cough, me) but to a couple of first timers it’s a sight to behold. Walking around a bit slower all day was just what I needed to gain back that appreciation that I’d somehow lost a little.

The years of theme park mastery accomplished by the Ferland family sure did come in handy as we walked nonstop from sight to sight, leaving no monument, building, or scarf shop (mom) unseen. Funny how after three and a half months apart, we really didn’t miss a beat…

Formia, Italy

My last stop before meeting my family in Rome was Formia, a small coastal city between Naples and Rome. A friend of mine from college put me in contact with Luciana and Vincenzo, a wonderful family that was happy to bring me in for a couple days. Needless to say, their hospitality was top notch. I was treated to some excellent Italian cooking by Vincenzo, a “clever” cooker in Luciana’s words, and to warm conversation with Luciana throughout my stay. One of their two sons, Pierpaolo, came up from Naples to show me some sights and beaches in the area, from a local perspective of course. The whole experience was great, and I hope to see Luciana and family soon so I can return the favor back in the states.

The Amalfi Coast

I can remember reading a National Geographic travel magazine when I was first dreaming up this trip. The cover held a photo of colored houses seemingly stacked on top of each other overlooking a jagged coastline with a tiny road winding alongside. I think the title was something like, “Dining on the Amalfi Coast.” I can still see that magazine sitting beside the living room chair and, as I take in the scene from my hostel balcony, I have to ask myself if what I’m seeing is real. I imagine that, when I return, I will most likely see a fair share of magazines with cover photos of places I’ve visited during my time here in Europe, and, undoubtedly, I will ask myself the same question again and again.

Distinguishing between experiencing a monument or church and seeing its likeness on a magazine should prove to be a simple task. However, when I return home to that magazine sitting in my living room, I imagine that if I close my eyes for a minute, I just might feel like I’m right back here on the coast, watching the cars wind along the road as the boats come in to shore below.

And that’s quite alright with me..

Sorrento and Naples, Italy

Situated just around the corner from the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento serves as a beautiful home base for day trips to Pompeii, Capri, and Naples. Having already been to Pompeii and Capri on a previous trip, I spent most of my time strolling around the busy streets and shops filled with lemons, linen, and old British tourists. Between the rugby games playing at every bar and the fish and chips served at many restaurants, I almost forgot I was in Italy…until I went to Naples for the day.

Naples is the grungiest I’ve seen Italy so far. In speaking to people and reading up about it, I heard many stories of Naples being a dangerous place to be. While I’m sure some parts are a little sketchy, I had a great experience and enjoyed seeing the chaos of life unfold. From little children riding on the front of scooters weaving through pedestrians on the sidewalk, to households spilling out onto and across the streets, Naples has a character to it that’s hard not to like. I only spent a day there, but I would have liked to have a bit more time.After enjoying some pizza in its birthplace, I hopped back on the train to Sorrento and watched some NFL and MLB playoffs in a bar, surrounded by Americans.

Funny how two places, only a few miles away, can be worlds apart…

The Ultimate Hill Town

From Siena, I headed further south to Orvieto, another hill town that is a bit more accessible, just off the main train line. Orvieto has some great views,as you can imagine, and the most intricate facade on a Duomo I have seen thus far. The town is known for its Duomo and ceramics, which fill almost every shop lining the narrow streets.

The main reason I came to Orvieto, though, was for the easy access to the hill town of hill towns: Civita di Bagnoregio

Perched at the top of a pinnacle carved out on all sides, “Civita” is connected to Bagnoregio by a small foot bridge. It is incredible to see this town from a distance, the lone remnant that remains in the surrounding canyon. I feel as though Walt Disney should have modeled something in Disneyland after Civita, it’s got that kind of mystique to it. It reminded me of the Eiffel Tower, in the sense that I think I could stare at it every day and still be amazed and intrigued.

Once I was finished soaking in the view, I made the hike up to the top to explore a bit. There’s not too much going on in the town so, after munching on some homemade bruschetta, I headed back down the hill to catch my bus to Orvieto and the gelato that was calling my name…

Vespas, Wine Tasting, and Tuscan Sun

I think I can go home satisfied now. Aside from starting a gelato shop in Italy, my other main goal was to ride around on a Vespa. Well Christmas came early this year because I realized that goal before I had anticipated. When my Siena roommates mentioned they wanted to rent scooters and head south to some other hill towns and wineries, I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to realize my dream!

Getting to Montalcino from Siena was going to be about an hour drive, er, scoot. I’m not gonna lie, I was a little nervous about manuevering through Italian traffic on a little scooter, especially after seeing that we would have to travel on somewhat main roads. Nevertheless, nothing was going to stop us, and we headed off. Once we were comfortable with the bikes, the ride was great, and after we climbed the hill to Montalcino, it felt nice to enjoy the sun, as the morning air made the ride a little chilly. From there, we headed outside the city to the St. Antimo monastery, where the monks chant daily. Hearing the Gregorian chanting was incredible. I could see how a life of contemplation could easily be the norm in this area; not a sound to be heard, save the rustling of olive tree branches and grapevines.

We then traveled to a few different wineries, tasting the famous Brunello di Montalcino wine, winding through dirt roads, rolling hills, and grapevines. The views from the wineries were the kind that make you not want to move, let alone leave. One winery had Mozart playing, which we thought was to set the mood, which it did very well. Apparently, though, they are actually playing the music for the grapes. Whatever the strategy, they’re doing something right around here because the wine isn’t too shabby.

The journey back to Siena across the hills of fields and grapevines was about as cliche as it gets. With the sun setting on my left, and my shadow desperately trying to keep up in the field on my right, I had not a worry in the world.

It was the perfect farewell to Tuscany, I hope too see it again soon…

Chianti Country

Jodi, Karen, and I figured that since we were so close, it was probably a good idea to head up to the northern part of Tuscany to sample some of the famous Chianti wine. After booking the tour bus, I can’t say I was surprised to see that I was a good 30 years younger than about 90% of the clientele. I guess that’s what happens when you travel in October! The wine most definitely did not disappoint, and now I’ll be lugging around a nice heavy bottle of Chianti Classico for the next couple months.

The tour also took us to San Gimignano, an Italian hill town famous for its many towers scattered throughout the hilltop. The town itself is mostly touristy, but it’s not hard to see why. A town filled with iconic towers overlooking some of the most famous wine country in the world makes for a pretty good vacation destination. You can’t help but sit down and enjoy watching the world pass by while your own world stands still. It’s encouraging to know that all the sights that you need to see in a place like this can be seen in one location: the chair, or step, that you’re sitting on, wherever that may be. My spot was on the edge of the city wall, looking out over the country side with a glass of Chianti and a gelato.

It is a Dolce Vita indeed.

Siena, Italy

After leaving Assisi, I took the longest way possible to get to Siena. I detoured up to Bologna, through Florence, to meet a family member who was nice enough to deliver a package to me that arrived at their house in Vasto about a month after my Mom sent it (gotta love the Italian postal service). I then headed down to Siena, through Florence again for the 3rd time in 3 days, arriving just after the last bit of light from the sun disappeared. Luckily I met some Germans who were studying abroad in Siena, who were nice enough to show me the buses I needed to get to the main square.

Once I arrived in the center of town, there was one thing I was still missing: a bed for the night. Me being me, I assumed things would fall together at the last minute, which they somehow did. During my one night stay in Florence, I befriended two girls in my hostel that were planning on going to Siena next. Since there weren’t really any good hostels in Siena, I suggested that we split a hotel room to save on money. Due to the consistent lack of internet connection in Italy, I was only able to send an email to them that morning from Assisi, suggesting some hotels/guesthouses from my trusty guidebook, completely expecting to be finding my own place for the night seeing as how I didn’t know when I would have access to internet again. So, as I arrived in Siena, I walked around aimlessly looking for internet before stopping at the only affordable hotel in my book, which was of course full. At this point, I started to think that my luck actually ran out, and that I would be spending the night in Siena broke and with no friends. Until…I found a rogue WiFi connection that actually worked, right in the middle of the street (no cars, don’t worry). An email popped up from my new friends saying they had a room right off the main square and that the owner was waiting for me to show up. HottDog! That worked out pretty well.

Siena sits on the rolling hills of Tuscany, with narrow, traffic free streets that all seem to lead to the main square, Il Campo, shown in the photo. The square is huge, and is buzzing throughout the day and night with people having a drink, laying in the sun, eating their pizza, and enjoying their gelatos. The town itself, in my opinion, epitomizes Italy. Big piazza, narrow streets, beautiful cathedral, window shoppers in full force, gelato at every corner, scooters weaving through pedestrians, fresh made pasta at mom and pop restaurants, and grapevines stretching across fields as far as the eye can see.

Somehow, someway, it just keeps getting better…

Assisi, Italy

After leaving Padua, I spent the next couple days exploring some lesser known towns in Italy. While uneventful, it was nice to get off the beaten path of the typical Italian tourist and not hear any English for a while.

Assisi is perched on top of a hill overlooking a valley filled with olive trees and grapevines. The town itself contains narrow, windy streets that make getting lost a kind of sport. While there are a fair share of St. Francis souvenir shops and loads of tourists, there’s a certain charm about the town that makes it one of my favorite places.

Before heading up the hill from the train station below, I visited a church built over St. Francis’ original home chapel after he started his order. The original little chapel sits directly in the middle of the huge church. On my way there I encountered my first bit of animosity from the Italian people: an older lady mumbled to herself, “Americano…brutto,” (ugly American) as I declined her request for me to buy one of her bookmarks she was waving in my face. I don’t think she expected me to understand what she said because as I turned around and asked her why, she got a bit flustered!

Making my way up the hill, I checked into my lodging for the night: a room in a little complex owned by the most enthusiastic Italian woman I’ve met so far. She didn’t speak a word of English, but she sure was happy to see me, I could tell that much. As she showed me my room, everything she described sounded like God’s gift to this Earth. Even asking for my passport sounded like a joyous celebration. The room turned out to be great, and, somehow, the cheapest room in town offered a view of the valley below.

As I walked through Assisi following the footsteps of the life of St. Francis, I realized my trip has turned into more of a pilgrimage since I’ve arrived in Italy. The day’s sights are more often than not centered around churches and the saints that lived in each town. It’s an aspect of Italy that I don’t think I thought about as much when I envisioned my trip, but it’s something that I’m very thankful to be able to experience. The high point of Assisi is the Basilica of St. Francis, a beautiful, two part basilica covered with frescoes from the life of the saint. While the basilica is what draws pilgrims and tourists alike, I think the town of Assisi itself is more indicative of the humble, simplistic attitude that Francis had, a place where beauty can be found in the most basic elements of the town’s character.