adventures in tuscany
27 february 2002

one of the exciting and simultaneously frustrating aspects of gary's job is the element of surprise, not knowing where he will be from week to week and usually finding out at the last minute. we've come to accept this lifestyle although it still rankles me to a degree. i had mixed feelings when it appeared that he would be working in beirut for a week but i reacted quickly and spontaneously by saying, "i wanna go". travel junkie, i am. i was immediately terrifed but felt compelled to seize the chance to go to the middle east, reasoning that his company wouldn't dare send him to a place that would jeopardize his safety, especially in these uncertain times. the project wasn't confirmed but we had tentative travel arrangements in place, my classes were covered at the studio, and i propelled myself into the appropriate mindset. so when the whole thing fell through, i was highly disappointed.

plan b. we have a continuous desire to visit italy so our focus shifted to finding a good fare and mapping out a pleasant four day getaway. so when turin came up on the "click and go" offer from klm, we got out the travel books and concluded that it was a valid destination. maybe we would rent a car and drive to the cinque terra!!! visions of the coast were flying around in my beach oriented brain but on closer inspection, we learned that all of those towns are shut down during the winter months. we've never had a problem entertaining ourselves...so torino it was.

our early morning flight put us in turin before 11am and we were out of the city by 11:20, driving to an unknown destination. i was now in the hands of "gary tours" and wasn't allowed to question our route, only to assist in navigating {ha ha} so i had no choice but to accept the pending surprise. it appeared that we were headed for genova {genoa} after skirting some mountainous roads along the edges of the alps. how refreshing to see those jagged snow topped peaks, reminiscent of home! as we continued towards genova, i was convinced we would be setting up camp there, which seemed like a great choice since it is on the coast and looks a lot like nice, france. ah the mediterranean, with it's powder blue sky and myriad of boats opposite a hillside of colorful houses. those mediterranean hues are so different than the ubiquitous grey of amsterdam and one needs to see this in the dead of winter to be reminded that the sun still shines. but we didn't stop there so i wasn't sure what gary had in mind. i started studying the map and considered briefly that we could be en route to tuscany. finally, he gave me a hint, saying that it begins with an "s" and it was then that i guessed the truth. SIENA, which is indeed the heart of tuscany. "wow", i thought, and was speechless {at least for a few seconds}.

as we sped towards tuscany, the landscape spread in front of us was glittering with different kinds of trees. the various types juxtaposed make such an interesting design throughout the whole region. the cypresses are tall, dark green trees reaching pointedly towards the sky, while the abundant olive groves are softer in color, more like the southwestern tones of new mexico. alongside both stand the sturdy flat topped acacias, or "broccoli" trees as we've come to refer to them. suddenly i saw a sign for the town of carrara and remembered from reading "the agony and the ecstasy" that this is a place very sacred to michelangelo. he preferred to use the flawless white marble quarried from these mountains and indeed, driving by, we could see the sides of the hills resplendent with the white stuff, not to be mistaken for snow! these are the moments when history comes alive.

siena is a treasure of a town, a medieval jewel, evocative in its "old worldness". we loved it immediately, climbing higher to the center of town and at last finding our way to the duomo hotel. cars have bee designated to certain parking areas so many of the streets are only cluttered with people going about their business on foot. we had enough light left in the day to wander over to the duomo, although we were too late to go in. it is a most unique structure, the most unique we've seen. the façade is full of texture, black and white marble in a striped pattern ornamented with details of gothic-romanesque style. so much marble everywhere in italy!! siena is such a comfortable town, charming, winding streets escort you through the various contradas, or districts. there are 17 in total and each one has a specific plaque posted on the corner with a representative symbol. every year, the contradas compete in il palio, a very famous horse race that takes place around the main piazza or square. this is serious business. the horses are chosen by lottery and are blessed at the local contrada churches and the festival is marked by a grand flag throwing display before the event. the winners can be in celebration mode for weeks afterwards, the losers having to endure recriminations. these traditions have been carried on for centuries.

as beautiful as siena is in daylight, it has a vibrant energy at night and the transition was a gorgeous rich blue. we took a few minutes to stand there and gawk at the almost unreal color, taking in the clean air of the early evening. all of the quaint streets lead eventually to the piazza del campo, which fans out and is flanked by cafes and shops, the tower and city hall making up part of the backdrop. there is also a beautiful fountain as you might expect and the atmosphere is friendly, this being the historic junction of the contradas. siena was once a power in its own right, on a par with florence and genoa, but was never able to recover from the plague that wiped out a considerable number of its population. it didn't take long for us to find a wonderful restaurant, where i sampled ribiletto, a thick soup made with bread, tuscan white beans, and other hearty items. the food, as always in italy, was delicious and we noticed that there was no music playing, the emphasis being on conversation and enjoying the food. this is true of all the other restaurants we went to in tuscany and i think it says something about the culture.

the next day we took off to explore some of the other hill towns of central italy. we had a lovely jaunt over to the parking garage which lies under a scenic spot offering a nice view of the green shuttered houses. the rooftops were bathed in the warm winter sunlight, which felt heavenly on our pasty white faces. at this point, i must offer some travel advice. When pumping gas from a machine on a sunday in italy, always put in less money than you think it will take to fill it. we lost fifteen euros because the machine did not give change and the receipt mechanism was out of order so the attendant had no way of believing that we were actually owed that money. ah, italy. this became a sore spot and put us in a mood, only to be relieved when we laid eyes on san gimigiano. we could see it looming in the distance with its many medieval towers, built by rivaling noble families in the 12th and 13th centuries. this was also once a very prosperous town due to its location. many pilgrims passed through here en route from northern europe to rome, but with the plague came economic decline. the town is a haven for tourists because it is just so charming and physically beautiful with its well preserved stone buildings and artsy atmosphere. great gelato, too! we appreciated being there off season with fewer people around. we visited one of the museums with only a few rooms of paintings and frescoes and then climbed the tower in order to get the full panoramic experience. just strolling around through narrow alleyways is a great activity to get the blood flowing. san gimigiano is the epitome of the tuscan hill town and we had heard about it from so many different people but it really exceeded all expectations. i wouldn't mind having a summer home there...

the tuscan landscape gets more attractive as you drive the winding roads that make up the chianti region. we passed by several vineyards and saw thousands of olive trees, stopping occasionally to take a picture and to ooh and aah. as dusk approached, we alighted from the car and walked through another historic town called montepulciano. i should mention that this was carnival weekend and we saw herds of small children dressed in costume, with silly string dragging behind them, older kids sporting shaving cream designs on their clothing and faces. it was a festive atmosphere, lots of laughter hanging in the air. we wandered into a shop and followed the path down to the wine cellar. as we self toured, we saw the various stages of wine making. it was a bit creepy down there, very damp and deserted. when we came upstairs, a nice young lady was ready to offer us samples of wines, cheeses, and meats, specialties of the region. we only bought six bottles of wine, both red and white, and of course some extra virgin olive oil. we decided when we run out, it will be time to make another trip there. afterwards, we sat cosily in a café where we enjoyed some of that regional wine and worked on the crossword puzzle.

we ventured to a town very close by called pienza, where we wanted to eat dinner. it was a beautiful, starry night and the town was at once friendly and rustic as all the others we had visited. you can't really get a bad meal in italy so it doesn't take long to decide on a place to eat. We entered a restaurant and were greeted by a bird who was spitting out italian phrases such as "bon giorno" and "ciao". we were easily amused. it was good timing because soon after we were seated, the place filled up. the table next to us was a party of 8 and they were obviously regulars because the waiter just kept bringing them huge plates of food to share. italians take their food seriously and i don't know how they can make spaghetti in red sauce taste incredibly special, but they can, and i find myself ordering that a lot. i'm never disappointed. on our way out, we had a short "conversation" with the bird.

monday was a mellow day, hanging out in siena, with our first stop being the duomo. this cathedral is quite interesting. it's really busy in design with a mix of ornamentation. one hundred seventy two heads of popes overlook the inlaid marble floor and huge pillars of black and white marble support the vault. in the 14th century, a new nave was planned which would have made it the largest church in christendom but it never materialized due to the plague. the façade gives an indication of how big it would have been. the interior is crazy in its busyness but somehow it all fits together and feels complete. we also checked out the statues in the museum next door, many of which had originally been in the church. it was very foggy but we went to the top of the tower anyway and viewed the skyline and rooftops shrouded in the mist. we had a leisurely lunch, after which gary was buzzed and had to take a nap. i read for awhile but then was overtaken by the urge to shop. i went out on my own, then persuaded him to wake up and join me. we ended up with two pairs of leather boots for me, one a purplish color, the other, sassy and black, up to the knee. i wore them for two hours and my feet hurt for three days. but they're italian so i'll have to grin and bear it occasionally. it was warm enough to sit outside at a café on the piazza, where we could people watch. the main sight was a large circle of children holding hands. they kept going into the city hall building and coming out, joining hands and making the circle again. not sure what that was about but we guessed it had something to do with carnival, since some of the tots were in costume. we had a light dinner of pizza and salad and turned in early.

we estimated the trip back to turin would be about five hours but we wanted to allow for a couple of pit stops, so we chose to get up at the crack of dawn. actually, it was before the crack of dawn, 5:15. there's nothing like a brisk walk to the parking garage at sunrise to get you going. we were sad to say goodbye to siena, and all of tuscany but lucky to have experienced it even for a few days. i know for sure we'll go back. our route took us through pisa, because it wasn't too far out of the way and we had to see the tower. it's quite dramatic in its pitch. we didn't stay long, just long enough to quickly walk around the tower and the duomo and then back in the car. it was worth the detour. we were on schedule so we opted for a breeze through the town of carrara. following the signs for the "cave di marmo", {cave of marble} we kept driving up and up a mountain. we arrived at the impressive quarry, got out of the car, and watched the stone being hauled out of the mountain. i wonder what michelangelo would have to say about the way it's done today. we brought back some samples of carrara marble, as there were scraps there for the taking. maybe we should have some of it sculpted. for now it just sits on a shelf as a memento...

viva tuscany! i can't wait to go back.

love and ciao,

deb