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Greve in Chianti

04 Wednesday Aug 2010

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The whole reason for this trip to Italy was to see my good friends Jen and George get married. They chose this fantastic villa in a town called Greve in Chianti. I saw the pictures of the villa and I knew it was going to be beautiful but it was beyond what I could have imagined. The villa Vignamaggio dates back to the 14th century. Mona Lisa, yes that Mona Lisa, was born there in 1479. It is also a vineyard and has been waking wine for 600 years. To say there is a rich history on this property is an understatement.

The grounds are stunning. The villa gorgeous. You couldn’t ask for a better surrounding to get married in.

When we arrived our room wasn’t ready so Sue and I grabbed our suits and went for a swim. I have been to some nice pools in my day but this had the best view. I mean seriously. It didn’t seem real.

We then had a lovely lunch at the wine bar before there was more pool time. Literally just hanging out on the noodles for hours just chatting with everyone. And this is where we met Rick.

Blog friends, meet Rick.The Crouching Tiger. Hidden Dragon! He is really quite special!

The plan for dinner this night which is now July 16th was to head up the hill to a restaurant with all the wedding guests. But first, Jane and I attended the wedding rehearsal to make sure everything was ready for the next day. With that done, Jane, Sue and I thought we would have a pre-cocktail party, pre-dinner bottle of wine, so we sat outside in front of our hotel room. Couldn’t have asked for a better setting.

The busses came and we made our way up the hill and settled in for a 4 course meal. Behold the yummy…

The one thing about the Italians is they do not rush a meal. We got to savour the courses, drink the wine and chat with old and new friends.

We didn’t leave the restaurant till midnight. And what better way to end the night than go for a late night (early morning) swim. What an amazing experience. That stars out were ridiculous. We just floated about laughing and enjoying the Tuscan night. And of course hang out with Rick. With the wedding the next day I needed to make sure I got my beauty sleep so we turned in.

I didn’t have a great sleep but woke up early as usual and went outside to write in my journal and read my book. I really enjoyed my mornings in Greve because it was my “me” time. My time to soak up the surroundings and think about the trip.  

I was excited because it was the day of the wedding! I have never been a bridesmaid at a wedding but was really looking forward to it although I was a bit nervous. Nervous about the speech we had to make too. Buth the morning was a great one. Hanging by the pool with all the guests. Before I knew it, it was time to get ready. We hung out with Jen while she got her hair and makeup done, sipping champagne. The photographer was there taking lots of pictures. The candid ones I am sure are going to look horrible of me. I don’t do candid well!

Getting Jen in her dress was a bit of a tricky thing but it was worth it all! Jen was stunning! And then it was time for Jen to walk down the aisle!

The wedding was held in the main garden. Seriously, could you think of a prettier place to get married?

The cocktails after the wedding were held right next to the main garden. People mingled, drank champagne and nibbled on appies. Lots of pictures were taken with this amazing view in the background.

 

Instead of the guest book, Jen and George had everyone sign champagne bottles with messages of congratulations etc. They will open a bottle over the next 5 wedding anniversaries.

 We moved into the lower garden for dinner where again we feasted on another 4 course meal. Between each course, we had some speeches. Jane and I were doing our speech to Jen and George together. As I said before, I was really nervous and began fine but as I started to talk about the type of person Jen is I got choked up. The emotion just took over. I managed to get through and Jane started her part but because I got emotional so did she. I guess there were a few tears in the audience too. Jane and I have known Jen for over 20 years so we were just so happy to be a part of her special day.

Now that dinner was done it was time to party! There was a band to start and then we all moved inside where a DJ played. The booze was a flowing and everyone had a great time. I stayed out until 2am but there were people finally making their way to their rooms at 5:00am. The sign of a good night!

The best part of going to bed early is waking up early and well having the pool to myself. I literally didn’t see a soul the morning after the wedding until around 11am. Until then I swam and read and just chilled out. Perfection! At 1pm it was time for the wine tour which I am so glad I attended. Hearing about the history of Vignamaggio was so interesting. We were told how they keep discovering written documents that confirms all the stories about Vignamaggio. Like the one found that was written by Leonardo Da Vinci saying he was coming to Vignamaggio to paint Mona Lisa. So crazy!

We then tasted the wines. The chianti classico, the reserve and then the grappa. Each paired with the food. The classico and reserve with cheese and meats. The grappa with a dessert. Divine.

The Sunday afternoon plan was a poolside BBQ that turned into a garden BBQ as it was way too hot by the pool. The garden provided the much needed shade. We drank Prosecco and there was a small barrel of the Chianti classico. It was a great opportunity for catching up on the events of the wedding night and maybe a little hair of the dog!

 At this point, I hadn’t really done much exploring of the grounds so a bunch of us decided to go on a little walk about. Now muct of us are not dressed appropriately for this little adventure. Some wore flip flops (me), wedges, dresses etc. Drink in hand, off we went. It was 2 miles that would take us around part of the grounds and back again. There was some concern at some point that we were not going the right way. The sun was setting so I guess I understood the concern that we might not get back before it got dark. I had so much fun!

The rest of the night was all about pool time fun. In and out of the pool. Making drinks for people. Pool games. Chatting with people. Kickboxing demos. Lots of Prosecco. Good times. No idea what time I went to bed.

The next morning we got up early to go horse back riding. I was in a bit of a Prosecco fog but was excited to be on a horse again! I used to ride horses essentially for a living but hadn’t been on a horse since ’98. Even though this was western it was still a trip!! Pedro was my horse and he was only 4 but knew the route we took. I was told he didn’t like mouth contact so I pretty much let him do his thing except for when we went for our gallops. I just kept a light feel then.

We basically rode through the vineyards that were all a part of the Vignamaggio property. Simply stunning.

The highlight was going across this little bridge and by this centuries old residence. Unbelievable.

And that was our trip to Greve and Vignamaggio. I hated saying goodbye to Jen and George. And all my new friends. But what an amazing couple of days. The scenery. The history. The emotions. The laughter. The friendship. The memories.

Cortona

04 Wednesday Aug 2010

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Let me preface this by saying that although many people told me that Italian drivers were crazy, I didn’t think much about it. Um… they are CRAZY! There are no lanes and pretty much they just do what they want. So now knowing this, we had to drive out of the main centre of Rome. All this while scooters are literally weaving in and out of lanes scarying the crap out of you! Oh and there are no street signs so Google maps mean nothing. How we did it, I don’t know but we managed it. With a few screams and with high stress, we did it and were on the highway on our way to Cortona which is the province of Arezzo in Tuscany. We wanted a little town in Tuscany to stay at for one night and I picked this one when I realized it was the town Under the Tuscan Sun was filmed in.

This is what we saw as we drove closer. I knew then that it was going to be everything that I had hoped for.

But before we visited the town, we had to find our hotel which was before you wound up the Cortona streets. Well, we thought. We drove around for 30 minutes and still had not found it. Again, no street signs so how the heck are you suppposed to find anything? After asking 4 different people for directions, we finally found it and immediately wanted to go for a dip in the pool. So we look around and everyone is wearing ridiculous swim hats. Sue and I are thinking what losers and hop in the pool. We realized when we got yelled at why they all were wearing silly hats…. pool rules. Well we were not about to do that, so got out and got ready for our town visit.

Wandering around the steep streets of Cortona was wonderful. Not easy though. There is only one flat street in entire town. Everything else is up steep steps or hills.

 

We walked up to what I feel like was the highest point of the town. Bikrams hiking up steep cobble stoned steps. Again a hot sweaty mess. It was so hot we had to seak shade immediately to cool off. We couldn’t go in the church that was at the top because we didn’t have a sweater to cover our shoulders but the view was worth it.

Making our way back down, we noticed all the great doors every house had. Actually, I think Italy in general, has the most amazing doors. Wood doors. Large doors. Character doors. Amazing doors.

And another thing I love about Italy. All the water fountains that keep you cool. They saved us on many occasion!

Time for a beer and relaxation in the main square. Great people watching!!  Watching the town locals. Trying to figure out how they are related.

The dinner we had was the best by far for me on my trip and the cheapest. We had bruschetta to start (shocking I know) and then I had a Leek and delicate cheese lasagna. Oh my god… yummy!!! Sue had this fantastic ravioli.And the wine was wonderful too. We had been so accustomed to paying about $20+ euros for a bottle of wine in Rome that we couldn’t figured out if the $11 euros the menu was showing was for a bottle or a glass. We loved that it was for a bottle and another reason to love Italy!

We couldn’t leave this lovely little town without tasting their gelato and I am so glad we did. Chocolate and Caramel. Yes please!

With our great meal done, we made our way down the windy street and saw this church. We had to go check it out. There was a graveyard behind it and we took a peek. What amazed both of us was all the flowers on the graves. Clearly, these loved ones have not been forgotten. As we were leaving, we ran into this old man bringing flowers to a grave. He started speaking to us in Italian. He was explaining something about the church. Despite not knowing what he was really talking about, it was such a moment. He was so passionate about what he was saying. We walked away moved. We thought about who he was bringing flowers too. We really hoped it was not his beloved wife.

What a place Cortona is. Love.

Rome

04 Wednesday Aug 2010

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This is what I posted on facebook as my Rome highlights: Bikrams walking, Bikrams drinking…. pretty much everything Bikrams. Hot sweaty mess. Pizza. Pasta. Wine. And more wine.And more wine. Big blisters. Boob sweat. Butt check. What time is it? What days is it?Midnight Vatican visit. Prego. Makeout point. Random Italian men. Wow. Stunning. Holy %&$ balls. Maps. What street again? Chafing. Swollen feet. When in Rome….

That was Rome in a nutshell but to elaborate more…

We left London early morning on Monday, July 12th flying Alitalia to Rome. The flight was awful. Very turbulent and I am not a comfortable flyer so I was holding on for dear life while Sue kept telling me it was going to be ok. We did get to see a stunning view from the plane through all the bumps.

Was happy to land safetly and without too much problems found the train station which would take us to Termini, the main station in Rome. Luckily our B&B was close to it although we did have to wander around a bit trying to find it. None of the street numbers made any sense! That 10 minute walk to the B&B resulted in a complete Bikrams experience. Totally dripping in sweat. I know it is not attractive but there is nothing you can do about it! So to have walked in to air conditioning was a complete life saver!

The little B&B we picked was great and the people there even better. Highly recommend staying at La Casa di Amy in Rome. You will not be disappointed. This is the picture of the courtyard.

We didn’t want to waste any time so we basically just dropped off our bags and hit the road. We went straight to Santa Maria Maggiore which was a church quote close to our hotel. It was so beautiful. All the churches in Rome really blew my mind. It is hard to describe how elaborate they all are.  And all so different.

Sue and I continued our walk and was greatful to come across this fountain where we cooled our feet off before walking more. I believe the temperature was around 37 degrees on this day.

We were on a mission to find the Trevi Fountain but stumbled upon the Spanish Steps instead. The steps are definitely a major tourist area. So many people it seemed no matter what time of day it was. I have a great picture of the steps at nightime but will show that later in this post. After we hung out on the Steps for a litle bit, we made our way to the Trevi Fountain which again is another huge tourist spot.  It was nearly impossible to get a shot without someone standing in the way but at least we got this one.

There are a lot of different interpretations of coin throwing into the Trevi Fountain. Some say if you throw one coin your are guaranteed a return visit to Rome. 2 coins means a new romance. Three coins means either a marriage or a divorce.  A reported current version of this legend is that it is lucky to throw three coins with one’s right hand over one’s left shoulder into the Trevi Fountain. I did the latter. I hope it was lucky!

We then made our way back to our room for a little nap before getting ready for dinner.

We wanted to see the Spanish Steps at night so we thought we would have dinner close to it. We found a great little place a couple of blocks away and settled in for a nice meal. There were only a couple of tables outside so we grabbed one of those. I loved the streets in Rome. So much character.

We people watched and relaxed over a bottle of wine and some pasta. The food was phenomenal.

After dinner, we strolled up to the Spanish Steps. I couldn’t believe how many people were still hanging out there. It was even busier than the daytime.

 So day 1 in Rome was complete. Couldn’t wait for Day 2 as we had tickets to see Ancient Rome.

We woke up nice and early so we could grab some breakfast before heading to the metro. The breakfast spread was great. Cheeses, meats, yoghurt, bread and fresh fruits. And the tomatoes. I don’t know what it is about the tomatoes in Italy but I couldn’t get enough.

There are only two metro lines in Rome so it wasn’t too hard to figure out. We got to the Colosseum in perfect time for our tickets. I highly recommend buying all your tickets for the main sites ahead of time because while everyone else waits in line, you walk right in with zero hassles. Our tickets allowed us passes to the Colosseum, Palantine Hill and the Roman Forum.

The Colosseum was absolutely incredible and was a bucket list moment for me. I had always wanted to see it in person and it did not disappoint. My mouth was agape the whole time. Everything about it was amazing… the size of it, the architecture of it, the history.

 

We spent at least an hour in it just wandering about, just being in the moment of having the chance to be there. I understand it needs another facelift which isn’t surprising since millions of tourists visit it each year. I just hope they are able to do whatever it takes for this piece of history to remain as it is today.

We then spent some time wandering through Palantine Hill. Palantine Hill is a place where the original Romans had their residences and apparently archaeologists are still making discoveries in the area.

From one side of Palantine Hill, there is an amazing view of the Roman Forum. We didn’t know this so when we looked over, we were in awe of the view.

We made our way down the steps to the Roman Forum to get a better look. Again, what amazed me was the sheer size of everything.

Before we knew it, we had spent all morning in ancient Rome. We wanted to check out the Pantheon so grabbed a bite to eat before checking it out. We needed our energy after all that walking! The Pantheon, like the one I saw in Paris, is just a massive structure. Apparently its dome roof is the largest unreinforced domed roof in the world.

We had tickets to the Borhese Gallery that afternoon so we slowly walked towards it and happened upon The Church of Saint Ignatius which was such a pleasant surprise. Gorgeous is how I would describe it. And the best part that there was barely anyone there unlike the churches we had seen prior. It was nice to step out of the busy roads to a such a quiet peaceful place.

 The walk to the Borghese Gallery was brutal. I would say a good couple kilometers in 35 plus degree heat. We were dying! By the time we got there, I couldn’t wait to get inside its air conditioned walls! But it was nice to just take the time to stroll through its halls looking at all the art. The greatest part was that they basically kick everyone out after their allotted 2 hours but they had let us in prior to our set time, so we actually got the entire gallery to ourselves for about 20 minutes. Bliss.

My feet had horrible blisters at this point so we decided to skip the walk home and take the metro. Thank god!!! And then it was siesta time. I really enjoyed our daily little naps which was then followed by our afternoon snack which consisted of cheese, bread and wine. Oh how I loved the $3 euro bottles of wine you could buy that were so tasty! You can’t do that here!

Because of the blister issue, we decided to stay close to our room for dinner that night. We settled on a place literally 2 blocks away and ordered the usual wine which was Pinot Grigio. With it being so hot, it was the most refreshing thing to drink. Sue and I always shared an appy (usually Bruschetta or a Caprese salad) … again the tomatoes were just too darn good to not eat! The wine was definitely flowing that night. We were just having such a good time. Enjoying the conversation, enjoying the wine and the food. 

And we were also enjoying the cute Italian men. So when they asked if they could show us the city, how could we say no? So glad we took them up on their offer because we would never have seen the Vatican at midnight like we did. Not a soul there except for a police car keeping watch. So beautiful.

We also would have never been taken to this park that overlooked all of Rome. The view was stunning. We sat on a park bench and just relaxed enjoying a beer that we bought at the concession stand.

We were so thankful to have been given the locals tour of Rome. We knew we had another big day planned so we said goodbye to our new friends and headed back to our room.

 With another La Casa di Amy breakfast under our belts, we again walked to the metro and made out way to Vatican City. I couldn’t believe the line up at 9:00am. I don’t get why these people didn’t buy their tickets ahead of time. Standing in line in that hot sun for a couple hours would have been the death of me! We just walked around the lineup and right into the Vatican museum. We basically beelined it for The Sistine Chapel. It is breathtaking. Its decorated by  the Renaissance greats Michelangelo, Raphael, Bernini and Botticelli. You have to be silent when you enter the chapel and you are not allowed to take any photographs but I happened to snap one before I realized you were not suppose to. You basically have to try and find a spot amongst the hundreds of people in there to get a good look at everything. You could spend hours looking at all the detail. Truly amazing.

 We then wandered the rest of the halls of the Vatican Museum before getting in line for St. Peters Basilica. Knowing that they have a strict dress code, we made sure we brought a sweater to cover up with. They have a security check that only examines clothing for entry. So many people wearing inappropriate wear were turned away. Not sure why they bothered lining up because there are signs everywhere saying what the dress code is. So yes, you with the hot pants, you are not getting in! and don’t look so shocked! 😉 So we got in without any issues and made our way into the Basilica. I would say out of all of the churches and cathedrals we saw, this is the one that was the most impressive.

 

Another long morning/afternoon of walking which meant it was time to grab some lunch, then nap, then snack, then eat dinner. Really half the experience in Italy is looking forward to what you were going to eat and drink next. We picked Piazza Navona as the place we wanted to have our last dinner at in Rome. There are so many restaurants lining the square so we had lots to choose from. We had another wonderful, relaxing meal.

We really wanted to savour this last night in Rome, so we just wandered about afterwards, took in the architecture and the streets and the life and slowly made our way back to our room.

Oh Rome. How I absolutely loved you and would come back in a second. You inspired me. You made me happy. I miss you.