First off, apologies are in order if what follows appears too much like a travelogue. But, we had a grand old time in Italy and recommend a trip there to everyone.
The short version is Siena. It's a city that is as close to seeing what it must have looked like in medieval times as any that I have seen. It has it all: narrow alleys, buildings dating back to the 1300s and earlier, magnificent churches, with no effort or expense spared to praise God, what must be one of the most dramatic plazas on the planet, and of course great restaurants and shopping.
The longer version is that our expectations starting off were low. We remembered Pop asking Margaret what she thought about Rome after we stopped there on our way home in 1990: "old and dirty," was her childlike, direct and honest answer. And, with somewhat low expectations,we were pleasantly blown away by our ten days there. The history, the art, the food and wine, the scenery, the culture. I mean, how did they build these domed churches and palaces with such ornate mosaics on every square inch inside over a thousand years ago? How have people been living in buildings surrounded by a maze of endless canals of water (Venice)? Maybe we'll be seeing more of that in the future.
We had some wonderful coincidences. In the three minutes we were in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, the Pope decided to walk out. How does that happen? When told the line for the Sistine Chapel was two hours, it turned out to be ten minutes -- and then another hour winding our way through room after room of art and treasure to get to the chapel. We also had some unfortunate coincidences, such as arriving in Florence on the day the two major museums were shut down.
I can see why Italy is the most visited country for foreign tourists in the world. On any city block in Rome or Venice, there was a palace or a church or a plaza, or a fountain that would be the major tourist attraction in any other country. So much to see and so little time, and so many crowds.
We were there near the beginning of the off-season, ostensibly, but, the crowds were overwhelming in Florence, in Venice, at the Vatican. Perhaps that's why we, and our traveling companions from Pittsfield, Jody and Bob, liked the relative calm of Siena and the surrounding countryside. Mary confirmed her status as the go-to driver in foreign lands, with just a short hair-raising cliff climb, that scarcely approached the Douro valley in Portugal.
There was a lot that did remind us of Portugal: the dry terrain, the vineyards, the hospitality, the old world beauty and charm. But not the prices. Oh my. We did splurge.
So we came home to a darker, but not colder climate. It was chillier in Venice than in Pittsfield, but there were fewer daylight hours here than we remember on departure (ought not to be surprise.) I managed to keep my track record of getting sick on vacation, sharing my cold with Mary and Jody, if not every other person on the plane home. So generous.
We traded travel photos with Joe who had gone to a wedding in Portland Maine and sent us a picture of his lobster dinner; with Margaret and Andrew who joined Leonor and Leonor's brother Sebastian, and Melodie, and, of course, Thomas, for an outing in Virginia; with Annie who had gone to Colorado to prepare for her role as officiant in a friend's wedding in Nicaragua next year.
We kept up with Facebook news, mostly showing Halloween preparations and early costumes try-outs in San Francisco, Washington, Illinois, Provincetown and New Jersey - did I see Dasha in a Halloween costume?
And there were birthday celebrations. A few nights ago was Billy's 35th birthday party (can it be?) followed by Kathleen's big day and earlier in the month was Janet's happy celebration.
Finally, we want to thank Colleen for staying here and watching our furry friend while we were gone.
We end with a few photos of the next generation. Love from up here.
