Ciao Italia

 The Prequel

Never has a simple (for us) trip proven so vexing. A fly-drive 8 day trip extended to a month via an agency we have used with zero trouble for over a dozen trips. A recounting: 1) Call to book trip. Request an extension. "Impossible." Hang up. 2) Call back. Same request. "Certainly Deirdre. Would you like Plan A or Plan B hotels?" Plan A, but we'll take Plan B if there is a problem. 3) Receive email & simultaneous call that trip has been cancelled because Plan A hotel is not available. 4) Trip reinstated with Plan B. New documents show our flight has not been extended. Oh, and we have to extend the rental car ourselves, but we get no rental car reservation number and only a voucher for 8 days. 5) Fight & get flight extended - cost agency $500. 6) Fight about car extension and despite their protestations that they can't extend the car, voila, miraculously they do. However it now shows our pick up & drop off at Naples not Milan, where we are flying into Italy. More fighting to get corrected. And that is BEFORE the trip. Onward!

No Trouble in Tuscany

Arriving in one piece and with a car awaiting us we conclude we have paid our travel pain dues in the States and Tuscany reinforces this belief. The weather is gorgeous. The countryside is dazzling and sprinkled with wildflowers, vines waking up and beginning their journey to wine and olive groves with silvery leaves glistening in the wind. We cruise through Chianti visiting tiny towns & imbibing copious amounts of its most famous product. We billy goat up & down hill towns best suited to agile 20 year olds. We reach Lucca & I say to Michael, "This town seems different. It has a different feel." "It's flat", Michael replies. Oh yeah - that's it. 

We spotted this carousel in Montecatini Terme as we were walking through the town,

On the way to San Gimignano we had to stop to admire the Tuscan countryside.

The Torre e Casa Campatelli in San Gimignano was a must see. An upper middle class family managed to acquire the "tower house". The Campatelli Tower House is 28 meters high and was erected in the 12th century. It was purchased in the 19th century by the family for which it is now named.

The house is furnished with original 18th century pieces.

One of the interesting features of the house was its own private chapel.

The doorways, floors and furnishings have all been preserved...

and the artwork acquired by the family still hangs on the walls. 

One of the preserved furnishings was this very old Remington typewriter.

We managed to ascend the many stairs to view the various rooms, including the attic.

The view of the Tuscan countryside from the terrace of the Tower was magnificent.

We were surprised to see this doorway with the "hands of Fatima" as door knockers. 

A map of the walled city of San Gimignano.

San Gimignano has managed to preserve fourteen towers of varying heights. The taller the tower the wealthier the individual. The tallest, Torre Grossa, built in 1311 is 54 meters tall.

This well preserved picture of the Virgin & Child was on the outside of a church.

LUCCA

One of the many interesting doors in Lucca - the crown at the top would seem to be of some significance.

The door was open allowing us to get a glimpse of this amazing courtyard.

In Lucca we visited the Palazzo Pfanner with its ornate ceilings...

and even more ornate furnishings.

The gardens of the Palazzo & the fountain with its statues of Roman gods was an outstanding part of the tour.

Deirdre remarked: "After the kitchens of the Royal Palace in Madrid, no other kitchen can compare to its size and magnificence."

In Italian towns you can still go to the town water fountain to get drinking water. This young man was filling up quite a few bottles.

While wandering the streets of Lucca we came upon the San Michele in Foro Basilica (dedicated of course to Michael the Archangel). It was originally built on top of the Roman Forum in 795.

In 1070 Pope Alexander II started the rebuilding of the Basilica.

The ornate facade of the Basilica dates to the 13th century ...

and was redone in the 19th century.

The statue of Michael is 4 meters tall.

The Basilica shown with its tower is quite impressive.

This statue of the Madonna was added to the Basilica in 1480 & was sculpted by Matteo Civitali to celebrate the end of the 1476 plague.

Also in Lucca we came across this statue of Giacomo Puccini...

which was conveniently placed in front of Puccini's house.

See It On a Sunday

I always say if you want to see Mexico at its best, see it on a Sunday. On Sunday all the families fill the parks, restaurants & bars and you see the culture on full display. It's true elsewhere as well. Sunday, after Lucca, found us in seaside Viareggio - with not a tourist in sight. After a terrific seafood meal we ambled along the promenade enjoying the Art Deco & Empire style buildings. Surrounded by kids on trikes, dogs of all shapes and sizes and everyone parading with gelato in hand, it was the perfect way to pass a Sunday afternoon.

The port of Viareggio had several very impressive sailboats.

The tiled roofs along the promenade...

and the detailed woodworking on this building...

along with another colorfully tiled roof stood out as we strolled.

This is a statue of Burlamacco who presides over Carnavale in Viareggio & is the town's mascot.

Viareggio is already promoting Carnavale 2024!

Our last day in Tuscany we stay in our home base of Montecatini Terme. It's claim to fame is it's thermal baths & healing waters. In its lovely, sprawling park are the various baths & fountains that provided/provide "the cure". When you see the infrastructure of hotels, ex-casinos, etc. surrounding the spas, you realize this was big business. Michael's photos will show the elegance and scope of one of the spas. 

This was the Excelsior Casino back in the day when Montecatini attracted many people to its thermal spas (and casinos).

The Tetuccio Spa in the art noveau and art deco style is the most magnificent of the spas in Montecatini Terme.

The art work on the ceilings...

and the marble colonnaded interior is quite something.

This art deco fountain in front of the pool caught our attention as we wandered through the spa.

Above each of the various fountains (with different waters for different ages and ailments) were these beautifully colored tiles starting with infancy,....

then adolescence,...

beauty,...

the source,...

the force,...

maturity,...

and finally old age.

Everywhere we looked there was something to catch the eye.

This speaks to the various minerals contained in the water which has created these stalactites and colored the stone in different hues.

The floor in this are of the spa was enough to make anyone stop drinking and take the cure.

The roof supports were ingeniously created to look like trees in a forest.

The details everywhere in the spa...

made you want to spend more time looking...

at each section of every room.

Even the view from the windows to the outside courtyard were amazing.

After we took the funicolare to Montecatini Alto we stopped to have lunch at a great restaurant where we encountered this very cute labrador puppy who also attracted the attention of a passing golden retriever.

The last section of the funicolare was a 38.5 degree grade.

From the top of Montecatini Alto were magnificent views of Montecatini Terme.

This old theater was in the main piazza of Montecatini Alto.

Pushing On to Pompei

We had been gloating about our beautiful weather in Tuscany. Our friends traveling in Europe were complaining of cold & rainy weather. By the time we reached Pompei it was drizzling - well, raining. But we were not deterred. Even on a dank day, Pompei was stunning. As impressive as the Forum & large houses were, I found the infrastructure equally intriguing. There were raised sidewalks and stepping stones to cross streets to avoid walking in water or horse droppings. There were communal ovens & "laundromats", elaborate sewage systems and fountains for drinking water at regular intervals. Blithely hopping from one wet lichen  encrusted stone to the next for blocks on end reinforced my belief those balance exercises were worth it as I envisioned my slipping and concussing. The only other negative was a lack of exit signs leading us to wander pathetic and sodden until Michael navigated us to freedom.

The clever Pompeians had sunken streets with elevated sidewalks and stepping stones to cross at the intersections. For we of an advanced age this made for a little more of a challenge given the rain.

The Pompeians also had very advanced plumbing...

and many public fountains for quenching one's thirst.

The flowering poppies and other wildflowers among the ruins of Pompei made for quite a contrast.

The many umbrellas and ponchos gave testimony to the wet weather.

Despite the rain there were significant crowds touring the ruins.

This picture shows the rain falling on the ruins.

It was very interesting to see how well preserved some of the frescoes were....

as can be seen from these photos.

Some of the mosaic floors were also in amazing shape.

The colors of the house of the wealthy must have been quite something...

not to mention the colorful frescoes.

This wealthy household had a hidden garden.

Without anything to compare to the statue, it is difficult to understand the scale,...

but in this instance the pool and the statue were quite small.

The Tetuccio Spa in Montecatini Terme copied the Pompeians for their floor. The Pompeians floor was more colorful though.

Some of the floor mosaics were very well preserved.

The wealthy Pompeians sent their clothes out to be laundered.

This individual did not flee the eruption in time.

The coliseum was the last thing we saw before finally making our exit.

Ah, Amalfi - Curse Your Soul

We were always ambivalent about the Amalfi coast. Yes, it was purported to be beautiful, but also noted for its crowds and constricted motorways. We decided we'd give it a go. So here's some advice if you contemplate visiting the area: 1) Don't. Even off season it is overwhelmed & it is way expensive. 2) If you go rent no car bigger than a Smart car or Fiat Panda (or just take a bus tour). 3) Take at least 2 Xanax 4) Put on your soil proof big boy pants & hit the road.

We left Pompei with our GPS telling us we'd arrive in Ravello 1 1/2 hours later. Seven hours later we checked into a hotel in Meta near Sorrento. Seven grueling, evil hours later. But why? Why didn't we reach our B & B in Ravello? We were a mere 2.5 kilometers away from our B & B when a policeman stopped us and said the road was closed. There had been a terrible accident the day before & no one could pass. Sorry. Our B & B had not mentioned this when she texted us that morning about our check-in time. Odd. And, excuse me, not to be insensitive but it has been 36 hours! Even in Mexico you clean up a wreck faster than that. With Google Translate & elaborate gestures we were sent on our way with very vague directions. Therein ensued 5 hours of utter frustration trying to find an alternative route and trying to talk to our host, who was no help at all. Finally, we gave up and drove to Sorrento (50 kilometers of alternate terror & annoyance)  to be positioned for our trip to Capri the following day. It was raining ...

Everyone wants the Amalfi Coast and, I assure you, they will pay for it. One hotel we checked out in Sorrento wanted 120 Euros for a room (OK) and 80 Euros to park the car (not OK). Michael suggested we sleep in the car, but found a reasonable alternative in Meta. Our ferry tickets to Capri were 105 Euros, but we just ate the cost because, yes, it was raining again. We decided to cut our losses & just retreat to our seaside room and do things like write this blog - oh and continue to fight with the B & B host who was unable to provide us alternate directions to the B & B but somehow thinks we should pay her - ha!

The clouds give testimony to our continued poor weather,...

but I was able to capture these two photos as we were attempting to reach our B & B. It was impossible to capture any photos along the Amalfi Coast. We just felt lucky to reach Meta finally without any mishaps. 

Despite the poor weather, these young  people were out kayaking. These following photos were taken from the balcony of our hotel room.

The view of the cove was beautiful,...

and we speculated this must have been a smuggler's cave at one time.

Only the Germans would consider this good weather for swimming!

A view of the black sand beach below.

This gives you an idea of what the skies looked like when we finally checked into the hotel.

At least the clouds made for some interesting sunset photos.

Tomorrow it is onward to Sicily...

Mardi Gras Madness and Two Week Long Easter

 A Note of Explanation

We have failed to blog for almost four months... a record. We really don't have any good reasons but rather a basket full of boring or pedestrian excuses.  We shall not take up shelf space in your mind by reiterating them.  Suffice it to say that we are back in the saddle.  Even though some of you may have read of our Lenten and Easter festivities in past years we're bringing them back on stage just because they exude color and come as close to religion as you'll ever get from us.  So, onward.

We Can Make this Celebration last for Four Months

In most countries Easter is either not celebrated at all or  it lasts for a day.  In some Catholic countries it goes for six weeks with varying amounts of rigorous observance.  Mexico (or at least our Village) has managed to elongate the fun to almost four months.  The ball gets rolling in January with the weekly appearance of the Sayacas.  Starting in January the Sayacas run the streets chasing young boys and showering them with copious amounts of flour.  Bystanders are perfectly fair game.  

The Sayacas are men who have dressed up as women in flowery frocks and beguiling wigs.  Some race down the cobblestones in heels which even a twenty year old woman wouldn't attempt.  This is no L.G.B.T.Q event so calm down any far-right culture warriors. Macho villagers have been performing this bizarre celebration before that cumbersome abbreviation was even imagined.  The origins of this charming tradition are vague/contradictory/fragmented but it has something to do with a village woman imprisoned in a mental facility who adored all men and when she escaped (frequently) and would be rebuffed. she would chase the man tossing flour or face powder at him in anger.  It's all quite unclear but no one obsesses about it and the fun continues.  The culmination of the Sayacas' shenanigans is the Mardi Gras celebration when they are joined by floats, bands, and not a small number of drunks in a marvelous parade.

There is always a lot of anticipation before any of the parades, because one can never predict exactly when they will start. However this gives the vendors time to peddle their treats.

Running, or at least walking rapidly, away from the Sayacas in order to avoid a face full of flour.

This Sayaca demonstrated a great hook shot flour toss.

Some of the spectators have already received a liberal coating of flour.

The amount of flour makes for a challenge in photographing the parade.

Not even the little ones are immune...

and young women are also a favorite target of the Sayacas.

No Carnaval parade is complete without its queens...

with this one riding on top of the car.

Brightly colored wigs are also de rigueur for the parade participants.

This queen had no court...

but the jesters were right behind her on another float.

No Ajijic parade is finished until the caballeras...

and caballeros come.

It's Time to get Serious 

OK, the party's over.  It's Lent.  The Village is almost quiet. No Ranchero music blasting at the Eventos at 1 AM on Saturday nights.  No cojetes firing off to celebrate who knows what.  The carnecerias (butchers) are closed on Fridays and the fish markets are jammed.  Everyone is resting up for the two week extravaganza of Semana Santa and Semana Pascua.  The first week, Semana Santa, is supposed to be solemn and religious.  The second week, Semana Pascua, is supposed to be celebratory (read wild) as we joyfully embrace Jesus' resurrection.  In reality it is hard to tell week 1 from week 2. Essentially every Mexican who can afford it flees from wherever they live and go somewhere else to celebrate for two weeks. Many, many, many of them choose our sweet little Lakeside nirvana as the site of their revelry.

But we adjust.  We perform all grocery shopping and errand running before 10 AM and then sequester ourselves in our abodes for the duration of do you wanna call them and ask her scenes does accessories Deatrick oh that's fine keeps flipping back up why OKthe day.  The main road through town must be avoided at all cost.  It took a friend an hour to get from West Ajijic to the Walmart -- no more than 5 miles.  You must assume that all the Tapatios (people from Guadalajara) will be driving down the streets in the wrong direction and at high speed.  They will not say buenas tardes to you when you say it to them.  They are quite a bit like New Yorkers. It's like being under siege but with a known end date and the invaders are not truly hostile.

The Spectacle

Ajijic puts on an amazing Passion Play for multiple days and nights.  The first couple of years we lived here we attended all of them -- including following Jesus up to the mountain in the pitch dark over cobblestones with torches flickering and providing the only illumination.  Not doing that again.  Now this is a little village and all the prop construction, costume creation and actors are volunteers from town.  It was always performed in the forecourt of the main village church which suffered from a tremendous lack of shade and a less than happy or cooperating priest.  So this year they moved the performance to the bullring and we felt we had to go to see how it translated. 

 Also we knew we could sit in the shade.  It worked pretty well.  If you squinted you could believe you were in a coliseum rather than a bull ring and the sound system was much better than in years past.  It was interesting that for the first time they gave a summary of what was going on for each act of the play -- in Spanish and English.  Clearly bible study is on the downswing in Ajijic. The other big difference between the Church and the Bull Ring was in decorum.  At the Church everyone knew not to clap (I mean consider what is going on).  At the bull ring, despite numerous pleas from the persons summarizing the events the crowd clapped and cheered.   Odd.  Plus refreshments.  No refreshments at the Church even if you were passing out from dehydration and heat exhaustion.  At the bullring they were pacing the aisles selling doughnuts, popsicles, coke, candy.  I didn't see any beer but I wouldn't be surprised.  The state police (clad in body armor) were chasing the vendors away but they persisted.  No armed guards at the Church.

Getting there early guaranteed a shady spot to view the Pasión de Cristo,...

but some hardy souls braved the full sun.

Dale Palfrey, our intrepid local reporter, had a great viewing location, but it was in full sun.

Our friend Phil Rylett provided the English translation before each of the acts.

Claudia Procula, wife of Pontius Pilate, wore a dress to match the curtain.

Pontius Pilate and Claudia receive the Sanhedrin...

but keep them at bay with the spears of their guards.

Herod's court featured more hangers on...

some standing, some sitting & some lounging.

Jesus appears before Herod,...

who appears to admire his cloak,

raises a glass of wine in a toast...

and then allows the hangers on to mock Jesus, before sending him back to Pontius Pilate.

Notice the addition of the "live" gold statuary...

as Jesus in escorted back to Pontius Pilate.

Pontius Pilate now has to ponder what to do...

while the Sanhedrin shout for crucifixion.

Maybe a little flogging will satisfy the Sanhedrin...

then drag Jesus back,...

crown him with thorns and allow the soldiers to beat him up....

for their obvious amusement.

Pontius consults with Claudia (who has changed her dress). Notice the shift in the statues position....

as the statue is no longer holding the bottle up in this photo.

Pilate tries to convince the Sanhedrin that Jesus...

has suffered enough and should not be crucified.

In a final attempt to spare Jesus he has the mob choose between letting the  the thief and murderer Barrabas free or Jesus (and we all know how this one ends).

Pilate receives the proclamation of crucifixion from the scribe...

declares the sentence...

and Claudia hands back the outer garment of Jesus to cover him.

The soldier whips Jesus to take up the cross...

and make the strenuous journey to Calvary.

Authenticity is important in the Pasión de Cristo, and so the two thieves crucified with Christ carry their cross beams to their crucifixion.

We Set Forth Once More

After an abnormally long, but pleasant, stint at home base we are hitting the trail once more.  We are leaving on May 1st for a month on a driving tour of Italy.  We have encountered a number of SNAFUS. even prior to departure so, dear readers, I feel you are in for yet another helping of our travel mishaps and adventures.  We hope you are all well and enjoying spring.  Take care and we'll keep you in the loop as we mount our assault on Italy.