13-19 October 2022

This is a three in-one-post!
First, Our return to Rome from Madrid
Second, Our visit with cousins in Tuscany—always a treat
Third, Our stay in Pistoia on the way to Torino

Bonnie’s Random Observations

Hotel Parking. Searching for a hotel with parking for our car is tricky. When the hotel description says they have parking or private parking, it is difficult to know what that means until you arrive. Sometimes it is free parking on the street. On the last two stops it has been parking in a private underground garage about six blocks away, down some seriously narrow streets. Then we drag our luggage over cobblestones to the hotel. We are making it work.

Gray Hair. Stylish gray hair is becoming more common in Italy. Perhaps covid accelerated the trend as it did in the US. It was such a no-no a few years ago, that when we got off the plane in Venice, Bonnie discovered that she had an appointment at a salon, made by Silvana, to have her hair colored. After some thought, Bonnie politely declined.

Silver. Also silver jewelry has arrived. In the past, only gold was acceptable. Things are loosening up. Silver. Stainless steel. Faux silver.

Poke. On our long drives we sometimes want the convenience of lunch at an Autogrill, although I’m sure our Italian relatives would be horrified. But we have found their big salads and prosciutto plates just right. I noticed this week that Autogrill has bowed to the Poke invasion of Italy. To the standard big salad, they add a scoop of edamame beans and a scoop of rice, they shred the dollop of salmon, and, voila, Poke Bowl. We also see Poke on the menus at local tavernas and restaurants.

13-16 October 2022

Roma

Our flight to Rome, unlike some other travel segments, went well. For our trip this year we decided to check all of our luggage, and, so far, that has resulted in less stressful boarding. We arrived in Terminal 1 at Fumicino, which appears to be the newest. On your way to baggage claim you walk through a large, attractive, seating area with a big board displaying flights. Very cool. But when you look up to the second-floor level, you are confronted by a very large Eataly restaurant sign. For Robert this is like arriving at a Chinese airport with Panda Express dominating the space. Hmmm. Nevertheless, cousin Luciana booked a private cab driven by Laura to pick us up, so we arrived in Rome in comfort.

Adriana e Gino Secondo

Adriana prepared a terrific low-carb dinner for us that evening. Her beef involtini were superb. Adriana is an accomplished cook who specializes in the traditional Italian dishes made in the authentic way.

Roma Centro

We took the bus into central Rome to see some classic sights, but our real mission was Bonnie’s pilgrimage, with credit card in hand, to Angela Caputi’s store below the Spanish Steps. We’re talking big, colorful jewelry.

Pranzo

We had lunch around the corner from Angela Caputi’s store based on the recommendation of the staff. They often go there themselves. Although close to the Spanish Steps, the restaurant was not touristy and the meal was good.

Angela Caputi

Bonnie did well with jewelry purchases—ring, earrings, necklace—and plans to return in December. One euro to one dollar makes everything more tempting.

SS. Ambrogio e Carlo

Near the Angela Caputi shop on the busy shopping street Corso. We have walked by it many times. This time we poked our heads in and both said ”Wow!” It was started by the Lombards and completed in 1669.

More wandering

Ristorante Locale

We took the Rome Sabbatini family out for dinner near their homes in the Montesacro area of Rome. Baby Liam came too. His dad Francesco was working at his bar nearby.

15 October 2022

Car

We went Fumicino airport to finally pick up the leased car. You know the saga of the car lease. Because of chip shortages, they did not have a car available until mid October. To use our time until then we went to Paris, London, Barcelona, and Madrid. The leasing agent, AutoEurope, informed us a few weeks ago that the smaller hybrid we wanted—Peugeot 3008–was not available and that they would provide a larger diesel (not hybrid) car—Peugeot 5008. It is big. We would have preferred smaller for the tight city streets in Italy. But Bonnie is very comfortable in the passenger seat, and we will have lots of room when we add brother Richard’s luggage (and Richard too!) in Sicily.

More Wandering

Cena a Luciana

Luciana prepared an elegant meal for our last night before our departure. Pasta con vongole and assortment of treats for the main course.

16-19 October 2022.

Gabriella e Dinesh

To say Gabriella e Dinesh invokes wonderful thoughts of hospitality, warmth, comfort, terrific food, great prosecco, and an Architectural Digest setting overlooking the Tuscan landscape. We stayed with them on our last trip and so far they have kept the invitation open for the future. (Robert is on his best behavior there.) Kitty, please note: Gabriella is Robert’s second cousin. Her grandmother and Robert’s grandfather were siblings on the Sabbatini side. We reconnected three years ago after not seeing one another for forty-five years. Gabriella grew up in Italy and went to medical school in England. Dinesh grew up in Kenya in a Punjabi Hindu family and went to university and medical school in England. With G&D we talk about London, books, relatives, travel, gardens, art, earrings, and food.

Their home is old. Dating perhaps to the mid 1600s. The ground floor was used for the farm animals and the top floor for living. You reach it by driving up, up, up on a deeply rutted gravel road that really demands four-wheel drive. For Gabriella, this spot is all about the view. They have completely renovated the house over more than a decade as well as the sheep barn that is now the guest house. The interior demonstrates their exquisite taste in furniture, art, and comfort. Fabulous. The landscaping has grown considerably since we visited three years ago and we were amazed to hear nothing is irrigated or watered. Both G&D were doctors in London, and later Dinesh worked for WHO in Rome and then Copenhagen. Both are retired. Although Gabriella toys with the idea of restoring yet another house (she has done many), Dinesh seems happy with his vegetable garden, cigars, and books. During covid he completed a two-year graduate program online in creative writing and wrote a novella. He gave Bonnie a copy to review. She expected it to be good, but after reading just the first paragraph she declared it brilliant. He already has an idea for a novel brewing.

The nearby village San Casciano dei Bagni is not touristy although everyone is ready to speak English to you. We went there for a stroll to see the mineral baths and the ongoing excavation of a Roman temple discovered only a few years ago along with a horde of gold coins. They say it is one of the most significant archaeological finds in Italy in the past fifty years. After a vigorous hike from the site uphill to the village, we stopped for lunch.

Gabriella and Dinesh’s home in southeast Tuscany places them between Lazio and Umbria. This area has dormant volcanoes and hot springs. Some of the vapor of the hot springs can be seen across the valley. And did we mention sunrises and sunsets? Spectacular.

Cena

Both Dinesh and Gabriella are great chefs. For our last night, Gabriella prepared a plate of fresh porcini mushrooms with mentuccia (a type of mild, wild mint). Grilled to sear the outside. The insides were like soft butter. Robert had never eatern porcini so fresh.

The Village of San Casciano dei Bagni

Pranzo

18 October 2022

Patrizia e Mauro

Patrizia is Gabriella’s older sister. She and her husband Mauro have spent decades on archeological and restoration work in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Patrizia’s focus is on temples destroyed in wars. Although they are based in the Italian town of Sarteano, they are abroad at their worksites as many as eight months a year. We drove about thirty minutes in Tuscany to see them and went to dinner at a local restaurant. Robert had not seen Patrizia for more than thirty years.

18-19 October 2022

Pistoia

En route

We decided to take a less direct route to Pistoia—our overnight stop on the way to Torino. We drove through agricultural fields and orchards of Tuscany, and saw people spreading nets under olive trees in preparation for the harvest. We found a nice place to eat that we thought was off the beaten track until we heard two Americans having lunch outside. We were close to Siena and saw for the first time Florentine steak on the menu.

Hotel

In Pistoia, Bonnie found a great hotel (again) directly behind the baptistry that faces the town’s main square.

Wanderings and Observations

We didn’t know what to expect in Pistoia. We needed an overnight stop on our drive to Torino, and we knew many of the towns in the area, like Lucca, but we wanted to try one we hadn’t visited before. What we didn’t expect was a beautifully preserved Tuscan town of 90,000 not swamped by tourism. Although there were a few tourists, they were not dominant. We heard little English or other foreign languages. The other guests in our small hotel were on business. They were investigating plant material, because Pistoia is a plant nursery center in Italy. We drove by miles of nurseries on our way into town. We recommend a two-night stay.

Baptistry

Piazza del Duomo

Cathedral of San Zeno

A Bit of Wandering

Cena

Mercato

Before we left, Robert took a stroll to find a mercato in full swing. It occupied the main square, the smaller piazzas, and all the major streets. It is probably the largest we have seen. Clothing, household goods, linens, plants, and food. We asked how often this happens every month and were told that it is held twice a week! The vegetable part is every day. The video below gives you an idea of what it was like.

Next Stop—Torino!