Favorite Places in Europe - Jan 26, 2014

With this chapter I conclude the picture-storybook that tells our tale of adventure during our year in Italy.  The following post is a short review of those places in both Italy and elsewhere that resonated most strongly with me.  It also contains links to previous posts that shed more light on each of these locations, if you are so interested.   With that in mind, here are my 
Favorite Places in Europe:

Florence – Florence will forever have a special place in my heart because it was our first home in Italy.  We arrived Dec 1, 2012 and lived there 5 months.  It was the perfect introduction to our new country; the winter was mild and this eminently walkable city put churches, museums, history, art, restaurants and entertainment all within an easy grasp. Plus we lived in a nice apartment in the San Niccolo neighborhood, a quiet section of town.

http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/10/favorite-things-in-florence-italy.html

Like any major city, Florence has its challenges; the traffic is lethal, and in the summer months the city is hot, humid, and overrun with tourists.  Frankly, that’s a small price to pay to live in the birthplace of the Renaissance.  And to top it all off, Florence was where we first began to make great friendships with people who have become very dear to us.

Casa la Vite – Our home in Impruneta was in a magical setting.  On May 1, 2013 we moved to the Chianti district of Tuscany, into a apartment 30 minutes south of Florence that was surrounded by thousands of olive trees and vast wine vineyards.  The sheer beauty of the countryside made us feel like we were living in a postcard picture. 

http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/06/casa-la-vite-our-first-month-june-2-2013.html

Our apartment was in a renovated farmhouse perched on a hilltop.  It had two bedrooms, air conditioning and a swimming pool which made it perfect for when our guests came to visit us, whether they came from Florence or came from the United States.  Most of all it was the place where we met our dear friends Donatella and Andrea, the owners of our apartment.

  http://casalavite.com/

Alsace, France – A trip up the Route des Vins d’Alsace (the Wine Route) in the Alsace region of western France embodies an immersion into Old World European charm.  If you took away the cars from the old historic towns along the route, you’d think you'd stepped back into the 1,700’s.  We stayed in Ribeauville and Obernai during our road trip

http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/05/road-trip-to-alsace.html

there, with visits to other towns and even castles (Haut-Koenigsbourg).  We sampled some of the best hiking you will find (castles on the mountain trails), best white wine you will drink (the whites have a strong German influence) and some of best food you can eat (fresh baked French bread is beyond description….)  While it’s true the bright lights of Paris warmed us with their allure during our time there, I will take the culture of Old World Europe any day. 

Montepulciano - Angie and I have visited a lot of old, historic, medieval, hilltop, Tuscan towns; our favorite is Montepulciano.  We visited there 5 times, on our own and with friends and guests we took there.  We never tired of its history (it dates to Etruscan periods), its culture (the classical music school gives free concerts in the town square), its wineries (the local vineyards all have retail stores in town), and above all its warm friendly people.  Walking the town’s streets and narrow alleys, ducking in and out of shops, perusing restaurant menus, and enjoying the free wine tasting are part and parcel of breathing in the town’s essence.    
And just to be clear, 
some of my favorite red wines in all of Europe come from Montepulciano.

http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/06/michael-joins-us-in-italy.html

Somehow Montepulciano has successfully defended its ancient city walls against the assault of commercial exploitation.  It is not choked with the throngs of tourists you can expect in Sienna; neither has it allowed itself to be turned into a bus stop-tourist trap like San Gimignano.  Montepulciano remains true to its soul, a sentiment echoed by everyone we have taken there.

Stockholm, Sweden – Talk about a society that has its act together…. Stockholm was a personal eye-opener for me to northern European culture.  For starters, the capital of Sweden is magnificent - Stockholm is an elegant city of islands crisscrossed with beautiful rivers, all connected by bridges, and it's the cleanest city I have ever seen in my life. 

http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/08/ill-see-you-in-stockholm-aug-15-20-2013.html 

During our visit we found Swedish people to be warmer and friendlier than I thought they might be (plus they all spoke English), and they embody a resolute determination to responsibly do what they think is right – for everyone.  Having successfully reigned in the wasteful extravagances of their government’s former Socialist-state policies, Sweden has evolved into an free enterprise 

economic powerhouse of employment, stability, and opportunity – albeit with a high cost of living. Still, America could take some important lessons from Sweden about effective, responsible government.  And all this in a setting of Scandinavian architecture that is home to that unique brand of Swedish modern design.

Bernina Express, Switzerland – Its seems odd to include a train in a favorite places post, but we found the Bernina Express an excellent rail system that took us across some glorious vistas and alpine mountain passes.   The line begins its northern point in Davos and takes you south through astoundingly beautiful countryside, traversing mountains and valleys all the way down to Tirano Italy.  Plus - from Tirano you  

can catch the dedicated bus service straight on to Lake Lugano.  Whether it’s the glitz of St. Moritz, the vistas of Alp Grum, or the hiking opportunities of Poschiavo, the Red Train was our ticket to Swiss adventure.  And, it’s probably going to figure largely in some future plans we are concocting….

The Cinque Terre – The 5 seaside villages on the Italian Riviera that comprise the Cinque Terre are almost like their own little country.  They have their own niche of the Mediterranean Sea, their own interconnecting rail line, they are all chiseled out of the vertical steeps of the Apennine mountains, and they all share a common history of a hardscrabble life earned from the sea.  

http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/07/the-cinque-terre.html

Each little town has its own personality and charm with regards to authentic neighborhoods, restaurants, water front, and even art.  It’s hard to pick a favorite among them but it turned out that we stayed in Manarola twice because the train is easily manageable, it has easy access to great swimming off its beautiful rocky coast, it has close proximity to outstanding hiking, and it is easily reachable by car.  When we  wanted to get to the next town we just walked down to the train, or took the scenic route on the high mountain trails that interconnect the towns, enjoying the challenges of a couple hours of hiking and some of the most stunning vistas you can possibly imagine.  The allure and charm of the Cinque Terre gets into your blood.  Once you been there, the only thing you can think about is when you are going back.

Cortina d’Ampezzo -The Alps are not one of my favorite places in Europe.  They are one of my favorite places on earth; however, among the Alps it is the town of Cortina Italy that resonates with me the most.  Nestled in the magnificent Dolomiti (Dolomites), Cortina’s heartbeat is its thriving, bustling community whose restaurants, hotels, shops and services support its cultural commitment to outdoor sport, winter and summer.

http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/02/have-ski-boots-will-travel-to-cortina.html                                    And it’s an edgy culture; the influence of its Swiss and Austrian neighbors intermixes with its northern Italian linage, producing a vibe all its own.  It’s a vibe that certainly strikes a chord with me, whether I’m there to ski the towering Dolomiti or to hike or bike across some of the most striking panoramas ever seen.  The raw, wild beauty that surrounds the town of Cortina is its soul, and it’s spirit resonates with you, winter or summer. 

http://dougsadventureinitaly.blogspot.it/2013/08/cortina-dampezzo-august-2-5-2013.html

I hope you have enjoyed the story of our year-long adventure in Italy; my thanks to all of you who have responded with your feedback and words of encouragement.  This link will remain active and available for some time, however, I have no plans for further posts to this location.  Older posts can be reached by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on Older Posts.  Angie and I move to Maine in February, living there for 10 months before returning to New Jersey.  I’m not sure what if any blogging I may be doing from Portland, but if I do I will send out a link.  

Until then, Ciao!

 - Doug

Tuscan Olive Harvest - Nov 15, 2013

Well, we’ve been back in the States 6 weeks, and what a whirlwind of a time it has been!!  Upon our arrival on December 7th, Joan and Bob warmly opened their home to us for 10 days before we moved in with Angie’s sister Teresa.  Teresa and her dog Telly continue to play gracious hostess and host for our crazy comings and goings as we prepare for our move to Portland Maine on February 2^nd.  It has been great to be back in the States, to see those whom we love and have missed, and to have been able to spend Christmas with family and friends! 

There remains a couple of stories for me to publish from our year in Italy, one of which I regularly get questioned about, and that is the olive harvest and the olive oil we managed to bring back to the States.  You may recall our  apartment in Impruneta was surrounded by vineyards and olive groves.  It gave us a front row seat to the fall harvests, however, the special treat for me was getting back to my farm boy roots and actually participating in this  year's olive harvest.

Like many small olive oil producers, our friends Donatella, Andrea, and Maurizio share ownership in a olive grove, theirs (the Pini consortium) consisting of about 78 producing trees.  They harvest olives the same way it’s been done for over 6,000 years – by hand. Large nets are carefully stretched across the ground, and a small hand held rake (see Maurizio’s left hand) is used to strip the fruit from the tree branches.  

Andrea shows how the same tool is attached to a pole to reach the upper branches.  The olives fall into the net, which is carefully gathered up and dumped into large plastic tubs weighing about 45-50lbs when full.

The agroturismos and other big oil producers hire harvesting crews, and utilize pneumatic powered mechanical rakers with which a 4 man crew can clean a tree in just a few minutes.  

Small producers eschew such automation, and Maurizio shows how reaching the olives at the top of the tree is best done the traditional way!

Depending on size and maturity, trees generally produce between 1 to 2 1/2 tubs of olives.  On average each tub yields 2 to 2.5 liters of olive oil.  Once enough produce is harvested it is loaded up on the trailer and taken to the frantoio (olive mill) for pressing into delicious olive oil.

After 4 days of hard work our first load netted almost 1,850lbs of fruit, yielding 110 liters of oil. This year's total harvest was 3,300lbs of olives.  The Pini oil is divided among the owners, with some being given to the volunteer helpers.  All of which is kept for personal consumption.

At the frantoio, the olives are dumped into large crates that are forklifted into the first stage of processing for washing and removal of leaves and stems.  From there the olives are conveyed up to the top of the mill.

The basic process of pressing olives hasn’t changed much in 6,000 years; the mill consists of two heavy stone wheels mounted on an axle and rotating on a spindle.  The olives are dumped in the top and crushed under the massive stone wheels of the mill.  






The difference now is, once the pits are extracted from the pressed olives, the crushed fruit passes through a centrifuge (not unlike one I used to operate to puree blueberries many years ago), where the pulp is emulsified and the water is separated out, yielding fresh, cold pressed, ready to eat olive oil.

It is a customary to dip a piece of toasted Tuscan bread right under the spigot, and that first taste gets you a fiery, peppery explosion that you can never get from olive oil in the United States.  Not unless you bring back your own olio nuovo from Italy!  We brought back 11 liters (in suitcases) and were able to share some with family and friends – a special treat indeed!!

Requiem per un Saturno - Dec 5, 2013

If you have been following my posts of our year in Italy, at some point you probably realized that on many of the adventures Angie and I have shared we were accompanied by a partner; a third party, an enabler who faithfully played a thankless role in helping provide us the most amazing year imaginable:

Today we a said goodbye to the Saturn.  An Italian salvage yard seems hardly a suitable ending for so faithful a companion, but the harsh realities of Italian bureaucracy made it virtually impossible to give the car away.  And in the end, it was done in by defective windshield wipers.  The activation switch inside the steering column had broken, preventing the wipers from turning on.  Getting parts special ordered from the U.S. would have been very expensive; finding an Italian mechanic willing to try to fix it, impossible. 

It had never been our intention to ship back to the States a 15 year old vehicle with 146,000 miles on it, but we had hoped that we might find some church or someone who needed a car we could donate it to.  It didn’t work out that way.  It cannot be overstated the role the Saturn played in the life Angie and I made here in Italy.  It took us everywhere.  It took our family and friends who came to visit us from the U.S., everywhere.  It took new friends we made here in Italy, everywhere.  We crisscrossed all over Tuscany and northern Italy, including Venice, Lake Como, Cortina and the Cinque Terre.  We drove across Switzerland, into France, up the Alsace Wine Route, and we crossed the Italian Alps six times.  And in 14,000 miles of driving in Europe the Saturn always started right up, and it always safely brought us home. 

As I closed the driver’s door for the last time, I was acutely aware I was closing the door on a life others can only imagine; indeed, a life only those with imagination can imagine.  
I will not miss the Saturn; I will not miss the way it rattled and clattered, nor the way the radio screeched, nor its harsh ride on rough Italian roads, nor the fact that only one window worked. 
I will miss everything the Saturn represented.

An Italian Thanksgiving

Sorry for the late posting on this, but Angie and I have been busy packing up for our long journey home to the States on Saturday. 

As you can well imagine Italy does not celebrate Thanksgiving, but those of us who are U.S. ex-Pats still do.  When we cannot be home for the holidays we try to reach out to other ex-Pats to share our holidays with.  

Angie and I are very privileged to have made wonderful friends during our time here, and Angie set about organizing a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner for those who could come.  

We wound up with a pretty big group in our apartment, 11 of us in all.  Among our number we counted one Britt (Pat) and two Italians (Donatella and Andrea).  

Despite the difficulty in finding some of the regular Thanksgiving staples in Italy, we had everything; turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, roasted carrots, mash potatoes and gravy.  We also had non-traditional dishes including melanzane parmigiana (eggplant parmesan) and kale salad. 

Primi Piatti (first courses) was crostini con funghi e formaggio (sautéed mushrooms with melted cheese on small toasted breads) and traditional crostini and schiacciata.  To maintain the authentic flavor of the breads, I toasted them over an open wood fire in Andrea’s giant BBQ grill.  All the breads were served with copious amounts of olio d’oliva – the fresh, one day old, “first press” olive oil from Andrea and Donatella’s olive orchard that we had harvested that week.  Once everyone got a taste of that oil, the Primi Piatti just disappeared…. 

Somewhere along the way our guests were able to find a superb pecan pie and pumpkin pie.

As the sun set through the open kitchen window it illuminated the olive trees with a silvery glow, once again reminding me of all that Angie and I have had to be thankful for.

A special thanks to our good friend Joss who joined us for Thanksgiving 

and who took at least half of the pictures featured here.

Under the Matterhorn - Nov 28, 2013

On Tuesday the 19^th I left for my final opportunity to ski the Italian Alps before our move back to the States on December 7^th.  I suppose I could regale you with the horrors I encountered using the Italian train system Trenitalia, but it’s off topic and in the end just proved to be a distraction. Let’s just say that it took 5 trains, 2 buses, a subway, and 11 hours to return to that place where I could again ski under the Matterhorn.  

Cervinia hadn’t been my first choice for my final run at the Italian Alps; having previously skied there in March I had hoped to explore the western edge of the Dolomiti near Bolzano. Unfortunately, the snow has been late to the Alps this year and the slopes around Bolzano were dry

and barren.  The “big” Alps of northwestern Italy have a reputation for early snow; I guessed that the town of Cervinia, close to the eastern border of France and adjacent to the southwest border of Switzerland, would be my best bet for skiing before Thanksgiving.  
I guessed right. 

They had been getting occasional snow squalls for a couple of weeks, enough to open a small part of the mountain.  Then the day before I traveled they got a foot of snow, and were slammed with another foot the day I arrived.  It snowed steadily most of the time that I was there.  Game on.

On Wednesday I grabbed my rental skis and poles and trudged the 15 minutes up to the Plan Maison tram.  The lower Cretaz lift, like the lower part of the mountain, was still not open for operations yet, but the snow was good from mid-mountain starting point at Plan Maison to the summit at Plateau Rosa, and that was what made the trip worth it.  

The visibility was limited due to the continual snowfall, and due to patches of fog at the higher altitudes; still the snow was fresh, dry, and fast. I kept riding the series of linked chairs up from mid-mountain, getting off wherever visibility seemed best before charging back down.  By afternoon I skied myself into a state of exhaustion, or rather, oxygen deprivation.   Plan Maison starts at 8,300 feet above sea level and goes up from there, up to 11,300 feet at Plateau Rosa.  Because of my asthma I normally plan my ski runs to end below 7,500 feet, so I can re-oxygenize on the way back up, however, because the lower half of the mountain was not open yet due to the early season, that was not an option here.

By the afternoon my head was hammering, I was nauseous and well into the onset of altitude sickness, so I boarded the tram for the ride back down to town where at 6,600 feet the air actually had some oxygen in it.  That night I had an excellent steak at Jour et Nuit (Day and Night) before returning to the Hotel Mignon for a good night’s sleep. 

Thursday morning it was still snowing hard when I caught the tram back up the mountain.  The snow was dry and fluffy, but the heavy snowfall was mixed with fog and the visibility had dropped from limited to almost zero.  Click the link to see the video on snow fall:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LIr_rr83LE  It was slow going, certainly well off my normal pace, but it simply made for a different kind of adventure.  At noon I rode the tram back down to town to catch my breath and take an extended lunch before heading back up to finish out the day.

My original plans had been to ski a few hours Friday morning before catching the afternoon bus to the train station, but given the complete chaos of the Trenitalia clown rodeo, I figured it was a safer bet to leave first thing in the morning and catch an earliest available train.  Sadly, I was right; it took almost as long and almost as many trains to get to get home as it did to get to Cervinia.  It cost me a morning of skiing, but at least I didn’t get kicked off a train at a closed, abandoned train station in the middle of the night.  My return to Cervinia had been different than I had anticipated, but I was grateful for a final opportunity to ski the Alps once more before leaving Italy.

Southern Spain - Nov 25, 2013

On Tuesday the Nov 12^th Angie and I caught the Ryan Air flight from Pisa to visit our friend Nancy who had just moved to Almunecar Spain.  

We met Nancy earlier this year when both she and we were living in Florence, and she graciously invited us to come be her first house guests in new apartment overlooking the Mediterranean coast.

Our Ryan Air flight required us landing in Seville, picking up a rental car and driving 3+ hours to Almunecar.  Finding her apartment in the dark proved to be a bit of an adventure, but it was well worth it to see her again!  And the next morning our wake-up call of the sun rising over the Mediterranean Sea was awe inspiring!

Nov-13 Our first day we elected for an excursion to the Cueva de Nerja, the Caves of Nerja.  This labyrinth of beautiful cave chambers is well organized and routed, and is truly amazing to behold.  Unfortunately the pictures simply don’t do justice to how remarkable this place is.

Later in the afternoon we took a drive up the coast exploring new sights that ended at the lighthouse.

That evening we went to an excellent, inexpensive restaurant that featured Flamenco dancing.  

The next day we drove the hour up over the Sierra Nevada mountain range in southern Spain and into the city of Granada. There are just SO many fascinating sights to see in the historic old city of Granada, but today our focus was the ancient Moorish palace of the Alhambra. 

 Originally built in the mid-11th century, Alhambra was taken over and rebuilt into an elaborate royal palace by Sultan Yusaf in 1333.  It represents the pinnacle of ruling power and authority that the Islamic Moors exerted over the northern African continent and in southern Europe, particularly Spain, during this time.

Nov 15 – Our return to Granada gave us opportunity to explore the city center, take in the flavor of the town, and most importantly see the Catedral de Granada, the stupendous cathedral of Granada.

The foundation of this indescribable

church was laid in 1518; it was completed 181 years later.

It was great to see Nancy again, and although our visit was brief we have already discussed the three of us getting together again the next time she is Stateside from all her world traveling.  

It was also great so see what a wonderful, new corner of the world she has found for herself.  Almunecar’s palate is the beautiful country side that surrounds it.  But the truth is the sun doesn't always shine in Almunecar; 

sometimes it’s only double rainbows.