Published April, 2007

I recently found an old journal with entries from our trip to Italy in April, 2007.  

Our friends from Alexandria, Virginia, joined my husband and me for a two-week tour of Italy with Untours.  I would recommend this company to folks who like to travel and explore on their own, but with backup whenever necessary.  Untours booked us into a fairy-tale farmhouse in Tuscany within a short driving distance of many of the towns that would be on your must-see list.  The accommodations were excellent, the people we met were congenial, the food was so good Ron was talking about it years later. Of course, it was impossible to take a bad photo in such a spectacular setting.  Untours provided us a car, some escorted tours, a welcoming dinner, and a concierge with help or answers to any questions we had. After a week in Tuscany, we spent a week on the Amalfi coast.  Finally, we went on our own to Rome, then home. 

My little journal starts with a description of a day in Florence.

Drove to Florence and parked at the free parking lot – Piazzale Michaelangelo. Walked down the hill and along the Arne river to the Uffizzi Museum. Got in without standing in line since Verda had made reservations.  Museum was disappointing. Too much Jesus, and dark, depressing paintings. Did like the Rembrandts and the Goyas. The weather was hot and humid – miserable! I was soaked. 

After the Uffizzi we looked for the restaurant that Ken recommended, but couldn’t find it. Ended up going in a restaurant where lunch cost us $100 for the 4 of us. (Note: in 2025, that would be about average for 4 people without wine or beer.) Verda and I shared fried zucchini flowers which were super.  Had salad and roasted potatoes.  Bill had a $24 liver entree, and Verda had sautéed spinach which was good. Don’t remember what Ron ordered, probably potatoes.

After lunch we went to the Galleria Dell’ Accademia to visit David up close and personal. The city is chock full of Davids. He greets you at every turn and come in a multitude of sizes in every gift shop. He was meant to be mere decoration of the Cathedral of Florence, commissioned as were so many works of that period  by the church.

The block of marble that would eventually become David was quarried in Carrara. It was transported to Florence and entrusted to another sculptor who accomplished nothing but damage to it.  It sat for many years waiting for the hands of Michelangelo.  He is everything they say he is.  

Left the Academy and took a taxi back up the hill to the car and drove home. Long ride home  in the dark.  Warmed up pizza, made salad, had salami and cheese, and cookies for dinner. Everyone took a PM and went to bed.

Saturday – market in Buonconvento, from the Latin “bonus conventus” which means “happy place.” Cute, cute little town! Walked up and down and bought shrimp, broccoli/cauliflower, green beans, garlic, onion, potatoes and eggplant. Were waited on by a darling little girl named Angela. She was so engaging and wanted to converse with us to practice her English.

We took the food back to the apartment, then headed for Montelcino. Loved it! If you want to step back in time to the 9th century, you won’t find a better example than Montelcino.  Known in the past for its exceptional leather goods, it is primarily famous now for its Brunello wine.  Verda bought a bottle, even though it is seriously expensive, for her daughter’s anniversary.  We stopped at a bar – the Belvedere – and had yummy lunch. I had insalada Caprese which is mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, basil, good olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Ron had good bread toasted with a piece of prosciutto on top, with artichoke hearts and melted mozzarella over all.  He loved it!

Bought granddaughter Ella an adorable little Italian leather purse – she will be so excited! Also bought 2 little watercolors of Tuscany to frame at home. (And they are still hanging in my bathroom.)

Sunday – Bill is a turtle enthusiast and had discovered a sanctuary within driving distance.  Apparently, hundreds of parents allowed their kids to get a little red slider turtle during the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle craze.  Eventually the children lost interest and many, many turtles were dumped into British waterways.  A charity paid for 800 turtles to be gathered up and flown to a sanctuary in Italy. Of course, Bill was anxious to visit this place, so we set out to find it and, after driving a good ways toward the coast, we found the place. It had been closed for two years! Such a disappointment.

So we went on to Fallonica, situated right on the water.  We parked and walked through town. Stopped at a cafe to get coffee and the woman inside had a signed photo of Rafael Nadal, my tennis idol! She had other pictures and newspaper articles about him on the wall behind the counter. She said he had come into the cafe once.  We didn’t speak the same language but could communicate quite well when it came to our love of Rafa!

We walked down to the water and Ron took off his shoes to say he had waded in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Later, we drove to Volterra, the setting for the Twilight books. Traveled the twistiest road we had been on yet. It took much longer than we had expected to get there, but Tuscany is so beautiful, you don’t mind. Volterra was a great little town. It is the birthplace of Pope Linus. Linus was entrusted with his office by the apostles Peter and Paulafter they had established the Christian church in Rome. Very pleasant little town – I bought alabaster souvenirs just before the downpour began.  We left and headed for Siena and home.

Dinner was potatoes, green beans, the rest of the broc/cauliflower, and I had the remainder of the tortelinni.  Slept like Katie!

Monday –

Went first to San Giovanni d’Asso, a tiny town with only 100 residents, but couldn’t find a place to park the car, so drove on to Pienza. It is the birthplace of Pope Pius II, and the name was changed from Corsignano to Pienza which means city of Pius. Because it is a World Heritage Site, it is a bit more upscale than some of the other towns in Tuscany. 

Tuesday –

Last full day here.  Went to Siena – great city. So-so-so much better than Florence. The parking was easy. Walked to the “Campo” where they run the Paseo- something I wish we could have seen. If I ever came back to Siena, I would plan it for the running of the Paseo. Must be auite the experience. We found a table at an outdoor cafe even thought the plaza was crowded with tourists.  Vendors were set up throughout the plaza and we couldn’t resist the scarves. We bought quite a few to take home.

The Duomo is the most amazing building! Bought lots of postcards since there is no way to properly photograph the immense space. Truly fascinating. The ceiling in one room is entirely gold.  On the way down fro the Duomo we stopped and had pizza to hold us over til dinner, then went shopping. I found a shoe store with shoes on sale. I bought a pair of bone colored loafers. Too bad we can’t take some pecorino cheese home for Kathy and Steve.

Wednesday – 

Left La Canonica about 9:00 headed for the Amalfi coast. Long drive on the A-1 – crazy Italian drivers all thinking they’re competing in an F-1 race. Stopped at an Autogrill for a picnic lunch. Thanks to Verda we had sandwiches. Ron bought a baguette for 1 euro.

Arrived at Agerola and asked directions for the street where the internet point was.  (This was back when there were beginning to be internet cafes, but not personal computers with internet capabilities.) Found it and it turned out it was run by Giovanna’s husband, Pasquale. He spoke excellent English and he led us to the house. Climbed down about a hundred stairs to a lovely house perched on the side of the mountain overlooking the sea.  Breathtaking view. Inside they had even left some of the rock exposed.  Two bedrooms with double beds, nice bathroom, and a washing machine. Made pasta with pesto and a salad for dinner. Ron made eggs and potatoes. It was hard to go inside and leave the iconic view of the Amalfi coast.  You’ve all seen those pictures – houses defying gravity to perch on the side of the mountain. It is so beautiful I wish everyone could spend just one day and night trying to appreciate the genius of those who built on this coastline.

Thursday – 

Had to turn the car in today in Sorrento, so went to Pompeii first. So crowded driving was insane! Finally got there and parked. Walked around the site but lots of things weren’t open. Kind of disappointing. We’re getting jaded, I guess. Had a snack at a little place just outside the gates. I had bruschetta and it was awful. Drove to Sorrento and turned the car in, then walked to the train station to catch the bus.

After asking twice and searching, we finally found the station. Bought tickets to Amalfi. There was only one seat left on the bus, but a young man from Ireland whose Mama had raised him right gave us his seat and Ron and Bill stood up til we got to Positano.  Scary ride but on a crowded bus you couldn’t see enough to be terrified. Hard to get good photos from a moving bus going around one S curve after another. Everyone got off at Amalfi. We had to change buses and take the one to Agerola. We had just missed one bus and had to wait for the next one at 9:00 pm. We were so tired, hungry and overstimulated. Made it to Furore and found some other people who were walking to their apartment and discovered they were from Charlotte. Got to our house, made sandwiches and went to bed. I know it sounds like we ate nothing but sandwiches, but we usually had our lunch at a restaurant and ate a lighter supper.

Friday –

Got up a bit later today. Took the 10:15 bus down to Amalfi and bought tickets for the ferry to Positano. Had an enjoyable boat ride with spectacular views to photograph. Got off and found a neat bar on the water. I had bruschetta and Ron had salami and mozzarella panini. Then we hiked up to the bus stop to get the bus back to Amalfi. We had some time in Amalfi so walked around a bit and I had a gelato. Then went to a cafe where Ron had a beer. The Agerola bus came and Bill and Verda were on it! Funny how often that happens.

Made spaghetti for dinner. Ron had gnocchi and mushy peas.

Saturday – 

Caught the bus up the street again to Amalfi and were planning to go to Capri, but it cost $120 just to get there and back. So Ron and I opted to take the ferry to Salerno which was wonderful. There were maybe a dozen people on the boat and I could sit by the window, put my feet up and snap pictures. Salerno is a normal town where real people live and work, so we found a department store where we bought Faye some shoes, and a little shop where we got her a cute little hat. Still have to find something for Mike for his birthday. Had a little snack of horrible coffee and french fries and potato croquettes with little bits of ham and cheese in them. I had a granito de limon in Amalfi which was so good! The best drink yet. Just like Steve’s margarita machine, but with lemonade. Ron had a little Amalfi cake – sponge cake with lemon flavored whipped cream that was superb. 

We went to the Maritime Museum which was really interesting. Found out the symbol for Amalfi in the regatta is a golden unicorn. Tried to find one for Kathy but no luck.

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That’s the end of my notes.  It’s a good thing I didn’t write any more because after our idyllic stay in Amalfi, we continued on to Rome. My advice to anyone going to Italy is to skip Rome altogether.  You’ve seen all the pictures and scenes in movies anyway.  Our rooms were awful – could barely fit 2 people in the room and couldn’t turn around in the shower.  It was hot and humid, so I was miserable. The line for the Coliseum was miles long, so we skipped it. We did go to the Vatican and marveled at the riches displayed there.  Seeing the Sistine Chapel so close was worth the whole trip.  True to his nature, Ron insisted that we walk back to our little nook. I tried, but simply gave out even with frequent stops.  He finally grabbed a taxi, thank goodness.  Rome was so crowded and so expensive that we were happy to leave.  

If I were asked what to do in Italy, I would recommend a week in Tuscany, and even that might not be enough time. We weren’t able to squeeze in the Cinque Terra, something I would devote at least three days to if I could.  And next time, I would ferry across to Sicily, if only to see where the Mafia originated. Instead of Rome, I would add Milan for the fashion and Venice for the canals. And, then, if I had a whole month to explore, I would experience Naples.