London calling

London says hello!

Here comes the sun

We made the most of this last day in Italia.

We hiked the Cinque Terre trails (this was a little tough, particularly given the very muddy trails, but so worth it - thanks Tol & Sloane for making it a can't-miss!),















Bounced around the five hill towns,





and ended up at the beach at the end of the day.





Just after dark, these teenagers were posing in their birthday suits (notice the guy on the right didn't get the "drop trou" memo).



Closed out with an unbelievably delicious fish dinner by the sea and drinks with our new friends.



Arrivederci, Italia! We will miss you!

"No rain, no grapes. No grapes, no wine."

Day 2 in Cinque Terre: downpour.

No trail hiking, no beaches today.

We were blessed with fantastic weather most of the trip, so didn't mind a bit, but there was essentially nothing to do in Cinque Terre but sit there and wait for it to stop.

So, we made our way to the one tiny Internet point in town and paid up (8 euros per hour or somesuch nonsense...hello, monopoly). Why not pick up a few Nastros (local beer), work on the blog and try to catch up with a few of you? However, nowhere to sit at Internet point + wifi only reaching a block = computers + Italian beer on the outdoor patio of a closed restaurant as the rain pours in buckets on all sides.




Hi guys!

When the downpour broke around sundown, we made a break for it and sprinted up to the restaurant in the castle at the top of the hill. We were the only two in the place, aside from this couple:


(notice the slanted floor!)

It turns out, Tessa and Richard are both in their late 20s and hail from London, the next stop on our trip. We began talking to them as the rain started back up (essentially trapping us up there with our jolly little waiter and plenty of wine), and ended up meeting up with them again the next night for drinks.

Aside from Jamie and Megha, they were our only friends in London. We were so pleased to make their acquaintance and are thankful for the rain and the good things it brings!

(Quote above is from Gisella at Borgo Rapale)

The old men and the sea

We arrived in Vernazza, one of the five hilltowns in the Cinque Terre, just in time for sunset, aka prime fishing time.













I'm not sure which we enjoyed watching more!

The secret garden

When we arrived home from our Cortona excursion, the weather had turned dreary and a storm blew in. When the rain stopped at sunset, a dense fog had set in and I went on a little walk around the town. Even the fog seems to suit Rapale; it takes on an ethereal storybook feel.




I happened upon this little gate



Which led to this little overgrown garden



Which is home to a mossy and mysterious stone bench



And these grapes - the garden's only sign of life these days.



You have to keep the gate closed though, to keep the boars out. They love grapes!

Cortona

Tucked into the top of a steep hillside, Cortona is the kind of place that inspires people like Frances Mayes to abandon their lives in the states in search of la dolce vita.

We met a very sweet girl from Kansas who came here to study architecture for three months 6 years ago and hasn't left. She met her husband, a talented Cortona jewelry designer, and now helps him run his shop, DelBrenna.




I came away with a small souvenir from here. Very reasonable, couldn't resist...

We ate lunch at this charming Osteria, a cellar restaurant from the 1600s.




I peeked my head into the open shop door of a little old man who was staining a piece of furniture. He stopped what he was doing and eagerly began talking to us in Italian. We didn't understand a word, but he seemed pleased that I was interested in his work and invited us up to his apartment above.



It turns out, he is a fresco painter, and has been painting these magnificent frescoes all his life. Frescoes are a part of Cortona's heritage, as some of the most important ones in Rome and Florence were painted by Cortona artists. Can you imagine every inch of the walls in your home being covered in these? I've been thinking a lot about this man since we left. What a life he must have lived!

Wine, wine, wine

Here is the festival in Greve!


This setup is neat - you buy one wine glass for 10 Euros, and basically get 8 tastings (not quite a full glass, but...plenty). We arrived pretty early, which meant we were able to pace ourselves and enjoy the town too.

Weren't quite sure what we'd find, but the main square is full of booths from all over the Chianti region, and each had wines you could taste and buy, as well as a bit of history about their estate. It's the main Chianti festival, and it happens each September on this weekend.



Most have been making and selling wine and olive oil in Chianti for about a century or, in many cases, much, much longer.
]
This label is from 1920.

We had already enjoyed the day immensely, when out of nowhere (or perhaps out of Under the Tuscan Sun), the flag throwers appeared.








...as well as their slightly stodgy overseer. We weren't quite sure what was going on, but


Hooray!

After deciding on our favorites, we bought a few bottles to bring back with us to Borgo Rapale, and made our way back, encountering a few great scenes along the way.


The classic little blue haired ladies...



This kid, going to town on his gelato.






And of course, the Tuscan sun setting.

We ate dinner at a restaurant on the way home in Castelnuovo, which was packed with families doing Sunday dinner and was the type of place where everyone knew the chef/owner/waiter-in-one but us. So delicious, and a little strange to be the only non-Italians in the place. Little children running in and out of the rooms and trying to get his attention. Another delicious tiramisu here, and some out of this world caprese.

Tough to top such a day.

xo,
lmm