The month of April whipped by me like a whirlwind. Luckily for me, this first full month of
spring included a visit to my daughter in Italy. What better excuse is there to plan an
Italian vacation? Our daughter and her boyfriend
– recently, following their engagement, her soon-to-be husband, are living on
the Ligurean coast just outside of Genoa for nine months. Our trip consisted of visits to four
different parts of Italy. We loved them
all: the common theme was, of course,
the remarkable food but each place had a unique charm that made us want to stay
much longer. What is it about Italy that
captures your imagination and makes you want to linger and return? Perhaps it is the pleasing landscapes and the
classic architecture? Perhaps it is the
country’s wonderful history and extraordinary art? Or perhaps it is simply the
food: the pasta, the olives, the wine and the incredible variety of fresh vegetables? Whatever the reason, a vacation in Italy is
always captivating and all the more so when your own daughter is there and able
to speak Italian!
First up on our trip was Venice with the maze and mystery of
its canals; next came Florence with its Renaissance masterpieces – a shoppers’
paradise; then our daughter’s home in Genoa/Nervi and the rocky Ligurean coast,
otherwise known as the Italian Riviera; last and not least was Trapani, the old
Sicilian seaport with its rugged landscape, offshore islands and ancient,
elegant ruins. It is impossible to
choose a favorite among these four wonderful places. I will try to describe in my next few blogs
why we loved them and why you should make an effort to visit all of these
places if you possibly can.
It is easy to be a tourist in Italy even if you don’t speak
Italian. Everyone seems genuinely happy
to see you and delighted to share their food, their culture, and their rich history
and pour you a glass of local wine!
Italy is the perfect place for an active older (or for that matter
younger) tourist who wants to enjoy delicious food but doesn’t want to gain
weight! A visit to Italy requires a lot
of walking and that burns off the calories!
There is so much to see and in most places, walking is the only way to
see it. On the average day, even without
trying, we walked at least six or seven miles.
On the one day when we decided to go for an actual hike, we walked more
than ten miles – most of it straight up and then straight down hill. Italy, and particularly the Ligurean coast, is
very hilly and your leg muscles get a great work out. I definitely needed to stretch after that hike
and I definitely deserved my mid-afternoon gelato. Lucky we’d been spending time staying strong
in the gym back in Seattle. A very good
reason to exercise regularly, as you get older, is to ensure you can manage
“walking” vacations.
The apartment was in a charming, but quiet part of the old town. We found it easily by taking a boat taxi
directly from the airport and pulling our wheelie suitcases over cobble stoned
streets the few blocks distance to the apartment. After a short nap – it’s a long way from
Seattle to Italy – we ventured out for lunch, a little sight seeing and food shopping.
Lunch was the easy part of our first
outing. Venice is jammed with restaurants
– osterias, trattorias, sidewalk cafés, every kind of eatery you can imagine
except perhaps the fast food kind. No
Subways or McD’s to be seen. Instead we
found small, family-run restaurants, one after another, lining the neighborhood
canals with pretty wooden tables and umbrellas.
Venice doesn’t have any cars or trucks at all. Instead, the town is a network of canals filled
with boats of every size and variety – playing the roles that cars, trucks and
buses usually play. I don’t know exactly
what I was expecting since of course I’d read about Venice’s canals. I’d seen pictures of gondolas and large
passenger ferries but I guess none of that really sunk in. I just did not expect that Venice wouldn’t
have any streets or motorized wheeled vehicles at all. I also did not realize how peaceful it is to
have no cars or trucks or buses. To the
extent that there are streets they are narrow and exclusively for pedestrians. Even bicycles aren’t allowed and that makes a
lot of sense. If you were on a bicycle
you’d be getting off every few feet to climb up steps and over a bridge across
a canal. Every neighborhood in Venice is
connected to the others by arched bridges that cross the seemingly endless maze
of canals.
The whole landscape is ridiculously picturesque and simply
beckons you to enjoy it. It isn’t
necessary to have something specific in mind for a Venetian holiday. It is enough to be there and to wander; to
simply enjoy being in Venice. Just being
present is compelling. For example,
sitting in the living room of our rented apartment, I just wanted to look out
of the big windows all day long, admiring the occasional gondola and the back
and forth rhythm of boats moving on the canal below me. Across from me, on the other side of the
canal, I admired a stately fifteenth or sixteenth century building. Forest green shutters set off its tall windows;
the roof was made of terra cotta tiles and the walls were rich yellow ochre
stucco. It was so pleasing to my eye and
looked much as it must have during the Renaissance – sturdy and majestic at the
same time.
Venice is full of tourists but pleasantly so. Everyone is there to explore and enjoy. My husband likened it to an adult Disneyland
and there are some aspects that are reminiscent. For example, everyone is there to enjoy him-
or herself; every corner brings a new and interesting building or a lovely view
and something new to explore. Perhaps
one of our favorites was all the different kinds of boats – private boats
carrying one or two kids home from school; taxi boats carrying families or
friends out and about; gondolas full of tourists moving languidly down the
canals or large boat buses carrying folks to work or play; commercial boats transporting
goods and equipment; working boats full of tools en route to fix buildings or
repair plumbing; delivery boats; and everywhere, bridges, churches, small
alleys lined with pretty colored stucco or brick buildings. On one afternoon, we ventured out into the
lagoon on a larger boat, i.e., a Venetian “bus” to visit three different nearby
islands. The suburbs of Venice are
adjacent islands. The first island we
visited is the most famous, Murano, where the wonderful Venetian glass blowers
set up their factories in the thirteenth century to avoid fire dangers in the
city. Murano is still full of glass
factories and the prices range from pennies for a small souvenir to tens of
thousands for one of a kind works of glass art.
The second island was largely rural and undeveloped – although its
history is older than that of Venice itself.
Its claim to fame is a beautiful cathedral built in the seventh century
and the adjacent 11th century church that honors Santa Fosca – a
fifteen-year-old girl from Libya who converted to Christianity but turned
herself into her irate father only to be tortured to death. It seems religious intolerance is not
confined to the 21st century.
The final island we visited, Burano, was my favorite only because its
multi-hued houses were so striking. The
story goes that the Burano fishermen each painted his house a different color
so that he could find it when returning from long fishing voyages. Whatever the origin, the houses are a rainbow
of colors and delightfully bright.
Perhaps our favorite experience in Venice was not visiting
historically important cathedrals or museums but simply the experience of wandering
around the neighborhoods, seeing the sights and getting lost! We spent much
of every day doing just this. Somehow we
found our way to a remote Venetian mask store, to the open-air fish market at
Rialto, to a tasty restaurant in a distant neighborhood that was recommended to
us. We walked through peaceful squares, the
so-called campos and past impressive buildings with wrought iron balconies
overflowing with flowers, we wandered down tiny little alleys that dead ended at
the edge of narrow canals; we admired medieval statues and small fountains, we climbed
up and over countless bridges, and ventured into little bars, cafés and explored
beautiful cathedrals. We kissed in the
moonlight standing on the bridge over our canal and held hands so we didn’t
lose each other in the crowds of tourists.
In our four days, we felt as if we had just touched the surface of
Venice. We will have to go back again.
