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Italy

Our 15 Minutes of Fame

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They say we all get 15 minutes of fame and I think this might be the time for us.

As many of you have already been made aware, the New York Times just published an article about us and our adventure in Italy. It was instigated by our daughter, Jamie, in response to their requests for ideas for their “It’s Never Too Late” series. We found out that they were going to work on our story when we were in the United States back in August.

Because the story centers on her long held dream of living in Italy coming to fruition, the article centers on her and I tag along for the ride. Holly consented to many interviews and a flurry of email exchanges with the author, Alix Strauss, over the last several months to flesh out the details.

For those of you who have not read it yet, here is a link (you may have to sign up for a free account) to the story. I hope you enjoy it.

It’s Never Too Late to Pick Up Your Life and Move to Italy – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

European Travel, Italian Cities, Italy

Venezia – A VIRTUAL TOUR

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I started this post over a year ago, but somehow with everything else going on, I just could not finish it. Perhaps, now is a better time anyway.

Because of COVID-19 outbreak, several of our friends have had to cancel (or at least postpone) their trips to Italy and specifically Venice. Although, we live only a quick 30-minute train ride from that beautiful city and we normally go there quite often, we have not been allowed to travel outside of Padova for quite some time. That has now changed, and more travel is allowed.

With all the tensions around the world right now, I thought many of you might enjoy a virtual photo tour of Venice to refresh your memories or inflame your dreams. Many of you have visited Venice and I am sure most, if not all, of you have seen many pictures of it. But whenever we visit, I can never resist taking a few more photographs and some are of the smaller out-of-the-way places.

Although, there are traces of inhabitants in the lagoon dating far back into history, the real buildup of what we now call Venice began in the 5th century C.E.  The Western Roman empire was coming apart and the inhabitants of the Veneto region sought refuge in the Venetian lagoon to protect themselves from the encroaching barbarians (Attila et al) from the north. Since the invaders came from lands not bordering the sea, their knowledge of boat building was minimal, so it was much safer to be on an island in a lagoon than on dry land. These refugees used fishing and the salt trade to establish a flourishing republic that lasted for over 1,000 years, finally coming to an end at the hands of Napoleon in the late 18th century. At its height, the Venetian Republic was one of the most powerful political and commercial forces in the Mediterranean and with trade routes reaching to the Far East, perhaps the world.

ARRIVAL – When you arrive by train and exit the station, you are immediately confronted with the Grand Canal and a view of the Chiesa di San Simeon Piccolo on the other side. It makes a rather nice welcome to the city. When we go there with friends, I always try to take a shot of them with the canal and church in the background.

alt Christina Dawson

CANAL GRANDE – This reverse-S-shaped waterway is the main thoroughfare of the city. With only four bridges over it, all walking tours must include a strategy of where and how many times you intend to cross it. With the exception of these times of the pandemic, it is always teeming with boats of every size and description: vaporettos, gondolas, water taxis, working boats of all types and also many small private boats all moving to an improvisational choreography that defies reason. How there are not more accidents is a wonder for the ages.

PONTE DI RIALTO – No trip to Venice is complete without a visit to the Rialto Bridge. Of the 391 bridges in Venice, this is by far the most famous. It is the site of the first bridge over the Grand Canal. Originally it was a wooden structure and has been rebuilt several times over the centuries. It is a favorite of tourists and the central passageway is lined with jewelry, leather, and other high-end shops. All boats that service the city must be designed to easily fit under its arched opening.

BASILICA E PIAZZA DI SAN MARCO – Another of the truly magnificent landmarks of Venice is the Basilica of Saint Mark and its grand piazza. The architecture of the Basilica is, in my opinion, the height of Venetian design. The piazza is still the center of activity and most civic events take place there.

PALAZZO DUCALE – Sitting right off of Saint Mark’s Square, The Doge’s palace is one of the most distinctive pieces of architecture in the world. I always imagine what it must have been like to be a foreign dignitary arriving by sea and being greeted by this building and the city dignitaries (“Serenissimi”). It was the center of civic life of the “Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia” (Most Serene Republic of Venice). It is just as magnificent on the inside where murals of historic events adorn the the walls of grand halls where nearly all civic meetings and judicial procedures took place.

GONDOLE – I am never quite sure what to think of these magnificent throw-backs to a time when they were essential transportation for the functioning of the city. They have since been replaced by vaporettos and water taxis for actual transportation, but I love to watch them ferry tourists around the city and even listen to the occasional tourist who is fulfilling what I am sure was a lifelong dream of singing an aria from a gondola and listening to it reverberate off of the decaying walls of a tiny canal. If you love a ride around Central Park in a horse-drawn carriage, a ride in one of these is somewhat like that, but on steroids.

PICCOLI CANALI and other interesting pictures – It is so easy to get lost in the maze of walking paths and all of the bridges and canals of this city. I am not sure how anyone got around the city before the advent of Google Maps and even with that aid it can still be an adventure as satellites are not always able to penetrate into every nook and cranny. My advice is to sit back and enjoy the ride. It is, after all, rather small and you cannot get too lost because it is very difficult (well actually, impossible) to walk off the central islands in the lagoon by mistake.

Jamie and Brien
Small canals and other pictures

WORKING BOATS – Another of my fascinations in this city are the working boats. When you think about all of the goods and services needed to supply a tourist destination of this size, the logistical problem is immense. Now consider that, with the exception of a few hand carts for luggage and garbage, there are no wheeled vehicles allowed. That means that everything is delivered and removed by boat. The pilots of these boats are remarkable in their ability to guide their crafts through the labyrinth of canals and other boats to deliver all of the supplies needed to maintain this magical place.

CARNEVALE – Like many places around the world, Venice has had to cancel many activities. Carnivale was one of the victims and has been cancelled the last two years and it is missed. From the parades on the canals to people parading around in costume for many days, it is a great celebration and should be welcomed back in 2022.

OTHER ISLANDS IN THE LAGOON – Some locals refer to the paths between the railroad station, the Rialto Bridge and Saint Mark’s as “ant trails”. During the height of a normal tourist season, it can be very difficult to navigate these narrow passageways and in the heat of the summer season, it can become stifling. If you visit Venice, take some time to visit some of the other islands in the lagoon: Lido, Giudecca, Murano, Burano, and even the cemetery has its own island. All are reachable by vaporetto and are much more tranquil than the central cluster of islands with their “ant trails” and are worth your time.

MURANO GLASS – More than just the fancy glass produced there today, the furnaces of Murano were at the forefront of the development of modern glass, especially large sheets. One of the reasons for leaded glass was that only small pieces of glass could be produced. So in order to make a window, you needed to attach many small pieces together. There was one fun bit from the TV series, “Versailles” about Murano. Louis XIV had been upset that he could not get a mirror that could give him a satisfactory reflection of himself and he had rejected several. Later in the series, it was said to him that he should look at the new sample that had arrived. It was a much improved mirror because the factories in Murano were making great advances in not only glass but mirrors as well.

REGATTA STORICA – Every year (these covid years excepted) there is a historic regatta on the Grand Canal. With historically accurate boats and everyone in full costume. It is in early September and is something right out of a Canaletto painting.

CRUISE SHIPS – Please keep them out of the Lagoon!

A little side note for those of you who made it to the end of this rather long post is that on April 28th we celebrated our 5th anniversary of arriving here in Italy. We are never sure what the future holds for any of us, but this has been an incredible experience for both of us and we are grateful for the good fortune we have had. Thank you for reading about our adventures and we hope they bring you a little joy in these rather trying times.

European Travel, Italian Cities, Italy

life in italy with COVID-19 – Holly’s version

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So many people have written to me and asked, “Everyone says that we ere in the United States are about 2 weeks behind you, so what’s happening there?”  Well, two weeks ago I can say that we were just about where you are right now.  Two weeks ago, restrictions on movement had been put in place, but since it was still beautiful outside and there was no sign of illness anywhere, everyone was still going outside (because the bars and restaurants were still open until 6:00 in the evening) and we were trying to be careful by staying a meter away from each other.  The waiters wore masks.  But life was pretty normal if you didn’t work in a hospital.  Now, we realize that every day that we “eased” into total lockdown, we were just fueling the spread.  If we had locked down completely a month ago, we would be over the peak and recovering, like China. 

We have been bombarded by information regarding Covid 19 from factual newspaper articles to social media posts sharing medical research and opinions.  I’ve been trying to figure out the most effective way of conveying to you the crucial points that you should be paying attention to.

The number of infected people doubles every 3 days if left unchecked.  That is where the United States is right now (as of March 25 the US has 55,231 cases, so you can do the math).  With proactive social distancing, Italy has been able to change that number from 3 to 7 days, which is still a LOT of cases, but vastly fewer eventually.

The biggest issue which affects EVERYONE (not just the old and infirm) is that the hospitals are overrun.  They are overrun from too many patients at the same time and from losing a LOT of staff from infection and death (2,600 total staff infected in Italy and 15 doctors have died).  Right here in the Padova hospital network there are 119 medical staff that are quarantined and cannot work.  So, there is NO ability to treat other problems.  If you or a loved one has any other type of emergency (heart attack, traffic accident, serious infection, premature birth, kidney stone attack, etc.), there is no one to treat you.  Literally.

We now have been confined to our apartment pretty much 24/7.  One of us goes to get groceries once in a while and that feels slightly uncomfortable.  We wait in line to get in, we feel awful about the staff that have to work there every day (a 37-year-old supermarket clerk died yesterday in Brescia), and we must carry an official document with us when we go out explaining why we are out with a date and time on it.  And I’m grateful every day that I am in the enviable position of “having” to stay home, unlike the workers in the “essential services”.

We are positive and happy here.  Life is good and we are surrounded by love, so we couldn’t (shouldn’t) ask for anything more at this time.  Sending you all our love,

Holly

Italian Cities, Italy

COVID -19

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Since many of our friends have reached out to us during this rather difficult time, I thought I would send along some information about the conditions here in Padova and how we are doing.

First of all, I would like to assure all of you that Holly and I are fine and other than being under lock down and a little bored, life is fairly normal. We are doing everything we can to stay safe. Grocery stores and pharmacies are open and have plenty of everything (including toilet paper and hand sanitizer). When we do go out, we need to carry an official document (a form that we fill out) stating who we are, where we live and where we are going. It is pretty simple, and the authorities do check from time to time and are issuing citations if you are not carrying one. Also, we are supposed to go out alone, no traveling in pairs or groups.

Although there are cases here, Padova is not having anything like what is being portrayed in the news. The media is not the “fake news” that some seem to think, but they do like to sensationalize what is happening. But to be clear, there are places in Northern Italy, like Bergamo for instance, that are really having serious issues and our hearts goes out to them.

It seems rather strange that two of the world’s Covid-19 hot spots are here in Northern Italy and in the Seattle area. The first COVID-19 fatality of a person we know was the owner of the Leschi Mart where we used to do most of our food shopping while living in Madrona. That was a sad day for the community. Steve was a good man and will be missed.

I know that some of you are already in a situation like ours and if I understand correctly, some of the rest of you will be there soon. My only advice is that this virus seems to only be transmitted by close contact with an infected person or residue they leave on objects. The less person-to-person contact we have and the more we wash our hands right now the better it will be for us all. Respect social distancing and keep scrubbing.

We would love to hear how you are doing, so please leave a comment and let us know,

Our best to you all,

Jim & Holly

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Padova for real

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It has been a long time since I wrote a post on this site. We have now been in Padova for over a year and I guess I have kind of started living my life rather than writing about it. I am going to try to be better at adding to the blog as I think we have had some great adventures and seen some lovely places. This post was started months ago but just never finished. I am determined to not only finish this one but catch everyone up on what we have been doing.

On February 10, 2018, I wrote a post about our brief visit to Padova while we were driving around this area. Although we were quite taken with this city at the time, we had no intention of actually moving here. It was rather a cold and damp day when we visited, but Padova still stood out for its architecture, its 800 year old university and the market in the center of the city. I would like to give you a sense of this city we have chosen (at least for the present as we have renewed our lease for another year and a half) to plant ourselves, so I have selected some of my favorite pictures of Padova to explain its charm. Some I have posted before and some repeat different moods of the same place.

We live on one of the main piazzas (Piazza dei Signori) in the center of Padova and only 200 yards from one of the oldest and finest markets in Europe. I never cease to be amazed that I actually get to shop there everyday.

The legend here is that after the Trojan War, Antenore (one of the characters in the Iliad) founded the city after the fall of Troy when he led a group seeking refuge to northern Italy. The myth is an attempt to give Padova the same credentials as ancient Rome (which according to legend was also founded by Trojan refugees led by
Aeneas). There is a piazza named after Antenore that has a tomb that was once claimed to be his. Later research has debunked the idea of the Trojan hero actually being in the sarcophagus, but it is a great stop for all guided tours.

Antenore’s tomb

The university here was founded 1222 by students and faculty from Bologna who were looking for freedom from what they saw as stifling oversight of the university in that city. It includes in its famous alumni Copernicus and Galileo, who taught here for 18 years. The walls are covered with the family crests of graduates.

  • The large classroom
  • Galileo’s podium
  • The Anatomical Theater in Palazzo Bo
  • Palazzo Bo of the University with the family crests of rich alumni
  • Palazzo Bo of the University with the family crests of rich alumni
  • Palazzo Bo of the University with the family crests of rich alumni

Our Piazza is ever changing its’ personality. 5 days a week (Tuesday to Saturday) it is a market with clothing, housewares and plants until about 1 pm. Every night, when the weather is agreeable, it is filled with outdoor diners. It can be a parade ground and a place for protests. Once we had a slate of boxing matches right outside of our apartment.

As with many Italian cities, over the centuries Padova was fortified with numerous rings of walls and water. Nearly every evening we take a walk along one of the canals where we see various water features, an occasional Blue Heron .

I have posted pictures before of the Specola, but from the little bridge near it I can never resist taking one more picture. The tower was once part of a long destroyed fortification. When I realized that Galileo had taught here for 16 years and the city had this great observatory, my heart jumped. But alas, the observatory was added to the tower several centuries after Galileo left. He did many observations here from a different tower, but he had left Padova before he had his telescope.

Padova has what they say is the oldest botanical garden still occupying its’ original site in the world.

The Scrovegni Chapel with its Giotto frescoes is on everyone’s list when they come to Padova. The chapel is hermetically sealed, you have to make reservations at least one day in advance (I suggest that if you want to see it in high season, you make the reservations far in advance) and you only get to stay for about 15 minutes. Is it worth all of that? Quite simply, yes. Those of you who are art history buffs already know what I am talking about. Those who are not, just Google Giotto.

  • Scrovegni Chapel with the Giotto frescos

The last place on my virtual tour is the Basilica of San Antonio. It is one of my favorite churches in the world. With seven domes, lavish ornamentation and the tomb of San Antonio, it is a wonderland of visual stimulation. The tomb is a magnet for pilgrims from all over the world and I have never been there when there were not several people praying while touching the tomb. Because of its holy nature they ask you not to take pictures (it could also be because they want you to buy pictures and books from the gift shop and local vendors) so I do not have many of my own pictures of the interior, but I have been able to sneak a few.

  • The tomb of San Antonia
  • Freeze around the tomb
  • Freeze around the tomb
  • Freeze around the tomb

One of the main reasons we moved here was the ease with which we could travel. Since we have been here we have been able to visit Venice on a regular basis. We have also been on visits to Trieste, Vienna, Florence, Bologna, Ferrara, Milan, Lake Garda and the Italian alps. Although we miss the good friends we made in Lecce, it has been a good choice for us to be where it is a little easier to travel.

I will write again soon.

Italian Cities, Italy

Our Move to Padova: or How We Sold Our House in Seattle and found a home in italy

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As any of our Facebook friends know, last spring we came back to Seattle for a brief period to sell our house and then move back to Italy once that was complete. An agreement to sell the house was actually in place by the time we landed in Seattle and all that was left for us to do was find a place to move what little was left of our belongings from the basement to a storage facility.

We had already made the decision to find a place to live in Padova and landed here with only an Air B&B for 2 weeks and high hopes. As if it were fated to be, we immediately found a wonderful apartment (first place we looked at) on one of the main squares, Piazza dei Signori. It is in an older building but the apartment has been completely updated and modernized. It has a small balcony that overlooks the Piazza, where we have a ringside seat (sometimes literally) to everything that goes on there.

The day after we moved in was June 2nd and Republic Day in Italy. The piazza was filled with a parade and speeches. It was a grand welcome, although I think there may have been more people in the ceremony than were watching. It was a nice welcome.

  • Love the hat
  • Italy loves uniforms


The piazza, with a 15th century clock tower on one end (it has 24 hours and tracks the movement of the moon, stars and astrological signs) and the beautiful medieval Church of San Clemente The Pope, on the other, is always full of life. It hosts a market 5 days a week, 12 months a year (mainly clothing, linens, cookware and plants), outside dining for hundreds of people during the warm months, and special events: concerts, parades, protests and even a night of boxing.

There were several reasons for choosing Padova. First, with over 200,000 inhabitants and one of the oldest universities in Europe (with over 60,000 students, founded in 1222 and Galileo taught here for 16 years), it is very active and vibrant. Then, with Venezia and Verona nearby to attract all of the attention, it is not overly crowded with tourists. And lastly, it is well located on a main train line and within a couple of hours we can be in Venezia, Firenze, Milano, Roma, Lago di Garda or Torino. It takes less time to get to Napoli from here than it did from Lecce. We are close enough to
Venezia to go there for lunch and we have done just that several times.

We have been very active exploring our new neighborhood and I will update you later on that. For now we are studying Italian (and even teaching a little English) and waiting for spring to begin our travels again.

Just a little note, Facebook changed how I can feed these posts to my profile there and made me create a “Page” to link to. This is the first actual post since that change, so if anything weird happens let me know.

Italy

Sicily

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The last couple of years after Thanksgiving, we have taken a trip with my son, Zach, and his partner, Shannon.  Last year we visited Malta (see post from March of 2017) and this year we decided on Sicily.  With all of the traveling for work that Zach and Shannon do, they accumulate a lot of rewards points and they have been generous with the sharing of those with us on these trips.

Let me just say that Sicily is absolutely beautiful, the people are very friendly and the food is great.

Palermo

Palermo is the largest and most important city in Sicily.  After all, it is where the final scene in Godfather III takes place (see opera house pictures below).  Its history goes back to the beginnings of Mediterranean civilization, through the Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans. It was the capital of Sicily and spent time as one of the capitals of the Two Sicilies (Naples and Sicily combined). It has been destroyed many times and the old port was completely wrecked by Allied bombing during World War II. We spent several days there exploring this beautiful city as well as many great markets and buildings.  Above the town, we went to the village of Montreale with a great panoramic view of the city and the sea beyond.

View from our apartment
Model of the opera house
Inside the opera house
View from the royal booth (remember the Godfather movie?)
Fish market
Vegetable market
Vegetable market
Cathedral in Monreale
Inside the cathedral
View of Palermo from Monreale

Valle dei Templi near Agrigento, Sicily

From Palermo we drove south (through the village of Corleone, again for the Godfather fans) to Agrigento to visit the ancient ruins of the Greek city of Akragas in the Valley of the Temples.  “Valley” is a misnomer, the ruins sit on a ridge just below the modern city of Agrigento.  It is considered the largest archaeological  site in the world.

Temple of Concordia
Temple of Concordia
Icarus
Olive tree
Love the horns on these goats
Our great travel companions
My best friend
Sunset at the ruins
Sunset at the ruins

Taormina and Mount Etna

We then drove to the east side of the island and got a close up look at the most active volcano in Europe, Mount Etna, and the lovely resort town of Taormina.

Etna was always smoking and when we drove up the side it was a moonscape of pumice. You can take a gondola to the rim of the upper crater and helicopter tours are available.  It was cold and late in the day and we did not avail ourselves of either.  It was an eerie place to be.

View from Taormina
Etna from Taormina
Roman theater in Taormina
Above taormina
Taormina theater from a distance
Etna
Streets of Taormina at dusk
Etna smoking
Etna smoking
Cinder cone on Etna
Gondola to the top of Etna
Bottom of the small crater
Never underestimate the power of a volcano

Siracusa

We took a day drive to Syracuse.  It was at one time the second largest city in ancient Greece and rivaled Athens in splendor.  It is now a rather subdued small town on the coast with few indications of its former splendor.

The cathedral
Shannon and Zach
You have to love Italian uniforms
And the men in those uniforms acting like everyone else
Fish market
Outdoor vevetable market
One of the few remnants of the Greeks

Messina

Messina is a port city on the northeast corner of Sicily and has a clear view of Calabria on the Italian mainland.  It is also home to what they claim to be the largest astrological clock tower in the world.  Every hour there are cocks crowing, lions roaring and bells ringing with a parade of saints and animals.  It is actually quite a piece of craftsmanship.  It displays not only the time but the month and the phase of the moon.

Port of Messina with Calabria in the distance
Port of Messina from the clock tower
The clock tower
The inner workings of the clock
The inner workings of the clock
The inner workings of the clock

Cefalù

On our way back to Palermo, we stopped through the small port city of Cefalù on the northern coast.  It was one of my favorites. It has a great 11th century cathedral, a castle on the hill and great views.

Cefalù
The Cathedral
Inside the cathedral
The castle wall on the hill
Sunset

After a night at the opera in Bari, the last view of our two travel buddies.

Italian Cities, Italy

Roma con Amici

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Visiting great cities is always fun.  Visiting great cities with great friends is even better.  Visiting Rome is one of my favorite adventures.  But visiting Rome with great Italian friends is a rare once-in-a-lifetime treat and that is what we did late last year.

Those of you that follow this blog, should be somewhat familiar with our friends Gianfranco and Paula.  In addition to being our friends, they have acted as our tutors, chauffeurs, translators, dinner guides and Sunday-night-movies-at-Dario’s companions.  Gianfranco was the first person we met in Lecce and we shall be forever grateful for that piece of luck.  When they suggested that we go to Rome together and visit several gracious people we had met a couple of times before at Porto Cesareo, we jumped at the chance.

The Major Cast

Gianfranco and Paula on the train to Roma
Paula
Gianfranco
Yours truly with the gfirls
Holly and I

Caravaggio

One of the major reason that Paula wanted to take this trip with us was to visit as many of the Caravaggio paintings housed in Rome as possible.  I sometimes felt like we were characters in a Dan Brown novel scurrying around town in search of the next hidden painting.  One of the works is featured in the Angels and Demons movie.  I know that his paintings will not be new to many of you, but seeing them in person is breathtaking.  His use of light is something every lighting designer should study.

Italian Dinners

I am always traveling around with a camera slung over my shoulder waiting for the next opportunity to find a scene I cannot resist.  We were invited to dinner on consecutive nights to two homes of the friends we had met at Porto Cesareo.  I took a camera the first night, but it felt a little awkward.  That is a long way around to the fact that I have pictures of the first dinner, but not the second.  In hindsight, I am not sure I made the right decision.  Just know that both dinners were spectacular meals and we ate way too much at each of them.  You just cannot say no to Italians set on feeding you, and the food just keeps coming.

The table
Gianni (our chauffeur) and Holly
Rosaura and Gianni
Dessert

Just a few of the regular sites

 

Ponte Sant’Angelo
Can’t go to Rome and not take a picture of the Coloseum
The Pantheon – one of my favorite buildings in the world

Just before we left to return to Lecce, we had a lunch buffet at the restaurant run by Gianni’s son, Alessandro.  By the time we rolled ourselves onto our train, I thought we would never be able to eat again.

Italy

Grandchildren and Pompeii

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Lecce is difficult enough to get to that even when they come to Italy, many friends and family cannot find the time to actually travel that far south to visit us there.  Zach, Shannon, Jamie and the Thanksgiving gang all made the effort and I hope they felt handsomely rewarded for their efforts.  The only other exception was my daughter Jessica, her husband Matt, and their three children, Ethan, Brooklyn and Benson.  They decided to make the trip last summer and we had a great time.

For those of you that still have some notion about southern Italy being somehow off limits, you are missing some incredible food, beautiful scenery, historic cities and friendly people.  Perhaps we all need to see the great cities of the north, Venice, Florence, Rome and Milan, but once you have had your fill of too many tourists, try the south.  You will find it fascinating.

We met Jessica and her family in the modern town of Pompeii and spent a day visiting the ancient ruins there and then returned to Lecce where all seven of us packed into our small apartment and spent a week exploring, eating, swimming and just relaxing.  Traveling can be very tiring for all of us and I think it can be especially hard on young people.  All I have to say is that this group never seemed to get bored or complain about the heat, the antiques or anything else.  I cannot think of any better way to spend our precious time than sharing the wonders of the world with loved ones.

The Group

From left to right at the table, Jessica, Benson, Matt, Brooklyn and Benson.

The gang of five

Pompeii

Since it is one of the most visited sites in the world, I know many of you have been to Pompeii and wandered through this ancient city, but for those of you who haven’t, here are a few pictures to give you a feel for the place.

One of the reasons this place is so special is that because it was completely buried for so many centuries, nothing was destroyed by the ongoing urban development like so many other places.  They are also doing some restoration (not sure how I feel about that) so that at times you can almost imagine yourself walking  through the town nearly 2,000 years ago.

We started our day early when there were few people there.  By the time we finished several hours later, the place was packed.  I did my best to keep most of those people out of the pictures.

In the modern city of Pompeii
One of the main streets of Pompeii
An atrium
An atrium
Frescos
Frescos
Frescos
Frescos
The Faun of the famous “House of the Faun”
Stepping stones in the middle of the street
The culprit looming in the background
Centaur
Bronze statue
Plaster cast of one of the victims
Inside the bathhouse
It was hot, but not a wimper

Lecce and points south

We not only spent time in Lecce, but also took trips to Gallipoli and Porto Cesareo on the Ionian side and Otranto on the Adriatic.

Under the castle walls
Got his phone thing going on
The joy of swimming in the Adriatic
The Adriatic
Hot day and cool water
Just about done for the day
Brooklyn and Ethan in Lecce
My buddy Benson

The farewell

It was rather sad to say goodbye at the train station, but it had been such an extraordinarily good time, who could complain?

Just about to hop on the train for the trip home

Italy

Thanksgiving in Italy – Take 2

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This is a long past due post that Holly has told me I must write before I am allowed to write anything more on this blog.

Most of you who know me understand that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year.  There are several reasons for this and I could probably write a long treatise on the subject, but to spare you from my ramblings I will make it short.

It is a holiday that we seem to all be able to relate to.  Without being blind to the imperfections in our lives and the troubles around the world, most of us can look around us and  see the good we do have; family, friends and those good things that we see happening.  You don’t need to be an adherent to a specific religion, political party or be a super patriot. You just need to be able to take time once a year to recognize the good you do have and not dwell on the negative for at least one day.

For around 30 years, Holly and I hosted a Thanksgiving Day dinner at our house on 34th and Denny in Seattle.  (As a matter of fact, since I left to go to graduate school in Detroit in 1972, with only a few exceptions, I have hosted a Thanksgiving dinner at my house.) Those dinners have included children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, parents, grandparents, friends and anyone else that needed a place at a table on this holiday.   During those last 30 years we had anywhere between 23-32 people to celebrate with us and always had a wonderful time of feasting and sharing with everyone involved.  To be quite honest, losing this tradition was one of my personal reservations about our move to Italy.  But life moves on and new traditions always evolve.

Both years we have been here in Italy, our daughter, Jamie, our son, Zach, and his partner, Shannon, have traveled all of the way to Lecce, Italy to share this special holiday with us.  This year Jamie brought three of her friends, Lizzie, Molly and Kim, and Zach brought his friend Ipo along for the occasion.  Adding our Italian friends, we had a total of 23 people sharing our dinner and listening to my ever-present Thanksgiving toast (this year in both English and broken Italian).

The Cast from the U.S.

The group on our rooftop terrace (without Shannon, not sure where she was)
Jamie
Zach
Shannon
Lizzie
Molly
Ipo
Kim
The girls: Kim, Lizzie, Molly and Jamie

In the United States, it was always hard for me to find a 30 pound turkey for our dinner.  In Italy the smallest I could find was around 33 pounds.  Our local butcher, Ermano, always likes to clown around and picking up the whole turkey (they sell the pieces, but rarely a whole bird) was no exception.  The turkeys here are very juicy and if you are not careful at the end of the roasting your pan can be very full of that juice.  Imagine (or look at the photo below) my surprise when all of that hot juice came spilling out of the pan as I took the bird out of the oven.  Thankfully there were no injuries, just a mess to be cleaned up as I was trying carve a turkey for 23 guests.

The Turkey

The bird and the butcher, Ermano
Takes two to carry that big bird home
Stuffed and ready to go
Into the oven
Perfect fit
Oops
The mess
The finished product

We had a great dinner and our Italian  friends always seen to enjoy the traditions as much as we do.  They all bring food and so the dinner is a delightful blend of traditional American and Italian food.  It was an absolute joyous evening of eating, drinking and conversing.

The Dinner

The dinner
The dinner
Our wonderful friend Dario
The dinner
The women
The aftermath
The aftermath

Since our American guests were only going to be in Italy for a few short days, it was decided that we needed to take a trip the day after our celebration and Matera was chosen as the place to go.  Since we held our dinner on Friday evening to accommodate our Italian guests (dinner starting around 8:30) we didn’t finish the cleanup until around 3 am.  At 9 am the next morning, we got everyone out of bed to trek off to Matera in a rented van.  Along with our American guests, Gianfranco and Paula also joined the excursion.  Although I had originally disagreed with the prudence of trying for an outing the day after our dinner (there was some sleeping on the 2 hour drive back) Matera worked its magic, and everyone was totally enchanted.

The Day After Trip to Matera

The whole gang in Matera
Holly and Paola
Magical Matera
Magical Matera

Before we leave Portugal next week, I will be posting several long overdue stories and hopefully will have time to write-up our time in Lisbon and Porto.