Road Trip Archives - Dave and Sara’s Excellent 2018 Adventure

The Final Frontier

By Dave and Sara on Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Today we left Verona and headed for Venice. Along the way we stopped in Padova for a quick stop over. It was a beautiful day in Padova with everybody out and about. We tried to go to the Scrovegni Chapel, but they were booked for the day. Instead we headed over to the Church of Saint Anthony. After walking around a bit we walked over to the Duomo before stopping at a cafe for a quick bite to eat.

Back on the road, the drive from Padova to Venice was very short. Once we returned the car at the airport we took a water taxi to our hotel. Sara worked really hard to get us into our hotel here, the Hotel Gritti. After all of her travel we were able to use points to book a hotel that is a bit nicer than we deserve. We walked around a bit but did some chores mostly once we got here.

Italy Road Trip

Fair Verona

By David on Monday, March 26, 2018

Yesterday and today we’ve been in Verona. Yesterday was fun because it was Palm Sunday and the city was full of people. We walked around quite a bit and saw the Arena from the outside and also Piazza delle Erbe where the city was hosting a kind of science/environmental fair for kids. The weather is nice and all the cafes and restaurants are full. We had a very light lunch at a cute tavern called Osteria Al La. We spent the early evening relaxing in the hotel, when we checked in we got upgraded to a suite that’s pretty spacious. It also is very heavy on the gold accents.

We had a seafood dinner at Osteria Bertoldo in the historic city center, we got a little turned around on the way there so we ended up seeing quite a bit of the center on the way. After dinner we finished with a nightcap at our hotel in front of the fireplace.

Today we went to Juliet’s balcony with all the school children in all of Italy who are apparently here today for a field trip. It was a brief visit. This isn’t a photo of the balcony but all of the walls near the balcony are covered in hearts.

This is the Castle.

We also went to the Arena which is still used a concert and opera venue. Unfortunately we are missing the upcoming production by a few days. Interestingly, the Arena has perfect acoustics so they don’t mike the productions. In fact, today we were way up at the top of the amphitheater and could hear one of the workmen sawing through a 2×4 down in the center.

Tomorrow we leave for Venice, our last stop (sad face).

Italy Road Trip

A Day in Modena

By Dave and Sara on Saturday, March 24, 2018

This morning we woke up to make the short drive from Bologna to Modena. It is only about 45 minutes away.

Upon getting here we initially thought it was a ghost town but once we got in to the historic center, it was quite crowded.

in the center of town there is a large flea market with lots of good stuff. Unfortunately we didn’t bring a shipping container with us. There also appeared to be a book fair in the adjacent piazza.

The food market here is quite large as well. It reminded us of the food market on Barcelona but likely a bit smaller. After walking around for a bit we grabbed a quick lunch. We stopped at Sosta Emiliana for a nice salad, eating light today.

This afternoon we ran a couple errands and did some window shopping during the passegiata. Now we are enjoying a Spritz surrounded by all the very chic Modenese. Also, Easter season is in full swing so lots of church bells ringing all over the city.

Sadly, this our last full Saturday in Italy so we plan to make the most of it.

Italy Road Trip

A Run, A Pizza, and Shopping

By Dave and Sara on Friday, March 23, 2018

This morning we started our morning with a four mile run. Our plan was to run around the entire city but on the run we realized it would be closer to a half marathon so we ran half way around then cut through the middle. It was a bit brisk but was still fun to get some fresh air.

After our run, we showered up and headed out to get some lunch. We walked around town for about an hour and a half before we stoped at Ristorante Nino for some Pizza.

After lunch, we headed over to the market to get our fixings for dinner. After shopping around we decided on getting clams for tageltelli with clam sauce. We also got some cheese, artichokes and capers for our home aperitivo.

When we finished our shopping, we had some laundry to get finished before we leave our last place with a washing machine. Turns out we may have to do some shopping to end up with enough clean clothes to end the trip.

Tomorrow we leave for Modena.

Italy Road Trip

A long drive

By David on Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Today we had our longest drive back to the north, destinstion Bologna. We took out one short stay in the countryside and added a few days here because they weather turned cold again. Glad we did as this morning it snowed in Abruzzo but here in the city there is plenty to do even if the weather isn’t so nice. For most of the trip we followed the A14 right along the east coast of Italy. The beaches in this area don’t look so nice, or at least they didn’t today and the ocean was also quite agitated.

Bologna is a pretty cool town so we are off to explore before dinner. Tomorrow morning we booked a pasta cooking class so that should be fun.

We had a little bit of a crazy experience at Mailboxes etc trying to ship the wine back from Chieti. Hopefully we see it again!

Italy Road Trip

Puglia Catchup and Abruzzo

By Dave and Sara on Monday, March 19, 2018

On the road again today headed for Abruzzo, a mountainous area on the eastern side of Italy. We may even see snow again.

We spent the weekend in Locorotondo at a country B&B surrounded by Olive trees and wineries. This is in Puglia.

Our room was in a Trullo which is an adorable little hobbit house that are native to Puglia, especially in the area around Bari.

The resort makes everything themselves and take a lot of pride in it including olive oil, wine, grain and all of the food served in the restaurant. When we arrived they gave us a welcome drink of their propriety white wine and checked us into the room. After that we drove the short drive into the historic center of Locorotondo for lunch at a place called Bina. The B&B arranged a wine tasting for us in the late afternoon about an hour away at a family run winery called Polveranera. Right before leaving for the winery is when we realized the Internet (and also the Sky TV) was out for the weekend. The owner of the B&B, Rosabla was very sweet and lent us her iPad for the weekend even though that didn’t really work either since the Trulli are made of 1 ft thick stone walls.

The wine tasting was interesting. At first the daughter called and tried to canceled because someone hadn’t shown up for work and she was all by herself manning the store and was worried she wouldn’t be able to show us around. Since we were already on the way and it was kind of a ways she agreed to just give us a tasting in the shop which was fine by us. We noticed this in Spain as well that the wineries prefer to show you around, tell the history of the winery and the how the process works and then do a formal sit down tasting at the end. The idea of just coming in to taste at the counter doesn’t seem to be as common here as in Napa. They had a really nice wine tasting dog.

When we got to the winery there was another couple there with their young children. The wife was pretty knowledgeable about wine and since the winery was pretty quiet we ended up getting the whole tour and story and trying a bunch of their wines. We were there for almost 3 hours but at the end didn’t really buy much because we didn’t love the wine that much. Still, it was nice to visit a family run spot that clearly gets a lot of love and support from the locals.

We showed up for dinner back in Locorotondo around 8:45 to a place again recommended by the hotel. This place was a little bit out in the country and when we got to the front door we had to be buzzed in. A first for both of us. The restaurant was dead empty when we got there but by the time we left at 10:45 it was in full swing with every table full and kids running around between the tables. They eat a lot of seafood in Puglia and when you order fish at a restaurant they let you go up to the display case and pick the one you want. Everything is super fresh like it just came out of the water. Dave chose the fish named Eric.

On Sunday morning we drove out to the ocean and a town called Polignano a Mare.

The weather was nice and the town was really lively with families out walking around and having drinks at the outdoor cafes. We grabbed a Spritz where we could enjoy the people watching. For lunch the first place we checked was completely booked so we decided to try the fancy looking seafood restaurant built into a hotel hanging over the water. The place was full of very well off Italian extended families (each table was set for at least 10 people.) Dave again was able to pick his seafood.

After spending the day in the sun, Dinner was somewhat quiet.

Today we we drove to Semivicoli. It was a long drive. The drive was through some rolling hills and ended in the foothills beneath a snow covered mountain. We had a wine tasting at the hotel. Tomorrow we hope to get out and about to try the local wines.

Italy Road Trip

Back to the Mountains

By Dave and Sara on Friday, March 16, 2018

We left the coast and Camapania this morning headed east for Matera. The drive took us almost immediately into the rugged Appennini mountains of Basilicata. Basilicata was well known for a long time for being really poor. (Carlo Levi’s book Christ Stopped at Eboli takes place here) We actually drove through Eboli on our way here however we did not stop.

By far this has been one of the most dramatic and stunning drives of the trip. There is little industry and it kind of looks like how the Alps must look in the Summer, very green and tons of flowers and steep rock outcroppings . There is still a little snow on the highest peaks.

We broke up the trip with a stop at Castelemezzano, a small town about 20 minutes off the main road up a ton of switchbacks and a few log tunnels. The town is stuck to the side of the mountain just below a couple of large outcroppings. We walked around a bit, it seemed much more lively than some of the other small hill towns we’ve stopped in.

The second half of the drive reminded us of Colarado with gentle, scrubby hills. It’s all very green right now but in the Summer it must look like scorched earth, no trees anywhere.

You can see Matera from a long way away, it’s good size and sits on top of a hill above a steep ravine. Matera is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back to the prehistoric times. The old part of the city called the Sassi where we are staying were once the embarrassment of Italy (even as late as the 50s people lived in the ancient caves with their animals and rampant malaria). Now it’s a UNESCO world heritage site and the 2019 European of culture. It is also breathtaking in a beautiful but sort of melancholy way, like a place that suffered a lot.

We got into town around 2 and had a late lunch of orecchiette which were delicious. We’ll be touring around tomorrow, exploring the labyrinth of streets in the Sassi area and also hopefully the Neolithic caves remains outside of town. Sara is very excited that there are Byzantine art examples in some of the churches here as that is one of her favorite periods of art.

Italy Road Trip

Cow a Bunga

By Dave and Sara on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

This morning was bittersweet. We were very sad to say goodbye to Matt and Anna. We had such a great time with them exploring Rome. Maybe even too good of a time at points. That being said, Italy isn’t going to see itself, so we must move on. We left the apartment and headed to the train station to pick up our next rental car, the Alfa Romeo.

Southward bound! We got on the autostrada towards Naples and even though the weather was a little unsettled the scenery got more and more Spring like with green hills and flowering fruit trees everywhere. For quite a bit of the drive we had Vesuvius directly in front of us and eventually the ocean. Towards the end of drive we took a detour looking for food then Waze went on the fritz so we got a little lost around Salerno. Instead of driving the highway for the last 20 minutes we took the coastal route through fields and a ton of greenhouses with the ocean peaking out between the Cyprus groves that separated us from the beach.

When we got into Paestum, our destination for the day we were ready for lunch so we went directly to the buffalo farm called Caseficio Berlotti. We thought they’d just have a little store where we could buy some cheese or a snack but they actually had a really nice restaurant serving dishes based around meat and cheese from their herd, which were also hanging out in the paddock right by the window. After lunch we got to meet the buffalo, including the little babies, some of whom were born last week and were really, really cute.

Paestum is an archeological site like Pompeii except it never got buried in ash and also it’s not as crowded. (And there are the buffalos across the street). Now we’re in the hotel hanging out and the plan is tomorrow to check it out and also maybe see the beach if it’s warm enough.

Italy Road Trip

We Came, We Saw…

By Dave and Sara on Monday, March 12, 2018

Last night we went to a great fish restaurant called La Gensola. We had many different creatures of the sea over pasta. Also apparently judging from this photo we had some wine. Sara asked for a band photo and this is what she got.

After dinner we had a night cap at a wine store that had a few tables out front directly next to our apartment. The elderly owner was out going and spent the time cracking himself up teaching everyone Italian phrases.

This morning started slowly as we watched a thunder storm roll through and hung out at the apartment. We left for lunch and with a little pizza and white wine everyone was feeling much more equipped to tackle the Vatican.The line for the basilica was kind of long but it’s so impressive inside it was worth it. We also jumped the line accidentally at the Vatican Museum and got to see the Sistine Chapel before closing, along with a few other cool rooms. The map room was a favorite.

After all that churching and arting, we headed back to our neighborhood to have an Aperitivo at Freni e Frazione. They had quite the spread of food. Upon completion of our first drink, we headed to our next Aperitivo at caffe del Moro. Dinner tonight is at Taverna Trilussa Trastevere.

We’ve had so much fun here in Rome with Matt and Anna we are sad to say goodbye so we’ll just say “Roma, alla prossima” instead.

Italy Road Trip

All Roads Lead To…

By Dave and Sara on Saturday, March 10, 2018

This morning we woke up early and said goodbye to Assisi which really is a magical place. Also last night we had a great dinner at a place called Osteria la Piazzetta delle Erba, the food was a little more progressive than most places we’ve seen so far and almost all organic.

On our way out we stopped at Santa Maria degli Angeli which is a giant cathedral down in the valley below the main town and the Basilica. This cathedral is very important to Franciscans because the cathedral houses the church of San Damiano which is the broken down church St Francis rebuilt with his own hands (symobolic of his role in repairing the corruption of the church at that time based in Rome.) You walk into this huge cathedral and right in the middle of it under the dome is this tiny little medieval church. It was, in Dave’s words, quite incredible to see how moved the pilgrims who come from all over the world are when they see and touch the little church. He also called it the inception church. Also inside the cathedral is the stall where St Francis died, originally it was next to his church but now they are all under the same roof. There is also a rose garden which grows thornless roses and doves.

We got on the highway and were making really good time to Rome so we decided to stop in one of the Umbrian hill towns to kill some time before we could check in to our Airbnb. We picked Narni because it’s the namesake of the books but there wasn’t really anything that special about it. We walked around and the photos turned out ok, then we left. The drive took us through some really beautiful country between Umbria and Lazio. It’s starting to look like Spring the farther south we go, the fields are so green they look neon and some of the flowering trees are starting to blossom.

Getting into Rome by car is HECTIC. You get off the main autostrada and follow a bunch of roads that go in concentric circles around the city through the grimy periphery until eventually you get into the historical center. The strangest part is that once you do get to central Rome it hits you with all the highlights (Foro Romano, Circo Masssimo, random lesser ruins) immediately. We had to go around around Roman ruins to get into the parking lot of the Radison next to the train station where we were dropping the car. Dave does an excellent job driving in Europe and today was no exception, he kept his cool even in the crazy streets of Rome when our car sat nav gave us wrong directions and we had to navigate a little bit more old school.

After dropping the car we hopped in a taxi that took us to our Airbnb in the Trastevere. It’s a walk up but so worth it- there is a rooftop terrace with views all over the city (amazing sunset too!) It’s a good size place which is great because Matt and Anna are arriving in a few hours, yay! The location is really central to everything and we are looking forward to a fun few days here with them. We spent the afternoon walking around and had a late lunch of salads and artichoke (finally!) The city is full of people out and about enjoying the beautiful weather so there is great energy.

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