Circling the Boot - Part 2 (Oct-Nov 2015)

Portofino:

Another morn and a fresh new port - this is the feature of the Oceania that is so interesting. No time to get bored on the ship since other than the fine dining choices and comfy cabins, there's relatively less exciting entertainment or dancing venues. It's a nice trade-off : port intensity versus distractions on board.

At the Portofino marina piazzetta - one can imagine this place during the hustle & bustle of the summer tourist season because even now numerous fishing boats and yachts trail out to sea and back;  not to mention the large ferries that shuttle tourists like us here to enjoy a day amidst the cafes serving up creamy cappuccinos, seafoods & buttery desserts whose colors mimick the pretty lineup of homes & shops

                                                        - #*@$!F#! ooh!..gawd..you'd be having one hell of a leg spasm too if you'd had to sit astride this stone slab for all eternity !!

Ok, I forewarn ahead of time but you may have already guessed; get prepared for a deluge of photos; esp. in this port. Even on a cloudy day and peering over our outdated camera with amaturish skills, I still marvel over the scenic snaps we were able to muster - this is one picturesque village!!

So.. here we are treking uphill for our hilltop destination - Castello Brown. A very enjoyable stroll upwards stopping at each ahha angle to take in the wonderful sights.

Castello Brown is a fortress originally built in the 16th century to ward off the persistent onslaught of Turkish invaders on the northwestern Italian coast.
The military engineer Gian Maria Olgiato designed fortress in 1554 and took a mere 3 yrs to construct. The structured was later enlarged and in 1867 was purchased for 7,000 lire by Mr.Yeats-Brown then English consul in Genoa

The castle is not only a museum now but also has been a popular place for banquets & wedding venues

One of the many gorgeous views out the bedroom windows of Castello Brown

Stepping to the terrace garden of Castello Brown - exceptional vantage points from which to capture compelling views of the Ligurian Sea..no wonder this fishing village has been frequented by strings of wealthy celebrities since the early 1950's

Famous homes perch on top of the jagged coastline - the pic on right is said to be Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana's private Villa Olivetta - in fact just this past July an extravaganza "Alta Moda" took place on the estate dubbed " Villa San Giovanni"

Aahhh... to sit here & sip tea, inhaling the italian terraced gardens would make for an idyllic day...la dolce vita :)

But no, onwards and upwards for more to see - joined up a couple fellow shipmates and walked up the little coffee Piazza Don Luigi Giussani (see relief below) before heading past the lighthouse to the yellow Church of San Giogio

This site is built on top of a Roman temple honoring the Persian god Mithras (light or sun god) nice views off the promontory

 By now heading down to the hub of the Piazza Martiri dell'Olivetta, our stomachs were beckoning .. its been a whole 7 hours now without food...cruise people!! OK, time to slide up to the tables by the pastel colored trattoria for some exquisite local seafood and vino!

After late lunch at Ristorante Delfino, we sauntered along the piazza before called upon by the foursome South Carolinians for a spot of macchiato under the umbrellas next to Bar Mariuccia - infused with more caffine and amusing anecdotal stories from the Chief Magistrate Judge,  we reluctantly left our companions ( photo compliments of shipmates)  to trek upwards again the town's medieval church San Martino - no idling for long .. we're making the daylight count.

 

 

Lingering on by the piazza and darting in and out of the shops to await the last of our shuttle back to ship - romantic views at dusk of the marina.

La Spezia & Cinque Terra:

Docking in the port of La Spezia - formerly Italy's main naval base

Due to the overcast day, we decided to do Cinque Terra via train to try and see as much of the five villages as weather may permit. Known for its hilly seascape, runners were called for - it's bound to be a gazillon-steps type of day!

Our first seaside village - Monterosso al Mare 

The only village of the five with its own large beach and seafront promenade. We meandering the traditional houses and alleyways ("carruggi") before continuing to the train station for the second stop - Vernazza

 At Vernazza's natural harbor - charming mouth of a stone strewn creek. It's fitting the latin 'verna" meaning native and indigenous wine, vernaccia - thus 'local' or 'ours'. Vernazza has a long history dating back to 1080.  Vital to Genoa due to its location and natural port. In the 15th C due to dreadful and regular occurring pirate raids, they erected a fortifying wall. The Church of Santa Margherita d'Antichia was created sometime in the 12th C - later expanded upon and renovated - there is an octagonal bell tower that rises from the vaulted ceiling

 Dubbed the most picturesque of the five villages - we would concur. Of course each village has its own unique attributes and landscape. But Vernazza was a convenient stop for us to grab lunch at the seaside Gambero Rosso. We were quite lucky to have a dry table as the rains did come. In fact soon after we ordered, the waiter closed all the other patio tables. To have shelter sipping on Limoncello awaiting the clouds to lift a bit was as good as it can get on an autumn day in Cinque Terra

 On October 25, 2011, Vernazza suffered torrential rains, massive flooding and mudslides that left the town buried in over 4 meters of mud and debris, causing over 100 million euro worth of damage. At that time the entire town was evacuated and even to this day remain in some state of emergency

After lunch and the rains temporarily subsided - we climbed up to Belforte - the middle-age watching tower terrace ristorante on the edge of the sea

Looking down from Belfort ..yikes!
Shops and galleries to explore along alleyways...

 Manarola  - still picturesque with Ligurian pastel houses despite the dampened walkways

 

 Glad to catch the close of day by the harbor of Manarolo. The Via dell'Amore (Freeway of Love) on the blue trail had not opened all year- in fact the 'sentiero azzurro', the number 2 blue coastal path starting from Vernazza to Riomaggiore have not reopened since the flood. We knew this ahead of visiting this region, hence, one of the reasons we decided to see the villages by train ...one day, when the whole of sentiero azzurro is reopened on a sunnier spring day, two or three day stay in one of the villages could make for a fabulous hiking trip.  

By the time our last train stop reached Riomaggiore, it was nightfall daylight typically ends @5:30 this time of year. All the ristorante were buzzing with diners...it's time to head back to the ship arrivederci! or "alla prossima" cinque terra !

Pisa & Tuscany:

 The view that took our breath away! It occurred particularly thus as the morning unfolded in a very mundane way .. full of the usual mundane modern logistics ...disembark the ship, haggle and obtain a rental car for the day altogether with necessary GPS, payments, etc.. find route to Pisa from port, navigate the roads, find parking, walking the blocks of streets lined with everyday apartments and small stores..turn the corner pass through a somewhat old stone gate wall... and BAM!...this vision from another Century, a vision of massive yet intricately artful & elaborately conceived architecture, juxtaposed in the middle of a modern city. 

 One gentleman (from S. Carolina) of our ship claimed he hit upon an epiphany as he encountered the Baptistry - so moved was he by its beauty inside and out. The Baptistry in Pisa was devoted to St. John the Baptist. Begun in 1152 and was not completed until 1363. Possessing outstanding acoustics, originally built in Romanic style but is said to be a mix between the Anastasis of the Holy Sepulchre and the Mosque of Omar (considered at the time to be Temple of Solomon), both located in Jerusalem.
Piazza dei Miracoli, or Piazza del Duomo resides in a wide walled area recognized in medieval time as an important centre of European art and finest architectural complex in the world. The Cathedral was begun in 1093 - a masterpiece of Romanesque style. Main architect was Buscheto who is buried in the last blind arch on the left side of the facade. The facade was built by Buscheto's successor, Rainaldo. A disastrous file in 1595 destroyed most of the cathedral's medieval art.

Looking closely at the fine marble facade, you can sense from the rows of open arcades with delicate columns, a Moorish flavor infused with Romanesqueness

 We had purchased tickets online and thus was able expedite our tour slightly as we found the area (orange row of building to the back) to store our belongings before we are permitted to climb up the well-worn steps of the Torre Pendente di Pisa. This leaning tower is actually the third oldest building in the square, the Cathedral and Baptistry were first. Utilizing many columns and arches, the guide informed us that the tower actually represents an advanced understanding of weight and load characteristics. What the architect didn't account for however was the base of the tower being build on a dense section of clay. The leaning of the tower began just after the completion of the third floor (1178). The construction was thus halted for 100 years as the Italians hoped the soil would settle, as well, the country was focused on its war then with Genoa. The tower was not finished til 1319 after the 7th floor was laid and bell chamber added in 1372.

 We were excited to climb the polished marble steps to the very top. It was only recent years (2001) that the tower was reopened for tourists. After its closure in the 1990s the tower was anchored and made sturdy and safe by the engineers from the Azores - as you enter the wooden doors, there are 296 spiral steps leading to the top and it seven hug copper bells - one for each note of the musical major scale.

 Tom quipped he's tempted to drop a couple of balls here..to imitate Galileo Galilei  (who was said to have dropped two cannonballs of different masses from the tower to demonstrate that their speed of descent was independent of their mass). Haaahaa - no dice, the whole balcony was fenced off tightly to ward off such mischief no doubt.

magnificent bronze doors with impressive interior coffer ceiling (replaced after file of 1595) with Medici coat of arms, place of gilded wood and innumerable painstaking art works..not the least of which the masterpiece carved pulpit sculpted by Nicola Pisano and assisted by his even more skillful son, Giovanni Pisano

After all the climbing up and down and tours were done, time for some fun photos! 

San Gimignano in Tuscany:

Leaving Pisa, we took to the scenic hilly roads of Tuscany region for our next choice of exploration - the medieval 'Town of Fine Towers', San Gimignano - named either after a  poet Folgore da San Gimignano (1270-1332) or the Bishop of Modera, San Gimignano, who is said to have saved the city from Attila the Hun.

San Gimignano is famous for its white wine - no surprise we are driving through a succession of hills covered with vineyards which produce the delicate, fruity wine.

Much of Tuscany is known for its red chianti.... we didn't have much time to stop and partake in any this afternoon... just made do with taking in wonderful hilltop sights on a sunny day en route to our medieval destination.   In fact, there is a scenic Wine Route Chiantigiana from Florence to Siena (have to save that trip for another occasion)

There in the distance are the towers of San Gimignano rising above the ridge of a hill. It's quite remarkable that even to this day, the city has managed to conserve fourteen towers of varying heights while other cities (such as Florence) in the region have seen most or all of their towers brought down due to wars, catastrophes or just urban renewal.

There are eight entrances into the city, set into the ancient double walls that date from the 12th and 13th centuries. This very large enclave have retained its feudal atmosphere and appearance. In 1348, the black plague wiped out much of its population leading to its submission to Florence

Piazza della Cisterna (above to right) & Palazzo Comunale or Palazzo del Popolo - the seat of the civic authority since 13th C

Beside the Collegiate Church of San Gimignano - most well known for its largely intact fresco decorations from 14th C

Climbed up the Torre Grossa, tallest tower at 177 ft high dating from 1298 & only one open to the public. Imagine there once were 72 towers each built by San Gimignano's patriarch families in competition and display of their wealth

Roma :

It was as sunny and beautiful as the last time. The Eternal city is unchanging, certainly not since the last decade. I recall the massive metropolis and endless walking due to the generously wide boulevards spanning in all directions. Thus, strapping on my utmost comfy walking sandals, we headed off taking the express train from Civitavecchia straight towards the S. Pietro stop. This certainly was an improvement from our last trip aboard a tour bus for over 90 min. 

We chose to continue where we last left off (in 2004) - the Sistine Chapel. Tickets were bought online but we ended up using it to swap for a tour that purported faster entry and an italian/american guide that talked his way into our pocket books. Oh well, amid the numerous lines in St. Peter's Square, it was difficult to ascertain which one led to the Sistine Chapel, not wanting to waste time, he won out. At the very start of the tour, we were entertained by his recounting of  

the history of the huge Egyptian obelisk in the center of Vatican city. This gigantic symbol had actually been moved several times starting from 37 bc when Roman Emperor Caligula brought it to Rome and put it in the middle of a circus he built in the Vatican meadows. The circus later became Nero's circus, the place where St. Peter was crucified upside down. The Roman Catholic Church considers him to be the first Pope ordained by Jesus. Originally a fisherman, he was one of the 12 apostle, preacher & martyr.

 We worked slowly our way in to the Vatican museums...of course for those of us not versed in Catholicism, our reaction was akin to the first time entering St. Peter's Basilica,  whaaat astounding immense collection of treasures : classical masterpieces of art and renowned sculptures - irony of all ironies - all for the namesake of a noble carpenter who shunned ostentatious riches to commune with the poor : "God ...dwelleth not in temples made with hands;" 

For us, the visit is a celebration of the exalted level humanity's art form can attain from divine inspiration (whatever its source).

 The now rare Porphyry Roman Stone. Other than the gigantic stone basin in the middle of the round sculpture hall of the Vatican palace referred to as 'Nero's bathtub'. ..see the right ornately carved sarcophagus. Amazing as this stone is extremely hard, dense and heavy.
Porphyry is a dark, reddish-purple speckly stone and that implies wealth, technology, empire, Rome. The Imperial collection of porphyry was transported from one Egyptian mine, the word originates from Greek meaning purple.

 An incredible case of optical illusion ..huge tapestry has Jesus and the stone blocking his tomb seeming to follow you as you move from left to right. An example of the 'Changing Perspective ' artwork..fascinating!

Well then, onwards to the most sacrosanct 'Sistine Chapel' ..ooops why did the iphone so misoperate for so many ppl....we must get that checked out ;)

Total sensory overload .. vatican museum, SC and now revisiting the grandiose St. Peter's Basilica

Ornate & opulent to the max. Astonished always to look up at the detail and height of these arched and coffered barrel ceilings giving onlookers the feeling of soaring to the heavens...

One of the seven hills of Rome - at the Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio). In ancient time this site was considered the nerve center of the Roman Empire. Echoes of past history reside in the steep cliffs rising above the Tarpeian rocks. Here was where Brutus and the assassins locked themselves inside the Temple of Jupiter after murdering Caesar. Only traces of the ancient temples are visible today ..walking from the Piazza del Campidoglio is the Victor Emmanuel II Monument, built in the early 20th century to honor Italy's first King.

Roman Forum 

No time to tour the Colosseum - we will have to save this one for a next visit.

Pompeii:

This ancient city of Pompeii was not discovered until workers stumbled upon it while building King Charles III Palace in 1748. The eruption  took place in 79 AD before which there was not even a word for volcano, which was created afterwards. Volcano is derived from 'Vulcan' - Roman God of the flame and forged metal

Exhibit of the Casts of Victims - it was a result of technique devised by Giuseppe Fiorelli in 1863. Using the impression left from shapes perserved in the Vesuvius ashes, plaster casts were made and reconstituted the moment of  fatal catastrophe...its like monuments of the ancients: "...stolen from death, after 18 centuries of oblivion".

Wonderful Limoncello - must steep for 80 days !
This store had sampling and tour of their backroom facility offering several variants : meloncello ( flavored w cantaloupe) and fragoncello (strawberry) plus one with chocolate cream

Mount Vesuvius in the clouds. It had erupted six times in the 18th C, eight times in the 19th C and in 1906, 1929 & the last one in 1944....we're due!