Italy: Part 4

[Get caught up: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3]

We made our way to Montepulciano in the morning. It’s another awesome walled city like the others we had seen. We were there early, with only 45 minutes or so to check things out. The views were stellar as we looked out over southern Tuscany, but there just wasn’t much to check out since the sleepy little town was…sleeping. Ultimately, our group of 40 overwhelmed a small coffee shop in the main square. Cheese puffs and beer make one hell of a breakfast, let me tell you. The real reason we went to Montepulciano was to visit Corte alia Flora in Acquaviva di Montepulciano. The winery and estate are nestled in the Tuscan hills surrounded by acres of vineyards. There aren’t neighbors, at least not close, so you’re in the middle of nowhere. The owners of this winery had money, lots of it, and it was obvious as we made our way through the more modernized facilities. This family hadn’t been at the wine making long, but took on the venture a few years prior. The father of the whole thing was a former Serie A president. He and his family spent the afternoon wining and dining us on this incredibly manicured back lawn. It was so expertly decorated and catered that it felt like we were at a wedding reception. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect save for the occasional gust of wind that threatened to topple a few of the umbrellas. This was a unique experience compared to our other tasting lunches. They had set up a tasting table, and we could go as we pleased for tastes and refills. The surrounding tables were filled with incredible platters of hors d’oeuvres. There were tons of cheeses, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, salads, olives, and sandwiches. The father spent time serving some of the best lasagna I’d ever had. Simple. Lightly sauced. So much meat and flavor. They capped it off with trays of beautiful pastries and cookies and a round of espresso. We were responsible for filling ourselves, and it’s like we hardly put a dent in the quantity of food that was prepared for us. While the food/wine was incredible, I really think the setting really made the whole thing. At any given moment you could see someone staring off into the distance, silent, a smile on their face. It was probably as close to paradise as we got on the trip.

Fat and happy, we had to get back on the bus and head to Montalcino, a town dating back to the 9th century. We were set to have a guided tour of the historical center, but everyone had caught a case of extreme ADD. Everyone [myself included] was full of food, wine, and sunshine and really had no desire to spend the next hour or so listening to a tour. It was unfortunate. After walking through the square to the remains of the old castle, they gave us the rest of the time free to do what we wanted. I think it was painfully obvious no one was listening. Andrew and I headed for the walls of the town, taking in the sights that could be seen from there, trying not to get lost among the winding cobblestone paths that really looked the same after awhile. Nearby was the Sant’ Antimo Abbey, and that’s where we picked up the rest of the tour. The origins date back to the 300s, which make it some of the oldest stuff we saw on the trip. It’s currently occupied by Canons Regular, a set of priests. It was pretty neat. Since the area was known for its Brunello wine, we visited Cantina Fanti to taste what they had to offer. It’s another family owned winery of the more modern variety. The led us through their facilities, passionately telling us the procedures for their wines, and just how many acres they had. They also produce their own olive oil. We gathered in a dining area where we ate dinner and tasted a lot of their wines–bread, prosciutto, cheese, a lot of pasta, chicken, fava beans, and salad, and little cakes. The Brunello was incredible, as expected. It fetches at least $100 a bottle most often, and we drank a lot of it. Told you these people were generous. Many on the tour were so enamored that they even purchased t-shirts to take home—Andrew included. It was a fun time, and our final winery dinner. It was definitely bittersweet.

The following morning we stopped in Siena on our way to Rome. Three hours was not nearly enough time to explore. I’m glad it wasn’t structured, and we could do as we pleased. There is another horse race in one of the squares, like Asti, only on a much bigger scale. The walled town spirals out from the square, featuring obscenely small cobblestone streets and a lot of foot and car traffic. Your situational awareness is super important. Siena had so much to see in terms of shops and historical sites. Their duomo was gorgeous, but we opted to not go in in favor of wandering around some of the less touristy areas of town. We contemplated finding their soccer field, but it was just too far of a walk in the amount of time we had. It ended up being cut short in the name of traffic since the schools get out and clog the streets. It was unfortunate. I was having a really great time walking around that city. I wouldn’t be bummed to go back. The rest of the afternoon was spent on the bus driving to Rome. Well, it wasn’t really Rome. It was Fiumicino, a suburb of Rome. Our hotel, The Golden Tulip, was…sterile. It served its purpose as purely a springboard into getting us into town. No one actually looks forward to staying at a hotel near the airport, do they? We had a cocktail hour and farewell dinner to look forward to that night, but the food and wine were less than stellar. Again, typical of a hotel like that. It was more about saying goodbye to the people we’d spent an obscene amount of time with in the last 10-days. We headed out early the next morning for the airport to take the train into Rome. It was a simple 30-40 minute ride, nothing crazy.

Our apartment was right in the heart of the touristy area, which was a curse and a blessing. The Coliseum was only a few short blocks away, the same with the Roman Forum. It was surreal to be in the middle of a huge city only to turn the corner and be in the middle of some really old ruins. It was an incredible juxtaposition. The apartment was also simultaneously in a working district. The cafe across the street became our go-to spot for breakfast. There were really friendly Italians on both sides of the bar. You’d hear “Ciao” at least 10-15 times on any trip in. The best part? Espresso for one Euro. The way it should be. I became spoiled really, really quick. We spent most of our day getting accustomed to the neighborhood. We dropped off our laundry at a nearby shop, before heading off to lunch [hello best gnocchi I’d had in awhile!] at place that translated into Thank God It’s Friday. Hilarious. Their pizza oven wasn’t warmed up yet, but we made a promise to come back that evening for dinner to try it out. We made a loop around the Coliseum and Forum, seeing what we could from afar. The nice thing about being so close to the area was knowing we could come back later without too much of a hassle. People watching had never been so fun in the areas surrounding it. Several couples were getting their wedding photos in front of the Coliseum. Groups of tourists would jump in the shot with them. How memorable. We also made our way over to the Trevi Fountain. It’s a fun sight, but totally overtaken by the throngs of tourists. A friend joked that to see it, you should go at 4am. After seeing it, she probably wasn’t kidding. I had to stand on in the back, near some stairs to even get a view of the whole thing, but kept getting harassed by vendors. It was so fun. The pizza at dinner was awesome as predicted, and went down well with more beer and caprese salad. We were wined out at that point. In the middle of dinner, traveling musicians came in and played a song for coins before leaving. It’s an interesting concept, but added to the whole experience. We made our way around the neighborhood as the sun set. Even in the residential neighborhoods, people come out at night. It’s glorious. After dinner, you can find people outside enjoying the company of people and a beverage. It’s such a change from home, and something I wish would happen. People don’t just head home after work, content to stay in and get up and do it all over again. They enjoy what their city has to offer. The Coliseum at night as also beautiful. Hilariously enough, a Beyonce remix could be heard from a nearby club while we wandered around. I don’t think that’s what the Romans had in mind. We continued wandering aimlessly through Capitoline Hill into the night. It’s such a different experience from the daytime.

We weren’t able to get tickets to bypass the lines to the Vatican, so we decided to see what would happen if we just went over. Most people take the Metro, but we walked it instead. There is so much more to be seen when walking through the streets. It wasn’t even that bad of walk outside of it getting hot. The closer we got, the more of a tourist trap it became. That’s one thing about Rome that drove me crazy. You hardly ever heard Italian. English was way more prevalent. There are all kinds of souvenir vendors. I can appreciate someone trying to make their living, but it’s borderline overwhelming and obnoxious. By the time we made it to St. Peter’s Square there was a line weaving all over the place, and it wasn’t moving. At that point I had seen so many cool, amazing, beautiful, and wonderful things [for free mind you], that the thought of standing in that line just didn’t seem worth it anymore. We people watched for a long, long time before we made our way back toward the hotel. I’ve heard I completely missed out by not going into St. Peter’s, but I’m not losing sleep over it.

We spent our final day in Rome taking a guided tour of the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. It was by far the highlight of the Rome portion of the trip. There is so much history wrapped up into the place that I highly suggest a tour guide. It’s breathtaking even without one, but if you’re already shelling out money to get in, might as well spend a little more to get the history.

We went to back to Fiumicino to stay the night in an effort to be near the airport for our early flight. It was a totally wasted day. We should have just left early. There wasn’t anything redeeming about Fiumicino, and it was kind of a downer for the final day. Of course, the amazing things we saw and tasted during the previous weeks overshadowed the mediocre end of the trip.

I’d go back in a heartbeat. You should go. Seriously.