Volare oh oh

 On our last day, we were a little slow to get moving due to the previous late night and the need to pack.

We managed to have breakfast together, all a little subdued- the holiday was over and it was a long way home. Still… we had a number of hours to kill before leaving for the airport. Embracing the opportunity, our group set out to utilise the resort options. Before long there were simultaneous archery, cycling and soccer games going on - lots of laugher and a bit of chaos. 

We sat in the lobby and ate the $120 Rome minibar nuts before being picked up in the dock inside the hotel lobby (very flash) for a boat trip to the airport.

The flights home were uneventful but good, and I spent some time reflecting on the trip. This has been such a wonderful family time for our group. I’m so proud of everyone for their good spirits, their energy and their willingness to go along with the flow. The events of the last few years, plus the natural transition to independence as the younger crew grow up has led to more fragile and fragmented connections. On this trip we created a space for new experiences together, for rich conversations, for shared laughter. Having fun, with people you love - who could ask for more. 

Venice Vidi Vici (well not quite)

We were eager to explore Venice, starting the day with a tour of the Doge’s place, St Mark’s Church and the square. We’ve seen many fancy buildings over  the past week and it was interesting to see the stylistic differences in decoration here. Gold and gilt everywhere and beautiful mosaics on floors and ceilings. 

I’ve included a photo of a “mailbox” in the wall of the palace - Even in the 1300’s, people tried to avoid taxes and this box is where you write to dob in someone who is doing something wrong financially. The mail slot is the mouth.The palace included courtrooms and council chambers as well as the covered walkway through to the prison (the Bridge of Sighs). I wish now that I had asked why they put a prison in the prime centre of the city. It seems really odd.

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Following the tour, we embraced our tourist status and hopped into two gondolas. You sit really low on the water and it was pretty choppy in the open lagoon where we boarded, but once in the canals it was smoother. The gondolier was very good about answering all our questions, although he was a bit surprised and I suspect normally people don’t talk to them. He said that there are about 400 owners (it costs approx 30,000 Euro for a boat) and another 200 or so “drivers”. They work about twelve hours a day in the busy season. It was peaceful and quiet and very beautiful. One of my favourite experiences on the trip. 

 We had an unplanned afternoon following the gondola ride. Mum and Bene headed off to the Biennale, Eve returned to the hotel for some down time and the rest of us attended a short but enjoyable glass blowing demo. As expected, a sales pitch followed - $1200 for a decanter and wineglass set anyone? Escaping the gallery, we looked for a lunch option. It’s tricky with a big group and an unknown city but Flynn’s strategy (the first place we see after we go over the bridge) actually worked and we had a decent lunch next to the grand canal. We split up further after lunch to wander. Venice was teaming with tourists and because of the narrow streets it felt more congested than anywhere else we’ve been. It was also very very humid. By 3.30 most of us were hot, sweaty and exhausted - despite being in a number of separate small groups we all ended up on two consecutive boats back to our island hotel. This is the second time I’ve been in Venice, and again I feel like I haven’t quite managed to find what I’m looking for. You get funnelled in to the main tourist streets, with shop after shop of dodgy glass animals, and  when you go off track you end up at a dead end against a canal. I know somewhere that there is quiet charm and interesting art and fabulous food, but Venice has beaten me twice now. 

Bridge over troubled water

Today was a transit day from Florence to Venice. Interestingly, there was NO Nutella on the breakfast buffet. Our crew liberated some green pistachio spread called Pistachiella instead. It was a bit of a tricky morning with too much time to sit about but not enough time to do anything good. We took a short excursion to try and find the Florence McDonalds, but the weather app indicated that there was a storm coming so we pulled the pin on that and walked back to the hotel.

The very fast train was delayed and not so fast, so by the time we arrived in Venice it was 1.30. We boarded a little boat at the train station to take us to lunch in Venice prior to travelling via boat across to the hotel. Our hotel is on a private island, and “resort style”. It’s a JW Marriott and very nice, but somewhat of a disappointment after the charm of the previous accommodations. That being said, we had a lovely time in the pool and I believe a number of our  crew took advance of the guest bicycles for some 10pm exploring in search of the badminton court. I suspect there were some shenanigans that I didn’t hear full details about but it sounds like they had a hilarious time and I’m trusting that there was nothing too nefarious. I was reflecting during the train ride what a wonderful group we are travelling with. I’ve been so many places with the boys and know they are great travellers, but the addition of Eve, Bene, my mother and Amanda & Richard has been wonderful. Everyone has enjoyed interacting with everyone else and it’s been a very special family time after a tough few years. 

Our dinner was a slightly lame but well executed pirate cruise. Team Starrett entered into the spirit of the thing and the food was surprisingly decent. We had a great view of the different islands around the lagoon. Our hotel is on the site of an old sanatorium for people with lung diseases. The next one over was a women’s mental hospital. We also saw the big outdoor sculpture for the Venice Biennale and the soccer field for the Venetian team. 

Paint Misbehavin’

Mum was up early this morning and wandered down to the lobby in search of a coffee. I messaged her to suggest asking the concierge, however she advised that he was asleep on the lounge (!) Our breakfast experience involved the great Nutella heist, an operation to secure enough small jars of nutella for Josh to top his pizza at tonight’s cooking activity. Following our criminal op, we headed off with our guide Valerie for a walking tour of Florence and the Uffizi gallery.  Both were wonderful. The history of the powerful families, their machinations and their impact on the city was really interesting. Valerie talked about power and prestige making empty spaces, and showed us the development of the architecture through that lens. The Uffizi is in the Medici palace and is filled with treasures- Botticelli, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, almost too much art. Our guide had decided that Cam looked like Cosimo de Medici, sharing this with a number of  others who agreed. When we reached his portrait, we tried to get Cam to match the pose and were shushed by the security guard, who was then was part of a conversation with the guide about the resemblance. We are not so sure, however I’ve included a photo for you to decide. 

We split up after lunch for some free time. I walked along the Ponti Vechio to the Piti Palace, in search of some gorgeous mosaics advertised in our hotel. It was within their opening hours, but they were closed. There was a sign that said if they were closed, ring the bell and they would open, but no joy there either. Very Italian. On the way back to the hotel I did find a beautiful wooden box, painted in the pattern of the San Miniato church floor and lashed out on that as a memento of our family trip.

We regrouped in the afternoon for a trip to see the David. It’s beautifully positioned in a niche with natural light, but it was so crowded and we’ve seen so many copies by now that the impact was diminished. More interesting were the six half finished Michelangelo sculptures in various stages of completion. You could see the pieces emerging from the marble. There was also quite a bit of shushing by the guards. Apparently you have to be quiet to appreciate art. The art experiences have been incredible but we need a small breather from the overload. 

Dinner tonight involved our younger travellers making pizza at a little restaurant nearby.  Josh’s Nutella stash came in handy and his “dessert pizza” was a hotly contested item, handed out only to gain strategic alliances. 

After an excellent gelato (hazelnut and amareno cherry for me) we walked back to the hotel along the side of the Arno with the sun setting over the river. It’s a very beautiful city. The colour palette used in the city seems to be limited to those quintessential “Tuscan” yellows with terracotta and sage. We’ve enjoyed the transition from the hectic chaos of Rome to the quieter pace of Florence.

Bits and Pisas.

Breakfast in the hotel was a nice chance for us to revisit the funny conversations from the night before. The gang have been exploring the hotel a bit - to get to the gym you have to go down some stairs and then up some stairs and then down some stairs. Someone said “we thought the gym was the stairs” and we were all giggling again - a good start to the day.

We headed off to Pisa for the obligatory tower visit. The climb was fun although it feels very odd due to the lean and the view from the top is nice, but I’m mildly underwhelmed by the Pisa experience. 

Back in Florence, we ventured out to explore. Cam had done some homework on vintage shops and led the group to a few options. We ran out of time, needing to get back to the hotel by six. The daylight is deceiving as it doesn’t get dark till almost nine o’clock. We caught two taxis up to San Miniato, up on the hill with an amazing view of Florence. Our cab driver had the Tour de France playing on his screen while he drove and reminded me that it started in Florence this year, on the Ponte Vecchio. 

 

Each night at San Miniato there is Gregorian chanting. It’s real, not a show for tourists and goes for about half an hour. It was conducted by eight monks, in Latin and was very ritualistic. Eve sent very useful Italian in our group chat : “ci piacciono i tuoi canti gregoriani” (we like your Gregorian chants) but they filed away into the darkness after their session and we didn’t get to use it. The view from the church is amazing and although we were a little nervous about the ability to find a taxi and get back down the hill, it all worked out. 

Dinner was pizza at a very busy restaurant that had been highly recommended to us. The line to eat in was long so we ordered takeaway.  Eventually our order arrived and we sat on some nearby church steps to eat. The pizza was just ok and it was still about 30 degrees outside, so not the most pleasant experience. It was nice to back to the hotel and the air conditioning. Fun fact - the hot and cold taps are labeled (as one would expect) in Italian so hot is “C”.

Room with a view

We said farewell to Rome this morning after a quick breakfast, and yet another cake selection for my mother. The waiter came over and told her that it didn’t escape him that she ate two pieces this morning. 

We stopped at Orvieto mid morning. The town is very high on the hill  and the views from here are stunning - quintessential Italian countryside. The town is equally beautiful, with little winding streets and passageways. We walked with a guide through the man-made caves beneath the village, originally Etruscan but then used and expanded by subsequent residents. They were dug out to create extra space, mostly for business, sometimes for storage. I’ve included photos of the pigeon “pantry”.

Back up in the town, we split up after lunch (and a gelato)  for an hour or so, as it’s easier to wander in small groups. The gelato was delicious but all the names were in Italian, so many of us picked randomly and then google translated the selection once we were outside. I had Mandarin ricotta, and Rose. Josh scored two, as my mother didn’t want one and they were already paid for. Mum and I spent time in a linen shop where a  lady helped mum work on her Italian. 

The temperature was in the forties when we stopped just outside of Florence, for what proved to be a peak experience on the trip so far. We were picked up by members of the Fiat 500 car club, two to a car, to drive into Florence. The cars were tiny and I wedged into the back seat with Cam in the front. Many of the drivers spoke only Italian, but our driver Nicolo had a reasonable level of English. He has two cars, the Fiat and a Tesla, and uses the money from these driving jobs to pay for the car upkeep. Our little convoy drove around the hills on little winding roads, past all the lookout spots. It was green and lush and breathtakingly beautiful. Nicolo was a hand gesturer when he talked , so between the sharp turns, the double clutch manoeuvres to change gears and the pointing out of the various sites, it was a kind of wild ride. 

Our hotel is lovely -it’s a Westin so pretty luxe. I was desperately hoping for a window looking out on Florence so as to have an appropriate photo for the blog post but Flynn and Eve are the only ones on our group who jagged one. I have water pipes and an air conditioner. 

Dinner was at the hotel and the food was delicious. It was also my favourite group meal so far, with our little group in fits of laughter while we talked over the trip. There was some confusion about whether the jars of nuts in the Rome hotel room were free. Flynn and Eve ate some and apparently since they were replaced and no one asked for money, the consensus was yes. Accordingly, Josh took all six jars with him when they checked out. A $120 bill will be eventuating, although we were laughing so much as the story came  out that it’s almost worth it. I asked for blog title suggestions but by then we were in full chaotic mode so the wasn’t anything useable. Bene did suggest “The last supper” for the Vatican post and we can’t wait to see how the frowning photo turns out. It’s on a film camera. I’m a little unsure why they are popular again but most of our gang bought them at the airport and in a month or so we will have a whole new set of photos to remember the trip. Speaking of memories, as we started dinner, the piano player at the restaurant commenced his set with the song Jason and I used as our wedding dance (after the Hokie Polkie of course). A quiet little poignant moment for me.