PSoTD

This was taken in Lucca, I think. A lot of people bicycle in Italy, downtown, country, everywhere...

There's a lack of imagination in the souvenirs offered for tourists to bring back to their kids, at least as offered near the major tourist sites. I would have LOVED to find some cool things about Pompeii to bring back to our 8 year old, but it was all schlocky and the same.

Just a suggestion - get some product competition in there.

I did not take this photo, but we did go to this Crypt in Rome, and it's definitely a walk into a different reality...

We went to a winery last week outside of Bolgheri in Tuscany, Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia. They are a higher end winery, and have a very high reputation, and some consider their Masseto Merlot to be "the greatest Italian Merlot." We didn't get to taste the Masseto while there (after all, it's at least a few hundred dollars per bottle), but we did get generous glasses of three other wines which are delicious. Of course, I'm a sucker for red wine anyways, but I REALLY liked the Le Serre Nuove.

And, of course, the vineyards had beautiful views, being in the hills above the Mediterranean. So I thought you'd like to see.

We saw these guys dressed up in costumes pretty much as the main historical sites in Rome, and as we were leaving the Forum this guy came up and suggested we take some photos with him. We just thought he was part of Rome's tourism PR.

Ah, we are so naive. As soon as we took a few photos and we were putting our cameras away, he says:

"20 Euros."

What? Huh?

"It's a Job, Mon. It's a Job."

"Well, we're not paying that. What if we just erase the photos?"

Ha ha ha. Apparently these guys are all buddy buddy goofy photo pals until you take the photo, and then they get all stern and intimidating afterwards. He didn't care if we erased the photos, he wanted the 20 Euros.

Of course, standing there arguing with us for five minutes didn't help his future sales. Finally, he negotiated down to 3 Euros, which we had in coins in our pockets, and we gave it to him as a learning lesson for ourselves, and some sympathy for what seems to be a pretty crummy job for him.

Every once in a while I rediscover something about myself, as I did in Pisa last week - I experience a heightened level of vertigo when at heights looking down. I know this is pretty common, but for me it is an overwhelming sensation, as I felt when on the roof of the Tower last week. It's a sensation that gravity is sucking me down, at an accelerated level, so that any movement that is horizontal with the surface, such as walking along the floor of the roof, might actually warp dizzyingly into a downwards curve that would suddenly and inexplicably throw me over the railing to the ground below. It's a VERY uncomfortable sensation and completely charges my "flight" efforts - I want to get down immediately because I can't trust my own balance nor my understanding of what my balance or reactions are really doing.

So, as others walked around the top of the Tower, I stood, pretty much in the middle area the whole time. I made myself walk around the outer ring once, but that was it, and sat on a step pretending to admire the view, but enjoying the groundedness I felt, until our group was allowed to go back down the stairs.

Stopped for coffee here one rainy day, and we ran into a bunch of Americans on a bicycle tour of Tuscany. Charming little town in the hills about an hour away from Pisa.

There are lots of them, both in variety and in volume, and in general, I think that Italy does a great job with their road signage. Sometimes it's difficult - big cities sometimes have no place for signs, and even the medium sized ones can have so many that the most important one gets lost to the driver in the mix of options, which we found out in Pisa - but in general, high marks for Italy's road signs.

If you go to Italy and plan to drive, you may find this site helpful. My favorite, of course, is this little one on the right. Which we memorized for a lifetime after I drove up an alley and eventually found myself boxed in, surrounded by three buildings and stairs and 2 inch clearance on both sides to reverse out of, going steeply downhill. I made an 11 point turn in the square and drove out forwards and managed not to bung up the side mirrors. Well, not that you know, at least. We had seen the sign on the way in, but didn't recognize it at that point, and, of course, it means dead end.

The view from our Italian farmhouse terrace near Montescudaio, looking towards Cecina and the Mediterranean, at dusk.

If you want that view, then stay at Sylvia and Charles's place, The Dolce Toscana Country Inn. Just a beautiful place, quaint and in the country yet five minutes drive to Montescudaio for some delicious Tuscan meals and wines that Sylvia helped us find.

Long day, long trip back from Rome. Italy, of course, is/was fantastic. I'm sure I'll be recounting the trip here beyond what is reasonable for anyone to read for the next few weeks, but for now, I'm going to sleep.

There in about a week.

We should be here a week from today.

photo by robot matsuri!

We're going there a week from today.