Friday Oct 30
What timing! First thing this morning I read an email from friend Jackie telling me to try to see if I could visit the newly renovated museum at the Duomo-- the cathedral. Our group would visit the Duomo this morning, and because of Jackie's message, I asked our tour leader if our Duomo tour pass also included the museum. She said " I don't know but I'll check." Well, it turned out the museum was reopening TODAY and yes we could go there!! More about that in a minute...
We had a private tour of the Duomo with a man whose father had been a marble craftsman for the Duomo! Immediately I noticed his speech was different & I wondered if he was a German speaker. No, turns out I was hearing the Florentine accent. The Duomo 's architecture is unique & its history is too.
He next took us to the Baptisry next to the Duomo. And finally he took us to the marble workmens' studio to show us some of the techniques of working with marble. This was very interesting! The men were not working today so we had the place to ourselves.
This was a very active day because after lunch we visited an important museums: theGalleria dell' Accademia. It's the home of the huge statue of David by Michelangelo. Our art historian guide led us and added fascinating details about the art as well as the people. This trip--- thanks to our lecturers -- has brought art to life for me more than ever. I'm seeing connections between artists & the history / culture of the various eras and can actually identify Italian works that I'd only superficially been exposed to before. ( I never took an art history course).
Fortunately we had some free time to have a short visit at the new Duomo museum. It was excellent! It displayed the history of the church including parts from the earlier structure. I appreciated an audio visual presentation chronicling the evolution of Florence.
Tonight was a special dinner & show held as a banquet at the Medici Villa. We were greeted by Renaissance musicians in period costumes & were entertained by them & folk dancers. (Jackie--I got pix & videos for you!). A " court jester" provided comedy to the evening & managed to pull up most people in the audience at one time or another for a game or dance. Very entertaining!
Sat. October 31
Happy Halloween! It's nearly dinner time & I saw almost no signs of Halloween here ( but I did just eat some chocolate ). When we go for dinner I'll be curious if anything changes after dark.
We began the day with an outstanding lecture by a professor about the Medici family & history/ art of Florence. She told us what to look for this afternoon at the Uffizi Gallery and encouraged us not to try to see it all ( thanks) but rather focus on certain works. It worked! Her presentation was so effective, we all found the critical works on our own, in a self guided tour. Wow!
We also visited the Bargello National Museum. Whew!!
This is a crash course in Italian art history !
Off to dinner now.
Jane
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Rome & Florence Oct 28-29
Oct 28 Wesnesday
Our last full day in Rome.
I have to say I have nothing but praise for the group: Road Scholar. It's really well organized & a pleasure to relax & see what each day will bring..
I was a bit under the weather this morning so I joined the group for lunch & the afternoon which was a visit to the Villa Borghese. It's a mansion of the Borghese family with treasures they collected, then turned over to the country to become a museum. The holdings were varied & beautiful--- especially some spectacular sculptures by Bernini. Our guide pointed out details about these works that I'm sure I would never have noticed without her guidance. I have some lovely pix but am unsure how to post them here.
I'm really enjoying meeting with a variety of fellow travelers -- mostly from the east coast, the Bay Area or upper Midwest. Interesting and very friendly folks.
My friend Jan & I decided not to get a big dinner tonight so we had gelato instead ! Last night in Rome...
Oct 29 Thursday
We were treated to a light & sound show in the middle of the night: tremendous thunder & lightening! I slept with the window open so it was quite a show!
The tour arranged to pick up our baggage at 6 am but I managed to go back to sleep for awhile. This morning we walked to the National Romano museum. It displayed articles discovered in " digs" in & around Rome. The best for me was a room set up like a dining room of a villa ( la villa di livia a Prime Porte) which was surrounded by wall paintings depicting garden scenes. Evidently the room had been a subterranean dining room and when the runis were uncovered, the paintings were in excellent condition. I took some lovely pictures & also bought a few souvenirs at the bookstore. The artist's style made you think of impressionists----- but they painted in Ancient Rome and their work was uncovered in 1863.
After lunch we set out for the bullet train to Florence.
Our hotel here is much nicer than the one in Rome and I'm delighted that my bed is a queen& not a tiny single! At dinner I was telling someone how many helpful things my mother taught me about traveling well --- then I said her name was Florence! So sis & bro--- this sure makes me think of Mom.
I'm a happy camper cuz there's a laundry across the street from the hotel and in a couple hours & for 20 euros I got ALL my clothes washed. Yippee. (I've been gone 9 days now. )
I called my friend Richard who is teaching a semester abroad in Florence & we will get together Sunday when I have the afternoon free. He did Academic Senate work with me & lives in Riverside.
Our group had a short walk before dinner to orient us to the city a little. Beautiful!
Jane
Our last full day in Rome.
I have to say I have nothing but praise for the group: Road Scholar. It's really well organized & a pleasure to relax & see what each day will bring..
I was a bit under the weather this morning so I joined the group for lunch & the afternoon which was a visit to the Villa Borghese. It's a mansion of the Borghese family with treasures they collected, then turned over to the country to become a museum. The holdings were varied & beautiful--- especially some spectacular sculptures by Bernini. Our guide pointed out details about these works that I'm sure I would never have noticed without her guidance. I have some lovely pix but am unsure how to post them here.
I'm really enjoying meeting with a variety of fellow travelers -- mostly from the east coast, the Bay Area or upper Midwest. Interesting and very friendly folks.
My friend Jan & I decided not to get a big dinner tonight so we had gelato instead ! Last night in Rome...
Oct 29 Thursday
We were treated to a light & sound show in the middle of the night: tremendous thunder & lightening! I slept with the window open so it was quite a show!
The tour arranged to pick up our baggage at 6 am but I managed to go back to sleep for awhile. This morning we walked to the National Romano museum. It displayed articles discovered in " digs" in & around Rome. The best for me was a room set up like a dining room of a villa ( la villa di livia a Prime Porte) which was surrounded by wall paintings depicting garden scenes. Evidently the room had been a subterranean dining room and when the runis were uncovered, the paintings were in excellent condition. I took some lovely pictures & also bought a few souvenirs at the bookstore. The artist's style made you think of impressionists----- but they painted in Ancient Rome and their work was uncovered in 1863.
After lunch we set out for the bullet train to Florence.
Our hotel here is much nicer than the one in Rome and I'm delighted that my bed is a queen& not a tiny single! At dinner I was telling someone how many helpful things my mother taught me about traveling well --- then I said her name was Florence! So sis & bro--- this sure makes me think of Mom.
I'm a happy camper cuz there's a laundry across the street from the hotel and in a couple hours & for 20 euros I got ALL my clothes washed. Yippee. (I've been gone 9 days now. )
I called my friend Richard who is teaching a semester abroad in Florence & we will get together Sunday when I have the afternoon free. He did Academic Senate work with me & lives in Riverside.
Our group had a short walk before dinner to orient us to the city a little. Beautiful!
Jane
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Roma Oct 26-27
Well, last night I wrote my blog, then because of internet problems I lost it all. Disappointing. So I'll summarize 2 days now.
Monday Oct 26
This was the first full day of the RS tour. We began with a terrific lecture by a prof of archeology about what we would see today: the Forum and Colosseum. I'm very happy with the quality of the lecturers we are getting!
Having this scholar lead us through the structures was outstanding! We wear head sets on tours so we can all hear her. (This was my first group tour so I was impressed with this technological advancement!)
At the Forum I was especially moved by the area where speeches were made ( of course) and the tribute area dedicated to Julius Caesar. Back when I taught high school, that was a play in my curriculum, so seeing the Forum made Shakespeare come to life. I noticed that I should turn 360 degrees from time to time because there was always something more to see in each direction. And how the relics spanned centuries was a continual surprise!
Next we went to the Colosseum. Now, I had seen the Roman arena in Arles, France last year, but it didn't prepare me for the scale of this place! Immense! The magnitude of the structure! I kept shaking my head in disbelief. I'm glad that Jackie ( at home) loaned me videos about Rome & elsewhere because they helped prepare me for the history & lore of many places.
Late afternoon we had another short lecture by an art expert about the Vatican-- in preparation for tomorrow. Our dinner tonight was at an outdoor patio and it was beautiful! We've been really lucky with the weather.
Tuesday Oct 27
We left the hotel very early for the Vatican: the museum, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. Because we were in a special group with our own guide & because we were there so early, we almost had parts of the museum all to ourselves. Our guides said this never happens! I have pictures where you can't see anyone around us. It made the tour a pleasure rather than a mob scene. We didn't spend much time in the museum but did see highlights with an excellent guide. She was an art student who was tapped to re-paint portions of the exterior of the museum under the previous pope. Most interesting.
The Sistine Chapel in general was not as I expected. There are no permanent seats except some benches along side walls and it's smaller than I imagined. Of course the art was breathtaking. We had 1/2 hour to study as much as we could. Very impressive. The lectures, videos & reading I had done did help me focus on certain parts & to look for some main themes. Otherwise it's too much overload.
Finally we saw St Peter's. We have all seen the huge piazza in front of it where crowds gather to hear the pope or wait for a new pope to be elected. Incredibly it was nearly empty today! Inside the church, as with the Colosseum, I was astounded at the enormity of it! I have seen pretty impressive cathedrals before, but this was huge.
We had the afternoon free so I hung out with my new friend Jan. After lunch we went to see an archeology museum but unfortunately it was closed when we got there. So instead we explored ruins
in the vicinity of the Colosseum.
At dinner we sat with 2 couples we've gotten to know. I showed them pix of our San Jose apricots & avocados & they were pretty amazed. They are from Wisconsin & New Jersey. I've enjoyed meeting them as well as a number of others. A very congenial group! This is a super trip.
Monday Oct 26
This was the first full day of the RS tour. We began with a terrific lecture by a prof of archeology about what we would see today: the Forum and Colosseum. I'm very happy with the quality of the lecturers we are getting!
Having this scholar lead us through the structures was outstanding! We wear head sets on tours so we can all hear her. (This was my first group tour so I was impressed with this technological advancement!)
At the Forum I was especially moved by the area where speeches were made ( of course) and the tribute area dedicated to Julius Caesar. Back when I taught high school, that was a play in my curriculum, so seeing the Forum made Shakespeare come to life. I noticed that I should turn 360 degrees from time to time because there was always something more to see in each direction. And how the relics spanned centuries was a continual surprise!
Next we went to the Colosseum. Now, I had seen the Roman arena in Arles, France last year, but it didn't prepare me for the scale of this place! Immense! The magnitude of the structure! I kept shaking my head in disbelief. I'm glad that Jackie ( at home) loaned me videos about Rome & elsewhere because they helped prepare me for the history & lore of many places.
Late afternoon we had another short lecture by an art expert about the Vatican-- in preparation for tomorrow. Our dinner tonight was at an outdoor patio and it was beautiful! We've been really lucky with the weather.
Tuesday Oct 27
We left the hotel very early for the Vatican: the museum, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica. Because we were in a special group with our own guide & because we were there so early, we almost had parts of the museum all to ourselves. Our guides said this never happens! I have pictures where you can't see anyone around us. It made the tour a pleasure rather than a mob scene. We didn't spend much time in the museum but did see highlights with an excellent guide. She was an art student who was tapped to re-paint portions of the exterior of the museum under the previous pope. Most interesting.
The Sistine Chapel in general was not as I expected. There are no permanent seats except some benches along side walls and it's smaller than I imagined. Of course the art was breathtaking. We had 1/2 hour to study as much as we could. Very impressive. The lectures, videos & reading I had done did help me focus on certain parts & to look for some main themes. Otherwise it's too much overload.
Finally we saw St Peter's. We have all seen the huge piazza in front of it where crowds gather to hear the pope or wait for a new pope to be elected. Incredibly it was nearly empty today! Inside the church, as with the Colosseum, I was astounded at the enormity of it! I have seen pretty impressive cathedrals before, but this was huge.
We had the afternoon free so I hung out with my new friend Jan. After lunch we went to see an archeology museum but unfortunately it was closed when we got there. So instead we explored ruins
in the vicinity of the Colosseum.
At dinner we sat with 2 couples we've gotten to know. I showed them pix of our San Jose apricots & avocados & they were pretty amazed. They are from Wisconsin & New Jersey. I've enjoyed meeting them as well as a number of others. A very congenial group! This is a super trip.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Oct 26
I'm sorry. I wrote an entry but had Internet problems & lost my posting (rats!)
I'll have to re-do it tomorrow. Too late now. Sorry.
I'll have to re-do it tomorrow. Too late now. Sorry.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Roma -- day 1 of Road Scholar tour Oct 25
I keep thinking about our walking food tour yesterday & what a wonderful day it was.... Very special. The guides will send us pix & a list of where we visited.
Joni flew back to France today & I had the morning free so I slept in late -- and today they moved clocks back an hour in Europe. Luckily I researched to see if I could get a massage nearby & found a Thai massage spa 2 blocks away & they were open so I got a 45 min massage! Ahhh...Perfect! I plan to go back there Tuesday when we have free time from the group.
The Road Scholar group ( I'll say "RS" from here on) arrived today so I began to meet some of the 28 participants. Not surprisingly the teachers in the group were like magnets & found each other! We all had lunch & dinner together as well as got an overview of the trip. The 3 teachers I sat with at dinner were absolutely fascinating gals. Wonderful stories to tell. I expect I will make good friends. :-). I'm impressed with the 2 group Italian leaders who will be with us the whole time. Additionally we will have local experts join us for lectures & tours of specific sites in each city. Bravo!
I'm delighted with everything so far and am very happy I'm not jet lagged like they are!
Weather has been excellent. Tomorrow : the Forum and colosseum tour, and a lecture on the Vatican treasures in advance of our visit the next day.
Jane
Joni flew back to France today & I had the morning free so I slept in late -- and today they moved clocks back an hour in Europe. Luckily I researched to see if I could get a massage nearby & found a Thai massage spa 2 blocks away & they were open so I got a 45 min massage! Ahhh...Perfect! I plan to go back there Tuesday when we have free time from the group.
The Road Scholar group ( I'll say "RS" from here on) arrived today so I began to meet some of the 28 participants. Not surprisingly the teachers in the group were like magnets & found each other! We all had lunch & dinner together as well as got an overview of the trip. The 3 teachers I sat with at dinner were absolutely fascinating gals. Wonderful stories to tell. I expect I will make good friends. :-). I'm impressed with the 2 group Italian leaders who will be with us the whole time. Additionally we will have local experts join us for lectures & tours of specific sites in each city. Bravo!
I'm delighted with everything so far and am very happy I'm not jet lagged like they are!
Weather has been excellent. Tomorrow : the Forum and colosseum tour, and a lecture on the Vatican treasures in advance of our visit the next day.
Jane
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Roma days 2-3. Oct 24
Well I started to write yesterday, then it was time for dinner & show and then it was too late to write, so this will tell about Friday & Saturday.
Yesterday (Friday) we used our Hop On/Off bus pass to get around. We decided an unusual place to visit would be the Jewish Ghetto which has a synagogue, museum & district. Joni got a free Rick Steves audio walking tour which gave some history & tips. We began with a guided tour of the large, beautiful synagogue which was a well done tour except it was in Italian so I was pretty lost. But the museum told the history of Jews in Italy-- with signs also in English. Next we found a kosher restaurant for lunch. The menu is not like typical US Jewish menus. All the areas we are visiting have ruins mixed in alongside modern buildings. Fascinating.
So after lunch what does one need? Dessert! Joni was on a quest for a speciality dessert: Tartufo and I had to find a famous gelato place-- Giolitti. While it was pretty good, we found that today, our guide took us to a much better gelato store. But our searching took us through new parts of town & forced us to walk a LOT but I'm not sure it was enough to offset the calories! Overall I figure my diet here is about 96% carbs. Eek! Between pasta, pizza & desserts, there's not at all the amount of vegetables & fruits I am used to. So much for a "Mediterranean " diet ! ( not)
We had dinner near the hotel, then met Joni's French friend to attend a little concert at a church nearby. It was three tenors , along the line of the famous concerts --in the 80 s was it?
However it turned out that these were not the professional level of singers that one might hope for. It was pretty touristic, unfortunately.
Today ( Saturday) we had booked a walking food tour put on by several young Romans. It took place in the Vatican neighborhood. Fantastic! Turned out it was a private tour-- just for us! It included a long visit in a market with tastings of cheeses, brushette, olive oils, proschutto (for Joni) etc. outstanding! The little tour company has 4 founders who met at the university. They're in mid 20s.
After the market, we walked through neighborhoods where she discussed history, architecture, Roman life & food. The guide is an archeologist with a passion for her field as well as food. We cannot say enough good about them & the day! " RomaEat: Food on Foot."
We also visited a small family business & walked through the kitchen & watched the men make ( not cook) various pastas. Following that we went too restaurant to sample several of the pastas made where we visited today ---served with wine of course.
The day concluded with a stop at a wonderful gelato place, then coffee.
Whew! A perfect day in all ways: information, food, private attention, weather, new places, all with our individual questions answered. We spent over 5 hours with them! Mama Mia!
We are resting a bit before we go to dinner. ( really?). Joni returns to France tomorrow morning & my tour begins tomorrow afternoon. Magnifico! ( I don't have Italian spell check so please don't critique that).
Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here.
Jane
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Roma day 1 -- Thursday Oct 22, 2015
Ciao from Roma! I arrived late yesterday after a rather grueling voyage but I figure flying to Europe in the cheap seats is probably like childbirth-- women forget the pain before the next time around.
I'm with Joni, staying in the hotel where my tour starts Sunday. It's a fine, basic hotel (Hotel Diana). I'm happy to have a quiet, dark location since I'm here 8 nights. Today we had a nice hotel breakfast & set off for the "hop on, hop off" tour which gave us a perfect overview of the city. It's truly breathtaking to see such ancient & historic buildings & sites. We were disappointed that the Trevi fountain & Spanish Steps were blocked off due to renovation but c'est la vie. We did get views of such places as Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Palatine hill, Forum, some big Catholic places ( wink wink), & Borghese gardens-- where we enjoyed strolling & watching folks on skates, segways & carriages. Had a nice lunch sans tourists-- love to find local places. By 4:00, feeling tired from the walking we took a taxi home. Tonight we're having dinner w one of Joni's friends from France who is in town. She only speaks French so it will help me feel less sad that I didn't stop off in France.
We got the bus pass good for 2 days so we can use it tomorrow to go directly to places we want to explore. Today we mostly rode.
Typical of Joni she has struck up conversations with folks from Venezuela ( speaking in her excellent Spanish); from France & assorted other countries-- Holland, Ireland, Australia. Fun!
So far: great times!
Ciao!
I'm with Joni, staying in the hotel where my tour starts Sunday. It's a fine, basic hotel (Hotel Diana). I'm happy to have a quiet, dark location since I'm here 8 nights. Today we had a nice hotel breakfast & set off for the "hop on, hop off" tour which gave us a perfect overview of the city. It's truly breathtaking to see such ancient & historic buildings & sites. We were disappointed that the Trevi fountain & Spanish Steps were blocked off due to renovation but c'est la vie. We did get views of such places as Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Palatine hill, Forum, some big Catholic places ( wink wink), & Borghese gardens-- where we enjoyed strolling & watching folks on skates, segways & carriages. Had a nice lunch sans tourists-- love to find local places. By 4:00, feeling tired from the walking we took a taxi home. Tonight we're having dinner w one of Joni's friends from France who is in town. She only speaks French so it will help me feel less sad that I didn't stop off in France.
We got the bus pass good for 2 days so we can use it tomorrow to go directly to places we want to explore. Today we mostly rode.
Typical of Joni she has struck up conversations with folks from Venezuela ( speaking in her excellent Spanish); from France & assorted other countries-- Holland, Ireland, Australia. Fun!
So far: great times!
Ciao!
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Going to Italy!
Buongiorno!
Well Telluride is over, so now I plan to write from time to time about my travels in Italy Oct 21-Nov 6, in case you're interested. My friend Joni will be with me in Rome the first 4 days (before the tour starts) , then she returns to France & I’ll join the Road Scholar Tour. The group will have 4 nights each in Rome, Florence then Venice.
So, my itinerary is: Rome Oct 21-28; Florence Oct 29-Nov 1; Venice Nov 2-6. In Florence I'll get to see my Academic Senate colleague, Richard, who is teaching there for the semester.
Next posting: Rome! :-)
Jane
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