An Italian Seaside Vacation

Some people think that living in Lucca means that I am on permanent vacation. Not true! My daily life here consists mostly of routine things - grocery shopping, laundry, cooking, paying bills - along with doing the research, photography and writing for Two Parts Italy. Fortunately, I am able to do these things in a spectacularly beautiful walled town surrounded by the musical sound of the Italian language, make little day trips to surrounding towns, and enjoy all the riches Lucca has to offer. Life here is a joy but not an endless vacation. As with any daily life, sometimes a gal wants (needs) to change things up a bit and go on a real vacation. Even better if that vacation includes sun, sea, quaint villages, and the beautiful rugged coast of Liguria. Add in a visiting daughter and a couple of grandkids and you’ve got the foundation for a great trip.

Rapallo’s seaside promenade - the view from our Airbnb apartment. Perfect location!

Arriving by ferry to villages from Portovenere to Portofino added a fun dimension to visiting villages along the Ligurian coast

I always think that the best vacations combine someplace new with a much loved place from a previous trip. My June vacation met both of those criteria. The new place was the Portofino Peninsula. The return visit was to Levanto, a special request from my grandkids who fell in love with this laid back seaside town on their first visit to Italy several years ago. And while I picked the two towns in which we based, I pretty much let the activities be driven by my grandkids who, at ages 17 and 13, had some pretty specific requests - boats, beaches, one big city adventure, a little shopping, and lots of gelato.

First stop: Rapallo and an Airbnb apartment a block from the sea and just steps from lively restaurants, bars, and shops. Rapallo makes a great base for exploring the whole peninsula, including the towns of Santa Margarita Ligure, Camogli, and Portofino as well as the more rugged areas (great for hikers) around the Abbey at San Fruttuoso. In the summer all of these are connected by the Tigullio Ferry System, a fun way to travel around the area. Rapallo also has a very convenient train station with quick connections to Santa Margarita and Camogli. Genoa is an easy day trip too, just 23 miles away.

The castle fortress in Rapallo.

Rapallo has a lovely seaside promenade, the Lungomare Vittorio Veneto, which curves around from a harbor and sailing school at one end, to a private beach club, a small public beach (under construction during our visit), and down to a castle fortress. The fortress was built centuries ago to defend the city of Rapallo from the 16th century pirates who once caused havoc along the coast. It seems to still be working - there wasn’t a pirate to be found during our visit. Next to the castle is a small public beach. As is typical for this area, the beaches are more pebbles than sand. Walk further and find some seaside hotels, good spots for a sunset cocktail, and pretty villas. All along the way are street mosaics with sea themes and gorgeous views.

Across the street from the promenade are several restaurants with pretty views, attracting lots of tourists.

We had great pizza there one night at Pizzeria Nettuno where you can select your crust (classic, integrale, or a soy/rice blend) and choose from a huge variety of toppings. It may have been along the seaside “tourist row” but it was terrific pizza.

Small pedestrian only streets lead away from the water and into the center of town where we found our favorite bars and restaurants. No sea views, but lively and with really good seafood and trofie with pesto, a local specialty. We particularly liked the Osteria Vecchia Rapallo for it’s fritto misto and pasta dishes.

Aperitivo time (virgin cocktails for the kids)

Of course, summer in Italy means sipping a cocktail in a piazza or pretty side street before dinner.

In that spirit, I introduced my teenage grandkids to the joys of the Italian aperitivo at the wonderful Taverna Gallo Nero. Sitting here during aperitivo hour is the very best kind of street theater and people watching.

While my daughter and I sipped Aperol Spritz, the kids enjoyed virgin cocktails along with traditional aperitivo snacks. After all, an aperitivo is a not-to-be-missed cultural experience when in Italy!

Rapallo is filled with beautiful architecture. The Liberty Style villas are gracious and colorful. The old part of town is famous for the painted tromp-l’oeil details on the buildings.

It’s fun to spot the false painted windows, an 18th century tax evasion trick (when taxes were based on the number of windows in a building).

Wandering through town we found ourselves watching ladies make fresh pasta through a shop window, intrigued by a storefront where they made delicate lace by hand, and inspired by kids learning to sail with instructors from the local sailing school. We also roamed through pretty parks (with a statue of Christopher Columbus pointing the way to the new world), along canals leading to the sea, past small churches, and through markets. There were charming piazzas, inviting courtyards, and cafes around every corner.

Rapallo made the perfect base for exploring this part of the Ligurian coast. Our visit provided an introduction to the town ( a longer stay is definitely in my future) and a chance to visit several surrounding villages. I think we all agreed that our favorite spot was the small fishing village of Camogli. More about that next week!

Italy Travel Update : June 2022

It’s June and the Italian summer travel season is in full swing. It seems that everyone who has been not-so-patiently waiting to vacation in Italy for the past two years has arrived this month, a pattern that will likely continue throughout the summer. Expect crowds. Recent travelers include my daughter and two oldest grandkids who arrived this month for a long awaited trip to visit me in Italy. I flew back to the US with them just a few days ago and so thought this would be a good time to share the realities of the current travel situation.

Italian summertime treats - gelato and granita!

Let’s start with the COVID related rules - a subject that has dominated travel discussions for the last two years and confused us all with frequent revisions. The good news is that things are less complicated now. As of June 1 all of the COVID restrictions for entering Italy have been eliminated. The Italian Green Pass, which documented both the results of testing and the completion of vaccines is no longer in use. That means that no proof of vaccines is required (though it is still highly recommended that one be fully vaccinated before any travel) and no pre-flight COVID test is needed. This includes for entry into Italian restaurants, museums, theaters, etc.

Mask mandates are not required in most places but they are still mandatory (through at least September) on public transportation. This includes Italian airline flights, trains, ships, buses. They are also required in health care facilities. And not just any mask will do. An FFP2 (or KN95) is required. Italians are for the most part compliant about this. I have seen staff require passengers to change to an appropriate mask or put one on if they are maskless, especially on planes and trains. It was not enforced on the private ferry services we recently took in Liguria.

The seaside beckons in the fishing village of Camogli

The bad news is that the effect of relaxing the rules is an increasing number of COVID infections. From a personal perspective, COVID has spread more among people I know in the last few months then at any time since the beginning of the pandemic. Several have been quite sick and remained positive, and isolated, for several weeks. This has been a significant enough increase that many in Lucca’s English speaking community have returned to limiting group sizes, avoiding indoor groups, masking in any crowd, more frequent testing, and self-quarantine at the first sign of a sniffle. The relaxation of rules plus the influx of tourists is a concern and many worry that the rules have been cut back too much, too quickly. It remains to be seen if there will be a return to some of the previous rules so it is best to check right before travel. The best site I’ve found is the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (www.esteri.it) with information in both Italian and English.

What about the return to the United States? As of June 12 there is no requirement for COVID testing prior to entering the US (a big change). US citizens do not need to provide proof of immunization. Non-US citizens are required to have completed a primary series of immunizations at least two weeks prior to entry to the US, no booster required. Masks are no longer required on US airlines but still highly recommended. Few people were wearing masks on my recent flight from Frankfurt to Denver, despite a packed flight and those rising European COVID rates. I had mine firmly in place, as did my family. Vaccinations and masks may not be required but they remain the best defensive strategy. And it should go without saying that anyone with signs of illness should not board a plane!

Lucca’s balconies are filled with colorful summer flowers.

Now, for the harsh reality of air travel this summer. Combine a huge increase in travelers to Europe with shortages of pilots, airport staff, and baggage handlers and you get a perfect recipe for chaos. Throw in an uptick in strikes by airline workers and air traffic controllers in Europe and England and, mamma mia - che casino (what a mess)! Travelers need a double dose of patience, determination, the ability to handle last minute changes, flexibility, and a lot of pre-trip preparation.

Take my daughter’s trip as an example of what can happen. She arrived in Frankfurt to find her connection to Pisa canceled. She was rebooked automatically but with a two day delay in Frankfurt and one of her children on a different flight (definitely not ok!). In order to get her to Italy with only a one night stay in Germany, and both kids on the same flights, she had to fly to Rome instead of Pisa and then take a train to Florence and another to Lucca. With two teenagers in tow. She received no (zip, zero) help from the airlines with finding a hotel for her overnight delay. She arrived in Rome a day later, but two out of three suitcases did not. They were missing in action for almost the whole trip. That meant buying new wardrobes for my daughter and one of the grandkids. When did the bags arrive? The last 2 days of the trip! The tales of travelers arriving days late, missing cruises or big events, ruined trips, tears, and lost luggage are all too frequent right now. So, what’s a traveler to do?

The neighborhood in Rome where I found a last minute hotel as I raced there to meet my family’s rerouted flights. A stressful and expensive detour but I made the best of it. I found a lovely neighborhood bar just down the street from the hotel.

First, keep an eye on flight schedules as they are likely to change. Choose flights with as few legs as possible. It might save some money to have more stops but it also increases the chance for delays and cancelations. Whenever possible fly directly into Italy rather than transiting through another European country. Bags are more likely to be misplaced when multiple flights into multiple countries with more than 1 carrier are involved. Recent photos of piles of delayed luggage at Heathrow have convinced me that there really is a place where suitcases go to die.

Arrive a couple of days early to avoid missing a cruise or important event.

If arriving before a cruise, cooking week, wedding, or other important event, plan to come a couple of days early. Travel insurance can help cover the costs of a delay, but not the heartbreak of missing a big event!

A classic Tuscan landscape, near Pienza.

Pack light and do only carry on if at all possible. If it is necessary to check a bag, then a carry-on bag with essentials (as always - medications, jewelry, makeup etc) should come along and carry a change or two of clothing and perhaps an extra pair of shoes. Leave non-essentials at home. The space a couple of books take in a carry-on is better used for clothing! Keep a record of what is in each bag and be able to provide a complete description of a bag that goes missing. Also hang on to boarding passes as they can be needed if claiming compensation for lost or delayed baggage.

Travel may be a bit complicated these days, but it is worth the effort ! Rome awaits.

Be sure to sign up for notifications from the airlines and use wifi on board the flight (even if it costs) to follow the next legs of travel. Much better to know as far in advance as possible if the next flight is delayed or canceled. When my daughter’s flight from Frankfurt to Pisa was canceled she was in the air and without wifi. I saw the cancelation because I was tracking her flights (with the Flight View app) from my home in Italy. I was able to book her a hotel in Frankfurt and rearrange her flights even before she landed. Meanwhile, I could not reach her to let her know about the changes, or ask for her preferences, and no announcements were made during her flight. Not until she landed and checked the departure board did she see the cancelation. By that time the lines at the service counters were long and chaotic. Luckily, she got my text once she had access to airport wifi. She could skip those long lines to rebook and the search for a hotel as I had been able to arrange them before she even knew there was a problem. But not every traveler has a mamma in Italy, so best to be able to check for one’s self throughout the journey.

If cancelation or lost luggage is your fate, start collecting the documentation needed to file claims right away. This includes: proof of the cancelation (a screen shot of the itinerary showing the cancelation or even of the departure board), receipts for hotel stays and meals, receipts for the purchase of personal items and clothing required due to lost or delayed bags. Keep everything! Losses may be covered by the airlines (not guaranteed depending on circumstances), trip insurance, or credit card benefits.

prosciutto and melon - tastes like summer in Italy!

My return flights to the US last week went a bit more smoothly. But check-in took longer than normal in Florence, leaving no time for a coffee stop much less a bite to eat, between check in and boarding (not ideal with a 6:20 am flight, pack snacks). We were delayed an hour out of Frankfurt. That flight was packed. Arrival in Denver was a madhouse, with a need to go back through a very long security line and then a mad dash to our final connection just in time to board. Not even time for a bathroom break !

Please remember to be kind to flight attendants and airport staff. They are the ones working hard, despite all the challenges, and aren’t personally to blame for current issues. Truthfully, I was embarrassed by some of the rude passengers on my flights. A simple please and thank you goes a long way!

Come to Italy and take a selfie ! Despite delays and lost luggage my crew had a wonderful Italian vacation.

The good news is that between the crazy arrival flights and the stressful return flights, Italy provided a wonderful vacation. My daughter and two oldest grandkids, ages 13 and 16, are great travelers. They weathered the chaos of travel without missing a beat and arrived determined to not let delays and missing baggage ruin their enjoyment of Italy (and two of them now have new Italian wardrobes). Attitude really is the key to surviving this year’s challenging travel situation. They loved Lucca, Rapallo and the Portofino Peninsula, a day trip to Genoa, and 4 days in the Cinque Terre. Lots of blog posts to come about these wonderful places to visit!

Lucca in Bloom

April was quite cool and rainy this year; it seemed that spring would never arrive. Perhaps that long wait for spring has made May, with its lengthening days and beautiful weather, even more welcome. Right now the temperatures are perfect - just warm enough mornings, sunny warm afternoons, perfectly comfortable evenings. There are soft breezes and plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the feel of the sun on one’s face. Cool weather clothes have been packed away (finally!) and the midday sun gives a hint of the hot summer weather that is just around the corner. This is the in-between season, and it is one of the best times of year to be in Tuscany.

These roses can be found in the large park just behind the Church of San Francesco.

The magnolia blooms are long gone, the wisteria have mostly faded, and there are no poppies inside the historic center of the city (though they are a marvel out in the countryside). But that does not mean there is a shortage of color in town because in May Lucca erupts in roses and they are glorious.

This multi-colored rose garden is up on the walls that surround the historic center of Lucca.

I wish I could add a link that would share scent, because the roses fill the air with a soft, delicate perfume. This seems especially true for the banks of pink roses just outside Porta San Pietro, the main entrance into the city. Visitors to Lucca often enter this porta on their way from the train station into the city. And what a good first impression this makes!

Fragrant pink roses at Porta San Pietro. And why is there always a truck that “photo bombs” a good picture?

It’s impossible to walk past without stopping to appreciate the various shades of pink, the wonderful scent, the buzzing bees.

Not to be outdone by the pink roses just outside Porta San Pietro, these red ones are just inside the porta.

One of my favorite rose-filled places is the rose garden in the series of three small gardens in the chiostro (cloister) beside the Church of San Francesco. With an old well in the middle of the garden, and banks of roses fanning out in all directions, this is a delightful and well tended formal garden.

What a joy it is to walk through Lucca on a warm spring day and find these beautiful blooms.

Street side roses on Corso Garibaldi

Spring in Pietrasanta: Art, Philosophy, and Giraffes

Pietrasanta has everything a small town in Italy should have - beautiful scenery, a lively main piazza, historic buildings and statues, a lovely church, cafes, and good food. And art. It is the art that draws me back time after time.

One of many whimsical giraffes that can be seen throughout Pietrasanta this month.

Visiting is easy as it is just an hour-long train ride from my home in Lucca. Unless of course, as in my most recent visit, there is an interruption on the tracks, train delays, an extra change of trains, a track in a tiny station with no signage, and you hop on the wrong train and have to double back. But don’t let that discourage you! My friend and I laughed it off and eventually arrived to spend a lovely day in Pietrasanta.

Famous as a center of sculpture (the marble quarries of Carrara are nearby), the town has permanent outdoor installations of bronze and marble sculptures, from smaller pieces to Botero’s massive bronze warrior (below).

In addition to these permanent works, Pietrasanta hosts temporary exhibits which fill the main piazza and nearby spaces (as well as some indoor spots) with an ever-changing display of works by contemporary artists.

The current exhibit, in place until June 5th, features the artistry of Sandro Gorra. Gorra’s background is in commercial art where he worked as an illustrator and creative director for advertising campaigns. That was his work. Today, he concentrates on his art which includes sculpture, illustrations, and a sort of philosophical short poetry which accompanies his works. And then there are his giraffes.

Gorra says that this piece, made from 4 tons of marble, is one of his favorites. A loving mother giraffe tending to her baby.

Why giraffes? According to a published interview with Gorra, the giraffes serve as a parable, representing man’s desire for superiority. A giraffe towers above, looking down on everyone. Each one is unique in his spotted form.

This begs the question - without those spots, what would the giraffe be? Anonymous! Naked!

Change - a predictable part of life - in progress.

Change is inevitable and the spots on Gorra’s giraffes do indeed change. They fade away, they fall off, new ones appear. In fact, during my visit, two men, one looking suspiciously like the artist himself (or was that just my imagination?) were busy painting new spots on two of the giraffes. This would be consistent with Gorra’s view that change is to be expected and that irony is a part of the human (and giraffe) condition.

Alongside the works of art are illustrated phrases, providing an intriguing look into the artist’s mind and bits of his philosophy. I enjoyed these sprigs of wisdom just as much as the sculptures. Both made me smile, both made me think. Isn’t that the best part of art?

Here are some examples (any mistakes in translation are entirely my fault).

Don’t erase it, it is not a stain. It is your sign.

Ideas are always around, but if you don’t notice them they go away

And my favorite one of all - it just may become my personal mantra:

Everyone should read at least one giraffe a day.

A day in Pietrasanta is always a joy. Sipping a cafe in the Piazza del Duomo. Strolling through the piazza and the Chiostro di Sant’Agostino. A quick visit to the beautiful Duomo. Wandering the side streets. A quick stop at the Misericordia Chapel to see Botero’s Heaven and Hell frescoes. A relaxed lunch at a favorite spot. Add in Gorra’s giraffes and the day is just perfect!

Torino: 4 days, 3 Museums

Pausing for some down time between museum visits is essential!

I love visiting Italian cities and their many fabulous museums. But … too much museum time can be overwhelming! The last thing I want to do when exploring a new place is to spend all of my time dashing from one museum to the next in an effort to see it all. Travel is so much more enjoyable when there is a balance between select museum visits and time for all the other things a city has to offer - gardens, architecture, music, nature, markets (especially markets!), out-of-the-way neighborhoods, outdoor monuments, shops. Just sitting in a cafe sipping a cappuccino or a having a glass of wine in a local enoteca, watching daily life unfold around me, is a huge part of the fun.

When I visited Torino last fall I spent many happy hours wandering through the center of town, exploring the Quadilatero Romano neighborhood, enjoying the large piazzas and doing some window shopping. I also made plans to visit two museums - the Musei Reale (The Royal Museums, which include the Palace of the Savoys and the Chapel of the Shroud) and the Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum). Truth be told, it was the Savoy Palace that I most wanted to see. The whole idea of Egyptians in Italy seemed a bit strange to me, but it was top of the wish list for my travel companion, and highly recommended by several friends, so I was game to give it a try (and I am very glad that I did).

The entrance hall of the Royal Palace in Torino.

To fit both venues into a short visit, and avoid museum overload, we booked a combined tour through the agency Get Your Guide. The approximately 4 hour tour began at the Royal Museums and finished in the Egyptian Museum. Sofia, our tour guide, was fantastic and balanced explanations in both Italian and English for our mixed-language group of about 10 people. She was equally knowledgeable about the Royal Museums and the Egyptian Museum. She achieved the perfect mix of fact, legend, history, and interpretation of the exhibits.

Throne Room, Royal Palace

The two museums are dramatically different. The grand staircase in the Savoy Palace, the beautiful furnishings, the history of the Savoy family which is integral to the birth of modern Italy, all speak of a gracious and easily imagined era. Because the palace is still furnished, there is a real sense of how the Savoys lived here - the elegant Throne Room, the opulent dining room, the ball room, the hidden balconies for musicians, the exquisite wood work, the sculptures. The opulence is dazzling.

There is also a long gallery filled with a collection of armor and armaments. You can even get to know the former king’s favorite horses! Something fascinating is to be found around every corner.

The tour of the palace ended in the chapel build to house the Shroud of Turin. The chapel was fairly recently reopened after more than 20 years of restoration following a fire. The Shroud itself is nowhere to be seen (the nearby Duomo hosts an informative shroud exhibit but the real thing is too valuable to display), but the chapel itself is a work of art. The architecture, especially of the unique cupola (dome), and the sculptures are breathtaking (or, to use one of my favorite Italian words, mozzafiato!). The chapel was the perfect ending to the Royal Museums tour.

The multilayer hexagonal dome in the Chapel of the Holy Shroud rises high above the dark marble interior of the chapel.

On the other hand, and from a very different era, the Egyptian museum is filled with mummies and sarcophagi.

The story of how Torino came to host this collection of artifacts - and the faked Egyptian artifact that started the collection - made a fun story at the start of the tour. The guide’s explanations put this remote era into perspective and helped the artifacts blend together into a cohesive story. I was glad to have experienced this!

Although my goal was to just see these two museums, our last morning in Torino was gray and rainy. Not a good day for the outdoor exploration we had planned.

Instead, my companion and I walked over to see the Mole Antonelliana. This architectural stunner, designed by Alessandro Antonelli, is the symbol of Torino. It is such an iconic image in Italy that it is engraved on the Italian 2 euro coin. The spire rises high above the city and is visible from quite a distance. Once upon a time this was the tallest brick building in the world, it may still be the most beautiful. The bottom of the building is square, with another square portion siting on top. Above that rises a dome, topped by a very tall spire.

The Mole Antonelliana as seen from the gardens of the Royal Museums

Up those cables travels the elevator - quite the view !

Right through the middle of the building’s interior a glass elevator rides up cables to give visitors a view from high above.

Originally destined to become a synagogue (no doubt without that elevator), today the building houses the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (National Cinema Museum).

I had not intended to go to inside the museum, but the outside of the building was so impressive that I really wanted to get a peak inside. I was totally unprepared for the experience of the cinema museum inside the Mole Antonelliana. A riot of sound, color, and visual effects fill the main hall. Big screens around the room show a variety of videos - there were even lounge chairs to sit back and take it all in! Exhibits trace the history of movies back to shadow images, stereoscopes, and the science of optics. There are collections of movie posters, costumes, special effects, and characters. It was too much to appreciate in a single short visit and definitely a place I will return to on my next trip to Torino (I think my grandkids would love it too).

The next time I get to Torino there are even more museums to visit - Ancient art in the Palazzo Madama and Italian national history at the Museo Nazionale del Risorgimento. I am glad that I didn’t try to do them all in a single trip!