Sneak Preview

Quite busy having fun so no full blog posts yet ...

Gargonza!

On Saturday morning our family time in Umbria was done and it was time for Lisa and Christos to enjoy the wonders of Tuscany on our own!

Our first stop was the lovely resort / hamlet of Gargonza. While located within Tuscany, Gargonza is close to the border with Umbria and is a bit off the beaten path for foreign tourists but very popular with Italians for weddings.

We stayed in the lovely Pietrino suite which consists of a bathroom and bedroom on the top floor with a kitchenette and lounge on the main floor. The "stairs" to the second floor reminded us of the access way on Elifthiria, quite steep and a bit rickety!


After we arrived and checked-in, we took off for a little drive of the area and visited Sinalunga (seeking the Etruscan Larth exhibit which we found but it was closed), the abbey of Farneta and the town of Marciano. Christos bought some Mussolini era coins in Sinalunga which the vendor claimed were silver but Christos knew they were not (still, only 10 euros for coins from the 20s complete with Mussolini's profile!).

When we returned to Gargonza, an Italian wedding was in full swing (it being Saturday) and we had to squeeze a bit to find parking!

In fact, it seemed to be high season for weddings as we noticed a plethora of wedding direction signs spread about the countryside on our drive to Gargonza!

That night we dined at Gargonza where dinner was expensive but good (Christos' pork was excellent).

The next day (Sunday), we noted as we drove about that the signs for previous matrimonial celebrations were still festooned around the area so we began a new activity; wedding sign collection!

Much of our day was spent performing what we now regarded as our civic duty; removing wedding signs for past weddings and by the end of it we had quite a collection!

We also tried to do some hiking on the trails near Gargonza but soon discovered that what Gargonza labelled a trail soon became bush! So we squeezed in a short round trip hike (2km?) before emerging from the bush covered in scratches!

That night we decided to try the local osteria (Osteria Del Cacciatore) which was very good and reasonably priced. We had the mixed grill for two which resulted in left over steak for the next day's lunch!

Our last day at Gargonza included a 2.5km hike in the "Riserva Naturale Di Ponte A Buriano E Penna" as well as a visit to the lovely hill town of Civitella in Val di Chiana, the site of a WWII massacre of Italian civilians by the SS.

We grabbed a bite at a local restaurant and Christos noted that while we dined on bruschetta, the two tables sitting next to us conversed in German and the locals seemed not to care. I guess time heals all wounds! 

Dinner was once again at Osteria Cacciatore (the price point was hard to beat and the food quite decent) and after watching some TV on the front steps of our room (Gargonza has excellent wifi) we retired for a good night's sleep with dreams of out next destination, Chianti!, filling our heads.

(YUM)Bria!

While we love the history, culture and sights of Rome, for us the Italian countryside has even more to offer. Hence our choice of Umbria (aka YUMbria) as the destination for 2018. Umbria is the agricultural heartland of Italy and the only Italian region having no coastline or borders with other countries (truly the heart of Italy!).

After a struggle at Termini station to pick up our rental cars (all told it took over an hour and a half to get the cars; it was madness at the rental agency), we were soon on the road and headed to towards the town of Umbertide (pronounced UM-BRR-TEA-DAY by the locals) and Casa Giardino, the nearby villa we rented for our family week in the Italian countryside!

We arrived in the late afternoon on Saturday and quickly settled in after the initial welcome. The villa is wonderful with four separate bedrooms (each with ensuite washroom), a large kitchen and dining area, a wonderful outdoor dining area, a pool and a small garden (from which many tomatoes and figs were harvested).

Our initial group consisted of Bob and Larry, Sally and Alex, Lisa and Christos and Liam and Jo. As we had just arrived with little time to provision or cook, our first dinner was out at the nearby Agriturismo "Calagrana". Dinner was excellent and thus we opted to book a table for the coming Tuesday night as well.

After breakfast crepes by Christos, Sunday was a day of relaxation and provisioning. Quite a few bottles of wine were taken in to the villa as well as food for the masses! We also added to our group with the arrival of Neil (Lisa's brother and Liam's dad) during the afternoon.

There was much lounging by the pool and eventually Lisa and Christos cooked up a Spanish dish of chicken poached in white wine with olives for dinner; everyone loved it although quite a bit was prepared and thus leftovers were inevitable.

Sunday also saw the arrival of good tidings as Christos received an email from his cousin Hana indicating she was aware that we were in Italy as was she!

It turns out Hana was a mere hour or so drive away in Perugia enjoying the jazz festival, staying with friends and promoting her film.

Of course with family so proximal we could not but help planning a rendezvous and we arranged to pick Hana up on Tuesday afternoon in Umbertide!

Monday was a day for touring with the destination being Gubbio, less than an hour away.

We piled into three cars and arrived a little before noon. It quickly became apparent that members of our nine strong group toured at different speeds and with differing goals in mind. So after some time touring together it was decided after lunch that we should split into smaller groups.

For Christos, the highlight was the Iguvine Tablets while others enjoyed the wonderful Palazzo dei Consoli which is now a museum and houses the Iguvine Tablets as well as other wonders.

We also met the local (quasi) feral cat on Monday who came by lookign for whatever food she could get. We named her "Honey" and fed her well over the next few days. Lisa was concerned about her weepy eye and even snuck antibiotics into some of her food! Honey seemed quite content to hang out at our place on occasion over the next week.

Gubbio is also famous for its association with St. Francis, said to have lived in or near Gubbio in the 1220s, and his taming of a ferocious wolf that lurked nearby.

After several hours of touring it was time to head back to the villa for lounging and dinner which was a big chicken salad prepared by Jo and Christos.


Tuesday was a down temp day with lounging by the pool and much chit chat.

Lisa and Christos picked up Hana in the early afternoon in Umbertide and after a brief tour of the town made it back to the villa for introductions, drinks by the pool, chit chat etc until it was time to freshen up and head off for dinner, once again at Calagrana.

The dinner was excellent and we were a boisterous bunch (although another large table nearby was even more boisterous) ... eventually we made it back to the villa where we stayed up until the wee hours discussing family and such.

Wednesday started very early for Neil who drove Jo back to Perugia in the early hours so she could begin her travels back and it was also market day in Umbertide so off went Lisa, Christos and Alex a little bit later to provision for the next few days. Kathy and Larry headed off for an afternoon tour of parts unknown, perhaps Cortona, as was now their day trip modus operandi.

The farmer's market was wonderful with amazing fruits and vegetables as well as wonderful deli meats like guanciale. We loaded up on all sorts of goodies, had some coffee and headed back to the villa for afternoon lounging. Neil acted as chauffeur again, driving Hana to Perugia in the late afternoon!

Baba made dinner but due to a chef error he had bought cured sausages rather than raw ones for the peppers, pappardelle and sausage he wanted to create. Dinner was a bit rough but edible!

Thursday was another day of touring, this time it being lovely Assisi that we chose to visit. Our group of eight (with Jo and Hana having left on Wednesday) split up early on into smaller groups and spent a full day visiting the town's monuments.

Lisa and Christos visited a few art installations as well, including a fascinating one that had been looking at the US spy "blimps" in Afghanistan, before finding the gallery of the artist of Massimo Cruciani. We could not resist and purchased two of his smaller pieces.

Baba managed to redeem himself on Thursday,  making an amatriciana sauce which was much better than the previous night's debacle!

Friday was another casual day with Neil and Liam departing in the mid afternoon for Rome. The six of us dined at "Ristorante Simone Corsetti ai Girasoli di Sant'Andrea". Almost everyone loved it but Lisa seemed to have a bad reaction to the amuse-bouche flan! The Florentine steak was huge (and a wee bit rare) so much of it ended up coming with us the next day when our week in Umbria was done, as did other goodies such as the delicious melon from the local farmer, left over tuna and some fruit (sadly there was no wine leftover!).

Saturday morning the owner arrived and we exchanged pleasantries before gulping down the last of the coffee and heading off to the next chapter of our Italian caper! First we dropped Alex and Sally off in Arezzo before crossing the border into the Tuscany!

Roma Roma Roma!!!!

We arrived in Rome on Wednesday in the afternoon and managed to get to our hotel, Gigli D'Oro, with just enough time to clean up, grab a bite at the local restaurant nearby ("il desiderio preso per la coda") before heading off to the Palazzo Farnese where we met up with Alex and Sally! Alex (aka Baba) had purchased tickets for a tour of the Palazzo and as the place is also the working French Embassy, the tour is under heavy security and scrutiny!

It was a good tour (and a lovely building) except we could only get tickets for the tour in Italian! The Hercules Room and the Carracci Gallery (aka The Loves of the Gods) are well worth seeing!

Afte a brief rest, we met up with Alex and Sal for a decent dinner at "La Quercia" where Christos had saltimbocca and Lisa had swordfish. After dinner it was time for a walk to Piazza Navona and a stogey for the old man!

The next day we awoke early due to renovations next door but did not manage to make it out of the hotel until just before 2PM.

We opted for a walking tour of Rome with stops at the Trevi Fountains and Spanish Steps before lunch at our local (il disiderio) which we thought was not as good as it had been in the past (it was nearing the ned of the lunch hour so the kitchen was a bit sloppy). After lunch and some rest it was off for another walk up to Piazza del Popolo to visit Santa Maria Del Popolo  to enjoy the wonderful free art therein which includes two wonderful Caravaggios (Conversion on the Way to Damascus and Crucifixion of St. Peter).

One must pay a euro to light them up but it is well worth the price!

On the way back from "Popolo" we passed by the Mausoluem of Augustus and discovered that the "guerrilla artist" that had been active last time we were in Rome four years ago was still going at it.

His name is Fausto Delle Chiaie and his works are very simple but amusing and quite fun! We purchased a postcard from him for 1 euro that depicts a rat which features in his current work at the Mausoleum site.

We had a wonderful dinner at Osteria 140, although we did end up paying for an item that was never delivered (where is that tartar?) and although Baba retired early, we walked up to Navonna and back wth Sally before dropping her off at the hotel and then staying up late at Cipasso, a wine bar near our hotel, watching people and enjoying the (relatively) cool evening.

The next day involved shopping for breakfast fruit in the open air Campo Fiore market (oh the figs are divine) before a walk along the Tiber to escape the heat and madness above before climbing back up into the streets of Rome for a walk past Castel Sant Angelo and St. Peter's to the Unita market for a salad lunch.

After lunch we revisited the Pantheon where we were accosted by one of the ubiquitous migrants who offered us a free bracelet but was disappointed offered him his change (around 1 Euro) in exchange. In any case, the deal was done but the bracelet soon disassembled for its constituent parts (one can always use some twine!).

After the Pantheon we crossed the Tiber to visit Trastevere where we had last been in 2014. We visited the lovely Santa Maria in Trastevere and stopped for a beverage before heading back to our hotel back at Piazza Navona.

Dinner was for six as Kathy and Larry had now joined us! It was an OK meal but nothing to get excited about. Dessert however was a different story as we had Grom gelato .... We had noticed it for sale around Rome and that the Grom storefront on Piazza Navona was always busy at night so while we are not big gelato fans we decided to try it on our last night in Rome. It was divine!!

The next morning eight of us (with Jo and Liam now joining the grtoup) assembled at Termini station to pile into two rental cars headed for Umbria!

Newf Hikes!

SATURDAY JUNE 30TH

MONDAY JULY 2ND

TUESDAY JULY 3RD

Newfoundland, not working time.

We awoke late Friday morning to inclement weather that worsened as the day went on.

Our first order of business was heading to Corner Brook to provision for the long weekend. Much beer, wine and other victuals were purchased!

As the weather turned decidedly soggy, our Friday night ended up being games night in and roast beef (from Tanjo at the St. Lawrence) dinner.

We played two games of "Castles of Burgundy" before heading to bed around midnight with everyone dreaming of better weather in the future!

The next day, our dreams were answered!

Saturday ended up being the nicest day of the lot while we were in Newfoundland. The skies were blue and it was very much t-shirt and shorts weather!

After a hearty breakfast of back bacon and egg sandwiches, it was off to the Copper Mine trail about a 45 minute drive away.

We stepped out of the car our intrepid guide Aare showed us our goal and we advanced towards it!

As we climbed the 650m over 3.8km to the top of the hill overlooking the bay we passed a few other hikers but overall we did not see too many people although the woods were thick with Robins and other birds.

Soon we emerged from the wooded section and advanced beyond the tree line through a land of scrub broken rock.

Our destination provided an amazing view of the Bay of Islands where we stopped for lunch, sitting on the scruffy shrubbery which acted as a cushion!







After our lunch of beer, wine and roast turkey sandwiches, it was back down the way we came once more encountering a handful of other hikers. All told the ascent and descent took about four glorious hours and even though Lisa ended up with a minor foot wound, she laughed it off as well worth the price of such a wonderful afternoon.

We hopped in Aare's car for the 45 minutes or so back to Benoit's Cove with a quick stop on the way for beers (already we knew our previous day's provisioning was not going to last).

Before dinner,  we playtested the latest version of Christos' game "Sons of York".

The game test took about three hours and resulted in a resounding victory for Lisa as champion of Margaret Beaufort even though the loyal Courtenay, Earl of Devon, perished early in her service.

Her control of Castles in seven different regions made the entire kingdom acknowledge her as victor. Lord Aare was close to victory with Henry VI under his control and a Parliament that benefitted his faction but he lacked support (enough Castles) of the kingdom while Lord Ctos championed Edward of York but had yet to crown him or gain enough of England to be considered victorious.

Dinner was steak (from Tanjo) with morels (recently harvested by Aare) accompanied by veggies and salad. Desert was the dwindling supply o Soma chocolate brought from Toronto. The meal was divine and went a little late, ending some time after 10PM.

With the skies clear and the weather not too cold, we decided to indulge in a wilderness favourite, the campfire!

It had been wet the day before but there was enough dry fuel to get a good fire going and the dampness was actually a positive safety factor as it limited the danger from embers and sparks.

We stayed up late talking about the day's adventures and other topics. Many beers and glasses of wine were consumed over several hours.

Who knows what time we got to bed but Aare did manage to burn through a seven foot tall, six inch diameter tree several inches at a time while we were there!

Sunday started early but groggily as we had to be at Aare's parents place for 9:30AM breakfast. We arrived late, albeit only by about ten minutes, and Aare was ribbed accordingly by his father.

Breakfast was the famous oven baked crepes that Aare's dad makes served with yummy maple syrup and real espresso (not drip!) coffee! Breakfast was very was well received!
Over crepes, Christos noticed the Voitk family portrait that once adorned the wall of the Voitk house on Wellesley so he decided to take a quick picture; all the better for Aare'd progile pic!

After an hour or so it was time to head back to Aare's 'hood and to take on the rest of the day!

The drive back to Benoit's Cove was uneventful and as the weather was decent we opted to head over to OBIEC country for some more hiking!