Updates!!!!!!!!!!!!
Trip Start
Jun 08, 2007
1
8
9
Trip End
Jun 22, 2007
Cinque Terre, Italy
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Day 5, June 13
Today we went to the Borghese Palace!! the borghese palace used to be a Villa for the Borghese family but when the family went bankrupt, they were forced to sell the Villa to the Italian government. A man named Cardinal Scipione Borghese, decided to start collecting all sorts of statues and paintings to make his collection the most important in Italy. Sometimes he even hired men to go and steal paintings he wanted from neighboring art dealers and studios! anyway, the Borghese Palace was pretty neat, and pretty pretty, as it is located on a really pretty hill surrounded by trees. now the surrounding area around the villa has been made in to a park. the exterior of the borghese palace was beautiful. There were all sorts of statues and other decorations attached to the building itself in these cool little alcove type things on the roof. It is beautiful! inside, it gets even better. as soon as you walk inside you see the entry hall that is completley busy... not with people but with paintings on the walls. there is a huge mural on the ceiling, and all sorts of statues painted on the wall that look real and gold leaf and all sorts of things everywhere!!! it almost hurts to look at all of it. originally, the walls and ceiling werent like that; a following Borghese family member redid the villas interior in the 1800s. I wont tell you all of the paintings we saw, but we saw quite a few by Caravaggio- an artist that painted beautiful but symbolic and simple paintings. here i was, quite in awe of his paintings, and our tour guide tells us that he had killed a man once! it turns out that because of his beautiful paintings, the Pope was going to grant him a full pardon, but he died on the was to the Vatican. strange, huh? anyway, there were also all sorts of statues by Bernini. he is really cool. he is actually my favorite sculptist! he made a beautiful statue that looks so realistic of a women in mythology turning into a laurel tree so a guy cant fall in love with her if she is a tree. he then asked if he could use some of her brances, she said yes, and that is how the Romans started using laurel branches in their hair apparentley. interesting. after we saw the Borghese palace, we said chao to our tourguide Robert and went to dinner. It took us about 29 hours to find a resturant, and by the time we did, boy were we glad to be there! we ended up at a lovely quaint resturant that was not crowded at all. The food was interesting, and the resturant was very pretty with roses and flowers growing on the outside.... but then guess what? we saw sooo many tourists and locals alike come flooding to the resturant in the middle of dinner! incredible! we were very surprised. We think that we saw all these people because our "savior" Rick Steves, the guy who wrote our guide to Italy book, recomended this resturant. shows what power he has!! cool. so, we ate, and then we went back to the hotel.(oh and by the way we ate gelato probably; we have had gelato every single day on this trip, some days even twice.) When we got to the hotel, we packed, and prepared to say Arrivaderci to Roma... and our wonderful hotel.
Day 6
June 14
Today was a complete travel day. today we woke up early, tried to find a taxi that would take all 5 of us and all our suit cases, then we went to the train station. they had these cool ticket touch screens that we used the night before for our tickets. anyway, we got to the trainstation, hopped on a train to get to La Spezia, then we hopped on another train to get to Montorosso, the city that we were going to be staying at in Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a series of 5 towns on the coast surrounded by mountains. When we finally got to Montorosso, we walked a long time past shops and through a tunnel to get to the main area of Montorosso.... and the view was beautiful!!! there was a beach right infront of our hotel, so when we stood back far away from our window all you could see was the water and the cliffs by the beach. there was even a hotel built into the cliffs!! very cool. our rooms, we had 2, were interesting, the set up for ours being a set of 2 beds in an alcove and another bed by itself in another part of the room. our bathroom was very clean, thankfully, as we werent sure what we were going to get in an Italian BandB. however, we did get an infestation of ants later on in the week. anyway, as soon as we arrived in Cinque Terre, we unloaded our bags and then moved quickley to a resturant. It was sunset by then, and with live music by our resturant it was very relaxing. There was a lot of seafood at the resturant, as we were by the ocean...and alot of the resturants were called CIAK, an abbreviation for the name of the company that owned these resturants. i was expecting Montorossa to be a touristy and resorty town, but it actually wasnt! it seemed very local oriented if that makes any sense.
I love Montorosso!! (sorry if i keep changing tenses...)
Day 7, June 15
Our first full day in Cinque Terre!! Fun. Today we slept in late, went down to breakfast downstairs { croissants= :-) :-) } ( i could eat 50 in a row) and just strolled around to check out Cinque Terre. I saw a very cute bag and ring at a store (ooh i forgot to mention that the check out system in Italy is very cool.. no tax, so you can just hand the money to the shop keeper with out any register or anyting...cool) we visited many shops and met a man at the foccacciaria (there are alot of those) who told us his life story pretty much. The people in Cinque Terre are soo friendly!! we ate our Foccacchia, which is a type of bread which can have cheese or potatoes and such on it.... yum.... and continued on our tour. we saw that most of the stores needed to live, like the grocery store, bank, post office, internet cafes and such were towards the back by the apartments. the tourists shops, resturants and hotels are all towards the front. When we got back to the hotel, Nina and I watched West Side Story (* a very good movie, i know*) and the short movie For The Birds two times! we were up very late... went to bed at 2:30!
Day 8, June 16
Wow! today was a full day! we hiked around to 3 of the other towns in Cinque Terre, went swimming, ate and went shopping. The hike was very interesting, as most of it was on the top of a mountain overlooking the mediteranean. It was gorgeous, and the water was angry and churning around the rocks. beautiful. we walked through a rough path surrounded by shrubbery and trees and occasionaly a small wall. The hike took about 2 hours to walk, and actually wasnt as bad as i thought it would be. Nina and i sung songs from West Side Story ( I feel pretty, thats a good one to sing on the top of a mountain, so is America ;-) )
and actually had a very fun time! we spent a small amount of time in the towns we hiked to and just got some gelato and looked at some of the stores. It was fun! however, it became not so much fun when we got to walk up 400 stairs. steep stairs. i officially dont like steep stairs. no way. that was tiring. we then took a bus to Corneglia train station and took a train back to Montorosso. when we arrived in Montorrosso, we met back with Monica who had stayed behind to check out the rest of Montorrosso, and went to the beach after taking a small ciesta. The beach is very cool, all pebbles, not so much sand. We lied out in the shade of umbrellas after swimming in the freezing water, and read and listened to music. ( oh yes, i forgot, we also heard a new song called Raphaella Mia Mia Mia, or something like that, in Italian) It was quite funny, as i am in the most sunburnable person in our group, as we found out in Florida last summer, i was made to lather sooo much sunscreen on. however, i sorta missed a little on my legs and i have strips and weird shapes of sunburn on my legs and feet, the only part of me outside the umbrella. oh well. feels better now. and i am actually maybe sort of tan now! cool! anyway, so we went swimming, ate at another peaceful resturant, and then went shopping at the shops. I was very impressed with the selection, there was the touristy postcardy shops, but also the pottery shop, the jewlery shop, clothes shops, shoes shops, bag shops and so on. Pretty much all hand made!
then guess what?
i think it was today, maybe the next day, dunno, but there was something very cool that happend. The local fan club for the Genoa soccer (futbol) team had a huge party, as the team had won a big tournament or something. it seemed that all of Montorrossa had come out for the party and everyone was singing and dancing! there were sweatshirts for sale, and this cute little girl was trying to speak english and was doing very well! she was doing very well, and whenever we saw her after that and she saw us she would say "Chao!!" and smile. anyway, back to the sweatshirts, they have something written on them, but we are not quite sure what. or what language they are in. oh well. we looked like we were fans, and now my official favorite soccer team is Genoa. Not sure where that is either. oh well!! ;-)
Day 9
June 17, 2007
Today was fathers day! Mr. P wanted to go to Porto Fino, but we didnt. instead we just went to the beach and hung out all day. the weather was nice, and we read and went swimming. a perfect relaxing day.
Day 10
June 18, 2007
Today we went to Porto Fino, like Mr.P wanted. Porto Fino is such a cool place! we took a boat to get there and when we pulled in to the port there were yachts everywhere. there was one called Altitude that was almost like a cruise ship (speaking of which, we saw a cruise ship) anyway, we pulled in and wandered. I had on my new shoes which have heels and they were hard to walk in on the cobble streets! we finally went to lunch at a resturant that was very pretty and we saw all sorts of interesting people walk by. we were also right down the street from the Italian Navy port area. cool. anyway, we continued to walk, and ended up taking a hike from Porto Fino to Santa Margherita, the neighboring town, to find a beach. i kept hoping i would see someone famous, but we didnt. i did see someone that looked suspisiousley like Johnny Depp with a long white beard and a dog later on in the trip, but that is irrevelant. anyway, we went to the beach, whch also had pebbles, and rented beach chairs and towels. we went in the water, which was also freezing, and then laid out on the chairs. i didnt burn thankfully. the view from the beach is beautiful, and so was the view from the trail!! we then went back to our hotel in Montorosso and packed.
also, today was my Grandma's birthday. Happy Birthday Grama!!
love you!
Day 11
June 19, 2007
Today we came to Florence. it was a very long trip, where we first traveled to Pisa, and then to Florence. we took a nap, went to lunch, and then went to the Academia! i wasnt very impressed with the Academia... but it was still cool! there were all sorts of paintings, but the main things there were Michealangelos David and Prisoners. The David was huge!! it is mounted on a huge platform in the center of a domed room, and you have to crane your neck up to see it. The David was impressive, a statue of King David with his sling shot. His eyes are so expressive, and you can really see emotion. Good Job Michealangelo!! the prisoners are also very cool. They are the unfinished sculptures of Michealangelo. he was commisioned to sculpt the sculptures, 5 in all i think, for a moseleum. however, the commission was canceled, due to arguement, and the statues were never finished. it is eerie to see them because they look like they are trying to break free!! After we went to the Academia, we went out to dinner and then we went back to the hotel. at the hotel, which is another bed in breakfast, kind of strange looking, Nina and I watched LA Story and fell asleep on the huge bed in our hotel room. (i forgot to mention that we visited a perfume place, and Monica and I got a very nice perfum called Madagascar Vanilla. very cool)
Day 12
June 20
hello! today was a very interesting day. in the morning, our day plan was to look like this...go to Ufizzi (dont know if i am spelling that right)which is the best collection of Italian art in Italy, and then go last minute shopping in Florence. However, we arrived early to the Ufizzi, and therefore we decided to go to the Synagogue in Florence! how exciting! now I have gotten to see the two powerhouse synagogues in Italy; Rome and Florence. when we arrived, i was surprised by the amount of security there was. We had to check all metal objects into lockers (including cameras) and then go through a metal detector chamber type thing. it was very interesting! but once we got inside the grounds, it was beautiful. There was a beautiful wall to our left commemerating all of the people who were taken by the Nazis, in Florence, during WW2. There were so many names, and we could see entire families taken away. It was very sad. Then, we finally entered the synagogue itself. It was like entering a new world! It was dark and sort of dusty, but beautiful. we visited the gift shop first, and i bought myself a pendant for my necklace i always wear, a book explaining the history of the synagogue, and a mezuzah for my family. when we finally entered the sanctuary, it was breathtaking! it was huge, just like the one in Rome, and it also had a dome (but not square) like the one in Rome, but it was also different. There was a podium in the middle of the room, for reading the Torah, the holy scrolls, and many of the seats were actually facing this, not the Ark at the front of the room. The ark was beautiful! it was a giant strucutre, and we were later told that if u looked closley, you could see bayonet marks from Facist soldiers. the community decided not to restore the Ark, so that the history of the synagogue could remain there. (the Ark is where the scrolls are kept) anyway, the synagogue was designed in Moorish style, and it was beautiful. the gold leaf that used to line the sanctuary had desintegrated into powder, but the room was still gorgeus! it had all sorts of writings around the top, and there was also a balcony, where the women used to sit. (this synagogue was also Orthodox) It gets very cold and hot in the balcony, so the women sit below now, in a differnet section than the men, and only sit in the balcony on holidays when the main floor is full. After we went to the sanctuary, we headed upstairs
to the museum. It was fairly small and had all sorts of synagogue history and "artifacts" for lack of a better word. I loved the yads, or the Torah pointers! very pretty. well, finally it was time to leave, and we went outside to go to our 3:00 "tour" at the ufizzi. it wasnt really a tour, as we guided ourselves along and looked at paintins and sculptures with our handy keypad earphone tour guide thingys hanging around our neck. before we visited any of the artwork though, we had to eat at the cafe there. it was very yummy! then we went to room number 18 first, where we saw all sorts of paintings by different artists, and had to stay in a horseshoe area roped off by ropes so we didnt touch anything. it was a beautifully decorated room with gold and rose colors. then we went on to the rest of the rooms and saw paintings and sculptures by DaVincci, Michealangelo, and all sorts of other painters and sculptures. It was quite amazing to see all these famous paintings in real life! my favorite painting is the one with the lady with the long blond hair standing in a seashell and the gods of wind are blowing on her. i will get a picture off of the internet to show you. anyway, the museum was great, and we headed out after the better part of the afternoon! (ooh and we also heard from Mr. P that someone had snuck in a coke past the security system and opened it in the museum and splashed a painting! the police came and everything!)
after we went to the museum, we wandered around and went shopping. while we were out, we saw a boat race going on in the river, which was apparently a big deal, a drumming marching parade type thing with people in old Italian costumes and flag throwers, and all sorts of jewelry shops that went on for 1/4 of a mile, I'm betting. it was cool! we got some things, including a very fun t-shirt (i think that was today) and then headed to dinner at a nice resturant. however, while we were there, 100 or so people in tour groups came! unbelievable! we were eating outside though, so they werent a problem. while we were eating, we heard a loud music playing, and thought it was a street dance party. however, it was a store right on the corner's opening night, and they were having a big party! Nina and I were going to go in and look, but the adults there were drinking so we didnt. phewf. anyway, we then continued to eat, our waiter was very funny, and then we went home to the hotel, packed and went to bed. it was a long day
Day 13
June 21- June 24
our last day! i dont remember how we got to Rome for our flight, as i am at home now, but i do remember we went on train late in the day. so, we ended up in Rome, spent the night (i think it was the day before's night) and ordered room service(didnt turn out well) and watched a movie. then, we hopped on a plane from Rome to NY, and i was so sad to be leaving! italy was soo much fun. i had a blast, and i am so greatful for the opportunity to have come here! it was an amazing trip with wonderful people. when we arrived in NY, JFK, we said good bye, and then Nina, Monica, Mr. P and Auntie S went on a differnt plane back home. However, it was great to see Momma! (and my friend and her mom that came up to NY to see me and mom. how fun!! :) ) when we were in NY, we say the Broadway play "Wicked" (amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and saw time square, saw family, and did all sorts of other things! finally, it was time to go home, and we hopped on a plane to fly back home. our planw was supposed to take off at 9:45 pm, but we left at almost midnight, due to weather! we got home at 3:00am!! ahhhh!
But anyway, I would like to say thanks for letting me go on such a remarkable trip! i will remember it for ever!!
luv,
m
