It's still Christmas in Italy...

After that great dinner at noon, I had a couple of mandarin oranges at about 21:00, and that's it... I walked from Rapallo to S. Margherita at about 16:00, returning to Rapallo at 18:00. Still felt full:) I walked through town and there were some shops and bars open, and a few restaurants on the main street along the bay, and many people out walking.

I made a reservation (talked on the phone with a fellow who spoke no english!) in Firenze for tomorrow for 4 nights at the Hotel Costantini--right across the street from the Duomo (thanks for the tip, Gina!). Got the train schedule on line and will leave Rapallo at 10:27, change in Pisa, and arrive in Firenze at 13:33. One of the trains is a rapid, IC train... the train system is so great here, and even the regional trains run on time. It is such a great system. I have learned to look at the list of stops so that I know the 1 or 2 stops before my destination--I still get nervous, afraid that I will miss my stop! Not so on a route that I have traveled before, though. Buona notte, tutti!

Christmas dinner in Rapallo

From start to finish--Christmas dinner with my cousin Rina, her husband Angelo, and my aunt Elisa today in Rapallo... antipasti: assorted sliced meats (salami, prosciutto crudo, mortadella, prosciutto cotto) and pane (foccacia, pane, breadsticks). Primo piatto: home made ravioli di vedura (spinach and other vegetables) con ragu (meat sauce). Secondo piatto: insalata (leaves of butter lettuce, radiccio, and tomatoes), olio d'oliva (olvie oil). roasted pork, roasted potatoes, small roasted onions (cippoli) served with a bottled red wine (I didn't look at the label) and Angelo's brother's wine in a small fiasco. When I asked about the wine and was told it was his brother's, Rina got up and brought in another bottle of wine in a large water bottle, saying that it was this year's. i asked how it can be stored in a plastic water bottle, and she said that it is from a large fiasco, and this is just a small bottle to use today, but not to store. I didn't get a chance to try this year's, but the wine from the fiasco (last year's?)was yummy--dry, but with a pronounced taste of the local fruit--it tasted like fruit from the local hills...

Then dessert... Rina unwrapped a great, tall pannetone from Milano--I think the local pannetone is short, not big like Milano's but am not sure... plus a local pannetone, and a sweet bread with raisins that I brought yesterday. When I bought it at the store, I thought it was pane with eggs, but it turns out it was bread with raisins (uovo vs. uva... tricky, tricky...), and a basket with packages of figs (fica), dates Arabo, nougat, chocolates, and more that we (thankfully!) did not open. Bowls of freshly sliced fruit. Rina brought two bottles of prosecco--one that I brought yesterday from the same shop where I bought the bread. Angelo opened one, and Rina brought out new glasses. One whole wall is covered by a large buffet/china cabinet (un armardio) that holds all of the plates and glasses and china--typical for italian dining rooms and kitchens to have free-standing furniture instead of built in cabinets... ok, back to the food and drink:) We grazed on all the yummy sweets, and Rina asked if we would like caffe, and made a pot of espresso, then poured small glasses of home made limoncello. Allora, basta! I'm proud to say that I was full but not uncomfortably so, having declined seconds of ravioli and of pork and potatoes.

Ciao, tutti... it's clear now--if you aren't interested in food, you will be bored by my blog... if you love food, and family, and travel, then come along to Firenze domani!
ciao e auguri!

Christmas letter to my family

Ciao mia famiglia,
I have had a wonderful christmas day, and it is with heartfelt emotions that I send this email to you all. I will write more details about the day in my blog (my journal, really!) but want you to know about the family. Yesterday I took a taxi to Rina and Angelo's, had tea and cake, and spent about an hour... today I walked there from my hotel--a wonderful walk-- and enjoyed pranzo di natale with Rina, Angelo, and Elisa. I swear, Elisa is exactly the same as when I saw her in 2003 and 2005--just a little older and with more pains and ailments, but so beautiful and sweet... I am crying writing this, as I cried with Rina and Elisa just a couple of hours ago... it is so important to see our family,and to see Elisa so old, and Rina so tired, taking care of her husband and her mother. I asked about Maria, but Rina only said that she is still not doing well after Leno's death. I spoke to her for a moment on the phone yesterday when she called Rina. We said some greetings, and her voice sounded very tired and sad... her son Fabio works in Rapallo, doing something with computers.

Elisa has an ailment that they call herpes, which affects her side and arm and shoulder, and is something with the nerves, and makes her very sensitive... I suspect pain when she moves. She takes many drugs, all in cardboard boxes in a tray in her room Yesterday I greeted her in her room, and she sat in bed and we hugged and kissed, but she did not get up. Today she was sitting at the kitchen table when I arrived, and was wrapped in a cotton robe, and as I said, she looks the same... like my mother and like uncle Richie, those genes are really good to you as you age! Yesterday Rina said that Elisa only eats minestrone, but today she ate a few pieces of salami and prosciutto, some ravioli with ragu, some pork, some roasted potatoes, and quite a few roasted cippole (small roasted onions). She also had 2 or 3 glasses of wine mixed with water--and Rina put sugar in her last glass... Elisa proceeded to drink the wine by the demitasse spoonful, making a sour face, but then drank the rest of the glass:) We had dessert, and she ate a small bowl of sliced fruit, and a slice of pannetone, and a glass of prosecco... Rina says that she can't see and she can't hear, and when I arrived Rina put a hearing aid on her ear, but Elisa said that it was the same... lo stesso... Elisas sat with us throughout dinner, then was tired, and Rina led her to her room where she went back to her bed. She has been living with Rina and Angelo for a few days. When I asked if she would return to her house in Foggia, both Rina and Angelo said that they hoped not. It is so much trouble to drive up each day to check on her, bring her food and things, and to bring her down to Rapallo to the doctor. We talked about how in her own house Elisa is fine to navigate around--no problem--since she knows it so well, but in Rina's house it is different.

Yesterday when Rina invited me to dinner she said that it would be simple, not grand like "in America," but the dinner that she served was just fantastic, with all the wonderful foods and wine, and with a basket of sweets, 3 or 4 sweet breads, chocolate, caffe.. it went on and on... but was still simple and typical for here... hard to describe, but it's the italian meal that I remember as a child, and one that I hope to enjoy many times again.

After dinner Angelo went to his office, and I tried and tried to "lavo i piatti" wash the plates, but Rina insisted that she would do it tomorrow--I carried dishes into the kitchen from the table, and she would intercept me in the hallway and shush me away, so I finally gave up. We walked out onto two balconies, and she showed me where she gardens in the summer. There is a small patio with a built-in barbeque "un forno al fresco." If I had it, I would make pizza and bread, I'm sure. There are terraces going up from the property, were there are olive trees with nets spread below. I asked about olive oil, and Rina showed me the bottle with a hand written date on it--Angelo's brother makes the olive oil "olio d'olivo." Their house is on the first floor "il primo piano" and the house below them is where Angelo's sister lives. The next house down the street is where his brother lives (we also drank his brother's wine at dinner) with their mother--also very old like Elisa.

I will remember the two hours that I spent today for the rest of my life. I know that I have many relatives here in Rapallo (Mike and I visited with a few of them in 1981, and I brought some pictures for Rina) but there is a kinship with Rina that will never leave us. We both appreciate the fact that we are cousins, and that along with our parents we are gettin older... Rina is 68, which I can't believe--again, she has those youth genes!!

Now it's 16:00, and I will go out and walk towards S. Michele and S. Margherita, and maybe even to Portofino--- why not? I'll just walk as far as I'd like--it's so beautiful along the bay-- the bay of Tiguillio in Liguria with beautiful homes (some are castles, really!) on the hillsides, and sailboats and yachts in the sea... no need to eat again until tomorrow or the day after:) ... tomorrow I leave for Firenze, and need to find a room... no problem this time of year, I'm sure, so will do that on the internet. Ciao tutti! Buon Natale e Auguri!

Buon Natale from Italia!

It's 10:00 on Christmas morning, and it's raining in Rapallo. Last night I had a lovely dinner at Trattoria Genovaise. I ordered an appetizer of fagioli--large white beans, bigger than cannellini, drizzled with olio d'olivo, and surrounded by tomato slices, radiccio, sliced onions and arugula. Then had a first course of raviolli with pignoli sauce--a mild, smooth white sauce made from pine nuts and cream. I got about a third of the way through, and finished with a caffe'. There were only a couple other tables when I was there at about 8 or 9, but the staff were getting ready for more customers--there was a large cake with large candles in the adjoining dining room, and they were changing the table cloths from the usual gold ones to red ones... what a difference in eating times and customs from the US! Restaurants don't open for dinner until 19:00 at the earliest, but usually 20:00.

This morning I slept until 8:00 and went to the first floor (1st piano-which is the second floor in the states) to the breakfast room--a lovely room with full windows looking out to the bay, rimmed by a broad promenade that is lined with palm trees. Breakfast was a broad range of cakes, fruit, cheeses, cereal, yogurt, croissants, stuffed dates and figs, sliced meats and more... typical for a full breakfast in a nice hotel. There was american coffee brewed, but the gal minding the tables made me a delicious cappucino, then another one. I read a bit of my new book by Nan Ellin--Integral Urbanism, and looked out at the rain, wondering about my plans to walk to my cousin's house for lunch later... I am in my room under the covers, watching an Italian mass with lovely music on tv, reading up on the NY times and Google news, and feeling pretty lucky to be here, and to have this life while there is so much turmoil and sadness in the world.

Rapallo is a beautiful city, but i have heard that it is a symbol for growth and sprawl--Italian style. The fellow I was talking to in Vernazza said that they use the word Rapallazione (sp?) to symblolize a city with undesirable growth patterns. My cousin complained about the traffic, and how difficult it is to drive around Rapallo these days... so I guess as a tourist my glasses are rose colored, as I delight in the promenade along the bay, the green hills that are filled with large, elegant homes and mansions, the winding roads up into the steep hillsides where my aunt lives, and where most of the land is terraced and cultivated in olives and grapes and vegetables and citrus trees. On the other hand, there are ugly blocky drab apartment buildings interspersed between the older, gracious buildings--one is outside my window and truly mars the view. Next to this hotel, also visible from my window, is an old abandoned hotel with splintered green shutters hanging from their hinges, and open windows showing dirty abandoned interior... I noticed more than one abandoned hotel on the promenade as I was walking here from the stazione yesterday, and wonder why this is so--in a wealthy town that is a traditional popular destination for Italians and other Europeans from northern countries. It is jammed in the summer, and still busy in winter because of its location on the Italian Riviera... perhaps nearby S. Margherita, Portofino, and Camogli, with their more intact older development are more popular with tourists?

It's time to leave my comfortable nest and venture out--the rain has stopped and the clouds are clearing--perhaps it will turn into a lovely day with blue skies... I'll walk the mile or two to my cousin's for pranzo di Natale--she said that it won't be anything special, but I am ready for those home made ravioli!

Ciao e buon Natale e auguri!

24 dicembre, 19:00

ciao tutti!
Welcome to my blog and i hope that I can somehow share how fantastic it is in Italy... I am happy as can be right now... it's christmas eve, and I am in a lovely hotel room in Rapallo, having a glass of nebbiolo d'alba wine, and just finished eating a piece of foccaccia with onion, and drizzled with the most delicious olive oil, and Andrea Bocelli is singing for me from my laptop... I am tempted to write many words in italian, but if I do that I will take forever to look up spelling in my dictionary... and my goal is to write about this place in a way that is not too boring, not too sentimental, but just right! Giusto!

Where to start... quickly--I arrived in Pisa at about 14:00 on 21 dicembre, only about 3 hours late after the flight from JFK was delayed from 20:30 to 24:00. We took off at midnight on an Alitalia flight direct to Pisa. I reminded myself that I was on local time, even though I'd been up for many hours. For anyone who wants the cure for jetlag, or to avoid it altogether, be on local time, and don't go to sleep until about 23:00 the night you arrive. Then you are completely exhausted, and have just enjoyed a wonderful dinner with wine, and you will sleep soundly until abut 6 or 7 the next morning... anyway, Pisa... I took the bus to the train station (stazione) which took all of about 5 minutes. I walked for about an hour, crossing the Arno, looking for a store where I could buy a new chip for my italian phone--the old one was non funcionata (see--that's probably misspelled...), asking for directions 3 or 4 times, and I eventually found the Tim store right around the corner from il stazione... typical of my wanderings. Another tip--buy a cheap phone, and for 20 euro buy a Tim card chip, and then charge your phone with prepaid minutes...

I took the train to La Spezia (passed Carrara where Michelangelo hand picked his marble), then a quick switch (with a gentleman from Corniglia showing me the way to the correct track) to Vernazza. It was dark so I didn't get to see much--the train goes in and out of a series of tunnels, and the first time you take this train you are awestruck by the little bits of il mare--the sea--that you see in between tunnels. In Vernazza I walked out of the stazione and on to Via Roma, the little street that runs down through the town--the only street with shops and restaurants. It ends a little way down at the harbor in the only square. In the summer it is loud and busy with tourists and every shop and restaurant open, but in the winter it is so quiet. I was glad that I was there in the days before Christmas because people were out shopping, saying buon natale! and auguri! which will soon be replaced with buon anno! and auguri! Auguri is best wishes and is definitely the catch-all greeting this time of year.

My landlords have no other guests now, and only have a few rooms in a remodeled house on the hillside by the path to Corniglia. Michele met me--she met her husband Giuliano--a Vernazza local--and has lived in Vernazza for 4 years. They have adorable 2 year old Sofia, and Giuliano is a stonemason who has built the houses and walls of their camere (rooms) and also works to repair the many dry stacked stone walls that hold the city from sliding down to the sea. My cottage was pretty adorable--just renovated and a perfect little place. It had a super heater, which was nice since they had had relentless rain, and with the clouds it was pretty chilly out.

Before leaving I said I was going to go to Vernazza (pop. ~500) to decompress, and that's what I did. I'm proud to say that 3 days into Italy I declare myself officially decompressed! No more continuous but sometime random thoughts of worry and obligation--Brava! I was going to hike the trails either to Monterossa to the west, or to Corniglia to the east, and yesterday morning I did walk a bit toward Corniglia, and would have gone further, but Giuliano told me that the trail was closed because of some landslides, and that there is no maintenance or monitoring of the trail. So I walked until I came across a little landslide that I could easily have crossed (I encountered a few people who were traveling the trail in each direction) but being alone I didn't want to end up in some kind of Lucy-like predicament, so returned to my cottage.

Part of the decompressing thing was to go back to my place, turn up the heat, and proceed to read an entire book... ok, i read some of it over wine at the bar and restaurant where I took all my morning coffees and evening dinners (colazione= breakfast=due cappucini e un brioche) (cena=dinner=trofie con pesto e una insalata mista con olio d'olova) and some when I went to bed until I finished, but sill--a book in a day is something that I can't remember doing for many, many years...

As I was eating I noticed a fellow outside the restaurant but didn't think much about it... but when I left and came out to the square he came up to me and in very good english, started talking to me... he was at least 3rd generation Vernazzia, and we talked for a bit and he asked me if I wanted to go for a walk, or to have a drink, or a coffee. We did end up talking, and sat on a bench at the harbor, then walked to a promitory to look over the city and the sea. I left him at about 21:00 to return to my book and my bed, but in the morning I saw him in the bar while I was drinking my caffe' and he walked up to the stazione as I was leaving to say ciao and arrivederci.

As I said, I am in Rapallo. This is the town where my mother's mother was born along with her 12 siblings. Only one is left, my mother's zia Elisa, and she lives in the hills above Rapallo on the land that she lived with her husband, and that he farmed throughout his life. Elisa's daughters Rina and Maria live in Rapallo, and today I took a taxi to the home of Rina and her husband Angelo and we talked (my beginner's Italian, and Angelo's little bit of English). Unfortunately, Elisa is ill (I can't figure out what it is--something along her right chest-to-back with nerve pain) and is in bed... this is a very difficult thing for everyone, because Elisa is used to living in her home in the hills (Foggia) and now is in a bed in her daughter's house. Elisa is 90, and i have visited her 3 times before in her home, with its old rooms and crumbling walls holding up the terraces that her husband used to farm... She can't see and can barely hear, but when she is in her home she is fine--knowing the place by rote, and living her days in peace. She has chickens and uses their eggs, and her daughters help her to plant a small plot of tomatoes and basil and lettuces in the summer, and she is as content as she can be. But now I am worried that she will never return to her home and I am afraid for her. Thanks to God that she has a daughter who will care for her, but her life as she knows it is probably finished. Rina and Maria have been driving up and down the winding roads to Foggia to take care of their mama for many years, so at least it is a relief that they won't have to take that time and engergy to travel to take care of Elisa...

Rina invited me to come tomorrow for pranzo di Natale, so I will go there at around 11:00 and we will have dinner at noon. I took a taxi there today, and Rina drove me home, but tomorrow I will walk... Rina is completely tired out taking care of her mother and her husband and said that the ravioi is homemade, but that she made it in advance and it is frozen. Today I brought a bottle of prosecco, and a sweet cake with raisins, and some chocolate and honey that I bought in Vernazza. Tomorrow I will bring flowers and will try to help with the dinner. I told Rina that I am una buona cuoca (good cook) so I hope she lets me help. I am sure we will laugh and try to talk together and I hope that Elisa will be able to sit and eat dinner with us... Rina said that Elisa eats only minestrone and caffe latte, so we'll see...

I have used my italian in the restaurants, in the Tim store, in the stazioni to buy train tickets, to order caffe, etc, but to try to carry on a converstaion is another thing... but somehow it works.

Now, it's 20:00 and I have heard about a little trattioria (Trattoria Genovaise) that serves local food, and that will be comfortable for a woman traveling solo...ciao e ci vediami presto!
C