COSMOS TOUR 6200   Leisurely Tuscany and Rome     April 22, 2004  with “private extension” to Paris

I started checking out tours and making phone calls at the end of December and by January the plan was in motion. Tuscany in the springtime, Rome before the heat and crowds; Paris in May.......it sounded lovely! Every time I heard the old songs “3 Coins In the Fountain,” “On An Evening in Roma,” or “The Last Time I Saw Paris” I became more excited about going. I was reading maps of Rome and felt I knew my way around without ever having been there. I learned a little beginning Italian vocabulary in a community education class. I asked everyone I knew who had traveled to Italy or Paris what places we must visit and what to leave out. The tickets arrived, I bought new luggage and “buon giorno” was becoming part of my morning greeting. I counted backwards the days until departure. I knew that as fast as the days went by, that this vacation would soon be just a memory too. For all the museums I didn’t have the time to see, for the market shopping I wanted to do and didn’t have the opportunity to, for the friends I have yet to make, I will go back again another time.

Our flight started from Minneapolis to Philadelphia. After several hours of lay-over in Philly we were on our way to Rome. The flight was overnight and even in the dark I couldn’t sleep on the plane. I was just too nervous and a little scared about flying. Hours later we landed at Fiumicino Airport outside of Rome. This is a dirty, stinky airport in need of a beauty makeover to get it out of the 1960’s. Down at the baggage claim area we were met by representatives from Cosmos who brought us to a motor coach which took us to our appointed hotel, about a half hours drive from the airport. We were met at the Princess Hotel by our tour director Giampiero and later that day met the rest of our group, who we’d be spending the next 7 days with. Our group of 39 tourists was mostly Americans, older married couples, a few seasoned travelers without companions and a family with 2 young children.

Friday, April 23, 2004:

We met in the smokey hotel lounge for a “welcome drink” of spumante, to mingle and get acquianted with our group before heading out for dinner. We departed into Rome on the motor coach with our excellent driver, Pino, and our charming guide Giampiero describing the sites of the city along the way. The first place I immediately recognized was the Castel Sant’ Angelo (formerly Hadrian’s Tomb) where diva Floria Tosca threw herself to her death from the parapet in Puccini’s opera “Tosca.”

Castel Sant’ Angelo  (from a moving bus)

We passed by the Vatican and St. Peters Cathedral (Basilica di San Pietro), the ruins of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum before arriving at our restaurant. I couldn’t believe I was actually here looking at these places that I’ve only seen in photographs. They really do exist, almost as they have for over 1000 years! The amount of traffic in Rome is insane! The millions of scooters and motorbikes in the streets, on the boulevards and even driving on the sidewalks, the pedestrians jumping out between parked vehicles and the tiny cars moving at gut-wrenching speeds with no concern for crosswalks, lane divisions or street signs, constantly zig-zagging, moving everywhere ....... it was crazy!

A wonderful 5 course dinner with wines at the Mangrovia Ristorante was serenaded by a flutist and guitarist. Fresh sliced strawberries on strawberry gelato for dessert were delicious! After dinner the ladies in the group had their photos taken with the two handsome waiters, with a kiss on each cheek and a Gerbera daisy. A trip downstairs to the ladies room brought an unexpected surprise of huge vases of lilies on the vanities, we could hardly find the sinks. It was so fragrant and gorgeous we had to take a picture!

After dinner we took a sunset drive about the city, stopped and walked a few blocks to the Trevi Fountain. Tradition says you throw your coins with your back to the fountain, over your left shoulder, if you are right handed it “crosses” your heart.Two coins must be thrown, the first is for your wish and the second is so you will return to Rome. It was a very crowded square, filled with locals, tourists, beggars and peddlers hawking silk scarves and faux Louis Vuitton purses. Watch your purse, tote bag and camera cases very closely so you don’t fall victim to the “bumped into, divert attention with a baby and steal your wallet” scam.

Fontana di Trevi: Described as the most impressive fountain in a city which has no shortage of them. The sea-god Neptune with his winged chariot and divine escort (tritons) were built between 1732 and 1762.

It was a beautiful night as we walked the cobblestone streets back to the motorcoach. There are so many little bars that place tables right in the street. It made me wonder, if at home I should place a bistro table with chairs in my alley and call it a quaint little cafe.

Back to the hotel and time for some much needed sleep. We were exhausted at this point, being awake for 33 hours without sleep. We need to be up bright and early for the trip to the Vatican Museums and Colosseum.  I’m used to window screens on my open windows, not shutters or nothing at all. With the window open for ventillation, the traffic noise outside made it very difficult to sleep. It sounded like Grand Central Station all night long.

Saturday, April 24, 2004: 

Up and into the shower at 5:30am. With three girls and one bathroom it’ll be a task staying on schedule. The only good thing about the bathroom is decent water pressure in the shower. The “bath towels” would be called table linens at my house. No fluffy terry towels here. A lovely thing was listening to the early morning song of the blackbird, called the merlo, singing his beautiful song in the trees outside the window. We gathered for breakfast at 7am in the hotel dining area. The buffet consisted of sweetly glazed croissants with jam or ham and cheese, cold cereals like corn flakes, canned fruit cocktail and an odd tasting orange juice beverage. They serve their coffee very strong and dark and  hot cocoa is called simply “chocolate.”

It was a grey morning as we headed to the Vatican Museums where tour groups with reservations line up on the street an hour before the general public admission. We met our local guide, Guerrina, who has an extensive education in art history and speaks several languages. She would be with us most of the day, describing in great detail the art and architecture of the places we would visit. We were each equipped with a “whisper” radio and ear phone to hear her narrate as we walked through the galleries of statues, tapestries and “trompe l’oeil” paintings on the ceilings.

We had to keep up a quick pace to see the small amount of treasures that we did and proceeded to a quiet space known as the Sistine Chapel. Amazing! From there we headed outside onto the front steps of St. Peter’s to view the courtyard where the masses gather to see the Pope, and inside the vast and grand Basilica for a tour of it’s statues, tombs, private chapels and Michelangelo’s “Pieta.”

At the end of the tour we headed out to the street where we were to gather at the motorcoach in an hour, after grabbing a bite to eat at the self service cafeteria and making a bathroom stop. The lines were so long that most the time was spent in queue.

With Guerrina describing important sites along the way, we drove a short distance to the Roman Forum ruins and then walked to the Colosseum. She escorted us through the upper and lower levels of the amphitheater explaining when and how it was built, describing the gladiatorial combat and bloody spectacles that were held there. We ran our hands over the mammoth stones that slaves hands had carved nearly 2000 years ago.

It was a hot afternoon when we boarded the bus and went back to the Princess Hotel. The three of us opted out of the “Roman Hills Tour & Dinner” to spend some time on our own. We were later told that the dinner was great and the group had a fabulous time. We called a taxi cab to take us a few miles from the hotel to the busy street of Via Aurelia. We couldn’t help but stop at the McDonalds! I did a little shopping at a beauty and cosmetics store (Corradini Profumerie?) that sells Aquolina products which are not available in the US. The sales girl neglected to give me back 10 euro in change and I had to explain to her in my best Italian and hand gestures that she owed me more money. I felt she knew exactly what I was saying and attempted to keep my change. I persisted and finally got the10 euro due to me. Lesson: get your receipt and count out how much money you get back or they will keep it. On several shopping occasions we were each charged different prices for identical items.

After a short walk we stopped at a little ristorante where Deb order a calzone “portar via” (to-go) and we sat streetside enjoying a break after this busy day. As the sun was setting, a wrong turn on the walk back to the hotel brought us to the freeway entrance. We doubled back a half mile and walked through a group of young men at the curb. After we arrived at the hotel we questioned each other what we thought had been going on there and we collectively agreed we walked right through a drug deal! At 10pm in the hotel lounge we shared a bottle of spumante and a chocolate cake, rested our sore feet and toasted “cheers to Roma!”

Sunday, April 25, 2004:

After breakfast in the hotel dining room we packed our bags for the journey north to Tuscany. We traveled north for 4 hours, mostly along the western coastline and then east into the Tuscan countryside.We had two “comfort stops,” the second which was our lunch break at the “AutoGrill” truck stop. This place felt very familiar, like the big freeway truckstops here in the states. We had a quick bite to eat, loaded up on snacks and bottled water and boarded the motorcoach again. Our next stop was the town of Pisa where that 800 year old bell tower is still leaning but it’s in better shape than ever. They call the park area surrounding the buildings the Piazza del Duomo or the field of miracles. The biggest miracle is that the bell tower still stands. The stabilizing that has taken place in the past 15 years will ensure that the Leaning Tower will stand as it does today for several hundred more years. The sky was incredibly blue that afternoon and it was a gorgeous place to sit on the marble steps and enjoy a gelato.

The bathroom situation here left a lot to be desired. They are constructing what will be a very nice public toilet building but in the meantime a row of very unsanitary port-a-potties sit next to the muddy construction site. It was funny watching people from all over the world wonder where the toilets were, figure out these plastic boxes were the bathroom, walk a plank over the muddy ground, open the door and walk away from it disgusted. I guess the port-a-potty is an American invention and thats why we are so familiar with these. When nature calls, beggars can’t be choosers. Just wait til you have to use the “Turkish toilet” which is basically a porcelin sink in the floor.....no toilet! Bring the antiseptic hand gel, baby wipes and bottle water to wash your hands. If nothing at all, Europe was an enlightening WC experience!

We stayed at Pisa for just a few hours and we headed east to the city of Montecatini Terme. This was the posh spa village of the rich a thousand years ago and today its chic shops and fancy hotels bring the fashionably elite to walk the Via Corso Roma.  It’s definitely the place to “see and be seen.” We would be staying the next four nights just off the main downtown street of Corso Roma at the Hotel Minerva. This was a very nice hotel compared to the others in Rome. For each night we stayed in Montecatini, dinner was included in the cost of the tour. After getting our luggage into our room, (109, the same as in Rome, how strange!) we all met for dinner in the hotel dining room. It’s fun to sit at each meal with different people in the group and get to know them.

Later in the evening we strolled the main street and browsed the windows of the shops. It was a lovely spring evening. Viva Toscana!

A warm spring afternoon in Siena, at the Piazza del Campo, where the horse race the “Palio” is held each year.

Monday, April 26, 2004:

Today we rode south to the medieval city of Siena. After a drive through the country we stop at a parking area and depart the bus. We walk into a building to take several escalators up or you may walk the steps if your legs and heart can handle it. We then come out to another parking area and a schoolyard where children were playing. After a short walk we are at the entrance of a lovely village called Siena. How this place “got here” and remains almost like it did 500 years ago is amazing. Its steep, dark, narrow cobblestone streets are filled with tiny shops and I could have spent the entire day here. The central area is the Piazza del Campo which is surrounded with little ristorantes and gelatarias. This is the place in town to “see and be seen” and there were many people sitting enjoying the sunshine. Again finding a WC was a bit of a challenge and there was that ever present queue. I don’t remember much else about being in Siena only that the few hours we were there was not nearly enough. It’s amazing that this village is so high up in the hills, tucked away, you wouldn’t have any idea that it was there. 

We leave this place to go to San Gimignano (Jim-in-yahn-o). Again, we are immediately transported back many, many years. It’s incredible that places like this exist. As we travel on the highway we see other little villages high on the hilltops, surrounded by stone walls, dotting the countryside. There are grape vineyards and groves of olive trees everywhere. This part of the country is serenely beautiful.

From my travel journal: “Tonight I have skipped dinner at the hotel to spend a little time writing, sitting at the window of our hotel room which overlooks the alley. Watching people passing by down below, you can hear the cars, the many motor scooters, the high heels of the ladies walking by. The sky is blue, it feels about 60º and I am in a place so far away and different from home. I am in Tuscany.”

Tuesday, April 27, 2004: From my journal:

“This morning we started early again. Every day we have been constantly on the go. We’ve joked that there isn’t much ‘leisure’ in our “Leisurely Tuscany and Rome. We departed to Florence at 7:30am. Another beautiful morning in the country. We see few people out of doors here but the cities and villages are full of people, buses, tiny cars and a million scooters.” Florence (Firenze) was the birthplace of the Renaissance and it’s still a cultural metropolis. We began at the Piazza Santa Croce, where a gothic church stands. We went to the Peruzzi Leather shop for a tour and a short demonstration of gilding ornamentation. I bought a silk scarf here, no leather as it’s primarily a sales pitch. Later we met our local guide who will take us on a walking tour of the city. With her malfunctioning radio and microphone, most of the group were unable to understand her but we followed her to the Piazza del Duomo (officially Santa Maria del Fiore.) This cathedral is very gothic and its multi-colored exterior is so busy you don’t know where to focus to take a picture. We moved over to the Baptistry’s “Paradise Gates” the bronze doors depicting stories from the Bible. There were so many groups of people gathered there and being unable to hear our guide, the three of us and our friends Jane and Larry took leave to find the Accademia museum to see Michelangelo’s “David.” We walked through this very metropolitan city to stand in line on the sidewalk, inching our way into the museum. The line moved pretty quick, we’ve been in slower WC lines.  I know little about art so I will only say this: WOW! this thing is huge! Here is David from the Bible, the young man about to slay the giant Goliath. Awesome! This is probably the most recognized piece of sculpture in the world. It was said that several master sculptors had turned away this piece of marble, saying it was flawed and unusable but somehow Michelangelo found this young man inside it. I’m delighted to say I actually got to see this masterpiece.

From the Accademia we walked through the noisy, crowded city to the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence. It’s not just a bridge but a shopping mall, and a very expensive one at that! Florence is known for its18k gold jewelry treasures and plenty can be found here. Bellisima! We meet back at the steps of Santa Croce at 3:30pm and our time in Florence has come to an end. We drive back to Montecatini for dinner. 

After dinner at the hotel the 3 of us headed out for a walk down main street. We were talking and laughing quite loud and Deb and I got into a laughing fit and couldn’t stop. We passed by the fire station where two of the firefighters came out to have a conversation with us. In their very broken English they said they heard us laughing for several blocks. We stood and talked for half an hour using what little Italian I knew, our dictionary and phrasebook and lots of hand gestures. The one young man was incredibly handsome and “non sposato” as most Italian men don’t get married until 30-35 years of age. Deb walked away from this delightful conversation with an insignia patch from the firemans jacket “vigili del fuoco” and his home address. Way to go girl!

the view from Montecatini Alto; take the “funiculare” tram up the steep hillside to the village on the top for a fabulous view!

We boarded our bus and rode back to Montecatini Terme where a group of us decided to take the furnacular or cable car up the hill to the top of Montecatini Alto. Our guide Giampiero told us it shouldn’t be missed and he was right. We hadn’t walked this side of Montecatini Terme and there was a beautiful park with a merry-go-round and street market shops. I would have loved to spend some time here but it was a dash to catch the 4:30 cable car. Wow! up at the top it’s a sweet place with a wonderful view. After checking out the little village, us gals met up with Anthony of our group for a beverage at a cafe.With little to eat all day, a glass of wine, the company of friends and some altitude we were quickly in a laughing mood. What a lovely afternoon to enjoy a glass of wine under the Tuscan sun! This would be our last night in Tuscany and it was sad to have to say goodbye.

Thursday, April 29, 2004: From my travel journal:

“Today we head out on the motorway back to Rome after a short stop at Assisi. After 4 hours of riding the bus and two very brief “comfort stops” we arrive in Rome in rush hour traffic, although there is never an end to the rush. This evening we are staying at the Pineta Palace and it’s no palace. Whoever the contractor was that installed the toilets in this hotel did so by placing them half way under the gigantic sink. Very poor planning, although you can be “using the facilities” and vomiting or brushing your teeth at the same time! We had a little balcony outside our room which ajoined our neighbors balcony, the husband and wife from Capetown, South Africa who both snored very heartily! And it was quite warm so we needed the window and sliding door open. Thank goodness for ear plugs.”

This is the last night of the tour and the ladies dressed up for the “Farewell Dinner.” A light rain began falling as we rode into Rome. We exit the motorcoach to an unassuming doorway that leads down a flight of stairs to a large dining area filled with banquet tables awaiting dinner guests. We are seated next to a small stage with a piano. In a few minutes the room is bustling with guests and wait staff. It looks like everyone in the room is with a tour group.Wine glasses are filled with Chianti and a 5 course meal is served ending with a delicious chocolate mousse and espresso. A soprano, tenor and baritone accompanied on the piano provided splendid vocal entertainment with a selection of operatic arias. The singers began with wine glasses raised to Verdi’s “Brindisi” from “La Traviata”, the perfect song to begin the evening:

‘Be happy and raise your glass with me.....taste the joys of night in our drinking and singing and laughter.....in these fleeting hours be happy and raise your glass with me.’

I was the only person at my table with any knowledge of opera and I was proud to share what little I knew with the guests at my table. Another selection included was “O Mio Babino Caro” where the young woman pleads to her father for his blessing of her wedding engagement or she will throw herself off the Ponte Vecchio bridge into the River Arno. We were at that exact place on Tuesday!  The entertainment was the perfect ending to the Italy tour. Back at the hotel lobby we posed for pictures with the new friends we had made.

After the “Farewell Dinner,” (left to right) Linda, Deb and me with our Cosmos Tour Director Giampiero

Friday, April 30, 2004: We have breakfast in the hotel dining room at 7:30 am with Jane and Larry, our new friends, who used to live in Minneapolis and now reside in Florida. They will be staying on in Rome one more night at a different hotel before heading up to Venice for a few days. Since our train to Paris doesn’t leave until 6pm we have the rest of the day to explore the city on our own. We took a taxi to the train station and put our luggage in temporary storage while Jane and Larry took a taxi to their new hotel to leave their luggage there. We decided that they would meet us outside the train station (Termini) and we’d go visit a few places we hadn’t seen yet. We gave Jane one of our walkie-talkies so we could beep each other and communicate our location and meeting place. The line at the baggage depository was very long and I think we invented the single file line at that moment. There were people trying to butt in all over the line with their luggage but with a firm finger pointed to end of the queue we kept our places. It cost us about $35 to store 6 suitcases for 5 hours. The service was fast and efficient upon pick-up. The train station is like a crazy airport terminal. People racing around everywhere with their luggage, cigarette smoke enough to gag you, information personnel not very willing to help if you don’t speak Italian. This is truly Grand Central Station.

We joined Larry and Jane outside at the main entrance of the train station and walked west on via Cavour to the Plaza Venezia and Vittorio Emanuele II monument (shown below). From there we walked to the Piazza Navona, filled with painters and peddlers. We had lunch just outside of the Piazza. After lunch we headed to the Pantheon, then to the Trevi Fountain where we said a sad arrivederci to our friends and hustled to the train station. Down the via Quattro Fontana (Four Fountains) and whew! what a busy few hours!

At the termini we had to find the right train number going to the correct destination. This is a very busy place and you don’t want to get lost! We found our train car, the steward checked our tickets and brought our luggage aboard. We get settled into our tiny little space of the Artesia T3 private sleeping car and try to figure out how the beds open down. There’s no room to move with 6 suitcases in the space in front of the seat, so Deb climbs up the suitcases to the top bunk and we hand our small cases and carry-ons up to her. Then the steward Maximilan comes by to show us where the ladder is, underneath the seat of the bottom bunk. We’ll remember to use that next time! We figured out our sleeping arrangement, found the tiny WC at the end of the hall and settled in for the ride.

 Bon jour Paris.....NEXT PAGE

story and photographs by Jody, Linda and Deb; updated Nov. 5, 2004 

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