~ wander.essence ~

the alto adige wine road

wanderessence1025 September 13, 2023

Wednesday, June 28: On our way to Verona, we made a little detour along the Alto Adige Wine Road, with a growing area of about 4,249 hectares and an impressive variety of wines. The individual wineries here form a complex mosaic. Due to the varying altitudes of between 200 and 1,000 meters, wine growers have a wide range of microclimates and soils. The local variety Gewürztraminer and vines of international reputation like Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir are grown here.

We made our first stop in Termeno. All around us were vineyards, cypresses, fig trees and lemon trees. The town was the home of the internationally renowned Gewürztraminer wine. We only stopped in this cute town for coffees and croissants as it was a bit early to start drinking wine. 😋

Termeno

me doing what I love best- shopping!

Termeno

We drove through a few other towns and then made a brief stop to look at the sprawling St. Valentin Church and cemetery. We continued through a few more towns looking for the perfect winery to make a stop.

St. Valentin Church & cemetery

vineyards near St. Valentin

St. Valentin cemetery

church in another wine town

We stopped at Tiefenbrunner Winery for a cold lunch and wine. We spent a long time lingering over a Bistroteller – Charcuterie board: finely sliced speck, various South Tyrolean cheeses, air-dried salami, kaminwurze, olives and horseradish. I enjoyed a glass of Gewürtztrammer and Mike had a Pinot Grigio.

Tiefenbrunner Winery

grottoes at Tiefenbrunner Winery

Tiefenbrunner Winery

pond and grottoes at Tiefenbrunner Winery

view from Tiefenbrunner Winery

Tiefenbrunner Winery

garden in Tiefenbrunner Winery

Tiefenbrunner Winery

selfie at Tiefenbrunner Winery

wines at Tiefenbrunner Winery

Bistroteller – Charcuterie board

me at Tiefenbrunner Winery

garden at Tiefenbrunner Winery

We got the idea to explore the Alto Adige Wine Road from our German neighbors at the farmhouse, Tim and Silke. If it hadn’t been for them, we wouldn’t have known anything about it.

After our lunch, we headed south to Verona, where we would stay three nights.

dolomites points west: around & about renon

wanderessence1025 September 6, 2023

Saturday, June 24: As we were leaving Cinque Torri, we found on our GPS that the Great Dolomites Road was closed at the pass, so we had to reroute and couldn’t take our scenic route to Bolzano. We ended up backtracking all the way to Cortina d’Ampezzo and to Dobbiaco and Brunico and then eventually toward Bolzano on the A12 autostrada.

The Renon Plateau: Kinig Farm

Just before Bolzano we were instructed to take a windy road up and up a very steep mountain. It felt very perilous! There were many steep drop-offs and the road eventually narrowed to just over one lane wide. Switchback after switchback led us eventually to the “town” of Signato on the Renon plateau and to a farm called Kinig, where Werner (the father of the Airbnb host Franz Maria) greeted us. We had reserved an apartment on this high mountain farm for 4 nights. It was a charming little place!

Kinig farmhouse

urinal with painted spider that fooled both of us!

kitchen in Kinig farmhouse

Kinig farmhouse

view of Bolzano from the farmhouse

Soprabolzano/Oberbozen

Luckily, though the road ended at a gate, we were given a pass to open the gate so we could drive a few kilometers further up to the town of Soprabolzano/Oberbozen. Neither of us were thrilled about having to drive that winding road back down the mountain to go to dinner or get groceries in Bolzano, so that gate-opening card was truly the magic ticket. We were also given a free gondola card which we could use for the gondola down to Bolzano.

After checking into our farmhouse Airbnb apartment, we drove up the mountain to Soprabolzano. Here we stocked up on groceries for our 4 night stay in Renon, then we went to eat dinner at the lively and friendly Gasthaus Babsi, recommended by the friendly check-out lady at the supermarket. It was a cool place with a friendly staff and old American tunes playing. We shared a Rucola and Brie pizza and I had the most delightful drink called a Hugo that had Prosecco, lime, fresh mint, seltzer, and elderberry liqueur. Mike had an Estivo: white wine, soda and lemon.For dessert we shared a buckwheat cake with lingonberry jam and whipped cream. Before we left the place, the bartender gave us each complimentary limoncellos.

We took an after-dinner stroll on the lower edge of the town, where we saw beautiful views of the jagged Dolomites against a foreground of alpine meadow. The town also had a community swimming pool which we had access to. From the town, there was a large cable car 🚠 that went down into the valley to the city of Bolzano. We planned to take that down one day to avoid the harrowing drive up to our farmhouse apartment.

We admired the charming Parrocchia Maria Assunta di Soprabolzano with its fetching onion dome in the waning sunlight.

Gasthaus Babsi

me with a Hugo at Gasthaus Babsi

Mike at Gasthaus Babsi

buckwheat cake with lingonberry jam and whipped cream

signs in Soprabolzano

Soprabolzano

cable car at Soprabolzano

little lambs in Soprabolzano

Hotel Post in Soprabolzano

Parrocchia Maria Assunta di Soprabolzano

Steps: 12,253; Miles 5.19. High 77°, Low 52°. Sunny.

Val di Funes: the Panoramaweg & Sunnseitnweg Circuit Hike

Sunday, June 25: On Sunday morning, we drove about an hour from Renon to Val di Funes to hike the Panorama Trail (“Panoramaweg” in German) and the Sunny-side Trail (“Sunnseitnweg”), which when linked together creates an easy, scenic circuit hike.

We started in Santa Maddalena/ St. Magdalena, a village in Val di Funes (Villnösstal) in South Tyrol. This small mountain village is home to the historic Santa Maddalena Church, which is one of the most popular photo spots in the region. The church dedicated to Santa Magdalena is located where pagan rituals once took place. The first building was mentioned in 1394 documents; today only the church tower remains of that original church. The interior has Baroque elements. The altar features a contrite St. Magdalena, patron saint of the church. Next to her are sculptures of St. Peter, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and Jerome.

The Santa Maddalena Panorama trail led us through meadows, pockets of forest, and historic Tyrolean farmsteads along narrow footpaths as well as low-trafficked paved roads.

We enjoyed grand views of the Odle/Geisler Peaks, which form the dramatic backdrop of Santa Maddalena Church and the tidy farmhouses set in the lovely green valley.

a church near our farmhouse in Renon

Val di Funes

Panoramaweg & Sunnseitnweg

the start of the Panoramaweg

Santa Maddalena Church

Val di Funes

Panoramaweg

Santa Maddalena Church set against the Odle/Geisler Peaks

me in Val di Funes

Val di Funes

trail markers in Val di Funes

Mike in Val di Funes

Val di Funes

cute little bench

tractor set up

Sunnseitnweg

Santa Maddalena Church set against the Odle/Geisler Peaks

Val di Funes

Santa Maddalena Church set against the Odle/Geisler Peaks

me on the Sunnseitnweg

returning to Santa Maddalena

cemetery at Santa Maddalena Church

interior of Santa Maddalena Church

Santa Maddalena Church

After our hike, which was about 4.5 miles and took us about 3 hours of leisurely walking, we visited the tiny and picturesque onion-steepled Chiesetta di San Giovanni/ St. Johann Church nearby. It is one of the Dolomites’ most iconic photo-ops. The small Baroque church, founded by Michael von Jenner and built in 1744, sits alone in a meadow, part of the Ranuihof Farm, below the spiky peaks of the Odle mountain group. We paid to park plus a 4€ entrance fee to visit. Because of the way it was blocked off and because of the entrance fee, it felt a bit too staged for us.

Chiesetta di San Giovanni/ St. Johann Church

Sunday evening after our hike at Val di Funes, we returned to our farmhouse Airbnb and enjoyed wine, bread and cheese at a picnic table in the shade. We made an asparagus and cheese pappardelle that was quite delicious. We spent the evening relaxing in our charming apartment.

airplane in front of Kinig farmhouse

me enjoying a wine at Kinig farmhouse

Kinig farmhouse

table set for dinner

asparagus pappardelle

Steps: 13,119; Miles: 5.56. High 83°, Low 55°. Sunny.

Bolzano/Bozen

Monday, June 26: Monday morning we took the cable car 🚠 (a 12-minute ride) from Soprabolzano, not far from our farmhouse, to Bolzano down in the valley.

taking the cable car down to Bolzano

Bolzano/Bozen is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol. In the 2020 version of the annual ranking of quality of life in Italian cities, Bolzano was ranked joint first for quality of life alongside Bologna.

Bolzano is considered a bridge between Northern Europe and Southern Europe due to the three spoken languages in South Tyrol (Italian, German, and Ladin) and the confluence of Italian and German-Austrian culture.

Being located at multiple climate borders, Bolzano features a humid subtropical climate with hot summers and very cold winters by Italian standards.Because of its low altitude in a valley south of the main alps, Bolzano is sheltered from cool winds during daytime, ensuring much warmer temperatures year-round than in similar valley cities north of the range. It was in the mid-90s on the day we went down while it was in the low 80s on the Renon plateau.

We enjoyed wandering around the town. We walked around Waltherplatz, the main square in Bolzano. Walther von der Vogelweide, the square’s namesake, towers as a white statue in the middle of the square. We stopped at a favorite store we keep running into in various Italian towns, OVS. Mike was looking for some t-shirts and shorts and I bought a dress 👗. 😂

We had a lovely lunch in a shady and breezy alley. I had a burrata and tomato salad that was super refreshing. Mike had a tuna salad. As always in Italian towns, we love to watch the fashionable people strolling by. After lunch, we happened upon a lively flower market.

After strolling around a bit more, we made our way to the cable car and took it back up the mountain to Renon.

Bolzano/Bozen

cute orange bicycle

Bolzano/Bozen

burrata and tomato salad

flower market in Bolzano/Bozen

window decor

Bolzano/Bozen

Taking the cable car back up to Renon

a view of our farmhouse from the cable car

returning to Soprabolzano

The Renon/Ritten Plateau

After Bolzano, we spent the rest of our day on the Renon/Ritten Plateau, home to our farmhouse apartment. We drove to the town of Collalbo/Klobenstein and wandered around. Not much was happening there as it was in the heat of the afternoon, so we settled inside the only cafe in town to enjoy a very skimpy serving of gelato 🍧. It was refreshing but not quite enough to sooth our souls.

Collalbo/Klobenstein

gelato in Collalbo/Klobenstein

a church near Collalbo/Klobenstein

view from the church

a church near Collalbo/Klobenstein

We reached the peak at Rittner Horn, at an altitude of 2260 meters, by taking the gondola from Pemmern/Tre Vie to Schwarzseepitze. From there it’s about an hour hike up to the top, but we didn’t take the hike. We could see excellent views of the mountains all around.

gondola to Rittner Horn

view from Rittner Horn

me at Rittner Horn

view from Rittner Horn

horses seen from the gondola ride back down

After our day taking the cable car to Bolzano and exploring some of the Renon/Ritten plateau, we stayed at the farmhouse and cooked some Bratwurst and some leftover pasta with zucchini. It was nice to spend a slower day simply enjoying our home town area.

dinner in the farmhouse

Steps: 11, 706; Miles 4.96. High 97°, Low 64°. Sunny.

The High Alpine hikes of Alpe di Siusi

Tuesday, June 27: With a size of 56 square kilometers, the Alpe di Siusi in South Tyrol is the largest high alpine pasture in Europe. On Tuesday, we drove about an hour from Renon to Ortesei/St. Ulrich where we took the Mont Sëuc cable car to the alpine meadow. There we spent much of the day, about 5 1/2 hours, hiking all over the meadow, about 6 1/2 miles.

We started by following Trail 9 to Saltria, which was a long slow descent. We passed alongside pastures of grazing horses and sprawling fields of colorful wildflowers. Many people posed amidst the wildflowers for pictures.

Saltria is a small village on Alpe di Siusi, located at an elevation of 1675 meters. It’s also the lowest point of the plateau. We had amazing views of the Catinaccio/Rosengarten range as we descended. We stopped at a hotel in Saltria for a cappuccino and an apple strudel.

As we crossed the rolling Alpe di Siusi meadows, Sassolungo and Sasso Piatto dominated the view to the southeast and the Catinaccio and Sciliar mountains dominated the views directly south and to the southwest. To the north, views extend to Monte Pic, Seceda, and the Geisler Group.

Of course what goes down must come up, so we hiked a long uphill out of the valley through the Römer mountain pasture, where cattle grazed freely.

Mont Sëuc cable car

first views of the Alpe di Siusi

me at Alpe di Siusi

Alpe di Siusi

stream at Alpe di Siusi

Alpe di Siusi

greenery at Alpe di Siusi

wildflowers

selfie 🙂

me with Mike at Alpe di Siusi

wildflowers at Alpe di Siusi

Alpe di Siusi

me in the wildflowers

Alpe di Siusi

horses at Alpe di Siusi

Alpe di Siusi

wildflowers

Alpe di Siusi

more wildflowers

Mike at Alpe di Siusi

wildflowers

Alpe di Siusi

wildflowers

cows at Römer mountain pasture

Römer mountain pasture

Mike and his cow friends

me at Alpe di Siusi

Alpe di Siusi

Römer mountain pasture

Alpe di Siusi

greeter at Alpe di Siusi

Alpe di Siusi

We headed toward Compaccio but stopped for a restroom break at Rauchhütte before venturing back to our starting point. We originally intended to go to the town of Compaccio but decided not to go all the way into town.

We made another stop, this time at Sanon Hütte/Baita Sanon where Mike had a beer and I had my new favorite drink, a Hugo (Prosecco, mint and elderflower liqueur). Yum.

After we left the hut we enjoyed more beautiful views of the mountains. Looking north, we saw Monte Pic, the Geisler Peaks, Monte Stevia, Piz Duleda, and Col dala Pieres.

We had paid the extra 5 euros for the gondola from Sole Lake back up to the Mont Sëuc cable car, and we were happy we did as it saved us a long uphill slog at the end. What a gorgeous hike!

wood carvings on the way to Rauchhütte

carved bench near Rauchhütte

Rauchhütte

bathroom sign at Rauchhütte

Seiser Alm, view from Rauchhütte

leaving Rauchhütte

Alpe di Siusi

Mike at Sanon Hütte/Baita Sanon

Sanon Hütte/Baita Sanon

me at Sanon Hütte/Baita Sanon with my Hugo

bathroom signs at Sanon Hütte/Baita Sanon

Alpe di Siusi

more wildflowers

Alpe di Siusi

riding the cable car back to Mont Sëuc

Ortesei/St. Ulrich

After our hike at Alpe di Siusi, we took a short wander around the town of Ortesei/St. Ulrich. This is in Val Gardena where many people stay when they come to the Dolomites. The town looked appealing, but we were happy with our little mountain farmhouse in Renon.

Ortesei/St. Ulrich

Soprabolzano

After we relaxed a bit at our farmhouse apartment, we drove up to Soprabolzano where we had a lovely dinner on the terrace of The Post Hotel overlooking the valley and the cable car. We had intended to go to Gasthaus Babsi again, but it was closed on Tuesdays. We shared Rinderbouillon mit Kräuterfrittaten, a delicious soup with tiny strips of pancake in it. Mike had Hacksteak vomeinheimischen Lamm auf roten Zwiebeln und Röstinchen, a delicious lamb loaf with a potato pancake and red onions; I had Spinatspätzle mit Entenragout, spinach spaetzle with duck ragout.

After dinner we strolled briefly around the town. This would be the last time we’d see our cute little town above the farmhouse.

me at our farmhouse apartment

Mike and the airplane at our farmhouse

me with the Kinig pots & pans

The Post Hotel

me on the terrace of The Post Hotel

Rinderbouillon mit Kräuterfrittaten

Hacksteak vomeinheimischen Lamm auf roten Zwiebeln und Röstinchen

Spinatspätzle mit Entenragout

Babsi

Soprabolzano

Steps: 22,819; Miles 9.68. High 68°, Low 47°. Mostly sunny.

Leaving the Renon Plateau

Wednesday, June 28: Wednesday morning we left our farmhouse apartment in Renon and said goodbye to Werner, the 54-year-old very fit man who gave the farm to his son Franz. Franz, who is about 30, does the farming and Werner runs the apartments and a restaurant that only opens seasonally. Sadly we weren’t there at the right season to partake.

We also said goodbye to our upstairs neighbors Tim and Silke from Berlin. They had their dog named Rala with them. I liked their way of doing a vacation. They stayed in the farmhouse for two weeks; every other day they did a big outing and on the off days, they relaxed. I was envious at their long term stay at this place and their way of vacationing. We always tend to squeeze in too much, although on this trip, we have had more down time than on most. We stayed at the farmhouse 4 nights; I think that needs to be the minimum in each place on future trips. This time we were 4 nights in Venice, but only 3 in Dobbiaco, Verona and Bergamo, and only 2 in Lucca. We’ll get it right one of these days!

last view of our apartment

Werner

Silke & Tim

Tim, Silke, me and Mike

Tim, Silke, Mike and me

view of vineyards from our farmhouse

Zum Signater Hof (near our farmhouse but closed for the season)

church near our farmhouse in Renon

Renon: High: 72°, Low 53°.

Here’s a video of our time in Renon. On Settings (bottom right), hit “Quality: HD” for best experience.

After leaving Renon, we headed down the Alto Adige Wine Road (a suggestion from Tim & Silke) to Verona.

dolomites points east: around & about dobbiaco/toblach

wanderessence1025 August 30, 2023

Wednesday, June 21: We left Venice this morning, taking a taxi to Alamo to rent a Volkswagen T-ROC. It wasn’t long before we were in the Dolomites. We stopped for lunch of panini 🥪 at Bar Torre Due in Longarone, a town that was rebuilt after it was totally destroyed by an “inland tsunami.” At about 10:30 p.m. on October 9, 1963 a huge piece of a mountain broke off in a huge landslide upriver of the Vajont Dam, one of the deepest and narrowest in the world. In 4 minutes, the landslide displaced the water, causing a huge tsunami to overflow the dam, killing 2,000 people, many whose clothes were ripped off by a force two times stronger than the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.

There was no sign of such mayhem today, so we enjoyed our lunch break, after which we drove through a number of small towns where the jagged peaks of the Dolomites towered all around us.

Ristorante Bar Torre Due in Longarone

Driving north

Our drive through towns

driving north

first views of the Dolomites

Dolomites

Lago di Misurina

We took our first walk at Lago di Misurina. It was a flat, easy walk, about 2 1/2-3 km, but a nice break from our drive to Dobbiaco. We even had glimpses of Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo).

Lake Misurina was where the speed skating events were held during the 1956 Winter Olympics of Cortina d’Ampezzo – the last time Olympic speed skating events were held on natural ice.

Bar at Lago di Misurina

Lago di Misurina

boats at Lago di Misurina

Lago di Misurina

paddle boats at Lago di Misurina

Dobbiaco/Toblach

Late Wednesday afternoon, we checked into B&B Hotel Heidi just outside the little town of Dobbiaco/Toblach (Towns in this area have both Italian/German names since they are so close to Austria). B&B Hotel Heidi, where we stayed three nights, was the only hotel we stayed in during our time in Italy, except when we got to Lucca. Mostly we booked Airbnbs, which we much prefer. This place ended being a lively launching point for active people who were doing multi-day hikes, bike rides, motorcycle rides, or day hikes in the countryside. We ran into crowds of energetic people at breakfast each morning; it was fun to hear of their plans and absorb their enthusiasm.

This area is close to the Austrian border and feels more Austrian than Italian. Most people (95%) speak German. Dobbiaco is not far from the Tre Cime di Lavaredo hike, Lago di Misurina and hikes around Lago di Braies. There were lots more hikes we could have done from here, but we also planned to stay 4 nights in Renon/Ritten near Bolzano/Bozen. There we would do a number of high alpine meadow hikes.

B&B Hotel Heidi

grounds of B&B Hotel Heidi

After checking in, we went into town to look for dinner. We sat outdoors at Ariston Bar Pizzeria & Restaurant. We toasted each other with Forst Beers for our safe arrival in the Dolomites. I had the most delicious Tris di Canederli: speck, spinaci, rape rosse con burro sfuso e grana (dumplings with speck, spinach, beetroot with melted butter and Parmesan cheese). Mike had Maccheroni Ariston con speck, ragù di carnes, pomodoro, prosciutto, champignon e panna (Macaroni with speck, meat ragout, tomato, ham, mushrooms and cream). Speck is a type of cured, lightly smoked ham typically made in South Tyrol. It was all delicious, and very filling!

After dinner, we wandered around the charming town, where we admired a bubbling fountain, a statue of a cloaked Gustav Mahler, Austrian-style buildings shored up with huge stacks of firewood, and the pale green Baroque Parish Church of St. Giovanni Battista, built between 1764-1774 on the foundations of a Roman and later Gothic church. It was completed in 1804 with a 76m-tall bell tower.

Driving back through the countryside, we took a convoluted route in search of a town we could see in the distance which had a pretty church and steeple. We could see it, but we could never find our way to it. We kept driving around in circles until we finally gave up, returned to the hotel and settled in for the night.

Forst Beer

Tris di Canederli

Maccheroni Ariston

Dobbiaco/Toblach

Baroque Parish Church of St. Giovanni Battista

Gustav Mahler

Baroque Parish Church of St. Giovanni Battista

Dobbiaco/Toblach

countryside around Dobbiaco/Toblach

Steps: 10,526; Miles 4.46. High 84°, Low 56°.

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Thursday, June 22: Thursday we hiked one of the most popular trails in the Dolomites, the Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Trail. It was a 35 minute drive from Dobbiaco. The views were stunning and well worth the effort. The hike is 10-11 km (6.8 miles) and it’s supposed to take 4 hours. It is rated Easy/Moderate with a 300-400 meter elevation gain. The circuit goes all around the Three Peaks of Lavaredo. Surrounding the circuit are the peaks of the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Dolomites. There is a 30€/car entry to the toll road leading to Rifugio Auronzo, where the hike begins.

The path goes past the Cappella degli Alpini, a quaint alpine church.

The first pictures are from Rifugio Auronzo to Rifugio Lavaredo.

view from the parking lot at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Mike at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Look closely to see the people on the path!

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Trail

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

me at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Mike at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

me at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

monument at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

another monument at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Cappella degli Alpini

me at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Rifugio Lavaredo

The next set of pictures is from Rifugio Lavaredo to Forcella Lavaredo Viewpoint.

Rifugio Lavaredo to Forcella Lavaredo Viewpoint

Forcella Lavaredo Viewpoint

Tre Cime di Lavaredo Circuit Viewpoint

Forcella Lavaredo Viewpoint

Mike at Forcella Lavaredo Viewpoint

me at Forcella Lavaredo Viewpoint

This group of pictures is from Forcella Lavaredo Viewpoint to Rifugio Locatelli, where we stopped to eat our sandwiches overlooking a couple of small alpine lakes.

Forcella Lavaredo Viewpoint to Rifugio Locatelli

Rifugio Locatelli

map of the trails at Rifugio Locatelli

church near Rifugio Locatelli

view from Rifugio Locatelli

This set of pictures is from Rifugio Locatelli down into the steep and deep valley before ascending out of the valley well before we reached Malga Langalm.

This section is where I’ll add a caveat to the listed information. I would call it moderate/difficult mainly because of the surface of the trails. All surfaces are dirt and slippery gravel; for someone like me who has taken too many falls on surfaces like these, I found the descents not only challenging but disconcerting. I can handle the ascents because I can always get firm footing going uphill. Because of the many tiny steps I took going downhill and the slowness of my descents, the rating for me was more in the difficult range. So the hike took us just under 7 hours, vs the 4 hours estimated. Of course we made many stops for breaks and photos. I had 2,000 steps more than Mike at the end of the day!

The trail is also totally exposed, no shade at all and as temps were in the mid 80s, it was hot except for the breezes we caught now and then.

The worst part was the descent into a deep valley after Rifigio Locatelli and the steep climb on a very rocky surface back out of the valley.

approaching the deep valley after Rifigio Locatelli

interesting rock formations

me at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Mike at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

the valley after Rifigio Locatelli

climbing up the other side of the valley

the long climb upward

up and up

view nearing the top of the valley

This group shows the rest of the way to Malga Langalm, the last rifugio before returning to the beginning of the hike. It was very slow going and a little scary with steep drop-offs but still stunning altogether.

from the valley to Malga Langalm

Malga Langalm

Finally the last section of the hike from Malga Langalm back to Rifugio Auronzo was described as easy, but it did require some effort. I felt a bit uneasy walking on the long trail carved into a huge and steep gravelly mountainside.

We enjoyed the views all around the Three Peaks and the Forcella del Col de Medo viewpoint down into the Puster Valley and to Misurina Lake.

Malga Langalm to Rifugio Auronzo

views of Lake Misurina

The hike was amazing. It is no wonder it’s so popular. It was a great adventure for us as I don’t consider myself much of a mountain climber.

Dobbiaco/Toblach

After hiking Tre Cime di Lavaredo, we showered and relaxed then shared a hamburger in our cute “hometown” of Dobbiaco/Toblach at a place called Eirisch Grill. I don’t know why we couldn’t eat a whole burger after our long hike, but all we could handle was a half each along with wine and beer. The Chris’ Burger had a beef patty, caramelized onions, cheddar, bacon, fried onions, rucola, hot Mayo and BBQ sauce. We also shared French fries even though Mike wanted German-style potato salad, which I’m not keen on.

After our dinner we strolled around the town and then took a drive in the surrounding area, very Austrian in character.

Dobbiaco/Toblach

me in Dobbiaco/Toblach

Dobbiaco/Toblach

church outside of Dobbiaco/Toblach

Steps: 24,678; 10.46 miles. High 85°, Low 57°.

Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee)

Friday, June 23: We arrived at Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee) early on Friday morning, enabling us to beat the crowds. It was threatening rain and was rather overcast but the rain overnight had cooled the area off so it was very pleasant. We parked in P3, closest to the lake, for a small fee. We took the walk around the lake, 2.6 miles, admiring the crystal clear aquamarine lake with its dramatic mountainous backdrop. The trail was easy. We walked clockwise to get the steep part done first; on the right side of the lake, the path is pretty flat. You can rent a rowboat 🚣‍♀️ but we didn’t do so.

Lago di Braies is located within the Fanes-Senes-Baies Nature Park. It’s supposedly one of the most Instagrammable and crowded spots in the Dolomites, but I guess between the clouds and cool weather and our early arrival, we didn’t encounter that many people.

We found beaches with cairns, cows 🐄 with cowbells, and beautiful views all around. Sitting on the shore of the lake was the Marienkapelle chapel, also known as Capella di Maria, a small Catholic chapel built in an alpine architectural style in 1904.

hotel at Lago di Braies

Lago di Braies

Capella di Maria

Lago di Braies

me at Lago di Braies

the path at Lago di Braies

Lago di Braies

me at Lago di Braies

the steep part at Lago di Braies

path at Lago di Braies

cairns at Lago di Braies

Lago di Braies

cows at Lago di Braies

Lago di Braies

Mike at Lago di Braies

boat at Lago di Braies

Lago di Braies

Mike at Lago di Braies

Lago di Braies

Capella di Maria

hotel at Lago di Braies

Brunico/Bruneck

After our hike around Lago di Braies on Friday, we showered and spent the afternoon exploring the towns of the Puster Valley. We started in Brunico/Bruneck, the largest town in the Puster Valley in the Italian province of South Tyrol. It was about 20 minutes west of where we were staying In Dobbiaco/Toblach, at the confluence of the Ahr with the Reinz, which itself flows into the Eisack River. As of 2011, 83% of the population speak German, 15% Italian, and 2% speak Ladin (a Romance language mainly spoken in the Dolomite Mountains in northern Italy in the provinces of South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno, by the Ladin people. It has some similarities to Romansh, spoken in Switzerland, as well as Friulian, spoken in northeast Italy).

The town is known for manufacturing and service industries. The ski resort on Kronplatz Mountain is nearby.

We wandered randomly through the town, dipped into shops, looked at local newspapers, and admired the Ursuline Church, built at the start of the 15th century in the Gothic style.

Brunico/Bruneck

me in Brunico

Brunico/Bruneck

Brunico

newspapers in Brunico/Bruneck

Ursuline Church

Brunico/Bruneck

Innichen/San Candido

After Brunico, we drove east toward the Austrian border to Innichen/San Candido. It is located in the Puster Valley on the Drava River, on Italy’s border with Austria. It hosts Italy’s International Snow Sculpture Festival each year. The town sits on the Drava River in the Puster Valley on Italy’s border with Austria. Innichen became part of the Kingdom of Italy in 1919. It is still the site of a Franciscan monastery founded in 1691.

In 2011, 85% of the people spoke German, 15% Italian, and 0.3% Ladin.

Innichen/ San Candido is renowned for its ski resorts, and it includes the natural park of Tre Cime. It is quite a charming town. We enjoyed strolling the cobbled streets and admiring the German-style buildings, the Jurassic relief carvings, and Innichen Abbey and its cemetery. The Romanesque-style Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery founded in the 8th century, and rebuilt in the 12th-13th centuries. We also saw the San Michele Parish Church, originally built in the 12th century in the Romanesque style; it was renovated after 1735 in the Baroque style.

I also found a sporting goods store where I bought a number of hiking shirts and a pair of hiking shorts. 🙂

Innichen/San Candido

San Michele Parish Church

Innichen/San Candido

Innichen Abbey

Innichen Abbey cemetery

Innichen/San Candido

San Michele Parish Church

Innichen/San Candido

San Michele Parish Church

Innichen/San Candido

Speckstube Eggerhof

We had found the charming Speckstube Eggerhof, an agriturismo with purple umbrellas, as we were leaving Lago di Braies this morning and we thought it was so adorable we made a reservation to come back for dinner in the evening. On our way to dinner we stopped to take a picture of one of the high alpine meadow hikes we’d heard about: Prato Piazza/ Plätzwiese.

At the restaurant, we enjoyed a hearty German meal directly from the farm. I ate a most delicious broccoli soup and three kinds of dumplings (cheese, spinach & chanterelles) with cabbage salad, melted butter and Parmesan cheese. For sure it was way too much food and I couldn’t finish the dumplings. Mike had bacon dumplings with venison goulash. I had a white burgundy and Mike a beer and a Schnapps. We shared a scrumptious rhubarb cake dusted with powdered sugar.

We chatted for a bit with one woman from Milan who translated the dessert because we were having trouble understanding what it was. Another adorable middle-aged couple, a cool-looking woman with flaming red hair and her husband/boyfriend (born in 1974) were eating beside us. They told us they were from Moderna near Bologna and were in the Dolomites for a week. They told us about an alpine hike they’d taken near the restaurant, and it turned out to be the the one we’d photographed before we got there (Prato Piazza/Plätzwiese). They had been to conferences in Seattle and Cleveland, of all places. The guy was a professor in electrical engineering and had earned his Ph.D. at Berkeley, CA and the woman had studied archeology at MIT in Cambridge but didn’t currently work in that field. It was a lovely way to end our time in the Dobbiaco area. We regretted later not taking pictures of them.

Prato Piazza/ Plätzwiese

church near Speckstube Eggerhof

Speckstube Eggerhof

Mike at Speckstube Eggerhof

Broccoli soup

me at Speckstube Eggerhof

Mike with his Schnapps

three kinds of dumplings (cheese, spinach & chanterelles)

bacon dumplings with venison goulash

rhubarb cake

Steps: 15,716; Miles 6.66. High 75°, Low 50°.

Cortina d’Ampezzo

Saturday, June 24: On Saturday morning, we left Dobbiaco and headed to Cortina d’Ampezzo, considered by many to be “The Pearl of the Dolomites.” It is a town and commune in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the province of Belluno. Sitting on the Boite River in an alpine valley, it is a summer and winter resort known for its skiing trails, scenery, accommodation, shops and après ski scene, and for its Italian aristocratic crowd.

We arrived in Cortina d’ Ampezzo in the middle of a long-distance mountain running race called the Lavaredo 120km (74.5 miles). The race had started at 11:00 pm the night before, Friday night, and the winner was about the cross the finish line. This race had an elevation gain of 5,800 meters (19,028 feet). The time limit for the race was 30 hours.

We stopped for a coffee & croissant and got caught up in the hubbub over the race. We heard the winner would be crossing the finish line, so Mike stood on the sidelines to watch while I wandered around the town. In a sporting goods store, I found a cute hiking shirt with a picture of a Japanese lady on the front. I’d use this shirt a lot on the Via Francigena.

Finally, Mike saw Jonas Russi (35-39 year-old age group) from Switzerland cross the finish line; he had finished the race in 12 hours and 13 minutes. The second place runner was 18 minutes behind him, and the third another 23 minutes behind. The top woman finished in 15 hours and 57 minutes.

view from Cortina d’Ampezzo

Mike in Cortina d’Ampezzo

view from Cortina d’Ampezzo

Cortina d’Ampezzo

me in Cortina d’Ampezzo

the Lavaredo 120km

Cortina d’Ampezzo

Cinque Torri

We left town soon after and began our drive toward Bolzano via the scenic Great Dolomites Road (SS48 to SS241), a 2 3/4 hour drive during which we hoped to stop for a couple of short hikes. We drove 25 minutes west on SR48 and parked at Baita Bai de Dones. We took a chairlift up to Rifugio Scoiattoli. There we did a circuit hike of about 1.7 miles at Cinque Torri, one of the most recognizable rock formations in the Dolomites. Not only is it a popular hiking and rock-climbing destination, it is also an open air war museum, with trenches and bunkers remaining from WWI.

During WWI, this was the site of conflict between the Italians and the Austro-Hungarians. Bunkers and trenches were built amidst the Cinque Torre towers. The formations remained after the war.

Cinque Torri is called such because at first glance it seems there are five main pillars. Actually up close there are many more smaller pillars and towers in this rock formation. The largest tower is Torre Grande, with the others being Torre Seconda, Torre Latina, Quarta Terre, and Quinta Inglese. Torre Grande and Torre Seconda have numerous rock-climbing routes.

We saw many people rock climbing, including little children! It was a gorgeous day for a walk, crisp and clear and breezy – perfect hiking weather.

view of Cortina d’Ampezza

a sign to heed 🙂

Cinque Torri

World War I bunker

World War I walls

World War I outdoor museum

Cinque Torri

another WWI shelter

Cinque Torri

rock climber at Cinque Torri

a narrow path through Cinque Torri

rock climbers at Cinque Torri

more rock climbers

Mike at Cinque Torri

me at Cinque Torri

Cinque Torri

me at Cinque Torri

Mike at Cinque Torri

Cinque Torri

man with horse at Cinque Torri

Cinque Torri

Here is a video of our time in the eastern Dolomites. On Settings (bottom right), hit “Quality: HD” for best experience.

Steps: 12,253; Miles 5.19. High 76°, Low 49°.

As we were leaving Cinque Torri, we found on our GPS that the Great Dolomites Road was closed at the Falzarego Pass, so we had to reroute and couldn’t take our scenic route to Bolzano. We were disappointed because it is supposed to be a beautiful route and we had planned to hike around Lago di Carezza. We ended up backtracking all the way to Cortina d’Ampezzo and then to Dobbiaco and Brunico and then eventually toward Bolzano on the A12 autostrada. We were heading to the western Dolomites, where we would stay on the Renon Plateau.

bella venezia :-)

wanderessence1025 August 23, 2023

Arrival in Venice

Saturday, June 17: We took the ACTV bus to Piazzola Roma in Venice from the airport. Michele, our Airbnb host, met us and we had quite a walk to our apartment carrying my heavy backpack for the Via Francigena plus our suitcases through the city’s winding streets, over bridges and up four flights of stairs. Michele gave us the rundown on our apartment in the Santa Croce neighborhood, not far from the train station and the Scarzi bridge.

our Airbnb in the Santa Croce neighborhood of Venice

our Airbnb in Venice

our Airbnb in the Santa Croce neighborhood of Venice

Santa Croce and Cannaregio

Michele recommended we go to Enoteca Al Prosecco at Campo San Giacomo, which we did posthaste. We sat in the shade and ordered Prosecco and a salad with roasted vegetables (zucchini), various cheeses, a plate of bread with olive oil and sprinkles of some spice. It was a simple but perfect opening meal for our time in Venice.

We had a nice chat with a couple from Edinburgh, Scotland. They had a house in Volterra in Tuscany and were in Venice for a mini-vacation. They were drinking a red drink they identified as campari with bitters (campari bittere). Both husband and wife knew of the Via Francigena, and they corrected my pronunciation of the walk on which I’d embark to “Fran-chee’-gin-a,” with the emphasis on the “chee.” The husband had done the Camino de Santiago before, so we shared our experiences. They said the Francigena would be hot in July. I knew that and dreaded it, but I had wanted to do it with Darina, who is on a teacher’s schedule. Little did I know how difficult the whole experience would be.

After the Prosecco, our lunch, and our long overnight of travel with little to no sleep, we were exhausted and bedraggled. We went back to the apartment to take naps. It felt so luxurious to do that instead of barreling through until nightfall, which we usually try to do when we travel to Europe.

Canals in Santa Croce

Enoteca Al Prosecco

salad at Enoteca Al Prosecco

Campo San Giacomo

After our naps, we showered and went out to explore the Cannaregio neighborhood, across the Scarzi bridge. I found a cute shop called EVIVIAN where I bought a cute white blouse with green embroidery. It was fun walking around, crossing the bridges over the myriad canals, and watching the people. We are always able to point out the stylish Italians and the very unstylish Americans – even I feel like one in Venice. I wondered why we can never find such stylish clothes in the U.S.

The restaurants Michele had recommended in Cannaregio were fully booked on Saturday night so we stopped at a random spot, La Bella Pollastrella, and sat alongside the canal. We had a rather bland dinner of cuttlefish in Venetian style with polenta and a pizza with tomatoes, cheese and shrimp. Mike drank a beer and I had a lime soda because Mike promised we’d stop later at a wine bar for a drink.

Cannaregio

me on a bridge in Cannaregio

Cannaregio

Mike at La Bella Pollastrella

me at La Bella Pollastrella

cuttlefish in Venetian style

pizza with tomatoes, cheese and shrimp

After dinner, we started to quickly burn out after we walked around in search of The Ghetto (“foundry”), designated the Jewish quarter from the 16th-19th century. In 1516, the Venetian Republic decreed that Jewish lenders, doctors, and clothing merchants were allowed to run their commercial enterprises by day but at night and on the Christian holidays were locked into the gated island of the Ghetto Nuovo (New Foundry).

As we wandered around in search of The Ghetto, we passed a lively area with young people enjoying drinks and Venetian tapas (cicchetti). We weren’t really sure that we found The Ghetto; most of the area was deserted and a bit run down.

I loved the people-watching and just wandering the quiet neighborhoods. The Fondamente Cannaregio was quite packed with people and enticing shops. In the end, we were too tired to stop for a glass of wine, so we returned to our apartment for a good night’s sleep.

Cannaregio

Mike in Cannaregio

Cannaregio

possibly The Ghetto?

Cannaregio

The Grand Canal

Steps: 14,733; Miles: 6.25. Weather (Fahrenheit): Hi: 84°, Low 68°.

Sunday, June 18: This morning, we headed out about 9:00 a.m. and walked through our Santa Croce neighborhood toward the Rialto Bridge. We stopped at a bakery, Majer, in San Polo, and had chocolate croissants and cappuccinos. Brazen pigeons kept hopping up on the table. We walked through narrow alleyways and passed by pasticceria with pyramids of pistacchio cannoli in the windows. We crossed over numerous bridges with gondolas skimming by underneath. As usual, I was attracted to the laundry hanging from upper floors of buildings. The canals were serene and we loved stopping on all the bridges to admire their unique charms.

Some bridges were brick and solid, others lacy with wrought iron railings. The buildings lining the canals often sported colorful flower boxes, hanging laundry and boats tethered to hooks or wharf-like structures.

Soon we arrived at the Rialto Bridge, busy with boat and gondola traffic. The Rialto Bridge is one of four bridges that crosses the Grand Canal; Venice has over 400 bridges that cross lesser canals. It was built of Istrian stone by Antonio da Ponte over three years in 1592. The bridge crosses the Grand Canal at its narrowest point and connects two neighborhoods, San Polo and San Marco. It is adorned with stone relief carvings of St. Mark, St. Theodore, and the Annunciation. It also has numerous shops built into it. At one time it was originally lined with luxury gold and jewelry shops, much like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.

We dipped into the Chiesa di San Salvador (1507-1663) built by Giorgio Spavento and other architects. We expected to find a Sunday mass, but instead found it deserted.

We stopped at a shop, run by a Chinese woman, where I bought a maxi-dress. The Chinese run so many businesses in Venice! We saw another sweets shop with Venetian Sweet Pistachio (Pan del Doge Pistacchio), again stacked neatly in pyramids.

laundry in the alley behind our apartment

Venice

bridges of Venice

laundry in Venice

another Venice canal

bridge of Venice

Venice canal

balcony covered in greenery

street of Venice

canal and gondolier

me at a pasticceria

pistacchio cannoli pyramid pyramid

Venice

The Grand Canal

Rialto Bridge

me on the Grand Canal

Chiesa di San Salvador

cannoli pyramids

Venice

We stopped in Campo Santo Stefano where we met Elena at Antica Legatoria Ofer. The shop sold products such as journals, cards, wrapping paper and earrings made of marbled paper. I bought two pairs of marbled paper earrings, one fan-shaped green and gold pair, and one pair of purple/lavender teardrops. The purple ones matched my shirt but Elena and I both agreed we didn’t like things too matchy. She gave us lots of great recommendations for places to eat.

We then walked over the Ponte dell’ Accademia. The wooden bridge was built in 1933 as a temporary replacement for an 1857 iron bridge, but the replacement by engineer Eugenio Miozzi remains a beloved landmark. Recent structural improvements have preserved the bridge for decades to come.

Before we knew it we were in Dorsoduro. We arrived early at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection but they wouldn’t allow us to enter before our 11:50 ticket time. We went for a ham and cheese panino at Gelateria la Arte del Gusto, and then went to the museum at the designated time.

Elena & me at Antica Legatoria Ofer

imposing Venice

The Grand Canal

Mike at Gelateria la Arte del Gusto

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is among the most important museums for European and North American art of the first half of the 20th century in Italy. It is housed in Peggy Guggenheim’s former home, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal in Venice. First, we explored the museum’s sculpture garden.

Sculpture Garden at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Peggy Guggenheim’s grave

Peggy Guggenheim’s animals

Sculpture Garden at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

me at the Sculpture Garden at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

We perused the special exhibit, “Edmondo Bacci: Energy and Light,” 80 works dedicated to the Venetian artist Edmondo Bacci (1913-1978). The focus was primarily on the 1950s, with his unusual painting style, his forceful use of color, his rupture of spatial planes and the circular rhythm of his brushstrokes. It was meant to be a representation of Venetian postwar art.

“Edmondo Bacci: Energy and Light”

me at “Edmondo Bacci: Energy and Light”

Edmondo Bacci

“Edmondo Bacci: Energy and Light”

The permanent collection included work by Pablo Picasso; Umberto Boccioni; Vasily Kandinsky; Fernand Léger; Marino Marini, “The Angel of the City;” Salvador Dalí; Paul Klee; Rita Krenn-Larsen; Jackson Pollock; Clyfford Still; and primitive art by Pegeen Vail.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

G. Severini

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Umberto Boccioni “Dynamism of a Speeding Horse + Houses” (1915)

Max Ernst “Little Machine Constructed by Minimax Dadamax in Person” 1919-1920

Vasily Kandinsky, “Upward” 1929

view of the Grand Canal from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Marc Chagall “Rain” 1911

Fernand Léger, “Men in the City”

on the porch of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

view of the Grand Canal from the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Paul Klee “Portrait of Frau P. in the South” 1924

Paul Klee “Magic Garden” 1926

Jackson Pollock 1943-1945

Clyfford Still 1944

Pegeen Vail (1925-1967)

Peggy Guggenheim Collection

As we made our way back to our neighborhood, we stopped at Gelateria Squero for gelato. (I had caramel and Mike had mango and stratiachelli). As we strolled along a canal, some gondoliers glided past singing away. It was fun to watch.

We made the mistake of stopping at a Chinese-run place for drinks. Campari for me (too strong) and a Spritz for Mike. Two y0ung ladies sat next to us smoking away. Later, I ran into them in the bathroom and I couldn’t figure out how to get water to come out of the faucet. In a haughty way, one of the girls pointed out the foot pedal on the floor. She must have thought I was so stupid because she also had to point out the soap dispenser. 🙂

Gelateria Squero

more quaint canals

another imposing facade

charming Venice

Venice canals

stopping for Aperol Spritz

stopping for Campari

Venice canal

At Anatema, I bought a silk kimono and a scarf. Later, we went to Birraria La Corte for dinner on Elena’s recommendation. I wore the silk scarf with a blue and white patterned knit maxi dress and felt like I was Rosealba from my favorite Italian movie, Bread & Tulips (she bought a floral dress and a patterned scarf with her first paycheck from a florist shop). 🙂

Mike was making fun of me for buying so much for myself on Father’s Day. I insisted it had to make him happy to see me so stylish.

What a pleasant experience with a lovely setting and a cool breeze. The appetizer was the star of the meal: Burrata, zucchini cream, laminated zucchini with flowers, and pumpkin seeds. It was so refreshing and tasty.

For dinner, I had Ricotta Gnocchi with Scampi alla Busara, sweet Italian pepper, & sumac powder. Mike had Homemade Tagliatelle with Duck Ragout, almond sauce and black truffle. Mike got a Basil Crush and I had Prosecco; I liked his drink so much I ordered myself the Basil Crush, while he downed a grappa.

A bridal party sat behind us and the young ladies were playing games and laughing it up. At the end, the bride was delivered a tart with sparklers on it, entertaining everyone in the restaurant.

Anatema

Birraria La Corte

Mike and his Basil Crush

me with Prosecco

Burrata, zucchini cream, laminated zucchini with flowers, and pumpkin seeds

Ricotta gnocchi with scampi alla Busara, sweet Italian pepper, & sumac powder

Homemade Tagliatelle with duck ragout, almond sauce and black truffle

cake for dessert

Basil Crush

Mike downs a grappa

the bridal shower with sparklers

We enjoyed our wander back home; it was a lovely night all around. Before going inside, we walked past the hotel we saw out of our 4th floor window: Ca’Nigra Lagoon Resort. We had been curious to know the establishment to which the beautiful grounds belonged.

Mike on one of Venice’s many bridges

me with Mike

Gondoliers galore

pistacchio cannoli

laundry and canal

me and a flower bower

Ca’Nigra Lagoon Resort

Steps: 16,340; Miles 6.93. Weather: High 81°, Low 68°.

The Venice Lagoon: Murano & Burano

Monday, June 19: We went by boat to Murano and Burano. See the venice lagoon: murano & burano.

Venice & The Grand Canal

Tuesday, June 20: Tuesday, our last day in Venice, we did all the things we’re supposed to do as tourists in Venice. Well, sort of. We started by getting an hour earlier start than on Monday.

We took the line 1 vaporetto down the Grand Canal. The line 2 (the express boat) was packed and we couldn’t get on after two consecutive boats, so we went to line 1 which stops more frequently. We sat outdoors in the breezy bow of the boat and saw all the sights front row and center. First, we passed the Ca’D’Oro, one of the older palaces in the city. Its name means “golden house” due to gilt and polychrome external decorations that once adorned its walls. Since 1927, it has been a museum, the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti.

We cruised past the Rialto Mercato and went under both the Rialto Bridge, where I loved the sight of the gondolas neatly lined up, and the lacy wooden Ponte dell’ Accademia. We found it interesting watching the delivery boats delivering food and drinks to all the establishments along the canals. We buzzed past the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, which sits right on the Grand Canal, and numerous other palaces and museums. It was such a pleasant experience that my negative opinion of the vaporetto from Monday’s excursion on the Venice Lagoon softened.

The Grand Canal

Ca’D’Oro

The Grand Canal

The Rialto Bridge

The Grand Canal

Ponte dell’ Accademia

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Grand Canal

St. Mark’s Square

We arrived at St. Mark’s Square where we stayed for no more than a half hour and didn’t go into any buildings. I was not interested in dealing with the crowds for either the Doge’s Palace or St. Mark’s Basilica. We saw the Venetian Gothic style Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale). I kept imagining it being like the nightmare Vatican Museums, where people are herded through like cattle. It is one of the main landmarks in Venice, residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. Built in 1340 and modified in following centuries, it became a museum in 1923.

We admired the fully enclosed limestone Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri), built in 1600 by Antonio Contino, which passes over the Rio di Palazzo. It has windows with stone bars and connects the new prison to the interrogation rooms in the Doge’s Palace. Here it was said convicts sighed as they caught their last sight of Venice before being thrown in prison.

St. Mark’s Basilica is the cathedral church of the Catholic Patriarchate of Venice. It is dedicated to and holds the relics of Saint Mark the Evangelist, the patron saint of the city. Modeled after the 6th century Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, the present church is the third church begun in around 1063 to express Venice’s growing civic pride. Middle Byzantine, Romanesque, and Islamic influences are evident; Gothic elements were later incorporated. The original brick facade has been embellished over the years with precious stones and rare marbles, mostly in the 13th century.

Ticking away the time in front of us was the Torre dell’Orologio, St. Mark’s Clock Tower, also known as “the Moor’s clocktower.” It was designed by Maurizio Codussi and built 1496. The clock displayed the time, the phrase of the moon, and the dominant sign of the Zodiac. It was topped by two bronze figures, the “Do Mori” (Two Moors) who strike the bell hourly. Originally designed as giants, their dark patina led them to be called Moors.

On another corner of the square was the Campanile, the Basilica’s 99m-tall bell tower. Built originally in 888, it has been rebuilt two times. Galileo Galilei tested his telescope here in 1609. Now people climb to the top for 360° views of the Venice Lagoon.

What a mess St. Mark’s Square was! There was all kinds of construction going on, endless lines of people, and tacky kiosks blocking the views from every angle. The whole place should be better managed.

I didn’t have the patience to see over-the-top opulence, more old paintings and sculptures. I’m happiest wandering aimlessly and discovering simple surprises and pleasures, and lingering at cafes.

The Doge’s Palace

gondolas at St. Mark’s Square

The Bridge of Sighs

me at the Bridge of Sighs

the Campanile

St. Mark’s Basilica

Torre dell’Orologio

St. Mark’s to Rialto to Frari Church Walk

We followed a combination of two walks in the Rick Steves book we found in our Airbnb. We saw the parish church for St. Mark’s, the 10th century San Moisè, with its busy 17th-century Baroque facade.

We climbed the 1499 Scala Contarini del Bovolo, a 26m-high monolith multi-arch staircase made of solid Istrian stone. It is part of the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, a small palazzo. The staircase leads to an arcade, providing sweeping views of the city rooftops, the Campanile of San Marco and the Basilica’s domes. As we were leaving, a young lady did a staged Rapunzel pose for her hired photographer from one of the staircase arches. Except she didn’t have Rapunzel’s long hair.

San Moisè Church

another charming canal

Scala Contarini del Bovolo

view from the Scala Contarini del Bovolo

Rapunzel at Scala Contarini del Bovolo

beautiful building in Venice

We wandered among the fruit, vegetable and seafood vendors at the Rialto Market. Further strolling the streets, I saw a cute dress in a shop called Rughetta and tried it on while a German woman stood by hoping to pounce on it if I didn’t take it. I bought it immediately, much to the woman’s disappointment. We had a nice lunch at Ristobar San Polo where we shared a Asparagi Pizza: tomato, cheese and asparagus.

Near The Frari Church, we came upon a series of mask shops, where we admired elaborate masks associated with Carnevale di Venezia (Carnival of Venice), established in 1168. Masks were worn to conceal identities of both the lower and upper classes in the pre-Lenten celebration.

Rialto Market

Rughetta

another Venetian canal

Venice

Carvnevale mask shop

Finally, we visited the Frari Church, or the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, a church located in the Campo dei Frari at the heart of the San Polo district of Venice. It is the largest church in the city and it has the status of a minor basilica. The church is dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was built and consecrated in 1492 by the Franciscan order, which is inspired by St. Francis of Assisi (c. 1182-1226).

There are numerous important works in The Frari. The altarpiece, Assumption of the Virgin (1516-1518) by Titian, shows cherubs lifting Mary to meet God. Titian scandalized Venice with his human depiction of Mary, which aroused excitement rather than spirituality.

Titian’s Madonna of Ca’Pesaro (1519-1526) was Titian’s second altarpiece. He put Mary on a pedestal with a squirming standing baby; they are surrounded by saints mingling with mere mortals. The painting upset Renaissance symmetry.

Donatello’s Statue of John the Baptist (1438) depicted a harshly realistic John the Baptist, dressed in animal skins and showing a full range of human emotions, typical of Renaissance art.

Titian’s tomb, completed in 1852, shows Titian with a beard and crown of laurels. His famous paintings are shown in background reliefs. Titian was a great Venetian painter who created inspirational altarpieces, realistic portraits, mythological scenes and erotic female nudes. He died from the plague in 1576.

The Canova Monument of 1827 is dedicated to Venice’s greatest sculptor, Antonio Canova (1757-1822), who created Neoclassical statues of Greek gods and goddesses. Canova designed the tomb for Titian in a pyramid shape, suggesting a pharoah’s tomb, but the Frari (brothers) picked another design. Canova then used the pyramid design for an Austrian princess. Canova’s pupils copied the design to honor their master. He isn’t actually buried here but an urn does contain his heart.

We also found in the church the gear of a 16th century tower clock.

The Frari Church

Assumption of the Virgin (1516-1518) by Titian

Madonna of Ca’Pesaro by Titian (1519-1526)

Statue of John the Baptist by Donatello (1438)

The Frari Church

Titian’s Tomb (1852)

The Canova Monument (1827)

The Frari Church

gear of a 16th century tower clock

The Frari Church

After all our wanderings, it was time for a nap at home. After resting, Mike made us cantaloupe and cheese appetizers and leftover pizza slices along with some wine. Later, we went to dinner at Osteria ae Saracche, where Mike had Pici with Duck Ragout and I had Artichoke Ravioli with Zucchini and Stracciatella. The meal was decent but not fantastic.

Mike’s cantaloupe & cheese appetizers

canal in Santa Croce

Mike at Osteria ae Saracche

Artichoke Ravioli with Zucchini and Stracciatella

Mike in Santa Croce

me overlooking one of Venice’s charming canals

To top off our time in Venice, we took a gondola ride with gondolier Christian. Even though Mike wasn’t thrilled at the 100 euro cost for a half hour after 8:00, I insisted we do the one iconic Venice thing before we left the city.

Finally, we went to Campo San Giacomo to see a tango school’s students dancing in the square.

in the gondola

Mike in the gondola

me in the gondola

in the gondola

on the Grand Canal in the gondola

view from the Gondola

Mike and me in the gondola

Christian, Mike and me

tango in the square

Steps: 17,084; Miles 7.24. Weather: High 87°, Low 70°.

Here is a short video of our time in Venice. On Settings (bottom right), hit “Quality: HD” for best experience.

On Wednesday, we would leave Venice and head north to the Dolomites.

the venice lagoon: murano & burano

wanderessence1025 August 16, 2023

Monday, June 19: On our third day in Venice, we got started about an hour later than we intended and we paid dearly for that. The earlier you go someplace in Venice, the fewer tourists you will encounter, or so we’d been told. But it was lovely to enjoy our Airbnb apartment with breakfast, coffee, and leisurely journal-writing.

The vaporetto line 3 to the island of Murano from the train station near our apartment was packed and though it had a few open windows, it was already like baking in an oven at 9:30 am.

Murano

In all, it was about a 20-minute boat ride to the island of Murano, famous for its glass industry. Though Venetians had worked in glass since the 10th century, the industry moved to Murano in the 13th century due to the fire hazards of glass-blowing. Trade secrets were meticulously guarded and any glass worker who left the island was guilty of treason and subject to assassination. Now glass artisans work in Murano’s workshops.

We strolled along the canal and popped into some glass shops. Mike was taking a picture of me in front of a wall of colorful glasses when the shopkeeper yelled at him several times, “Sir. No pictures!” It was too late; he’d already taken the photo.

We loved the pretty window boxes bursting with flowers; one even had glass flowers. I stopped at Prestige where I bought 3 pairs of Murano glass earrings. Later I bought an asymmetrical red/black flowered necklace with a Japanese aesthetic at Vetro-Mania. I would have loved to have bought some glassware but knew it would be a pain to pack and carry.

We stopped at Da Tanduo where we found and ate Venetian tapas called cicchetti for an bit of an early lunch snack, accompanied by a cappuccino.

canal in Murano

me at a glass shop while Mike takes the forbidden picture

Murano

Prestige

Murano

flower boxes in Murano

Murano

glassware on a table in Murano

Murano

cicchetti

me having cappucino and cicchetti

cicchetti

Murano

We then had to stand in a long miserable line up against a building directly in the sun, waiting for the Line 12 vaporetto from Murano to Burano. It was another 33 minutes in the sweltering oven of a boat to Burano.

Burano

We disembarked and immediately headed in the opposite direction of the crowds to find the deserted areas with the brightly painted houses.

Burano was once famous for its handmade lace, but as the intricate lace went out of style in the lean post-WWII years, the industry declined. Now the brightly painted houses in Burano are a draw for photographers.

It was steamy but we wandered around taking photos. Finally we stopped at the slightly air-conditioned Ristorante Bar Sport Pizzeria, whose unimaginative name should have warned us of the bland and predictable food. We had Vongole Vapore (steamed mussels) and a super boring Insalatona Boscaiola (mix salad. mozzarella in cubes. mushrooms. artichokes. peppers). The mozzarella was missing and the salad was incredibly bland.

Strolling a bit more after lunch, we came across the 53m-tall Leaning Tower of Burano, built in 1714, part of the 16th century Chiesa di San Martino Vescovo complex. It is one of the most heavily leaning towers in Italy, showing a difference of around 1.8 meters from its base to its steeple.

Burano

Leaning Tower of Burano

Burano

me in Burano

Burano

Insalatona Boscaiola at Ristorante Bar Sport Pizzeria

Vongole Vapore at Ristorante Bar Sport Pizzeria

Burano

We walked through the rest of the town and then we were herded like cattle onto the line 12 vaporetto back to Venice Fondamente Novo (40-50 minutes of pure misery). Sweat was pouring off of me and I thought I might never make it back to our Airbnb apartment. I desperately fanned myself with the pages I’d torn out of my guidebook in a vain attempt to cool off. I had been sick with an upper respiratory infection about two weeks before we left home but still had a lingering cough. By the end of this day, I felt a major setback, like I was getting sick all over again.

Venice

I was so happy to get off that boat, even though we were let off quite far from our apartment. We slowly made our way back to Santa Croce via Cannaregio. A police boat went zooming under a bridge. We were exhausted, but we found a little bar, Enobirroteca, patrolled by an elderly dog named Vicky. We sat in a shaded alley under umbrellas and had Spritz Venezia and cicchetti (codfish with zucchini flowers – so good and refreshing). It was the perfect respite to an otherwise miserably hot day.

walking back to our apartment in Santa Croce

a police boat in Canaregio

Enobirroteca

Spritz Venezia and cicchetti

We bought some tricolor pasta so Mike could cook dinner in our Airbnb. On our way, Mike found a shop called OVS, where he bought at shirt and pair of shorts. I bought a light blue peasant top with a white pattern and a white linen cropped sleeveless v-neck.

Back at the apartment, after a quick shower, I fell asleep under a comforter in our icy cold Airbnb (we could never get the remote to work to change the temperature). I felt awful and exhausted. My cough had gotten worse and I was utterly wiped out. I wondered if I might have walking pneumonia, a lung infection that causes airways to swell, the air sacs in lungs to fill with mucus and other fluids, a high fever and cough with mucus. A person with walking pneumonia may feel well enough to walk around and carry out daily tasks without realizing he or she may have pneumonia.

When I woke up, Mike served up a kind of tri-color Cacio di Pepe for dinner. Accompanied by wine of course.

I didn’t really feel like going out but I’d promised Mike we’d go have an after-dinner drink at a neighborhood bar. I had a refreshing mojito and he a double shot of tequila. We sat and watched the people walk by but the motley tourists weren’t as stylish as others we’d seen in other neighborhoods.

Mike’s concoction of tri-color Cacio e Pepe

me in the neighborhood bar

Mike in the neighborhood bar

Steps: 12,393; Miles 5.26. Weather: High 84°, Low 68° (It felt a lot hotter than that!)

on journey: embarking on a 6-week trip to italy

wanderessence1025 August 9, 2023

Friday, June 16: As is normal for East Coast flights to Europe, we were due to fly to Brussels and then to Venice on a 6:00 p.m. flight. We took an Uber ride from our house to Dulles International Airport with Kumar from India. He drove so slowly that a car passed us on Vale Road, a dangerous hilly two-lane road on which no one ever passes. Still, we arrived at the airport so early we didn’t have to wait in any lines. As we sat in the airport, the crowds grew and Mike heard the flight was full, which seems to be the case on every flight these days. I was worried about the severe thunderstorm warnings through 9 p.m., meaning we could be delayed and miss our connecting flight in Brussels (we only had 1 hour and 40 minutes), or worse, the take-off could be dangerous.

Me at Dulles with my backpack

By 5:00 it was raining but there was no thunder or lightning. Luckily we left at 6:11 on Brussels Airlines with no delay at all. The flight was about 7 hours and 50 minutes and we arrived in Brussels pretty much on time.

On the flight, I watched the movie Lola, about a transgender teenage boy -> girl who had been kicked out of the house by her father. Lola’s mother had been visiting Lola behind the father’s back and had saved money to help Lola get a sex change operation, but unfortunately she died before giving her the money. Lola, who had been living in a shelter, showed up for her mother’s funeral and her father acted like a real asshole. Lola took hold of her mother’s ashes and insisted on going with her father to the mother’s hometown to scatter her ashes. Finally, they came to some understanding. Her father’s heart softened but he’d still never accept that his son was a girl. It was pretty interesting to see how the trans issue affected an entire family.

The inflight meal was a rather bland rigatoni and white wine. I took a half a Valium and managed to sleep an hour or two at most. Once I woke up, I watched The Whale, which was difficult to watch. The main character, Charlie, was basically killing himself with obesity. He had left his wife and daughter for one of his young male students, who had killed himself by jumping off a bridge, leaving Charlie deep in grief. Charlie was trying to reconcile with his difficult daughter. It was a rather dark and depressing movie.

on Brussels Airlines

Leaving Washington

Flight data

the friendly skies

Flight data

Almost to Brussels

Saturday, June 17: We landed in Brussels close to 7:30 a.m. where we had to go through European immigration and then had to wait forever, till 8:30, for them to post the gate number for our 9:30 flight to Venice. Of course I had been carrying my heavy backpack plus my regular small backpack; together they were difficult to juggle. I seriously wondered how I’d manage to walk 200+ miles in the Tuscan sun and heat with that pack. It was tough enough just schlepping it around through the airport.Plus, I had brought my jean jacket which I used on the freezing plane but likely wouldn’t need in Italy. Finally, we proceeded to the gate.

Waiting in Brussels

Mike waiting in Brussels

We took off on time and landed in Venice at 11:10 a.m. We had to wait a while for our luggage to appear, so we were relieved when it finally arrived.

We then took the ACTV bus into Venice to Piazzola Roma, where our adventure would begin.

anticipation & preparation: northern italy & the via francigena

wanderessence1025 June 14, 2023

The Via Francigena

It all started when Mike and I were driving through Tuscany in 2019. We came across a trail through a lovely slice of farmland and a signpost for “The Via Francigena.” I had no idea what that was, but it piqued my curiosity. After all, the countryside in Tuscany is stunning and I thought the area would be wonderful to hike through. When I returned home, I started doing research and found that the Via Francigena is actually an ancient road and pilgrimage route that goes from the Cathedral of Canterbury in England, through France, Switzerland, and Italy to Rome, and then on to Apulia, Italy, from where medieval pilgrims once embarked to the Holy Land in Jerusalem. In the Middle Ages The Via was an important road and pilgrimage route for those wishing to visit the Holy See and the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Lucca, Italy in 2019

San Gimignano in 2019

Siena in 2019

Tuscan countryside 2019

Vatican City 2019

In 990, the newly appointed archbishop of Canterbury, Sigeric the Serious, set out to see the Pope and receive his pallium, the simple woolen cloak embroidered with a cross that symbolized both his rise to archbishop and his allegiance to Rome. He took notes on his journey that propelled him into the history books, but it is thought he was a rather undistinguished church leader who was making a routine journey on a well-trod road that was originally established as a trade route between Brittania and Ancient Rome.

The entire route from Canterbury to Rome is over 2000km, and is estimated to take hikers about 90 days. The route is divided into stages; I wanted only to do the Tuscan route, starting in Lucca and ending in Rome. The total distance of this route is 410.5km (255.07 mi), but we will be skipping some of the stages and thus will walk only 83% of the path, 340.8km, or 211.77 miles. I’ll be walking with my Slovakian friend Darina, who I met on the Camino de Santiago in 2018. Because she is a teacher, and we are limited to the summer holidays, we will be walking in July, admittedly the hottest part of the year in Tuscany.

It was a long time in coming, but in 1994 the Via Francigena was recognized as an official “Cultural Route of the Council of Europe.” Though some infrastructure has been built up around it, it is apparently nowhere near as developed as the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Darina and I started planning in March, developed our entire route, and booked all our accommodations from Lucca to Rome.

Here are some links on The Via Francigena:

Here are some of the books about Tuscany and the Via Francigena. The ones in green are books I own but haven’t yet read. The ones with star ratings and links are ones I’ve read; they link to Goodreads.

Tuscany
1. The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen ****
2. My Italian Bulldozer by Alexander McCall Smith (Montalcino)
3. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes ****
4. Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes ***
5. Every Day in Tuscany by Frances Mayes
6. See You in the Piazza by Frances Mayes
7. A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure (Italian Memoirs) by Marlena de Blasi **
8. Home to Italy by Peter Pezzelli
9. That Month in Tuscany by Inglath Cooper
10. The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
11. A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar
12. Vanilla Beans & Brodo: Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany by Isabella Dusi * (DNF)
Via Francigena
1. Pilgrim Route: Walking the Via Francigena Part 3 Lucca to Rome by Sandy Brown ****
2. A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of Faith by Timothy Egan ****
3. Via Francigena: A Tuscan Pilgrimage Lucca to Rome by Carla Mackey ***
4. Walking to Rome: Preparing and Packing for the Tuscan Via Francigena by Ryan Tandler ****
5. Return to Glow: A Pilgrimage of Transformation in Italy by Chandi Wyant

Books that take place in Tuscany

Books about the Via Francigena

Training for the Via Francigena

When I walked the Camino de Santiago in 2018, I went in September, which was hot, but as my walk spilled into October, the weather got progressively cooler. This time we will have to contend with the heat, meaning we will need to carry a lot of water. Also, the infrastructure is not as good on the Via Francigena. On the Camino, I was able to send my pack ahead each day with a transport company for 5€. On the Via Francigena there are two transport services, Bags Free and SloWays. These services cost 20€ or 15€ per day, respectively, to transport the bag, but they cannot transport it to an Airbnb or anywhere where there is not a full-time reception area. This does present issues as there are not as many pilgrim hostels on the path and many times we will be staying in apartments. Thus I have to be prepared to carry my pack, in the heat, the entire way. It is possible I can send the pack ahead 2-3 days. I have spent a lot of time training, but as far as I can tell, it will be a big challenge for me, even with training, due to the heat and the amount of water I’ll have to carry.

Venice, the Dolomites, Verano, & Bergamo

Of course, Mike and I wanted to do a trip that added on to Darina’s and my walk on the Via Francigena. Once we established the dates Darina would wrap up her school year, Mike and I decided we would go to Venice, the Dolomites, Verano, Bergamo and finally to Lucca in the three weeks preceding the walk. I have always wanted to go to Venice, although the idea of huge crowds of people, which we will certainly encounter in mid-June, does not appeal to me. Mike went to Venice inn 1984 with his first wife, Kerri, who died of cancer in 1987. He is not enthralled with the idea of Venice in summer, but we will stay only 4 nights there and then head north to the Dolomites, where we will spend seven nights between Dobbiaco and Bolzano/Renon. We hope to spend a lot of time walking in the mountains on the many trails there.

Finally, we need to make our way slowly to Lucca, so we will spend three nights in Verona, stopping at Lago di Garda, and three nights in Bergamo, stopping at Lago d’Iseo on the way.

Finally, we’ll arrive in Lucca after a brief stop in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, and spend two nights there. Darina will meet us on our second day and we hope to ride bicycles around the city walls. Mike and Darina are looking forward to meeting each other. Mike and I were impressed with Lucca when we were there in 2019 and we would like to return to our favorite restaurant “Des Arts” Bistrot e Winebar for dinner. After our two nights in Lucca, Mike will fly home via Pisa and Darina and I will skip a few stages through the suburbs of Lucca and begin our walk the next day in Fucecchio.

I have established quite a reading list of books about Italy. Many I have read in prior years. It seems I will never get through the books I hoped to read this year.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert *****
The House at the Edge of Night by Catherine Banner *****
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway *****
The Miracles of Santo Fico by D.L. Smith ****
The Fall of a Sparrow by Robert Hellenga *****
The Italian Lover by Robert Hellenga
The Confessions of Frances Godwin by Robert Hellenga
An Italian Affair by Laura Fraser ****
Born Twice by Giuseppe Ponliggia ***
The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian *****
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter (& Hollywood. Sandpoint, ID. Edinburgh.) ****
Cucina: A Novel of Rapture by Lily Prior
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames
A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell
Eternal by Lisa Scottoline
The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
My Brilliant Friend (The Neopolitan Novels, #1) by Elena Ferrante
The Story of a New Name (The Neopolitan Novels, #2) by Elena Ferrante
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay (The Neopolitan Novels, #3) by Elena Ferrante
The Story of the Lost Child (The Neopolitan Novels, #4) by Elena Ferrante
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle (Kindle)
Love & Gelato (Love & Gelato #1) by Jenna Evans Welch
Love & Luck (Love & Gelato #2) by Jenna Evans Welch
Love & Olives (Love & Gelato #3) by Jenna Evans Welch
A Harvest of Secrets by Roland Merullo
Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily and Finding Home by Tembi Locke
Trieste and the Meaning of Nowhere by Jan Morris
Finding Myself in Puglia: A Journey of Self-Discovery Under the Warm Southern Italian Sun by Laine B. Brown
Naked (in Italy): A Memoir About the Pitfalls of La Dolce Vita by M.E. Evans
Revamp: a Memoir of Travel and Obsessive Renovation by Pamela Reynolds
Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center by Michelle Damiani
Solo in Salento by Donna Keel Armer
The Secrets of Villa Rosso by Linn B. Halton
Our Italian Summer by Jennifer Probst
Summer at the Lake by Erica James
The Homecoming Party by Carmine Abate
From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus
The Italian Teacher by Tom Rachman
Christ Stopped at Eboli: The Story of a Year by Carlo Levi
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
A Room with a View by E.M Forster
Vila Triste by Lucretia Grindle
The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria by Marlena de Blasi
The Umbrian Thursday Night Supper Club by Marlena de Blasi
Lost Hearts in Italy by Andrea Lee
Extra Virgin (Italy Series, #1) by Annie Hawes
The Villa in Italy (A Vintage Mystery) by Elizabeth Edmonson
Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy by Michael Tucker
A Kiss from Maddalena by Christopher Castellani
All This Talk of Love: A Novel by Christopher Castellani
Been Here a Thousand Years by Mariolina Venezia, Marina Harss (Translator)
A Chill in the Air by Iris Origo
Italy Out of Hand: A Capricious Tour by Barbara Hodgson
A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio, translated by Ann Goldstein
A Traveller’s History of Italy by Valerio Lintner
The Italian Alps (not quite the Dolomites but close enough)
1. The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani (currently reading)
Rome
1. Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World by Anthony Doerr ****
Venice
1. As It Is in Heaven by Niall Williams (mostly in Ireland) ****
2. The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen ****
3. The City of Fallen Angels by John Berendt
4. A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlena de Blasi
5. Venice by Jan Morris

books set in Italy

Of course there are a lot of great Italian movies. Here are some I’ve either seen or would like to see:

Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) ***
La Dolce Vita (1960)
Come September (1961)
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
A Room With a View (1985) *****
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Il Postino: The Postman (1994)
Stealing Beauty (1996)
The English Patient (1996) ***** (Egypt, Libya)
Life is Beautiful (1997) *****
Besieged (1998) ****
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) **
Tea with Mussolini (1999)
Bread & Tulips (Venice) (2000) *****
Malèna (2000) *****
Italian for Beginners (2000) **
The Son’s Room (2001) *****
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) ****
The Best of Youth (2003)
A Good Woman (2004)
Agatha and the Storm (2004) ****
Angels & Demons (2009)
I am Love (2009)
Letters to Juliet (Verona) (2010) ****
The Tourist (2010) **
To Rome with Love (2012) ***
The Great Beauty (2013)
The Trip to Italy (2014) *
A Bigger Splash (2015) **
Call Me by Your Name (2017) ***
My Brilliant Friend (Naples) (TV series 2018 – ) *****
An Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts (TV series) (Turin) (2021-2022) ****
Toscana (Tuscany) (2022) ****
From Scratch (TV Mini-series) (Sicily) (2022) ****
Love in the Villa (Verona) (2022) ***
Book Club: The Next Chapter (Rome, Venice, Tuscany) (2023)

I created one journal to take with me through northern Italy and a smaller and lighter one to take on the Via Francigena.

My northern Italy journal

My Via Francigena journal

I’m hoping for good health, strength, decent weather and personal growth on our upcoming adventure through Italy. 🙂

san josé, costa rica & homeward bound

wanderessence1025 May 31, 2023

Sunday, January 15, 2023: On our way into San José, the capital and largest city in Costa Rica, we stopped at Alamo Car Rental, quite a distance from Juan Santamaría International Airport, where we returned our rental car and took an Uber to our hotel, Hotel Santo Tomas. We checked into the well-located hotel and promptly went out to explore San José.

We stopped briefly in a park where I tried on my angel wings. We wandered down a crowded pedestrian shopping street, Avenida Central, where Mike checked out bathing suits and I checked out some sandals. We didn’t however make any purchases – yet.

Hotel Santo Tomas Historical Property

me trying on angel wings 🙂

Pre-Columbian Gold Museum (Museo del Oro Precolombino)

We visited the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum (Museo del Oro Precolombino), housed in a subterranean building underneath the Plaza de la Cultura. Built between 1977-1982, it is owned and curated by the Banco Central de Costa Rica.

The impressive modern museum has an archeological collection of almost 4,000 Pre-Columbian artifacts, made up of thousands of gold objects and ceramic pieces, 46 stone objects, 4 jade and 9 glass or bead objects. The gold collection dates from 300-400 BC to 1550 AD.

From 2000-300 BC, early farmers and agriculture emerged and the first ceramic objects were produced. In 800 AD in southeast Costa Rica, complex societies developed, carrying out diverse productive activities and establishing politico-religious centers. These societies lived in large settlements arrayed along mountain ridges, alluvial plains and coastal areas, taking advantage of the fertile soil of the alluvial plains and the mineral, vegetable and animal wealth of the forests, rivers and coasts.

In Costa Rican history, gold was considered a symbol of authority and the items testify to the craftsmanship of the Pre-Columbian period. Gold objects were means to communicate specific ideas, especially in shamanistic rituals. Masculine figures with animal masks symbolize shamans whose superhuman qualities were depicted in animal form and whose abilities and behavior were considered powerful and dangerous.

Over 2.5 million years ago, several species of animals known as megafauna inhabited the American continent. These species became extinct at the end of the Ice Age 11,700 years ago. Costa Rica was home to species from both North and South America that used these lands as transit areas.

The museum’s collection celebrates the rich array of wildlife found in the country with animal figurines (frogs, eagles, jaguars and other felines, alligators, birds, aquatic animals, deer, and other mammals), amulets, and earrings. I loved the different animal shapes that inspired both gold pieces and ceramics. We found a turkey-shaped pot and an armadillo-shaped pot. Human figures were among the most commonly depicted in gold objects.

Mythology depicts felines as man-hunters and warriors, always linked to natural elements, such as water, stone and fire. Most common representations include jaguars, tigers, margays, pumas, ocelots, and jaguarundis.

Frogs and toads are known in indigenous mythology as assistant undertakers, protectors of the remains of the dead, and chanters that predict tempests and weather changes. They are also associated with rituals of shamanic transformation and fertility.

Birds are one of the most commonly represented animals in pre-Columbian metalwork. Generally associated with the journey of the souls of the deceased to the underworld. Shamans were said to transform into birds to perform the “shamanic flight.”

Alligators are a clan symbol for power and protection and served as guides for souls to reach the underworld; they are also presented as enemies to humans and associated with water, oceans and rivers.

Musicians, chanters and dancers played an important role in the preservation of pre-Columbian culture. Among pieces found as funerary objects are stylized musicians and chanters which are portrayed playing instruments and dancing. Sometimes they’re depicted holding two different instruments, attesting to their skill and musical ability.

Undertakers were important in Pre-Columbian society. Death was considered part of the cycle of life and rituals and beliefs revolved around it. There were two types of burials. In the primary type, the body was deposited directly into a tomb. In the secondary type, bones were de-fleshed and bundled before being buried. The museum contains a replica of a Pre-Columbian grave containing 88 gold objects; this was unearthed on a banana plantation in southeastern Costa Rica in the 1950s.

Undertakers

Warriors were said to have supernatural powers and could acquire powers from those they killed. They hung discs or patens on their chests which were used to intimidate the opposing side in moments of conflict. One diorama showcases El Guerrero, a life-sized gold warrior figure adorned with gold ornaments in a glass case.

Warrior

Warriors

Healers were specialists in charge of healing rituals: chanting sessions using various objects and medicinal plants.

Shamans were very important and acted as political, economic and spiritual leaders. Antonio Saldaña, the last shaman performing political duties among the Bribri, was murdered in 1910. He belonged to the SaLwak clan, from which the highest ranking chiefs could emerge.

The traditional Talamanca house (wood structures covered in palm tree leaves) symbolized the Bribri and Cabécar world view: They saw the universe as cone-shaped houses divided in strata, home to beings of different kinds.

cone-shaped houses

roofing materials

representation of the world

Museo del Oro Precolombino

The Matrilineal Clan System, a line of descent transmitted by females, is still used among Bribri and Cabécar indigenous groups of Costa Rica. Both women and men played important roles in life and in ritual practices. From 16th century sources, women were described as caciques (local political bosses), healers and warriors.

It was enlightening to study the detailed scale model of a Pre-Columbian village.

Museo del Oro Precolombino

metalworkers

Museo del Oro Precolombino

Healers at Museo del Oro Precolombino

Museo del Oro Precolombino

women in Pre-Columbian society

turkey image

Museo del Oro Precolombino

frog figures

alligator figure

Museo del Oro Precolombino

turtle figures

Museo del Oro Precolombino

A few modern pieces topped off the historical exhibits in the museum.

Digital Archive, A Memorial of the Human Condition by Priscilla Romero

close-up of Digital Archive, A Memorial of the Human Condition by Priscilla Romero

Pre-Columbian Gold Museum

The Dark Side of the Moon by Asessandra Sequeira

Pre-Columbian Gold Museum

After the Rain

Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica

After visiting the Gold Museum, we walked down Avenida Central to the National Theatre and looked around inside the lobby.

The 1,140-seat Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica is the nation’s national theater, located in the central section of San José. Construction began in 1891, and it opened to the public on 21 October 1897 with a performance of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust. The National Theatre stood as a cultural asset of the country during a time when coffee exports were a source of its success. Artistic criteria for performances are very high.

The building is considered the finest historic building in the capital, and it is known for its exquisite interior and its lavish furnishings.

Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica

Avenida Central

Catedral Metropolitana

We then walked by the Metropolitan Cathedral, which sits overlooking Parque Central. We tried to go inside, but since it was Sunday, one of their seven masses was in session and tourists weren’t allowed inside.

Catedral Metropolitana was originally built in 1802 but was destroyed by an earthquake. The Cathedral was rebuilt in the 1870s after the earthquake destroyed the smaller church on the site. It was designed by a Spanish architect in a style considered “neo-classical.” The front of the building features a façade with three towers, a clock tower in the center and two bell towers.

Catedral Metropolitana

Café Rojo

Returning to the hotel, we enjoyed a drink outside on palm-covered cushions and then we moseyed down the street to Café Rojo. What an adorable cafe with a Vietnamese twist. We were serenaded by “No Dejes Que…” by Caifanes while eating a broccoli soup, spring rolls with smoked trout, and a Vietnamese bowl with rice noodles, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, radishes, green onion, spearmint, cilantro, and peanuts, and topped with smoked trout. We tried several sauce options, all delicious.

sculpture at Plaza de la Cultura

Mike enjoying our hotel

Café Rojo

broccoli soup at Café Rojo

spring rolls & me at Café Rojo

spring rolls with smoked trout at Café Rojo

A walkabout in San José

Monday, January 16: We started our day by having breakfast in the poolside dining area, and then we were off to explore San José on our last day in Costa Rica.

We walked past the cute green Alliance Française building where French classes are held. We saw El Edificio Metálico (The Metallic Building), which houses a school and is located next to Parque Morazon. The metallic pieces were forged in Belgium in 1892; they were transported to and assembled in San José in 1896. A unique building for Costa Rica, it is said to have been inspired by the Eiffel Tower. It is a neoclassical style designed by French architect Charles Thiro. Nowadays, it is a primary school called Buenaventura Corrales and Julia Lang School.

Alliance Française building

El Edificio Metálico

We strolled by La Casa Amarilla (The Yellow House), a fine example of Spanish colonial architecture: a neo-colonial architectural style with neo-Baroque decor. It was declared a national monument in 1976 and shows the historical and architectural heritage of Costa Rica.

The building, initially the Central American Court of Justice, was built with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie in 1910. A Ceiba tree in front was planted by John F. Kennedy during his 1963 visit to Costa Rica. On the property’s northeast corner garden is a graffiti-covered slab of the Berlin Wall.

Some well-dressed official-looking people were walking out. It currently houses the Foreign Affairs Ministry and is closed to the public.

La Casa Amarilla

We wandered through a pretty neighborhood with elegant gated homes and tropical trees.

San José neighborhood

We came upon a cute little hostel/café called Selina, where we stopped for a fruit juice smoothie. An old rusted Volkswagen served as the receptionist desk and a spiral staircase led upstairs to an outdoor yoga studio. An old gnarly and knotted tree stood outside in the road adjacent to the sidewalk.

Selina San José

reception at Selina San José

cafe at Selina San José

staircase to yoga studio at Selina San José

Selina San José

We strolled by the Plaza de La Libertad Electoral 1996. A block-like red sculpture punctuated the park adjacent to it. We admired the Biblioteca Nacional Miguel Obregon. We also stumbled across a statue that represents the victory of the Central American nations over the foreign invaders known as “filibusters of William Walker.”

Down a pedestrian walkway, we found Asamblea Legislativa, inaugurated in October 2020 for sessions of the legislative body. Construction started March 7, 2018 and it has 18 floors and a central atrium.

Plaza de La Libertad Electoral 1996

Filibusters of William Walker sculpture

sculpture in the park

Asamblea Legislativa

Biblioteca Nacional Miguel Obregon

Further along the walkway, El Castillo Azul (Blue Castle) is recognized as a national monument; its architectural structure combines styles as different as the neocolonial or the Mediterranean. Roles in history were the Presidential House of dictator Federico Alberto Tinoco and Headquarters of the American Embassy.

El Castillo Azul

grafitti near El Castillo Azul

near El Castillo Azul

We saw the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica housed in the former Bellavista army barracks, but sadly it was closed on Mondays. It apparently has 20,000 specimens in its natural history collection and more than 30,000 objects in anthropology and archeological collections. The Costa Rican historical exhibition has a 33,000+ piece furniture collection.

In front of the museum stands a statue of José Figueres Ferer (Don Pepe), 1906-1990. He served as president of Costa Rica on three occasions: 1948-1949; 1953-1958; and 1970-1974. During his first term in office, he abolished the country’s army, nationalized its banking sector and granted women and Afro-Costa Ricans the right to vote. He also granted access to Costa Rican nationality to people of African descent.

Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

José Figueres Ferer (Don Pepe)

view from Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

José Figueres Ferer (Don Pepe)

view from Museo Nacional de Costa Rica

Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

At 11:00, we went to the Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina. The museum was originally founded in 1977 by Marco Fidel Castro Tristan. The new modern building, quite impressive, opened in 2014. The building is made to resemble a block of raw jade stone.

Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

Jade refers to two different minerals, jadeite and nephrite. Three major cultures stand out for the production of jade in the Americas: the Olmec, the Maya and pre-Columbian Costa Rican groups. In Costa Rica, the main workshops that produced jade pieces were in Guanacaste (Nicoya and Bagaces) as well as on the Central Caribbean plains.

Over 7,000 items are on display here, most dated between 500 BC and 300 BC, the period during which jade trade was at its peak.

The Day Exhibit explored flora and fauna and the daily life of Pre-Columbian societies in Costa Rica.

Some designs in jade objects may represent clans or family groups. They could have been used by chiefs, usually elderly men and women, who were responsible for passing knowledge to new generations.

Jade pieces were often placed as a funeral offering, indicating the position or rank of the deceased within their social group. Most of the jade pieces are images of animals and depictions of societal organization. Jade artwork and jewelry were used for ornamentation and often emphasized religious or shamanic rituals.

Large stone spheres in the museum are characterized by a perfection in their roundness. They’re made with different types of rock of various sizes. They were symbolic power objects within the social groups that carved them and used them from 500 A.C. to 1500 D.C. We also found some of these large spheres in front of the Asamblea Legislativa.

Large stone spheres in the museum

Large stone spheres in front of Asamblea Legislativa

The Jade Museum had a huge exhibit focused on Shamanic Rituals. Jade objects display birds, jaguars, and other animals, as well as individuals whose ritually positioned hands depict the shaman during his transformation and “magical journey,” people in need of healing or the deceased awaiting purification.

The rituals in which shamans participated might include long fasts and diets, baths, the use of spatulas to induce vomiting, sharp tips for bloodletting or self-sacrifice, and jade containers to carry special ointments.

Shamans performed fire-based rituals using leaves from certain plants and tobacco smoke, which they blew over the patient’s body to heal him or her. Shamans communicated with the spirit through the magical stones they wore and others that they placed on the sick person’s body.

The Shaman received his or her great power from the spirits that populated the space in the form of animals, evoking them by means of a “magical journey” enabled through a state of trance, chanting and sometimes by using hallucinogenic substances.

Polished stones such as jade had magical qualities and were used by Shamans to communicate in a secret language with the spirit of the sick person during healing practices, in shamanic initiation rituals and purification ceremonies, and to predict important events for members of the community.

Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

Day Exhibit at Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

Day Exhibit at Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

The Night Exhibit covered the underworld, war and burial ceremonies. Another section of the museum focused on music, ancestors and sex.

Night Exhibit at Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

bundle of defleshed bones

Night Exhibit at Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

a view over San José from the Museo del Jade

In the museum, we also found the colorful magic realism of Isidro Con Wong, a Costa Rican of Chinese origin who has been inspired by the landscapes of his beloved Puntarenas and the Nicoya Peninsula.

work of Isidro Con Wong

I found myself utterly entranced by the work of Ana Wien.

work of Ana Wien

Another walkabout in San José

We stopped for a delicious lunch at Café Otoya Bistro. I had a Pink Delicious: a pan ciabatta, smoked salmon, lettuce, pepper cheese, radishes and a delicious sauce accompanied by roasted potatoes. Mike had a Nuestro Cubano. I had Limonada pink and Mike Limonada con hierba buena.

Café Otoya Bistro

drinks at Café Otoya Bistro

lunch at Café Otoya Bistro

Café Otoya Bistro

We returned to our hotel after lunch and had a drink and soaked in the hotel’s hot tub in the courtyard.

afternoon relaxation in the hotel pool & hot tub

Later, we walked down Avenida Central, the pedestrian zone lined with clothing and department stores. We found “La Matrona” (The Matron), a sculpture by Manuel Vargas. His women are gigantic, a tribute to women, especially the mothers, of Costa Rica.

In front of the Central Bank of Costa Rica, we encountered the sculpture “Monument Los Presentes” (Monument to Those Present) dating from 1989; it honors the traditional farmers of the Central Valley. They are nine life-size bronze figures by Costa Rican sculptor Fernando Calvo representing the Costa Rican peasant. The work personifies those in danger of disappearing due to modernization. Paradoxically, they’re represented as firm, immutable, and in silent rebellion against change.

Avenida Central

“La Matrona”

Monument Los Presentes

Monument Los Presentes & interloper

Monument Los Presentes

mural on Avenida Central

We then wandered through El Mercado Central with its indoor vendors and narrow walkways. It is a food and craft market selling everything imaginable: coffee beans, fresh meat and fish, sugary treats, flowers, textiles, and medicinal plants. Souvenir stalls sell wood items, pottery, jewelry and trinkets.

El Mercado Central

We then walked to Iglesia de la Merced, a Catholic temple with neo-Gothic architecture dedicated to the Virgen de las Mercedes. The main tower has a German Gothic style. It was built in 1894 by engineer Lesmes Jiménez Bonnefil and architect Jaime Carrariza and declared part of the historical and architectural heritage of Costa Rica in 1996.

Iglesia de la Merced

Finally we stopped again at Catedral Metropolitana; this time we were allowed to enter as no masses were in session as they were on Sunday. It was re-erected in 1871, decades after its initial construction and following an earthquake. The stone white box cathedral resembles a courthouse, with a wide concrete staircase and eight tall columns. Inside are dark wood pews, gold candelabras, decorative floor tiles and stained glass windows.

In front of the cathedral is Parque Central, more of a plaza than a park. A life-size bronze statue of a street sweeper (El Barrendero) cleans up bronze litter. Armonía (Harmony) is a sculpture of three street musicians who silently serenade the milling crowds. In the center of the one-square-block park is an unsightly spider-like gazebo donated by one-time Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza.

Catedral Metropolitana

interior of Catedral Metropolitana

Catedral Metropolitana

Armonía at Parque Central

El Barrendero at Parque Central

sculpture at Parque Central

Gazebo in Parque Central

Parque Central

As we walked back to our hotel on Avenida Central, we dipped into one of the shops we’d stopped in during our first afternoon. Mike bought some swim trunks and I bought a pair of sandals. In another shop I found some knit pants for summer that were quite a bargain.

Avenida Central

Finally, we ate dinner, returning to our neighborhood Café Rojo. I enjoyed smoked trout with coconut milk and lime on “Bun” – Vietnamese bowl with rice noodles, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, radishes, green onion, spearmint, cilantro and peanuts. All accompanied by a glass of white wine.

Mike ate Eggplant on “Casado” – rice, lentils and green salad with coconut and sweet tamarind dressing. It was as delicious and pleasant as it was on our first night in town.

part of our last dinner at Café Rojo

Here’s a screen shot of my Polarsteps at the end of our trip through Nicaragua & Costa Rica.

Polarsteps view of our trip through Nicaragua & Costa Rica

Tuesday, January 17: We woke up at 3:00 a.m., rolled out of bed, threw on our clothes and met the Uber driver outside the hotel in the dark at 3:20 a.m. It only took us about 20 minutes to get to Juan Santamaría International Airport where we checked our bags, went through security and ate our leftover sandwiches from lunch at Café Otoya yesterday. Our flight to Dallas, TX was 4 hours and 20 minutes. Luckily they had a good system at the airport for going through immigration and customs and rechecking our bags for our 12:23 flight to Dulles International in Washington. Luckily that flight was only 2 hours and 38 minutes, which was bearable, but it took forever to get our luggage at the baggage claim. Poor Alex, who was picking us up, had to wait outside the airport in the cell phone lot for some time.

We were exhausted from our three weeks of travel but we heated up some frozen kale and bean soup and watched a Ted Lasso episode with Alex before zonking out. 🙂

monteverde: a cloud forest immersion

wanderessence1025 May 24, 2023

Thursday, January 12, 2023: After leaving our friends in Tilarán, we drove well over an hour on Route 14S and 606 (33km) on bumpy potholed and gravelly roads through the mountains to reach Monteverde. It was a brain-rattling journey, and we were relieved to finally check into the comfortable and welcoming Hotel Claro de Luna. We walked into the small and touristy town of Santa Elena to dip into shops.

After wandering a bit, we had dinner at the rather overpriced Tree House, which is built around a huge ancient ficus tree. We shared a hamburger and some leek and potato soup. The food was excellent and since we shared, it turned out to be not overly costly.

On the road back to our hotel in the dark, we saw a mural that said “Stop Animal Selfies.”

Hotel Claro de Luna

our room at Hotel Claro de Luna

bathroom with hot tub at our hotel

The Tree House

Hamburger & leek & potato soup

The Tree House

Stop Animal Selfies

our room at Hotel Claro de Luna

Friday, January 13: The breakfast room at Hotel Claro de Luna was very cute with tables set for each room with the proper number of place settings. It was a good breakfast with scrambled eggs, pancakes, fruit juice and coffee.

Hanging Bridges Tour & Aerial Tram at Monteverde Sky Adventures Park

The first thing we did in Monteverde was to take a guided Hanging Bridges tour at Monteverde Sky Adventures Park. Our guide Danny led us through the cloud forest for two hours. We crossed over five hanging bridges and hiked on trails above the tree line of the forest. We saw a tarantula in its home cave, a millipede and a Highland Tinamou. Sadly we didn’t see any special birds other than that but Danny introduced us to the Merlin app which identifies nearby birds by their song. Danny identified a gray-breasted wood-wren using the app.

We didn’t see many other creatures but we did learn about the primary and secondary forest and the different plants and trees that sustain wildlife in the cloud forest. While a tree can host several hundred other species in the secondary forest (at lower elevation), it can host as many as a thousand other species in the primary forest, which is at a higher elevation.

It was a very windy day at the park, and Danny was concerned we might not be able to cross some of the higher elevation bridges because the wind might make them too dangerous.

We started at Puente 5 (Bridge 5), which was 774 feet (236m) long and 164 feet (50m) high. This was the longest of the hanging bridges. From this bridge we could see the Zapote tree. Its sap was used as bubble gum a long time ago.

Hanging Bridges Tour at Monteverde Sky Adventures Park

Hanging Bridges Trail map

Puente 5 (Bridge 5)

Hanging Bridges Tour at Monteverde Sky Adventures Park

view from Puente 5

Puente 5 (Bridge 5)

view from Puente 5

Puente 5 (Bridge 5)

view from Puente 5

Next we crossed the second longest bridge, Puente 4, which was 413 feet (126m) long and 118 feet (36m) high. From here we were introduced to the Inga, or ice cream beans. New leaves are brown in color, mimicking a dead tree to fool predators.

view from Puente 4 – Inga (Ice Cream beans)

view from Puente 4

Our guide Danny

a tarantula in his cave-like home

tarantula claw

Monteverde Sky Adventures Park

Puente 3 was 374 feet (114m) long and 56 feet (17m) high. Danny showed us the Maria (conostegia xalapensis), which has an edible fruit that is olive-shaped and purple in color. We saw a millipede, a Highland Tinamou, and turkey tails, popular mushrooms mostly known for their “medicinal” benefits. They help to decompose logs and stumps of deciduous trees, and on the rare occasion, coniferous trees. They’re widely used as a medicinal in things like mushroom tinctures.

view from Puente 3

Monteverde Sky Adventures Park

the Merlin App

Highland Tinamou

Monteverde Sky Adventures Park

tree rings in the cloud forest

millipede

turkey tails

Puente 2 was the third longest bridge at 400 feet (122m) long and 160 feet (49m) high. From here we saw the Cecropia, or Trumpet tree. It has medicinal uses for asthma, cardio-respiratory diseases, and as a diuretic.

view from Puente 2

Cecropia, or Trumpet tree

Mike on Puente 2

me on Puente 2

view from Puente 2

The shortest bridge was Puente 1 at 216 feet (66m) long and 49 feet (15m) high. The Espavel, or Anacardium excelsum, was used for tree houses, furniture and horse saddles.

We never made it over Bridge 6.

Mike on Puente 1

tropical abundance

Puente 1

pretty in purple

The safe zone

tropical canopy

After our tour and before we took the aerial tram, we ate a delicious tomato soup with avocado along with a ham and cheese sandwich with various toppings and a delicious sauce, one of the best meals I’ve eaten at a venue like that.

tomato soup with avocado

a ham and cheese sandwich

We took the aerial tram which I thought would be a whole circuit around the park, but which was only a 12-minute blustery ride up to a high elevation at the continental divide. There, the wind and rain battered us on a short circuit hike at the top. We drank a fancy hot coffee to attempt to keep warm at the little cafe at the top.

at the continental divide

Mike on the blustery path

at the continental divide

me with my friends the tropical leaves

at the continental divide

hot drinks to warm us up

at the continental divide

After taking the tram back down after a 30 minute wait, Mike found a coati (or pizote in Costa Rica) in the parking lot.

We took a tourist bus back to our hotel where we enjoyed a nice snack in our hot tub accompanied by one of Mike’s drink concoctions. We then strolled all around the hotel property enjoying the lush tropical gardens. It was nice to have time to relax before our night walk at 6:00. After seeing a rainbow, a colorful bird, and the sunset at our hotel, we left by bus for our night walk at the El Refugio Night Tour (El Bosque Monteverde).

coati (or pizote in Costa Rica)

Hotel Claro de Luna

the grounds of Hotel Claro de Luna

Hotel Claro de Luna

the grounds of Hotel Claro de Luna

hygrangea

huge hydrangea

the kitchen room at Hotel Claro de Luna

our room at Hotel Claro de Luna

Mike rocks on the porch

rainbow from Hotel Claro de Luna

sunset from our hotel

Night Walk at El Refugio

El Refugio is a 55-acre conservation area in Monteverde at the heart of a biological corridor, an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures, where dozens of animals live. I had read about these wildlife corridors in Monkeys Are Made of Chocolate: Exotic and Unseen Costa Rica by Jack Ewing.

The night tour is a light 2-hour walk in search of creatures of the night. It is possible to see sloths, armadillos, porcupines, possums, coatis, olingos, monkeys and kinkajous, as well as frogs, snakes, sleeping birds and a wide variety of insects. It is also a great location to see bird species such as quetzals, mot-mots, and toucans. Animals in Monteverde are more active and prominent during the nighttime when they come out in search of food and shelter.

On our 2-hour night walk at El Refugio with Mauricio as our guide, our small group of six saw a sleeping hummingbird, a couple of toucans, a howler monkey, a green viper, a strangler fig that had killed its host, wild avocados, a couple of colorful birds and a katydid.

sleeping hummingbird

toucan

howler monkey

green viper snake

toucan

strangler fig that has killed its host

katydid

wild avocado

We weren’t too hungry when we returned to our hotel, so we just ate cheese and crackers in our room. 🙂

Sloth Sanctuary at Selvatura Park

Saturday, January 14: At 8:30 this morning, we drove to Selvatura Park and by surprise met with Mauricio from our night walk tour at El Refugio last night. He was our guide for the Sloth Sanctuary at the park. Most of the sloths were being their lazy selves but we saw one moving in slow motion on a quest for food. The others were all sleeping. One or two poked their heads up momentarily but I wasn’t fast enough with with my iPhone camera. We saw all three-toed sloths which thrive at the altitudes of the cloud forest in Monteverde.

We learned much about sloths from Mauricio and from the fact signs spread throughout the sanctuary.

Rather than being lazy, sloths are cautious, silent, discreet and respectful. They are basically pacifists. Their metabolism is very slow; they need to eat less than a large leaf a day and can take up to one week to digest it. Their evolutionary origin is in the neotropics and they come from one of the most antique animal lineages.

Algae easily adheres to sloth fur and provides sloths with good camouflage. The algae also provides sloths with nitrogen, a nutrient deficient in sloths due to their leaf-based diet. They absorb it in various ways: by licking their fur, through their hairs, or through their skin.

Some species of moths have adapted to live on sloth bodies and feed off the algae that grows on their fur during the rainy season. The sloths’ fur, as well as anteaters’ fur, offer thermic insulation. They transform into “spheres” to conserve heat and they don’t handle high temperatures very well.

Of six species of sloth, four are three-toed species and two are two-toed.

The three-toed sloth is called Bradypus Variegatus. Its weight varies between 3.9-12.3 pounds (1.8-5.5kg). The fur is long, dense and wavy. Its back color is marbled gray with prominent whitish spots that concentrate in its lower back and hind legs. Its head is small and rounded and its ears are not visible. Front paws are longer than legs, featuring three long and curved digits or claws on all limbs.

This species is more vulnerable to extinction, which has contributed to their disappearance from many of their original distribution areas. Their movements are very slow and their curved claws allow them to hang passively from tree branches, where they spend most of their lives feeding on the forest canopy leaves.

Females, who reach reproductive maturity at 3 years of age, give birth to a single offspring once a year after a 5-8 month gestation. Males can reproduce between 3-5 years of age, but they do not participate in the rearing of the young.

The average life span in nature or in captivity is 30-40 years. Their habitats include both Caribbean and Pacific slopes from sea level to 9,850 feet (3,000m).

The two-toed sloth, known as Choloepus hoffmanni, weighs from 4.5-8 kg. These are solitary with herbivore-omnivore diets. The 2-toed sloth prefers trees with lots of vines and canopy exposed to direct sunlight. The two-toed sloth prefers to remain hidden between vines and leaves during the day, which makes it difficult for predators to find them and attack. They go to the ground to defecate every 6-8 days, at which time they are in the greatest danger. They can climb down from trees on their heads.

They have a more varied diet than the 3-toed sloth as they can eat fruits and flowers as well as leaves.

The general rule is there is one birth per gestation period, which usually occurs during the rainy season. The gestation period is close to 11.5 months. Females reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years, while males reach it between 4-5 years.

The average lifespan in the wild for the 2-toed sloth is 12 years. In captivity it increases to 31 years.

Sloths in general have 10 vertical vertebrae which provides them with an increased degree of head rotation (humans only have 7 cervical vertebrae). Sloths have few teeth, without enamel and with permanent growth.

During our tour, Mauricio showed us an owl butterfly which has eyes like an owl and plays dead when it senses vibrations nearby.

We stopped in the Selvatura Park Restaurant for coffee in hopes it would stop raining. It never did.

sloths in the Sloth Sanctuary

vegetation in the Sloth Sanctuary

ferns in the Sloth Sanctuary

owl butterfly

the backside of the owl butterfly

a hot drink to keep warm

Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena

After visiting the sloth sanctuary, we went for a moderate-level 2-mile hike at the Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena. This 766-acre reserve is smaller and higher in elevation than the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.

We took the Sendero Encantado (Encantado Trail). It was a 3.5km loop, 2-3 hours, moderate). It was rainy and windy the entire time. We were of course in the cloud forest, but we were told some kind of front was moving across Costa Rica from the Caribbean side. We got rather soaked but it was well worth it to experience the primary cloud forest and see its lush, jungle-like greenery.

Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena

me at Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena

Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena

moss-covered bench at Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena

Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena

Trail map at Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena

Stella’s Monteverde

After our cloud forest walk, we stopped at Stella’s Monteverde for lunch. A British woman had told us after our Night Walk that we should have lunch there; they’re not open for dinner. It was one of the best meals we’ve had on this trip. I had a tasty limeade and quiche with hearts of palm and sweet corn. Mike had a Pork BBQ sandwich with Cole slaw. All of it was fabulous, plus we sat outside and watched colorful parakeets on the bird feeders. Besides that, they had an excellent gift shop on site that had locally-made arts and crafts. It was a nice relaxing experience after our rainy walk through the cloud forest.

At the gift shop, I bought a pair of silver dangly earrings that looked like tropical leaves. Mike planned to give them to me for Valentine’s Day. Also I bought a little silk scarf (what else is new?) and a journal.

Mike at Stella’s Monteverde

limeade at Stella’s Monteverde

delicious quiche at Stella’s Monteverde

me at Stella’s Monteverde

We relaxed in our hotel room with a hot tub soak and Mike’s special drinks. We were tired and cold from our long morning.

For dinner, we walked into Santa Elena and ate at a big sports bar called Bar Amigos. We shared a Sopa Azteca. I had a Hamburguesa Especial and Mike had nachos with beef. It was a lively place for our last night in Monteverde.

Sopa Azteca at Bar Amigos

Hamburguesa Especial at Bar Amigos

Nachos with beef at Bar Amigos

Here is a video of our time in Monteverde.

Sunday, January 15: We left Monteverde this morning for a long mountainous drive to San José, our final destination before we would fly home on Tuesday. The views leaving Monteverde were spectacular. We could see all the way to the Gulf of Nicoya and the mountains all the way to Liberia. Amazing views! Costa Rica is truly a gorgeous country. 🙂

views as we left Monteverde

Gulf of Nicoya in the distance

views as we left Monteverde

The drive was a harrowing one over potholed and super curvy mountain roads and it seemed to take us forever. Later we were caught up in heavy, slow-moving traffic and went on another detour to get around it, so we didn’t arrive in San José until early afternoon. 🙂

a stop in tilarán, costa rica for a “cafecito”

wanderessence1025 May 10, 2023

Thursday, January 12, 2023: After leaving Bijagua and yelling “Pura Vida Mai!” to our favorite roadside vendor one last time, we began our long drive to Monteverde with a stopover in Tilarán, set atop the Cordillera de Tilarán (Tilarán Mountain Range). We were invited for a “cafecito” by Mike’s high school friend Carol, and her Costa Rican husband Carlos, who have a farm up in the mountains. Our meeting time wasn’t until 1:00, so we drove through the town of Tilarán and made a stop at a café mainly so I could use the bathroom. The stop there was way too long because of excruciatingly slow service.

After a snack at the restaurant, we went on to Lake Arenal Brewery because we’d read that the views of Lake Arenal were fantastic from there. We shared a beer and sat outdoors to admire the view and enjoy the cool breezes. La Vista Orgánica is the onsite restaurant and bar where we bought the beer made with spring-fed water. Some beers are infused with the flavors of Costa Rican mangoes, pineapples and chilies.

Built 30 years ago, Lake Arenal Hotel and Brewery was fashioned after the Knossos Palace, of King Midas fame, in Greece. That palace is touted as being part of the oldest European city in what is now Crete. This hotel boasts distinctive features including red columns and sprawling gardens. Ornate paintings and walls of bright inviting colors such as green and yellow create a unique Costa Rican flair. All the paints that illuminate the walls and ceilings are ochre, made of natural pigments native to this area.

Lake Arenal Hotel & Brewery

mural inside Lake Arenal Hotel & Brewery

the grounds of Lake Arenal Hotel & Brewery

Lake Arenal Hotel & Brewery

me at Lake Arenal Hotel & Brewery

Even the bathroom was adorned with a tropical Costa Rican mural.

bathroom at Lake Arenal Hotel & Brewery

closeups of bathroom mural

The Brewery is 100% solar-powered. Spent grain (used in the beer-making process) is fed to local cows to increase their milk and cheese production. The brewery also runs off methane gas from cow manure.

Lake Arenal sits in the northern highlands of Costa Rica. It is currently the largest lake in Costa Rica at 85-square-kilometers (33 square miles). The lake was tripled in size with the construction of the Arenal Dam in 1979. This hydroelectric project sits at the western end of the lake and is strategically important to Costa Rica. It initially generated 70% of the country’s electricity, but it’s now close to 17%. It was the driving force behind Costa Rica’s green energy policy.

views of Lake Arenal

We drove up and up into the clouds of the Arenal Highlands to visit Carol and Carlos. Carlos is Costa Rican but had a Nicaraguan grandfather. Carol worked with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua and Costa Rica for a number of years and Carlos has worked in international development. Now Carol is a life career coach and Carlos still works and in addition runs his family’s cattle ranch. The “cafecito” consisted of coffee, plantains and yogurt and donuts. We got to see their lovely home on top of the world, with views of Lake Arenal, the Gulf of Nicoya and the mountains between Tilarán and the coast, basically all of Guanacaste province.

When we told them about Adam’s Ometepe property on land that is part of a cooperative, they seemed quite worried about the legality and also said the government is known to take people’s property if they need it for any project. That made me worry about Adam’s home, especially if he invests more into it.

It was fun to meet them and see their lovely spot of paradise alongside stark white wind turbines on the mountaintops and pastoral scenes.

the drive up the mountains near Tilarán

cattle at the ranch

the ranch

wind turbines

the house

me in the hammock

relaxing in the hammock

hydrangeas on the property

the property and views

the front porch

Mike, Carol and Carlos

me, Carol and Carlos

views from the ranch

bountiful hydrangeas

wind turbines

the cattle

a lone cow in the midst of expansive views

Here is a short video of our time around Tilarán.

After leaving Carol and Carlos, we drove well over an hour on Rt. 14S and 606 from Tilarán (33 km) on bumpy potholed and gravelly roads through the mountains to reach Monteverde. It was an astoundingly slow, curvy and rough ride.

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The Renon Plateau: Kinig Farm

Soprabolzano/Oberbozen

Val di Funes: the Panoramaweg & Sunnseitnweg Circuit Hike

Bolzano/Bozen

The Renon/Ritten Plateau

The High Alpine hikes of Alpe di Siusi

Ortesei/St. Ulrich

Soprabolzano

Leaving the Renon Plateau

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Lago di Misurina

Dobbiaco/Toblach

Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Dobbiaco/Toblach

Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee)

Brunico/Bruneck

Innichen/San Candido

Speckstube Eggerhof

Cortina d’Ampezzo

Cinque Torri

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Arrival in Venice

Santa Croce and Cannaregio

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Venice Lagoon: Murano & Burano

Venice & The Grand Canal

St. Mark’s Square

St. Mark’s to Rialto to Frari Church Walk

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Murano

Burano

Venice

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The Via Francigena

Venice, the Dolomites, Verano, & Bergamo

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Pre-Columbian Gold Museum (Museo del Oro Precolombino)

Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica

Catedral Metropolitana

Café Rojo

A walkabout in San José

Museo del Jade y de la Cultura Precolombina

Another walkabout in San José

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Hanging Bridges Tour & Aerial Tram at Monteverde Sky Adventures Park

Night Walk at El Refugio

Sloth Sanctuary at Selvatura Park

Reserva Biologica Bosque Nuboso de Santa Elena

Stella’s Monteverde

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