Monthly Archives: April 2017

Adventure, Children, Family, Food, Life, Love, Travel

Casa de Duckies Italian Visit

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This year, I celebrate my 60th birthday and the 25th year of TeamAsia. Instead of a birthday party, we agreed to go on a family trip to Italy. Why Italy? Because we love it!

Bea, Cara and I have been to Italy before while it will be Niccolo’s first trip to Italy. When I was 25, I went on a five day Italian tour with my Tio Mariano and Tia Conchi. It was beautiful and I vowed to return one day. I’ve been back twice visiting my sister Pinky and her husband Ken, and now this fam trip.

Cara lived in Sicily for three months on an internship at Gran Hotel Piazza Borsa, and I visited her there. The two of us traipsed through an unforgettable trip to Taormina in 2013. Bea went to Italy solo in 2014.

From Italy, Niccolo will proceed solo to Spain to meet our Spanish relatives. It’s an Iturralde tradition that each child and grandchild of Dada has to go to Spain to discover our Iberian roots.

Incidentally, this two week trip is being planned by the children. They decide where to go, where to stay, what to see, where to eat, what to do. Niccolo checks out reviews on restaurants and finds the best places. Being the most traveled of all of us, Cara booked all of our tickets and searched for the best places to stay given our budget. Bea and Cara decide on where to stay, and so far we’ve hit gold. Bea decides on the wine selection, Cara on the food to cook. I must say Google has been an amazing travel tool, and so has Waze. It’s nice to just sit back, enjoy the trip, and be a follower for once.

Our first stop was Rome for a night’s rest from the long flight from Manila via Doha. We stayed at Ecce, close to the train station. The next morning we headed to Florence where we stayed for four nights.

Cara booked us in an old, rustic but comfy Airbnb in San Niccolo, outside the city center. The neighborhood was quaint, peppered with little family-run shops and cafes. A lush green door opened up to an old, cold, dark and narrow staircase. Our apartment was three flights up, a challenge for the girls and Niccolo who carried up our suitcases. I was not allowed to carry anything heavy because of my bad back.

The high-ceilinged apartment sported two bedrooms with comfortable double beds, a tiny living/dining room, a kitchenette and a minuscule bathroom. The kitchen was surprisingly well stocked with olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and spices. After settling in, we decided to go out and explore Florence. We walked the cobbled streets, and entered a leather shop. I tried on an attractive reversible black and red jacket, but balked at its price, thinking I may be able to get a more reasonable one in the market.

Our first day in Florence was eventful until I accidentally sprained my ankle because of a missing cobblestone. (See https://monettehamlin.com) This cut short our foray in the city center, and we returned to the apartment. The children bought dinner from one of the nearby restaurants. To give my foot time to heal, I stayed in all of the next day. Cara whipped up a hearty breakfast of Florentine eggs and cold cuts. After making sure I was comfortable, the children went off to the city center. Alone in the apartment, I read, rested, and cleaned my email.

When the children came back, they surprised me by singing happy birthday and asking me to open a brown package. Lo and behold, inside was the reversible red and black leather jacket! The heartwarming note that came with it said it all. I feel so blessed to be loved by my children! Somehow, I think I’ve done a good job raising them.

Once again, Cara prepared a delicious Florentine dinner of rocket salad with raspberries and buffalo scamorza, mezzi rigatoni with a choice of chinghiale or pomodoro with Salsiccia sauce, washed down with La Pliuna Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, and ending with Cannolli and a Nutella tart.

The next morning, we decided to hear mass at the Duomo at noon. With my right foot bound, I hobbled alongside my children, slowing down their pace. The sun was out, showing off the beauty of Florence, making it gleam like a jewel. The Duomo was magnificent, the rich white and rose marble glistening. Throngs of tourists milled round the square. We entered the church and I was struck by the solemn silence inside. Not too many faithful inside the church. The mass was in Italian, but we followed, grateful for the mass leaflet translated to different languages.

After mass, we went to the market in search of Bondi. Frequented by locals, Bondi is a small restaurant selling a variety of foccacine. It was packed when we arrived but we stayed on and lined up at the counter, knowing the food is excellent. I had speck and mozzarella, while the others had prosciutto and mozzarella. We ended with biscotti e Vin Santo.

We then walked over to the Museo Casa di Dante, the birthplace of Dante Alighieri, one of the finest poets of Italy and author of The Divine Comedy, a classical masterpiece. It was interesting to see how life was in Florence during the late Middle Ages and what the landscape was then. Now, I know why there are many towers in Florence, as the prominent families tried to outdo each other in having taller and better looking towers that served not just as living quarters but also as fortresses in times of war. In fact, there were two warring factions which split Italy: the Ghibellines and the Guelf families, whose extreme rivalry and hatred for each other served as fodder for Shakespeare’s Capulet and Montague families in the Romeo and Juliet love story. It was also heartbreaking to learn of Dante’s unrequited love for his childhood friend Beatrice for whom he wrote haunting poems of love.

We made our way back to the apartment to rest, before going up to Michelangelo’s Gardens nearby to catch the sunset on Florence from its highest point. It was difficult climbing the many steps up to Michelangelo’s Gardens but I felt it important since Niccolo was not able to enjoy the sunset from Ponte Vecchio because of my accident. The view was magnificent, but the place was packed with tourists, and so it was a bit difficult to get a vantage point to watch the sunset.

That night, the children were craving for Florentine steak. However, all the restaurants nearby in San Niccolo were full so we had to walk to Ponte Vecchio to Trattoria Bordino. The long walk was definitely worth it! We feasted on Florentine crostini topped with warm chicken liver, steak carved table-side, mushroom risotto and fresh pasta vongole. For dessert, we had gelato at an artisanal gelateria at the Ponte Vecchio. Too full for dinner and too tired to walk, we took a cab home.

Early the next morning, Bea and Niccolo went to the Uffizzi museum, while Cara and I bought a walking stick and an ankle sock at a pharmacy to make it easier to walk. We met up with Bea and Cara and proceeded to the market to look for tomato seeds and limoncello, and bought some leather goods as pasalubong.

Niccolo wanted to see the Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace, but when we got there, we found them closed because of a holiday. The tourists who had planned to do the same thing were sunning themselves, seated on the sloping pavement, and eating gelato. Tired, we opted to return to our apartment, pack, then have happy hour drinks at the Bevi Vino Enoteca Bar downstairs. I tried Spritz for the first time. Sitting outside the bar in the waning daylight, I savored the moment. Here I was, with my beloved children, enjoying each other’s company, laughing, kidding each other, and just living! Oh, what joy!

It’s been a wonderful trip thus far. Florence never fails in delighting the visitor, and I hope to visit it again one day. Tomorrow, we move to Verona, Bea’s choice. None of us have been there before, so we don’t know what to expect. Time for a new adventure!

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Beautiful Florence, oh how I love you!

April 21, Florence. My favorite city in Italy. We arrived at 11:20am by train from Rome, too early for the 3pm check in at the airbnb we rented in San Niccolo. So we decided to hop into a cab with our suitcases and head for the Piazza Della Signoria, thinking Niccolo and I could visit the Uffizi while killing time. Well, we were way off the mark! The line at the Uffizi was serpentine and would take 2-3 hours to get a ticket. Some men approached us selling tickets at 45 Euros each. Scalpers exist even in Florence. We declined and decided to have lunch instead.

Bea scouted the area, and found a restaurant called Osteria Della Porcellino by a side street near the Mercato Nuovo. It was empty, and we felt it would be a good place to while away the time while waiting to check in. Besides, we had to park our suitcases somewhere. Cara was excited to try the Ragu de Chinggale, but it turned out that they had recently changed their menu. They only had seafood ragu, so that’s what Bea ordered. Cara had a fried Brie salad coated with sesame crumbs over a bed of rocket while Niccolo and I decided on Crespelle alla Florentina, which is a heartier version of lasagna with spinach and ricotta.

One thing you need to know about eating in restaurants in Italy is they charge a Pane e Servizio fee per person on top of what you eat, anywhere from 1.50 or 2.00 Euros. For this, they give you a small basket of bread, which in the Osteria’s case seemed to be days old. Another thing is that water is expensive. A bottle of water good for four glasses is 5 Euros. Wine is cheaper. They served the food so fast that we were done by 1 pm, still a long way to go till 3pm.

The waitress kept badgering us to order dessert, but we didn’t want to. Instead, Bea ordered another bottle of water. Once again, the waitress came and asked plaintively if we were going to have dessert. So, Bea and Niccolo ordered coffee. After he drank his coffee, Niccolo and Cara went off to a nearby store. By this time, the waitress was giving us the evil eye, wanting us to leave and vacate the table. Since there were several empty tables, we stayed our ground, and I ordered a macchiato, nursing it until the children came back. It was a test of wills, with the waitress giving us dagger eyes. When they returned at 2pm, we paid the bill and left with our suitcases.

With an hour to spare, we took turns window shopping and watching the suitcases by the market. I had my picture taken next to the wild boar, Florence’s version of the Fountain of Trevi. The tradition is to put a coin in the boar’s mouth, and the coin slides into a locked grate by its feet. If the coin goes in, then you will return to Florence. Bea had fun taking photos, while Niccolo went off to explore the plaza. We then took a cab to San Niccolo.

Our airbnb turned out really nice. It was an old high-ceilinged apartment on the third floor, with two bedrooms, a small living/dining room, a kitchenette, and a bathroom. It had stucco walls, a shiny wooden floor, and exposed wooden beams. Best of all, the beds were comfortable, and they had Internet! Alesso, our host, explained the rules and asked us to pay the Florentine tourist tax of 2.50 Euros per person per night. This is again another hidden cost that tourists need to be aware of when traveling to Italy. The neighborhood was quiet and pretty. After dropping off our bags, we went walking to explore the city.

Near the apartment was Via di San Niccolo, and we asked Niccolo to pose under the street name, as it was his namesake. We walked along the Fiume Arno, a river that traverses Florence, and eventually found our way to Ponte Vecchio, but not before our young man insisted we stop at Covaccini for a pizza. This little pizza shop sported an Astro menu: a different kind of pizza for each astrological sign. The children sat on the bench in front of the shop, while Niccolo ate his pizza.

Ponte Vecchio is one of the most beautiful bridges I’ve seen. Lined on either side by antique jewelry and watch stores, the place seemed festive with so many people walking leisurely. As it was still too early to view the sunset from the bridge, we decided to explore the city first. And I am glad we did, because Cara spied a poster announcing a Klimt exhibit in one of the side streets. We followed the sign and ended up at Santo Stefano Al Ponte, a small church. We bought tickets and entered the church where the exhibit was. It was mind-blowing and totally unexpected!

At the crypt, we experienced the Austrian painter Klimt in virtual reality, wearing headsets that allowed us to enter into the paintings of Klimt, navigating its depth, coming up close to the lovers in The Kiss, exploring the landscape and the peaceful waters of The Tree of LIfe, feeling the heat of the fiery flames, and much more. From the crypt, we moved to the church for the main exhibit.

The exhibit was an immersive experience in Gustav Klimt’s art. Images, lights, colors, music, and sounds enveloped us as we soaked in the beauty of Klimt’s masterpieces. Everywhere we looked, Klimt’s art came alive, on the walls, the ceilings and the floor of the church. Cara and I lay down on the floor and watched entranced, while Bea and Niccolo preferred to watch from the benches. We left speechless and in awe.

I was still bemused and overwhelmed by the amazing experience I just had, that leaving the church, I did not notice that a cobblestone was missing. My right foot buckled and I fell headlong onto the pavement. The children heard my scream and ran back to help me sit up. I was deathly afraid I had broken my foot, but luckily, I could still flex my foot. Because I was bundled up for the cold, I avoided any scrapes. Gingerly, I tried to stand up and could not bear the pain of walking on my right foot.

Niccolo and I took a cab back to the apartment, while the girls went to buy supplies and food for dinner. Ever solicitous, Niccolo put cold compress on my foot and had me lying down with my right foot propped up. I fell asleep exhausted and in pain, and was woken up when the girls arrived with dinner.

Dinner was simply superb, with ragu spaghetti, meatballs with spinach, an orzo and zucchini salad, salmon and artichoke gnocchi, cold cuts and truffle cheese, washed down with La Piuma, a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo red. The only thing missing was dessert.

After dinner, Bea consulted with her doctor friends to find out what to do about my foot. Luckily, one of them is an orthopedic doctor. After a virtual consultation helped along by technology, the doctor said it appeared to be a mild sprain (no broken bones) and I was advised to rest. And that’s what I did all of the next day. I pray that I will be well enough to explore this city tomorrow.