Month: April 2018

Today was the day to brave the insane crowds in Florence. I must admit this isn’t one of my favorite things to do. I find this town to be very commercial and far too overrun with tourists and massive tour groups. However we have tried twice before to get in to the famous Trattoria Sostanza for their Butter Chicken. This time we were able to make a reservation so off we went. It did turn out to be well worth the trip. The food was wonderful. Of course we had to try the Butter Chicken….Yum! I did, however notice that a half roast chicken cost 9 euro while the famous one was 20 euro. The portions are generous, two breasts, so you could end up sharing. For dessert we shared their Meringue Cake with Wild Strawberries. It was wonderful.

We meandered around for a few hours braving the crowds but eventually gave up and back to the train station we headed. I did try to take a few of the less standard photos but had to include one of the Duomo.

We went to Orvieto for the first time a few years ago and spent five nights there. How quickly and easily it was to feel a part of this beautiful city that sits high on a hill of volcanic rock in Umbria.

Its main piazza is overshadowed by the magnificent Duomo di’ Orvieto. The Church that dates back to 1290 is truly something to see. The exterior is covered in mosaic and the gold leaf glitters in the sun.

The streets are filled with little coffee shops, stores filled with local works and gelaterias. We quickly found our favorite coffee shop and gelateria the first visit. We also found our favorite restaurant, La Grotte del Funaro! It sits near the outer wall, at first glance looking like a very small building that you could easily miss. However, looking in the front door, you see a set of massive stairs leading down to the underground restaurant that is not only beautiful but has some of the best food we have found in all of Italy.

While there you also have the opportunity to visit the famous St. Peter’s Well and tour the caverns that were used during the war. I have written more about these sites in previous posts if you are interested in them.

This visit we were just here for the day so we used the time strolling along the streets, visiting our gelateria and having lunch in “La Grotte”. We also had to go and feed the cats that live in the small park overlooking the valley.

 

 

Since we arrived back in Cortona a week ago we have pretty much just been relaxing and meeting up with old and new friends. We have just been enjoying the experience of once again being in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

It is such a joy to walk down Via Natzionale the main (and only flat street) in town and see all of the familiar faces and get to meet so many new ones. Catching up with the wonderful people we have come to know over the years, finding out how they have been doing. Also, sadly finding out that a very sweet friend who was not well has closed her shop doors and faded away.

In Cortona it seems that their aren’t strangers, just friends you haven’t met yet. The common thread is that we have all arrived here for one thing, the hope to be able to share in the beauty, peace, history and magic that is Cortona.

We arrived in Todi late last night.  Only being here for two nights, we have been trying to experience as much as possible. Todi is in the Perugia, Umbria area, another of those fascinating little hilltop towns that are spread throughout Italy.

This is the fourth time we have been to Todi, and find it a good example of most Italian hilltop towns. I am sure just about everyone that knows me is aware of my love for Cortona in Tuscany. However, I am always sensitive to the fact that Frances Mayes fame, her book and the subsequent movie “Under The Tuscan Sun” have changed quite a bit of the original reality of Cortona. With the amount of tourists that flood the town each year,  it was inevitable that the way of life for the residents would be changed forever. This has forced them to have to adapt to the overwhelming impact on their lifestyles both economically and culturally.  Not so much Todi, having far less tourists, it has never endured the fame that Cortona has had to, thus leaving it quite a bit closer to the “true” Italian lifestyle. For those interested in the impact that fame has brought to Cortona I would suggest watching the excellent documentary “The Genius of A Place.” However, having said that and never knowing Cortona prior to this impact, it still remains as the most special and magical of places to me. Now back to Todi, which in its own right is lovely.

Church of St. Fortunato begun in the late 12th Century

The Mastio, only remains of a fort that was built in 1373

Typical street and this evenings restaurant

12th Century Cathedral at night

Morning  fog over the valley below