milan to san bernadino
rotten and i played the jet-set role this weekend and enjoyed some time in italy. yes, italy, that country nine hours away via airplane. he had some work to do there this week (tough life) and planned on spending the weekend beforehand sight-seeing. i had been hoping for a trip to sunny siesta key later in the month, but it couldn't be worked out, so i had a hankering for a chemo-round travel fix and thus, a long weekend in italy seemed the appropriate thing to do.
as we flew into milan we soared above the alps of france and switzerland. the sun was just rising and the views of the snow-capped peaks and cloud-filled valleys, along with the ski slopes apparent on the flanks of the mountains, had me wishing momentarily that we were headed for the hills.
instead, we picked up the rental car - a sweet VW Golf TDI that pulled in about 40 MPG - along with navigation system, and hit the road. it took us about ten minutes to figure out the "uscite", or exit, a ticket was needed (we didn't have one) and the signs lead in a labyrinth around and around. it was seven in the morning and we were on our way to Cinque Terre, a national park on the Italian Mediterranean.
the drive took us through the flat farmland outside of Milan and into the mountains that seem to run toward the coast and south toward Rome and into Tuscany. these mountains were green with the new spring growth. i was amazed by the small towns we passed clinging to their sides above the autostrada. the drive took about three hours but it was worth it - time passed quickly as we made our way to the sea, weaving in and out of tunnels and enjoying the views the whole way. rotten was loving driving on the autostradas, which made me happy, because i didn't have to put my unpracticed manual driving skills to the Italian test.
we arrived in San Bernadino, a village that is technically part of Vernazza, around 1pm. our hosts, brigitte and antonio, treated us to capuccino before showing us our apartment. it was perched high above the town of Corniglia, with nothing below it on the hillside other than the ocean at the base. it is easily one of the most spectacular places i've ever had the chance to stay - and i have had a lot of beautiful views out my tent door! the apartment had a futon, small kitchenette, and bathroom, and a priceless view. though we were a bit out of sorts from the travel, we took a short break and then headed out to hike down to the town of Vernazza, 1500 feet below to the north.
Vernazza was full of tourists. we hadn't realized it was a holiday weekend for the Italians and they all seemed to be in Cinque Terre, enjoying the first warm days of spring, soaking up the sunshine, eating gelatto, and breathing the fresh air. we ate our first pizza of the trip and watched the crowds and then headed to the harbor to sit on the rock wall and enjoy the sun. there are countless little shops lining the narrow streets and since cars are not allowed in the village during the day the streets fill shoulder to shoulder with people, kids, and dogs. we bought some wine and sipped it near the water (it wasn't that good so we didn't finish it...) and then hiked up the hill to the quieter part of town and waited for the bus back up the hill to San Bernadino. the highlight of my time in Vernazza was just marvelling at the color of the sea and watching all the people. we spent some time lying on a big rock in the sun and i couldn't believe there we were, lying on a rock in Italy. we also got a kick out of this little Italian taking a pull on his dad's beer.
taking the recommendation of brigitte to heart, we ate dinner in the town of Corniglia. we drove to just outside the town, parked the car, and walked down the rest of the hill into town. it was quiet after the busy day and we finally sat down to our first Italian dinner with high hopes. we started off with antipasto of different meats, one of which i fed to one of the cats that was loitering nearby. since we were next to the sea, it made sense to have the seafood, so we ordered seafood risotto, the two fishes of the day (sea bass and a mystery fish), and finished it off with cheesecake. i had spurned my usual no drinking policy and had a couple of small glasses of wine with dinner. good thing rotten was driving! we headed home and fell soundly asleep in our little apartment. it isn't often you hop on a plane and end up next to the sea in Italy! what a day.
(our house is the yellow one in the photo above)
as we flew into milan we soared above the alps of france and switzerland. the sun was just rising and the views of the snow-capped peaks and cloud-filled valleys, along with the ski slopes apparent on the flanks of the mountains, had me wishing momentarily that we were headed for the hills.
instead, we picked up the rental car - a sweet VW Golf TDI that pulled in about 40 MPG - along with navigation system, and hit the road. it took us about ten minutes to figure out the "uscite", or exit, a ticket was needed (we didn't have one) and the signs lead in a labyrinth around and around. it was seven in the morning and we were on our way to Cinque Terre, a national park on the Italian Mediterranean.
the drive took us through the flat farmland outside of Milan and into the mountains that seem to run toward the coast and south toward Rome and into Tuscany. these mountains were green with the new spring growth. i was amazed by the small towns we passed clinging to their sides above the autostrada. the drive took about three hours but it was worth it - time passed quickly as we made our way to the sea, weaving in and out of tunnels and enjoying the views the whole way. rotten was loving driving on the autostradas, which made me happy, because i didn't have to put my unpracticed manual driving skills to the Italian test.
we arrived in San Bernadino, a village that is technically part of Vernazza, around 1pm. our hosts, brigitte and antonio, treated us to capuccino before showing us our apartment. it was perched high above the town of Corniglia, with nothing below it on the hillside other than the ocean at the base. it is easily one of the most spectacular places i've ever had the chance to stay - and i have had a lot of beautiful views out my tent door! the apartment had a futon, small kitchenette, and bathroom, and a priceless view. though we were a bit out of sorts from the travel, we took a short break and then headed out to hike down to the town of Vernazza, 1500 feet below to the north.
Vernazza was full of tourists. we hadn't realized it was a holiday weekend for the Italians and they all seemed to be in Cinque Terre, enjoying the first warm days of spring, soaking up the sunshine, eating gelatto, and breathing the fresh air. we ate our first pizza of the trip and watched the crowds and then headed to the harbor to sit on the rock wall and enjoy the sun. there are countless little shops lining the narrow streets and since cars are not allowed in the village during the day the streets fill shoulder to shoulder with people, kids, and dogs. we bought some wine and sipped it near the water (it wasn't that good so we didn't finish it...) and then hiked up the hill to the quieter part of town and waited for the bus back up the hill to San Bernadino. the highlight of my time in Vernazza was just marvelling at the color of the sea and watching all the people. we spent some time lying on a big rock in the sun and i couldn't believe there we were, lying on a rock in Italy. we also got a kick out of this little Italian taking a pull on his dad's beer.
taking the recommendation of brigitte to heart, we ate dinner in the town of Corniglia. we drove to just outside the town, parked the car, and walked down the rest of the hill into town. it was quiet after the busy day and we finally sat down to our first Italian dinner with high hopes. we started off with antipasto of different meats, one of which i fed to one of the cats that was loitering nearby. since we were next to the sea, it made sense to have the seafood, so we ordered seafood risotto, the two fishes of the day (sea bass and a mystery fish), and finished it off with cheesecake. i had spurned my usual no drinking policy and had a couple of small glasses of wine with dinner. good thing rotten was driving! we headed home and fell soundly asleep in our little apartment. it isn't often you hop on a plane and end up next to the sea in Italy! what a day.
(our house is the yellow one in the photo above)
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