October 12
We had breakfast at the hotel in Prato and were surrounded by some amateur car racers getting ready to leave for the Prato Car Rally. T
hey were all dressed in their car racing jumper suits and were of high spirits as you can imagine.
The Prato Centrale train station being so close to our hotel was certainly to our advantage as we could leave only 10 minutes before our 8:44am train was to depart. Any extra sleep on this kind of journey is a good thing.
The train to Bologna took us past many green pastures and rolling hills with tiny towns perched elegantly on them. There was an abundance of Mother Nature’s handy work to keep us engaged until we reached town. The old fas
hion train station in Bologna was only steps away from the Hotel Mercure Bologna Centro where we were staying and it is an extremely clean and well run facility.
Melody and I set out right after arriving to see some of the sights of this large University town. We first walked through the old gate that was at one time attached to a wall to protect the city against invaders and then made our way up Via dell Indip
endenza past the gorgeous colonnades which are a predominate characteristic of Bologna’s architecture. Many of the buildings (more than less) have this columned, portico you might call it, attached to the front of each of the buildings. They are everywhere to be seen and make this city quite unique from an architectural stand point in relation to the other towns we have visited.
We arrived at the Fontana del Nuttno which is certainly impressive for the statue of Neptune alone but it has a unique feature where water shoots out of the brea
st of all the large bronze sculptures of the woman. This is not anything I had seen before in my travels but it is a major attraction her in Bologna by the amount of people congregated in front of it.
While standing at the fountain I heard a marching band in the distance so of course I had to follow the sounds unt
il I made it into the Palazzo d’Accurisio where a celebration was taking place in honor of the military or police. I am not sure which. In this courtyard where the event was taking place was an interesting modern, we’ll call it sculpture, of a living room sofa set carved out of rock. The contrast between the more traditional Bologna building and
the sculptured living room was clearing but what struck me most was also seeing the man working on his laptop. It just seemed so out of place here with the crowds watching the marching band and the tourists taking pictures and him just doing is work.
The Basilica di Saint Petronio was behind it and it is a
n impressive sight to be hold. It has clearly gone through many restorations and incarnations and the varying design periods are certainly visible from every angle.
We headed in to Saint Petronio’s and were pleased to find Sunday mass going on. We stayed for the rest of mass and when I went up for Communion there were two men standing on either side of the priests with a long, beautiful white linen and lace cloth held out underneath the chalices. This Melody and I determined was done just in case the Eucharist’s were to fall. The priest who I had walked up to also took the liberty to correct me on the way I was holding my hands to receive the host. I must have had my right hand on top of my left and it should actually be the reverse. I’ll have to look that up online one day.
I left Melody to enjoy Bologna on her own for the rest of the day as I took the train to Orvieto to meet my dear friends the Muscalo’s. Ther
e was a very nice Carabinieri who walked up and down the train to ensure safety I imagine and who whe
n I had mistaken him for a train employee and went to hand him my ticket 
pointed out that he was in fact a police officer. He passed by several times and checked in on me and the last time he was so sweet to say that each time he had passed I had been working on writing in my note book and that I should not be working so hard. I suppose he was right since there was so much beau
tiful scenery to observe but I keep getting behind in my journal writing that I need that time to
catch up. I also met a very nice man who sells snacks and had water which I was so desperate for.
Domenico, Leda, Louisa and Angelo met me at the Orvieto train station. It was so amazing to see them again and to meet their daughter and her boyfriend. They took me to lunch at Favoni Restaurant right next to the Duomo which is magnificent and a place I had the pleasure of visiting 7 years ago on my way to Florence. Orvieto is an ancient city that is high up on a mountain top and a wonderful place to visit if you
are in Umbria and can spend a day traveling to the little towns in this region.
We then drove through the town in Domenico’s Citron which he bought in the early 1970’s. It is a very special car and most everyone we passed by took a moment to stare and also take pictures.
Domenico took us to Bolsena, a picturesque lake side town about 20 minutes
from Orvieto’s center. He and Leda have a spectacular home ther
e on the hill overlooking Bolsena Lake which was created by the craters of extinct volcanoes and its two Islands, Bisentina and Martana are the tips of what used to b
e the volcanoes. Martana Island is where Rossella, the eldest daughter of Domenico and Leda got married. There is a road by the lake that is beautifully tree lined and is clearly
a favorite place for locals to stroll and socialize.
The home is warm and inviting and they are so gracious and made me fell like one of the family. When they built the house years ago they also got sheep, chickens, geese, dogs and have an olive grove and grape vines which Domenico uses to make his special red wine. The animals adore Leda and although many far
mers will make use of the animals for food Leda has become too attached and they never, ever kill them for food. In fact they are so well taken care of that the chickens have
now become lazy and only produce eggs every two weeks or so. It’s like they are o
n some kind of luxury holiday. Leda is extremely maternal and you can see that this farm is an extension of the family. Their grandson calls Leda Nonna Baaaa (for the noise that the sheep make).
After a little rest at home and some tea and fruit tart we headed off, this time in Domenico’s Jeep Cherokee which also garnered many stares as we drove through the narrow streets to Lubriano to see Civita che Muore (the city that died) which resides on hillside across from Lubriano. The city that died is name
d so because it was originally built many years ago on Tufo which is rather soft stone and the town then began to sink. The original inhabiting families abandoned the to
wn and it is now occupied by mostly American artists and has become a thriving art community. There is only one way to access this town and that is by a long pedestrian bridge that can not permit any kind of vehicle. It does sound like a great place to create art. No cars, very few people, a spectacular view and the possibility of a town collapse due to soft stone. There is nothing like potential serious bodily harm to get those creative juices flowing. My curiosity is greatly peaked by this town so hopefully one day I will have the pleasure of seeing it up close and personal.
We stopped briefly in the mountain town of Montefiascone to take pictures of the lake and to pass by the Cathedral of Saint Margaret which boats the 2nd largest dome in It
aly. This does not include Saint Peter’s in Vatican City as that is not considered Italy.
We then headed to Viterbo, another fabulous ancient Roman walled town where sits one of the former residences of the Pope from past centuries. The town also has great fountains and piazzas making it a great place to stop on a trip through this part of Italy.
Louisa was kind enough to explain some of the history and importance of this region and told me that part of our visit was in the Umbria region and the other was in Latium which also includes two other places I visited early in the trip, Rome and Formia.
We then made a quick trip to see the sulfur hot spring spa, Terme de Papi in Viberbo which was nearby. It had closed for the even
ing but we were able to see the main pool with the steam coming up from it. The spa includes a hotel and offers all kinds of medical and relaxation spa treatments. The spa over centuries has catered to artists like Dante and Michelangelo as well as several Popes. There are also public hot springs right around the corner.
We picke
d up Rossella at the Viterbo train station and headed to Soriano where Leda was born. This mountain town is a medieval treasure and is so spectacular this time of year it really is a must visit. In October they celebrate on each Sunday of this month the chestnut festival. The streets are decorated with med
ieval flags and many of the town’s people open up their garages and set up makeshift kitchens and restaurants serving local delicacies. We did not stop for dinner there but Domenico took us to the Taverna dei Frati restaurant which is located in a former monastery. I had chestnut ravioli with a light meat sauce which was too good for words. It was the perfect evening enjoying time with great friends.
We headed back to the house and soon after arriving we were all in bed. It had been a long but fabulous day.
October 13
We had a delightful breakfast which included cheese made from a local farmer only about a half a mile from the house, sumptu
ous cantaloupe, fruit tart, fritta and tea. I was such a lovely way to start the day sitting out on the veranda and enjoying each others company. Domenico and Leda gave me the most lovely book on Umbria with such stunning pictures of the beautiful towns we visited as well as many others and Rossella was so kind and brought from her lovely cafe, Caffe Tomeucci in Rome some delicious treats for me and Melody to enjoy. They are all so thoughtful and made every moment of my visit so special.
They took me to the train station and so kindly waited with me until the train left. It was sad to have to say goodbye so soon but I am looking forward to seeing them when they are in New York this coming January.
I got to Bologna and met Melody in the hotel around 1:00pm and we headed out to see some churches including Saint D
omenico, Saint Francis, and Saint Peter’s with an incredible life size sculpture of a scene of mourning as well as the large marble stand for the holy water. We also came across a small but important church of the Profit Isaiah with the most beautifu
l alter piece with two angels.
We continued to walk around and just enjoy the beauty in the all the buildings. The University takes up a great deal of city space making it a spectacular campus to study in.
We also walked down some of the wonderful streets where there where many vendors sellin
g fruits, vegitables, cheese, etc. It was all so colorful and the street was filled with enticing aromas.
We made it back to the hotel early after a wonderful dinner at Byblos Two Trattoria on Via Marsala. It had been a wonderful day but it was time to get some rest before we moved on to our next city.
We had breakfast at the hotel in Prato and were surrounded by some amateur car racers getting ready to leave for the Prato Car Rally. T
hey were all dressed in their car racing jumper suits and were of high spirits as you can imagine.The Prato Centrale train station being so close to our hotel was certainly to our advantage as we could leave only 10 minutes before our 8:44am train was to depart. Any extra sleep on this kind of journey is a good thing.
The train to Bologna took us past many green pastures and rolling hills with tiny towns perched elegantly on them. There was an abundance of Mother Nature’s handy work to keep us engaged until we reached town. The old fas
hion train station in Bologna was only steps away from the Hotel Mercure Bologna Centro where we were staying and it is an extremely clean and well run facility.Melody and I set out right after arriving to see some of the sights of this large University town. We first walked through the old gate that was at one time attached to a wall to protect the city against invaders and then made our way up Via dell Indip
endenza past the gorgeous colonnades which are a predominate characteristic of Bologna’s architecture. Many of the buildings (more than less) have this columned, portico you might call it, attached to the front of each of the buildings. They are everywhere to be seen and make this city quite unique from an architectural stand point in relation to the other towns we have visited.We arrived at the Fontana del Nuttno which is certainly impressive for the statue of Neptune alone but it has a unique feature where water shoots out of the brea
st of all the large bronze sculptures of the woman. This is not anything I had seen before in my travels but it is a major attraction her in Bologna by the amount of people congregated in front of it.While standing at the fountain I heard a marching band in the distance so of course I had to follow the sounds unt
il I made it into the Palazzo d’Accurisio where a celebration was taking place in honor of the military or police. I am not sure which. In this courtyard where the event was taking place was an interesting modern, we’ll call it sculpture, of a living room sofa set carved out of rock. The contrast between the more traditional Bologna building and
the sculptured living room was clearing but what struck me most was also seeing the man working on his laptop. It just seemed so out of place here with the crowds watching the marching band and the tourists taking pictures and him just doing is work.The Basilica di Saint Petronio was behind it and it is a
n impressive sight to be hold. It has clearly gone through many restorations and incarnations and the varying design periods are certainly visible from every angle.We headed in to Saint Petronio’s and were pleased to find Sunday mass going on. We stayed for the rest of mass and when I went up for Communion there were two men standing on either side of the priests with a long, beautiful white linen and lace cloth held out underneath the chalices. This Melody and I determined was done just in case the Eucharist’s were to fall. The priest who I had walked up to also took the liberty to correct me on the way I was holding my hands to receive the host. I must have had my right hand on top of my left and it should actually be the reverse. I’ll have to look that up online one day.
I left Melody to enjoy Bologna on her own for the rest of the day as I took the train to Orvieto to meet my dear friends the Muscalo’s. Ther
e was a very nice Carabinieri who walked up and down the train to ensure safety I imagine and who whe
n I had mistaken him for a train employee and went to hand him my ticket 
pointed out that he was in fact a police officer. He passed by several times and checked in on me and the last time he was so sweet to say that each time he had passed I had been working on writing in my note book and that I should not be working so hard. I suppose he was right since there was so much beau
tiful scenery to observe but I keep getting behind in my journal writing that I need that time to
catch up. I also met a very nice man who sells snacks and had water which I was so desperate for.Domenico, Leda, Louisa and Angelo met me at the Orvieto train station. It was so amazing to see them again and to meet their daughter and her boyfriend. They took me to lunch at Favoni Restaurant right next to the Duomo which is magnificent and a place I had the pleasure of visiting 7 years ago on my way to Florence. Orvieto is an ancient city that is high up on a mountain top and a wonderful place to visit if you
are in Umbria and can spend a day traveling to the little towns in this region.
We then drove through the town in Domenico’s Citron which he bought in the early 1970’s. It is a very special car and most everyone we passed by took a moment to stare and also take pictures.
Domenico took us to Bolsena, a picturesque lake side town about 20 minutes
from Orvieto’s center. He and Leda have a spectacular home ther
e on the hill overlooking Bolsena Lake which was created by the craters of extinct volcanoes and its two Islands, Bisentina and Martana are the tips of what used to b
e the volcanoes. Martana Island is where Rossella, the eldest daughter of Domenico and Leda got married. There is a road by the lake that is beautifully tree lined and is clearly
a favorite place for locals to stroll and socialize.The home is warm and inviting and they are so gracious and made me fell like one of the family. When they built the house years ago they also got sheep, chickens, geese, dogs and have an olive grove and grape vines which Domenico uses to make his special red wine. The animals adore Leda and although many far
mers will make use of the animals for food Leda has become too attached and they never, ever kill them for food. In fact they are so well taken care of that the chickens have
now become lazy and only produce eggs every two weeks or so. It’s like they are o
n some kind of luxury holiday. Leda is extremely maternal and you can see that this farm is an extension of the family. Their grandson calls Leda Nonna Baaaa (for the noise that the sheep make).After a little rest at home and some tea and fruit tart we headed off, this time in Domenico’s Jeep Cherokee which also garnered many stares as we drove through the narrow streets to Lubriano to see Civita che Muore (the city that died) which resides on hillside across from Lubriano. The city that died is name
d so because it was originally built many years ago on Tufo which is rather soft stone and the town then began to sink. The original inhabiting families abandoned the to
wn and it is now occupied by mostly American artists and has become a thriving art community. There is only one way to access this town and that is by a long pedestrian bridge that can not permit any kind of vehicle. It does sound like a great place to create art. No cars, very few people, a spectacular view and the possibility of a town collapse due to soft stone. There is nothing like potential serious bodily harm to get those creative juices flowing. My curiosity is greatly peaked by this town so hopefully one day I will have the pleasure of seeing it up close and personal.We stopped briefly in the mountain town of Montefiascone to take pictures of the lake and to pass by the Cathedral of Saint Margaret which boats the 2nd largest dome in It
aly. This does not include Saint Peter’s in Vatican City as that is not considered Italy.We then headed to Viterbo, another fabulous ancient Roman walled town where sits one of the former residences of the Pope from past centuries. The town also has great fountains and piazzas making it a great place to stop on a trip through this part of Italy.
Louisa was kind enough to explain some of the history and importance of this region and told me that part of our visit was in the Umbria region and the other was in Latium which also includes two other places I visited early in the trip, Rome and Formia.
We then made a quick trip to see the sulfur hot spring spa, Terme de Papi in Viberbo which was nearby. It had closed for the even
ing but we were able to see the main pool with the steam coming up from it. The spa includes a hotel and offers all kinds of medical and relaxation spa treatments. The spa over centuries has catered to artists like Dante and Michelangelo as well as several Popes. There are also public hot springs right around the corner.We picke
d up Rossella at the Viterbo train station and headed to Soriano where Leda was born. This mountain town is a medieval treasure and is so spectacular this time of year it really is a must visit. In October they celebrate on each Sunday of this month the chestnut festival. The streets are decorated with med
ieval flags and many of the town’s people open up their garages and set up makeshift kitchens and restaurants serving local delicacies. We did not stop for dinner there but Domenico took us to the Taverna dei Frati restaurant which is located in a former monastery. I had chestnut ravioli with a light meat sauce which was too good for words. It was the perfect evening enjoying time with great friends.We headed back to the house and soon after arriving we were all in bed. It had been a long but fabulous day.
October 13
We had a delightful breakfast which included cheese made from a local farmer only about a half a mile from the house, sumptu
ous cantaloupe, fruit tart, fritta and tea. I was such a lovely way to start the day sitting out on the veranda and enjoying each others company. Domenico and Leda gave me the most lovely book on Umbria with such stunning pictures of the beautiful towns we visited as well as many others and Rossella was so kind and brought from her lovely cafe, Caffe Tomeucci in Rome some delicious treats for me and Melody to enjoy. They are all so thoughtful and made every moment of my visit so special.They took me to the train station and so kindly waited with me until the train left. It was sad to have to say goodbye so soon but I am looking forward to seeing them when they are in New York this coming January.
I got to Bologna and met Melody in the hotel around 1:00pm and we headed out to see some churches including Saint D
omenico, Saint Francis, and Saint Peter’s with an incredible life size sculpture of a scene of mourning as well as the large marble stand for the holy water. We also came across a small but important church of the Profit Isaiah with the most beautifu
l alter piece with two angels.We continued to walk around and just enjoy the beauty in the all the buildings. The University takes up a great deal of city space making it a spectacular campus to study in.
We also walked down some of the wonderful streets where there where many vendors sellin
g fruits, vegitables, cheese, etc. It was all so colorful and the street was filled with enticing aromas.
We made it back to the hotel early after a wonderful dinner at Byblos Two Trattoria on Via Marsala. It had been a wonderful day but it was time to get some rest before we moved on to our next city.
1 comment:
Bologna is a city whose roots are lost in antiquity. From the whole town planning, architectural and artistic arises a unique, ancient and welcoming, you can breathe while walking under the arcades, that crown nearly 40 km of roads of the city and along the alleys of the center. The Italian main points of the car rally route are Venice, Treviso, Stresa and Turin.
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Sally
Connector
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