Posts Tagged ‘churches’

Day 23 – On the trains to Riomaggiore via Firenze, Pisa, La Spezia

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Our room wasn’t a B&B so we had to make our own breakfast and enjoyed some ‘Grancereale’ with some Muller bianco yoghurt. We wanted to see the frescoes (apparently to rival those in the Sistine Chapel) in the Basilica of San Francesco (must find out what makes a church a basilica) which opened at 9:00, so headed out early and followed the girl into the ticket office after a security guard unlocked the doors. Had to wait while the computers booted up and then enjoyed the peace and quiet in the old church with only a few other people. Wonderful to see the old paintings in the Bacci Chapel (which houses the fresco cycle of the ‘Legend of the True Cross‘ (painted in the 1450s) and thankful that we could read the explanations about them as they didn’t follow any recognisable Bible stories. It’s a same that these wonderful artworks are so fragile being painted on render of stone work. Most of the paintings we saw have been restored as time, neglect, and probably cost, have meant they had deteriorated badly.

Did another lap of the old town and through the Piazza Grande which looked different in the morning compared to yesterday evening. They filmed ‘Life is Beautiful‘ in Arezzo and have some signs depicting scenes from the film in the places where they were shot. Might have to watch the film again and look out for the recognisable landmarks we’ve visited. Up the sloping street to the cathedral with a marvelous interior and a few people practicing some singing in accompaniment to the organ. It sounded lovely and then we realised that a wedding was imminent as people were congregating outside and photographers where taking photos of couple (parents of the bride & groom?) as they were entering the church. Amazing that all this goes on while tourists and other church goers/users are wandering around…

Down to the station in time to catch a train that would allow to to make a couple of other connections during the day and would get us to the beginning of the Cinque Terra mid afternoon. Changed trains in Florence and had to wait a bit for one that would stop in Pisa and managed to catch another train within five minutes in Pisa that went to Turin but would stop in La Sezia where we needed to change again before stopping in Riomaggiore. Lugging the bags up & down stairs is testing my shoulders a little but it’s manageable. The trains that you can walk straight onto are good, but the ones with a couple of large, high, narrow steps are tricky to negotiate with 15 kgs in each hand. After Pisa we were close to the coast and could see the scars of marble mining/harvesting in the mountains near Massa & Carara.

In Riomaggiore it was a hot climb to the accommodation office, from where we had to climb even further to reach our rooms just of a piazza with a church. We had to climb up a set of narrow, steep stairs (minding our heads) to get to our little apartment (sharing a balcony with a couple next door & their little baby) with kitchen and washing machine. So, taking advantage of the facilities a load of washing went in, and we decided to cook our own dinner and eat it (wormy pasta, pesto, sausage, roasted pine nuts, tomatoes and mozzerella, along with some with some Rubentino Chianti) on the three people only balcony, before checking out the ‘Lovers Lane‘ (first section of the Cinque Terra walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola. Very pleasant to do this at the end of a hot day with the sun going down over the headland behind Monterosso 8-9 kms away. It’s all very picturesque alongside the water and in the quaint towns built in steep hillside of valleys, but it’s starting to get busy with other tourists (and the locals are taking every opportunity to cash in) – I can’t imagine what it will be like during peak season in a few more weeks…

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Day 19 – Lecce is made from stone (some of it carved extravagently)

Monday, June 28th, 2010

Beautiful sunny morning and had to head out to get out breakfast (using a voucher) from the Cin Cin Cafe. Ordered a coffee and asked for pastiocotto’s – liked them very much. A sort of light, crumbly, almond cake filled with light lemon cream/soft custard (the closest we’d have to this would be something like a vanilla slice, but you can’t really compare them). Hmmm.

Lecce’s a nice compact old town good for wandering around, making sure you keep looking up to see what’s above street level. Lots of amazing porticos, doorways, balconies, carvings, windows and sculptured bits. The town is built mostly of a stone called St. Pietro (something) and has a nice golden, creamy glow in the early morning light, but fades out when the sun is overhead. Went to find a supermarket and wandered through the outdoor market set up along the est side of the old castle. Lots of household goods, flowers & plants, clothes, shoes etc., and I nearly bought something but they didn’t have my size. Did a few laps/blocks before we found the underground Carrefoure supermarket and then back through the public gardens where we heard a whistle and saw a uniformed person having a go at a young person for littering. We’d also seen a parking inspector blow a whistle while reaching for his book to write a ticket and within 5 seconds a woman appeared and hopped in the car and drove away. Very interesting that you get a warning just before they book you…

Lecce is also know as the Florence of the south with a distinct baroque flavour to many of the buildings. The decorations on a few churches here is to be seen to be believed. Way over the top, and so much detailed carving and sculpture, all thanks to the talent of the brothers Antonio and Guiseppe Zimbalo. We just made it to the Basilica de Santa Croce before they shut at 12:00, and the old church is a highlight – the more you look at the facade the more you notice in the intricate detail.

Had a little rest before heading out again in the quiet afternoon to wander the streets. Found the three old gates that would have been built into the walls of the old city. Enjoyed the meander through the mostly deserted streets while siesta was happening and managed to get into the duomo just as it opened again at 5 o’clock (unfortunately we couldn’t get into the crypt with its 98 columns). Things started to get busy with lots of people coming our for their stroll and much gelato was being consumed. I can’t understand how all the expensive boutiques survive – but then maybe they don’t need to sell much at their prices to turn a profit…

Tried some more local cuisine for dinner and ended up in the vaulted second floor of a restaurant and took a while to decipher the menu. An Italian gentleman at the next table helped us a bit and I ended up with a steak, Maryann some gnocchi and Wendy some slabs of fried cheese! We had a giggle over that and did share some of our food/flavours around so Wendy wouldn’t get too much carbohydrate in her diet. The cheese was nice enough, but it was really just two chunks/medallions of pan fried cheese the size of a piece of thick sliced toast bread, but round. We asked for a 1/4 of house wine and got what looked like a jug big enough to hold a quart (2 litres)! It didn’t hold that much but had more than the couple of glasses we expected.

Wedding seem to happen at anytime and on any day. We’ve seen the red carpet rolled down the stairs in front to cathedrals, orange Hummer’s carrying the bridal party, lots of flowers, organ music and Ave Maria’s and also saw a stand full of paper cones of rice for guests to throw at the happy couple.

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Day 14 – More of Modica and an excusion to Ragusa (Ibla)

Monday, June 21st, 2010

Slept with the airco on all night and with the shutters closed, dark & nice and quiet. Straight after breakfast, first stop the Chiesa di san Giorgio which is at the top of an huge flight of stairs (250 steps!). Cool and quiet inside and some amazing relief sculptures in white marble in the main nave. Lots of reliquaries and an amazing silver and brass altar. Then walking further up to the top of town and the Chiesa di san Giovanni which was closed but is being restored, and looks fantastic on the outside. We were looking for a viewing point and were instructed by a local family sitting outside their home to walk another cinquanta metres to get to the belvedere. It was a spectacular lookout. Great 270 degree view of the valley and down across the roof tops to the main drag, Corso Umberto. Modica reminds us a lot of Matera which is also a valley with homes built on top of one another up the hillsides, although in Matera many homes are built right into the rock – here they seem to only use the rock holes for garages.

We wandered down through lots of narrow alleys and stairways, always winding, but always heading down. Some amazing vistas between buildings and down flights of stairs, now looking straight into a home through an open door, and then looking across a tiled roof with the ubiquitous water tank and rocks holding down the tiles along the roof edges, or through a gap between houses across to the otherside of the valley. Lovely smells drifting out of doorways from pots of pasta sauce being cooked for lunch, and voices wafting out of open windows as we walk below. Lots of purple of bougenvillia splashed here and there and little eddies of fallen, fading, tissue-like petals in triplicate, gathered in the corners of stairs. But it’s all very hot, hot, hot, out in the summer weather – 35C and rising I reckon…

Spent a couple of hours back in the airco room, snoozing, reading and writing before a late lunch picnic and then heading off around 3:00 for Ragusa. An amazing town with the old city on top of a ridge rather than built in a valley. Found the local bus to take us down to the Ibla (old town) with some help from a local guy walking his dog, and waited for a bit before being dropped off by a helpful bus driver, at the top of the long flight of zig-zagging steps down to where the old town begins. Wandered our way around and checked out the churches, providing respite from the heat and quiet place to sit for a while. The Chiesa S. Giorgio (St. George of the dragon variety) was a little different with red velvet drapes between the columns, grand chandeliers, great six foot high multiple/bunched candles, lots of St. George and some lovely relief carvings in a chapel. Fairly quiet out and about and stopped for a coffee before finding the lovely (botanical) gardens and enjoying the vista looking across and down the valley. Nice to see a few other people sitting in the shade and found an old medieval portal of the shattered old church of San Giorgio Vecchio.

While sitting on some steps on the edge of a piazza, waiting for the local no. 33 bus to take us back to the main bus terminal, we said “Buona sera”, to a couple of ladies and an old man who stopped for a chat. Lovely to have an exchange with people who are interested in who you are rather how you look. The women commented on Wendy’s (bella dona) looks and when we told the guy we were from Australia, he wanted to know about Maryann and where she came from. He told us to go and sit in the ‘villa’ (gardens) because it was nicer there. We explained we had been there and that is was beautiful and we were now waiting for a bus. They wished us good travels as they continued on their way down the street. Nice. :-) Heard the bub, bub, bub, of some large motorcycles bouncing around the piazza way before three Harley Davidsons puttered to a stop across from us. Similar looking models with fat rear tyres and a single pannier on the back left side, probably more about the bikes – you know, “Look at me” – but still heaps of cool. The three riders (2 guys & a girl) consulted a map for about 10 minutes, then took off and appeared about 5 minutes later. What the?

We were back at the bus terminal with at 8:35 with 10 minutes to spare, but no bus…, and still no bus 25 minutes later?! I checked the board and yes 22:45 was the time of departure, and it was the latest bus on the whole time-table. Then it dawned on me that 22:45 wasn’t 8:45 but 10:45! Dang – my bad. Now we still had one and a half hours to wait, and it would be late by the time we got back to our room – but, at least there was still another bus to catch… Anyway, found a pizzaria and enjoyed a couple of lovely wood oven pizzas (cooked by a guy who had been to Australia and had picked up some colloquialisms) on a bench next to a busy little roundabout. Noticed that hardly anyone used one their indicators when going around corners. Back to the bus stop for a twenty minute wait and then a fast drive home in the dark with an amazing view back across the valley to the Chiesa san di Giorgio which was wonderfully lit amongst the houses/buildings of Ragusa Ibla (old town). My travelling companions graciously conceded that there was a bonus to my timing faux-pas, in that we could see the lights of the old town. Back in our room just after 11 for a quick shower and crashing out after a huge day out.

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Day 13 – on the buses via Noto, Rosolini, & Ispica to get to Modica

Friday, June 18th, 2010

We planned for breakfast at 8:30 because we wanted to visit the tunnels under the duomo that were used as an air-raid shelter during WWII. Syracuse copped a pounding during the war and experienced lots of bombings before the allies landed and captured the city and there-after Sicily. We headed up to the breakfast terrace to an already warm day with that white glaring light. Our host looked a little worse for wear, seemed a little grumpy and was no where near ready for the eight guests on the terrace wanting something to eat. Following us upstairs had been the hired help (who had just come in) so we understood that she must have been late and was supposed to get things organised before 8:30! So, some tension amongst the staff – but a good breakfast was had.

We went to the tunnel entrance for 9:30 and read the sign that said it was open at 9:00, but no one around. Did a quick visit to check with the tourist office to confirm buses to Modica and then came back before 10 but still not open… We met a couple of older Italian ladies from Rome having a holiday in Sicily. They had quite good english (learnt through taking classes) and had been told by a superintendant that the tunnel would be open at 10. So we chatted a bit, and they told us how hard even they find it to travel around Italy. They told us about the some markings in the marble of the piazza that indicated an old Greek street that led to a spring, as well as the outline of an old temple and sacrificial alter/pit where animal entrails where deposited (we saw the bottom of this pit in the underground shelter!). We showed the ladies a madonna statue we’d seen around the corner which had been perpendicularly afixed to a wall and was facing upwards – a little weird. The tunnel visit was amazing, well curated with photos of people in the the shelters during the war and text explaining how they were used, and how things were organised in the town during the war. The tunnels led down under the duomo and piazza and then led out towards the docks/boulevard along the water. Also enjoyed that it was nice and cool underground.

Got to the bus station with ten minutes to spare and had some fun with the bus drivers. Our driver to Modica was in a playful mood and indicated we wouldn’t sell me a ticket and said he was heading somewhere else – this threw me for a bit because we didn’t expect them to muck around, but I realised what was going on we had some fun and I asked for ‘un biglietto to Australia’. Lots of laughs and carry on before we got our tickets to Noto – I even asked if we had time to go and get a coffee & he told me to go right and a hundred metres to the cafe. Raced off and got back in time to hop back on board to cheers from the other passengers. Enjoyed a canoli and espresso lungo as we headed off. We got to Noto about 12:15 and wandered up the main drag and saw some wonderful buildings but everything was closing so we could only sit in the shade and have our wonderful made-up rolls that Wendy had procured from the markets in Syracuse while Maryann and I went back and got the bags and dragged them up to the bus stop. Yum! It was so hot though – not ideal for wandering around -but we had a short walk to see that there wasn’t really much more to look at than the renovated main street. This has been a recent development with the local councils making an effort to rebuild and beautify the old parts of town – the dome of the cathedral in Noto collapsed in 1996! There are some wonderful town houses though, with amazing sculptures holding up balconies – interesting that these are meant to viewed by the person on the street, not those on the balcony… Then back on the bus, chatting with an elderly lady who didn’t care that we couldn’t really understand her, and a couple of stops (one in Rosolini that didn’t look like a very attractive town at all – lots of suburbs with tiny blocks of houses/buildings in streets at right angles to each other) and a bus swap in Ispica to get to Modica around 4:30.

Walked the 500 metres to our accommodation, checked in and got some useful advice from Thomas (our German host), had a shower and a nap, before heading out for the evening passeggiata with everybody else in the town. Very picturesque walking down the main street with views of the layer upon layer of houses covering the sides of the valley fading sunlight. Lots of people out and about, restaurants setting up, weddings being celebrated, children dressed up in black pants, white shirts and waistcoats all excited about a performance at the Teatro Garibaldi, and incessant traffic slowly making its way up & down the thoroughfare. This area of Siciliy has a lot of baroque architecture and the chiesa di san Pietro is a great example. The statues of the twelve apostles lining the broad terraced stairs leading up to the church with an elaborate facade and neat interior and a few of those statue things on a large base that carried around on poles by lots of sweating blokes on festival days. It was still 31 degrees (C) at 7:30 as we passed the flashing sign of the Farmacia. We stocked up at a supermercato and headed back for a picnic dinner on our terrace looking back down the valley as the town lights came on and a fingernail moon appeared in the darkening sky.

If you have read this far – enjoy this one last story as a little finisher – a dessert perhaps! All people have some basic needs which can sometimes be a challenge for travellers. Toilets in particular. It is sometimes very helpful to have a store of training experiences to draw on. One such experience could be acquired by travelling on a little bus in the Himalayas in Lahdak. If you had such an experience you would have learnt how to pee or even poo on an open hillside alongside your male and female travellers respectively – blokes to the left, girls to the right. Not a bush in sight but full view of every other traveller. This can be surprisingly intimidating to the urge to go, but if you can get over it you can do anything in this department. So beautiful Noto paid for its locked toilets and no services in eateries by forcing a traveller to press into action the afforementioned skill. The European version of the Himalayan pee for females is to wear a voluminous dress, to sit on a stone stair in a remote alley when all shutters are shut and people invisible. Discreetly arrange yourself and then relieve – an umbrella can be useful to pose or to act as a screen. A fellow traveller posing as a photographer can add an authentic touch. Although you may not get a lot of practice at this emergency measure it could be perfected with every experience. And if you think you are the only one who had to resort to this method, you only have to climb a few stairs to smell that others have gone before – mostly blokes and dogs! Enjoy your home plumbing! (Sorry, no photo – the photographer was too slow! [well, actually, he was being discreet ] )

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Day 04 – All night ferry gets us across the Mediteranian to Palermo, Sicily

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

What an absolute treat the Naples-Palermo ferry was! Our last ferry experience was quite appalling so this time it was great to be pleasantly surprised with spacious decks, a roomy cabin with working shower and lots of towels and a great bed. The views of evening Naples and morning Palermo were very beautiful and there seemed hardly a ripple on the glassy sea. A great journey and upon arrival we left our bags at the hostel and walked the city of Palermo for half a day until we could collapse in our room for a siesta.

This is another city with amazing piles (of church, buildings, & ruins) everywhere and a lot of markets which resulted in a scarf and jewel purchase today! Coffee is excellent and available at small bars every where. The sky has been blue and the temperature perfect. Wandered down a couple of market streets and loved the look of all the fresh produce. There are churches galore and we wandered into a few. Some seem to be struggling to be kept nice and the bigger once obviously get more attention.

People seem happy and laid back, no real pressure until you start walking past the guys (seem to be mainly Indians) selling cheap imitation stuff. Jewellery, watches, sunnies, & toys all spread out on a table often supported by an old pram, or other wheeled convenience to make it easier to cart around. Some people (generally black Africans) have huge plastic bags that they unpack onto a sheet laid out directly on the footpath, and spend some time carefully arranging their produce – mostly imitation bags… These vendors set up just about anywhere and can at times line both sides of the street so that you feel like you’re running the gauntlet. Might just have to stop sometime and pick up a pair of sun glasses as we’ve managed to break one pair already.

There also seems to be lots of tiny little cafe/bars/general stores that sell a range of food and drink, but I reckon it must be difficult to eke out an existence from such a small shop, with plenty of competition, and with very few customers. Maybe things are different when it gets really busy in the summer and I suppose there’s also plenty of locals to buy stuff. These narrow streets carry regular traffic too, with room for only one car, so sometimes there is some jostling to get by the stalls and scooters etc. coming the other way. This is all a complete juxtaposition with the newer part of town which is more like the city as we know it. Proper shop fronts and stores with airconditioning and sometimes security guards keeping an eye on things. Oh, and haven’t managed to bump into any of the ‘family’ yet, and don’t expect too – I’m just passing through.

Having a car in the city means you need to understand a whole new literacy of parking (often double and/or on the footpath), some sense of how much courtesy you need to show and how firm you need to be to merge in with the rest of the chaos. Also a fair degree of patience is required as cars, trucks, scooters, & busses just stop and go about some business before moving on again. Generally turning a blind ear to the noise of horns tooting and raised voices (mostly just to let people know someone else is around rather than in anger). It’s all a bit crazy, but there is some sense of grace in that everybody generally gets to where their going without too much grief. Not for me though – would rather walk…

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