Pic of the Day

Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA

General Synod

It is great to be in Long Beach at General Synod!  Synod really is a sort of family reunion.  There are folks here I love and get to see only rarely.  Between the business sessions, workshops, and worship services there's a whole lot of hugging and catching up to do.  Leroy is doing a marvelous job of fitting in and making new friends.  It's sort of like my thirtieth college reunion; by the time it was over, he knew more people from my graduating class than I did!

The first day of Synod was mostly about getting oriented.  We practiced the electronic voting system which worked a whole lot better than when it was introduced two years ago.  The worship band kicked off our plenary sessions, and the preacher for opening worship last night was Neicelle Guidry Jones, associate pastor at Trinity UCC in Chicago.  In the afternoon, there was a marriage equality rally held on the steps of the convention center celebrating the return of same-sex marriage to California just one hour earlier.  Following the rally was the annual ONA banquet.  The 250 people present contributed over $40,000 during the meal toward a new staff person to resource churches in process toward becoming Open and Affirming.

Leroy and I are fortunate to have friends with a car here, allowing us to avoid the shuttle system that has had more than a few kinks.  Last night as we finished our end-of-the-first-day wine debriefing on the hotel terrace, the last bus from the convention cetner pulled in at nearly midnight.  Days start early here; tomorrow N.Y. delegates are up and out of the hotel shortly after six a.m.

Today we heard various presentations, including an inspiring message by NPR's Maria Hinojosa.  Stories and perpectives n from her tireless work reporting on the lives of undocumented residents held the audience captive for forty-five minutes.  Our General Minister and President, Rev. Geoffrey Black (formerly the NY Conference Minister) is up for re-election and spoke to the body.  I was privileged to be part of a procession celebrating the new churches that have been started or have joined the UCC since last Synod.  I held up a sign recognizing East Aurora (NY) Christian Church's recent dual affiliation

In the evening, we enjoyed a great concert by Bernice Johnson Reagan, founder of Sweet Honey in the Rock, and her daughter, Toshi Reagan.  Bernice is a member of Peoples Congregational UCC in Washinton, DC.  The acousitc guitar-accompanied and acapella harmonies were stellar, along with the powerfully sung, biblically rooted message on social and environmental justice.

A great day at General Synod, with more to follow!

Google

Our time in California is moving quickly, and we are now at a hotel in Long Beach for the start of the General Synod of the United Church of Christ.  I am highly privileged to serve as a delegate from the New York Conference.  Our entire delegation of twenty or so is housed at the same hotel which is about a twenty minute ride from the waterfront convention center.

On our flight to California a few days ago, we met a super-nice guy named Konrad who was seated in our row.  In addition to being a triathaloner and the dad of a young daughter, he is an employee of Google.  As we parted at the baggage claim, he gave us his business card and invited us to visit Google headquarters in Venice.  Since we were staying nearby in Santa Monica, we decided the next day to take him up on the offer and made arrangements for a tour.

Yesterday morning we wallked the couple miles or so to Google.  We received name tags and a welcome packet and were led by Konrad to the cafeteria.  As guests, we were provided an all-you-can eat breakfast from the main cafeteria which provides unlimited food to employees all day long.  Our tour took us to all buildings on the Venice campus and exposed us a bit to the unique corporate culture of Google.  Employees (most of whom seemed to be about twenty-six years old) sat around in collaborative teams in shorts, t-shirts, and sandals while typing on their laptops.  Some were using the massage services available or the gym, while others grabbed a "Google bike" for a spin to clear their heads or walked to the beach two blocks away (company policy encourages bringing surfboards and even small pets to work.)  One of the coolest things we experienced was a circular video-surround "Google Earth" booth that zoomed in on our house in Williamsville.

What Konrad mostly shared with us was the corporate philosophy of Google and the success the company has had in employing highly creative, intelligent people with a strong work ethic.  The perks have made Google the number one "best place to work" for most of the last several years.  It's no wonder it's such a popular place to work and why so few who apply (one tenth of one percent) even get an interview.  The values of the company (what I was most interested in) include innovation, a diverse work force, and individuality (and respect for the individuality of others.)  Despite the emphasis on individual creativity, all projects are done by rotating teams.   Employees are given much freedom in how they do their work, but they are highly responsible to one another.  I came away impressed by the use of up-to-the-minute technology combined with a corporate culture that is built on human relationships.

After a quick walk to Venice Beach (known for its funky, arty atmosphere and wide spectrum of interesting characters), we returned to our temporary home in Santa Monica.  My buddy Jeff was kind to give us a ride to Long Beach where we met up with friends Sandy Damhof and Janelle Richardson from Albany for dinner on the waterfront.  We saw the Queen Mary which is permanently docked in the harbor.  Some of the Synod delegates are housed there for the week - lucky them!  Today starts the work and worship of General Synod!

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Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California

California!

Our departure from Italy went pretty much as planned.  We caught an early bus to Leonard daVinci Airport and waiting in long lines to pass through multiple levels of scrutiny before boarding our plane.  On the American Airlines 767 we had seats on the left side of the plane and managed to have a window and aisle seat together for the long flight over the Atlantic.  We weren't quite so lucky flying from NYC to LA (I was in the middle of seven seats that stretch across the cabin, though at least Leroy had an aisle), and we were delayed an hour due to a storm passing through NY.  That was really the only significant delay we have had in three months of frequent plane travel.  We've been fortunate!  I have to say, though, that after spending three and a half weeks in Italy eating local pizza and taking a pizza-making class near Naples, the epicenter of Italian pizza culture, it was a little disappointing getting a slice of chewy, microwaved "pizza" in a cardboard box on the plane!  Other than that, it was a great trip!

We are staying for two nights in Santa Monica, California, before arriving in Long Beach for the UCC General Synod.  My best friend from childhood, Jeff Youngs, and his wife Julie are putting us up (putting up with us?) here.  Jeff and I met in Mr. Scheel's fourth grade class at Huth Road School on Grand Island and have been buddies ever since.  We went on all sorts of biking adventures as teens and have kept our friendship going for over forty years now.  Jeff is a business consulant and Julie is co-owner of a surrogacy service.  Their three kids are great, though only one is home now for the summer.

This morning I woke to the news that the Supreme Court had ruled on the two cases regarding same-sex marriage.  It's great to be in California on the day that Prop 8 was finally put to rest and marriage equalilty has been returned to residents here!  The Defense of Marriage Act was ruled unconsititutional, meaning that same-sex couples receiving civil marriage recognition by their states will receive federal recognition and benefits as well.  This is a huge advance in the movement toward full marriage equality for all U.S. citizens.  In the several weeks after our return to New York, I will officiate at five weddings.  Three are for same-sex couples; how great that not only their state but the federal government recognizes the value of their relationships and will protect them with the same rights given to others!

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Fiat, Montipulciano, Italy

Good-bye to Tuscany

It is our final night in Italy.  Leroy and I are staying at a "bed and breakfast" on the eighth floor of a stately old building directly across the street from the Termini" train station in downtown Rome.  The B&B consists of a narrow hall and four rooms, each with a private bath.  An apartment-sized fridge contains our breakfast for the morning.  Aparently, this is a self-serve set-up as we have not seen our host, or any other guests for that matter, and we are leaving before six in the morning.  There are strange, scratchy noises coming from outside our window.  I was brave and asked Leroy to check it out, but no expanation so far,.

Yesterday, we ventured through the hills south of Siena to the hilltop medieval fortress town of Montepulciano.  The town is famous for its red "Nobile" wine.  Wine bars and tasting cafes line the narrow streets that run the length of a ridge that provides speactular views in all directions.  Montipulciano is also the location for many scenes filmed for the Twighlight New Moon film.  The town depicted in the book and the movie is actually Volterra which we visited a few days earlier.  It's the streets and main square of Montipulciano, though, that are seen in the film.  After returning north to our farm, we went out to dinner at a new place I did not research first on Tripadvisor.  As soon as we were seated outdoors a few feet from a busy highway, a gentleman began setting up a sound system with large speakers for karaoke right next to our table.  He then began singing loudly in Italian.  The food was fine, but it was hard to have a dinner conversation!

Today we drove from Argiano to Florence to return our rental car. Then we rode a shuttle to the airport, followed by a bus to Florence, followed by a train to Rome.  We encountered once again how difficult it can be to accomplish simple tasks in a country where you do not speak the language and are unfamiliar with certain usual practices.  Mailing a package from a post office and filling a car with gasoline are tasks I do with ease at home.  Here in Italy they require a lot of planning and an interpreter.  We were seriously stressed out about the fully automated gas pumps that only give instructions in Italian for pumping and paying,  We finally figured it out and were able to return our car with a full tank.  It was a bonus today to return to Florence and have a couple hours to kill before our train departure.  Leroy had his last cappachino in Italy, and then we walked a considerable distance to our favorite gelateria for our last gelato.    Tonight in Rome we had our last spaghetti topped off with our last tiramisu and our last limoncello.  No doubt we will be able to have all of these delicious foods and drinks at home, but I doubt it will be the same.  We talked at dinner, again, about how fortunate and grateful we are not only for the three and a half weeks in Italy, but for the entire three months of travel in the Middle East and Europe.

After getting settled in our room this afternoon, we walked a couple blocks to the impressive "Saint Mary of the Angels" Church which has some interesting displays about Galileo (the first such exhibit since the Church apologized to Galileo for excommunicating him in the 1600s, another triumph of good science over bad theology and biblical interpretation.)  We ventured further toward the Colosseum, buying some last minute t-shirts and listening to an urgent speach delivered to a group of peaceful protesters carrying red and gold flags.  I didn't get the whole gist of it (again, my language skills failed me), but I took it to be a dispute between labor and government.  We were reminded of the peaceful protests we saw on the streets of Istanbul, Turkey last month.  It has been distressing to see those protests accelerate into violence at Taksim Square in the weeks following.

Tomorrow a bus will take us to the airport and the first leg of our journey to Los Angeles.  We will be in the air for seventeen hours total plus a three hour layover at JFK.  We will cross ten time zones, allowing us to arrive in California mid-evening on the same day we left.  We will visit with friends in Santa Monica before arriving in Long Beach on Thursday for the General Synod of the United Church of Christ.

Pic of the Day

Early morning at Fattoria Argiano agriturismo, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy

Just Relaxing

This morning I woke up early and there was no going back to sleep.  I got dressed and stepped outside to see the mist rising above the vineyards and the cyprus trees that line the farm lanes.  A short walk down the gravel road leading to town brought me to a curious building on a curve of the road.  I've noticed it before and assumed it was a church of some sort.  A spindly cross and flag made out of metal is on the peak of the lichen-covered tile roof.  The facade is crumbly brick and the sides are stucco that has fallen off in places to reveal fieldstone walls.  The two windows in the front have wooden shutters partially opened, so I pushed through scratchy bushes to peer inside.  Sure enough, it was a church.  A granite altar engraved with a cross stood beneath a semi-circular window.  There was nothing else, though.  No seats or prayer books or evidence of anyone using the church for a very long time.  I imagine the church once served the little Vatican-owned hamlet that has been turned into the agriturismo where we are staying.  The building is probably at least five hundred years old, which is not all that old here in Italy but is ancient by American standards.  Anyway, it's Sunday morning and I thought about the folks at home who will be gathering for worship today at St. Stephens-Bethlehem UCC.  I miss them!  The crumbling, empty church on the hill reminded me that I'm glad to be part of a church community that is very much alive and is doing great things.

We actually did relax quite a bit yesterday.  There is so much we would still like to see and do in Tuscany before we leave, but our bodies remind us that we need to set a reasonable pace each day.  Yesterday we drove around a bit to  try to find a post office that was actually open during its stated hours.  Then we read by the pool for awhile.  The weather is a bit cooler here now, so fewer guests are venturing into the pool.  I think I'm the only one who went in all day yesterday.  In the evening we drove north through the hills to a village called Radda in Chianti.  We admired the ancient city wall and walked the streets before returning to the restaurant where we had our cooking class.  Simone, the chef, is an amazing man.  He took our reservation by phone, greeted us at the door, showed us to our seat, took our order, cooked the meal (with the assistance of kitchen staff), served it up, and then cleared our dishes.  He assured me he would be washing them as well!  There were about thirty diners that evening and he provided the same service for everyone.  It's no wonder it's such a popular place and such a great example of Tuscan cooking and hospitality.

Today we are off an adventure.  Just one destination planned, but with the hope of finding some wineries and the prospect of getting pleasantly lost on the back roads.

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Outdoor sculpture, near Volterra, Tuscany, Italy

Volterra and San Gimignano

It really hit me yesterday that our time in Italy, and abroad in general, is coming to a rapid close.  I'm always needing to plan ahead several days regarding travel plans.  Now instead of confirming details about the next city in Italy, I'm figuring out how to get around in California on our way to the UCC General Synod.  This is good, of course, and is all part of the sabbatical plan.  We're definitely savoring our last days in Tuscany, though.

Yesterday we drove west to the medieval hill towns of Volterra nd San Gimignano.  Both are walled cities that fell victim to the black plague in the middle ages.  The devastaing loss of life and the economic downturn that followed meant that the towns were more or less frozen in time.  With no money for new development or renovation, the walled communities remain pretty much the way they have always been.  We enjoyed the stunning scenery as we looped around on winding roads through the hills of Tuscany.  The towns emerged from the forests with little warning, as there are no suburbs surrounding them.

Volterra actually has a multi-level parking garage beneath the city wall.  We parked deep in the earth and climbed to the main gate leading through narrow streets to the town square.  I followed Leroy into the main government building, a vast castle-like structure with a very tall tower.  Before I knew it, we had purchased tickets allowing us to climb to the top.  I really thought we were done with climbing narrow, winding steps, but not yet I guess!  We were warned to climb up and then vacate the tower within twenty-five minutes since the enormous bell would toll at one o'clock.  I eyed the bell, suspended just a few inches above our heads in the tower, warily until we climbed back down.  The view of Volterra and the surrounding countryside was fantastic.

The next town on our agenda was San Gimangano (pronounced "jim-an-yon-o".)  Only ten miles away, San Gimangano is much like Volterra, only more so.  Thicker walls, taller towers, and more tourists.  Rising above the walls are seventeen very tall, squared-off towers with no apparent purpose.  Once upon a time, families built them to show off their wealth and power.   Originally there were seventy-three towers.  Even now, they give the appearance of a "medieval Manhattan" from a distance.  We purposely timed our visit for late afternoon to avoid the busloads of tourists that flood the streets each day in the summer.  Even so, it was a busy place.

Today we are taking it easy and staying close to "home" while we make further arrangements for the next phase of travel.

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Wildflower, Lecche, Tuscany, Italy

Cooking and Castles

Blogging has been a bit of a challenge the last couple days.  The old stone walls of Fattoria Argiano don't allow wifi signals to pass through, so all web surfing and blogging has to be done in a courtyard by the farm office while sitting on a bench.  One morning while doing so, my iPad took a flying leap out of its keyboard protector and landed face down on the brick floor.  The glass screen shattered, of course, but thankfully the iPad is still working fine.  After a couple days of picking little pieces of glass out of my hand after using the touch screen, I covered the whole thing with clear packing tape.  It works perfectly, looks like a nightmare, and I have an appointment to have the glass replaced as soon as I get back to Buffalo!

Yesterday was our long-awaited class in Tuscan cooking.  The class took place at Ristorante Marlborghetta, with chef Simone Municci as our instructor.  We arrived a little late due to driving too far north to the wrong village.  When we finally found the right place, we were greeted warmly by Simone and met our classmates Jenna and Ed from Manchester, England.  We enjoyed cappachino and were given personalized aprons to wear and keep.  Mine is purple checked gingham and Leroy's is red.  Both are decorated with little ducks.  No one should expect to see us weariing these again anytime soon!  

The class was fantastic.  Simone is a very funny, skilled chef with tons of information to share about Tuscan cooking.  His emphasis was on teaching basic principles of preparing Italian food, rather than showing us how to make specific recipes.  We appreciated that and felt we learned a lot.  Simone was previously an engineer with a chemistry background, so he taught us much about how the chemical reactions of various elements of cooking affect the final product.  Something I learned in our cooking classes in both the south and north of Italy is that Italians like garlic but they virtually never put it in their red sauces.  

The meal we created included four courses: 1. Crustini with liver pate, 2. Gnocche (potato pasta) with bolognese (meat) sauce in a parmesan bowl, 3. "Salsicce e fagioli": sausage with Cannellini beans, and 3. Tiramisu.  A table was set up outdoors for our meal.  Simone joined us to explain more about Tuscan food and to introduce the wines that were paired with each of the courses.  We went back into the kitchen after each course to complete final preparations for what we would eat next.  In all, we spent five hours at the restaurant, made some new friends, ate great food, and hopefully came away with some new skills!

Not far from the site of our cooking class is the Brolio Castle.  Prior to Italy's unification in the mid-1800s, the country's political leadership was divided between forces that often warred against one another.  Siena was a major merchant city and a rival of Florence.  The Brolio Castle was a key fortress during the frequent battles between the two cities.  We walked uphill on a winding gravel road through a forest to reach the castle.  Only the outdoor gardens and a chapel were open for us to explore.  The castle itself is a private home owned by the Ricasoli family that has occupied it since the twelfth century.  

Last night while checking the news I learned of the demise of an organization called Exodus International.  I suppose most people may not have heard of Exodus.  For LGBT persons of faith, Exodus is very well known.  For nearly forty years, Exodus has been the primary organization working to convince gay men and women and youth (and their families and friends) that "change is possible."  In other words, it has existed to try to "cure" homosexuality.  I was personally involved in a local chapter of Exodus prior to accepting my orientation and coming out in 2003.  Alan Chambers, president of Exodus, issued a public apology yesterday for the damage that has been done to LGBT persons and their families through this "ministry."  The apology - and the dismantling of Exodus - has been a long time coming and is overdue.  Nevertheless, I am grateful for the acknowledgment of harm.  I am also grateful that people will no longer be able to uncritically urge gay folks (young and old) to seek "healing" from an organization that was founded on bad science and bad theology.  Progress is being made in society as a whole and within the Christian community toward reconciliation and justice for LGBT persons.  The end of Exodus is one more sign, and it is a reason to celebrate.

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San Galgano Abbey, Tuscany, Italy

Hot Springs and San Galgano

We have settled into a daily routine of sorts in Tuscany.  Leroy is our breakfast chef, which allows me to blog and figure out logistics for our day while he cooks (and cleans...)  Daily temperatures have reached 90 F, so mid-late morning is a great time to use the pool.  We try to eat light lunches (mostly consisting of bread/cheese/wine - I guess that doesn't sound so "light?) mostly to save money, but also to save our appetites for a Tuscan dinner.  By early afternoon we're ready to drive in one direction or another to see what surprises Tuscany has to offer that day.  Yesterday, before we left, I walked to a ridge above the farm to take photos of the vineyard and the lush landcape beyond.

We pointed the Fiat south yesterday.  A divided highway took us most of the way to the hot springs of Petriolo.  Unlike the hot springs in Santorini (which were actually quite tepid), the water at Petriolo is hot.  After changing into bathing suits and scrambling down a wooded slope to a muddy creek, we entered the crystal-blue water of the spring that is separated from the creek by a low wall of rocks.  Water temps hover around 100 F, which is about the same as a hot tub.  A large pipe from the hill above delivered a forceful stream of mineral water (which smells strongly of sulpher) into the pool.  Standing under the pipe provided a powerful hot water massage.  Since the air temperature was at least 90 F, it was great to cool off once in a while in the nearby swimming hole of the creek.

From Pietriolo we drove up a steep hill and followed a ridge through a forest to the sizeable village of Monticiano.  Although it was late afternoon, and the town should have been hopping with activity, we only saw a few people out on the street.  Most of the homes and businesses were shuttered.  We've become accustomed to the Italian equivalent of the siesta; people rest in the afternoon and then resume their activities (and business hours) until late in the evening when they eat dinner, which is about the time we normally go to sleep.  It was eerie seeing no activity at all, though, at 5:00 pm, and we wondered if the heat was just keeping people indoors and out of the sun.

Down the road from Monticiano is the amazing and inspiring site of San Galgano Abbey.  It is a massive twelfth century cathedral that stands alone in the middle of a wheat field.  The roof and beautiful stained glass windows that once adorned the structure are gone.  The church was built by an order of monks who later moved to the city of Siena.  By the end of the eighteenth century, the church was abandoned altogether and became the ruin that remains today.  On a hill above the cathedral is a small, round chapel constructed shortly after the death of Saint Galgano in the mid-1100s.  In the center is an ancient sword buried in a plain, brown rock.  Only the handle can be seen.  The legend is that a knight named Galgano Guiddet renounced his life of power and privilege to serve God as a hermit, and plunged the sword into the rock as a sign of his intent.  After his death, the church was built to preserve the sword and rock.  Later, the cathedral was built in his honor by the order of monks that emerged there.

The road back to our agriturismo north of Siena was long and winding.  We were glad to return safely home after stopping for dinner at what's become our favorite local eatery in a neighboring village.  Today we are changing our routine a bit to take a Tuscan cooking class!

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Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Siena

We enjoyed breakfast al fresco yesterday on our terrace surrounded by olive trees, overlooking the hills of Chianti.  After cleaning up, we met with our host Valeria (rhymes with "malaria") to learn more about the area and get sight-seeing suggestions.  We now have far more places on our wish list than we can possibly visit.  We're currently trying to organize and prioritize our plan for the week so we get adequate exposure to Tuscany while not wearing ourselves out running in every direction.

We discovered yesterday that no one staying at the agriturismo uses the pool in the morning, so we took advantage of the privacy and cool water on what was becoming a very hot day.  In the early afternoon, we wandered further up our gravel road to the tiny (and I mean tiny) hamlet of Pievosciota.  From what I could see, the only evidence of a town ever existing there is an abandoned monastery or convent of some sort.  We saw the stone tower peeking through low tree tops from the road and explored the property by foot.  Other than a shrine containing some wilted flowers, there is no evidence that anyone has visited the site in years.  Further down the road, we walked through a field of yellow wildflowers to examine another empty house, a stone villa with a red tile roof that would have a great view if it wasn't boarded up.

By late afternoon, we were on our way to the city of Siena, only 8 miles from the farm.  Siena is a classic, beautifully preserved Medieval hill town.  A wall surrounds the old city, and it is a delightful place to walk up and down the cobblestone streets.  Our first order of business was getting haircuts.  Neither of us had been to a barber since the first week of May.  Thankfully, we found a shop where a little English was spoken (I didn't want to repeat my last experience of getting my head nearly shaved when I just wanted a trim!)  A stop at a pharmacy allowed Leroy to secure some kind of homeopathic tablets (to be dissolved under the tongue) that our host Valeria swears will keep mosquitos away.  He is desperate to stop the insect attacks (they do love him) and I hope he doesn't start smelling like citronella.

We were in awe of the central piazza in Siena.  A vast, sloping sea of red bricks paves the public gathering area.  In two weeks, the piazza will be transformed into a horse track, with thousands of people standing in the center of the piazza watching the famed Palio de Siena horse race.  After wandering around the city while the sun began to set, we found our way to the ancient Mendici family fortress.  Inside the wall, near the entrance, is the national Italian wine center and a restaurant that featured live jazz music during dinner last night.  It was a lovely setting and a fitting ending to our first full day in Tuscany.

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View from Fattoria Argiano agriturismo, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy

On to Tuscany

Technically, Florence is a part of Tuscany.  It has a big city feel, though, and doesn't quite match the Under the Tuscan Sun images I have in my head.  Yesterday we took our leave from the busy streets of Florence and traveled to the idyllic hills of rural Tuscany.  Before we left, though, we still had a little sight-seeing to complete.

We walked the two blocks from our apartment to the Palazzo Vecchio which is adjacent to the Uffuzi Museum and faces the Piazza della Signoria.  The Palazzo Vecchio was the seat of Florintine government for many centuries and has been a prominent landmark in Florence for over seven hundred years.  We toured the massive "Hall of Five Hundred" with its numerous important sculptures and elaborately painted ceiling.  Many of the other rooms are covered with paintings showing off the accomplishments of the Mendici family.  The "Hall of Maps" features an enormous globe and hand-painted maps detailing the world as it was known in the 1500s.  At the conclusion of our self-guided tour, we climbed to the top of the watch tower.  We're getting wary of steps, but couldn't resist the opportunity to see Florence from the vantage point of La Torre di Palazzo Vecchio.

Back at our apartment, we grabbed our backpacks and headed downstairs and past the Duomo to the bus station.  We caught a bus to the airport where we picked up a rental car that will transport us through Tuscany for the next week.  We rented a Fiat 500, and it is fun to be tooling around the hills of Tuscany in an Italian car reminicent of the old-style Fiats that are still seen in the cities and countryside of Italy.  We got quite lost when we left the airport area, but eventually found our way to the correct road leading toward Siena.  Once in Siena, we shopped for groceries at the first actual supermarket we have seen since leaving the United States (mostly we have shopped in small neighborhood markets.)

We are staying north of Siena in the Tuscan region of Chianti.  Our home for the week is a classic "agriturismo" (farm that provides lodging) on a hilltop above the village of Pianella.  The twelfth century farm is called Fattoria Argiano and it produces Chianti Classico wines as well as olive oil.  Originally, the farm was a hamlet owned by the Catholic Church.  Residents produced wine and oil for consumption at the Vatican.  After World War Two, the farm was sold and eventually fell into disrepair and was abandoned.  Twenty-five years ago it was restored and wine production began again.  Twelve apartments for tourists were created out of the old stone buildings that comprised the original hamlet, and a pool was added with a magnificent view of the rolling hills of Chianti.

In the evening, we drove back toward Siena and enjoyed a simple dinner outdoors at a roadside cafe.  Leroy found a fifty euro bill in the men's room and brought it to the owner of the restaurant.  Shortly after, she brought a selection of liquors to our table (Limincello and something licorice-flavored) in appreciation for what he did.  I guest honesty pays!  We were extra careful driving home after dark to avoid the wild boars that dart in front of cars here instead of deer.  Apparently it's a very bad idea to get out of your car and check on an injured boar after you've hit it with your car.

There are no TVs or radios at the agriturismo.  It is a very peaceful place, and it will be an ideal spot for us to rest, visit nearby sights, and prepare for our return to the United States in just one week!

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Spaghetti with clam sauce, Florence, Italy

Uffizi and The David

It's amazing how seventy-six steps can determine how many times you leave your apartment in the course of a day.  A few days ago we made four trips down and up the stairs.  By yesterday, we were planning our activities to avoid unnecessary steps.  Our primary outing took much of the day and brought us to the most famous of the many art galleries in Florence.

The Uffizi Gallery fronts the Arno River and is just around the corner from our apartment.  It is filled with large and astonishingly beautiful paintings and sculptures.  We were especially impressed with the collection of paintings by Sala de Botticelli (just one room has more than forty of his paintings, including The Birth of Venus!)  There are excellent examples from Michelangelo and Leondardo daVinci, as well.  The Uffizi is undergoing a major reconstruction, so unfortunately many of the rooms were inaccessible during our visit.  Photos are not allowed, except on the upper level if the camera is pointed outdoors at the stunning view of hte Arno River and Ponte Vecchio Bridge.

One of the rather curious aspects of the Uffizi Gallery is how the central courtyard (open to the public) is filled with street artists drawing characatures of tourists.  There are also lots of peddlers selling cheap reproductions of pretty bad art.  All in the shadow of one of the greatest collections of art in the world!  At the entrance of the courtyard is a full-size reproduction of Michelangelo's David. The real thing once stood there, among other massive, important sculptures, but was transported over a hundred years ago to a gallery specially constructed to house it.  We walked to the Accademia gallery and viewed the original, seventeen foot-tall statue atop a lofty base.  It really is a wonder, and it was a privilege to visit both the Uffizi and the Accadamia.

We were hot and tired by the time we returned to our temporary home in Florence.  We rested through the late afternoon and only left one more time for dinner.  I Che ch' chi' is a small, family-owned restaurant right in our neighborhood.  On the way, we encountered a sizeable parade of Florentines dressed in Medieval garb.  They were leading the way from a nearby piazza where some sort of sporting event had just taken place.  We went on to have a particularly delicious Tuscan meal followed by a final visit to Vivoli for gelato.  I allowed myself an extra scoop as a Father's Day gift to myself.  We climbed the stairs for the last time and I was happy to receive email messages from both my kids and my Dad.  A very good day!

Pic of the Day

 Porcellino ("Piglet") sculpture, Florence, Italy.  Rubbing the snout assures return to Florence someday.

Boboli and the Duomo

It's Father's Day!  This is the first time I can remember not being with my kids on Father's Day.  I'm really missing them after two and a half months away.  They each live an hour from me in Buffalo, in opposite directions.  I'm glad they both live reasonably nearby, but I don't get to see them nearly enough.  They are outstanding young adults and they make me proud every day.  My Dad turns ninety next month and lived nearby us until this past winter.  He and Dorothy live in Philadelphia and I think are in Atlantic City this weekend; he's hard to keep track of!

Yesterday we crossed the Arno River on the Ponta Santa Trinita Bridge and walked to the Pitti Palace and the adjacent Boboli Gardens.  We bought a combo ticket that allowed us to see both, though as we walked through the palace we realized the "economy" ticket only let us into the less interesting exhibits in the palace.  We went through the Costume Gallery which is essentially six rooms of women's dresses from the 1920s through tthe 1990s.  When we tried to enter the modern art gallery we were ushered out quickly.  Next time we will pay closer attention to what we're getting when we buy our tickets!  As we were leaving the museum, we did discover a gallery of sculptures and paintings on the main level that was quite interesting.

The Boboli Gardens are accessed from the rear of the palace.  A series of steep steps lead to viewing points above a large lawn.  We were able to see over the palace and across the red tile roofs of Florence to the hills of Tuscany beyond.  The sky was bright and cloudless and the temperature was rising quickly, so we sought out the shady areas of the garden.  Trails led through a forest and occasionally followed the high stone walls that surround the garden.  We sat for awhile on a stone bench in a covered arbor in a quiet place.  As much as I love visiting in cities, it's a relief to be surrounded by natural beauty again.

     Before leaving the garden and palace, we explored the Grotto of Buontalenti which figure prominently in Dan Brown's Inferno.  It is essentially an artificial cave, complete with stalagtites and fanciful creatures that emerge out of the walls and roof.  Sculptures are centered in each of the three chambers of the grotto, and frescoes cover the vaulted ceilings.  Natural light enters the largest room through an oculus at the top. 

In the afternoon, we walked to the Duomo.  Florence's 14th century cathedral is quite plain on the inside, but has an amazingly ornate exterior that was created in the late 1800s.  The marble is white, red, and green to reflect the colors of the Italian flag.  We paid the admission fee to climb to the top of the dome, which is the largest brick-constructed dome in the world.  Climbing to the top of the Duomo was much like ascending the cupola at St. Peter's.  The main difference is that the route to the top at St. Peter's was one-way, with a different stairway leading back down.  In the Duomo, most of the narrow, winding, leaning stairways are two-way so we had to squeeze a lot to let others by.  We got a great view of the interior of the cathedral from the base of the dome, and then climbed the final sets of stairs to the top.  The view of Florence was outstanding.

Last evening we enjoyed dinner at a small, funky cafe known for its eclectic Tuscan fare and then wandered around the city center.  I took photos of the Duomo as the sky darkened.  We got some gelato for dessert (there is a gelateria on every corner and at least one on each block), watched a few street entertainers, and stood outside a church to hear part of an organ recital.  Florence is a busy, creative place day and night!

Pic of the Day

 Vecchio Bridge, Florence, Italy

Arrival in Florence

Whew!  We made it to the beautiful city of Florence, Italy.  It was quite a trek yesterday from the hotel to the train station, but the necessity created by the waterbus strike allowed us opportunity to visit the fish market and parts of the city we had not seen.  We joined lots of others lugging baggage across the city and were so glad to be shouldering packpacks and not dragging suitcases up and over the canal bridges.  There were water taxis available at an absurd price, and even the gondoliers were transporting groups of tourists standing up in the tippy boats, for an extravagant fee, so we were quite happy to walk.

The train ride to Florence took about two hours with several stops.  We have been warned repeatedly about pickpockets and other thieves in Italy, especially on the trains.  Until yesterday we had not seen anything fishy (and we keep our passport, credit cards, cash, etc. in a money belt beneath our clothes.)  While waiting to leave the station in Venice, however, we became aware of a well-dressed gentleman in his thirties who appeared to be a businessman.  At first, it looked like he was going to sit in a seat next to Leroy.  Then he moved down a row and chatted amiably with a couple in another row as he continued to stand in the aisle.  Periodically he would reach up into the luggage compartment above the seats and adjust items there, presumably his own.  I noticed that he looked nervous and was sweating profusely.  Finally, he removed a laptop case from the luggage compartment and placed it under his arm.  A woman across the aisle from us pointed her finger at him and spoke sternly, telling him to put it back.  I thought it must be her husband and she was mad at him, but the man quickly put the case back and almost instantly disembarked.  It was a train thief!

Soon after leaving the station, a teenaged girl walked through the coach placing small yellow pieces of paper on each tray between the facing seats.  A nearby rider who knows a small amount of Italian said the paper described the sad situation of a young mother who could not feed her children.  Moments later, a woman walked through the coach with her hand out to receive donations of money.  We have encountered beggars many times each day in Italy and did not feel inclined to contribute to this one, but she stopped at my seat and pointed to my yet-uneaten lunch while rubbing her stomach and looking sad.  I gave her Leroy's muffin.  Within a few minutes, the train stopped and we saw the two young women running down the platform, escaping the train before being caught without tickets. We learned later that this is a common scam in Italy, along with the "clipboard scam" and the "gold ring scam" (various methods of engaging tourists and taking their money.)  While in Venice, Leroy gave some coins to an elderly, cloaked woman with a covered head outside St. Mark's Church who was moaning and holding a donation cup with a shaking hand.  I thought the hand looked suspiciously young and we discovered later that many of the "old women" are young boys.  Begging in Italian cities is often tied to organized crime, with those who beg serving as virtual slaves and receiving a tiny percentage of the take.  Unfortunately, those who are really in need are not helped in this way, and the scams turn people off to acknowledging and addressing the poverty that does exist in Italy and other European countries.

From the train station in Florence, we walked a half mile or so to the apartment that will be our home for three days.  It is just a few blocks from the Duomo (Florence's domed cathedral) in one dirction and about two blocks from the Uffizi art gallery in the other.  There are seventy-six steps leading up five flights from the street to our apartment on the top floor of a narrow fourteenth century stone tower that is squeezed between two other buildings, one of which was the boyhood home of Michelangelo!  Yesterday afternoon we went out to find a grocery store and got distracted by the beautiful statues and churches and bridges that are all around us.  We finally made it back to the apartment in time to do laundry before heading out for spaghetti.  Across the street is a gelateria considered by many to have the best gelato in Italy.  When the queen of England has a hankering for gelato, it is the Vivoli gelataria that packs it in ice and ships it to her.   I chose orange chocolate, peach, and lemon, and savored every spoonful.

I am reading Dan Brown's new book, The Inferno, which I downloaded on the iPad.  It is set in Florence and in Venice, so the timing is perfect for our visit here!