Radda in Chianti

We managed to get our car and get out of Firenze and onto highway 222 (the Chianti highway) and to Radda without any wrong turns yesterday! We must have been very lucky. A spectacular drive through the heart of Chianti country. We had lunch at the same roadside restaurant outside Castellano in Chianti as we did on our last visit. Got checked in before a rainstorm hit and then to a short loop drive throught the mountain city of Valpolaia (sp?) before another rain. After Valpolaia, the road became dirt. We saw one other vehicle and almost no signs of humans other than some cut trees. It is somewhat surprising that much of Chianti is heavily wooded and not developed. The soil is hard and rocky, so may not be much good other than for grapes and olives, which thrive in this climate. The rolling hills keep it somewhat sheltered in the winter, when it can get quite cool, down to the twenties. They get snow. Chianti Classico wine is not irrigated. The soil holds in the moisture of the spring rains in spite of the fact that it can get quite warm.

Today we are going on a short driving tour. I have given up the idea of getting to Montelpulciana and Maltacino, the source of the other two most famous local wines, Nobile and Brunella. A drive of 2 hours should be enough sightseeing and Tita wants to hike. The hotel Fattiora Vignale is quite comfortable, with a restaurant overlooking a valley where we had dinner last night and breakfast today. Radda is an old hill town and quite beautiful. Apparently, Italians built these hill towns for defense as there really was no Italy until Garibaldi helped unite it, I think in about 1860. They were ruled by city states and regional powers, and the church, before that.

After a very good sleep (no traffic or partying could be heard) and a relaxing bath, we wandered across the street for our breakfast (which comes with the room; called half-board). First I had a cup of cappucino, which was sublimely intoxicating, follwed by yogurt, juice and pastries. That will probably do me until dinner with some snacking on cheese, bread and meats in between.

The countryside is beautiful beyond description. The pictures I will post also cannot capture it...ethereal, peaceful and alive with life, populated by old stone villas thinly spread and small villages. Tomorrow we are heading for Ferrara. I will probably drive through Arezzo to the highway (I think 3b) through the Appenines (mountains) to Ravenna. We will see how long this takes before adding any other excursions. Three hours in a car in a day is plenty. The next day we head for Venice, dropping off the car at the airport and taking the boat to a stop close to our apartment.

We have vowed on our next trip to spend much more time in the countryside. As well as finally hiking Cinque Terra. Tita probably needs knee surgery before we do that, although she did manage to climb the 463 steps each way up to the top of the Duomo and down...but was quite stiff at the end. There is a view of the interior of the dome where the massive frescoes start (I think painted by Vasari), depicting heaven and hell. It is really quite a construction. Brunellischi had to invent some very impressive devices and techniques to finally accomplish its construction, but that is a long story for another time.

Today we explore the hills of Tuscany. Buon Giorgno.

The Dream Continues

Being on vacation in Europe is like living a dream. Yesterday we had a private wine tour to two vineyards with lunch in between and gelato in the small town of San Donato after. It was fascinating to see how wine is made and to receive a wine-tasting lesson from our host at the Metrecchio vineyard, Arianna. Our tour guide and driver, Julio, was a gregarious Tuscan who spoke English with a very pronounced Italian accent and had a sharp sense of humor. He loves his dog, wine, food and most things about Tuscany and has a small B £ B outside of Florence that we may visit next time. Our lunch was unexpectedly slow and so we were late arriving at the second vineyard, whose center was a 13th century castle. Julio said it was the place where cavaliers met from the states of Siena and Florence (Firenze) to mark their border, as it would be the place where they would meet after leaving their cities on horseback at sunrise. Later it was determined that the representative of Firenze left two hours early, to the continuing disappointment of Siena today. The symbol of Chianti Classico wine is the black rooster, which is a reminder that the rooster of Firenze does not really know what time it is and crows before sunrise (and lots of other times).

Being in such a place helps to remind one that every day is a gift. You can make something interesting and enjoyable about every day if you choose. Sometimes, illness or other troubles make this difficult, but it can be done. My friend Jackie says that the key is to focus on what you have, not what you have lost. I like that. We are sharing our apartment (see www.vrbo.com/50703) with my old friends Rick and Jackie. Tita and I barely awoke and already they are out on the town. Having one couple of early risers and one of sleepers can work out wonderfully. Of course, this is if you value private time, something that in my world goes without saying.

Today, we are going to the Academy at 1 p.m. to see Michaelangelo's David, among other pieces. We are also going to get a reservation for the Uffizi for tomorrow, truly one of the great galleries in the world, that has a chronological exposition of painting that helps display the enourmous advances of the Renaissance. I recall the last time there how forcefully Michaelangelo's Doni Tondo struck me. We also intend to revisit the Duomo and climb to the top past the ceiling depicting heaven and hell. I am reading a wonderful little book now called Bruschellini's Dome by Ross King, which will add to the interest. My favorite experiences in town thus far have been a visit to the Santa Maria Novella church and a hike up to San Miniato al Monte for a glorious view of the city.

Our apartment overlooks the Arno and the Ponte Vecchi bridge. It is hard to imagine a better location. Of course, when traveling here one should keep in mind how noisy the city can be. Next time I think we will choose a quieter but not so scenic place.

Unfortunately, I have not figured out how to transfer pictures from Tita's I-phone to my blog, so pictures will continue to be posted on Facebook. A pickpocket nabbed my digital camera while we were in London but I have another at home which is just as good (a funny story about being manic could be inserted here). So we will go with what we've got. I do have my eye on a very nice leather coat, though. I wish their consumption taxes were no so high but in the end I may splurge. The Italians do wonderful things with leather.

It is time to slowly move into our day. A little reading this morning before we head out for the sightseeing is in order. Ciao.

Florence

We managed to make it to London six days ago barely ahead of a volcanic ash termination of flights, and managed to fly to Florence yesterday three days ahead of a proposed strike by British Airways employees. We feel lucky. And we only got a spit of rain in London, although I am convinced that when a sunny day is forecast that it means you will see at least 10 minutes of sunshine. Florence is, as usual, gloriously sunny with temperatures in the upper seventies, so I was finally able to unpack shorts.

Our apartment overlooks the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio and is quite comfortable. We lost the coin flip and got the bedroom on the street side of the apartment, where there was party noise throughout the night and far too much traffic. Rick and I sat up until past midnight sharing wine and wisdom, both of which seem to have disappeared. Sleeping beauty continues her somnomulence at 10:15. Wish I could sleep so easily through noise.

Highlights of London were visits to the Tower, Westminister Abbey and the British Museum, along with numerous walks through the city. The subway, nicknamed "the tube," was clean and efficient. Yesterday, we took the train to Gatwick airport for our Meridianna flight here. These old European cities reek of history and I finished Our First Revolution by Michael Barone about the history surrounding the Glorious Revolution in England in 1688-89, a far more important precursor to our own revolution than I ever imagined. I am now reading The Borgias and Their Enemies by Christopher Hibbert, which takes place in the late 1400's and early 1500's in Italy. All these people dueling for power were quite ruthless and violent. Dick Cheney would have fit right in. I am telling you that shotgun incident was no accident.

I trust nothing much has changed in the States. I don't miss hearing about the Tea Party. Buon Giorgno.

Blog Off

I am taking a month leave from the blog. Bored with it and need to do something new. Feel free to comment on where you think the blog should go.

Change

It is time for a change of direction. I am abandoning a focus on current issues such as immigration, health care reform and financial reform. I’ve learned a lot but the fact is that most of what is out there in the media is superficial. I watched NBC news reporting on the oil spill last night and then watched some of a segment of PBS which was far more nuanced and informative, but then which was followed up by a “discussion” between somebody from Greenpeace and someone from The American Petroleum Institute. This is cheap phony journalism. Present two extremists and act like what you are doing is balanced. Guaranteed noise.

I also watched Carl Wimmer (a Utah state senator) slinging around statistics on Hispanics committing crime and I got ill. The statistics were bogus. For instance, out of a sample of 18 people who committed homocide last year, 9 were Hispanic, 2 were non-Hispanic and 7 were other, he drew the conclusion that 81% of violent crimes are committed by Hispanics. A more relevant statistic to the issue of illegal immigration is how many illegal immigrants are there in the state prison. The figure is 5%.

Politics reminds me of the long dispute between the Guelphs and the Ghibellines in medieval Italy. It really made no logical sense but people had to be on one side or the other. Face it. We humans are not as smart as we think we are.

Perhaps this blog may go. It has been a fun experiment. I at least think I need to take some time off. And instead of reading other blogs in the morning, take a walk up Neff’s Canyon. Spring is here and it is time for rebirth.

Immigration II

It appears that the final version of the Arizona law states that race should not be a factor in questioning someone. Of course, is that how the law will really be enforced? Should enforcement be as immigration status is checked at borders; that is, everyone is checked? Megan is right that you may not see so many white people supporting the law any more. But also, what is a person supposed to produce to show he/she is a U.S. citizen? Most people do not have passports. Driver's licenses are easily faked.

Lots of immigrants are here legally and we should welcome them. Many come here for our university system allowing us to cherry-pick the best and brightest from around the world. They play by the rules. Those are the true immigrants. The rest are trespassers. Unless you don't think that states should have the right to limit the number of people coming into their country. Who really believes that?

But bottom line is that I do not see how this is a good law without solving the ID issue. I need to find out what the law actually says about this.

We also need to make sure that those we do invite to stay have the capacity to become part of the culture, which partly means being able to find a job and given tools to learn the language.

Addendum: Frank Rich's column in the Sunday Times, while identifying a troubling amount of racism that has been here all along, does not address this law. 59% of Tea Party members do not believe Obama was born in the U.S. What about the other 41%? What are their reasons for being a member of the Tea Party? It is amazing how many people have jumped so quickly into two camps with the passage of this law. On the other hand, there is a nice article by Doris Meisner in the Washington Post today rebutting myths held about immigration. The link is so long that I cannot read all of it.