Northwest Ruminations: Two Italian Trips in Sixty Days -- Isn't That a Bit Much?

Well, no. As a great American philosopher, Mae West, used to say, "too much of a good thing -- is just right."

Ann and I had spent much of April on our first foray into the south of Italy: Puglia, Basilicatta, and Sicily. Then we were invited to fill in for parents of our daughter-in-law, Michele Janes, at a COVID-delayed, Fischbach family reunion. Kathy and Mike had to pass because of back flare-ups, and so in mid-June were were again in care of Lufthansa, this time to Florence.

It's true what you read about European travel chaos: delays, missed connections, a hotel layover in Frankfurt, arrival a day late, and lost luggage on the return. But the renovated farm house finally reached in Castellina in Chianti made a lovely, quiet and peaceful base. Cam had picked a winner. We nine gathered there were Michele’s brother, David Fischbach, who lives in Leipzig, and his wife Frieda and 3-yr old Tavi, charming companions; and Michele and Cam, our son/her husband, and Max and Mollie Janes, our two adolescent grandkids.

Castellina in Chianti; a commune of 2800 souls, 45 minutes south of Florence, 20 mins. north of Siena, and 40 mins. due east of San Gimignano. The house is way out in the country at the end of a “white road”, an Italian euphonism for an unpaved, dusty, rutted track gravelled with limestone. Anyway, it was well-worth the trek – beautifully landscaped with pool, bathhouse, lovely kitchen and living spaces, five air-conditioned bedrooms (it was near 100F all the time) and four baths, and airy out-buildings.

We did the obligatory Florence visit one day amid hordes of tourists, though far fewer than Ann and I experienced in pre-COVID times. Incidentally, on the whole, Italians were masked and cautious but the tourists must have thought they were bullet-proof. Another day, an outing to Montepulciano.

Ann and I spent more time in Siena. Cam had enrolled us in Scuola di Cucina di Lella, which turned out to be great fun. We made our dinner of bread soup, grilled chicken, picci with a tomato-garlic-basil-pinenuts sauce, and panna cotta for desert. (We later learned that Christopher, Ann's nephew, and AnnaMaria, his fiancé, earned spare cash working there as translators for Lella during their time at an international college in Siena: small world.)

After five days basking in the peace of Castellina, Ann and I took a Frecciarossa, a high-speed bullet train, from Florence to Naples, which neither of us had before visited and about which we were curious because of our recent trip to Sicily. We cruised the countryside at 243km/h. After a harrowing cab ride down the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic, we got to a wonderful refuge: The Art Hotel Galleria Umberto.

I’m glad now to have seen Naples – once. Naples is all that Castellina is not: crowded, frenetic, like an anthill cut through by a plow, and the noise -- everyone lives at the top of their lungs. 3mm people, 2mm of them scooting about on 1mm motorbikes, “mottos” – loud, stinky and threatening – and 1500 historic cathedrals and churches catering to the 5% who attend on occasion.

We were waved off climbing Vesuvius in light of my age and the heat. We walked the city and that night caught a production of Evgeny Onegin at the Opera. We were guided through Pompeii one day . We hiked about the Castel of Sant’Elmo, a 14thC Norman fortress lurking high above the city and its harbors. The highlight was a driven tour (you do not want to drive in Naples!) of the Amalfi Coast. It is gorgeous! Big Sur doesn't come close.

Naples food was great (but we never ordered a pizza; can you believe it?) People-watching: super; the mottos: horrible: and conversations with locals in restaurants always a delight.

Glad to have spent five days in Naples. Second prize: ten days in Naples.