Emilia Romagna Region-Post 1

Map of Emilia Romagna Region

Ben and I are blessed to be part of the Aviano Reunion Association (ARA), a group composed primarily of military members who were stationed at Aviano Air Base in northern Italy at some point in their careers.  However, it has grown to include not only their relatives but also friends who have become part of this lovely “family” of travelers.  Although we convene annually somewhere in the US for our reunion, every three years we return to Italy.  We actually rarely return to Aviano simply because it’s difficult to get on base these days, so instead we focus on one region or two of the country to explore and savor. 

Amarilli, Ben and Roberto

Several years ago, one of our members discovered Roberto Bechi of Tours by Roberto and hired him for the 2002 ARA reunion in Tuscany--the land of Siena, Florence, and Chianti.  We’ve now used his services five times in our gradual, ongoing tour of Italy.  Guides in this country must pass tough certification tests in any region they wish to work in, although they can certainly collaborate with local guides when leading groups outside their region as Roberto has done for us.  His region is Tuscany, of course, and he is an Etruscan specialist, as well.  His expertise is so well known that travel writer/personality Rick Steves publishes nothing about Tuscany without Roberto’s editing eyes.  The two have also collaborated on Rick’s travel shows about Tuscany that appear on PBS stations. 

Since 2005, however, we’ve toured under his collaborative guidance to Umbria (adjacent to Tuscany); the Lake District (Como, etc.) and Friuli (Aviano); Campania (Naples, Sorrento) and Apulia (Matera and Alberobello); and now Emilia Romagna (Modena, Bologna, Parma, Ravenna, Ferrara).  Region by region is truly the best way to experience a country  rather than a Grand Tour. 

Balsamic on Parmigiano and gelato!

Roberto and his lovely new assistant Amarilli Arenosto picked up our group at the airport Sheraton in Milan and off we went to our first stop right outside Modena, Villa San Donnino, which is home to traditional balsamic vinegar that is produced from cooked grapes, ripened by slow acidification due to natural fermentation.  The aging process takes place over a specific number of months and years and in a series of various types of wooden casks.  Visitors can purchase anything from balsamic jelly to Nerone dressing vinegars to traditional products aged from 12 to 25 years.  If you want a vinegar aged longer than that you can get it...for a price...but at a separate, more secure location.  You could almost hear the steady swipe of credit cards in the villa office. 

We learned about the process through an explanatory lecture by one of our hosts, then indulged in a huge table filled with chunks of aged Parmesan splashed with aged balsamic and served with Parma prosciutto, bread and a local wine.  Then came a surprise way to feature balsamic, poured over vanilla gelato.  Downright tasty.  The villa itself serves as a beautiful showcase for these products, and the current owner still resides in the upstairs private areas.  It was used by Italian director Bernado Bertolucci in the film “Novecento” (1900) starring Robert DeNiro. 

Canalgrande Courtyard

A short drive further brought us to our hotel headquarters for the week, the Canalgrande Hotel in the heart of old town Modena.  Its origins hearken back to 1530, and during one period of history a canal in the city truly did extend all the way to the Grand Canal in Venice, hence its name.  I must say that the individually decorated rooms were lovely, and many overlooked the tranquil courtyard that became a favorite gathering place for our group (and subsequently became less tranquil!).  The location proved perfect, in close proximity to cafes, bars, shops, and pedestrian walkways, and the hotel owner could not have been more friendly and accommodating.  The adjacent Ristorante La Secchia Rapita served as the venue for several of our wonderful dinners featuring regional specialties.

Our tour of historic Modena the next day took us to the Palazzo Ducale, which today is the headquarters of a renowned military academy.  We couldn’t decide what we liked the best, the displays of military paraphernalia from all over the world including US military academies, or the sharp looking young men and women in their dashing uniforms! 

Apse mosaic in San Vitale Basilica,
Ravenna

Our tour of Ravenna proved the highlight of this trip for me.  When you think of Ravenna, think mosaics—exquisite Byzantine mosaics that have survived over the centuries and surpass any we’ve ever seen in our travels.  The city actually boasts an impressive assemblage of both Byzantine and Christian monuments.  The Basilica of San Vitale is a 1400 year-old church whose mosaics bring the Bible to life, from scenes of the apostles, Christ, the Emperor Justinian, Abel, Melchizedec, and a host of others.  Just as impressive (some claim more so) are the mosaics found in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia across the courtyard from the basilica, which include mosaics of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Mark’s lion, Luke’s ox, John’s eagle, and a beautiful golden cross over them all.    

It was also in Ravenna that we enjoyed one our collective favorite meals:  vegetable lasagna with white sauce.  Okay, there was a tasty antipasta and dessert, too, but all we could talk about was the lasagna.  Molto buono! 

Anatomy class, anyone?

Bologna, where Bolognese sauce originated, was our destination the next day.  It’s also home to the  world’s oldest university. The Palazzo dell’Archiginnaisio was built to house the lecture halls for the study of law and arts.  Up until 1803 it was the seat of the university, but since 1838 it has housed the Civic Library.  Although it sustained heavy damage by bombs during World War II, it was subsequently rebuilt.  One room of particular interest is the Anatomical Theatre.  Built of carved wood, it was the lecture hall for anatomy lessons, apparent by the marble table slab in the center.  How does that visual hit you? 

The Basilica of St. Petronio is probably the most imposing and we were told that it is the most important church in the city.  A hole in the roof of the basilica measures times and seasons and is supposedly the most precise sundial in Europe.  The frescoes inside have never been restored in its 600 years. Our walking tour also took us through the Jewish ghetto.  Sadly, no Jews returned here after the German evacuation, but the city now has a respectable Jewish population.  After exiting the ghetto, we walked past the two towers (Le due Torri) that stand as the traditional symbol of Bologna. 

Pasta!

Free time gave us the opportunity to return to the open markets that featured vegetable, meat, cheese  and seafood stands we’d passed and to wander into some of the shops.  It was here that the pasta tagliatelle was invented in 1481, and it is also here that you can attend a university for gelato making! The Dominican order of priests was established in Bologna by the Spanish priest later known as St. Dominic. 
 

Next up:  Parma, home of traditional Parma ham and cheese!

The Cinque Terre - Italy

View from our room
at Hotel Pasquale

Nestled along the steep and rugged Ligurian coastline of the Italian Riviera lies some of the most scenic terrain in this country of unending beauty.  As Ben and I have continued to explore as much of Italy as possible over the years, the Cinque Terre (literally, “five lands”) and Portofino had remained high on our list, but had always been simply too far out of the way of our travels.  So, that’s where we set our sights to go prior to our 2014 Aviano military reunion in April.

Although an autostrada (Italy’s super highway system) runs fairly close to the western shoreline, the remaining 20-25 miles of winding roads include sharp turns and treacherous hillsides, and no further "super-highway" extension has been built to ease the journey.  A deterrent to traffic?  Perhaps.  A desire to keep these lands as true to their original beauty as possible?  Likely.  Regardless, both the designation of Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and two nearby islands as a UNESCO World Heritage site and frequent, convenient trains have made sure these hidden gems of towns and villages are not so secret anymore. Both tourists and summer hikers through the Cinque Terre National Park continue to bring increasing tourist activity each year. 

Vernazza

We actually debated taking the train from the Milan airport to Monterosso in the Cinque Terre where we planned to stay, but when another couple joined us for this adventure we decided that a car made more sense.  Train travel in Europe is wonderful when either (1) somebody else is handling your luggage, or (2) you’re basically backpacking or at least packing light.  Facing a week in Modena for the reunion followed by a cruise from Venice, we had no problem taking one checked bag and one carry-on each; but even that much luggage is hard for us to haul onto trains these days.  Been there, done that.  Auto Europe, here we come.  Our route would take us south from Milan to Genoa and then southeast toward La Spezia on the autostrada.  After exiting the highway toward Monterosso, it was time for Ben to muster up his experiences from living in Italy in the 70s to negotiate the twists and turns on the narrow roads, as well as avoid approaching traffic while driving to our hotel--and doing so right after landing in Milan from our overnight flight from Texas.  Topper, Carole, and I appreciate you, Ben.
 

Manarola

Thanks to Rick Steves and Trip Advisor, I located a lovely little hotel in Monterosso called Hotel Pasquale (Italian for Easter) with easy access to the train and to boat tours.  We made sure we had sea views from our rooms.  The hotel staff were warm and accommodating and served up a warm and hearty breakfast each morning with eggs however you like them, fresh breads and sweet rolls, and some of the most delicious orange marmalade we've ever tasted.  We had arrived early in the tourist season, so some restaurants were just beginning to open though we had no problem locating some excellent dining options.  Prior to our departure we saw predictions of rain and cool weather in the forecast, but the rain never materialized.  Frankly, we were mostly glad that we beat much of the tourist traffic by arriving prior to Easter.

I must say the Rick Steves Italy guidebook offers excellent descriptions of each of the villages of

Riomaggiore

the Cinque Terre, which helps travelers decide where to book a hotel.  With closer proximity to Portofino north of the Cinque Terre and to Milan where we’d need to return in order to meet up with the rest of our incoming reunion group, Monterosso seemed the best fit for us, but Vernazza was a close second.  Corniglia sits high on a bluff with no boat docking access; Manarola and Riomaggiore are the last two in the chain further south.  Portovenere is located just below the Cinque Terre, although boat tours of the five villages can also include a stop there and rightly so—it’s well worth a visit.   Portovenere and the even larger La Spezia are where some cruise ships stop for access to the Cinque Terre—but we can attest that you really cannot do these lands justice from a ship.

On our first full day, we boarded a boat (hop on/hop off style) that docks at four of the five villages (not Corniglia, of course), where we wandered the villages and marveled at the homes and businesses perched seemingly precariously on those steep bluffs and hillsides.  Although there were similarities, each hamlet possessed a character of its own.  Soon after stopping at Manarola, we all decided it was a bit too slow for us, and since we didn’t want to wait for the next boat we bought cheap train tickets through the mountain to Riomaggiore that proved more interesting.  But when trying to board the next boat on to Portovenere, we learned that we hadn't purchased the correct tickets to get there! Thanks to an understanding captain and some profuse apologies on our part, we were allowed to board anyway and simply pay the ticket price difference in Portovenere.  Whew.  I’m so glad we did since it was a favorite for all of us, located on the tip of a peninsula and with larger resort town atmosphere.

Portofino

The next day we took the train to Portofino for the day—that village of legendary beauty  that is also not part of the Cinque Terre and also not that easy to get to.  From the train station, it suited our schedule best to take a bus the rest of the distance to this picturesque little cove and then board the ferry for the trip back.  We were blessed with beautiful blue skies that day and could wander the streets and shoreline without tons of tourists.  Oh, that’s right: we were tourists, too.

As I mentioned previously, the Cinque Terre is a very popular hiking destination, and the national park service clearly marks trails and gives information about the difficulty of each one.  I had actually considered  attempting the easiest of the trails, but recent landslides had blocked the pathway.  It also didn't help that on our very first night there, I missed a step walking up to a restaurant near our hotel and suffered a pretty nasty sprained ankle.  I never knew how long one of those can take to heal!

I confess I should have done more research or at least bought a more recent Rick Steves book, however, for then I would have learned about the horrible mudslides that occurred in October 2011 which were caused by torrential rains, killing several people and inflicting terrible damage to both Vernazza and Monterosso particularly.  Photos of the destruction and resulting massive clean-up still cover the hillsides and buildings in the five villages, giving testimony to their devastating impact.   

Our little side trip turned out to be one of the best parts of our Italy travels this time.  Our pace was slow, the scenery amazing, and the food and wine delicious.  Rejuvenated and rested, we headed back to Milan, where we held a quick meet and greet with our arriving reunion friends before spending the night at the airport hotel.  The next morning, our wonderful tour guide Roberto Bechi would pick us up and whisk us away to Modena to begin our official tour.

Danube Christmas Markets Cruise 2013-2

Gingerbread at Thurn and Taxis Market

Regensburg is one of my favorite little cities, easily navigated on foot, and Ben and I couldn’t wait to return to the Regensburg Sausage Kitchen, the oldest sausage restaurant in the world. 

We chose an optional walking tour that included a quick sausage sandwich at the Kitchen and then beer tasting at a local brewery.  This is a great little city for shopping, too, which is what we did after visiting the Thurn and Taxis “Royal” Christmas Markets.  From Regensburg, some opted for a tour of the local Audi factory and gave it high marks. 

 

Our cruise ended in Nuremburg, steeped in history and home to one of the largest Christmas Markets in the world.  The Ama afternoon walking  tour takes guests to the Imperial Castle and other city sights, ending at the Beautiful Fountain, the centerpiece of Market Square now filled with vendor after vendor selling goods, food and beverage.  The best!  And if you don’t find the perfect nutcracker in the square, there’s always Kathe Wohlfahrt’s famous store at the edge of the square.   

After disembarking the final morning, our final tour led us to the Zeppelin Field where Hitler held his infamous Nazi

German Nutcrackers

Party rallies, and the Justice Palace where the War Crimes Tribunal sat in 1946.  On our previous Danube cruise we were able to go inside and see the courtroom since we visited on the weekend; alas, the courtroom was in use on this weekday. 

Now it was on to Prague.  When you consider all of the great cities in Europe, perhaps your list beings with Paris, Rome, and London.  In that same breath, you must include Prague.  Already steeped in history from its earliest Paleolithic tribes through the Medieval Bohemian days and glorious Renaissance transformations, Prague entered the 20^th century as part of the short-lived Austro-Hungarian Empire.  World Wars I and II brought oppression and destruction, not to mention lack of upkeep on some the city’s buildings.  

Old Town Prague Market with
Tyn Church

Now, however, Prague has become part of all that it has met, to paraphrase Lord Tennyson, and offers visitors more history, architecture, and culture than can be absorbed in only a short visit.  Built on nine hills along the Vltava River, the landscape is dominated by the 9^th century Prague Castle,  State Opera, St. Vitus Cathedral, the Charles Bridge, the Astronomical Clock, and the Church of Our Lady that is home to the venerated statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague.  We spent a half day on a walking tour past many of these sites and ending at—of course—the Old Town Christmas market.  The photo says it all.  Most of our group took advantage of the lively Czech folk concert and dinner offered one evening, enjoying a traditional meal and the local Czech beer and wine.  

 

Concert Ensemble
Klementium Mirror Chapel



Mirror Chapel Detail From A Biased
Former High School Timpanist!

Concerts abound in this city.  In Old Town Prague where we stayed you can hardly walk a few yards without seeing another concert poster or being handed a flyer about one.  Most are small, but some draw larger crowds and always feature wonderful musicians...and the price is usually very reasonable at under $50 per person.  After going to three different concerts during our 2007 summer cruise on this same itinerary, I wanted to spend my last night in Prague at another.  Upon perusing all the options, I chose not just a concert, but one in a beautiful venue, as well—the Mirror Chapel of the Klementinum.  Performing a program of Christmas selections from Silent Night and favorite Czech songs to Bach and Mozart was an immensely talented ensemble of vocalists and musicians.  Bravo.  

Since Ben and I were the only ones in our group interested in the concert, we took advantage of this final evening for just the two of us.  After the concert we walked back toward the market square, and a street hawker talked us into dinner at the restaurant she was promoting upstairs overlooking all the market activity.  We took the bait and it was a good decision.  We shared a bread bowl of hearty goulash soup and downed it 
with a glass of the local beer, soaking in for the last time beauty of Old Town Prague lit up for the holidays.   

I really must write a bit about our ship, the AmaPrima, that just made her debut last spring.  She is a new design for AmaWaterways, sister to the AmaCerto and two others slated for completion in the coming months.  These ships not only offer staterooms with a French balcony, but also those with an actual balcony for sitting, similar to ocean-going vessels.  It was too cold for us to make much use of it on this trip, but I can only imagine the serenity of watching the world go by as you sail Europe’s rivers in the privacy of your own little space. 

AmaPrima Sailing through Lock

Staff, as always, were helpful and attentive, and our cruise director, Canadian-born Kriss Stallabrass, never failed to have an answer or find the answer to the barrage of questions guests threw out at her.  She was an excellent presenter, too, with both her informal talks on the coming day’s activity to more formal slide shows of key places of interest along the Danube and the many locks en route.   

The next big travel dates on Ben’s and my calendar are to Italy in April, followed by a Mediterranean cruise visiting two ports long on my list—Istanbul and Ephesus.  Watch for more blogs then!