Siena, Some Serious Stripes, and the Perfect Pork Chop

Yesterday we took the bus to Siena and spent most of our day there. We've been to Siena twice before and love the feel of this city. We spent most of our time in the Duomo area looking at the Duomo itself, the crypt, and some of the buildings surrounding it. Selecting my favorite Duomo (between the one in Florence, Orvieto, or Siena) would be like picking our favorite child - which in our case would be easy - but my favorite Duomo..... just can't do it.

The Siena Duomo has some of the familiar stripes in it and it is simply gorgeous on the inside. It is so hard for me to grasp that this building took centuries to complete, and families spend generations working on it. Imagine helping to design or build something knowing that you and your children would never see it completed.

A ceiling in one of the chapels

Part of the side building to the Duomo

We've worked on mastering the bus system here in Florence. We managed the bus to Siena and then to dinner last night since it was way on the other side of town. Unfortunately, coming home from dinner we waited at the stop and finally determined that the driver must have stopped for a few vinos and forgotten his route. Taxi, please?

But we had an amazing dinner last night. Greg loves pork chops. If they are on the menu of a restaurant, he will order them, and in most cases, he's disappointed. We'd read about a restaurant here that people claimed had "the best pork chop ever". Da Ruggero is completely on the other side of Florence, but we knew we had to go.

It's a tiny place, and as true Americans, we were the first to arrive for dinner. But the place quickly filled. We tried hard not to over-order (which has been a problem here) and so we split an antipasti, we each ordered a soup, and we split the pork chop because it was huge. And here's what Greg has to say about the infamous chop... and I'm quoting him directly now ..... Out f***ing standing. Yes, the Best Porkchop Ever.

This was actually bigger than it looks here. And tastier.

Our waiter who spoke perfect English, told us that they season it and cook a large rack of pork at a very low temperature for two hours. Somehow it is still very moist and flavorful. He also said something about magic seasoning, so I think I may have problems finding that.

At the table next to us there were two young American college girls. They were ordering wine and food like Daddy was picking up the bill (because he was). They are seniors at Stanford and they were having a wild week of Spring Break fun in Italy. They ordered not just the pork chop (after we told them about it) but also gnocchi, artichokes, a huge Florentine steak and a liter of wine! The waiter tried to warn them that they could never eat it all, but when we left them at the restaurant, they were determined to prove him wrong. I'm betting they did.

But if you are ever in Florence and feeling like a pork chop, this is your place.

A Little Venting and Some Thoughts on Florence

As we continue our daily rituals of eating and walking, a few observations and thoughts come to us as we explore Florence.

First of all, many tourists come here excited to try Florentine Steak (aka Bistecca). This is a massive t-bone steak that is highly seasoned and served RARE! Yes, it is red in the middle, and it is tender and flavorful and wonderful. The other night, the American family next to us insisted that they didn't want it rare and asked for medium rare. The waiter reluctantly said OK.When it was served it looked perfect to us, but sure enough they sent it back for more grilling. The nice young waiter managed to avoid rolling his eyes, but I envisioned the chef dragging that steak around the floor for a bit before sending it back to the table. Reminded us of the lady in France two years ago and sent back her steak tartare because it was raw. (Remember DG & TZ?)

So if you don't like rare steak, please just order the chicken. And that's my vent for the day.

Oh wait! I'm not done venting. Digital photography has made taking pictures easy but it also has caused people to act like idiots (in MY opinion). We saw a man walk through a museum, stop in front of every relic or work or art, click his camera, and then move on the next one. I watched as he did this over and over never looking up at what he was photographing. We also saw a man walk through a beautiful pizza with his phone in front of him video recording his walk across the square. Will these people go home and look at the pictures of what they could have seen in real life if they had just looked? And today three women shoved me aside as they jockeyed for position to take selfies. I had to capture it for you. Crazy.

Their selfie sticks were actually banging together!

And now a suggestion about gelato. There are tons of places to buy gelato here in Florence. Almost every street has a gelateria or they sell gelato in a bar. I'm not an expert (although I'd love to try to be) but from what I've read, there are huge differences in the quality you will find here. The gelateria closest to the tourist areas generally display their gelato in these huge colorful mounds hoping to entice the tourists to come in and buy some. Here's one example.

Experts say to look for a place that has smaller containers of gelato and maybe even an area in the back where you can see they are making the gelato right in the store. Like this one.

Notice the gelato containers are kept covered.

There really is a difference, and it's worth the trouble to find the good stuff!

Speaking of good stuff, we went in search of a flat white this morning. When we were in England two years ago we discovered and loved this coffee drink and have had problems finding them in the States (except for Starbucks and they just aren't the same). I'd read about a place here that makes them down by Santa Croce so we went this first thing this morning. Funny, but to us it tasted just like a cappuccino. The only difference was that it was twice the cost of a cappuccino! Go figure. We won't do that again.

While we were in the neighborhood, we stopped by the Leather School behind Santa Croce Church. It's an interesting place and while there may be deals there, most of the stuff was pretty expensive. But the quality was very good. Greg looked at the belts but we didn't buy anything today.

One of the students at the leather school. I'll take that purse, please.

Interesting staircase behind the church.

We spent the morning wandering around the Oltrano area (the other side of the Arno), grabbed a panini for lunch, bought dinner ingredients at the Mercato Centrale, and came home to rest. This afternoon we visited the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo which is located behind the Duomo. This is a fascinating place, and although we were there several years ago, it has been redone and is even better. The video of the history of the Duomo dome is wonderful, and the sculptures are beautiful.

Here's a few of my pictures dedicated to friends back home.

For DG - old cans of pommodoro used as planters. Very cool.

For BG

Not sure what this says but I think it's something about the NFL. 

And a few photos that Greg has taken in the past few days (and evenings).

The wisteria is blooming!

The Arno was really still - perfect for reflection shot.

A piece of the facade from Santa Maria Novella.

And of course the fabulous Duomo! At night the crowds go home.

Florence, Fabulous Food and Flocks of People

After a pretty easy time dropping off the rental car in Chiusi and a two-hour train ride, we arrived in Florence. We met the housekeeper for the apartment where we will stay and had a few communication issues since she explained how to work things here in Italian. But I think we've figured everything out and we've settled in. This is our least favorite apartment so far; it's just a little tired and needs some attention but the location is good.

Of course, our first stop had to be Mercato Centrale. By the time we got there, the first floor was closed for the day so we went up to check out the new second level. Actually, I think this floor was completed a few years ago but it wasn't open when we were here last. The entire floor is like a huge food court of Italian foods. In the center of this large space is a big bar and all the food options surround it.

One of the many food options

And the bar

We will definitely go back there often for lunch or even dinner. We had an early lunch on the train so thought we needed to try out at least one of the booths. So we shared a bowl of cauliflower, leek, and potato soup. Very good.

I wanted to at least see the Duomo on our first day here so we walked by on our way home. This year, I don't see any scaffolding covering up part of it. I really think it is the most beautiful church .... actually the most beautiful building.... I've ever seen. It just knocks me over every time I see it. I'll post a photo later when Greg gets his camera going.

Dinner last night was at Trattoria Pandmonio di Casa Brogi. We picked it because it gets great reviews, it's easy to make a reservation using The Fork app (similar to Open Table), and it's in the Oltrano (across the Arno) so it meant we could walk across the city after dinner. I always think Florence is best at night. The food was amazing and so was the energy and friendliness of the staff.

We started with an antipasto of cooked asparagus with poached egg on top. Such a simple thing and yet absolutely delicious. You'll notice there's no picture. We snarfed it down before I even thought of getting out my phone.

Greg's osso bucco - he said it was one of the best he's had

My meatballs - maybe not the best choice but ok

Fried artichokes! Amazing!

House wine served in a very cool (and now empty) bottle. And then the lemoncello appears after dinner!

This morning we found a local bar for cappuccino and then wandered down to the Medici Chapels. We really liked the marble in the larger chapel and although a good part of it is now under reconstruction, it is very impressive. There's also a separate chapel designed by Michelangelo. This is just one example of a place that many tourists don't see but it is worth the time to visit. Of course, I'm saying this as someone who has been here three times and still is overwhelmed by the idea of going to the Uffizi. Smaller places like this hold more appeal for me.

The alter  - very different in look and color than others

One of the Medicis is in there but just not sure which one

Back to the Mercato Centrale to see if anything was exciting on the first floor. You can easily become overwhelmed here with the variety of foods.

So many different kinds of prosciutto

Colorful dried fruits

Tons of dried mushrooms

I don't even want to know

So this blog is getting really boring. Walk a lot. Eat a lot. Walk a lot. Eat a lot. So sorry but this is kind of what we do. We spent most of today just walking around Florence. I'd read before we came that the crowds here have become unbearable. The challenge is to find places where it's quieter, those small little streets where you are the only people around. Most of the tourists stay in the same places like this road to Ponte Vecchio.

So today we tried to find some of those quieter parts of Florence, and fortunately they are still there to discover.

OK, just a few more food pictures and then I'm done. We just came back from a very fabulous and fun dinner at Antica Trattoria da Tito. This is just half a block from our apartment and is far from the center of town. The staff is young and very fun as the American rock music blares. I asked our young waiter, Lorenzo, if he liked Motown (the Temptations were playing) and he had no idea what that was but he said he loved the music and wanted to dance. And, by the way, the food was fabulous. We may have to break my rule and go back a second time to the same place!

Ragu on Grilled Polenta (NW, Dad said this was like your beloved Sloppy Joes! But oh so much better)

Greg's veal chop

And my filet with cognac and walnuts. And I believe there was a lot of cream involved..

Lots more from Florence to come. Greg promises to take his camera tomorrow.

Some Random Thoughts on Weather and Laundry as We Leave Panicale

As you leave each town in Italy, you will see a sign like this with the town name and a red slash.
Good bye, Panicale!

Those of you who know me well know that I spend a lot of time looking at online travel forums before we take a trip. One of the questions that always makes me laugh is when people ask something like..."We're going to Paris in October. What will the weather be like?" Generally, the folks who respond to this question say "Be prepared for anything" or "Look at the weather history for that area" or "Who the heck knows?" When you travel to Europe in the spring and fall, it isn't easy to plan what clothes to bring and what weather to prepare for. Traveling to Italy in March, we thought we'd experience cool weather and probably some rainy days.

This is why Greg decided the one jacket he would bring would be his rain jacket. And I think because he made this decision, we have had one hour of rain in the past 2.5 weeks! The weather has also been unseasonably warm, and as we head to Florence next week, for forecast is for temperatures in the 70's and sunny skies each day. So if any of you are considering a trip to Europe and think the best time is in the summer when the weather is warm, think again. It has been ideal for us so far.

That beautiful blue Umbrian sky we see from our back door.

Most homes in Italy do not have clothes dryers so when the weather cooperates, we dry our clothes on a rack in the garden. If the weather is bad, we drape everything over the radiators which is probably not a good thing for the clothes or the radiators. I've learned to love drying the clothes outside, and I've decided to get a rack like we have here when we get home. Maybe it's kind of a back-to-basics kind of thing but it's nice to come home and find our clothes hanging in the garden rather than wadded up in the dryer. Do you think I'll be kicked out of Mequon? Greg says I'm nuts and proclaims that he will buy chickens and a rooster for the yard if I'm hanging our clothes outside.

Today (Sunday) we pack our bags and get ready to leave in the morning. We've truly enjoyed life in this little town of Panicale, and the house we rented has been amazing. The woman who managed this home plus several others in town said that the number of visitors to Umbria is way down from past years because of the earthquakes. She asked that we encourage people to visit this wonderful part of Italy and let them know that while the earthquakes were tragic, they are not close to this village. So here is her (and our) recommendation that you visit.

Orvieto and My Second Attempt to Kill Greg

It's been probably 10 years since we have visited Orvieto, and we wanted to go back again on this trip. One reason to return was to see the Duomo because last time it was covered in scaffolding. So we headed out first thing yesterday.

A little stop along the way

Orvieto is about an hour south of Panicale, and after driving there and figuring out how to get to one of the big parking lots, we bought a ticket for the funiculare that takes people up to the town. Because, of course, the town is built on the top of a huge hill with cliffs all around it to keep enemies away. The funiculare is a fun little bus-like thing that glided us right up.

Our first stop was at St. Patrick's well, a deep, stone structure with stairs all around and built in the 1500's. This was one of those places that has a discount for people over 65, and in this case, it probably was because they knew we would not go down the 250+ steps to the bottom and then back up again!

Looking down the well....

And looking across the well. Notice only some of the windows had bars!

The town or Orvieto is charming and looks somewhat like a smaller version of Florence. There were lots of tourists but it wasn't really crowded. We saw several groups of American teens on tours and heard more English while we were there than we have so far in Italy.

Lunch was at a place I'd heard about but which turned out to be really hard to find. Trattoria dell'Orso was down a small side street away from most of the tourists so it was very quiet. We shared some wonderful minestrone soup and some pasta and headed to the Duomo.

If you only go to Orvieto to see the Duomo, it's worth it. The building is simply beautiful. The front is very ornate and people sit on benches across the piazza and just stare at it. I did this for quite a while.

Of course, my iPhone camera can't do it justice. The gold parts in the front simply sparkle. But it was the sides of the church that captured Greg's interest.

And the inside... also very cool with those stripes everywhere you look.

OK, enough stripes for today. Here's an interesting thing we saw posted on a wall in Orvieto. Yes, really!

There really are Packer fans everywhere!

Too tired to cook, we wandered down the hill to Aldo's Bar for dinner and then walked around the quiet town.

This morning I thought that another hike might be fun, and this time I wanted to walk from Panicale to wherever this sign might take us.

Notice the little man on the sign standing on a mountain and pointing above the trees? Well, that's pretty much what we did. We hiked up a mountain and looked down on our little town, and and it was grueling. Oh, and we both survived again. Looking forward to Florence and Venice where things are flatter!

The view of Panicale when we were only half-way up.

The plan for the day was to drive about 35 minutes away to a restaurant I'd read great things about and we would have a nice lunch. I tried to call and make a reservation, but I got a recording in Italian and didn't know what it meant. Well, now I know. The restaurant has closed. So after driving all that way, we drove back and had a lovely lunch at the little town next to home, Paciano.

It's been a few days since I've posted food pictures, so here are a few from our lunch at La Loggetta.

Pasta pockets with artichoke in a carbonara sauce

Sliced steak with balsamic and pear slices

Spinach with goat cheese and pine nuts

We liked the restaurant enough we might go back tomorrow night which will be our last night here.