In continuing our conversation about travel to Italy, let’s have a word about words. As a rule, Italians are very gregarious and they LOVE to talk! Sure, half of the conversation is conducted through hand gestures, but the rest is likely to be in rapid-fire Italian.

While many who live in large areas visited by tourists do speak English, it will be more difficult to find anything but native speakers if you venture off the beaten path. Either way, it is generally useful to know at least a smattering of phrases to help you communicate along the way. For instance:

Greetings:

Hello – Salve or Ciao
Goodbye – Arrividerci or Ciao
Good Morning – Buongiorno
Good Afternoon – Buon pommeriggio
Good Evening – Buona sera
Good Night – Buona notte

Etiquette:

Excuse me – Scusi!
Please – Per favore
Thank you very much – Mille grazie
You’re welcome – Prego
I’m sorry – Mi dispiace
I don’t understand – Non capisco
My name is… – Il mi nome e or Sono…
What is your name? – Che cosa è il vostro nome?

When shopping:

It’s beautiful! – E Bello!
How much? – Quanto costa?
Does it come in my size? – Fa viene nel mio formato?
Do you ship to the United States? – Spedirete negli Stati Uniti?

When enjoying the local nightlife:

More wine, innkeeper! – Più vino, locandiere!
It’s true! I’m a distant relative of daVinci!- È allineare! Sono un parente distante di daVinci!
No, I would not like to go to a discotheque. – No, non vorrei andare alla discoteca.
My hovercraft is full of eels. – Il mio aliscafo è pieno delle anguille.
Stop the Vespa! I want to get off! – Arresti il Vespa! Voglio ottenere fuori!

And perhaps the most useful phrase of all, when used correctly:

This gentleman will pay for everything! – Paghera tutto questo signore!

Corse Felici!

Finally, you’ll be treading the paths of daVinci, Michelangelo and Sofia Lauren! After booking the flights and securing accommodations, naturally thoughts turn to perhaps the most daunting part of travel…what to pack.

Now there are entire websites, storefronts and indeed corporate conglomerates devoted to packing for Europe, giving step by step instructions as to which bags to buy and how exactly to pack them…often with schematic diagrams attached. There are tomes written about the difference in European vs American electricity and technology, and how to be certain you stay plugged in throughout your travels. We’ll leave you to those folks for specifics and just tackle wardrobe.

Rule Numero Uno: Pack LIGHTLY. They do have washing machines in Italy – and in a pinch, you can hand wash in the hotel sink and dry on a retractable shower clothesline. Only bring enough to fill ONE piece of carry-on luggage (yes, even for a two week stay)…and be prepared to schlep said luggage over cobblestone streets in the event of an unforseen transfer glitch. When in doubt – leave it out…and leave room to pack things you’d like to buy there!

Rule Numero Due: Remember that you are not at home. Dress for company – and as company. Sure, you need to be comfortable, but bear in mind that Italians – and Europeans in general – tend to lean less towards “relaxed dressing” than we Americans sometimes can. Heed this not, and you will undoubtedly be branded tourista before you even open your mouth!

For instance, if you’re not heading straight to a beach town and plan to spend most of your time in the sand, don’t bother bringing shorts…unless it’s your aim to collect the curious stares of passersby…regardless of the heat. Be aware that many of Italy’s historic churches will not allow entrance to those with bare shoulders or bare legs. Oh, sure – you could rectify the situation quickly by dropping a few euro on the tissue paper sheets that helpful folks outside are selling…but do you REALLY want your photo taken in the Cathedral of St. Mark while wearing crumpled Hallmark bag filler?

Rule Numero Tre: Mix and match. Not the rainbow socks and plaid shorts kind of mix and match – the interchangeable kind. Every piece you bring must “work” with all the other pieces in your wardrobe. A minimal number of garments should still give you maximum flexibility.

This can most easily be accomplished by sticking to a very neutral, very basic color palette and creating interest with splashes of color via accessories. (See Rule Numero Sei for more on accessories. Alternately, watch any Audrey Hepburn movie from the 1950’s, and wear what she’s wearing.)

Best practice for choosing neutral basics to pack? Pull every article of black clothing you own from dressers and closet. Choose three of each – dress, pants, skirt, shirt, shoes – that go together. Now choose one of each of those that are most comfortable. From the remaining, choose the ones that wrinkle the least or are most convenient to pack. Then take one of those articles (at random), and substitute it for another flexible neutral – say gray or kahki. Fill in with one pair of jeans, one pair of sandals (optional), two white shirts and a one colored shirt. Bam – you’re done!

Rule Numero Quattro: Do not bring extra shoes. You are going to Italy…the gorgeous shoe capital of the world. Leave space in your bag for those extra three pair you think you HAVE to have…and buy them there.

Rule Numero Cinque: Do bring a sweater and extra underwear. Not our rule – just reiterating what all of our mothers taught us. (They were right.)

Rule Numero Sei: A bold ring, jangly bracelet and a vibrant Emilio Pucci scarf can transform a little black dress or a t-shirt with jeans from “blah” to “brava”! Don’t pack accessories – just wear a minimal amount on the plane, and plan to pick up more there. Street markets are full of earrings, scarves, hats, sunglasses, etc., and shopping for them makes for great memories of your trip.

Rule Numero Sette: The day bag. Should be easily carried, large enough to hold your wallet, phone, documents, camera, guidebook, etc as well as your sweater and a bottle of water. Should not be big enough to require it’s own seat in a taxi. Having the option to carry it backpack style or cross-body is a big plus when you’re doing alot of walking. If you choose carefully, you can manage with just one that works with all of your outfits. If you don’t…well, you ARE in Italy!

Rules Numero Otto, Nove and Dieci will vary by person and destination, but the end result should be the same: taking the time to plan carefully can eliminate unnecessary stress and insure that you are comfortably prepared to experience and enjoy all of the wonders that Italy has to offer! Corse felici!! Happy travels!!

Because if you were, pyrotechnics would be involved.

Yes, ever since 1097 when Florentine Pazzino de’Pazzi returned from the Crusades with flints from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the people of that fine city have been igniting things with them on Easter. Initially it was torches bearing “holy light” that were carried through the town and distributed in the square, but over the years the ritual has evolved. The tradition that endures to this day – that of using the fire to ignite fireworks in a 500 year old ox cart in front of the Piazza del’Duomo – was begun in the 15th century.

The 30 foot tall cart is drawn from the Porta al Prato to the Piazza del’Duomo by a team of snowy white oxen that are draped with flowers and herbs – the best representations of early Spring. Once the cart is in position, a mechanical dove or “columbina” carries fire from the holy flints from inside the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore to the cart outside, whizzing on a wire towards its destination. Once lit, the contents of the cart regale onlookers with a grand and beautiful fireworks show lasting twenty minutes or more. Throughout the event, the cart is guarded by 150 soldiers, musicians and locals all dressed in medieval costume.

Why, you ask? Well, legend has it that a successful explosion of the cart – or “scoppia del carro” – is said to ensure a good harvest, economic growth and civic stability in the city for the coming year. While the veracity of this claim might still be a subject of debate, it is certain that this Easter tradition of Tuscany is a unique and lively way to bid farewell to Winter and enthusiastically welcome Spring!

My beloved Versilia, Tuscany…it is best known for its golden beach, small villages and natural parks in the hinterland, its mild climate and its amazing nightlife and entertainments, but what makes it unique is that you have all close at hand and in a short time you can walk on the sand on barefoot and then have lunch uphill viewing the Massaciuccoli Lake which inspired Giacomo Puccini.

Versilia is always beautiful to visit in summer as well as in winter time as its lively towns, from Viareggio, to Pietrasanta to Forte dei Marmi and Camaiore are always teeming with events and activities going on all year long. In my shopping tours in fact you can size the true daily life going on in shops, markets, nice street views, with native people…

In Spring, Viareggio is one of the best places where spending one day strolling around and relish the first warm sunrays while sitting at a cafe or just tasting some spaghetti and “arselle” (small typical clams) at one of the restaurants along the déco broadwalk. If you have a bike you can even ride up to Forte dei Marmi and make some shopping and a fast snack at “Manè” for its famous “focaccine”.

For those fond of nature, it’s worth visiting Camaiore and the around area which is full of historical sites and beautiful landscapes. Climb up the Monte Magno way to Lucca and appreciate the panoramic view from there…on the way back stop at Nebraska for a “merenda” based on typical products and wine tasting.

In summer, if you love trekking and being in contact with nature, you cannot miss to walk along the Rio Lombricese surrounded by chestnut’s woods and river falls where crystalline water natural pools are ideal to refresh and maybe have a jump in. At your return, stop at Osteria Candalla born within the walls of an old mill still lapped by pathways and waterfalls. Nestled in a wilderness, the restaurant and his old millstones are lulled by the clear water flow of the Rio Lombricese, in a unique natural oasis. Here you cannot miss the typical “tordelli”: small dumplings stuffed with a small amount of meat, herbs, parmesan and other “secret ingredients”, boiled in water and dressed with Bolognese sauce. This recipe has may different variances in the area, but this attempt is one of the best.

If you are looking for the best panoramic viewpoint embracing with your eyes the whole Riviera from Livorno to the Gulf of La Spezia, drive up to the tiny village of Santa Lucia, where you will breathe the old atmosphere of country villages, all cropped around its main church. Rolling down, stop and have dinner at the Tre Terrazze Restaurant in Monteggiori, another medieval village looking over the Versilia plain. If you want your trip worthy, pay a visit to Sant’Anna di Stazzema, now better known to the public for Spike Lee movie Miracle at St Anna based on the nazist martyrdom. Sant’Anna can also be reached by means of the ancient mule-traks, which were part of the old Via Francigena.

Getting back to the Riviera, stop in Viareggio, where sea, nature, art and shopping are close at hand…its large promenade over 3km long runs along the beachfront decorated with Liberty architecture of shops and cafes parallel to an as wide pinewood where children and their parents can enjoy nature and entertainments. The shopping tour starts from the promenade, just a few steps by the seashore, from some of its top-chic boutiques, which are as famous as those in Forte dei Marmi and now almost date back to half-century experience.

Walk up the peer to meet with fishermen longing for some fresh branzino or orata and then taste them stopping at Tito del Molo, one the oldest fish restaurant in Viareggio, almost dating back to early 20s when fishermen unloaded their nets on the pier’s wharves.

Try all, but do not miss seafood pasta courses and mixed fried fish under the flat-roof facing the sun.
If you prefer a quick lunch or snack make for Adone (Via G. Garibaldi, 85), not just sandwiches, but a deli experience. Tuscany crispy fresh bread, fresh cold cuts, season vegetables in unpredictable mixes. Enter, order and leave your name. When you are called out, roll is ready!
Have a look at some nice shots of my Versilia:

http://www.wishversilia.it/jo/en/versilia

Watch my tour presentation to get the spirit of it http://www.wishversilia.it/jo/it/personal-shopper/shopping-tour

Courtesy of http://www.rentvillas.com

The villa was owned by Baroness Von Ketteler next. The Baroness was the widow of a German baron. She purchased it in 1925. It was her influence that provided the garden with the wonderful topiary you see there today.

World War II almost destroyed the garden. Industrialist Marcello Marchi bought the villa and restored it to its former beauty. The family still owns the property and has converted it to accommodate guests.
As you walk through the gardens, you will see expertly trimmed Cypress trees. Boxwood shrubs line the reflecting pools. Pink roses and pink azaleas add color. Painters come to set up their easels to capture it on canvas and landscape architects come to study it.

What a relaxing place to visit! I hope you’ve enjoyed the stroll as much as I have.

Courtesy of wikipedia

Giovanni was a banker with forward thinking ideas. He had no intention of farming the land, instead he wanted to create a place that embraced Pliny’s idea that the garden should be an extension combining home, nature and, of course, the view that led Giovanni to purchase this piece of land. He wanted to create and outdoor room. In homage of the mythical garden of Hesperides, Giovanni brought in lemon trees from Naples, Italy. An interesting note about the Hesperides, they were the nymphs of the night that were tasked with guarding the apple tree in the mystical garden that Gaia, the earth mother, gave to Hera.

Original rendering, Courtesy of wikipedia

The Medici family owned the property until 1671. After that, the property changed hands many times. Each owner made changes to the design of the gardens until they arrived at the design they hold today. For example, Giovanni’s herb gardens have been replaced by neatly trimmed boxwoods and potted lemon trees are arranged on the front lawn. Lady Orford changed the organization of the villa when she moved the entrance from the Via Vecchia Fiesolana to what is now known as Via Beato Angelico. The most beloved owner is Iris Origo. This Britain born woman moved to the villa with her mother, Lady Sybil Cutting, when she was a child and grew up there.

Iris was so fond of the Medici villa gardens that when she and her husband moved to La Foce, a farm in Tuscany’s Val d’Orcia, she drew on her memories of English gardens and the Fiesole Villa Medici Renaissance gardens to create it.

I am looking forward to our next Tuscan garden stroll. I hope you will join me!

Saint Margaret is the patron saint of many. She is considered the saint of the wrongly accused, penitents, single mothers, reformed prostitutes, and tramps. Because she vowed to help the less fortunate, she is also the saint of the homeless, the mentally ill, and orphans.

Margaret’s story reminded me of the fairy tale Cinderella. Her mother died when she was seven. When her father remarried, his wife was not happy about having such a high-spirited stepdaughter. Margaret was determined to make the best of a bad situation. Her beauty attracted attention from the young men in town so she enjoyed their company as the bright spot in her difficult home life. Deep inside though, she felt that there had to be more to life than this.

By chance, the seventeen year old Margaret met Arsenio, the son of Gugliemo di Pecora, lord of Valiano (the English translation is villain). She accompanied him to his home to live with him and be his maid. She was anxious to leave her stepmother’s control so she didn’t care how it looked to others. As you can guess, Margaret became pregnant with the knight’s child and he did not want to marry her. She was content to raise her son in his home in Montepulciano where they would be provided for.

One day the knight went on a trip and did not return. Margaret became upset when his dog returned without him. The dog led her into the woods and to the knight. He had been brutally murdered. Some say that Margaret felt her beauty and the desire of other men to have her caused them to kill the knight. Whatever the reason, Margaret abandoned the life she had known in his house. She and her son went back to her father’s home but her stepmother denied her a place to live there since she had a child out of wedlock.

Margaret sought refuge with the Franciscan Friars at Cortona, Tuscany. She begged for the chance to repent and they agreed although it was not pleasant for her. To prove her sincerity, she wore a hair shirt and fasted. When she finally ate, she abstained from meat and only ate bread and vegetables. Her penance lasted three years until Fra Giunta became her confessor and decided it was enough. Margaret received a miracle one day as she prayer below a crucifix. Accounts say Jesus spoke to her saying “What do you wish, poverella (little poor one)?,” she replied she wanted only to serve him. This began her communications with God.

This event moved her to start a hospital for the sick, poor, and homeless. She also brought together a group of nuns known as “le poverella.” To support the work of the hospital, she founded the Confraternity of Our Lady of Mercy.

When Margaret got older, she craved peace and quiet. She had the Church of Saint Basil repaired and moved there. When Margaret died in 1297, the people of Cortona named the church Chiesa di Santa Marghreita and started rebuilding it. When you see it today, most of the work is nineteenth century. Her body is enshrined there in an open tomb above the high altar. In 1728, she was canonized as the Patroness of Fallen Women.

Catherine was born in 1347, in an area called Contada dell’ Oca, Neighborhood of the Goose. Her home has been turned into a shrine, Santuario e Casa di Santa Caterina. It doesn’t look like it did when she lived there. It has Renaissance paintings that depict her amazing life. Through the kitchen and up the stairs you will find her bedroom. She was so committed to following the vision she had at seven showing her she was to follow Christ, she began sleeping on a stone pillow. That pillow is still in her room.

All saints have amazing histories. Catherine was so committed to following her vision that when her mother tried to dissuade her from her mission by trying to have her marry at twelve, she cut off her hair and resisted. Exhausted by her resistance, her parents finally permitted her to join a group of Dominican nuns in the capacity of a tertiary (a lay person associated with clergy).

Catherine was committed to caring for the sick and infirm. Saint Catherine was so focused in her devotion she would only eat communion wafers. She was born a twin but her sibling didn’t survive. Modern psychologist might interpret this anorexic behavior as survivor’s guilt.
Catherine was illiterate but that didn’t prevent her from embarking on a letter writing campaign to Pope Gregory XI to ask him to return to Italy. She would dictate letters to one of her followers. Despite the pleading letters, he was not going to return. In a bold measure, she road on horseback to Avignon and met with the Pope personally. He was moved and returned. Shortly after his return, the Pope passed away. She joined the new Pope in Rome and continued her campaign to reunite the church.

She was treasured by the Romans and they have enshrined her body in a church, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva. Legend has it that thieves from Siene stole her head. When the thieves were stopped by Roman guards, the bag that held her head was opened. Instead of her head, they saw a bag full of rose petals. When the thieves arrived back in Seine, Tuscany and opened the bag, her head was there again.
Many believers make the journey to the church Catherine attended while growing up. It is now known as the San Domenico Basilica. This is where you will find the Santa Caterina Chapel. It is beautifully decorated with frescos by Leonardo da Vinci’s student, Sodoma. The focal point of this chapel is Catherine’s head, which is very well preserved. Her thumb is nearby under bell glass.

You must also visit Dussio’s Maestra (Majesty) in the Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana. Here you will see the Virgin Mary seated with the baby Jesus in her arms. She is surrounded by twenty angels and nineteen saints. When it was first displayed in 1311, it was viewed with awe and wonder by the townspeople.
Next time we will visit Cortona, Tuscany-the Town of Saint Margaret.

When we think of a girdle, it evokes images of something terribly uncomfortable our mother’s would wear to hold everything in place. In biblical times, a girdle was a belt worn around the waist. The green girdle that is kept in the Duomo is said to be the one that Mary untied and dropped to Doubting Thomas as she ascended into Heaven. It was Mary’s way to prove to Thomas that it was really her.

The girdle ended up in the possession of a priest by way of Thomas’ disciples. In those times, priests were allowed to marry. This priest had a wife and daughter. The daughter had a suitor named Michael that her father didn’t approve of. Luckily, her mother was sympathetic and helped the couple elope, giving Michael Mary’s green belt as a dowry. The young couple fled from Jerusalem to Prato, Tuscany to live out their years. Michael slept with the girdle under his mattress to protect it until just before his death when he gave it to a Prato priest.

This story is depicted in fresco at the Chapel of the Sacred Girdle. Five times a year, the girdle is taken out and shown to crowds of people. Because the Duomo could not hold the masses that attended the ceremonies, Donatello sculpted a pulpit outside the church. There is a replica there now that is used but the original is in the museum that is attached to the church.

The cycle of The Life of John the Baptist created by Fra Filippo Lippi is the main reason to visit at any time. It can be found on the center alter of the Duomo.

The story depicted is the one where King Herrod was so pleased with his daughter Salome’s dancing that he said she could ask for anything. The young girl didn’t know what to ask for and sought her mother’s advice. Queen Herodias was still angry with John the Baptist for calling her and the King adulterers so she told her daughter to ask for John’s head. The King didn’t want to behead John the Baptist but he had made the pronouncement in front of everyone and had no choice but to comply.

In Lippi’s work, Herrod and Salome look out towards the viewer as she holds out John the Baptist’ head to her mother, all the other people look on in horror.

The frescos took Lippi thirteen years to complete because of his involvement with a novice, Lucrezia Buti. Lucrezia became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Because the church wanted to end the scandal, the Pope granted them dispensation from their vows.

The stories behind the art that abound in Italy are as rich as the art itself. Our next stop in Tuscany will be the Museum of the Madonna del Parto. I am really looking forward to it and hope you are too.

I was browsing through the bookstore looking for a coffee table book with the famous sites of Tuscany and came across a book that looked interesting, “100 Places In Italy Every Woman Should Go” by Susan Van Allen. It is a wealth of information about where to go to truly experience the best Italy has to offer. It isn’t your typical tour book. There are wonderful places that aren’t on the “beaten path,” which I like, because sometimes the road less traveled provides the richest journey. I am going to take you there with me.

It’s interesting that Venus (Goddess of Love, Beauty, Fertility, and Sexual Healing) is as revered as the Virgin Mary in Italy. These two women are everywhere, in paintings, stained glass, and statues. The pagan and Christianity coexisting side by side everywhere you go. I was surprised to learn that churches honoring the Virgin Mary were built right on top of temples built to honor Venus. The picture is an excavation of a temple found below Santa Maria in Trastevere.

I hope you’ll enjoy the trip as much as I do!