The short story
Trip Start
Mar 27, 2006
1
36
37
Trip End
Jun 06, 2006
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Since the end of the trip we have had a lot of time to reflect on this grand journey. We decided to come up with the following questions, some reflections and reviews. After we came up with the list we answered the questions separately and compiled them below.
If you haven't been to Italy we can't stress enough for you to go now...seriously start planning immediately. It is truly one of world's cultural and geographical treasures.
Shilo's Final Review
Favorite Church- Duomo Orvieto-Orvieto, Umbria
Favorite Ruin- The caves of Matera-Matera, Basilicata
Favorite Pizza parlor- Trianon da Ciro-Naples, Campania
Favorite Province- Abruzzo
Favorite City- Rome
Favorite accommodations- B&B Centro Storico-Lecce, Puglia
Favorite meal- Oreccheiette with crema di rape-La Vecchia Osteria, Lecce, Puglia
Favorite treat- gelato con pane- Palermo, Sicily
Favorite fruit or vegetable- nespole- Abruzzo
Favorite cheese- pistachio incrusted goat cheese- Enoteca Temio di Vino, Agrigento, Sicily
Favorite stray dog or cat- Big lab mix-Paestum, Campania
Favorite wine- Barbaresco, no label, from Il Torchio-Tuin, Piemonte
Favorite day trip- to see the trulli at Alberobello, Puglia
Favorite hike- Mount Etna
Favorite sea- Tyrrhenian Sea
Favorite Italian (non family member)- Mario, owner of Casa Grazie- Taormina, Sicily
Favorite moment- Looking out at the stars and enjoying the super fresh air through open balcony door at the Hotel Valle del Lupo- Parco Nazionale D'Abbruzo.
Favorite song- Domenica estate
Favorite train ride- Agrigento to Palermo, Sicily
Favorite Museum- Uffizi- Florence, Tuscany
Favorite artwork or sculptures- St. Maria Del Vittoria, St. Teresa by Bernini- Rome, Italy
Reflections- It is too much to say this was a trip of a lifetime, because I hope there are many more to come. But if this were it, I would be content knowing I spent 3 months traveling with my best friend, putting our lives on hold to experience each other and the world in a way we had always thought might not be possible. We had an amazing time, and I wouldn't change any of it... the ups or the downs. I am glad we took as little as we did. Truthfully, it could have been even less and we would have been fine. I am also glad we stuck to not renting a car or staying in fancy hotels (not that we could have afforded it). The most memorable experiences were those in which we had to push our comfort zone, sometimes way further than I had expected. Staying off the beaten path was always a better choice. We learned and experienced more of the language and culture when we did. I would go again today if I could, and do it all the same way.
Best choice? Taking public transportation and staying in 1 star accommodations.
Worst choice? Not counting out my birth control pills right before we left.
Funniest moment on the trip? Telling the Agriturismo owner on the hike through the Tuscan hill towns that the "meat was barking at me".
When were you scared? When I thought we were lost on the top of Mount Etna and would never find our way off the mountain.
Worst moment on the trip? Having to leave.
Worst bathroom? The regional FSE train line from Bari.
Most embarrassing moment? Having to use the bathroom on the FSE train line.
What surprised you most? No one speaks Italian in Taormina, Sicily.
What did you learn? You need very little to be happy, and there is a lot more to see than what we read in a tourist handbook.
Where will you go on your next trip to Italy? Parco Nazionale D'Abruzzo.
What will you miss most about Italy? Running into famous works of art on your nightly stroll through town.
How has this experience changed you? I don't need to worry too much about what is coming next. Pay attention to your surroundings, make a plan for the day, and be willing to experience whatever decides to come your way.
If someone was planning a trip to Italy and wanted advice what would you offer?
Take less than you think you need. Be willing to risk sleeping on a bench to keep your next destination flexible (you most likely will never have to sleep on that bench). Spend time in the south. Practice and learn number and currency before you go. Don't be afraid of the language, the worst people can do is laugh or ignore you (the latter is way more frustrating).
Gabe's Final Review
Favorite Church- St. Dalmazzo Dei Martire in Torino was a real treasure. Small and authentic it felt like walking in to a different time. In fact, I loved walking in to all the small churches and finding something impressive and unexpected. After answering this first question I realize that this whole "favorites" list is an impossible task but is great for reminiscing.
Favorite Ruin- This is very hard for me. Paestum was akin to visiting a movie set, which is paradoxical because it is so authentic. Hadrian's Villa was also an amazing visit. In this site you can really see one persons mind at work creating something that has stood the test of time while still being completely novel.
Favorite Pizza parlor- While not the best pizza of the trip (although it was incredible) I loved our visit to "Pizzaria Degustazione il Rustico" in Bari. This was our first experience with no menu, no English, really no idea what was going to happen. The customers and the staff ignored our ignorance and gave us an unforgettable cultural, gastronomical, and personal experience.
Favorite Province- Again this is hard. There is much to be said for many of the places we visited, but a decision is needed. I would say I loved Abruzzo for it natural beauties and my family ties. A close second is Apulia. This place was really strange, different and gritty in ways I would have never of guessed. All the while the people were friendly and charming.
Favorite City- I loved Lecce and would go back in a minute. The passeggiata was amazing and the historic center was dripping in history and beauty.
Favorite accommodations- I really loved the pensioni "Pardiso" in Palermo. Utterly small, old and the antithesis of anything you would find in the US. Staying across from the family kitchen smelling the home cooked meals, hearing the family argue and having their grandson keep us up while he was buzzing on Easter chocolate was a very memorable experience.
Favorite meal- While I could list many things I would have to say it was our hotel room picnic in Milan. Not very glamorous but something we did a lot of. This was a simple meal of gorgonzola cheese, market veggies, good bread and our no-label barbaresco wine and chocolates from Torino.
Favorite treat- Gelato! With cornetti con chocolate running a close second, but I guess this is really breakfast rather then a treat, right?
Favorite fruit or vegetable- All of them. Everything was so fresh and tasty. The red peppers were one of my favorites. When you cut them they dripped with juice that was the color of merlot. Not a watery taste, just pure pepper. A pile of fresh fava runs a close second.
Favorite cheese- Before we visited Italy it was Gorgonzola. Now that I have been it is still Gorgonzola. Unfortunately, Gorgonzola on the western side of the Atlantic may have been ruined for me. Gorgonzola is so white and fresh in Italy. Oh well, I'm sure I will get use to what we have in the US again?
Favorite stray dog or cat- I loved the street cat we crossed paths with in Taormina. It was on the stairs from Via Teatro Grecco down to Via Iallia Bassa. The cat was balding, sickly and mean. It was missing an eye and dripping a lot of puss. Patrolling its turf amongst rotting oranges; it was definitely a survivor.
Favorite wine- With out saying the Barbaresco from Torino but I loved the fine table wines we had all over Italy. I wish it was easier to find good table wines in the US.
Favorite day trip- Otranto. Being near the sea and enjoying ourselves. That is hard to beat.
Favorite hike- Linguaglossa to Randazzo (via mount Etna). This was a crazy thing to do. It easily could have ended with us stranded or lost but that didn't happen. We saw amazing things, had the best cornetti of my life and made it home. This was one of those moments that you share with someone else and remember forever. Luckily we were able to share with each other.
Favorite sea-The Tyrrhenian Sea. It seemed wilder and more alive for some reason. You really can't put down the Adriatic though.
Favorite Italian (non family member)- I spoke to an old man in Matera about Fava. I also loved the old guys who helped us out in Bominaco. Louie, Roberto and the man with no name were fun and interested when others may not have been. Overall the Italian people were so kind to us it was pretty amazing.
Favorite moment- So many, it is hard to say. I guess any of the quite moments where Shilo and I were worn out but still taking it all in. Like when we were the only ones at the enoteca in Agrigento, or recovering from our long hike at the Medici villa in Tuscany (when I almost fell asleep in my pasta). These were moments when we were enjoying being exhausted from doing things that would change our lives forever.
Favorite song- Sei Nell'Anima di Gianna Nannini
Favorite train ride- I loved the first train ride from Sulmona to L'Aquila. The train was a thousand degrees for no reason and we just kept going up and up.
Favorite Museum- For me it was the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples. Like many things in Italy it was poorly organized, staffed by people who weren't interested in the customers, but filled with the most amazing things you could every hope to see. I loved the Farnese Hercules.
Favorite artwork or sculpture- This is hard. I will pick something from a museum but there is something to be said for all of the sculpture you find all around you throughout Italy. This is the way to live in a city. Constantly surrounded by great works of art wherever you go. When pushed I would have to say the glass mosaics of Ravenna. When you are looking at these you just get the feeling that you are looking at something really special in the world. I also loved the Boxer of Thermon in the Museum Nazionale in Rome. It will stay with me for a long time.
Reflections- There were more incredible moments on this trip then one person can hope to remember. As with most things in the world, it was the small insignificant moments when bunched together that had the most powerful effect. Just laughing, crying, eating, and sleeping with someone I love in a new but familiar world was a powerful experience. What made it all the more powerful was doing these simple things all day long. We were really and truly enjoying the experience of being together in Italy.
Best choice? Besides the entire trip? All the crazy things we did because we wanted to. These were moments filled with anxiety (hiking on Etna with the real fear we might get lost), silliness (walking all over Torino to taste chocolates, during a rain storm), and beauty (hiking in Tuscany and without knowing where we would sleep).
Worst choice? Worrying about our budget too much. It is hard to ride the line between being frugal and missing out on a once in a lifetime moment.
Funniest moment on the trip? My bad Italian was pretty funny but Shilo's always made me laugh a little harder.
When were you scared? There were a few moments on Mount Etna where it felt like we were definitely lost? We were both pretending that we weren't scared but I'm sure the animals could smell it as we walked by.
Worst moment on the trip? Our first day on Capri was definitely a low point; it is shocking how repulsive people can be. I'm glad we took the time and money to go back and create a better memory. Dictating our experience rather then letting it be dictated to us.
Worst bathroom? For me, any one with no toilet. Unfortunately this is true of most men's bathrooms in Italy.
Most embarrassing moment? Most of these moments revolve around the language and my butchering of it. Like the time I asked the owner of a kosher restaurant if he would be open Saturday (I meant Friday).
What surprised you most? I was most surprised by the quality of the fresh fruits and vegetables. What is sold in most US grocery stores is a ghost of what Italian's bring home from their markets everyday (even in huge cities). This is truly a sad thing. I loved having Nespole for the first time and will always remember the artichokes of Italy.
What did you learn? How living with very little can be so liberating and that spending a lot of time with Shilo only makes me want to spend more.
Where will you go on your next trip to Italy? I will go back to the Parco Nazionale D'Abruzzo. I want to hike more of the park and hopefully see one of its bears or wolves.
What will you miss most about Italy? Being in a place where people walk and talk to each other every night (rather then watch TV). Being in close contact with artifacts of ancient history almost every day. The wine, the food, and the friendliness of people.
How has this experience changed you? I realize how big and small the world truly is. I also learned a lot about half of my cultural heritage. This was really meaningful to me and sharing it with Shilo was really a wonderful gift.
If someone was planning a trip to Italy and wanted advice what would you offer?
I would tell people to go to the South of Italy. The people there are interesting and interested. These places will not be off-the-beaten-path forever, so go while you can still see authentic small town life. More importantly, eat, drink, and revel in it.
"Ci Vediamo, Italia" (Italian for, We will be seeing each other, Italy)
Shi and Gabe
