Planes, Trains, & Bicycles? (Italy 2005)

Day One: Rome to Montepulciano

We're here, guidebooks and Bon Appetit magazine (how fortuitous that the 2005 travel issue featured Rome, Florence, and Venice) in hand!

Despite a ticket snafu with British Airways outbound from Seattle, we made it to Rome on schedule and spent a comfortable night at the Beehive hostel just down the road from Roma Termini station.

We spent the morning taking in the sites of Ancient Rome and having a very nice lunch at 'Gusto, before hopping a train to Montepulciano to start our "Treasures of Tuscany" bike tour.


I think our favorite Tuscan hilltown on this whole trip was Montepulciano a.k.a. the home of vino nobile. It was strange but it seemed that the towns got more *touristy* as you moved north through Tuscany.

Montepulciano still retained what I'd call a touch of undiscovered normalcy. We spent a few hours wandering the towns winding streets and poking through little shops before having a nice dinner at Antica Caffe Poliziano (try the pici with cinghiale ragu) and turning in early in anticipation of the start of our bicycle tour.
RecommendationsThe Beehive (Via Marghera 8, Rome): We booked two beds in the dorm for 20 euro/person. Nothing fancy but it was all we needed for the night.
'Gusto Pizzeria (Piazza Augusto Imperatore 9, Rome): We discovered *evil* things called suppli (fried mozzarella stuffed risotto balls) in the frito misto we ordered for antipasti. Also yummy was the quattro formaggi pizza.

Day Two: Montepulciano to Montalcino


Lost!!! It took us three tries to get out of Montepulciano. It would not have been as annoying except that all roads lead downhill from the highest Tuscan hilltown. I can't say I'd recommend the 8 extra km of uphill riding we did before starting our route for real but we did learn a lesson to read signs and arrows very carefully at confusing roundabouts.
We did finally find our way to the correct route and spent an enjoyable morning riding through the beautiful countryside and getting used to our rented bikes. The one downside to renting bikes in Italy was that the smallest frame they carried for women was 17". My bike at home is 13" so I did struggle not only with the hills but with the bike itself.



Most of our morning ride had gentle to moderate climbs but as those who know me know, I'm terrible at hills because I never learned how to efficiently use my gears coupled with my own leg power to ride up them correctly. I think it has a lot to do with thinking I should be going at a certain speed up a hill but then getting too tired to maintain said speed. Needless to say, I *hiked my bike* up most of the hills today.

We rode through the small spa village of Bagno Vignoni where we grabbed some panini for lunch before riding to Montalcino. The last 5 km of the ride was uphill, and yes, I walked most of it and was ready to sell my soul for a Coca Cola Light once we got to town.
After cleaning up at our hotel, we wandered through the home of the Brunello grape, which is really just a wind-resistant Sangiovese varietal, and explored the old fortezza and churches in town. We capped our evening with a Brunello tasting at Enoteca Osteria Osticcio followed by pizza al taglio and gelato. The verdict on Brunello? It really is the king of Italian reds.
Recommendations
Albergo Il Giglio (Via Soccorso Saloni 5, Montalcino): A comfortable inn in the middle of the village with cute rooms and wonderful countryside views. Our room had the most amazing east view and we were able to get some beautiful sunrise pictures while we were there.
Enoteca Osteria Osticcio (Via Matteotti 23, Montalcino): A wine bar with great views and a good selection of wines by the glass. We really liked the Il Paradiso Brunello.

Day Three: Montalcino

Today was the easiest biking day of the trip, a chance to shake out the remaining cobwebs and make sure our muscles are used to the exercise. After breakfast, we biked to the cloistered community of Abbazia di Sant'Antimo south of Montalcino. We got there early enough to hear the monks chanting after their morning mass. The 12th century Romanesque abbey was beautiful.



After exploring the abbey, we had the option of making our ride a loop through dirt roads back to Montalcino or going back the way we came. Since we were both still sore from the day before, we decided to nix the dirt and go back the way we came. I'm proud to say that I conquered moderate hills on the ride back. Something clicked and all of a sudden I figured it out. I went slow (OK, REALLY slow) but I got up the pesky hills on the bike without feeling the need to get off and walk.
We returned to Montalcino in time for lunch and had one of our most memorable meals at Trattoria Sciame. Since this little hole in the wall trattoria was right off one of the tourist drags in town, we didn't have high expectations but the food was sublime. It was almost like being invited into a Tuscan family's home. We took it easy for the rest of the day, napping and strolling around town.
Recommendations
Trattoria Sciame (Via Ricasoli 9, Montalcino): Chad is still raving about the rosemary-scented fagioli bianchi (white beans) he had with the most succulent grilled pork chop. My steak was equally awesome.
Il Leccio Salumeria (Piazza del Popolo across from the town hall, Montalcino): We stopped in to pick up lunch fixings for our ride the next day. We bought a tangy wedge of pecorino di Pienza and paper thin slices of finnochione salami that just melted in your mouth. If you're ever in Montalcino, I highly recommend this place.

Day Four: Montalcino to Siena


We said good-bye to Montalcino today and hello to our first mandatory dirt roads on our way to Siena. They were not as bad as I feared. I was expecting dirt roads a la the hard core mountain bike trails in the States. These roads were nicely graded and barely qualified as dirt in my mind. The hills? No problem, except for a 12-15% grade we had to hike just outside of Buonconvento. *Real* cyclists were hiking the hill too so I didn't feel so bad. We got to Siena in good time and actually had to wait for our luggage.
Siena is an absolutely beautiful city with its stylized Renaissance Duomo and characteristic Piazza del Campo where they run the Palio twice a year. I imagine the time around Palio is very much like Mardi Gras in New Orleans (an uncomfortable crush) and I still can't imagine holding a horse race in such an enclosed place.


After exploring the town and resisting all the majolica pottery (I banned pottery purchases on this trip since they are not the most kid-friendly souvenirs), we returned to the Campo and settled in one of the cafes to take in the evening passegiatta and enjoy a drink before dinner.
We had dinner at the Antica Trattoria Papei, a restaurant recommended by both our local tour contact and Rachael Ray's $40 A Day show on the Food Network. Chad was disappointed in his fagioli bianchi this time around. They didn't pack as much of a flavor punch as the ones he had at Trattoria Sciame. Despite his beans, it was an excellent meal from the crostini to the cantuccini con vin santo.
Recommendations
Antica Trattoria Papei (Piazza del Mercato 6, Siena): Inexpensive trattoria serving authentic Tuscan food. We started with the crostini and moved to grilled veal and pork with vegetables. The pasta other people were having looked yummy as well. The white beans were boring but the green beans stewed with tomatoes more than made up for it. We finished off with a typical Sienese dessert, cantuccini (biscotti) dipped in vin santo (an intense dessert wine made from dried grapes).
Hotel Santa Caterina (Via Enea Silvio Piccolomini 7, Siena): Cute, small hotel about 100 m outside of the Porta Romana with great views of the countryside. We discovered the vanilla creme stuffed croissants here. Mmmm......

Day Five: Siena to San Gimignano

Today was our longest and hardest biking day (mostly because the temperatures were pushing 100 but we knew we had a hard uphill slog into San Gimignano at the end of the day). We got an early start to try and beat the heat to no avail. It was HOT by mid-morning. Getting out of Siena was a bit nerve-racking since our route took us on some pretty major thoroughfares but once we got clear of the city and on the classic Tuscan Wine Route (the S222), things improved.
We spent the morning riding on dirt roads through vineyards towards the modern city of Poggibonsi. We discovered that if you take Ritter chocolate as a hiking/biking snack, you need to buy the dark version as the milk version turns into a chocolate lava flow. We also managed to stumble onto the villa where the Olive Garden trains their chefs just before we reached Poggibonsi. And I thought that was just a gimmick....



We got lost for the second time around Poggibonsi where our directions told us to turn right instead of left. Luckily, we discovered the error before heading down a long 12% grade. The last 5 km of our ride was brutal. All uphill in excruciating heat. I was already overheating a quarter of the way up the first hill so I just got off and walked into town. Another day where I would have sold my soul for a Coca Cola Light.
Once we cleaned up and rested for a bit, we set out to explore San Gimignano, a.k.a the Manhattan of Tuscany due to it's New York-like skyline. Only 15 of the original 76 towers are left from when the town citizens would seriously compete to see who could build the highest tower (for that matter, that's kind of like present day NYC). San Gimignano was by far the most touristy hilltown we've encountered with many souvenir shops lining the main streets but once you got off the main drag and on to the side streets, it was really a very charming town.
Recommendations
Ristorante Peruca (Via XX Settembre 27, San Gimignano): We stumbled onto this wine cellar turned restaurant in a quiet alley of San Gimignano. We enjoyed the local white vernaccia wine with some of the most intensely flavored pasta sauces we've ever had: duck ragu for me and porcini & black truffle for Chad. We were also drooling over the bistecca ala Fiorentina that the next table was enjoying.
Day Six: San Gimignano to Florence

Today was our last day of biking. We decided to cut out the last 15 km of the 60 km ride and take the train option due to the nerve-racking traffic experience in Siena...and if doing so also avoided the steep hills into Florence, all the better. It was a fairly easy ride today with only one steep climb into Montesperoli and I'm proud to say that the only time I hiked my bike was in the City Center through the Sunday fair, more to avoid bowling people over than anything else. After leaving Montesperoli, we biked to Baccianno and stopped at a bar for a quick panini before riding to Montelupo where we would catch the train.
We got to Montelupo just before the tabachi closed for the midday break (why can't we have these in the States?) and bought tickets for us and our bikes. We had about an hour to spare before we had to catch the train so we chilled out with some gelato from Bar Carlino.
Once in Florence, we pulled out our guidebooks and the Bon Appetit mag to plan our stay. It was late but we thought we may try to get into the Uffizi Gallery since they were closed the next day. Unfortunately, it was a 3 hour wait with only 1 hour to go before the museum closed. Maybe next time but alas, Il Porcellini (the bronze boar in the Mercato Nuovo) has prophesied that I won't be coming back due to my ineptness with getting the coin from its mouth into the silly grate.
So we satisfied ourselves with wandering through the city and taking in the sculptures in the Piazza Signoria and checking out the Piazza del Republica and Piazza del Duomo.

In between sites, we stopped in a cafe on the Piazza del Duomo for drinks. It was on my list to try a negroni-a mixed drink with campari, Martini Rosso, and gin (when in Florence, you know). It was refreshing albeit strong. We also discovered what the guidebooks all talked about-the difference between standing at the bar vs. table service. We took our drinks at the bar and when we peeked at the table menu it was a good 300-400% markup. Sheesh!


Our first choice for dinner, Trattoria Sostanza (recommended by BA for the best bistecca in town), was closed on Sunday so we decided to go to Il Latini instead (a brave act without reservations). We were lucky enough to get in the first seating (the next one was two hours or so later) and proceeded to have a blast. This family run trattoria is just like having dinner with a big boisterous Italian family: communal tables, flowing wine, and a neverending stream of food). We were seated next to a couple from Hong Kong on their honeymoon and soon discovered that she also works for my company in the APAC division. How totally random, eh?
We rolled ourselves out of the trattoria after enjoying our first four course Italian meal and had a lovely walk along the Arno back to our hotel.



Recommendations
Il Latini (Via dei Palchetti 6R, Florence): Make reservations or get there EARLY although the owner does take the edge off waiting by passing around trays of wine, cheese, and prosciutto. Once we were seated, the wine and food started flowing. We enjoyed plates of prosciutto, bruschetta, panzanella, pappa al pomodoro, ribollita, penne w/ ragu, gnocchi, bistecca, rabbit, strawberries, and cantuccini all liberally laced with fun conversation, family made wine and olive oil. One of the most entertaining evenings we had in Italy.

Day Seven: Florence to Rome

We spent the morning in Florence before hopping on the Eurostar back to Rome. First on our agenda was a walk into the hills of Florence to the Piazzale Michelangelo where we could see the classic view of the Florentine cityscape.


We also checked out the other copy of David. Someone once said that it was little things that separated genius from competence. Unfortunately, this David didn't even begin to approach the competence of the copy standing in the Piazza Signoria. We walked back to town and popped into the Salvatore Ferragamo museum (I love looking at historic clothes and shoes) before heading to the Duomo where we climbed 463 steps to the top of the dome for another birds-eye city view.
By then, we were ready for either lunch or a snack so we decided to hunt for gelato at Vivoli. Alas they were closed on Monday so instead we went to the Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio and had lunch at da Rocco, a little lunch counter in the main market building before heading to the train station.
Once back in Rome, we headed out to explore more of the Eternal City, stopping first at Il Gelato di San Crispino for what is probably the best gelato in the world. We enjoyed our gelato by the Trevi Fountain and we threw our coins in once we were done. This time around, the prophecy says that we will be back to Rome sometime.


We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and sightseeing, slowly making our way to the Jewish Ghetto where Da Giggetto, a trattoria my parents recommended, was. But they were closed on Monday so we decided to go to Pizzeria da Baffetto where we enjoyed some of the best pizza we've ever had.
RecommendationsTrattoria da Rocco (Piazza Ghiberti, Florence): Try the farro (spelt) panzanella and if you're adventurous, the Florentine-style tripe
Il Gelato di San Crispino (Via della Panetteria 42, Rome): Quite possibly the world's best gelato with no artificial flavorings or preservatives. I had straciatella (chocolate chip), pistachio, and chocolate rum while Chad enjoyed straciatella, banana, and honey.
Berte (Piazza Navona 108, Rome): A cute toy store with a large selection of handmade wooden toys and unique stuffed animals
Pizzeria da Baffetto (Via del Governo Vecchio 114, Rome): Wonderful pizza with paper thin crusts. Try the Baffetto pizza with sausage, artichoke hearts, green peppers, mushrooms, and egg or the Pizza Napoletana with tomatoes, cheese, and anchovies.
Hotel Des Artistes (Via Villafranca 20, Rome): A cute, funky boutique hotel by Roma Termini.

Day Eight: Rome

This was our last day in Italy and we spent the morning at the Vatican. We had to take a cab since public transportation was on strike. We took in the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms, and the Ancient Egypt exhibit at the Vatican Museums. Any more would have been too overwhelming. As it was, there were so many people that we were herded like cattle through the exhibits.
After escaping the museum, we headed to St. Peter's Square but decided not to go into the Basilica. The line was at least 2 hours long!!!! Instead of taking a cab or walking back to Centro Storico, we decided to buy *hop-on, hop-off* double decker bus tickets (thank goodness they were not on strike!!!) so we can do some lazy sightseeing for the rest of the day. We had a lovely lunch at Trattoria Matricianella and rode the bus around stopping at sights we didn't get to see earlier.

Recommendations
Trattoria Matricianella (Via del Leone 3/4, Rome): Enjoy the frito misto, bucatini all'amatriciana, or spaghetti carbonara with a lovely vino rosso from Lazio.
Going Home
As with all trips to Europe, we didn't escape without a lot of chocolate thanks to the Duty Free sales at Heathrow coupled with a four hour layover. In our stash? The following:


Despite what Mars Co. says, Mars Bars and Milky Ways are not the same and I prefer Mars so we took some home with us in addition to some Toblerone (for Chad), dark chocolate orange wafers, and Milka (for Leah).
We had a fantastic time in Italy and would do it all over again. The cycling was challenging at times but fun and allowed us to enjoy yummy food and wine without guilt. All in all, a great vacation.