Saturday, June 6, 2009 ~ First thing I did this morning was to go outside in Times Square with my camera in search of good coffee. I found one a few blocks away. I found it fantastic that the road in the center of Times Square and in front of our hotel had been blocked off and it was instead full of lawn chairs allowing persons to sit and enjoy the lights all around. The morning was sunny and beginning to warm and so I sat in the middle of Times Square and enjoyed my coffee. Quite wonderful indeed. Our plan [View Full Entry]

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Thursday, June 4, 2009 ~ Our flights do not leave Rome until around noon and so we're able to leisurely get to the airport. Our breakfast is across the street at The Yellow Bar and we enjoy a full English breakfast, as Jeff says, a heart attack waiting to happen. It does taste good though to eat eggs and bacon and all that stuff we had not been eating throughout Italy, plus I do love a grilled tomato for breakfast. Perhaps I should adopt that into my breakfasts at home. Back upstairs to finish packing our bags and work our way [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday, June 3, 2009 ~ Walking from the apartment to Ferrovia (train station) the next morning bright and early was quick since not many people were yet up and about plus the fact that we'd already done it quickly the day before. Our train left Venice about 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. We were traveling on the EuroStar which is a fast train that speeds up to 186 miles per hour. It only took about 4 hours to travel between Venice and Rome and we arrived at the Termini train station around 1:00 in the afternoon. I had booked a hotel room [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday, June 2, 2009 ~ Today’s plan was to all meet up at the Rialto Farmer’s Market in the morning so that we could each purchase our ingredients for what we were preparing for this night’s dinner at the apartment. Jeff and I left early as we were both ready to go and it was too nice to just sit inside when we could be outside, in Venice. On the way over he and I both notice that a lot of the shops are open today and the sun was shining and everything looked all glittery and the energy was “happy”. [View Full Entry]

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Monday, June 1, 2009 ~ The next morning Jeff and I wanted to visit the Rialto Farmer’s Market near the Rialto Bridge. We found the Farmer’s market which was bustling with many stands selling all kinds of fruit and vegetables, all of which looked amazingly delicious. I just wanted to go crazy and buy everything there, it all looked so good. We bought some cherries, strawberries, a couple of melons, zucchini, a huge bag of fresh fava beans and a large bunch of fresh basil. From there we started to walk back towards our apartment but kept our eyes open for [View Full Entry]

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Since I had been to Venice only seven months prior I start to talk about what they can expect when we get to Venice. How there are no vehicles at all within the City, and how you use either your feet or the Vaporettos to get around wherever you want to go. We arrive in Venice and go to the ticket sales kiosk and buy passes to use the Vaporettos. The No. 1 Vaporetto arrives and we all get on. Jeff and I get off at San Stae as that’s where we will meet Enrico’s Cousin to take us to our [View Full Entry]

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Day six - May 30, Saturday; Norcia, Hotel Grotta Azzurra Today's hike features magnificent vistas over the wild Piano Grande, a vast plain ringed in by mountains. Here the colorful display of wildflowers is magnificent, especially during the spring and summer. You finish in the remote village of Castelluccio, which sits upon a hill in the midst of this stark beauty, from whence you are transferred back to Norica. (15 km). The next morning we awoke to a some very cool, damp air but the good news was that there weren't many clouds and it appeared we'd have plenty of sunshine, [View Full Entry]

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Day Five Hike - May 29, Friday; from Preci to Norcia, Hotel Grotta Azzurra Our guide states: From Preci a splendid route ascends steadily to meet an ancient path winding through trees to the majestic Abbazia di San Eutizio, once one of the cradles of the Benedictine monastic order. From here, a medieval trail leads across the flank of Monte Macchialunga, through the village of Campi, and along the valley to another pass. The path finally descends via a couple of ancient villages to Norcia, the birthplace of Saint Benedict, 6th century founder of European monasticism. After breakfast we [View Full Entry]

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Day Four - May 28, Thursday; Preci, Hotel agli Scacchi Todays walk starts with a transfer to the ancient village of Visso in the Monti Sibillini National Park. From here, you rise steadily to emerge onto grassy moors fringed by rocky peaks where you can sometimes spot deer and foxes. The views are superb and improve as you ascend along the broad spine of Monte Lungo. Later, as you wind gradually downhill towards Preci, you can detour to the cave and chapel of San Fiorenzo, one of many hermits' dwellings in the region (16 km). Anna and I had decided that [View Full Entry]

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Day three - May 27, Wednesday; Ferentillo Terni, Abbazia San Petro in Valle You start the day with a transfer to the holy mountain of Monteluco and the scenic Porelle pass. From here, you head through deep woods to ascend to another panoramic pass where you join a medieval stone footpath. This beautiful trail, passing through an abandoned hamlet and a quaint village, winds uphill for more sweeping views. Weaving in and out of woodlands, you finish the hike with a steep descent from the Forca pass to the Abbazia di San Pietro. (17 km) The next days hike stated there [View Full Entry]

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