Day 15: We made it to Rome! Forum & Colosseum

(Toby)
I was really excited about going to Rome because there are so many ancient ruins just RIGHT there. It’s like you are somewhere and you are eating gelato, then you walk out and BOOM, right there, ruins from an ancient civilization that pretty much conquered half of the world, Ancient Rome.

I really enjoyed the night tour of the colosseum because so many cultures of slaves were there. Imagine what it would be like to be a Roman watching all those different fighting styles and techniques from thousands of different places. I didn’t like it because thousands of slaves were tortured (lifting hundreds of pounds of giant beasts like elephants and lions just using pulleys and ropes) and the strong slaves were forced to fight and murder their own countrymen and friends.

The Forum was cool because generations of emperors and praetors were born and killed on that spot. Like Julius Caesar being assassinated and him being burned right on the spot where we were listening to an audio guide! And I liked all of the “triumphant” arches, like the Arch of Constantine.


Here is a picture from the underground of the colosseum:

Night 13: Pici pasta-making, Fireflies

As guests of the Moricciani’s, we were invited to participate in a lesson on making pici (pronounced pee-chee) pasta. We watched as they made the pasta dough, then showed us how to create the strands of pici. Isabella says, “Rolling pici is just like life, you can never go back.” Don’t know if I’ll try this at home. We were drenched in sweat with cramping wrists by the time we finished our portion of the dough. Dinner followed our lesson; with a little homemade meat sauce the noodles were quite tasty, if not a bit uneven!

(Toby)
After it was dark, my new friend Charlie and I went down to a driveway at the farm and saw thousands of fireflies! They were everywhere! I caught the fireflies in my hands and when I opened my hands I saw the bright, blinking, flashing lights. I thought they were really cool!

Day 13: Bike tour, Brunello tasting

Happy 4th of July!

(from Sebastian)
When Mom, Dad, Uncle Scott, & Auntie Tracey first mentioned wine tasting, it sounded like a particularly pointless way to waste an afternoon in the rolling hills of the Val D’Orcia. We had all just finished an amazing 2 1/2 hour bike ride, and my brother and I, after exchanging an empathetic glance, began simultaneously to beg for the outing to be postponed, perhaps in hopes of weaseling our way out of it. We ate lunch in the beautiful town of Bagna Vignoni next to an ancient Roman bath, and, with food in our bellies, were able to feign optimism even as the prospect of our salvation grew ever so grim.

Finding the vineyard was an adventure in and of itself. We met our biking guide in a gas station outside of Montalcino and followed her up the mountain to a secluded plot of land owned and worked by her family. She told us over and over why the name of their wine was “Nostra Vita”: it means “Our Lives”. My brother and I were now feeling slightly less down, perhaps because of an energetic and playful Labrador retriever name Luna and a rustic swing bolted into an ancient oak of which Drew explored the full capabilities.

We made our way, not into a wine cellar, but into a two-room cottage with a collection of books and artwork made by the father and sister of our host. The six of us sat down at a wooden table, sculpted by the father’s hand, with no screws or fixtures; just wood cut perfectly to fit like a puzzle piece into more wood. There were three glasses in front of each of us: one for the Rosso (amateur hour) and two for the Brunello (now we’re talking) from 2006 and 2007. With some aged pecorino cheese in our bellies and some top notch vino running through our veins we left the little mountain orchard feeling like we had shared something truly special with a family that put their whole lives into their wine. For the moment, we were no longer tourists; we were a part of the family.

The incredible table:

Drew next to the tree that was the inspiration for Giuditta’s design of the wine label:

Winemaking family: our guide, Giulitta, and her father, Annibale Parisi

Day 12: Cave tour, Pienza, Bisteca Fiorentina

Today we toured Carlo’s (owner of our house and our host) ancient ruins. Sebastian and I made two new friends. One is a girl from Michigan named Kate. The other is a high-schooler named Matt. We had fun climbing around the cave/hermitage and ended up getiing lots of mosquito bites. I’m guessing you want the story behind the whole “ancient ruins” part…Well you’re gonna have to wait. I’m going to start from the beginning, Pienza. Carlotta, the guests’ wonderful guide, showed the group around the lovely little town, and even showed us the house where “Gladiator” was filmed! After that, we visited a neat little country church. After that, we explored some of Carlo’s property. Apparently, included on the property he bought, there are Etruscan ruins. Carlo has worked hard restoring and recovering these ancient caves. Then we got home and rested. Later that day, the family went out for Florentine steak in Montepulciano. When we got to the town, we didn’t know where exactly the restaurant was, so Bas and I decided to scout ahead. Apparently the place wasn’t as far as we were told and Bas and I walked right past it. This created a ruckus, and soon the whole Green family was looking for us in a foreign city. Meanwhile, Bas and I were humming and singing. We eventually made it to Osteria Accquacheta, and everyone’s panic was short-lived. Dinner, although a little rushed, was delicious. (4 words: “thirty-ounce steak” and “Tbone”).
Toby with a cave relief:

Carla leading the tour:

The restaurant owner showing us our steak (it fed 6!) pre-grilling:

Days 10-11: Steve reflects on Il Palio

Il Palio Di Sienna

Yesterday, we toured Sienna, a truly beautiful Medieval City. We saw a practice run for the Palio, a horse race run bareback in the middle of the city square. This clamshell-shaped square also has some serious elevation changes. There are 17 different Contradas, or neighborhoods, in Sienna – 10 of which get to participate in a given race. Each Contrada is named after an animal (Wave w/Dolphin, Elephant, Owl, etc.) and the race is a really big event in the area – it is run twice a year.

Yesterday we watched a practice race right from the piazza (infield)! After a number of false starts (there is no starting gate, just a line up order and a rope) the horses sort of ran/jogged around the square three times. Afterwards, many men from each Contrada walked the track behind their horse and sang songs which loosely translated to “we are the best, we are going to win.” Sounded really cool in Italian.

Ok, fast forward to today. Having each (we are 10 Greeens here) chosen one of the 10 Contradas to root for and wearing traditional scarves representing each, we cooked dinner at our place and settled in to watch the actual race on Italian television, Channel 1. Like yesterday, it took about 30 minutes for the horses to get settled, the tension mounting with each non-start. The crowd in the square, at least 5 times the number of people as yesterday, was getting antsy.

Suddenly, the race started and things got out of hand quickly. On the first downhill 90 degree turn (not kidding) the first jockey flew off of his horse. Not the one I was backing, so okay by me. Over the course of the next two laps, two more riders were thrown. Then things took a turn for the worse. The leading horse (Goose) was about to be passed by the She-Wolf horse. Next, the leading jockey reached back with his switch and struck the She-Wolf horse on the head at least three times, causing the horse to buckle and fall. Goose won the race, crowd goes crazy. No word about the riders or the fallen horse, not even commentary on the race or a replay. Game over.

Our entire family looked at each other and realized that we really had had no idea what we had connected ourselves to until it was over. Not that it is terrible, but certainly eye-opening.

Toby took this picture of the starting line from the TV:

Day 10: Visit to Siena, Pre-Il Palio

Buona Sera from Tristan-
We toured a festive pre- il Palio Siena today. Led by a Siennese guide, we watched a practice race, visited several contrada, and learned all about how the Palio works. I love the tradition behind the race: every person born in Siena belongs to whichever contrada they were born into for life. For example if you were born a “Clam” and marry a “Porcupine” then move to “Giraffe” and have a child, the child is a “Giraffe” for life! Steve will write more about the Palio tomorrow.
These are some of the contradas’ flags:

So many medics on hand!

I overcame some of my fear of heights today when we climbed to the top of the abandoned extension of the cathedral (they sell tickets for the panorama). Another incredible view. These are the rooftops that James Bond raced over in “Quantum of Solace” before killing someone during the Palio:

After returning from Siena we were treated to a cooking demonstration by a local chef in our house! We learned/watched how to make flan with eggplant and a pecorino sauce, spelt with saffron and crispy zucchini on a cheese waffle, and almond and apple crusted filet of pork. Dessert was a zuppa inglese made with lemon custard, dark chocolate, lady fingers, and maraschino liquor. Unbelievable!

Day 8: From Florence to Val D’Orcia

From Drew:
Saturday morning, up and at ’em. Mom and Dad had a rough night playing phone tag with car rental people because neither of them brought their driver’s licenses…But thankfully they are very resourceful, and that morning we were boarding a train to Chuisi. The train wasn’t quite as nice as some of our other trains, but that was okay, we could deal. We arrived in Chuisi, and immediately went on the hunt for food. We ended up walking in a complete circle before we found a delicious ristorante. We shared different courses, like gnochetta, ensalada riso (rice salad), and some scrumptious lasagna. From Chuisi, we took a taxi to the villa. (yep, 5 family members and all of our luggage in a citroen…Toby threw up) We finally got into town, and saw my Uncle Scott riding in a truck full of luggage. He said they’d give us a ride, so our taxi driver dropped us off. Uncle Scott’s truck driver told us to hop in the back and hold on. (well that was the gist of it at least). The short ride through town was crazy, we were in the bed of a truck zooming along cobblestones streets in an ancient Tuscan village, not a memory I’ll be forgetting soon. The villa is amazing, Bas and I have our own room with a fantastic view of the valley. I can’t wait to see what this week’ll bring.

Basket of bread and pecorino cheese/salumi from the farm of our hosts, Carlo & Isabella Moricciani

Our patio table under the shade of a grapevine

Gran”D” takes in the view of the Val D’Orcia from the backyard

Day 6-7: Florence

(Toby’s notes)
I like the view of the river Arno from our room. Yesterday we climbed the Duomo, it’s a giant dome on top of a cathedral. The painting inside the dome was interesting: it showed the different sections, the bottom was the underworld, it showed the devils torturing humans for the bad in their life and heaven was angels (and spas!). There were so many stairs and when we got to the top Mom was scared out of her wits!

I liked the David statue because he was naked and our guide asked us if we thought it was before or after the fight with Goliath and it was really hard to tell. In his eyes it looked like he was being brave before the fight, but it kind of looks like he doesn’t hold the stone in his hand, so that would mean it was after the fight.

The Galileo museum was cool because there was this game where you had to fire a cannon and find out the direct angle where the cannonball had to go to hit the target. It made me think of how hard it would be to be in a war and firing those cannons.

I wonder why Michelangelo didn’t like the statue of Poseidon and called it the Big White Thing.
Here are some pictures I took:

Tristan’s turn…
Our last day in Florence and I can’t seem to get enough! We all rubbed the nose of the bronze boar, so we will definitely be back someday.

As Toby said I really had quite a panic once we entered the INSIDE of the duomo at the level of the painted ceiling. Then at the top when the wind started blowing I was convinced that 500 years was about as long as a marble domed cathedral should stand without crumbling to the ground. I couldn’t get down fast enough! Needless to say, I stayed on terra firma while Steve and Drew climbed the tower next door.

We experienced true Italy this morning when our 9:00am reservation for the Uffizi was met with a sign on the large wooden doors reading “Due to a staff meeting, the Uffizi museum could open at 10:30.” It did eventually open and we were able to enter by 11:15. While we admittedly are not art history buffs, we were nonetheless impressed with Giotto, and Renaissance masters Botticelli (Birth of Venus=Wow), Michelangelo, da Vinci, and Raphael. I found the Medici portraits by Bronzino particularly interesting since we were walking through the actual offices of the Medici ruling family.

Next door to the Uffizi museum is the Galileo museum with a few interactive exhibits and a large display of scientific instruments of all types from the past. Many of the devices themselves are true works of art. Seeing them reminded us that in order to make any scientific advancements (e.g. charting the retrograde motion of planets in the night sky), the scientists had to first create the instruments to make the observations in the first place!

After a brief “riposo” we went in search of more artisanal gelato. We found a cute shop where Drew accepted a dare from Steve to eat a “brioche calde con gelato,” it’s a toasted brioche roll with four scoops of selected ice cream inside! He finished it no problem.

Well any trip is not without a little hiccup, right? As we looked over our paperwork for our rental car pickup in Florence tomorrow we realized that neither Steve nor I brought our drivers’ licenses! Our next stop (week in Tuscany for the Go Greens Italia anniversary celebration with Papa, GranD, Scott, Tracey, and Julia) requires a car to reach it and to navigate throughout the hill towns which we plan on exploring. So as of right now we have train tickets to Chiusi, we will hire a taxi to get to the villa and hopefully pick up a car on Tuesday when Steve’s license arrives by DHL. We are crossing our fingers!

Ciao for now~

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Day 5: Bologna & Lamborghini!

Started the morning early. We got dressed and headed out of the room expecting a wonderful complimentary breakfast… And that’s what we found. I myself drank two delicious cups of espresso after enjoying a banana yogurt, orange juice, and very salty eggs. I soon felt the caffeine surge through me as Bas and I walked back to the room. Ten minutes later, we were packed up and ready to go. We said goodbye to the room and boarded a slightly over-priced wooden-adorned water taxi with a very skilled skipper. This captain took us through the back”streets” of venice. Venice, on the water, in the morning =beautiful. We spent our last Euro paying the driver his fee. Fortunately he dropped us off right near an ATM. Soon we were aboard the train to Bologna and the Lamborghini factory. The train ride lasted around one hour, and it was filled with Plague inc. Bas and Toby’s new favorite app. When we arrived in Bologna we were hungry, but we needed to find our hotel first, after all, it was only ten minute’s walk from the station. It took us around forty-five… With a lack for details, let’s just say we were tired and hungry by the time we made it to the hotel. We checked in, ditched the bags, and headed to the bus station for the trip to the Lamborghini factory. Unfortunately, we got off the bus seven kilometers away from the factory… 😦 But, with the help of a friendly gas station attendant, we found a taxi, and were on our way. The factory was amazing. We were greeted with a bright orange Aventador, as for the museum, the pictures (coming soon) speak for themselves.
Limited edition Lambos, Aventador roadsters on walls, a Reventon (one of 20 worldwide), a Lambo police car (one of 2), and a Sesto Elemento (soon to be one of 20). After we explored the museum, it was time for the factory tour. No cameras were allowed, but I’ll tell you, the tour was awesome. We got to see all the workers as they assembled the cars by hand, piece by piece.
Back in Bologna, we found the best Gelateria yet, and then Mom and I went shopping. We found a sweet Nike Italy soccer ball, and shirts for Bas and me. Now I’m sitting in the hotel listening to CSI dubbed in Italian, and chilling with my brothers, preparing for a magnificent dinner, where I hope to consume some “papardelle bolognese”. That’s all for now, from Bologna.
Ciao,
Drew

Day 3-4: Venezia

(from Sebastian)
Day 3: We started with an early morning and a café au lait. Navigating the craziness of a monday morning European train station, we all managed to board the 8:18 train to Venice. 6 hours, many gorgeous mountain vistas, and a couple Italian lakes later we arrived in Venice. We walked for half an hour in the wrong direction until we gave up, turned around, and caught a taxi to our hotel.
Next came the first gelato, the first pizzeria, and the first (and definitely not the last) time we got lost in the winding alleys of Venice. At dinner that night, near the Piazza de San Marcos, with way too much food on our hands, we learned an important lesson: never order a full meal for Toby.

Day 4: First thing to see was the Naval Museum, then we caught a water bus to take us to Rialto for sightseeing and shopping. Toby looks at masks, while Mom and Bas look at some Murano glass. Lunch was a delicious discovery of a new type of pizza (with zucchini and carrots) and a new way to enjoy some old favorites. A few bus stops later we found ourselves at the famous Grom Gelato store where we enjoyed chocolate extranoir (super dark) and stained our shirts. Next was a race back to the room using public transportation and the streets of Venice. Toby and Bas were victorious. After some champagne and a sunset over the Grand Canal, the Greens went out for dinner and prepared to bid Venice goodbye.