Good morning, Florence! We have breakfast again by the poolside. There are lots of healthy choices so it’s a nice way to start the day. We see familiar faces of others who have also been here for a few days.
We stroll out of our hotel and past a little park area on the corner where we have learned to walk past quickly, as there are usually three or more young men there who have made comments and demonstrated hostile behavior toward others in our presence. Other than being on alert for pickpockets, this little area and these men have my intuition on high alert.
During the summer before third grade, I took a self-defense class at the local community center in Temple City, California. I learned how to appear confident, walk with purpose and keep alert looking in such situations. (I also learned that there may be times to thread one’s keys between one’s fingers in weapon-like fashion, should a higher level of alert be warranted, as well as some basic physical defense and escape maneuvers.) Each time we walk past this area near our hotel, I put on my best, high-alert behavior.
We safely arrive at the piazza and begin the walk, which becomes a climb, up to Giardino delle Rose, a beautiful hillside garden when once at the top, affords a magnificent view of the whole city. It is here that I fully gain an appreciation of Venice. We can see all the grand landmarks, basilicas and a cathedral, as well as a long, tall, beautiful rock wall. And of course, there are many beautiful stairways leading up to the gardens, which I love so much.
The next day, we will travel to Torgiano. Shawn has secured a rental car for us, and we plan to continue our journey through Tuscany and on to Rome by car. We learn that to drive in Europe, we must have a special document which is best obtained at home before the trip starts. The gentleman at the window tells us that it is not clear on the website we went through that this is necessary, as he has helped others who have also not received this information. This particular agency is large and needs the actual physical document. He advises us that we can go to a smaller company and they may accept a digital copy, which may be applied for online but may also take a period of time before it is granted. We thank him politely and leave the agency without a car.
I’m thankful that we understand flexibility and grace are important attributes to have while traveling, especially in foreign countries. We decide to go to the train station and buy tickets to Torgiano.
The train ride is extra hot today as the air conditioning in our car is not working. The conductor opens all the windows and waives many people off to another car but due to the size of our luggage, we decide to stay where we are. The ride through the countryside is beautiful. We fan ourselves to keep cool and stay busy looking at the scenery.
We arrive in Torgiano in the late afternoon and a taxi is waiting for us to take us to our hotel. I’m elated when we get there. There is a plaque near the reception area that touts “Member of European Castle Hotels and Restaurants”. It is castle-like on the inside, with long dark, underground hallways, shiny dark brick floors, multiple levels of short stairways and rounded red brick ceilings. There’s an old cellar that is closed off, but we can see in through the jail-like bars to all the old shelving and bottles of wine.
Our room is large and has a whole separate living room. It’s dark and decorated with simple, castle-like charm. It’s mildly air-conditioned, which we are thankful for. Dark wooden shutters cover the small windows.
We go through rounded hallways and several short up and down staircases to find a swimming pool, a modest little bar and lounge chairs in pairs arranged all over a grassy area with lots of trees.
Dinner is in a little restaurant in our hotel called Vecchia Fornace. We have a cheese plate and wine inside but once it becomes breezy, we move out to a lovely brick patio for dinner. There is a little garden with archways and grapevines adjacent to the patio. The tables each have candlelight and there are party lights hanging in the garden.
After dinner, we take a little stroll to do a bit of exploring before bedtime. Restaurants here open at 8 p.m. so dinners end late, and it’s been a long day for us. We walk down a pathway and turn a corner to find that a whole town has come to life! There are hundreds of people, from babies to seniors, all on the streets, laughing, talking and interacting as if they had been friends for years! We have stumbled upon what looks to be a street fair and it’s nothing but delightful. Stores are open, lights are on, artwork is displayed everywhere. People are eating dinner in little street-side restaurant patios. There is a small stage set up with an old-fashioned chair, a table and other furnishings. There are white, plastic chairs all in rows in front of the stage, which quickly fill up as the play begins.
I pull Shawn into a gallery where we are greeted by a lady who I would guess to be in her 70s. I love the paintings, and I ask her if she is the artist. She replies with pride, “No, it’s my husband,” and points to him. Most of his paintings are of beautiful, colorful flowers but he has a handful of very tastefully done near-nudes. The paintings are done in muted colors except for the handful of flowers that cover private areas. The ladies have beautiful, curvy figures. With a twinkle in her eye and a touch of the universal humor that I have come to love, his wife assures me that she is his model for these paintings. I tell her I can see this is true and she and I enjoy this brief moment of loving connection and joy.
On another block, there is a gallery with a series of Pinocchio paintings in goth style which tell a darker story than the one we are accustomed to. There are ice-cream booths and picnic tables surrounding another stage where a two-person band is singing songs to a large, casual audience.
We feel like we have entered another period of time. I am delighted in the sense of community around us. We take many pictures of the beautiful little doorways, stairways and gardens before heading in for the night. We are giddy with the excitement of stumbling upon this little treasure.