1990 - Beth's Journal

Return to 1990 - Honeymoon in Italy

Day 1 Sunday - Zürich to Bellagio: Arrived in Zürich and drove into the historic old town to meet up with relatives for lunch. It was 3:00 in the afternoon before we were on our way to Italy, via the St. Gotthard pass. We took the pass instead of the tunnel because it was long (18 miles) and we don't like the air inside tunnels - too polluted. We didn't have air-conditioning in the car and needed to have the vents open. The pass was beautiful and very winding. The drive along Lake Como to get up to Bellagio was also winding and took us nearly two hours of knuckle-biting driving, but we finally arrived at our hotel around 10:00 PM. After checking in, we went out for a great pizza. then returned for a cappucino and some jazz in the bar before falling into our beds, totally exhausted.

Day 2 Monday - Bellagio to Vigiljoch: Spent the morning walking around Bellagio, gazing at the beautiful things in the shops and at the beautiful, old and narrow streets of the village. After lunch we checked out of our hotel and took the car ferry to the eastern shore of the lake for the drive to Vigiljoch in the Alps. Again we arrived late and this time it cost us. The cable car that is the only means of getting up the mountain to the hotel stops running at 5:00 in the fall, and we arrived at 7, so we had to wait for the operator to come from home and pay him an extra $30 to take us up at that time. By the time we got to our rooms we were again exhausted and went right to bed.

Day 3 Tuesday - Vigiljoch: On Tuesday morning we awoke to the sound of bells and looked out our balcony to see about a dozen cows grazing contentedly on the hillside beside the hotel. It was a beautiful day, and the window boxes on the half-timbered building, brimming with geraniums, were our first glimpse of the incredible beauty that surrounded us. Looking out across the valley we could see the majestic Dolomites in the distance, and we couldn't wait to get down to breakfast to start the day. After a hearty breakfast that included meats, cheese and yogurt in addition to wonderful breads, jams and cereals, we got back in the cable car for the incredible ride down through the trees and vineyards to Lana. There we retrieved our car and went for a drive to the Dolomites, stopping at Lago di Carezza, and many other places along the way for photo opportunities. It seemed there was a new one after every turn. This time we were careful to make it back to Lana by 5:00 and caught the last cable car back up to Vigiljoch, where we had a wonderful dinner and a nice chat with the manager, Karl Kaufman.

Day 4 Wednesday - Vigiljoch to Venice: In the morning we took the chair lift from Vigiljoch up to the top of the mountain, where there is a wonderful network of hiking paths. We took a short one to the small church of San Vigilio, then returned to the chair lift and floated back down to the hotel through the forest, listening to the various animal sounds coming from the woods, including a live cuckoo. Back at the hotel we checked out, vowing to return as soon as possible, and again descended the rest of the way down the mountain in the cable car after a lovely lunch on the hotel terrace. We repacked the car and headed out towards Venice. The drive was interesting, especially where we took a wrong turn and ended up in an apple orchard, but we made it eventually, and arrived at the parking garage in Piazzale Roma around 6:30. A water taxi whisked us right to the door of our hotel on the Accademia side of Venice, where we checked in and then went out to a nearby restaurant for another delicious meal. After dinner we walked to the other side of "our" island, crossed the Accademia Bridge, and found our way to St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco). We sat at one of the two large outdoor bars where we had cappucinos and listened to the band, just like real tourists. I knew from past trips that it costs extra to sit down in Italy, but we were splurging. This was our honeymoon, after all! Finally we made our way back to the hotel, through romantic piazzas and down quiet streets. It seemed so odd that there were no cars anywhere.

Day 5 Thursday - Venice: We spent the morning doing the tourist thing; the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Cathedral, the Bridge of Sighs, etc. Then we walked around the little streets full of glass shops just behind the square, and had yet another delicious meal at an outdoor café. Afterwards we walked back to our hotel and got in just as it started to rain. And boy did it rain! It came down in buckets, with thunder and lightening to boot. We lounged in our room and enjoyed it immensely. Later on we went out for dinner and took a liesurely walk around the island, popping into one or two ancient churches and peeking at the various yachts moored alongside the docks, here for the international film festival.

Day 6 Friday - Venice: Another day in paradise. We walked to the Rialto Bridge and did some shopping in the morning, then strolled around the fisherman's market on the other side of the bridge. It was like a large farmer's market with lots of fish in addition to everything else. We had a rather expensive but very nice lunch at a place that overlooked the bridge, then spent most of the afternoon taking photographs. After a late dinner out we returned to our room tired but satisfied.

Day 7 Saturday - Venice to Rome: We couldn't resist a gondola ride on our last day in Venice. It was quiet, no singing and no Grand Canal, but very peaceful and romantic, down side canals with laundry hanging overhead. Then we checked out of our hotel and lugged our bags to the Vaporetto stop for the trip back to Piazzale Roma. After ransoming our car ($75 for three days) from the garage, we set off for Rome, stopping along the way to eat the picnic lunch the hotel had packed for us. The drive was boring until we reached Umbria where the scenery became beautiful again. Once in Rome it was difficult finding the way to our hotel - we knew where it was, we just couldn't figure out how to get there with all the one-way streets - and when we finally did manage we found out that there was a snafu with our reservations. They had us down for the previous week and all the rooms were taken. But they found us a place at their sister hotel not far away and we followed the manager's son straight to it. It turns out we had also written to the sister hotel to inquire if they had availability and they assumed we were coming anyway, even though we never confirmed it. It was very hot and humid in Rome, so we left the car in a place that was legal until Monday morning and went out to find a pizza and a beer, then went back to the room and slept.

Day 8 Sunday - Rome: We slept in and had a late breakfast at the hotel, then spent the day walking around Rome. We saw a lot of closed shutters, it being a Sunday, and there wasn't a lot to do, but we managed to have two very good meals. Les's were particularly memorable on both occasions. For lunch he had a lemon pasta - something neither of us had ever seen before - and it was delicious. Then for dinner he ordered bucatini. This is a strange pasta - sort of like little garden hoses, or hollow spaghetti. Of course, in Italy the pasta is cooked al dente,so it isn't really soft. Normally we like this, but in the case of the bucatini it made them impossible to eat without making a total mess. Every time Les wrapped a piece of it around his fork it would suddenly unwind, flinging tomato sauce in every direction. He eventually gave up and cut it. Also, we ordered a bottle of Chianti Classico and the waiter brought us a bottle of Chianti in a basket - definitely NOT classico. We argued with him but he kept insisting it was the real thing. We finally gave in and drank it - it was pretty bad.

Day 9 Monday - Rome: After a great shower (not all that common in Italy) we went down for breakfast around 9:15. At 9:30 Les spotted a parking space in the alley outside the breakfast room window and jumped up to go move the car. That was the last I saw of him until around 12:30, when he returned, still not having found a place to park! The place was taken when he got to it and the place he had been in, although by now illegal, was also taken. He drove all over, first looking for a place to park, then trying to find his way back. Finally a policeman on the corner showed him how to get to the hotel and he came back, only to find out from the concierge that there was a parking garage right around the block. By then he had had enough of Rome and we decided to leave the next day - two days early. We went up to our room to try to book a place in Tuscany, which we finally managed to do. Luckily we had the Charming Small Hotel Guide with us. Later we went over to the Vatican, then out to dinner at a restaurant near the Trevi Fountain which was empty because it was being cleaned. We threw our coins in anyway to be sure we would come back.

Day 10 Tuesday - Rome to Tuscany: We got up, had breakfast, and got out of Rome as quickly as we could. My only worry was that this trip would color Les's view of Rome and that he would never come back to try it again. I knew I wanted to return - I love Rome, but this time it was too hot and humid. As we drove north into Tuscany the rains came, and with them our tensions melted away as the air was cleansed. By the time we reached the village of Colle di Val d'Elsa we were completely relaxed. We checked into our room at the Villa Belvedere and had a sumptuous lunch at their well-regarded restaurant, then went out to explore the town of San Gimignano. This is where we had planned to spend Thursday night, but they were booked for the earlier nights so we switched to the Belvedere. The hotel we had originally chosen, La Cisterna, was very charming and we hope to go back there someday. San Gimignano is an enchanting town, and very beautiful, especially in the late afternoon light. We walked around the town, took lots and lots of photographs, and had a cappucino in the square across the street from the church, in front of which the men of the town had gathered to sit and talk. As it got dark we left and stopped for an excellent pizza on our way back to "our" villa, where we tumbled into bed and slept soundly.

Day 11 Wednesday - Tuscany: After breakfast we first conducted our business of finding a place to stay for Thursday in Viareggio. We decided that since we were in Tuscany two days earlier than we had planned, we could leave a day early and visit Viareggio, a town I had stayed in on an earlier trip with my sister. After we managed to secure a room at the Hotel Excelsior, we left for Siena. I adore Siena - the beautful color of the stone that everything is built from, the maze of narrow streets that suddenly open to reveal Il Campo(the grand, central square), the small shops and cafés, the old churches, and especially the magnificant cathedral. Les was less impressed with Siena, but I think that is because he had already experienced San Gimignano. Nothing ever quite compares to your very first hill town. He was very impressed, however, with the gothic cathedral and its beautiful zebra-striped marble, and I finally had to drag him out, but only after he had used up at least two rolls of film. We had a late lunch in a small sidewalk café, then left for another hill town, Volterra. This is an Etruscan town, but by the time we got there we were really too tired to fully appreciate it. We'll have to go back again when we're more refreshed. Finally we went back to our hotel. Their restaurant was closed on Wednesdays, so we went into the village of Colle di Val d'Elsa, just up the hill. They were having some kind of street festival so the main streets were closed off but we found a parking spot not too far from our destination - an Enoteca (wine store) that was also a restaurant, that we had read about. The clientele seemed to be mostly foreigners, the food was okay, and we enjoyed the wine, then went "home" and crashed.

Day 12 Thursday - Tuscany to Viareggio: We got up and showered in the funny, sail-boat-like bathroom where the shower was the whole bathroom and there was a drain plug in the middle of the floor. Then we had breakfast and were on our way to Viareggio. As we got closer I felt more and more at home and by the time we made it to our hotel I was quite excited. After checking in to our room with a lovely view of the sea, we went out to the part of town that my sister and I had frequented the previous year, and had lunch (pizza) at an outdoor restaurant. We then stopped in at the pasticceria that I used to go to and had a nice chat with the two owners while we sipped cappucinos. Then we walked around to the house where I had stayed and I introduced Les to the people who lived there and their dog, Snoopy, which the Italians pronounce "Znoopy". They had guests so we didn't stay long. From there we went down to the beach and walked along the boardwalk before returning to our hotel for dinner. This was one of the few meals we had that wasn't wonderful, but the creme caramel was the best I have ever had anywhere. Then we had a great sleep in one of the best beds of the trip.

Day 13 Friday - Viareggio to Sestri Levante: We got up for another stroll along the beach and stopped for breakfast pastries on the boardwalk. Then we packed the car and headed up the coast to Sestri Levante. Along the way we stopped for pizza at a place right on the water's edge. We sat outside in their backyard dining area and watched the waves lap up on the shore as we ate. Continuing our journey up the coast, we arrived in Sestri Levante and had a little trouble finding our way to our hotel on the Bay of Silence, but finally did and checked into our cute little room on the top floor of the hotel, overlooking the bay. It was a lovely room, and they even had a fresh bouquet of flowers waiting for us on the dresser. We then went out and walked around the charming town of Sestri Levante, finally stopping for a wonderful dinner at a restaurant near the Mediterranean. After dinner we walked around a little more, then went back to our room for a restful sleep.

Day 14 Saturday - Sestri Levante to Zürich: After breakfast we walked over to a bakery we had scoped out on Friday, and were waiting there when they opened the doors. We stocked up on cookies (pine nut and almond) and olive bread rolls. Then back to the hotel for the car and on the road to Switzerland. We had also purchased an Italian tape in Sestri Levante to listen to in the car on the trip back. It was a nice drive through the Alps and we were quite relaxed until we hit Zürich and tried to find our way to our hotel in the old section. Between the one-way and no-car streets it was quite a frustrating experience, but we finally got there and checked into yet another lovely hotel room. We had planned to go out for dinner but the two restaurants that were in the area were not very appealing, so we stayed in our room and finished off the cookies, olive bread, and second little bottle of wine we had received in Venice in our box lunch. It was quite tasty and cozy.

Day 15 Sunday - Flight home: We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and had an uneventful flight back to New York. After a few hour layover in Kennedy we finally got on the plane that took us home. It was a perfect honeymoon.

Return to 1990 - Honeymoon in Italy

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