Here is a 5-part series of my vacation – a cruise from Rome to Rio and sojourn to the Brazilian Amazon last X’mas. We left on 12/2 and, despite misgivings about a 50 minute connection in Lima, returned as scheduled on 12/29. Of course one of our bags decided to take an extended vacation in Brazil, but that’s a separate issue…
Embarkation – Rome
Since we just spent 5 days in Rome last year, we decided to arrive a day early and stay in Trastevere across the Tiber River this trip. The next day’s quest was to take in the local sights while checking out bakeries and gelaterias before heading to the port of Civitavecchia at noon. For a few hours in the morning, we were tourists on steroids, snapping pix as we tore through the neighborhood.
As we zoomed around the neighborhood, we came across this building. No idea what it was, but I loved the stone and metal work of the ornate edifice.
Basilica di Santa Maria (Basilica of Our Lady) in Trastevere dates back to 4th century AD. The octagonal fountain in the piazza is an ancient Roman original.
Saw this thru a showroom window on our whirlwind tour. There’s an amazing array of patterns on the chair – but the mirrored symmetry of the back and seat patterns, with help of the neutral palette, pulled everything together.
My goal of sampling croissants and gelato fell short because most of the shops were either not yet open, or closed for the low season. But I hit jackpot at the venerable Checco er Carettiere, which sells both. Here’s my cappuccino and chocolate croissant. Another patron got a Christmas tree on her coffee! I tried the gelato and the marron glace was also excellent.
Port 1 – Livorno
Our first port was Livorno, the gateway to Florence – if you like a long ride and hurried visit amongst cruise ship crowds.
Having visited the city before, I decided to take the train to the laid back Tuscan town of Lucca and return via Pisa for a more leisurely trip.
Unfortunately, Europe was hit by a cold spell, barely topping 37°F at Lucca. So after a stroll around the town, we retreated to the roaring fireplace of La Buca di Sant’Antonio to defrost and enjoy a well deserved lunch.
Luccan food was touted to be the best in Tuscany, and our meal at La Buca di Sant’Antonio was exceptional. The cinghiale (wild boar) stewed with olives and served with polenta was both hearty and flavorful, while the spit-roasted carciofi (kid) came with a sublime crackling-crisp skin and succulent, tender meat. Yummm!
A group of us from the ship walked on the city wall. Aside from a few intrepid joggers, the town was practically deserted on this cold and blustery day. There were some gelaterias open but it was too cold even for a gelato fanatic to be tempted!
I bought some dried porcini mushrooms at the Sunday market and took a stroll along the main shopping street before hopping on the train for a short ride to Pisa.
With the latest stabilization effort, Pisa is now a mere 3.97 degrees off-kilter. The tower was undergoing stabilization work on my prior visit to Pisa, so I wasn’t able to get a decent pic of it.
It was truly entertaining to watch the tourists posing with the tower – it looked like a tai chi class in full swing!
Tired of the raucous scene, I ventured out to explore other parts of the town. Pisa is actually very quiet and pleasant if you wander beyond the tourist mobbed Piazza del Duomo…