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La Dolce Vita
Nov. 15th, 2005 12:40 pmSo, we're back from Italy. There's another week of honeymoon left, to be spent right here at home.
Single Best Non-Moe Thing on Trip: The food.
Single Worse Thing: Getting to and from Malpensa Airport and the villa.
Favorite Thing in Florence: The Venus d'Urbino (sadly, NSFW as it is a nude).
Geekiest Moment: Getting terribly excited when seeing Honthorst's Supper Party in person; it has been for years my character portrait of a favored old PC (Solomon D'Aventant, for those who've met him; he's the fellow in the center, with the lute.)
Strangest Thing: Since we were in the same village as the guy who works for Magic Tuscany (through whom we booked the villa), he offered to drive us wherever we needed to go. Which was good, because we were otherwise in the middle of nowhere. Even the village shop was a 45 minute walk (not far, but up a very steep hill). He also made reservations and suchlike for us. Very odd for Americans not used to that level of personal service; we were sure to tip him very generously.
Friendliest Dog: A close tie between the greyhound-esque Lille who came with us horseback riding and the little sausage dog at the winery who was just happy-happy-HAPPY!!! but I'd have to go with Lille.
Best Surprise about Italy: The stove-powered espresso makers. No fancy appliance needed. (Of course, you can't steam the milk, but you can heat it in the metal milk jug and I like latte better than cappucino, anyway). We bought one to take home; I just need to get a milk jug.
Worst Surprise about Italy: The fashion mania for the poncho, it is not over in Italy. Also, there were pants tucked into boots, even in Milan, fashion captial of the world.
Best Feature of Villa: Rustic, historic construction at least 100 years old, complete with fireplace.
Worst Feature of Villa: Stiff and creaky bed at least 100 years old. Ow, my back!
Best Random Image: Outside the Uffizi Gallery, buying some street art when someone points up and said (in English), "Butterfly!" And sure enough, there was a small, white butterfly, with perfect little wings flapping along under a blue sky. In November! It looked so Ur-butterfly; everything about the wings and the rate of the flapping looked absolutely ideal, like someone had animated the idea of butterflyity and put it there.
Wished That We Could Bring Home: All the pasta sauces. So much more than tomato-with-stuff-in and alfredo.
Did Bring Home: Seven bottles of wine!
Most Surprised Myself: I loved the porcini mushrooms. Usually I don't like mushrooms.
It was a wonderful, wonderful trip. The only thing I would have changed, if I could, was all the traveling; coming home, for instance, we left the villa at 1:15pm and arrived at a hotel near the airport at around 8:30pm; then we got up at 5am for our flight, which (after the transfer at Heathrow) got here at 2:45pm, or 8:45pm Italian-time (so roughly 15 hours of travel). Other than that... there were a few rough spots (including getting on the wrong train at one point) but it was a really lovely honeymoon.
Single Best Non-Moe Thing on Trip: The food.
Single Worse Thing: Getting to and from Malpensa Airport and the villa.
Favorite Thing in Florence: The Venus d'Urbino (sadly, NSFW as it is a nude).
Geekiest Moment: Getting terribly excited when seeing Honthorst's Supper Party in person; it has been for years my character portrait of a favored old PC (Solomon D'Aventant, for those who've met him; he's the fellow in the center, with the lute.)
Strangest Thing: Since we were in the same village as the guy who works for Magic Tuscany (through whom we booked the villa), he offered to drive us wherever we needed to go. Which was good, because we were otherwise in the middle of nowhere. Even the village shop was a 45 minute walk (not far, but up a very steep hill). He also made reservations and suchlike for us. Very odd for Americans not used to that level of personal service; we were sure to tip him very generously.
Friendliest Dog: A close tie between the greyhound-esque Lille who came with us horseback riding and the little sausage dog at the winery who was just happy-happy-HAPPY!!! but I'd have to go with Lille.
Best Surprise about Italy: The stove-powered espresso makers. No fancy appliance needed. (Of course, you can't steam the milk, but you can heat it in the metal milk jug and I like latte better than cappucino, anyway). We bought one to take home; I just need to get a milk jug.
Worst Surprise about Italy: The fashion mania for the poncho, it is not over in Italy. Also, there were pants tucked into boots, even in Milan, fashion captial of the world.
Best Feature of Villa: Rustic, historic construction at least 100 years old, complete with fireplace.
Worst Feature of Villa: Stiff and creaky bed at least 100 years old. Ow, my back!
Best Random Image: Outside the Uffizi Gallery, buying some street art when someone points up and said (in English), "Butterfly!" And sure enough, there was a small, white butterfly, with perfect little wings flapping along under a blue sky. In November! It looked so Ur-butterfly; everything about the wings and the rate of the flapping looked absolutely ideal, like someone had animated the idea of butterflyity and put it there.
Wished That We Could Bring Home: All the pasta sauces. So much more than tomato-with-stuff-in and alfredo.
Did Bring Home: Seven bottles of wine!
Most Surprised Myself: I loved the porcini mushrooms. Usually I don't like mushrooms.
It was a wonderful, wonderful trip. The only thing I would have changed, if I could, was all the traveling; coming home, for instance, we left the villa at 1:15pm and arrived at a hotel near the airport at around 8:30pm; then we got up at 5am for our flight, which (after the transfer at Heathrow) got here at 2:45pm, or 8:45pm Italian-time (so roughly 15 hours of travel). Other than that... there were a few rough spots (including getting on the wrong train at one point) but it was a really lovely honeymoon.
