Dealing with Tourist Traps

As anybody that has travelled out here knows, tourist traps are all over the place. Some of them are easy to avoid (don't go to the restaurant on the main square that offers a "tourist menu" and provides pictures of all their menu items). But it's hard to avoid the beggars, panhandlers, and rose-sellers that approach everybody tourist looking and asking if they speak English. Ali has almost thrown a few punches when an ambitious "traveling vendor" thinks the best way to turn a "No, Grazie" into a sale is to shove his wares in her face and continue harassing her.

With that said, we've had a few more interesting and memorable experiences with these people.

Part I: Venice, September 1-4

Ali and I didn't exactly blend into Italy. We're much more conspicuous than the people walking around with Rick Steves and a fanny pack. But we still don't really look Italian and the constant Rainbow wearing is probably a dead give away. So we always get approached by people asking us if we speak English. Our usual response is to say "No" which of course they realize means we do because we understood their question. Either way, it's usually enough for them to get the idea that we aren't the best targets for them.

In Venice, we kept being approached by girls (probably late teens or early 20s) asking us if we spoke English. To me that's just a dead give away that something is amiss. This was early enough in the trip that I didn't just keep walking or ignore them. Many people know I have issues talking to anybody that talks to me. Ali loves it, especially when it's crazy people on public transportation. So in this case, I said yes, but kept walking. She tried to get me to stop by saying "Do you want to sign against drugs?" We kept walking, but that statement really confused me. What do you want me to sign exactly? What good would me signing something do? I'm not a registered voter in Italy? I don't think petitions have a whole lot of weight in Italy. So we kept walking, but the question intrigued/confused me.

So we saw these girls a number of times all over Venice as we were walking around and each time they were targeting tourists and asking if they spoke English. Finally, the 4th time we passed them my curiosity got the better of me and I asked what was going on. She said they were former drug addicts that were living in a halfway house in Venice (unlikely was my thought) and were asking people to sign to support them and then perhaps make a small donation. I told her good luck and walked away. I think Rule #1 is if somebody is only looking for English speakers, something is probably amiss. Apparently they did not think Italians would sign to support them? It was strange. Either way, "Do you want to sign against drugs?" is a question that will stick with me.

Part 2: Bologna, September 5

We were eating dinner our last night in Bologna when a rose vendor approached the table. You've seen these people everywhere. They offer any couple a rose. If the guy says no, they shove it towards the girl hoping she'll take it. If she says no, they place it in her face. Then Ali almost punches them. Sometimes they leave the rose on the table if you are eating and then come back later to ask for their payment. Apparently, some tactics work because there are always plenty of girls walking around with lone roses.

During our dinner at Trattoria Belfiore, three gentlemen selling roses approached us within two minutes of each other without knowing about the others. The last guy offered a rose to the table next to us which consisted of a couple and the girl's mother. They said "No, Grazie" and he approached us. We also replied "No, Grazie." At that time, he began raising his voice and saying something in Italian. The basic gist was that it was selfish of us not to buy roses and that it wasn't right that everybody was so polite when they said no instead agreeing to buy roses. Apparently realizing we didn't speak Italian and he wouldn't get very far with us, he went back to the table next to us and started berating them. Based on a few words and hand motions, the general points was: "Why is everybody so polite when they say no. You people sit here and say no, thank you. You're so polite about it. You sit here enjoying your meals. What about me? How are my children supposed to eat? How can you just sit here and be so polite saying no without worrying about how my children are supposed to eat?"

He didn't seem to have an ultimate point beyond how unfair things were, but that didn't stop him from yelling for about three minutes straight. Nobody from the restaurant seemed to mind and the family he was yelling at just sat there quietly. Finally, after a few minutes, and with no sign that he was going to slow down, Ali yelled out of nowhere "Basta! Arrividerci!" with a graceful brush of her hand. I think the guy was as surprised as I was and he mumbled a few more things and left. I was impressed.

Part III - Avignon, France

We had some time to kill in Avignon before catching our train. Ali wanted to go to the H&M and since the H&M was horribly designed and did not have any chairs, I went outside to sit in the shade. As I walked outside I was approached by a guy asking for something in French. As I usually do when French is spoken, I stared at him blankly. I could tell he was asking for something, so I began to walk away. Then he said in perfect English "I just need three cents for bus fare." The "I need X for bus fare" routine is common, but usually you ask for a little more than three cents. You gotta do a lot of volume to make anything three cents at a time. I told him I didn't think I had it, because I really didn't think I did. But I pulled out my change and found a couple of dimes. At that point he grabbed one of the dimes, and gave me seven cents change to get the three cents he originally needed. I expect that will be the only time I ever receive change from somebody asking for money on the street.

Lucca, Italy (September 9 & 10)

After lazing around in Vernazza, we were back on the sightseeing trip as we went to Lucca. Lucca had been recommended by a handful of people who said the ramparts were very cool. We also decided it would be a good base to visit Pisa (30 minutes away by train) rather than actually staying in Pisa. After our interest in Pisa died out in an hour, we were glad we did it this way rather than the other way around.

Lucca is an old city surrounded by high walls. Apparently after they built the walls, nobody ever attacked them again. I guess that's kind of the point, but if I built the walls, I would have been bummed to never find out how successful they could be against invaders.

After Napoleon conquered the city (more accurately they rolled over. Didn't want to test out the walls against cannons and guns I suppose)((Actually, by the time Napoleon took Lucca, their walls and cannon were no match for the artillery available at the time and they were essentially defenseless - AH)), he gave it as a gift to his wife ((sister)) who had grown a fondness for it. She turned the ramparts on top of the walls into a large park surrounding the city. It's probably the only awesome sight in Lucca, but it's cool enough to merit a visit if you're ever in the area.

We were told we had to ride a bike around the ramparts and that was the first thing we did. Sadly no pictures as we were on bikes. However, we did notice that the Luccesan's are the most fitness-happy people we have seen thus far and will probably see since. Maybe it's because of the large pseudo track that surrounds their city. There were bikers, rollerbladers, joggers, and large groups of all of the above working out together.



The next night after Pisa we returned for a brief walk to take pictures and had a pre-dinner picnic on the wall.





We were approached by the police and I thought we might have been violating non-existent open container laws. Really they just didn't want anybody sitting too close to the edge because it's a pretty steep fall down. Fortunately this was the only trouble we had with the law in Italy.

The other sites in Lucca are a former Roman ampitheater which is entirely gone and now only noticeable by the circular shape the buildings around its location still form. (The yellow buildings in the picture below).



There are also a handful of towers built by the wealthy families of years gone by. We climbed the most famous of these, the Tower Guinigi. It has trees on the top. They were planted to keep the guards cool in the summer months. We've been climbing a whole lot of things so we're getting better, but we still need a break once we get to the top.





Finally, there is an extremely old cathedral that was just around the corner from our hotel. The cathedral holds a wooden statue of Jesus (the Volto Santo) allegedly carved by Nicodemus and washed ashore in Italy after being set adrift during a Muslim invasion, discovered by a local priest, and was delivered to Lucca after he placed the cross on a cart led by a pair of wild asses. (... it says asses on the plaque. donkeys.) Without direction, the asses wandered to Lucca proving it to be the rightful place of the Volto Santo. Thanks Wikipedia. Every year on the night September 13th, they solemnly march the statue around the city before depositing it back in the Cathedral. In preparation for this, tons of candles were being put up around the windows of every building in and around the square. Sadly we did not get to see it lit up (and it didn't seem worth spending anothe 4 nights in Lucca), but apparently it is very cool if you ever happen to find yourself in Lucca on September 13th.

We both really enjoyed Lucca. As with every other place in Italy, the roads are supposed to be pedestrian, but it seems to be more of a suggestion than a rule. There are plazas everywhere, interesting shops, and opera (if you are into that sort of thing).

Ciao Italia

After Rome and one night in Genoa, we are out of Italy and in Nice. We were in Italy for exactly one month (August 25th-September 25th) although it wasn't really by design. Now we have a couple of nights in Nice, one night in Avignon, and 7 nights in Paris. Any recommendations for any of the above places are welcome.

After finally getting pretty comfortable with communicating in Italian, I'm sure it will be a little frustrating to have to deal with a new language (and new menus and food items). My first purchase in France was a bottle of water specifically designed for women. The logo on the bottle just didn't give it away enough.

We'll get through the remaining Italy posts shortly.

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy (September 6-8)

After Venice we both realized we were a little sightseed out and neeeded a break. We had a great time in Vernazza (a.k.a. Rick Steves Land, seriously, he probably owns it. If you can walk 5 feet without seeing someone walking around carrying Rick Steves Italy 2009, it's because it's 2010 and they have that one. We had one person accost us and ask if we went to see the Canoli brothers for breakfast: "Didn't you read Rick?"). Seriously, though, it has been one of our favorite places. It had crystal clear cool deep water, beautiful hills, good food, inexpensive and comfortable lodging, and lots and lots of relaxation. Strangely, it almost reminded me of home. I think it was just the ocean and the tourists though, because focaccia at home is nowhere near as good as this was. I ate nothing but plain focaccia for an entire day, every meal one day.

Apparently you can hike in Cinque Terra. I say apparently, because we did not. After the Varenna Odessey to the Castle, we decided we deserved to not have to hike. Also there was a wildfire raging on the other side of the hill, causing the "easy" hiking trail to be closed. The "difficult" trail went all the way around to the point of land you see in the distance. Uphill. It was 80 degrees out, the water was fine, and we are not German. Instead we walked to the trailhead, got this beautiful picture, and took the opportunity spend the rest of the day swimming right at the curve of the breakwater here, betwen the boats and where it curves in was the popular swimming/diving spot, with 15 foot deep water, pretty fish and huge under water boulders, and lots of Italian kids doing cannonballs 3 at a time.
















Kevin took this of himself. I'm not kidding. Mini Tripod rocks my world. He was next to me one second, didn't say a word, then hopped up and jumped in with a huge smile. After he popped his head up he yelled "Did it work?". Yup. It worked.
















Then he took one of me. Far less exciting.

One night we had a romantic Cliff Top dinner at Sunset.
















Another night we went to a few of the local markets and put together a feast of fresh mozzarella, pesto, spicy salami, and sundried tomatoes, all on top of more delicious focaccia. Picture is blurry because one of us touched the lense on the camera. Nothing to do with the wine. Promise.

This was the view from our room. We liked waking up here. Definitely the prettiest view we've had so far.
















It was also very convenient for doing laundry (I hid all my panties on the inside of all the clothes) . We hung out at "the pool" most of the day, ocasionally checking to make sure our clothes weren't blowing down the street.
















See, we have other people take pictures of us, too. This is the town going up the hill behind the harbor.


Another gorgeous sunset in Vernazza. . . You can't really tell, but the smoke from the fire made for beautiful sunsets every night. Great colors. Also the Indiana Jones look alike fire planes dipping in to the ocean to douse the flames every few minutes were very exciting. Almost as exciting as the number of old men in Speedos. And again, mini-tripod rocks my world.

Rainy Day Fun in Ancient Rome

Don't feel bad for us that it rained on the day we went to see the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill. We had fun with our umbrellas all day.

















At first we thought we should keep them out of the pictures and hide the rain. It instead resulted in psycho-cheerleader looking photos.

















So we let them in.

















We laughed when the sprinklers were turned on the rain on top of the Palatine Hill. Sprinklers on in the rain? Come on Rome. My Southern Californian water scarcity sensitivity is offended. Good job on the soaking of the tour groups though - they should watch where they are going, not just the bobbing umbrella.

One thing we have been laughing at all through Italy are the hordes of people being lead around by a tour guide holding aloft an unspread retractable umbrella. It hasn't been raining anywhere until recently. Today, people with their umbrellas up followed wet tour guides holding their umbrellas up, but not spread. Otherwise their groups would be lost. Others resorted to holding their umbrella as well as a stick with a glove on it. Priceless. Some just looked even sillier wearing a poncho and holding up their umbrellas.
















Kevin gave me a tour of the Arch of Constantine and the Circus Maximus.

















I gave him a tour of the Colosseum.



And I told you I'd get you back, sucker.

Venice, Italy (She Said)

Venice was a bit depressing during the day and totally beautiful at night. Unfortunately, we were having some camera trouble (forgot it one day, night time pictures were not cooperating so much), so most of the pictures we have are all from one day. This one is blurry, but it covers up the dirty rot and makes it look bustling and quiet at the same time. The reality of 80 gondolas tied up like a cabstand while the gondoliers talk on the cellphones, smoke cigarettes, and wear American sneakers and designer sunglasses waiting for tourists to pay them tons of money for a ride is completely obscured as well.We didn't go on a gondola ride per se, although we did ride across the canal on one for fifty cents apeice after going to the Rialto Market one morning. It was kind of like a huge canoe packed with about 20 people and a dog. Way more fun (and dangerous feeling) than spending a dinner's worth on a private ride.

The night time was the most beautiful. Everything was lit up, and even what looked like a normal apartment during the day at night revealed itself to be a gorgeous home with moulded stucco ceilings and frescoed walls. The trip down the Grand Canal on the Vaporetto was my favorite, keeping an eye out for fancy chandeleirs and dragging Kevin's attention from one beautiful peek to the next. You could see the waves lapping over the porch/docks of the old palaces (now mostly art galleries it seemed) and picture each one being a home. **Please note, all of my palace in the golden age of Venice dreaming came straight off of reading a historical fiction romance about the exploits of a Venitian courtesan and her faithful dwarf that I picked up at the B&B in Varenna and read the whole time down on the train because I need to share the Kindle.**

We found after walking around for a while that it was fun to find an old couple that clearly lived there, and then just follow them around to see what they were up to. We were lead all through random back streets and lots of construction sights, then discreetly watched them to normal Venetian things like pack the groceries into the motor boat tied up in the canal. We did a lot of wandering, and most of it was very enjoyable, even a little bit romantic. Except for the terrifying gypsy at the end of Via Paradiso. We found the leaning tower of Venice, and a cool boat that later turned into a floating fruit and veggie market

Although there are no pictures (I swear I took some, just can't find them anywhere) we spent some time in St. Mark's square, went to the Basilica, and went to the Doge's Palace. We spent most of one day at the palace, actually, wandering around looking at the inner workings of the Venitian state, and then did the Secret Itineraries tour. The tour was great, we got to see all sorts of secret stuff, and I'm not telling you what it was. **Cough** Cassanova **Cough**

Most of the nights, we bar-hopped, snacking on the little nibbles all the bars had available for a Euro or two: meatballs, fried anchovies, calamari, grilled vegetables, and bruchetta were all abundant, as well as cheap wine and cocktails. Although the commie fest won hands down for vibe and cheapness, these bars were a great place to start the night and make an inexpensive pizza filling enough for dinner on at least one occasion.

I think for all the doubts (and all the tourists, and all the catering to tourists, and all the dirt) we both fell in love with Venice and would go back any time. We still have a lot to do there, and I'm glad I have the perfect person to do it with.

Dedication to her Craft

Ali doesn't want me to post these, but she's sleeping in and I need to clear the pictures out.

If you look through our pictures, you'll notice we don't have a ton of pictures of ourselves. Neither one of us really likes to ask other people to take pictures of us unless the circumstances really call for it. For less important things that we still want pictures of we (mostly Ali) have become quite proficient at alternative photo methods.

First, Ali is really good at the hold out the camera with the right hand and snap pictures approach.

But for larger scale pictures, that just doesn't work.

When you want to get in from of the Leaning Tower for example:


Or when you want to take a picture in Boston but don't want to seem too touristy by asking:



Fortunately, before our trip to Mexico last year, my dad was kind enough to give us his flexible mini-tripod that can stand almost anywhere to take pictures. Combine that with the ten second timer and you can take a picture We've rested it on walls, trashcans, and the ground.

Fortunately, Ali is extremely dedicated to the artistry involved in the mini-tripod:



That's how you get a picture of us in front of the Leaning Tower.

Or a picture of the entire bell tower in Florence.



Or sunset pictures in Vernazza


...even if like the one above there are about a dozen American tourists around laughing at us as we run back and forth for five minutes trying to get the right picture, any of whom could have easily taken the picture if we had just asked. Sometimes the pictures come out off centered or we don't get the timer right, but at least it's fun.

Venice, Italy (September 1-4) (He Said)

At the beginning of September, we made it to Venice. I had been looking forward to Venice the entire trip. I had heard so many different things I really didn't know what to think: I love Venice, I hate Venice, Venice smells, Venice is like Disneyland, etc. After our three nights there, I think we'd both agree that neither one of those sentiments is exactly wrong. It was dirty, over-touristed, and overwhelming at times, but in general we both really enjoyed it. It was definitely different than the other destinations we have been to thus far, but that's probably unsurprising. We didn't go out to big dinners because there seemed to be other things worth doing and we didn't see all of the sights because walking around was just as much fun.

Perhaps the most interesting part of our three night trip was our constant presence at CommieFest 2009 outside of the Venice fish market. It was about a two week event. I'm not sure what was being said or what they hoped to achieve, but they did sell cheap food and E1.50 very, very large glasses of wine which we took to a little dock on the side of the Grand Canal to drink with the local cool kids arriving by motor boat who also had no qualms about pretending to be Commies in exchange for cheap wine. Alas, I ended my political career for 3 euros of wine.



Erin and Ryan suggested that we go to Piazza Santa Margherita and get some pizza and enjoy the scene. We did that our second night there and went back again the last night. We split some greasy pizza on a bench which seemed to be what most of the other people were doing.



We ventured to a gelato place recommended in one of our books (Gelato Alaska). Here is Ali with a scoop of stracciotella and a scoop of Orange-Arugala.



As was suggested by professionals (my grandparents) and amateurs (Rick Steves), we took a cruise down the Vaporetto #1 at night to see the sights. Given the darkness and the moving, none of these picutres came out, but here is Ali enjoying the cruise.



A lot of the other things we saw weren't photographed (or are being saved for Ali's post (which is sure to be awesome (she made me say that))), but we also did a tour of the Doge's Palace, St. Mark's, and a trip to Murano to see hand blown glass (Ali's idea). We saved a lot of the museum/artsy stuff for another trip.

We also passed the Bridge of Sighs numerous times. We crossed the bridge during our tour of the Doges Palace, but you really don't get the full impact of the sight unless you see it from the outside:



As anybody who has been to Venice knows, the Bridge of Sighs is named because every remaining Venetian resident sighs as they pass it lamenting what has become of their city.

Between getting lost and pretending to be Reds for a couple of nights, I think we both found Venice a lively, enjoyable city. I understand why some people don't enjoy it. It's certainly overwhelming and packed with tourists. But it was also extremely quiet outside of the tourist areas and all the locals that passed seemed to know each other. I'd happily go back again.

Rome, Italy

We finally made it to Rome (although finally is all relative since it's hard to believe it's all gone so quickly). Above is the view from our apartment in Trastevere (Apartment 19. Highly recommended). I think we are both excited to settle down for a week, spread out in an apartment, have easy access to a kitchen, and take our time to see the sights. Any suggestions are welcome. So far, we wandered around Trastevere this afternoon, and took a peek at a few local sights and restaurants. Tomorrow night we are headed to the Vatican Museum and will probably try to catch a soccer game Sunday night. Tonight it's a pizza and some relaxation/planning for the week.

Bologna, Italy (September 4-6)

We took one picture in Bologna:






















We went to Bologna basically for one reason: food. We had heard it was widely regarded even in Italia as the best food around. They are most famous for their ragu (in the picture above, although the picture does not do it justice). What they call ragu, we know as Bolognese sauce. Rich red meat sauce, seasoned just right, it was delicious everywhere. We both ordered it in various forms on back to back nights. Was it the best food we've had here? I think we both agree it was not. But it was very good.

Bologna's main square was pretty big and full of activity, including a gay rights rally and a marathon. There was a University near by, so there were young people everywhere, as well as a lot of teenagers. The main street leading to the square was a major shopping area and very busy all day and night.

Bologna is also the fist place we noticed an important trend. If you are a cool 15 year old girl in Italy, your favorite store is Foot Locker. You and all your friends pick out matching pairs of E150 throwback high top sneakers (Nike, Reebok, etc.) with neon laces and parade all over with them holding hands. We have since seen this trend in the other big cities. (Side note, Foot Locker is the one store we have seen in every single city other than Varenna and Vernazza. I had no idea it was so popular internationally because nobody I know has been to one in the states in about 10 years. Well played Foot Locker.)

The lack of anything else to do in Bologna allowed us to take a day trip to nearby Ravenna which is famous for its 1500 year old churches and impressive mosaics. The mosaics were indeed impressive. Sadly, no pictures, some places you couldn't take any, and others just didn't come out right with the light. The other fantastic part about Ravenna is that it is the place to eat piadini. A piadina is very simple and amazingly good. Soft flatbread warmed up, meat, cheese, and other toppings popped in, and then fold the bread up. They made a perfect lunch on the run or you could probably class it up with a glass of wine and a sidewalk table.

Clearly this was not the most photogenic part of our trip, but it was enjoyable and the mosaics and piadini combined with ragu probably made it worth it.

Minor Inconveniences (Varenna, Lake Como - August 30)

Obviously when you go some place new you expect quirky differences and minor inconveniences. Frequently, these happen in the difference between how sinks and bathrooms work. Sometimes it's as minor as the inclusion of the bidet or the lack of paper towels.

However, one European difference, combined with a few glasses of wine, has become my arch nemesis: the foot pedal sink. You go up to it, it looks innocuous enough. Hey, there's no other way to turn this on, it's probably automatic even though there's no visible sensor. Or maybe not. Ah, there's the foot pedal. And if you aren't gentle enough...

















Well you run back to the table and delay a few minutes.

Have Fun Storming the Castle!, Lake Como (August 30

Varenna's main "sight" is the ruined medieval castle nearby. Sure, it looks innocuous enough, a typical look with ladies dressed in gowns and men dressed in tights. Sometimes things so strange happen they merit their own story. By the time we left the Castle of Vezio on the top of the hill in Varenna, I was legitimately laughing out of sheer confusion.

We started making the trek up the hill both expecting sensational views of Lake Como. It was a much longer, steeper trek than we expected. You might notice the sign says 15 minutes on foot. That is a lie. it's more like 30 - 35, straight uphill on a little cobblestone path/stairs.
I didn't think it was too bad.
Ali disagreed.


She was willing to take another (happy) picture after a few minutes rest.

When we arrived at the top, we weren't disappointed. Various parts of the grounds had views of the lake from every angle just as the sun was setting.





But things felt like they might be a little bit off. At the entrance to the grounds, there was an owl. I'm still not sure why. An unofficial mascot perhaps?



Alas, while expansive views of what some people have called the most beautiful place on Earth should be enough to attract hordes of tourists, the real draw for most people appears to be the Castle's daily falconry exhibits.



Ali was extremely intrigued by the "falconer's" exhibition...until she realized she didn't speak Italian and had no idea what the guy was saying. This guy kept just picking up one of the 10ish birds, unhooking them, saying something about them, then disappearing down the hill only to return without the bird. It was slightly confusing. I think at some point they were supposed to return back after he called them...or something like that. The Italian tourists were enthralled and completely oblivious to the views all around them. The big falcon kept jumping in my direction in a very threatening/sad manner - he was tied by both feet to the ground with about 2 1/2 feet of chain.



After we realized it would be a while before the hawks returned and potentially did something unpredictable or dangerous, we decided to climb the tower that still rests in the middle of the castle. The views from the top were perhaps the best of the day.




And they gave us a chance to take a timed-photograph of ourselves with the phone dangling from a screw in the wall. Nobody was around to take our picture because falconry was still going on.



But of course, the castle wouldn't be complete with just pretty views. To keep things interesting, the climb was on a series of barely stable wooden steps that led Ali to legitimately fear for her life.



And of course, what tower in the middle of a castle famous for falconry exhibits would be complete without a fossil museum to educate the public about the lariosauro?



That was just hanging in one of the rooms in the tower. The website tells me that the lariosauro is "a middle-sized fossil reptile genus ascribed to the Saupterigians, an extinct group of aquatic reptiles." However, the website doesn't tell me exactly why there is a museum for it in a tower in a castle on the top of a hill. Perhaps it was found in the castle? Perhaps it once ruled over the town from the castle with an iron fist? Maybe the falcons were bred to defeat the lariosauro? It is all a mystery. Once you got into the castle, there were no descriptions of anything.

All this was enough to leave me confused and amused. But the castle was put over the top by the random art exhibition which involved plaster molds of human and ghost like figures all over the castle.



I really can't do justice to the weirdness of the whole thing. Especially considering the views alone were worth the admission. It's like getting a falconry show, fossil museum, and postmodern paper-machet exhibit for free!

Alas, then it was time to leave.

The castle is the castle-like icon in the middle of the map above. We came up by taking the path on the left which was by no means a road, but was wide and filled with steps. We decided to take the other road down the hill. The one that leaves the castle on the right. The one that looks like all the other roads on the map. After spending about 20 minutes looking for said road, we realized we had found it.



The "road" on the map is in fact an 8 inch wide path barely big enough for one person worn through plants and weeds and occasionally passing through what appeared to be people's backyards.



Fortunately the view was worth it. The way down was steeper than the way up had been, and significantly more difficult. We traipsed down tall steps, around what I was sure was poison ivy, past random shrines to the Virgin Mary, through a terraced olive grove, finally ending up at a random hotel that had a funicular and a killer view. We ended the day checking out the monastery gardens and villa described in the last post.

Overall, I give it two thumbs up. If you go to Varenna and don't go see the prehistoric dinosaur fossil, falconry, art exhibit Renaissance castle, you really haven't been to Varenna at all.