A Day at Sea


A quiet day at sea today. The weather continues to be spectacular (in Malta the rains seemed to have ended just as we entered each town): the seas are calm, the temperature in the upper 70s, and we are sailing at a leisurely pace to cover the 500 miles between Malta and Piraeus/Athens in 36 hours. I have become so used to spending a week at sea crossing the Atlantic that the new-port-every-day itinerary of this trip seems a bit grueling. Additionally, there were even some sea days between ports on those cruises. But you want to see all you can in the limited time you have—so onward we push. But today I have time to catch up on the blog, so I may do several entries. Keep checking back.

Friday, 22 October 2010

Arrival in Livorno
Livorno is a busy commercial port on the northwest side of Italy’s “leg,” within short distances of several important places to see. It is most familiar to us from its connections with the Romantic poets, particularly Lord Byron and Percy Shelley (who drowned just off the coast). We have previously visited Lucca, Pisa and Firenze (a number of times, in fact), so today we join an all-day, nine-hour tour of the Tuscan countryside, stopping in Volterra and San Gemignano. I’m particularly excited because these are towns that cannot be reached by train and I have never visited in all my trips to Italy.

Tuscan Adventures:  Volterra and Lunch
The bus takes us through the gentle hills of Tuscany, covered with the fall colors of the recently harvested vineyards and olive trees. The season for the first pressings of extra-virgin olive oil has just begun, and there are tasting sites and buying opportunities all across the landscape. Soft greens alternate with pale browns of land freshly tilled and waiting for the planting of winter wheat. Small villages and hilltop fortresses greet us on every side. We are soon off the motorway and driving on narrow roads that curve and glide with the terrain. In the distance we can see Volterra atop its own outcropping—and we’re very glad that someone else is doing the driving.

After a guided tour of Volterra, we have time to wander the streets and find a café for that second cup of morning latte. I even find a small shop selling fine leather goods (while Will is looking the other way). Then the bus takes us back down the hill to a farmhouse restaurant for a leisurely family-style meal. Although the surroundings are quite rustic, with a multitude of dogs, cats, and even a donkey named “Honoria” wandering the grounds, this is really a country inn with rooms to rent, a swimming pool, and views of the Tuscan countryside. Over the years, the owners—earning a great deal of money from the tourist trade—have encouraged contemporary artists to create monumental sculptures at various points on the hillsides and to decorate the gardens of the inn with a variety of abstract and intriguing pieces.

Tuscan Adventures:  San Gemignano
San Gemignano—the city of towers—also stands on its own hilltop, two hilltops over from Volterra. The city is surrounded by its medieval walls, but is most famous for the towers attached to private homes (rather than public buildings as in other Italian cities). Each tower symbolizes the wealth of the family living in the house—some families even have two towers. Sometimes height was added when the family was particularly successful; sometimes the towers were taken down a height or two when they lost wealth and favor. San Gemignano is also noted for the best gelato shop in Italy—but we are so full from lunch that we decide to forgo a taste.

Each of these towns really deserves a day (or two) of its own, but the sea calls and we are back on the bus for the return ride to Livorno in the remarkable late afternoon Tuscan light that so enchanted and stimulated the artists of the Renaissance.

Evening and Dinner
We return to the Queen Victoria exhausted in body but exhilarated in spirit to watch another spectacular sunset as we dress for dinner. Tonight is casual and we can give the tuxedos a rest for a few days. For dinner I enjoy terrine of duck with pear confit, frisee and mixed green salad, and rack of pork (really a very thick chop) with a ragout of wild mushrooms, roasted vegetables, and fondant potatoes—and Bailey’s crème brulé for dessert. Will has clam chowder, the salad, and red snapper—with strawberry flambé and vanilla ice cream.

Tonight we sail for Naples and another busy day tomorrow.