Stone and Sweetness! in Italy

The Italian Alps

It was planned that after Sweetness! got her masters at NYU last year a family trip to Italy would be part of the celebration. However, finding gainful employment was task number one last summer so the Italy trip was scheduled for April, 2015. Jake opted to stay home to brush up on his first foreign language, English, leaving mother and child to have a buon viaggio.  Stone and Sweetness! visited four cities in northern Italy: Ravenna, Bologna, Milan and Verona.

RAVENNA

Our duo wanted to go to Italian cities that neither of them had yet visited. Ravenna, which is but 5 miles from the Adriatic Sea, made the list because it has 8 of Italy's world-leading 51 UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the US has 23). Ravenna is also the final resting place of Dante, whom Sweetness! read endlessly (it seemed) during her Italian studies. 

Trattoria al Rustichello
Site of first and last meals.
No menu, owner suggested meals
based on your preferences.

Cappelletta -- specialty of the house.

Mosaic ceiling of Arian Bapistry

Rossetti painting in Dante Alighieri Museum

Galla Placidia (died 450 AD) Mausoleum
Site of early Byzantine mosaics

Three examples of the world-famous mosaics in Galla Placidia Mausoleum. Reputed to have inspired Cole Porter to write Night and Day while on a visit in the 1920s. Note the translucent panels, made out of very thin, translucent stone.

B&B in Ravenna included a big BR and small LR. Decorated nicely with sculptures and paintings. Host was very helpful with all things Ravenna, including scheduling haircuts for both Sweetness! and Stone.

Stone's Italian haircut.

Cold enough for earmuffs, jacket and scarf,
but -- must have gelato!

The Baptistry of Neon, converted from an old Roman bath house,
 is the oldest monument in Ravenna and features fabulous mosaics.

Piazza del Popolo, the main piazza in Ravenna,
on a rainy day.

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo,
dates from the 6th century, with side walls of
figurative mosaics.

Basilica of San Vitale also dates from the 6th century. 

The apse features glittering green and gold mosaics
which must have looked even more beautiful in candlelight. 

Mosaic of Emperor Justinian (527 AD-565 AD)
and his entourage decorate the left side wall. Note Justinian's halo. 

BOLOGNA

Bologna is a short train ride from Ravenna. The day was Easter Monday, a major holiday in Italy, and our duo was concerned that Bologna might be closed down as was Penne on Easter Monday, 2009. However they were happily surprised to find this historic city bustling.

The famous 666 arches make this portico the longest in the world. It was originally constructed to protect the pilgrims from the rain on their way to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. It now protects shoppers as they make their own pilgrimages.

The famous 666 arches. 

The Fountain of Neptune in Piazza del Nettuno. Normally, the nereids' breasts spout water, as they are lactating (16th century art often represented Nature as a lactating woman), but on this day the breasts were apparently resting. In the 1920s Mario Maserati used this representation of Neptune's trident in designing the Maserati logo. 

Fountain of Neptune

It was time for lunch:

Lasagna Bolognese con
bechamel

Trattoria was busy downstairs, so our duo ate upstairs
virtually alone with their lasagna and tagliatelle Bolognese.

Worth seeing were the life-size terra cotta sculptures in Santa Maria della Vita. The scene is very dramatic and has been aptly called a "scream in stone." (Photos not allowed.)

The required selfie.

View from train.

2nd class packed, so Sweetness! suggested
sitting in 1st class till asked to show tickets;
never happened all the way back to Ravenna. 

MILAN

Duomo -- first stone laid 1386, consecrated 1965.
Fifth largest church in the world.

Forty columns, each one 80 feet tall.

Up On the Roof...

The Duomo has over 3,000 statues and
over 100 gargoyles.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
One of the world's oldest shopping malls;
it was completed in 1877.

Sweetness! taught Sylvia at a language school
in New York last summer. They reconnected
in Milan over dinner.

Needle and Thread notes Milan's connection
with fashion.

Arc of Peace in Porto Sempione

Park worker's equipment with solar power!

Stefano and Sweetness! met during high school
exchange program -- reunited after 6 years.

Navigli -- a system of canals in Milan.
Mussolini shut down the majority of
the canals in an effort to "modernize"
Milan and take Italy "into the future."

Osso Bucco con Risotto Milanese

Late afternoon aperitifs -- an Italian Manhattan and
a White Lady, served by a barista who remembered our
duo two days later, and what they ordered.

VERONA

Verona was an easy train trip from Milan and is worth visiting for more reasons than to see the much ballyhooed Romeo and Juliet balcony (which is more myth than reality anyway).

Walk from train station to city center along
Corso Porto Nuova.

Sweetness! admiring the view. 

View of arena from cafe.

The Arena dates from the 1st century and still hosts world-class events.

Verona's city center.

Museo Castelvecchio.

The Adige river, the 2nd longest river in Italy,
flows majestically through Verona.

View from the Ponte Pietra bridge over the
Adige, which was completed in 100 BC. 

Arrivederci Verona!

Other Places

Go East, Old Man

Now that he is within whispering distance of the Biblical threescore-years-and-ten, Jake decided this year's birthday getaway would be out east, to Montauk, NY. This tippy-tip of Long Island figured prominently in the youthful romance of Jake and Stone, so they both looked forward to a return trip.

Monday, April 20, 2015 -- Leaving in the afternoon from their Jersey home base, the 3.5 hour drive was a dreary, rainy affair, but their room at the Montauk Manor proved to pick up our couple's spirits. Booked on booking.com for a most reasonable 3-night fee, their room was a stylish, modern condo type with two TVs, a nice kitchen, a small patio and a cozy sleeping loft. The Montauk Manor itself is a historic place (1927) set on a hilltop with commanding views. Its updating (pool/Jacuzzi/sauna, tennis courts, putting green) has not diminished its roaring-twenties charm and atmosphere.

Part of Montauk's allure is its mixed atmosphere of tourism, gritty fishing village, and seasonal high-rollers. None of the latter are to be found at The Dock. Here there are signs warning: cash only, no cell phones, no yapping dogs, no strollers, no screaming kids, no sensitive drunks. Lots of locals, lots of beers, lots of "local atmosphere," pretty good food. Perfect for a rainy night dinner, especially if one shares The Dock's admonishments.

Tuesday, April 21, 2015 -- A bit foggy and coolish, but the breeze soon cleared things out, and Jake

Sag Harbor in the Fog

and Stone had a nice pastry/coffee breakfast at Mary's Marvelous in East Hampton. The little town of Sag Harbor was on their list of memory-lane places, and things seemed much the same as 35+ years ago. After walking around town a bit and buying some provisions, they headed out Highway 114 to the Sag Harbor State Golf Course. This nice little 9-holer was a delight, and Stone's form was impeccable most of the day. Lots of fun.

Stone's Rock Solid Swing

Back in town, Jake's birthday lunch at the American Hotel was nothing short of spectacular. This is a place for the East End's high rollers so be prepared to have a $90 lunch -- but it is worth it: martini, wine, lobster BLT, spinach salad were all very good, and the lobster bisque was the best Jake ever had. Service and atmosphere were top-notch.

It was snooze-and-read time back at the Manor, then back east on Old Montauk Highway (a fun road with nice ocean views and very expensive houses) and Route 27 (less fun, less expensive houses) into Amagansett for dinner. The Indian Wells Tavern's bar was busy with Rangers/Yankees on TV, but our couple found a quiet table in the dining area. The "catch of the day" was fluke, which Stone liked almost as much as the accompanying lobster risotto. Jake's cheese burger was big and juicy, but the highlight of his repast was a 14 oz can of Pabst Blue Ribbon for $4.

The Beach at Hither Hills SP

Wednesday, April 22, 2015 -- Back in the day, Jake didn't know from golf, but aging has its upside, and golf is one of them. While Stone explored Hither Hills State Park and walked the the beach all alone with the ocean and the birds, Jake was at Montauk Downs. Montauk Downs is one of America's top "muni" courses, and is but a five minute ride from the Manor. Arriving early (7 AM) Jake expected a crowd, but found -- no one! Okay, it was little cool; okay it was a little breezy; okay it cost $52 for out-of-NY-state, but still!

Fresh Seafood

While waiting for the starter(!) another golfer showed up(!). Jake let him go first, then teed off alone on this lovely, links beauty. God bless America.  "The Downs" provided a wonderful day of walking golf. Being links-like, the fairways are wide, and its actually hard to lose a ball (but not impossible, as Jake found out). But the challenge here is to be found first in the various lies the rolling terrain provides. Then, even more so, in the green complexes, which are bunkered like Sicily in WWII with putts of always challenging rolls. The only disappointment for Jake was in seeing so many houses around the perimeter of the course, but "The Downs" deserves its national respect and Jake thoroughly enjoyed his 18 holes.

Lunch on this day was a mix of left-overs and other provisions back in the room. After lunch our duo headed out to the Montauk Point Lighthouse and the nearby Camp Hero State Park for some biking, a bit of hiking, and lots of ocean viewing. The cliffs at Camp Hero were especially dramatic and afforded great views of hardy surfers enjoying the waves.

Cliffs at Camp Hero SP

"Surf City" --  Montauk Style

A pleasant early dinner at Harvest on Fort Pond -- a nice place overlooking Fort Pond with sunset views -- let our duo get back to the Manor in time to watch the Mets win once again.Before going to sleep on their final night out on the East End, they realized it's hard to find a better springtime destination within a 3-hour drive from home, so it's likely that Jake's next birthday will find them heading east again.

Other Places