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Italy Travel Update Issue #1, March 25, 2003

Sono qui in Italia! (I am here in Italy!) I am still finding it rather hard to believe, but all I have to do is look around me at the old farmhouse walls and wooden beamed ceilings of my friend Paula's villa, or out a window at the rolling hills of Tuscany leading down to Lucca in order to prove to myself that I am really here.

The trip here couldn't have gone any smoother. A neighbor's borrowed Subaru station wagon and their daughter, Debbie, hauled me and my bike case, an incredibly full big suitcase, a smaller carry-on suitcase and my backpack to JFK on Sunday, March 23rd. It was a glorious sunny day, spring was in the air. I was fortunate enough to be there very early, because about 10 minutes after I finished getting checked in, a very large contingent of Hasidic Jews arrived en masse, to check in to my flight. There must have been about 75 of them, maybe more.

Something in my suitcase triggered an alarm, and the staff was kind enough to call me back to the counter (I was nearby, exiting a shop), so that I could watch them go through my luggage. The security man was diligent, pulling out various cosmetic and other clear plastic bags in which I had packed various toiletries and other useful items. Eventually he was satisfied, I guess, that there was nothing hazardous among my shampoos, hair spray, instant oatmeal packets, etc., because he closed up the bag and sent it on its way.

The long first flight was uneventful, the food not half bad (Lufthansa), and I was sitting next to another Mac user (realize that I will report every Mac user I come across, knowing most of you use Windows-based PCs, in hopes of converting you from the dark side) who had her PowerBook in tow. She was also a native-born Californian living in Connecticut, so we bonded a bit and chatted on and off during the flight. She was on her way to a conference in Berlin.

The second flight, from Frankfurt to Florence, was more interesting, in terms of its scenery. Dawn was breaking as we took off, and soon we were winging our way over the snow-covered Alps, their white caps blindingly bright in the early morning light. They gave way to flat farmland plains, then finally, as we headed into Florence, to green rolling hills with small towns and villas nestled snugly on their slopes and along ridge lines. We had arrived in heaven, or at least my idea of heaven.

All my luggage arrived with me at the small Florence airport. I got the paperwork for my rental car out of the way, then ran into my first problem. I had imagined that my economy size rental car would not be likely to hold my bike case and other luggage, so I had planned on checking the bike case into an airport baggage repository, then returning with Paula's SUV to pick it up later in the week. I'd done this before at other airports in Italy when traveling with lots of luggage. But the Florence airport was so small (comparable to Westchester County airport for you East Coast folks), that it had no such repository.

The Thrifty car agent, however, was unfazed and after looking at my luggage on the cart, said that I would have no problem getting it into the rental car, once I put the back seat down and removed the interior trunk cover. I was doubtful, having experienced the small size of Italian rental cars before, but amazingly enough, she was right. It was a hatchback, Nissan Micra, and the bike case slid right in with room to spare. My other suitcases went on top of it and I was off. I think I was lucky that I needed an automatic, not having learned to drive a stick shift, because the smallest automatic was bigger than the smallest stick shift cars around.

The drive to Lucca on the autostrada was about an hour, with me gaining confidence as I drove along. I called Paula from the outskirts of Lucca and she came to guide me in to her villa. The main road was closed for repairs, so we had to climb up a very windy narrow mountain road -- the back way -- to get to the "track" down to her farmhouse villa. My extreme fear of open heights was sorely tested, but I kept my eyes glued to the road in front of me and tried to pretend that the drop offs weren't there. The "track" down the other side of the mountain to Paula's villa was also scary for me, but I made it. I'll give more details of the villa and include some photos in the next travel update.

I settled in to my room, unpacked my luggage, took an afternoon nap, had my first Italian wine, my first pasta dish and my first risotto dish in Italy. All were fabulous -- Paula is an excellent cook. My body had trouble adapting to the time changes and travel, as I woke up at 3am this morning and couldn't fall asleep again for hours. As a result, I passed on a trip into Lucca with Paula this morning and slept till noon.
I put my bike together this afternoon, and am happy to report that it made the journey well. The wheels got a bit out of alignment, so I will have to get them trued before riding, but Paula knows of of nearby bike shop where we can drop it off tomorrow morning. I am itching to get out and ride. The weather here is sunny -- brilliantly so, I think the sun shines brighter here than in New York -- and warm. Spring has sprung here. The nights are still chilly, especially since we are up in the hills.

I think I'll stop now, this has been a rather long update. Hopefully not too boring! More news later this week, before I head to Siena on Sunday for a month of language classes.

Arrivederci!

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