May 30

geese at Podere Albanaia (the farm where we stayed)grapes lining driveway at Podere Albanaia

painting from the Tomb of the MonkeyLake of Chiusi

direct distributor right behind Rabarbaroprosciutto and melon, one of our favorite things to eat
view from distributor/restaurant where we had dinner
oil operation of the lady with the wet hair

Owen in the vinyardlate picnic at the farm



This morning we had hot gluten-free doughnuts and Owen enjoyed puttering around the farm a bit before we explored Chiusi some more. We toured another section of the Etruscan waterworks tunnels that came out at the church bell tower and then toured the Tomb of the Monkey, a very famous Etruscan tomb because of its paintings which are still quite vivid. It was near the other two (a few yards away from one), but as things go around here, they don't do tours of them all at the same time. We walked around Lago di Chiusi (the Lake of Chiusi), and Owen pretended to catch fish, looked at the geese, and ran down the pier. After a nap back at the farm, we drove toward Montepulciano (famous for its wines) and tried wines and olive oils at several direct distributors. One stop was at the farm of a older couple; we rang the bell as directed by the sign, "sonare campanello" and waited. After a minute of waiting, we were walking away when were heard a lady's voice hollering downstairs, and a man came out on the porch above us and told us to wait "cinque minuti." So, wondering what was going on, we waited and Owen picked up sticks and checked out the swings. Finally the lady came out - hair wet, but she was beaming at Owen and going on about him in Italian and how he should play on the swing. She She lead us into a small room where they had tanks of olive oil (maybe 30 gallons or so) and bottled oil on a shelf. They also had a small press. Their house was surrounded by olive trees, and these along with the equipment in the small room appeared to be their entire oil set-up. Selling olive oil here is like selling eggs at home; people just hang out a shingle and set to selling. Abram preferred this oil over the others, and I must say, it was lovely. Olive oil and wine are rather affordable here (8Euros/L for olive oil and 1.50/L if you have your own containter for wine) but are prohibitively heavy for bringing back home in any quantity. We had dinner at a roadhouse associated with one of the direct sellers. It was served at long communal tables, but was excellent. We had a 1/2 of a roast chicken and steak cooked in a large wood-fired oven. Outside, the view of the countryside (like all the views in this region) was stunning, and you could see the sheep they milked to make cheese (which Abram says is quite good. He reports that their peccorino is soft like Swiss cheese rather than hard like you get at home.)
We enjoyed a bottle of wine we had picked up while Owen played and shared some local salami made with pork and wild boar - yum!

May 29

farmer Owen

zucchini
Etruscan ossuary with battle scene on front and an image of the deceased on top in a reclining pose (like they used for eating) - These are typical motifs for ossuaries. This one has painting still visible.

ritual dishes and brassier - Owen really like the "play kitchen"Tomba della Pellegrina as it was found after grave robbers had visited it
griglia mista - mixed grilled meats - here, sausage, pork rib, and lamb chop

view from Chiusi parkRabarbaro Ristorante

gluten-free gnocchi with raguoutiside dining at Rabarbaro


After we enjoyed a gluten free breakfast prepared by the farm owner's mother, we explored the farm a bit. They have lots of olive trees, two large fields with grapes, and bee hives. They also have a personal garden with leeks, onions, tomatoes, herbs of all sorts, potatoes, cabbages, greens, cucumbers, watermelons, musk melons, egg plants, and peppers. Owen got to see the chickens, ducks, and rabbits while the farm owner's mother did chores. He sang "Old MacDonald" to the chickens.
Later, we went into Chiusi and visited the Etruscan Museum where they have a very nice collection of Etruscan artifacts including lots of funerary urns and ossuaries as well as everyday items. It is a small museum, but it is by far the nicest one we've visited; everything was well labeled with it's purpose, date, and location. The labels were all translated into English also which made it easier for us to read. We followed a docent a couple of kilometers out of town to see some Etruscan tombs which are caves dug in the sides of hills where they places the urns and ossuaries.
After lunch at a one man restaurant (smoked octopus, salmon, and tuna, salad, pasta, and mixed grilled meats), we walked Owen to sleep in a park overlooking the countryside then we toured part of and Etruscan underground water system which had been used in the nineteenth century as a wine cellar and is now a storage place for a large collection of Etruscan artifacts - what Abram guessed to be largest collection of Etruscan writing anywhere.
Owen enjoyed exploring the farm some more in the afternoon. We enjoyed a second dinner at the restaurant from last night, and turned in tired people.

ETA (6/1)
We had reserved tickets at the Uffizi for this day but decided we were big citied-out and museumed-out. We were very glad to have a much more relaxing day than I think going into Florence would have proved.

May 28

boats with fresh fish and shellfish being sold right on the beach
"animals" on a rock
little mud fish
the beach looking toward Mt. Vesuvius - We collected some pumice here.
view of Naples, a really lovely town if you look in the right places

Abram really wanted to visit the National Archeological Museum of Naples, where many of the Pompeiian treasures are held, and Owen really needed a break. So while Daddy went a looking, Owen and I set off for the beach. He was a bit sad that "Daddy's goin' to the museum; Owen can't go to the museum," when Abram got of the train before us, but he was very pleased to get to the sea. We discovered that Naples in not only filled with very friendly people but also has some very lovely spots. I, for one, think it's gotten a bad rap. In a lot of ways Naples was exactly what I expected from a trip to Italy. Owen enjoyed wading and splashing and being petted by all the people. Children, teenagers - even boys - grandmas and grandpas all petted him and gave us advice : he needs to have the sand rinsed off (he's going to get right back in it), he needs to go out and float on the big log that washed up, where is his papa?, he needs to be out of the sun (due to his blond hair), he needs to be off the rock (2 grandmas and a man my age0, he needs to go higher on the rocks - we'll take him (a group pf teenage boys). They were all very friendly and I didn't feel at all like i would have getting parenting advice from Americans.
We all met back at the hotel and boarded a train to Chiusi (in Tuscany). We had rather an adventure finding the agriturismo where we are staying, and we will be paying the 500 Euro deductible for damage to the car since we declined the no deductible coverage. But, we all arrived safely and were well fed at the Ristorante Rabarbaro that they found for us for dinner where they served a variety of gluten free dishes, were very kid friendly, and were very affordable. We'll be eating there again before we leave!

May 27

Owen and me in the (restored) garden of a perfumer - who grew olives for oil and basil, lillies, and violets for scents. . . They also had rosemary and lavendar growing now. The lararium (shrine for the household gods) in the garden was dedicated to Hercules.
"Caveat Canem" mosaic at the doorway of a Pompeiian house
temple of Apollo in the forum of Pompeii
oven
ruins of Pompeii with Mt. Vesuvius in the background
Owen "chop, chopin' aspar'gus"
Pompeiian
Pyramus and Thisbe
Venus in a conch shell
gas station on the sidewalk of Naples


Yesterday we visited Pompeii, about a 1/2 hour train ride from here. We spent the entire day wandering through the large, ruined town and taking a bit of shade in the nineteenth century gardens interspersed throughout the ruins. We had a picnic in the garden of the house with the painting of Pyramus and Thisbe. Owen enjoyed several long breaks to pick up junk and pretend with it. He cooked asparagus and hamburgers at one rock using sticks, pebbles, and some broken palstic. Later on we overheard him pretending, "I have to go to my very old buildin'."
We learned that Pompeii had remained a greek colony until 80BC. (It was destroyed in 79AD.) We also learned that it was supposed to have been founded by Hercules on his way back with the cattle of Geryon, one of his 12 labors. The name is from Pompe, Greek for parade, because he paraded his cattle through the town.
After a long, tiring day, we really enjoyed dinner at a local diner - sauteed mussels (Owen loved these), grilled veggies, grilled meats (pork, sausage, and beef), grilled seafood (some sort of fish, octopus, and squid), green salad, and local red wine.

May 26

parked cars - Nope, not a driver in site!

street marketBATH time!


We left Rome for Naples this morning. The train we took for this leg of the journey had compartments (like the Hogwarts Train!). This made it nice for Owen to run up and down the car a bit and work off some energy. We arrived - money in money belt and suitcases locked - and checked into our hotel just across the street from the station. We have been warned that Naples is a rough town, but people here are exuberantly friendly. It is by far the nastiest place we've been, and I am glad we're not driving! Double, parallel parking seems to be the norm, and I have absolutely no idea how they get out. Do people just wait until the person/people blocking them in comes back?
Owen got a good, long, cool, on-the-bed nap, and Abram found a street market with wonderful and affordable fruits and vegetables right behind the hotel. I started getting these posts pasted into the blog and pictures uploaded. After naptime, we found a park for Owen to run in. Then he cooled off watching the "video-show" (Star Trek the Next Generation episode) with Abram while I did some laundry by hand - attempts at finding a laundry having been unsuccessful. Owen had his first real bath since we left home; we have a bathtub in our bathroom here! He has had showers and baths in the sink but no soak in the tub and get the grime out from under your fingernails baths. Yay for bathtubs!

May 25

goddess (Isis?) nursing
The Nile
Swiss Guard talking to a nun outside St. Peter's
fountain in Piazza di San Pietro

St. Gregory's 6th century libraryone of many public water fountains that run continuously
Owen at playground of Villa Caelio Monte


We spent this morning at the Vatican Museums and passed through the Sistene Chapel. Owen did really well riding in the carrier and looking with us. He, of course, requires a lot of engaging, but he really likes picking out animals or people on the objects. He was a bit confused by the
leaves covering many of the penises on these statues. He got a LONG nap in the
carrier on me before we had lunch.
Afterwards, we went around to Piazza di San Pietro where Owen played in the
fountains, and we all took a quick tour through the Basilica of St. Peter. Then we
headed back to the monastery to drop off our things and stretch our legs at a much
nicer park than the one from a few days ago up the hill a bit. On the way we learned
a bit more about the monastery and saw part of the library built between 535 and
536 by St. Gregory.
While Owen played in the sand and fought fires (one of his favorite pretend subjects
these days), Abram looked after him, and I picked up supper from a deli. The first
grocery store I tried to go into at 7:55 turned me away because they closed at 8. The
next one listed 8 as their closing time, but they were still gladly serving new
customers in the deli and greeting them as they entered the store at 8:20 when I left. I
clearly do not get it.

May 24

Baths of Caracalla

interior of baths with intact mosaic floorsVia Appia
Villa of Maxentius - circus turned hay field
Capitoline Wolf
Theater of Marcellus
interior of Pantheon

This morning we walked over to the Baths of Caracalla. The baths once covered 27
acres; they were built in the early 3rd century AD by emperor Caracalla who, after
assisinating his brother, gave all inhabitants of the Empire citizenship. The baths
were a HUGE public work for all the people of Rome. It took 9000 men 5 years to
build them. There is quite a bit of the structure still standing and there are some
very large, colorful floor mosaics still intact. Owen liked the large open spaces where
he could run.
After quite a wait, we caught the Archeobus down the Appian Way. We got off at the
Tomb of Caecilia Metella. Then we walked back toward town to visit the ruins of the Villa of Maxentius, who was succeeded as Emperor by Constantine (the Great).
Owen picked up hay from the circus which had been recently mowed. Heading
closer back to town we tried to visit the Catecombs of St. Cecilia, but alas, we arrive
around 12:30, and they are open 9-12 and 2-4. What is it with a 5 hour work day? At
least they had their hours posted; we have found countless establishments that seem
to open and close randomly with no posted signs. Often places are closed after lunch
time, but that is not always the rule.???
We caught the Archeobus back into town and were dumped at the main train station
while the driver and attendant had a 40 minute break – no warning that the route
was not continuing on its regular circuit! We felt rather gypped out of the 20 Euros
we paid for the bus as they were very infrequent, the head phones (for the audio
commentary) were testy, and they didn’t keep running.
We took our sleeping baby, boarded the metro which is dependable, and went to the
Capitoline Museums where, among other things, we saw the Capitoline Wolf with Romulus
and Remus and the Dying Gaul. Owen woke up to recognize all the penises on the
statues; he pointed them all out for us. The pieces in the museum, like many things
here were sorely lacking signage. If there was identification, it was generally
translated into English which was nice, but many, many pieces, and whole rooms
lacked identification. We have noticed a general lack of interpretation and
identification at other locations, but its absense was particularly noticable in such an
important museum.
We walked by the Theater of Marcellus and to the Pantheon then headed back to
Trastevere for some Indian food Abram had noticed on our walk last night. We
picked up some things for breakfast (grapefruit, salmon, dried tomatoes in olive oil,
and grilled zucchini with olive oil) at a grocery on the way. Of course they weren’t
open until 6:30, so we walked to the Piazza of S. Maria Trastevere where Abram and I
took turns looking inside the church (which we hadn’t been able to do last night) and
playing with Owen in the Fountain. Owen finds fountains like he finds parks! The
inside of the church has an amazing mosaic completed between 1140 and 1143 –
Mary and the adult Jesus at the center of a dome over the altar with lots and lots of
gold tiles. We also learned that much of the marble in the church was "mined" from
the Baths of Caracalla.
On our walk back home, we walked over the Tiber Isand, then over the Capitoline
hill past the modern capitol building of Italy. Owen pointed out the Colosseum for
us, and as we rounded the corner, he announced, “I see my monastery!” He was also
informing us as we walked that he is not a cat because he does not have wiskers and
has two legs.