I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to continue this trip report. Here is the next installment.
Trip Report: ABD Day 3
July 6, 2023
When we left off, we had returned to the Gran Melia after a wonderful final night in Rome. The following morning, we were up and out of our room by 7:30 – the luggage pickup time. (Whenever there is a hotel transfer, ABD picks up luggage from the hallway outside your room and delivers it to the next room). After our final breakfast in Rome, we still had quite a while until the 8:30 meetup time. Fortunately, it was another sunny day in Rome, so we relaxed in the courtyard and chatted with some of the other folks in our tour group while we waited.
At 8:30, we piled into the coach for the short drive back to the Vatican to visit St. Peter’s Basilica. This was a change from original itinerary for our trip, which had the basilica visit scheduled right after our breakfast at the Vatican. I did not ask the guides the reason for the change, but I suspect that the goal was to avoid the long security lines to enter the basilica that develop by mid-morning. By the time we arrived, there was already a decent line to clear security and enter St. Peter’s. We were told that the line usually moves quickly. Unfortunately, there was only one security lane open that morning, so we had a 20-to-30-minute wait.
Once our whole group cleared security, we divided into two smaller groups for our tour of St. Peter’s Them we headed straight for . . . the bathroom. After our potty break, it was finally time to enter the basilica. Our visit began with a short, guided tour with Christina. We then had time to explore on our own.
I have never found God in a church, and I did not find Him in St. Peter’s. However, standing in the immenseness of the basilica and looking up, I felt very, very small. In that way, it is the manmade place that – for me -- has come closest to recreating the experience of being in nature. All that, and there are mummified popes.
After exploring for a bit, we reassembled with our group to visit Michelangelo’s famous Pieta sculpture. The Pieta is easy to identify because it is ringed with throngs of tourists. “Fortunately, you had time to see the sculpture up close before it got too crowded,” Christina told us, in an example of a situation where late and never were about equally useful. Even with the crowds, I was able to weasel my way close to the sculpture. Then, I looked into Mary’s face and fought back tears. There’s plenty written about why this particular Pieta is a masterpiece; all I can say is that if you see it, you will understand.
We then exited St. Peter’s for some photos in St. Peter’s Square and an opportunity to visit one of the Vatican gift shops. We always buy a Christmas ornament from each of our trips, and I can see the nativity scene that we purchased in the Vatican hanging on my tree as a type this. (As an FYI, there is a charge to use the restrooms in the Vatican gift shop, but those who make a purchase get a coupon for a free potty break. So, shop first, dear reader).
By the time we were done shopping, it was late morning, and I was starting to get hungry. But I decided to tough it out because I felt confident that there would be snacks on the bus. This meant that I spent my last minutes in the Vatican hangry; I channeled the hanger into angry looks at the many people puffing cigarette smoke into my face. My faith in our guides was rewarded when we climbed aboard the bus, though. As we left Rome, they passed a bucket of candy and a basket of other snacks. I had my final look at the Tiber as I munched on pistachio cookies and listened to Dean Martin sing Arrivederci Roma. I thought the music was cute touch; D thought it was a good incentive to dig out his noise cancelling headphones.
Our next destination was the Umbrian town of Orvieto, about 90 minutes outside Rome. Orvieto is a hill town, so called because it is on top of a hill. The bus parked at the base of the hill, and we took an elevator up into the town. Then, after some family photos in front of the duomo, we headed to a local restaurant for lunch and wine tasting. Now, as you probably don’t recall because it has been months since my last post, I was still struggling with dizziness from allergies. But the wine was included in our tour price, so I had to drink it. (They had non-alcoholic options, of course. But they also had wine. So, really, I had no choice).
This was a leisurely and enjoyable meal. We sampled different cheeses and vinegars, some appetizers, a main, dessert, and – of course – wine. After lunch, we had time to explore the town. As you might expect, our first order of business was to find some gelato. Although I am not sure how I managed to eat it, I thought my ricotta and marmalade cone was the best of the trip. After gelato, we spent some time in the duomo. The duomo was built in medieval times and updated over the intervening centuries. Its most important feature remains the flying cows on its façade.
I’m making most of this up, other than the flying cows. The duomo clearly has some stories to tell. The scorch marks on the stone and the melted stained glass were of particular interest to us, but there wasn’t much in the way of interpretative material inside the building. So, we were left to wonder.
After visiting the duomo, we walked around town a bit more and poked into some of the shops. Unfortunately, before too long, it was time to head back to the bus to finish our journey to Tuscany. (I suspect that our morning visit to St. Peter’s had cut short our time in Orvieto. But I don’t know that there is a better solution to the puzzle of how to fit St. Peter’s in the schedule).
After another two-hour bus journey, we pulled up to Hotel Borgo Di Cortefreda in the Tuscan town of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa. We were welcomed to the hotel with an outdoor reception. As we mostly didn’t eat prosecco, fruit, and caprese salad (because everyone was pretty set on food by this point), our guide passed out our room keys and the hotel cat made the rounds. One of our fellow guests later told us that the same cat had presented them with a mouse later in the day, so the human staff weren’t the only ones providing a warm welcome.
Once we had our keys, we headed to our room. It was straight out of central casting for a Tuscan hotel room, from the views of rolling hills to the colorful vespas parked below our window. P was excited to find that he had his own private loft and immediately made himself at home by decoratively scattering his socks around. Before too long, our luggage arrived, and we changed into our swimming gear for a visit to the pool. Like our room, the pool was ideally situated with views of the Tuscan countryside on 3 sides. (The pool is quite small given the size of the hotel, though, so actually swimming is something of an issue).
Soon, it was time to get cleaned up for dinner. This evening’s meal was one I had been looking forward to: a soda tasting and kids’ dinner for P and an adult dinner and wine tasting for D and me. ABD does an adult meal with separate activities for the kids on most of its trips and it had been a highlight of the Scotland trip for me. The dinner in Italy did not quite live up to the high standards set by the Scotland trip. Food-wise, it was my least favorite meal of the trip. (We had pasta and a stuffed artichoke; the main dish for meat eaters was platters of meat with a side of more meat). After dinner, D and I took a short walk around the hotel grounds, then headed downstairs to pick P up. P reported that the “lawn games” listed on the itinerary did not happen. However, he did have a soda tasting, dinner, and a movie night. Although the lobby bar was still open, we elected to head to our room to relax. I don’t know if it was the heat or the 3rd wine-tasting of the day, but I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.