Briandi 2 at 5 Terre

Under "picturesque" in the dictionary it says "see the Cinque Terre". We arrived ala Anthony Bourdain, that is, with no reservations. The room we scored in Vernazza (fourth town from the south) for the first 2 of 4 nights here had the most spectacular location possible - right on the harborfront overlooking fishing boats, cafe table, pastel buildings and tuquoise water. We were ready to move into that room forever and fantasized about how we would turn it into a little apartment.
For the next 2 nights we really moved up - 114 steps, that is! A minor inconvenience. The train strike yesterday? Also a minor inconvenience - welcome to Italy! Look for our happy shadows waving at you from the boat picture...

Burnt in Siena

Siena - it's a whole world unto itself. A trip to the massive cathedral could easily fill a day, or at least a brain, with its hordes of internal and external eye candy. There are endless statues and colored marble intricacies and guilded paintings and ornate floors... and then you go inside!

Il Campo, the town square with its distinctive tower on the Palazzo Publico, offers acres of bricks where students study and sketch, while tourists like PolloGomma sip lattes and let their imaginations try to conjure up scenes of local events - the pagentry of dance competitions with enourmous banners, the annual horse race around the square, all the medieval charm and history that still permeates Siena today.

And that stuff is modern compared to the Etruscan history we find in Volterra. Even 2500 years ago, they could really carve a funerary urn!

Postcard from Pienza

It's our last day of a week at an agriturismo (farm B & B) in the Renaissance Tuscan village of Pienza. Snapped these photos as we said farewell to our favorite shops and alleys. As you can see, we sometimes had to share our town with tourists - ugh! But mornings and evenings it belonged to us locals...

High Time in the Hill Towns

Just arrived, but so far the tastes and sights of Tuscany are as promised - fabulous. For you "Twilight - New Moon" fans, we enountered no vampires in "Volterra" (actually filmed in Montepulciano, last photo).

Capricious in Sorrento

Can't post this from our hotel in Sorrento, but the view of the sea is great (as pictured below, we think). Good wine, good gelato, tasty all around. Excursion to Capri ("CAP-ree") yesterday was full of great views, magical grottos and a chairlift ride (pictured) that was a total hoot.

Off to Toscana (yeah, Tuscany) tomorrow - from a seaside paradise to the heart of rural, scenic Italy.

Wifi in Sorrento

Just a quick hi from our lunch spot in Sorrento. Naturally, we forgot to take any phone pix of our awesome dinner on the Mediterranean waterfront at Ristorante Delfino last night. Guess you'll have to wait for the movie to come out...

Last days of Pompeii (and Naples)

PolloGomma thought Pompeii was fascinating yesterday, but was pretty tired by the time we finished seeing Herculaneum, too. Pompeii was vast but it was the little things like chariot ruts, pizza ovens, and detailed mosaics and frescos that displayed its humanity. Same for the smaller, better-preserved Herculaneum. Above both sites looms the broken mountain of Vesuvius, as much a ruin of its former glory as the destroyed towns below.

We find ourselves facing our final day in Naples with sadness about leaving but full of anticipation for our next destinations - Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Isle of Capri...

Said goodbye to one of our favorite shops near our hotel - liquor and guitars. What's not to like?!

Ciao till we find wifi again!

Strolling in Napoli

Our walking tour of downtown Naples included a latte break in the amazing Galleria (see photo). Today, Base NATO (where Brian was stationed in a previous lifetime), tomorrow Pompeii - from one slice of history to another.

PolloGomma in Naples

For now, we are using our relatively smart phone to post piccolo Buzz updates. Lots more words and pix when we get home!

We have been blissfully jetlag free in hot, bustling Napoli, and after showing PolloGomma the travertine quarry and Hadrian's Villa outside Rome, we have taken PG to the archaeological museum in Naples and to Gaeta, Brian's first naval duty station. The photo is a "capricious" lunchtime picnic on the garden terrace of our hotel. We can hear the tiny cars and fearless scooters zooming by on the street below.

No misadventures yet (though we know those make the best stories...) Arrived in Naples on football (soccer) night, though, with the stadium just around the corner. Crazy busy, even saw the team bus go by followed by a throng of Vespas. Each score against Milan brought a chorus of yells from every neighborhood bar. From our room we counted 3 scores and later learned that Milan made only 1. Maybe that's why everyone seems so friendly.

Ciao for now!

From Off the Grid into the Pizza Oven

PolloGomma Goes to Italy

Hi, Everyone! It's been quite a while since you have heard from the Buzz. We have been doing various summer things around our property on the Olympic Peninsula, and now it's already time to get underway again. Wow, tempus fugit.

We're starting the travel year this time by making a little side trip. . . to ITALY! At the same time, we're trying out a new way of getting the Buzz out, by using Blogger.com. This should be more useful, especially while we are away from all our tech goodies. While in Italy, we hope to chronicle the travels of our little friend PolloGomma as he (she?) gets out into the world.

Feel free to post remarks to the Buzz blog, or you can reach us by email at naf.player@gmail.com.