My dad wanted to take Mallory on a big trip this year and because she happened to be eating pasta when he called and asked her about where she wanted to go, Italy it was. Here is the story, as told by my dad. Enjoy.
Wednesday, August 10, 2022
Mallory, Stella, and I (Mike) were delivered to the airport by Stella’s mother, Tansy, in her fancy Land Rover. (My first time ever in a Rover!)
The flight to JFK Airport took about two-and-a-half hours. Thanks to Mallory, grampa didn’t lead the group to the wrong gate. Mal figured out we had to go to terminal #8. We departed for Rome at 16:50 on a nine hour flight. Slept a lot.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
We arrived in Rome all fresh and alert at 7:30 AM and had a thirty-minute cab ride to our apartment in the Trastevere area of the city on a street named Via Luciano Manara.
The apartment was quite nice, with a long entry hallway, three bedrooms (one a master bedroom with bath), a kitchen and a second bath. The entire space had 12’ ceilings. The problem was we couldn’t figure out how to get the air conditioning turned on. There were three through-wall units, one in each bedroom, but we couldn’t get them to do anything. The AC system consisted of three “split units” high on the walls at the ceiling. Once we were aiming the remotes at the right place, we got cool.
The girls decided to run out for a snack at a nearby restaurant at noon. Then everyone crashed, the girls for about 4 hours and me for 2-1/2.
At 17:00, we went out in search of supper, but the “real” restaurants don’t open until 7:00 or 7:30 PM! At 7:00 we dined at the Cambio Pizzaria: Stella – veggie burger; Mal – chicken tenders; gramps – Ricotta (sp ?) and bread with olive oil….yum! Then we went to Otaleg for gelato. (“Otaleg” is gelato backwards. Aren’t those Italians clever?)
Then we went searching the nearby Piazza di Santa Maria for the church,
but I lost my phone somehow just walking down the street. Mal tracked it down. Some woman had found it and given it to a policeman. Just as the cop got it in his hand, Mal happened to call my number and he answered. Thanks again, Mallory. Then we decided to return to the apartment before I lost anything else.
At about 8:30 PM, the girls went out for some fresh air and, I suspect, more gelato.
Friday, August 12, 2022
We woke up at 6:00 AM (Ann Arbor time, which is noon in Italy). We had cereal for breakfast and then went out for a walk, looking for the Santa Maria church and Piazza again.
We then taxied to Saint Peter’s Square and Basilica. (By the way, St Peter’s Square is round.) We had to stand in a quarter-mile long line in the square to enter the church.
The girls had to wear shawls to cover their bare shoulders.
I wore long khakis so as not to show too much leg. We spent about an hour-and-a-half there.
I especially liked the Michelangelo sculpture of Jesus and Mary after the crucifixion.
Then we walked about a mile to the Vatican Museum entrance, stopping for gelato on the way. (Damn, it was hot!)
Touring the museum was mildly interesting. There were an awful lot of bowls and vases, and lots of Greek stuff.
Passed through the Sistine Chapel – big rectangular box with lots of pictures on the walls and ceiling. We were not allowed to take pictures there.
We taxied home and went to Ai Spaghetara restaurant around the corner. The girls had pizza margherita and loved it. I had “Pizza Fantasia” which was a ridiculous concoction of a precooked pizza dough with lettuce and sliced baby tomatoes and two slices of prosciutto but with no sauce or dressing. It was terrible. Home to bed.
Saturday, August 13, 2022
We slept until noon Rome time again. Cereal for breakfast, and then taxied to the Pantheon, but it didn’t open until 15:00.
So we walked maybe half a mile to the Trevi Fountain. That was pretty cool.
The girls threw euros in, but I don’t know what they wished for. Probably gelato. Taxi home.
Stella and Mal went shopping but smartly didn’t buy anything. I went to the laundromat a block away from the apartment. We dined at Ai Spaghetara again. Girls had pizza again, but I forget what I had. Not too memorable, I guess. Home and to sleep.
Sunday, August 14, 2022
We all set our alarms for 9:00 AM. Stella and I popped up at 9:00. We noticed Mal was still asleep at 9:50.
After a quick breakfast, we were picked up at 10:00 by Piere-Luigi in his new Mercedes. He offered us cigarettes. We declined.
It was a 40 minute drive to Tivoli. We toured the Tivoli Palace and absorbed large amounts of Italian culture. Then out the back door and down and down steps and ramps to view the Tivoli Gardens, which were beautiful.
I, though, was worried about having to ascend to the palace which we could barely see up among the clouds. It was torture!
Then we left the palace and Piere-Luigi drove us to the Sibilla Restaurant, which sits among ruins. Cool place.
Very picturesque. Stella partook of the mussel ravioli, but without mussels; I had the same but with mussels, including Stella’s; Mal had spaghetti which she LOVED. Our ravioli had no sauce and it was more like individual cheese piroghis, with mussels in the bowl. It was okay. For dessert, Stella enjoyed “Mille Seville” (custardy); Mal loved her watermelon sorbet; I had a hazelnut pudding with a sauce to die for. Back home about 18:00 and I talked the girls into playing three-handed euchre.
I knew Samantha had ordered Mal to play euchre, but I only got one game out of them, but, not to brag, I won! At 7:30, the girls went out for another walk, and I bet they had gelato.
Monday, August 15, 2022
Alarms got us up 7:30, and Mal did good today, as did Stella per usual. We had a quick breakfast and off to a taxi trip to the Colosseum.
We spent a little over two hours touring. Mal kept saying it feels like we were walking into a football game. I agreed that it felt like walking into Ohio Stadium, but I thought this place felt newer and was in better repair. One sign I read told how entrepreneurs would sponge up the blood of the slain gladiators and lion victims to sell, as it was believed to be a cure for epilepsy. (I’d rather have epilepsy, I think.)
We taxied back to the apartment, and I let Mal lead me down to a hat store on the corner, where I purchased a Roma cap and a Mona Lisa t-shirt. Mal made me buy the shirt, so sure her mother would love it. I had to promise to leave it to her in my will.
We went back to Ai Spaghetara for dinner.
I went to a Bankomat on the way home.
Tuesday, August 16,2022
We left our Rome home with Christine’s friend, headed to the Rome train station. The station wasn’t as confusing as we expected and boarded car number 2 on track 10 easily.
The trip was quite relaxing, and we had many great views of the Italian countryside. Upon arriving at the Venice train station, we had a little trouble connecting with Stefano, but finally did. He put our bags on a cart and we headed off toward our Venice home. It was maybe a twenty-minute walk to our two-bedroom apartment. There was a large living room and a small kitchen with a balcony overlooking a canal. Very pretty green water.
The AC systems in the bedrooms worked fine, but the one in the living room didn’t, but there was enough spill over from the bedrooms to keep it comfortable. Only problem I had was the very low light level in the apartment. My old eyes need more light.
Out the door quickly looking for food. On the way, Mal and Stella discovered two kittens that were always waiting for them to pass by.
We discovered the Oche pizzeria about a block away from the apartment and the girls locked in on the cheese pizza, which they swore was the best ever. (One reason may be is that Italian mozzarella is “real” mozzarella made from the milk of water buffalo, not from cow milk, like we stupid Americans have.) I went home and girls went for, what else, gelato!
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
We slept late again and had cereal for breakfast again. Then we walked to the vaporetto station at San Stea. (The vaporetto system consists of a bunch of bus/boats continuously running back and forth on the Grand Canal.) Christine bought us two day passes for that. When we went to get on the boat ,we were refused admittance because we forgot our covid masks. So we trekked back to the apartment (about 10-15 minutes each way, got our masks, and rode the boat about 10 stops down the canal to the San Marcos stop. This a list of the stops.
We toured the Doges Palace which had been the Dukes’ residence a few years back, like 1300 AD. Impressive place.
We were hot and tired and in need of gelato, so didn’t feel like searching for the church of San Marcos. Vaporetto-ed back to apartment.
Dinner happened again at the Oches pizzeria. I had steak medallions and fries recommended by our good friend, the waiter Giorgio. Good stuff! Girls stuck with cheese pizza, which I think insulted Giorgio.
Thursday, August 18, 2022
The girls decided they were going to take the vaporetto to Burano Island. I said I had had enough walking in the heat, so was going to relax. Off they went to see the gaily painted houses. (something about the fishermen having trouble finding their houses when it was foggy or they’d been drinking), hence the wild colors.
I sat around for a while at the apartment, and noticed it was getting cloudy and wasn’t as hot as it had been, so I took the vaporetto back to San Marcos to find the church. It turns out the church is immediately next to the Doges palace that we had visited the day before. There was a long line and it took about 45 minutes to get in. (That’s the Doges palace on right.)
There was remodeling going on so the front of the church wasn’t completely visible, but the interior was stunning.
Afterwards I waited at the vaporetto dock for about half an hour for the yellow boat to come by. I found out from Christine that I could take any boat that stopped at the Line 1 dock, but just then it started sprinkling and I had the idea to walk back to the apartment, about half an hour trip. As I walked, the heavens opened up into a torrential downpour, so I got soaked and chilled, but it felt so good. I got home just a few minutes after the girls had returned.
We dined on leftovers from previous evening, and the girls went for their last gelato treat. We packed up for an early departure the next day.
Friday, August 19, 2022
Christine had arranged for our bags to be picked up and put on a cart for the 25 minute walk to taxi stand on the northwest corner of the island. Due to the early hour, the charge was 50 euros (one euro equals $1.01.) Then a short taxi ride to the airport. We were charged another 50 euros for the taxi ride. Expensive morning.
When we first booked the airfare, American had us coming home from Venice through Philadelphia to Detroit. But a month prior to the trip, they canceled the Philly to Detroit leg and booked us from Philly to Cleveland. They said that was as close as they had to get us since it was under their 300 mile rule to Detroit. I balked at that and demanded they get us to DTW. So they changed the routing as follows: Venice to London; London to Miami; Miami to Detroit.
This is a shot on the Heathrow Airport shuttle going from one terminal to another. Proof that Mal was in London.
Almost home. Mal’s dad picked us up a little after midnight.
The End