Italy Beyond the Obvious

Unique Rocks In Italy

My favorite rock from Italy is the one I got set at Scavia after my husband proposed on our terrace in Milan. But actually this post is about some very unique and (mostly) natural rock formations worth visiting. Bonus: they're free, and not closed on Mondays.

Best For Daydreaming

Sardinia is sort of known for animal-shaped rocks: check out this giant bear, and the elephant above. I find the rocks in the La Maddalena archipelago, off Sardinia's northern tip, particularly animal-laden. I can't not see animals when looking at them (I mean, that's obviously a polar bear below, right?). 

Most Photographed Rocks

The three faraglioni (Stella, Mezzo, and Scupolo) rise from the sea off the island of Capri, which itself is off the Amalfi Coast and close to Naples. Take a boat out, and kiss your lover as you pass through the arch. 

Most Artistic

Abruzzo's La Morgia is a limestone rock-island in the middle of the countryside sort of kind of near Rome, famous for the sculpture that bridges its notch. The notch was made by dynamite during limestone mining, and Greek artist Costas Varotsos added the artwork: twenty meters wide and eleven meters high, the sculpture is made of steel and green glass and lit from behind, making it quite a landmark. 

Most Fabled

Sicily is, of course, the Island of the Cyclops in Homer's famous Odyssey. But the three tall column-shaped islands off the small town of Aci Trezza, on Sicily's east coast, are referred to as the Islands of the Cyclops by the locals: they were allegedly the stones thrown at Odysseus.

Photo of elephant rock by Fotopusch; Photo of Polar Bear in La Maddalena by Sanjay; Photo of Faraglioni by Paul 'Tuna" Turner; Photo of La Morgia by Villas For 2; Photo of Islands of the Cyclops by Boobelle

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The Worst Italian Souvenir, Ever (What is it?)

Here's an example of great design put to an unfortunate use. The item in the photo below was given to me by the folks at the Piedmont tourism board, and I do appreciate the thought (really!). But as far as souvenirs go, it's everything a souvenir shouldn't be: bulky, somewhat heavy, occupies a lot of real estate, and most importantly, not worth it. I mean, a bottle of olive oil is heavy and bulky too, but oh-so-worth it. This souvenir solves a problem that I have solved in a lighter, easier, cheaper way my entire life (and so have you). 

There's no photographic angle that works to see it properly, so I recorded a short video, in which according to my husband, I sound disgusted. Actually this souvenir is not that bad. I don't find it disgusting; I'd describe it more as annoying that someone would spend time and energy creating it, especially since a lot of classic Italian design has come from the region of Piedmont. Alessi housewares, Bialetti coffee machines, Zegna menswear, and Cerutti high-end fashion all come from the region. Then again, maybe this is the next must-have item and I just don't get it. Entirely possible.

 

Did you figure out what this souvenir was designed for? Post it in the comments, or post about other bad souvenirs you've seen.

Update, September 24th: Thanks for the comments, and do you want to know what it is? Here's a fancy version of what I use instead of the above (most of the time I just use a receipt). 

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Fairies, Frogs and Spiders in Rome

Walk through the arched entrance (photo below) to the Coppedè Quarter of Rome into a world of architectural whimsy. Named after its architect, but also known as the Dora Quarter, this small art deco neighborhood is often described as surreal or fairytale-like; some say the style is reminiscent of Spanish architect Gaudi. There's nothing ancient Roman about it: less than 100 years old, it was built to be a working-class neighborhood, and today in addition to residential buildings, there's just an embassy or two.

On the other side of the entrance arch, the Fontana delle  Rane, or Fountain of the Frogs marks the main square, Piazza Mincio. In front of the fountain is Palazzina del Ragno, or spider building (photo at bottom), with its amazing spiderweb mosaic (photo). And don't miss the magical Villa delle Fate, or Fairy Villa (photo below). 

This isn't an area buzzing with cafes and restaurants, though you'll find something around Piazza Buenos Aires. If you don't want to just wander and hope to get lucky, see the map below for food suggestions: I've marked an inexpensive panino place and a nice restaurant.

Worth Seeing Nearby (Plotted on map below)

• Visit the gorgeous art and architecture in the park setting of the Villa Torlonia. Its museums are worth seeing, as is the fantastical guest house Casina delle Civette, or Villa of the Owls (photo) with its unique stained glass windows. And, an interesting piece of history: Mussolini lived at the Villa Torlonia during the 1920s.  

• Villa Borghese: one of Rome's most famous art museums, the Galleria Borghese is in the huge park of the same name.  

• MACRO is Rome's museum of Contemporary Art.  

• In the park of the Villa Borghese is one of Rome's most visited attractions, the Bioparco, aka the Zoo.  

For more detailed information on the art nouveau style and history of the neighborhood, this is a great article.

Photo of entrance to Quartiere Coppede by gattospino

Photo of Fairy Villa by mari foto

Photo of Frog Fountain with Spider Villa by colros

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The Sounds of Italy: Tapparelle

There are certain sounds I associate with Italy: cicadas, from my summer in Brisighella; church bells, because I miss them every time I leave; the cacophony of a market; and - believe it or not - the sound of tapparelle being raised or lowered.

When I arrived in Italy for the very first time, the tapparelle or rolling blinds were one of the first things I noticed. When pulled down, they make everything look uniform - and closed. I remember thinking Milan was a ghost town. But it was just an early Sunday morning in September, and people hadn't woken up yet. An entire city of closed tapparelle is a little disconcerting if you've never seen it before. 

And then of course people started waking up, and for the first time I heard the very distinctive sound of tapparelle opening - a sound I then heard most mornings (and evenings as they were closed) for the years I lived in Italy. The sound of rolling slats of metal isn't exactly music, but it's distinctive. And when everyone nearby has several windows to close, and when you live in close quarters in an apartment building, well, the routine and the sound of neighbors closing up for the night becomes part of daily life.

After awhile I paid as much attention to the tapparelle as I did to garbage cans or lamp posts - that is, not much. They were useful, and they were there. The sound they made blended into Background Noises In Life, along with the ever-present Milanese traffic or the rumble of the subway. Until I left. And then I noticed the sounds that were missing.  

What are they, exactly?

Tapparella also means conveyor belt, which gives you a sense of how they open and close: think slats that slide and roll. Made out of metal, or sometimes wood, the sheet of slats rolls up and down on a deep track along each side of the window. I've never seen one come unhinged. They are opened and closed from the inside with either a button, a crank, or a rope, and they roll up inside the wall so when they're open you can't see them at all. Fantastic at keeping the light out, they are also great for security: the Italians I know don't have home alarm systems. When they leave town they just close their tapparelle and off they go.

Photo by gualtiero

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A Fountain of Mystery

Fountains in Italy are a destination unto themselves. Perfect for a city scavenger hunt for the kids (or the kid in in anyone); a free, always-open and in situ work of art; and ideal for splashing yourself (not necessarily splashing in) on a hot day. 

So, take a photo, throw a coin, and then move on. Or, spend some time getting to know a fountain and you'll usually get a feel for the town's history, or at least be intrigued by it. Take the Fountain of the 99 Spouts in the city of L'Aquila for example.

Ice-cold water has been gushing from this fountain for over 700 years, but nobody knows where the water comes from. Why are only 93 of the 99 spouts carved (as men, women, and animals) while 6 are plain? Nobody knows. Why is there what looks like a Templar Cross carved into the wall above the fountain? Nobody knows. There are more unexplained things about the fountain too.

What we do know: the fountain was built in 1272, designed by Tancredi da Pentimo, and was originally called La Rivera after the L'Aquila neighborhood which bordered the Aterno river. (Tancredi is allegedly buried somewhere under the fountain, but really, nobody knows.) The fountain's current name is related to L'Aquila's history: the town was founded in the early 13th century from 99 neighboring villages and 99 castles. 

If you're interested in more detail on each spout, use this layout of the fountain, and then click on the numbers on the right hand side of this page for a photo of the corresponding spout.

Um, The Elephant in the Room?

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last 6 months, you know that L'Aquila and many towns in the surrounding area (see map) were damaged during an earthquake in early April 2009. Almost 300 people were killed and over 48,000 left homeless. As of this writing, things are nowhere near back to normal. But: the fountain was not damaged, and can still be visited. It's near the train station, and easy to get to, though not incredibly well signposted.

So: should you go? If you're in the area anyway then yes, and I'm sure the region would love tourism support (and nobody stopped visiting California or Mexico because of earthquakes, right?). You'll also find that modern-day accommodation in the region is built to anti-earthquake construction regulations and therefore, as David of Villas for 2 says, are unscathed. If it's already 2010 or 2011 by the time you read this then go. L'Aquila after all has had 11 documented earthquakes since the 14th century and been rebuilt every time. 

For information on how to help or for the latest on the reconstruction, check the Red Cross website.

Photo by VillasFor2

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In Italy, Everyone Knows...

When I hear someone begin a sentence with "everyone knows...." my ears perk up. It's a great insight into culture and inevitably the start of an interesting conversation - as long as the topic is approached with curiosity and an open mind as opposed to a "you're crazy" comment, of course. Below I've listed five "Everyone knows" statements that had me very puzzled or surprised when I first heard them.

In Italy...

• ... everyone knows that getting a breeze on the back of your neck can make you sick (so always carry a scarf).

  

• ... everyone knows that cappuccino is only for breakfast (but don't fret, the barista will make one for you regardless of the hour).   
  

  

• ... everyone knows that showers are never taken immediately after eating. The blood will rush from your stomach, where it's needed to digest your food, to your limbs in order to keep them warm. The food will then become a hard mass in your stomach causing severe cramps. You could fall in the shower and hit your head. Ever wonder what those emergency cords (photo below) hanging in most Italian showers were for? Now you know.

    

• ... everyone knows that your quality of sleep is affected when the seasons change.  

  

• ... everyone knows that drinking ice-cold liquid is bad for your stomach. Consquence: water, and drinks in general are not served with ice and are often served at room temperature.

Have you got any to add, or disagree with any of the above? Please share in the Comments!

Photo of wheat in the breeze by Sabrina Campagna; Photo of shower emergency cord by Lime124

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Cycling in Sardinia

Let's get this out of the way, since I know there is one thing travelers want to know when planning to cycle on vacation. It's the same thing I got asked every single morning before breakfast when I guided bike tours in Italy:  what about the hills?  The answer is, Sardinia is hilly. Very hilly.

If that's okay, read on. Because Sardinia Tourism has put together a fabulous and free cycling guide to the island, which I recently received in print but is also available online. The guide includes detailed route instructions for five multi-day cycling itineraries around the island, a total of 24 days or stages. 

In addition to maps and information about each day's distance and difficulty, the guide highlights major attractions along the route and includes photos that will make you want to book a plane ticket, like the one above of the rock formation (the small island with the unique shape) Pan di Zucchero, off the island's southwest coast and included in Day 4 of the southern itinerary.  The routes are also impressively oriented so that the cyclist is not riding into the Mistral wind, which blows from the northwest.

One Issue, And a Possible Workaround

As you can see from the table I created below, the itineraries were not put together according to a level of difficulty. Every itinerary has at least 2 days marked as "demanding", which is defined as having up to 1700 m of elevation gain per 100 km. And three of the five routes have at least one day categorized as "hard", which means mountainous, or more than 1700 m of elevation gain per 100 km. 

 

 

 

 

 

But the route instructions are written in so much detail that it would be simple to pick out the "easy" or "medium" days, and just cycle a day here and there according to personal endurance levels. It would also be easy to break up one day into two, if let's say 121 km of mountainous terrain (Day 5 of the Northeast Route) is too much.

Personally I would break up the days only because they are long days. Sardinia has some of the best beaches in the world, and I wouldn't want to cycle by them without a sample.

 

Photo of Pan di Zucchero by giselanto