Author: sanborn

Yesterday, I turned 65. Also my cousin Pedrick turned 70, and his grandson Silas turned 5. A trifecta! So we had a family reunion in Castine, a small coastal village in northern Maine. The days have been crisp, not to say cold, and clear blue skies. The sunshine brightens everything, the white picket fences sparkle, and the leaves dance with gold and red. It’s gorgeous.

My brother Robin and his wife Peggy and I went out to the lighthouse before brunch today.

The brunch was very fun!

What a fantastic way to celebrate a birthday! Share it with a delightful laughing 5-year old and a garrulous 70-year who is the reigning family patriarch who knows all the stories and tells them!

I slept in one of the attic bedrooms in the Big House up some stairs so steep I had to hang on to the walls as I went up or down. Paperthin but authentic (!) single-pane glass. Wind howling outside, electric blanket on the bed.

To come downstairs on my birthday felt like Christmas. The kitchen where my grandfather used to make blueberry pancakes was a bit chilly, but my cousin Pedrick had some coffee underway and had turned the heat up. Today was our birthday! Each person who came down gave each of us a hug. The celebration began.

By lunchtime everyone had arrived: my brother Charles was already there. Robin pulled up at 1pm, Emma and the kids showed up at 3, and a slew of new-to-me relatives filled up the dining room and the kitchen.

So many of my birthdays are low key. Perhaps a dinner planned with friends or maybe something the following weekend. What a contrast to have 20-30 people partying all afternoon and evening. Wow…!

My cousin Johanna had rented a local hall for us. It took a while to set everything up so Robin and Peggy and I wandered for a few minutes over to the sea shore where there was a sinuous stone sculpture. The elegant curves, the smooth polished surfaces, the rough sides…a good juxtaposition with the rough slate blue sea.

At dinner we had some games about Maine and Castine history. The away crowd (that would be me and my brothers) were singled out for extra razzing… All very fun. [Did you know that lobsters used to be considered the cheapest and least worthy food? Or that only 15 of Maine’s 4,600 islands are inhabited year round?]

My brother Charles:

And my cousin Pedrick:

Three cakes for three birthdays!

Lots of presents afterwards…

And, to wrap, the Maine coast is just gorgeous. Wild, remote, water bound. When the wind howls through, you’re glad to have fleece and heavy coats on. Beautiful but severe.

Yesterday was a long day. Up at 5:30 to make an early flight out of Florence. Breakfast was a bit odd, but I decided it was after noon somewhere.

Then a quick stop in Frankfurt where I bought some dense German bread at the wonderful (really!) airport bakery. Nobody makes bread like the Germans!!

Then into Boston where I took a bus up to Portland Maine. My cousin Meriby met me and we had just enough time before we had to pick up another family member from the airport to fit in an emergency trip to LL Bean in Freeport. This is their headquarters and it’s astonishing. Like Disneyland for grown ups. It’s open 24/7, 365 days a year. They only day it’s ever been closed was when LL Bean himself died. They have a campus with five separate buildings, one for hunting and fishing, one for camping gear and outdoors clothing, another for home goods… Yikes. A tour group came in while we were there (at 8pm on a Weds!).

My emergency is that I can’t get flannel sheets in Italy and I’m such a cold sleeper that I _need_ them to sleep from November to April. …what can I say?!…

OMG, they have an entire department for Monogramming!!

Today we’ll drive up to Castine. Should be very pretty: along the coast, through forests. I hope we’ll get fall colors. And we did!

We stayed at my cousin Meriby’s place. She has renovated a 1800s public tavern.

As we drove to Castine, Marilyn needed (!) a ginger ice cream. Most ice cream places are closed, shuttered down. Hey, it’s 41F and late October. I guess it’s too cold for ice cream? But we found a place and Marilyn is holding my strawberry sundae milkshake!!

Went to an art+ sculpture park in the hills above Pistoia that is owned by the collector Giuliano Gori. Amazing. I went last evening with a group of friends. This private collection is never open. You must book a month or two in advance for a private tour, so my friends had never seen the sculptures that are scattered around the property. When Rita’s friend Columba was invited to a tribute concert for the futurist composer/musician/visual artist Daniele Lombardi, Rita asked me and a couple others to go, we all jumped at the chance. I had no idea what the evening was about. I thought we’d wander around and look at the art in the park. No word of a concert.

Well…

It was a big deal. Very cool. The tribute consisted in three separate concerts, each in a different location. The first was in a small simple open-air amphitheatre. They provided cushions and we sat wherever we liked. A pair of flutists played some music composed by Lombardi, whose style is very dissonant, like Berio.

And I took a short video, so you can get a sense of being there.

When this portion was done, we all moved up to a small building near the entrance. Art was scattered every where.

Again, the flutists played. This time in a narrow gallery with walls painted to visualize the music they’d be playing. And on the floor were blocks of cardboard with a snippet of music on them. After the duet, the older man walked along the gallery, reading & playing the music under his feet. Wonderful resonance in the space and I found delight in the unconventional approach.

Finally we all trouped down to the main palazzo area. There was a small building that was a memorial to the composer. The outside doors were covered in semi-hieroglyphics that were in fact musical notes. And, what is more (!), the doors played that music when they were opened. I gotta say, it was cool!

The first man who played was a skilled violinist who read the doors and played the notes. After him, the two flutists came back for one last set.

And as the light faded, I wandered off to some nearby sculpture that was aglow with the sunset light. It’s not as clear here. But in person, it was alive with light.

And finally, a couple extra shots:

Our hosts offered us a glass of wine from their own cellars and some snacks. All in all, it was great.

Vicopisano is a small town near Pisa. Every second Sunday is an antiques market. My friend Birke and I got there at 11 and first got ourselves cappuccinos. After that we wandered. Warm October day. Casual atmosphere.

Then it was time for lunch. We’d seen a small place with tables outside. We found spaces at a table for six where only 3 seats were reserved. This place was hopping! Testi. It’s a butcher with fresh gorgeous meats but it also does take out and also has tables inside and out.

Broiled veal with salt crystals and red peppercorns, roast beef sliced very thin, tiny fried veggies, spinach+potato cakes. Their own wine, with a pig as the logo. I ordered a glass of wine and the waiter just put a bottle down for us. Just easier…

A group of young men say at the rest of the table. They were friendly and noisy. When their first dish came, it was a filet of beef. It looked great, and we said so. Immediately one of them cut us a generous chunk and insisted we try it. It was indeed wondrous. So tender and fresh. OMG!

At the end of the day, we drove back to Pietrasanta to have cocktail with Rita, but she wasn’t feeling well. So heck, we decided to have the cocktail anyhow. Both of us were surprised at how busy the piazza was. Quite a crowd. Just almost all Italian. The foreigners have mostly left.

A lovely day. Nice to have a new friend in Birke. We only met on Friday, at Studio Pescarella. That’s what happens here: you meet people from all over the world. Very fun.

This post is dedicated to my brother Charles who’d love these places. 🙂

I stayed at many hotels on my bike trip and one more afterwards in the Cinque Terre that was incredible. So here we go…

Jet Hotel in Turin, across from the airport. A1 for convenience. If you ever have to fly into Turin, use this hotel. It was modern and well done. The restaurant had very good food and wine. The outdoor patio was comfortable. We stayed there on our first and last nights. It was very pleasant.

Ca’ Vittoria in Tigliole, near Asti. Out in the middle of nowhere! Remote, elegant, pampering. Old stone palazzo, old fashioned furniture coupled with modern plumbing. Excellent chef, delicious food (truffles were an option), wonderful patio for drinks and dinner overlooking the pool, exquisite bathrooms (my one regret on the trip was that I didn’t photograph all the bathroom porcelain. The bidets in particular were individual, interesting, italian design… just beautiful shapes! And no, I didn’t use any of them. But I loved looking at them.). There was a view down the valley at the plain far below. It’s positioned at the top of a steep hill (tough for us on our bikes!) and so the views were lovely. [http://www.ristorantevittoria.it]

As the evening progressed, first the Maui cyclists arranged themselves in elegant comfortable rattan chairs around a coffee table, ordering the first beverage of the evening. Then as we all gathered for the group meeting and dinner, dusk gently descended. Table candles were lit, scarves and jackets wrapped chilled shoulders, and conversations established themselves among strangers. But the time we’d had several bottles of wine, we were moving towards being old friends. Lovely.

Hotel Brezza in Barolo. In the middle of Barolo country. Just outside the town of Barolo, but walking distance. Large well appointed pool facing the town. Wonderful patio for drinks and dinner also facing town. We had a full moon while we were there and seeing the orange globe rise over the vineyards was awe inspiring. [https://www.hotelbarolo.it]

The restaurant was very popular, with lots of tables crowded with Norwegians and Germans, and a scattering of French. Some Italians. The ragu on homemade local-style skinny noodles was perfect and the salad was fresh and rich with balsamic and olive oil. Sitting outside, the castle town of Barolo was right there. It was like Disneyland to see the moon come up and the lights go on.

Hotel Miramonte in Calizzano. In the mountains. Mushrooms a speciality. Homemade limoncell and three types of grappa. Old fashioned hotel, a throwback to places I stayed in decades ago. Definitely worth it for atmosphere, but not for pampering. Old style elevator with inside doors you have to close. Major quaint points. Also, for anyone on a bike, the approach was marvelous. We rode for miles along a smooth flat river-side road to get there and left on a downhill.

I loved this hotel. Took me back to my childhood. The pair of interior elevator does that had to be closed before the elevator would work. The intense smell of wood and camphor or something that was inside the cupboards. The family feeling in the restaurant. Quite delightful. We stored our bicycles in a dark locked garage space on the street behind the hotel. Not modern, but the wifi was fine. Managed to get an Aperol, but not the usual fancy glass.

The town was pleasant but felt like Switzerland.

The home made, family style approach extended to their liqueurs. This is the place that offered us home made limoncello and three types of grappa (plain, camomile, and myrtle, on the far right).

Hotel Garden Lido in Loano, on the seaside. Very organized hotel. Modern and comfortable. They had a bicycle room downstairs with pump, bike sale Ligutand, and bike tools. Very nice! The appetizers were ample and delicious. The town of Loano has old narrow streets and charm, but the nearby town of Finale Ligure has a lovely piazza with a great gelateria and a flower bed on the side facing the beach with today’s date presented in a set of tiny cactuses. Yes, changed every day. AND, by the way, this is a huge MTB area. Huge! There were MTB riders and shops everywhere. The hills behind the town are full of hiking and biking trails. [http://www.gardenlido.com]

The hotel had a swimming pool and a hot tub (regret: didn’t use) plus a lovely beach area.

Hotel Miranda in Varazze, also on the seaside. Old fashioned style but very modern. My room looked out over the town and was very comfortable. They provided appetizers that were a meal in themselves. Vitello tonnato was my personal favorite. It was addictive. [http://www.hotelmiranda.it]

I liked this hotel. Comfortable, very friendly staff, very Italian style–I felt that this was a hotel used by locals. St back from the beach and busy tourist area, it was peaceful and serene. There was a lovely patio looking or towards the sea and an enclosed garden/sitting area downstairs.

Villa San Carlo in Cortemilia, back inland again. The owner is Carlo who is a famous international chef. He turned down a Michelin star because he didn’t want the pressure. He prepared special menus for our group that focused on the local speciality of hazelnuts, from the appetizers to the dessert. [http://www.hotelsancarlo.it] We had a wine tasting class after a tour of his cellar. I spoke of it elsewhere in my blog.

Villa Morneto further north. Not in a town. Out in the middle of the fields. Very popular for weddings and parties, so large scale, but they handled up beautifully. Infinity pool in front of a view of valley and town opposite. Elegant and pampered. Excellent meals, including scrambled eggs at breakfast. NB: The chess pieces in the hotel photos are made of some heavy metal. Very pleasing to hold. [http://www.villamorneto.it]

There were several places to sit outside and the warm sunshine and light breezes made it so comfortable. The views in every direction were outstanding: hilltop villages, groomed fields, vineyards, distant hills with church spires sharp silhouettes.

Canonica di Corteranzo, on the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere. The most amazing! Views of the alps, bathrobes and slippers for the pool, attentive and friendly hosts, excellent food in a beautiful restaurant. Comfortable and elegant old-fashioned style but then modern in the plumbing. The most aesthetically pleasing bathroom, with a curved travertine shower (NB: No baths anywhere. Showers the whole time.). [http://www.canonicadicorteranzo.it]

Despite the killer climb up to the hotel on our bicycles, this was my far and away favorite. The buildings, the food, the bathrooms, the outdoors were all beautiful and comfortable.

We stayed in all these places off season. I checked the prices and they were all around $130 per night for the room. So, $65/person. If single, $100 per night. They are probably more in July and August, but late September and early October are good times to travel anyhow.

Cinque Terre ===

Gianni Franzi, in Vernazza. Cliff top. This place was astonishing. Not cheap (€170) and worth every penny. After checking in at the bar in the piazza, the nice woman led me up the stairs, then more stairs, then a very steep street, then more stairs. When we arrived at the building, perched on the edge of a cliff, I was on the second floor, so up we went arrive the narrowest spiral staircase I’ve ever been on. When I came back with my small carry-on suitcase, it only just fit. The room had a tiny balcony with views of the town, the sea, and the hillside opposite where trails head up into the mountains and several restaurants cling.

Breakfast was on a patio right on the edge. I could see water pounding the cliffs just by looking down. Before me was the hilly Italian coast, blue gray shapes in the orange-pink morning light and the dark sea was everywhere. Incredible place. I was the first person there. Put I all my warmest clothes. My breakfast ended up taking two full hours!

The view from my balcony:

Looking back at the cliff that held my hotel room. You can see the pink hotel building just in the top right corner. The room was very comfortable and although my bathroom was out in the hall, it was private for me. Worked for me!

I will stay there whenever I’m in Cinque Terre. Tremendous. [www.giannifranzi.it]

Rode with the Maui Mafia for a while. They are a group of guys from Maui who have ridden together for decades. They are in their 70s and ride hard and fast. Then I stop for a photo, and whoosh… they’re gone.

I carried on, heading up into small towns and past ruined bridges. These dignified trees have been trimmed so that they look like tutus.

In Milesimo, a ruined bridge crossing the river.

I left off Day 3 at lunch, but we still had a delightful little town to visit: La Morra. Tiny town but chock a block with churches and tourist shops. I had a Granita di Moscato. Tasty, but the more traditional Granita di Limone might been better. Still, I got a kick out of the idea of moscato. 🙂

La Morra is a hidden gem. Steep alleys but with a church at the end of each one. At least that’s how it seemed.

Earlier in the day, when we’d come out of the strada bianca, we went past this lovely old ruined tower. it was built to be one end of a river bridge and there’s another tower on the other side. Beautiful buildings, just abandoned.

On the following day (Day 4), we did a circuit around Barolo and I wandered the town. Here are a few more pics from that day plus a bonus photo from an earlier day. Yes, I just like yellow!

Waiting for the train at Vernazza. Heading to Monterosso to swim with my new German friend. Spent the night on a cot at Mark and Jerry’s place. We had a slumber party until after midnight. Then this morning I popped down to the piazza for croissants. The square was peaceful and empty. Tourists don’t flood in until just before lunch.

Long peaceful breakfast on the patio, then off to hike. Fell into conversation with Susanne, a German woman, on the train and ended up spending the whole day with her. We got on like houses on fire. Very fun…

Hiked way up into the hills above, from Manarola to Riomaggiore.

Then a cliff-ride snack and train to Levanto to join Mark and Jerry for a delicious lunch (rabbit a la ligurian. Very tasty!). Then Susanne and I went to the town she was staying in, she loaned me a swimsuit, and we swam around behind the breakwater. Quite magical. Then she cooked us some dinner. A couple trains and now I’m having a tasty bitter waiting for Mark and Jerry. Perfect day!

A castle and chapel at the top of Riomaggiore. A stain-glass window cast color shading on the votive candles.

Just took a photo of my bitter and discovered it contained caffeine! Yikes. Can’t drink that now at 10pm, so switched to Monte Negro. Whew…