Cinque Terre Background

On Wednesday of our week in Tuscany, we'll be going to the area known as Cinque Terre, the five lands. Located on the Ligurian Sea, and specifically on the Gulf of the Poets (Golfo dei Poeti), the area is known for its villages (Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso) and the stunning pathways and trails that connect them, especially the Via dell'Amore, the "Path of Love", between Riomaggiore and Manarola.

Via dell'Amore, Cinque Terre

For more information, you can visit:

* Cinque Terre National Park web site

* The local tourism web site

* A site dedicated to the Via dell'Amore

Florence Background

Our day in Florence, the capital city of Tuscany, will include a morning walking tour.  We will be free to explore the city on our own all afternoon before we head back to Montecatini.  Some of us may even choose to stay on in Florence for dinner, then take the train back to Montecatini later that evening (the train takes just under an hour and costs Euro 3,70 per person).

For those who want to visit the Accademia Gallery (home of Michelangelo's "David"), it is possible to make a reservation by phone or over the internet for a small fee (3 Euro by phone, 4 Euro internet). There are sometimes long lines at the Accademia and the reservation allows you to avoid the line. Click here for a link to the reservation service (once there click again on the flag in the upper right to switch to English).  The historical center of Florence is quite compact, so you should have no problem getting there in time for a 2 PM reservation, no matter where our walking tour ends. (The museum is open until 6:50 PM.)

"Primavera" Sandro Filipepi  (Botticelli)

You can also make reservations for the Uffizi using the link above.

There is a tremendous amount of information on Florence available on the web.  Some of my favorites are:

* The official City of Florence web site, which has an English language section with lots of information

* The Florence museums web site, where you can read about the top civic museums

* Polomuseale, an amazing site that offers virtual visits to several museums, room by room

Chianti Background

Photo by Francesco Sgroi

On Monday of our trip, when many of the museums in the area are closed, we will be touring the Chianti wine country.

The Chianti area includes several towns, which you can see on this interactive map of the area.

For a general overview of Chianti, click here.

While researching this section, I came across The Wine Trail Traveler web site, which includes several excellent articles on wine.  Check out their explaination of the legend of the Black Rooster.

You can also find several good learning modules on Wine Trail Traveler, such as “How to Taste Wine”, “How to Teach Your Nose To Smell”, as well as several on the wine making process.  Wine Trail Traveler learning modules

San Gimignano Background Information

San Gimignano has been known for its towers for centuries ... a medieval Manhattan in Tuscany.

You can read more about San Gimignano's history and what there is to see and do there here.

Siena Background Information

The city of Siena is divided into thirds, or Terzi. On the city web site you can find (if you do some digging around, that is) tourist brochures with brief overviews of each terzo (click on the links to open PDF files with the brochures):

Terzo di Citta:  The City was the original residential nucleus of Siena.

Terzo di Camollia: Cor Magis Tibi Sena Pandit”” (Siena opens its heart to you more than its gates). This sentence, written on the arch of the walls, marks the start of the Terzo di Camollia.

Terzo di San Martino: The Terzo di San Martino was formed along the Via Francigena, the road which pilgrims took to reach Rome. The name of the district, therefore, is not accidental: San Martino (St. Martin) was in fact the patron saint of pilgrims and travellers.

You can read more about Siena on the Comune (city) tourism web site.

Packing

Packing is not one of my favorite things about travel, but it is a necessary evil.  For this trip, we are each limited to one piece of checked luggage with a maximum weight of 50 lbs.

I've received lots of advice over the years, from exhaustive lists of everything I might think about bringing along, to instructions on how to travel with nothing more than a backpack for a month. 

Neither of these options work for me.

However, here are some articles and web sites on the issue that may be of interest:

Notes by Chris Gray Faust, the former travel editor at USA TODAY

One Bag, a website with packing light tips

Slowtrav's exhaustive list of things you might think about taking

What have you learned along the way about packing?

Do you have a favorite Tuscany movie?

I like A Room with a View

A Great Little Travel Map

I love this little map for touring - it folds up small and fits in my pocket, but opens up large enough that the typeface can be read.  I bought mine at a bookstore for about five or six dollars a few years ago.

Favorite Tuscany Guide Books

Here are a few of my favorite guide books for Tuscany - what are your favorites?

This one has good detail and background information

This one has great pictures and diagrams

Hotel Internet Access

Good news for those of us who need/want to stay connected - The Grand Vittoria, our hotel in Tuscany, has free wi-fi in the lobby and on the front porch for those who have their own laptop or other web device.

There is also a hotel computer that guests may use, with the following charges:

10 minutes = Euro 2,00

20 minutes = Euro 3,00

30 minutes = Euro 4,00

60 minutes = Euro 7,00

Stazione Montecatini Centro

I have no idea why, but Montecatini Terme has two different train stations, less than a mile apart.

Montecatini Centro Train Station

The station nearest to our hotel is Montecatini Centro, which is one half mile from the hotel:


View Larger Map

Some of us may use the trains when we have free time.  Others may decide to stay longer than the group at a particular town, and take the train back later.

The Thermal Spas of Montecatini

The benefits of the thermal waters of Montecatini were known as far back as the early 15th century and by 1477 the spas of Montecatini were in operation, according to the city web site.  The current spas, located in a park just steps from our hotel, date from the 1920's and are architectural gems.  You can read about the history of the spas, and about the services they offer, on their official web site.

Anyone up for a massage or a facial?

The spas are only one third of a mile from our hotel, as you can see on this google map:

View Larger Map

Funicolare di Montecatini

The funicular railroad that connects Montecatini Terme to Montecatini Alto started its service in 1898, according to its official web site. Although it was seriously damaged during WWII, the railroad was restored and today continues to chug between the two towns daily between March and October.

To get to the funicolare from our hotel requires a walk of about three quarters of a mile, which you can see on this map:


View Larger Map

Montecatini Terme

Montecatini is really two towns; the older town of Montecatini Alto, on the hill, and the newer city of Montecatini Terme, in the valley.

Montecatini Alto was settled in the 11th century, according to the town web site, and grew to have 1,000 meters of walls (about two thirds of a mile), seven portal entrances and twenty five towers.  Unfortunately, the castle of Montecatini Alto was destroyed in 1554.  After a period of decline, the town is now a popular tourist spot, thanks in part to the funicolare (funicular railroad - see next post) that connects the upper and lower towns.

Grand Hotel Vittoria, Montecatini Terme

Here's where we'll be staying, the Grand Hotel Vittoria in Montecatini Terme.

Unfortunately, by October the pool will be closed for the season.  Sigh.

Our Itinerary

On Friday, October 22, 2010, forty of us will head to Newark Liberty International Airport to leave for a week in Montecatini Terme, Tuscany, Italy.

Here is how we will be spending our week:

     Friday, October 22 - Depart for Italy

     Saturday, October 23 - Arrive in Montecatini Terme

     Sunday, October 24 - Morning in Siena, afternoon in San Gimignano

     Monday, October 25 - Full day in the Chianti region

     Tuesday, October 26 - Full day in Florence

     Wednesday, October 27 - Full day in Cinque Terre

     Thursday, October 28 - Free day

     Friday, October 29 - Morning in Pisa, afternoon free

     Saturday, October 30 - Return to New Jersey