One of my favorite places in Italy is not a Roman site. It is not a medieval town. It is a marvelous, magical place called Leccio, where one can find luxury outlets, the likes of Gucci, Prada, Moncler and Burberry. I have been able to procure Prada purses for 250 euros, Montcler jackets for 100 euros and Gucci dresses for 300 euros.  I was ready to see the bargains.

 

I set out from Castel del Bosco at 2pm, and called DonnaD. I love to chat while driving and, as I told her on the phone, “I know the way without the GPS.” I plugged it into the Apple Maps nonetheless because I love and ETA prediction. The Fi-Pi-Li was rather uneventful, until the bottleneck at Ginestra. But, even with that, the journey went smoothly along the road that the locals call “the devil’s way” because of all its traffic.

 

I entered the A1 autostrada, called the Autostrada del Sole (the Highway of the Sun), and drove toward Rome. In fewer than 20 miles, I was at my exit: Regello-Incisa. I exited and paid my toll (2.5 euros). I veered right and approached the first traffic circle. I exited at the first spoke, as I thought I should. The GPS immediately told me to go 1.5 miles to the next rotunda and u-turn back. I thought to myself, “I fi am going 1.5 miles just to turn around, I am going to keep going and and let the GPS redirect me. It seemed like a good idea. Besides, I knew I was headed toward Regello anyway.  I guess I didn’t remember the road as well as I had boasted…

 

The GPS finally caught up to me and took me to the left. It seemed right because I had a vague feeling that The Mall was “over there in that direction.” (I actually have a 6^th sense and superpower which involves finding the mall in any town without a map…). I followed the GPS down the road which immediately became a one lane road. (This is where you remember hearing stories of people who follow the gps off a cliff…) I was being told that I needed to follow this road another mile where the road would veer left and who knows after that. It was at that very moment that my one lane road became ¾ of a lane. I took a deep breath and kept going. It was the longest mile of my life. 

 

I made it to the next indication: one mile to via Aretina. Here is a pro tip: via Aretina in any location is a road with at least two full lanes and often has speed limits of 70 k/h. Feeling better, I embarked on what actually was the longest mile of my life, as I encountered two other cars coming straight at me on the ¾ lane road. They clearly knew the drill because they pulled their large SUVs into the ditch to let me pass.  

 

I eventually found my way to via Aretina and made the left which would take me to The Mall.  In 3 minutes I was parking my beleaguered hybrid in the parking lot.  I put on my Liberty mask and set off to the shops.  I immediately ascertained that Pucci was gone. I was a little bummed, because Pucci always had the best stuff at great prices.  But, there was still Gucci, Prada, Moncler, Ferragamo, Loro Piana, Valentino, Tods, Burberry and many others. I went first to Moncler.

 

Moncler sits away from all the other shops, not being officially part of The Mall complex. I made the trek, confident I would find a treasure. I entered the shop, sanitized my hands and started to browse. The prices did not look like the outlet prices I had seen three years ago. A vest was 750 euros, a jacket 1000 euros. I looked through every rack, to see if perhaps there might be a bargain rack. No such luck.

 

Feeling defeated, I went to Prada. I always had luck at Prada. Everything looked as it had before. Except the price tags. The prices looked no different than the prices at Saks or Neiman Marcus. I did see a pair of sunglasses for 140 euros, but I was too discouraged to consummate the purchase. On to Gucci.

 

Gucci is in a new building since the last time I shopped there.  Three years ago, there was such a line to get into the shop, that I turned up my nosed and walked away thinking, “it will be a cold day on hell that I stand in line to enter ANY store.” Boy, did I have no idea what was coming…

 

There was no line today. I entered, sanitized and had my temp taken on my wrist. I went immediately to the clothes. There were gorgeous dresses on the racks. I immediately though that this might be the place to get a dress for a party I have coming up in September. One jumped into my hands. I peered into the dress to inspect the price tag for the size and price. Size 40: perfect. Price: 1200 euros. I gingerly replaced the dress on the rack.  I repeated the process for 6 other dresses. All my size, but all with prices out of this world.  Now, lest you think I have unreasonable expectations, I bought a back velvet strapless number at Gucci a few years ago, and I paid about 300 for it. The other dresses there were all about the same price point.  I left empty handed and empty hearted.

 

I ventured up to the main complex to try my luck at Burberry and Ferragamo. It was the same story. The prices were over the top. The only thing left to do was to go home. I trudged back to my car, hot from my mask, and depressed by the fact that I found nothing. In all my years (20 to be exact) of coming here, I had never left empty handed. Never. Not once. 

 

The trip home was quicker than the trip to The Mall. When I reached the toll plaza at Scandicci, I was read with my 2.50. Unfortunately, it was 1.70 and I had to scramble for change because my original 2 euro coin was rejected.  After I got it all paid and heard the “Arrivederci” of the automated toll taker, I merged onto the Fi-Pi-Li. Even the bottleneck seemed to move faster on the way home. As I drove, I tried to think of all the reasons I hadn’t bought anything. My principal reason seemed to be the prices. But, why were the prices so high? I guess they didn’t sell anything for a whole year and they are trying to recoup their losses. However, as we explained to William (who is organizing a yard sale on Saturday), isn’t it better to make some money than none? I guess they will find out if their strategy will work. It didn’t look like much was getting sold. Sad for us all. 

  Always forget how close Florence is. I don’t need to reserve a whole day to visit; and I can certainly run errands rather quickly, if planned correctly. Today was an errand day.

I did my normal walk: 6.25 miles along the via dei Girasoli, next to the train tracks.  It was a blisteringly hot day.  Every morning, I tell myself: “Self, you need to get up 2 hours earlier and do this walk when it isn’t so hot.” But, every morning, I succumb to the “just five more minutes” temptation and never get out before the heat comes.

I finished my walk and ate lunch. I am doing intermittent fasting while I am here, so lunch is always the most important part of my post-walk ritual. I eat two pieces of fruit (usually an orange and a peach) and a hard boiled egg.  When sufficiently fed, I got cleaned up and hopped into the car. I put “US Consulate, Lungarno, Firenze” into the Maps app on my phone. (I always park at the consulate because a) it makes me feel good to see the American flag and b) there is a huge parking lot right there that is super easy to access.) The app said I would be there in 49 minutes, which seemed wrong, but I went with it.

The drive went smoothly, no traffic, until just after Ginestra. The four lane divided highway, known as the Fi-Pi-Li, (more formally, as the Strada Grande Comunicazione Firenze-Pisa-Livorno), funnels into 2 lanes on account of road construction. That’s what the app was accounting for… however, the funneling went more smoothly than anticipated and as soon as I was through the bottle neck, the ETA shaved 10 minutes back off. And, sure enough, I was back in front of American soil as I had expected.

I parked and went over the the parking meter machine.  Arriving at 2:40, I figured that I could get everything done by 5:40. I took out my coins and started feeding the meter. It gave me two hours and that was it.  Yikes! I needed to run!

Well, not really run, because it was hot and I was not interested in having a heat stroke… So, I picked up the pace and made my way along the Arno to the Ponte Vecchio: my first stop was Vaggi. Vaggi is a jeweler who has helped me through many of my life’s difficulties.  When I failed my first exam, I got some earrings. When I was feeling down about turning 30, I got a gold bracelet… when I lost the bracelet 9 years later, they helped me replace it. I owe Vaggi a lot! 

I bought a bunch of frog jewelry a number of years ago. I started with the big ones and went to the little ones. I had gotten about 8 year ago the little frog earrings, and, in true Lauri fashion, I lost one about 4 years ago. I went directly to Vaggi when I got back here after losing it, and Carla (my favorite jeweler) had a new one made to match the one I had left. It was terrific and fast. And, I wear those little frog earrings almost every day.

Fast forward to last Monday, when I was unpacking my big suitcase. I heard a “plink” on the parquet floor in my bedroom.  When I moved my hand across the floor, guess what I found… Yep! A little 18k glad frog earring. That earring had been in the suitcase the whole time… But, now I had a dilemma. I have 3 earrings. I need a mate to the newly discovered frog. Enter Vaggi. I entered the store (I was the only customer) and immediately began my telling the saga of the missing frog. The lady behind the counter remembered me and said she would be happy to help even if Carla was retired. And help she did. I got the earring at a huge discount and now the little frog has its companion back. I bet you cannot guess who is going to be gifted these lovely earrings, newly reunited!

With that errand complete, I made my way toward the Piazza della Repubblica. I wanted to dash into the Santa Maria Novella profumeria mini-shop. I had a couple of items to grab. But, before I did, I saw the Puma shop had all the Italia soccer jerseys in the window. I popped in, if only to get some AC. As I was cooling down, I saw they had kid jerseys, too. I asked the young man working to help me. I needed a youth large. I showed him William’s picture with his coach to give the guy a visual. He said the youth large on the rack was the perfect one. I grabbed it, paid, and departed on my way, well cooled down.

Across the piazza, I found the Santa Maria Novella mini-shop. I entered and scanned the shelves looking for my favorite garofano cologne. The salesperson asked if I needed help. I asked if my perfume was available. Nope. The whole line was discontinued… so, I settled on the jasmine cologne and some shampoo, shower gel, hair mask and a gift soap for Julia Petrino’s mom. After chatting with the salesperson for a few minutes, both to practice my Italian and to take advantage of the fresh air, I set back out. I stopped in the piazza del duomo, took a picture, veered left toward  via Tornabuoni where all the posh shops are, and on the way back to the car. As I turned onto the road, a man, without a mask, and with a skin condition on his face, tried to get my attention. I ignored him and kept on my route. This must have annoyed him, as I heard a loud sound of spitting. It was a little unsettling and I hastened my step down the road.  When I was sufficiently away, I check my person and ascertained that he had not connected with me, (thank god). 

This is where I want to mention that most people are still wearing the mask outside in the city, since the government is still requiring it. In the country, most people are not wearing masks out and about. Seeing a person in the city center without one does give you a second thought. So, when I saw this man coming at me, I was on alert. However, it never once occurred to me that he would spit. In this era of COVID, bodily fluids are one of those no-nos. So, moral of the story is that even with COVID, the crazies are still out there, so beware!

I got back to my car with my wits about me and got back onto the road. By the time I arrived back to Castel del Bosco, I was completely back to myself. I am now listening to my American Classical League Institute (one of the benefits of COVID is that these meetings are all on Zoom…). Tomorrow is another day and another adventure! 

 Today was a day full of new experiences. First, instead of walking at Varramista, I decided to walk behind Castel del Bosco and go across the bridge over the train tracks and see where that road led. It was a pleasant, unpaved road that seemed to go on forever. At certain points where were passages under the train tracks to paved roads that went a ways.  I tried one to its end and then headed back to the main, unpaved path. At the 3.25 mile mark, I decided t head back. 

It was at that point that I hear loud noises bellowing over the Go-Go’s humming in my ears. It sounded undoubtedly like gunfire. But, how could there be gunfire? I walked toward the noise through a parking lot, where I saw and outdoor short range firing range. Shooting Sport Training Pisa has a “poligono di tiro” (shooting range) with lanes of 15 and 60 meters. Who knew? I immediately snapped a couple of pics and sent them directly to Jerry. I hoped that would meet with his approval.

Upon returning home, I had lunch and cleaned up. I had decided that in the afternoon, I would take a little drive to Santa Luce where there was a lavender festival.  Apparently, someone had planted several fields of lavender and they were in full bloom. So, I set out. The GPS led me perfectly to a field by the side of the road. I pull the car over and paid my entry (I opted for the 10euro entry with the lavender product gift bag). The field wasn’t very interesting or exciting.  I walked through and took a few, perfunctory pictures.  As I was leaving, the woman at the gate shouted at me, “The entry fee included the other field up the road.” I nodded and walked to my car.  I wasn’t sure i needed another field. But, my car was pointed in that direction and I needed to go in that direction to turn around anyway…

Boy, am I glad I did. The “other” field was the principal field, huge and on a long, sloping picturesque hill. There was a large parking lot and lots of vendors selling natural, local products. The field was not just lavender but also sage, which also flowers. I parked and wandered around a bit. By the time I had had enough of the lavender, I went back to the car. However, I was not ready t go home.  I decided to make a side visit to Lari. You see signs for Lari all over the place with a “castle” looking icon next to it. I figured today was as good a day as any to make a visit. 

It was only 14 kilometers from Santa Luce to Lari. I made the trip quickly and efficiently. I drove right to the city walls and found a parking place. I walked into the old city center and quickly found the stairs leading to the top of the stronghold. There is no entry fee. You can see for miles around for free. The breeze was heavenly (in fact, y0u feel closer to heaven looking down onto the Tuscan countryside). After taking a number of pictures, I decided to head back to the car. I made my descent slowly and carefully. The castle steps leave you directly in front of a sign which says “gelato artigianale” (artisan ice cream). Danger zone! I thought to myself, “No harm in looking.” So, I poked my head in and sure enough, in the case was a light purple confectionary with the title “lavanda.” I took it as a sign from above that God wanted me to have some ice cream. I had never had lavender ice cream. Most know that my very favorite ice cream in the world is rose flavored ice cream (specifically the rose ice cream found next to the Pantheon at La Cremerie). I had to try it. The small cup of lavender ice cream cost 2euros and was worth every centesimo. I sat at the small table outside the gelateria and ate my treat. It was a real treat, especially since I am watching what I am eating here. But, I relished every bite. 

It was the perfect end to a perfect day in Italy. 

Museum of Ancient Ships

 

Today, after my walk, I decided to take a trip into Pisa to see the Museum of Ancient Ships (navidipisa.it). It was just opening when I was here last, and the lines were epically long. There were articles in the local newspapers about people getting into fights waiting for entry. I figured the furor would die down by the time I came back the next year.  Indeed, there was for furor today!

I worried about parking (unnecessarily) and decided to drive directly to the museum and suss out where to leave the car from there. Happily, there was street parking (1.86/ hr.) right on the doorstep of the museum, which opened today at 3:30pm. I arrived a little before 3:30, paid for my parking and waited dutifully with another family who had a similar idea.

At precisely 3:30, the huge door opened and we were invited in. We made our way to the entry. The family had bought tickets online. I had to pay my 10 euro entry fee. I said “un adulto, biglietto intero” (one adult, full ticket). The woman replied that I should look at the sign to see if I qualified for any discounts. The discounts were for groups of more than 10, university students, and those over 65. I replied that I was an American and pretty sure I would never qualify for any museum discounts in Italy. She laughed and agreed. I handed over my 10 euro bill and she added quickly, “There is a private, guided tour for an additional 6 euros.” I thought, “why not?” And I handed over another 6. 

I am here to tell your that was the best 6 euros. I was the only one on the tour and I got a full explanation and one hour tour of the entire museum. I learned things I’d never have known from simply walking  through on my own. 

In 1998, in Pisa, they were doing some ground clearing for the construction of a train station. When the trucks moved some earth, they uncovered the first of 30 ships. They began excavation and kept working until 2016 when they had gotten it all out of the ground. In 2019, the museum opened in an old Medici era ship building warehouse. It was interesting to see how the building was set up.  Apparently, they began working on the boats at the far end and worked all the way across the gallery. When the ship was done, at the far end, it was deposited directly into the Arno.  After the Medici era, the building was converted to t stable which was in continuous use until the mid 1900’s. The history of the building was almost as fascinating as the ships contained within.

We worked our way through the rooms, looking at the amphorae found around the site as well as the remains of the boats.  There was one large boat that was surely used for commercial purposes. Another was a flat bottomed river boat. Another was a military boat that was refitted for private use and found a second life as a rich man’s pleasure boat. There were the skeletal remains of a sailor and his dog who were trapped in one of the boats.

How did all these boats meet their end in a dried river bed in Pisa? It seems that Pisa was a very busy port in antiquity. There was the port on the sea, as well as an inter port at the confluence of the Arno and another river further north. There were a series of canals dug by the Romans to facilitate inland movement of goods from the sea, and vice versa. Apparently, there was a great flood which overwhelmed these boats. The mud preserved them for 2000 years. 

The museum has done an excellent job presenting their collection. If you are in the vicinity, I cannot recommend this one highly enough.

 One of the things I have always loved to do during my visits to Castel del Bosco is my daily visit across the road to Varramista, an estate that comprises a stately home, called Villa Capponi Piaggio, and an assortment of holiday  apartments scattered throughout the expansive land holdings

. The villa was once the only industry in town. All those who lived in Castel del Bosco were associated with the Villa.  The villa was built in the middle of the 16th century and stayed in the Capponi family until 1953, when Enrico Piaggio bought it. You may recognize the name Piaggio as the man who brought the world the Vespa, which is produced in the nearby town of Pontedera.

Enrico’s adopted daughter married Umbert Agnelli (yes, those Agnellis, the FIAT people). The estate passed to Donna Antonella upon Enrico’s death in 1965. With the Agnellis, the estate enjoyed a period of celebrity. All the most famous people in Europe partied at the Villa. Indeed, Vivetta’s father had been the games keeper and her mother worked directly for Donna Antonella in the Villa.  Later, Donna Antonella’s son, Giovanni Agnelli, lived in the Villa while he was president of Piaggio.  He died of a brain tumor which metastasized to his intestines in 1997. It was after that that he entire estate was sold to a private entity for commercial purposes.  There is a garden (paid entry), holiday flats, a restaurant and vineyards. The land is farmed with sunflowers and timber.

I have told you all of this so that you have a good idea of two things: one- running the paths and the tree covered avenue offers the runner a certain feeling of being part of a piece of a bygone era; one can almost see Enrico taking his Vespa prototype for a spin down the viale. You can almost see Pucci arriving for a dinner party up the long drive to the villa. Two- it is completely privately owned and we, who love it and want to enjoy it, are at the mercy of the proprietors. They have decided to closed the avenue to for traffic in order to discourage too many people from assembling in these times of COVID.

It has put a serious crimp in my daily run. Today, I decided to explore the via Ricavo Varramista further.  I left the house, and turned left, running down the hill to the main road, the Tosco-Romagnola (SS67) turning left, then a short ways to the overpass which spans the FI-PI-LI. The overpass road deposits you right into the belly of the beast: right onto the via Ricavo Varramista. Veering to the left, you find yourself in front of the villa to the right and the viale to the left in .30 miles. From there, longing for the shade of the viale, you have to veer right and follow the road, which soon becomes unpaved. I followed that road two miles back to the fork in the road.  I decided not to follow Yogi Bera’s famous admonition: when you find yourself at a fork in the road, take it. I turned back and made my way home.  In the end, it was 5.72 miles under the blazing sun.  However, there were spurts of breeze and freshness that made the whole thing bearable.  

Tomorrow, I am going to try to get up extra early and walk with the local walking group.  They usually walk 14 kilometers at 6:35 in the morning on Thursdays and Sundays. I will surely find a new route! 

Day one run

I did not set an alarm this morning. I didn’t see any reason to. There were no SFS students waiting for me; there was no puppy needing a walk. Besides, my body automatically wakes at 5am every morning. How tired could I be? 

 10:38 tired. That’s how tired!! Whoa! I cannot remember the last time I slept that long! As Jerry would say, “your body needed the rest.” So I bolted out of bed, took my medicine and closed my eyes for 45 minutes. Before my quick last few minutes, I went onto Facebook and posed a question to two groups: the local Castel del Bosco group and a DM to Varramista. My question: is the tree covered avenue open to walkers and runners? 

 When my rest had run its course, I was ready to run mine. But, where? I had gotten no reply from my online queries. I guess it is better to ask forgiveness than permission. So I got dressed, put on my shoes, and headed out the front door. 

 I turn right at the front door and headed down the hill. I turned the corner and made my way to the main road. I turned left and made my way to the overpass across to the estate. It was hot, as it was mid day. I made my way across the bridge and onto the estate. 

Familiar sights and smells of the farm made me feel like the last two years has not happened. Indeed, I was the only one out exercising. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the Covid restrictions that the estate had put on exercising on their grounds. Or, was it because I was the only idiot in the area who would go out and run under the blazing sun? 

Either way, I was feeling a little trepidatious. I was afraid that at any moment a guard would come rushing towards me and order me off the property. I avoided the tree covered avenue. I ran alongside the estate. I figured I would only run 3 miles today because of the heat and because of my uncertainty surrounding my route. I turned back and made my way home. 

 No one stopped me. No one questioned me. I suppose I’m grateful. However, it would’ve been nice to know one way or the other whether I was allowed to be there. I plan to try again tomorrow, earlier and to go further down the road which skirts the estate. I remember there being a pig farm down there at some point. Other than that, I have no idea what I shall find. 

 The adventure continues.

Arrival

We touched down to Milano Malpensa at about 8:45 am. We disembarked and we’re shepherded to a long line for our rapid covid test. This test would determine whether we needed to quarantine or not. When I say the line was long, it is no exaggeration. It wrapped around the arrivals hall in such a way that Walt Disney himself would have been impressed. At 10:10, I found myself in front of a man at a computer who was taking my identity details for the test. I then went to the nurse who administered the mid nasal swab. “Dieci minuti” (ten minutes). She said she’d call me by number. I went into the holding area where we all were sitting, awaiting our fate. Ten minutes passed and then 15. The woman with whom I had been visiting since deplaning said that it had been far longer than they had promised and she said she was going to investigate. Sure enough, both of our results (negative) were sitting on the table in front of the clerk. We grabbed our results and departed. I assume these results are memorialized somewhere. No one said two words to me after my test was taken. And, not a single person has asked me for the all important passenger locator form. I still can’t figure out why it was so vital that not having it would’ve derailed my trip.