July 2 – Saturday – We are up early due to a 9 am check-out time. We are quite adept at packing and departing as we have been doing this basically on a weekly basis. Having the Eagle Creek packing cubes allows us to not have to unpack, so getting ready for departure is a breeze. We left the apartment and headed down to Chiavari for a morning cap as we had not had one yet today and to show M the Cathedral. We parked at the usual lot where parking is free and it is near the Lido beach club as well as access to downtown. As we get closer to the centre of town we notice that there are a few kiosks set up where traffic can normally travel. As we enter the street we are surprised to see yet another street market – only today it is bigger than yesterday. There are numerous merchants who have the Tuscana porketta speciality which appears to be a roasted pig which they are slicing up to sell by the kg as well as make paninis to sell for a morning snack or lunch.
One vendor even had the roasted pig head on display – we figure someone would likely buy this before the morning was out. We look around us with amazement and amusement. The gazebo-covered tables went on and on, branching off in different directions depending on the configuration of the next street or piazza. Today was a bit more upscale than yesterday with more things for M and J to browse at.
Vendors ranged for deli vans, linens, kitchen gadgetry (similar to Tupperware/Rubbermaid), pet vendor complete with fish, birds, turtles, rabbits, frogs, lizards and snakes, men, kid, ladies attire and shoes and a host of other things and the place was swamped with locals tearing through the display bins. Boy it must take some of these guys quite a while to pack up at the end of the morning! These vendors must go from town to town conducting their business, an actual travelling department store – interesting way to make a living.
We meandered our way through the crowds and vendors, purchasing a couple of things and then finally came upon the piazza with the Cathedral. When we enter, mass is underway as this weekend is the Chiavari patron saint celebration. We sit in the back and absorb the beauty. M states, that indeed this area must have had some money centuries ago when this ornate church was built (and we have noticed many very large houses/palaces on BIG lots in the downtown area of this beautiful city) – more so than most this church shows the labour of love that true artisans provided to make such beautiful art to glorify the Lord - a feast for the eyes! As we make our way back to the car, we stop at one of the deli trucks and purchase some porketta to have in a sandwich later on.
Before heading out of this area, we decide to go to the large supermarket to get some groceries for the first couple of days as we don’t know what kind of facilities are in this next region. We are heading north of here to a town called Terzo in the Piedmonte region of Italy. The journey will take us about an hour and a half, through Genoa, and then northwest for a bit to arrive at a farmhouse we have rented for the week. This region is near the Barolo area, known for its fabulous red wine and near a spa town called Acqui Terme – so we are looking forward to seeing what the next week brings.
The drive is uneventful and easy in terms of dealing with traffic. Once we leave Genoa and begin to head northwest, the landscape changes with hills and mountains covered with trees. After we left the Autostrata, which leads up north to Milan and onward to other countries, the landscape changes again to rolling hills covered with trees and many more vineyards come into view. It is beautiful and we do not come across big cities.
We found our accommodation with little difficulty
and unloaded the groceries. The cleaning lady arrived and informed us that we weren’t supposed to be there until 5 PM. So, we told her daughter (who spoke some English that we would leave and come back). We drove back into Acqui Terme for a bite to eat and perhaps get some info on the area. We found the place to go taste wine, found the local golf course, which we may try this week as well enjoyed watching the comings and goings on the main street, and of course a gelato.
Once we arrive back at the farmhouse, we get dinner started, and admire the view of the valley below.
We think we’re going to like it here. The only drawback as in the last place we were at, there are some mosquitoes! They really seem to have taken a shine to J.
July 3, Sunday – We enjoyed a leisure morning enjoying the serenity of the countryside where we are staying. Today is the day to go and walk around Acqui Terme and check out some of the sites. It is here where there are thermal baths. Within the main town site there is large marble structure in the Piazza della Bollente (boiling water) with a natural hot spring at a temperature of 75 C gushes out in the heart of the town.
We all had a feel and agreed, just sticking the finger tip in was the wise choice. We enjoyed walking around the centro with numerous narrow cobblestoned pedestrian-only roadways. We have really come to appreciate this aspect in almost every town we have been in during our stay in Italy – it really adds to the atmosphere of the place. The buildings are again ornate, may have to do with the thermal spas in the area, date back hundreds of years. Maybe the rich came here for their summer getaways from the city. The surrounding area certainly is beautiful. There are many marble and bronze statues honoring past forefathers and important citizens, and beautiful marble fountains to admire amongst the flowers.
and check out another wonderful church
Acqui Terme is in the midst of wine country. As we travelled here on Saturday we admired the vineyards gracing the hillsides as we neared the town. We went into the local enoteca (where you can taste local wines and local products are sold) and sampled three local wines. It was a delightful wine cellar with several rooms showcasing wines from the region. After comparing the 3 grapes, we decided on the one liked best. We priced it out, perhaps we’ll send some home. We purchased a local white to bring home to try tonight. We will come back on Tuesday with our decision if we want to ship some home. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
July 4 - Monday – It’s golfing day today. While we drove back to our place yesterday, we came across a local golf course. We had been talking about trying to find a place to golf and this place even has rental clubs – we confirmed when we had stopped in and asked yesterday.
The course is 9 holes and not very busy. We arrived at 10 only to find the pro shop/office closed. When T asked if it was open today – the waitress at the “clubhouse” had no idea where the person who opens up. A gentleman who obviously has a membership here, got on his cell and phoned “Giorgio” to see if we could play on the course - “yes we could, and when you’re done you can pay for the round”… T chuckled to herself at this response. T explained that we couldn’t play as we had to rent clubs, at this he replied, you can use mine to warm up if you want while you are waiting for the person to come. T graciously declined, but thanked him anyways. Don’t know too many guys who would do that.
M had forgotten his sneakers back at the house so he had gone back after realizing once we reached the course he had forgotten. J’s response under his breath to T was “Now he remembers…..” It’s so unlike him as when we golf at home – he has everything packed the night before in prep for the early morning tee times we usually have. T and J both had a chuckle at M’s expense….
As promised, within 10 minutes of the Giorgio call, the manager’s daughter arrives and opens up. She has to phone to find out where the rentals are. Our guess, rentals aren’t requested here too often. Anyways, once finally outfitted, we were off to play 9 holes. The course isn’t in the shape we are used to, but hey, there are fairways, and we get to play! Some good shots and a few not so good, but it was good to hit that little white ball again.
After the humid round of golf, we were ready for some refreshments back at the house. On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up fixins for a like home meal of hamburgers and fries. No bacon to be had – so we look for some prosciutto, a fine substitute, no cheddar, so we choose swiss, although J has some of his treasured Velvetta. We are making our own burgers tonight as a previous occasion we bought some butcher made burgers that had some kind of cheese altering the taste – not to our preference.
We decided to go for a drive to explore some of the countryside around Terzo and Acqui Terme. We head up the hill from the farmhouse to a small village, Montebone, surrounded by vineyards along the hillsides.
Many of the plots are steep and we wonder how they are planted.
We also see some fields planted with corn and grain, perhaps rice, but 90 % are grapes. We take some narrow roads leading us past individual farms and onto some secondary roads leading us through small towns. We even pass fields growing only sunflowers, neither M/T had seen so many sunflowers in one place – we’re talking acres of the things all facing the sun – a pretty sight.
Dinner later that evening was delicious and all enjoyed the giant burgers that M had made – too big for J and T to finish. There are some classic movie DVD’s here so we’ve chosen to watch a movie – a John Wayne classic – in black and white no less. It was great to see James Stewart, Lee Marvin and John Wayne as young men – all three of us enjoyed it. M did not even realize who Lee Marvin was until after the movie was over, as M mentioned he had never seen Lee Marvin when he was that young.
July 5 - Tuesday – We are headed back to Acqui Terme this morning to pick up a few things as well as stop in at the enoteca. Beside wine, the Piemonte region is known for porcini mushrooms. Near here, in the Asti area, where Asti Spumante wines are made, truffles are also found. We look forward to perhaps coming across some of these delicacies in a local shop. We have been directed to seek out the shop Oliveri, the best place to buy porcini mushrooms.
It’s market day in town, so parking spots are at a premium. After we locate a spot, we are off to seek out Oliveri located along one of the pedestrian only streets. We recalled from Sunday’s exploration where it was. J seeks out the toy store he had seen to add yet another airplane to his collection. He finds one to his liking and buys it. Next stop, Oliveri, we step through the door and see with astonishment a bin filled with porcini mushrooms.
Thousands of dollars worth if we were to have seen this at home! T buys a couple of bags of porcini as they will keep for a year and we really enjoy them. We also pick up a small jar of truffle crema with a plan to use in a dish or two. The cost of truffle products is expensive, but not nearly as much as at home.
There are many sales on here – so T finds a new bathing suit at M’s suggestion, and M finds a new one as well. In one of the piazzas, we come across the food vendors. It is here we buy from the pesceria, fresh salmon steaks and from the macelleria, chicken breast and fresh eggs. While T was talking to the woman at the macelleria, she was offered to try a roasted chicken leg – fabulous tasting and J certainly enjoyed finishing it off. It is such fun to stop at these vendors and try conversing with them. They do appreciate the business. We will surely miss this experience when we return back home. We stop again at the enoteca and decide just to buy some wine for here, if we ship some home it may be from Barolo tomorrow.
It is yet another beautiful day here and we plan to take J to the local swimming pool, according to brochures, one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in Europe. We navigate the roadways and locate a parking spot fairly close to the pool area and search for the entrance. Upon entering J is ecstatic at the sight before him. Two huge pools surrounded by lounge chairs, umbrellas, diving boards of various heights, mushrooms spouting watersprays, with plenty of room for all who were there to enjoy the place. It was quite the set up. We stayed several hours, J spent the majority of time going off the diving boards and practicing his diving techniques from poolside. M and T were amazed at his desire to go off the 3 m board and 5 m platform (something M is quite sure he has never done). T did go off the 3 m board but refused the platform, M had no desire to go off of either. Our boy seems to have no fear of heights - oh the courage of the young.
We enjoy another dinner at the house, and then watch another classic movie, about the cold war. The film was “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” with Richard Burton, also in black and white.
July 6 – Wednesday – We are off to the Barolo today, about 70 km from where we are staying. Barolo is one of the two top red wines of Italy. Of course we have had a few bottles since being here and hope to taste some others and perhaps send some home. We need to head toward Asti and then slightly southwest. The drive is very enjoyable and as we near Asti/Alba area we pretty much see endless fields of grapes.
We thought there were a lot of grapes in Sicily- that was nothing compared to the endless fields here interspersed with the largest homes we have seen in Italy (other than the Chiavari palaces). We figure that likely a number of these places housed families and their workers and may still when harvest time approaches. We have noticed many more single-family dwellings than anywhere else we have been in Italy so far. In southeast Italy, Puglia we saw thousands of olive trees, well here it’s the vineyards.
Arriving into the village of Barolo, perched atop a hill in the Asti region, brings us into another quaint village with cobbled roads and beautiful old buildings. We are headed to the Castello di Barolo, with an enoteca, where we will be able to sample some Barolo wines and hopefully purchase some to have sent home.
We were able to sample three Barolo wines from the three different types of soils they have in this region - sandy, clay and a combination of the two. We learned about this wine region from one of the employees who explained the ins and outs of the cooperatives, how the soil renders the difference in the wines and which years were the best vintages [although he says that the vintners are never satisfied and always have something to complain about and try to outdo the next year]. While tasting M noticed that we should have a cellar like this at home - 'negotiations' with T are underway.
We found that we couldn't buy wine to send home at this venue nor could he recommend a winery as his job is to represent the whole region. He did give us a map and drew the soil boundaries of the area - this helped us to locate wineries we preferred the clay and clay/sand combination wines. While we were trying to select a couple of bottles to buy to enjoy while in the area, M began to talk to three people, one of which owns a B&B in the area. M asked him if he knew where we could find a winery that would ship internationally. Luck would have it that this gentleman [who is actually a US citizen] does ship wine internationally and can get wines which M wants. Mission accomplished! With business card in hand, we left this beautiful old wine cellar with a couple of bottles to enjoy and a contact to send wine home for us. We stopped in a little restaurant for lunch and then went on our merry way to continue exploring more of the area.
We continued further up the valley to see another town
and catch an even more spectacular view of vineyards as far as the eye could see in every direction.
We decided to venture south and then east to head back to Terzo where our place is. It wasn't long until the landscape changed and the crops changed as well. There are so many little settlements and towns along the way - it was an enjoyable afternoon. In this area we've enjoyed the openness of the land, all the towns have at least one church with a bell tower. Many of these churches date back hundreds of years. There are also many castles and towers still standing, some publicly owned and some still within the family for several hundred years - pretty cool. The history/age of the buildings is quite astounding as compared to anything at home.
July 7 – Thursday - We found a field where we can play some baseball today - actually its a farmer's field across the road from where we are staying and its just been been cut and baled. We decide to use one of the round bales for a backstop. The bale worked wonderfully as a backstop for M to aim his pitches and keep the ball from rolling away. J managed to hit a few homers and we all enjoyed the exercise - good thing there was a breeze! M and J are reading “The Hobbit” together, so they spent some time reading it while sitting in the shade on the covered terrace. We head for the swimming pool again today. J has decided to practice his diving skills to see if he can dive off the low diving board. He told M and T that he decided he had to have 15 good dives off the small board before he tried to dive off the 3 m board. Proud as punch and with the quality of his dives much improved, he climbed the ladder of the 3 m and dove off.
M and T were really impressed with his determination and success.
We decided to go out for dinner tonight to for dinner to the restaurant La Sosta in the town Montebone, 6 km up hill from Terzo (T had read about this recommendation by the owner of our accommodation). We arrived at this little hilltop village and parked on the road leading to the entrance of the arched portico. We arrived at 7:30, and easily found the restaurant. After asking a young girl what time the restaurant opened, not until 8, we wandered around.
It was a pretty little village with cobbled streets and old stone buildings beautifully kept.
The gardens were ablaze with flowers and being a village surrounding vineyards, there are small wine barrel flowerpots. There were statutes illustrating the history of the area. As well we had a wonderful view of the valleys below.
It was not hard to pass the half hour we needed to wait to enter the restaurant. This restaurant was surprising big for such a small village, but as the night went on, we understood. This was a family run place with the husband being the host and his wife was the chef. They had a couple of other ladies who helped serve. The menu stated for 30 Euro ($42 Can) we had 4 different appetizer dishes, a pasta dish, a meat dish and dessert, our host even included some wine. This was without question the BEST meal we have had dining out so far in Italy! It was a wonderful experience of the typical Italian set menu evening, and we highly recommend this restaurant to anyone that gets a chance to go there.
While dining there we asked the owner why there were so many big homes in this area versus other parts of Italy. He explained that the area has always been somewhat affluent. As well, this area was a strategic position for protecting the sovereigns in Turin area, so some aristocrats were set in the area to help protect the landholdings.
July 8 – Friday – Our last day in Terzo and we want to check out a few things. First, it’s market day in the piazzas and we want to go back and buy some stuffed chicken thighs for tonight’s dinner. We picked up a couple more bags of porcini mushrooms and found a pasta shop selling freshly made pasta – we bought spinach and ricotta ravioli. T decided to check out a shoe store and picked up a couple of pairs of Italian made sandals to send back home.
We went in search of bike rental shops, however, being Italy, and after 12:30 it was siesta time! Not to reopen until 3:30 – so we dropped that idea. Our next stop was to the thermal pools at hotel Regina. This was the only place where kids under 15 are allowed. Unfortunately we find once we have arrived that the swimming pool is closed due to renovations. We went across the road to another spa, only to find that children under 15 were not allowed due to the temperature of their thermal pools could interfere in growth. So, we have struck out again. Oh well, we’ll go back later to the swimming pool which we had already been to this week and enjoy the sunshine and water. M decided that he is going to go with J off of the diving boards. Conquering his fear of heights, he jumps off the 3m board a couple of times to prepare. Next it is onto the 5m board. J tells his dad that it’s all clear to go and M with eyes straight ahead jumps. M says it’s a good thing J looked down, because if he had, he would never have jumped. This was the first time ever that M had jumped from either height!
After another wonderful dinner with the fresh pasta with fresh pesto and the chicken from the market, over a fine bottle of Barbera, we watch another old movie although this one was in color. A WW2 movie with Robert Duvall, Donald Sutherland, Michael Caine, and Larry Hagman – again all young compared to what they look like now.
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