Mom, Part II: Under Tuscan Storm Clouds

Ah! The first day the entire trip this far that we didn't have to rise at the crack of dawn and go somewhere. So, we slept in...the bed is still hard mind you, but more like limestone instead of granite and mine is only 4" off the floor, but I sleep like the dead, until 11:30!!!! Mama Mia, but I feel great! Poor Amy is still suffering from sinusitis/flu like symptoms, but a true trooper, or a crazy woman, not sure which she ventures out into the early Montepulciano afternoon. Let me make this very clear...this town is spectacular,so quaint and friendly and oozing charm at every turn of the winding roads. It would be possible to stay here forever, but haven't seen a hospital here so not sure what kind of work I would find. Maybe something stomping olives into olive oil?

We journey into town which takes us up a very steep winding turn, that may just harbor some local in a tiny car trying to make it down the narrow drive which by the way doubles as a walkway. We jump against the wall just in the nick of time and the local looks thankful that he didn't have to kill anyone on Sunday. Once we make it to the top of the hill it is all downhill towards town. I am getting better all the time making it up the steep inclines so it must be true that "practice makes perfect" and with so many opportunities to practice here I am not sure what I will do when I get back to the flat landscape of Florida.

Lots of fun shopping as we walk up the hill and we have both made some fun purchases before we stop for lunch.  We are wedged in a small table for two in front of the shop door and against the bar, I decide on the spinach soup and the bread with goat cheese and truffle sauce and a glass of the local wine, while Amy chooses the eggplant cheese fondue and the grilled veggies and lots of water. The food is scrumptious and the soup is one of the best things I have had so far. After lunch we try to find a pharmacia so that Amy can get something for her ailments and are told first down the street then up the street and finally they confess that it is Sunday, so  most likely not open, and after all it is only about 2pm and shops close from 12:30 till 3p for siesta.

We wander in and out of wine tasting places, spice and pasta places and olive oil stores, but are drawn like moths to a flame to the leather and paper stores. One darling little paper shop we stumble into has the sweetest young gal who takes the time to show us how she personally binds the journals with ribbed leather bindings and tells us that some of the paper is also made at the shop. What beautiful craftsmanship, we are in awe! Sweaters, hand knit of course, leather shoes and boots, purses and bags, scarves and baubles, it's enough to make your wallet pucker! Amy and I are world class shoppers and this place is like Mecca!

Finally, as the sun sinks slowly into the Tuscan hillside we find a Pharmacia open, but some cold medicine and decide that it would be great to get back to the apartment and turn in early, tomorrow is another day and we do have to leave for Chainti with a short backtrack to Hertz in Chuisi to see about getting the GPS squared away or the car lighter unit fixed.

We have a glass of tea, (medicine for Amy) and a biscotti so fresh that feels like they picked the figs today and we will be off to sleep dreaming about Chianti!

I only cry when it Hertz...

What would a day in Italy be for us without fiasco upon fiasco? Thankfully, I'm still smiling. In fact, I'm pretty damn happy. The town we are staying in -- Montepulciano -- is divine. High in the hills and much, much cooler than Rome. Sadly, the hill also poses a bit of a problem. All the great shops and trattorias are at the bottom and mom is a teeny bit nervous as we make our descent for dinner.

I digress. I should start at the beginning.

I returned from my fabulous foray to Trevi Foutain and the Pantheon (which I realize I have been referring to as the Parthenon for several days) and mom is a bit beside herself. I've been gone for two hours and she was sure I'd been raped and killed. I remind her I am an adult and perfectly capable of taking care of myself. She says she was about to call the police. I tell her she needs to stop reading the murder mystery she's got her nose buried in.

We grab the bags and get in the cab that Lady Ana calls for us. Meter has been running for a while and is already at 6 euro when we get in after hugs, kisses and a gift of a pair of mom's fabulous earrings to our hostess. We've stayed a bit later than planned to mail off the extra stuff we accumulated without our luggage. Okay, fine... we did a little shopping, too. But when we arrive at  Mailboxes, Etc., we discover they are closed. That's the same result we had last night after I dragged the bag uphill for twenty minutes. We get in another cab to head to Termini Station. 

That's when mom remembers that we were supposed to leave town early for a reason.

We were supposed to pick the car up in Chuisi by 12:30 PM when the Hertz location closes -- for the weekend. It's 10:00 AM and thing aren't looking good for the home team. I have her get in line for train tickets while I get on the phone to Hertz. No cars in Florence, and no other options near our destination. Awesome. Well, if all roads lead from Rome... one has to take us to Montepulciano. 

Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner, and unfortunately, it won't be mom, who will probably have a heart attack when she finds out I'm driving us out of Rome. At least it's not on a Vespa! We jump in our third cab of the hour with a driver who is an absolute doll. He regales us with stories about a recent trip he took to America with his family. It was a shame to get to our destination so soon, as we were laughing and having a lovely time.

Which ended promptly when we arrived at Hertz.

The woman behind the counter clearly did not want to help us. She was miffed that mom had paid with her card and I would be driving. Though we had cleared this in the US when we made the booking, it was NOT ok now. We had also rented a GPS, and when I asked if she would show us how to operate it, she glared at me and said she already programmed  it in English. Then she had mom sign the damage waiver before we looked at the car. Record scratch, not okay with me, so I asked her to stop. She looked at me and said something about how we were already breaking the rules and they don't have enough cars to go around. Ok, ok... I'll just go take a look. There was, of course, more damage -- including a major dent under the passenger door. Not a ding, a dent. I walked back into the store and asked her to change the other copy she had ripped off and stapled to our re opt for their records. She refused and told me she wasn't renting me the car. I kind of ran out the door with the keys, snapped a few pics, threw the luggage and mom in and pressed go.

Driving in Rome? That was nothing compared to all the other stuff we've experienced. 

And the GPS was the best money spent on is trip. Until it died about 45  minutes away from our destination. We call Hertz emergency roadside assistance, which is busy. They say they will call us back. Emergency. Roadside. Assistance. We call the Hertz we picked the car up from, but since we don't understand Italian, we keep getting disconnected at the prompts. About eight times. We call the Hertz at the airport. Nothing. We finally get a call back from roadside assistance, who tell us the problem is the GPS, not the car. I discover later that isn't accurate, but it doesn't matter much. We will stop in Siena on Monday and get this sorted out before we head to the next town. We are hoping to ship stuff from there, too. 

 I won't be holding my breath on either account.

It isn't clear where we are supposed to go when we arrive in Montepulciano, but thanks to the directions we write down before the machine calls it quits and wonderfully marked roads, we DO actually arrive. Our new hostess is kind enough to meet us at the entrance to town and lead us through the winding back streets we never would have found on our own. There were flowers and a small birthday cake waiting for me when we arrived. I parked mom in the house with the luggage and went with Cinzia and her sister to park the car outside the city wall. 

Mom and I set out when I return. Literally right next door is a very old winery, which we wander into, marveling at casks reaching far above our heads. The cellar is brick, with cobwebs hanging from the black candelabras on the ceiling and walls. There are barrels upon barrels, and the musty scent in the air is a mixture of dampness and wood. It is magnificent, and we are sad to be kicked out for a large tasting that they have scheduled, though happy to be invited back later. We stroll down the road and come upon a board with all kinds of posters advertising events. One, a flute concert, is happening tonight. Now, actually. As in it started about 15 minutes before we saw the sign. We move as quickly as we can straight up to the Piazza Ricci to an international music school. I'm following the sound of the music, and we make it in time to hear about six different pieces.

I learn another thing today. I love music. That I knew. I'm a big fan of violin, adore cello, can appreciate the piano, a saxophone or trumpet. I do not like the flute. Please forgive me if you are a flute player, but who the hell picks that as the instrument they want to build a career out of? In a symphony, okay. But solo? Blech...

We haven't eaten much today... a roll for breakfast, a bit of cheese and buffalo salami in the car, and a small snack -- mozzarella and prosciutto on crostini -- after the concert at a small bar overlooking the countryside. We have glasses of white wine and a birthday toast. Then we head to the main square and take some pics before the long descent to poke in shops and eventually grab an actual meal.

So we've come full circle. Mom's blogging tomorrow since I'm coming down with something. Vacation colds have summer colds bat, hands down. I think we plan to take it easy tomorrow. Sleep in. 

If you read my post from this morning, you already know that sounds perfect to me.