Our contest winner was none other than the famous Lorin Guandagnoli! Having just earned her Master’s degree, Lorin is a vivacious 25 year old. Though she will tell you that she is practically 26…which means that her mid-20s are already over and she might as well be 30. We particularly admire Lorin’s resolve, perseverance and courage under fire. Whenever we get a bit lost, or things are not going our way, we call up Lorin as our muse, and channel her great attitude. So here’s to Lorin Guadagnoli, also known as the Spider-Slayer of Cannon Beach!
Our time in Cortona was all too brief, but we are taking this country by storm, and there is no rest for the ever weary. We packed up our things, kissed the naked cat-lady goodbye, and were off towards Punta Ala. Punta Ala is a coastal resort near the island of Elba. We were due to meet Amy’s parents there, who are also vacationing in Italy. After two weeks away from friends and family, we were eager to see some familiar faces.
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| In Cortona |
Our first task was to drive through Siena…this, the third time doing so. It seems all roads lead to this city, and its infernal roundy-rounds. We are convinced that Lucia has a secret boyfriend in Siena: No matter where we are trying to go she ends up getting us to Siena.
Passing through Siena, we headed towards Grossetto, southern most of the major Tuscan cities. Before too long, we turned off from the superstrada to take a smaller road up towards the small hill town of Monticiano. The road to Monticiano is tortuous, winding through brief hamlets, and densely wooded hillsides: The ride reminded us of the McKenzie highway and the Santiam pass. We passed through Monticiano and towards our lunchtime destination: The abbey of San Galgano.
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| Abbey of San Galgano |
San Galgano was a medieval knight who renounced his life of violence (wussie) to become a man of the cloth. Having no cross to display, he prayed to God to deliver him one. Frustrated at the lack of an answer, Galgano drove his sword into a nearby boulder…the sword sank in all the way to the hilt, and Galgano had his cross.
We stopped at the abbey and trod the long dirt driveway towards the abbey. You might even have called that driveway “Abbey Road.” That gratuitous Beatles reference is for you geezers out there: Namely Ryan Smith and Rob Vermillion. Ignoring our growling stomachs, we passed up a café serving overpriced food to primarily pilgrims and tourists.
The abbey was beautiful in its humility. It was quaint, almost. The roof had either fallen in or, more likely, never been completed. The place exuded serenity, and it was not hard to imagine monks walking these grounds reverently; their swishing robes the only sound audible in this secluded location.
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| More of the Abbey |
After touring the abbey we climbed the brief 20 or so minutes to the church of San Galgano, where the “sword in the stone” is on display. The climb was a scenic one, winding in between a sunflower field whose denizens were just starting to open up, a vineyard tended by the local monks, and a forest.
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| The sword in the stone of San Galgano |
We stopped in the church to pay our respects to San Galgano. The inside of the church is sparse, but decorated with geometrical shapes. In the very middle of the church was the sword in the stone. Legend has it that the last person to try to pull the sword from the stone lost both of his arms. Shaffer disregarded this warning, and tried to extricate the blade himself; as a result he too lost both of his arms.
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| It's only a flesh wound...but you've got your arms off....no i haven't |
Luckily, Shaffer has watched way too many Man vs. Wild episodes. Consequently he knows that one may reattach ones arms using only a bottle of wine, pine needles, the body of a queen carpenter ant, goat’s placenta, and elephant dung. 5 minutes later he had his arms back, and swore never to try to pull a sword from a stone again. Because they are so common, those swords in stones.
We stopped on the way down for the most divine lunch in all of Italy. It was a small little enoteca (wine bar) and served simple fare. Amy had bruschetta: Toasted bread dripping with olive oil, garlic and fresh cut tomatoes. Shaffer had a panino with salami. Two glasses of white wine (made locally by the monks) and we were set. It was a delicious and very affordable lunch. All lunches in Italy are delicious. Very few are affordable.
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| Amy's bruchetta...and Shaffer's arms good as new! |
We got down to the car and were loading Lucia up to go. As we did, we noticed a small dent on the hood, which had not been there before. We realized, slowly, that the hail must have caused that dent. As the realization dawned on us, we tentatively looked over the rest of the hood, and the roof. As if they had materialized right before our eyes, we saw dozens, perhaps hundreds, of dents. We had read that Italian car rental agencies have rather unfriendly insurance policies: Often the deductible will be the entire price of the car. We guessed that there was thousands of dollars worth of hail damage on Lucia. For the first time on the trip, dear readers, we despaired.
We got over ourselves eventually, and just like that we were back in the game! (Shoutout to you, Whitney Davis). We drove on towards Grosetto. The drive was beautiful: We took the hairpin turns, crests, and valleys slowly and enjoyed this different, forested view of Tuscany. It reminded us of home, and of all of you guys.
Passing through Grossetto, we felt like we were in a whole different world. Though still a part of Tuscany, Grossetto felt like southern Italy more than anything: More modern, a bit less refined, and full of energy. On the other side of Grosetto, we passed through brilliantly bright sunflower fields: The faces falling in perfect rows and stretching towards the sun. We stopped several times to take pictures. The drive was mixed with images of beauty, and also industry. Several chemical plants were seen in Grossetto, and as our trip neared its end we caught a glimpse of the world’s oldest profession: Roadside hookers.
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| Amy: Queen of the Sunflowers |
We got to Punta Ala a bit before Amy’s parents, and so we sat at a roadside bar and ordered two large beers. The sizes over here are great. The biggest size they sell is a 66Cl. If our calculations are correct, this works out to 24 oz. It is perfect: Bigger than a pint, but smaller than a 40; enough to do the job, but small enough to drink comfortably in one sitting. Well done, Italy.
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| Punta Ala Harbor |
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| Long neck bottle, let go of my lips |
Amy’s parents showed up in their small little Fiat Panda, named Francesca. She’s kinda wimpy compared to Lucia, but Lucia was very nice to her none-the-less. She’s kinda like Francesca’s big sister. We all piled into Lucia and found a great little café for dinner: Fresh seafood and pasta. Shaffer had taglietelle ala pirata, which had shrimp, cod, and some other fresh fish. Amy had gnocchi with fresh sea bass. Shaffer had to do the ordering for Mike and Eileen, who do not speak Italian. They try to speak something, but it certainly is not Italian. As a result, the waiter called Mike La Moglie (the wife). After dinner we went back to Punta Ala, and caught up with Mike and Eileen. Then it was off to bed on the pull out couch. Or rather, couches: There were two individual couches that we pushed together. Or pulled apart, depending on whether or not we were fighting. So they spent most of their time pushed together.
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| Mike and Eileen at our favorite ristorante |
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| Yummy seafood dinner |
Up Next: A horse race, a useless GPS, u-turns, bad customer service, a castle, shots of olive oil, and a very painful goodbye: Siena.....for the 4th time.
Arrivederci!
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