Discovering My Italian Roots - Part 4

Julie: 0:05

No one ever said life is easy, but I believe by giving yourself permission, you will find you have more control over your life than you realize. I'm Julie. I hope you will join me by taking responsibility for yourself, by only controlling the things you can and letting go of the things that you can't. By doing this, you will have discovered the secret to having happy, healthy and more fulfilling relationships. This is Nearest and Dearest Podcast. I'm Julie Rogers and you are listening to Season 2, episode 11, discovering my Italian Roots, part 4. This is the last episode about my 21-day journey through Italy.

Julie: 0:55

We just left Guardia and headed through the countryside via a driver to arrive in beautiful Sorrento, which is a coastal town in southwestern Italy facing the Bay of Naples on the Sorrento Peninsula. We rented a charming Airbnb single home that is perched high atop cliffs that separate the town from its busy marinas down below. The views were absolutely breathtaking. Because this was a single home, we had the whole place to ourselves for three days and nights. The challenge was how to get down to the historic center, which offers a cafe-lined square along with narrow alleys that have an abundance of various shops and restaurants to visit. Unfortunately, we weren't able to rent a vehicle that would accommodate the six of us. However, with a recommendation from Stefano, the owner of the home, even though it was last minute on our part, we were able to have a driver pick us up and take us to town. You couldn't really walk the streets on top of the cliffs safely, due to the winding roads with no sidewalks. The roughly three-mile trek to town would take about an hour to walk, and that's heading down. Heading back up would have been even more of a challenge. The panoramic views from the home were worth it. No matter where you stood on the property, you witnessed glorious mountains, homes that were tucked in the valleys below the hillsides, white, billowy clouds that seemed to levitate just above the tops of the highest mountains. So close were these magical views that, even from the windows that framed the garden outside, you almost felt that you could reach out to touch them. The first morning after we arrived, I sat outside near the garden and soaked in the warm sunshine on my face and truly enjoyed the tranquil moments all around me. We left the rainy, foggy conditions in Guardia and I was feeling renewed with the glorious sun and the warmer temperatures that I was thankful for. Our driver, Gaspare, picked all of us up and we headed back down the mountain to experience the historic center, along with more amazing panoramic views of the Gulf of Naples, which runs into Tyrrhenian Sea. We made arrangements for the time for him to pick us back up later in the day. He gave us a wonderful recommendation for lunch.

Julie: 4:40

The beautiful actress Sophia Loren is originally from Rome but has a gorgeous home among the coastal hills of the Isle of Capri. The restaurant named Donna Sophia is named after her and is located in the side alley street near the square in Sorrento. You walked in and experienced a relaxing, lovely restaurant that had artwork that embodied everything Sophia. You could tell how much the owner cherishes the famous actress. Woody and I were invited to walk down into the wine cellar before we left and were astonished about the abundance of wine bottles that filled the stone walled cellar. It had a large wooden bar top table with red chairs all around for seating. We noticed fresh meats hanging above waiting to be sliced and served. It was a combination of old world charm mixed with some modern stainless steel railings and stairs, along with climate control devices. There were about 100 photos, black and white and in color, of Sophia that framed the large entrance way into the cellar. It was a graceful tribute. Woody and I decided to book a boat tour of the Isle of Capri for the next morning.

Julie: 6:35

It was going to be another sunny, warm day for sightseeing. We would meet up later with our friends for dinner. The boat tour was going to be an amazing way to see up close the island's rugged coastline. It was a smaller boat, around 30 people, that came along for a fun, spirited tour with a guide who reminded me of Lady Gaga. She was funny, her Italian accent while speaking English was easy to understand and she also knew Spanish, French and German. She was awesome.

Julie: 7:28

First off, the turquoise blue water was unreal. We saw natural caves, or grottos in Italian, and even got to enter one. There were a few other vessels doing the same sightseeing, so that was cool to see the different boats. We saw the white grotto, the natural arch, the three Faraglioni rocks, which are stacks of coastal rock formations eroded by waves. The Punta Carena Lighthouse, an active lighthouse since 1867. You couldn't miss it. It's an octagonal tower on a two-story keepers house built with red bricks and windows, along with white vertical columns and red brick columns, a white lantern dome, and it's located at the southwest tip of Capri. We were able to get close to the famous blue grotto's entrance, but it's too dangerous to take a boat into it. It is known locally as Gradola and has been said that it was inhabited by monsters or evil spirits. It's over 196 feet long by 82 feet wide. The crystal clear blue waters below are 492 feet deep. When the sunlight beams through the entrance, it radiates an extraordinary blue light. Hard to imagine that this cave, as well as the other grotto's, are over 2,000 years old. We also saw Sophia Loren's home nestled among the coastline's rocky hills and lush greenery. According to our tour guide, she still resides there today.

Julie: 9:56

Woody and I decided to take our guide's offer to continue the day with a bus tour that would take us up and up and up to the picturesque town of Anacapri. Let me tell you, that bus ride up the winding, narrow road was more like taking a Universal Studio's thrill ride. We were firmly told to keep our arms and hands inside at all times. The reason became clearly known when we had to pass other buses coming down from the very top. At the same time, you could definitely touch the other bus with just your hand sticking out. We were that close. Anacapri was delightful. Woody and I strolled the cobblestone streets and had a wonderful lunch that included a drink, an entree and dessert for a reasonable price. Our tour guide recommended the restaurant that offered lunch specials. It was so nice to sit outside and people watch as other tourists were walking around and shopping. We had no agenda except to just stroll around this quaint town. We savored the relaxing mood and took pleasure in the warm sun while passing through a truly splendid town. Gaspare was waiting for us when we arrived back by ferry to the marina where we started.

Julie: 11:56

When we were dropped back off at the Airbnb to meet up with our friends, they were excited to tell us about their interesting day that included a spontaneous walk that Joe and Norm took. That led to meeting the owners of a wonderful local family restaurant where we were not only encouraged to go to for a dinner that night, but the owners sent an employee to make two trips to pick us up and drive us to their restaurant. Norm asked Joe to take a walk with him earlier that day. They found like a little tunnel way that would take them through a shortcut to another road. It was pretty daring for them to walk down these old stone steps that were right out in front of the home we were staying in, which led to a storm drain walkway that connected them through a path to a backside of another road. They decided to keep walking and came across this restaurant, which really is only about a mile away, but we would never have seen it because you couldn't walk safely on the main roads to get to any of the local restaurants.

Julie: 13:32

Joe knows Italian and was able to chat with the owner about how we didn't have a rental car to drive anywhere local for dinner. Next thing, you know, he tells the guys that he will send someone to pick all of us up and bring us to dinner. Woody and I couldn't believe how that all happened. True to his word, a young man showed up at the time he said he would. It took two quick trips to give all six of us a ride.

Julie: 14:09

We arrived to this family owned restaurant with a stunning view of the hillsides of the mountain. We felt like guests of honor. It was not busy when we arrived. The food and wine was amazing, fresh and flavorful. The owner, Sam, is 84 and uses fresh produce from his own garden. We were treated like familia. This encounter was another example of how Italians are so genuine and will go out of their way to help others. I have never experienced complete strangers go above and beyond like Sam and his staff did. When it was time to say Ciao we were given a ride back to our Airbnb with full bellies and heartfelt gratitude. It was the perfect way to end our stay in Sorrento.

Julie: 15:30

It was time to head to Venice. We made arrangements with Gaspare to drive us to Naples and catch a train. It was a fast train. It took about five hours. During the ride I was thinking about all the luggage we had between the six of us. I reached out to the owner, Moreno, whose apartment we were renting through Airbnb. I was using WhatsApp for all my communication with the owners of the Airbnb, the driver and Joe's sister, Linda. It was a handy app to use for communicating outside of the U. S. Moreno advised us to use a porter just outside of the train station. We had about a 10-minute walk to the apartment, but would be walking up quite a bridge with lots of steps to get across the waterway to the other side, where we were staying. The porter made a huge difference in assisting us. It was quite a sight to see all of our luggage, with bungee cords to help keep it all on a homemade looking wooden flat cart with two wheels and long handles for the porter to pull it, especially over the steps of the bridge.

Julie: 17:09

Venice is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals. The canal waters are brackish, which means that they are a mix of salt and freshwater. The buildings are still standing due to the wooden piles that were used in the foundation. The timber piles encased during prolonged time in the seawater became petrified and transformed into a hard stone. The apartment was up three flights of stairs. The location was great for being close to walking, for viewing the canal and restaurants and shops. We settled in for the night after finding a nearby restaurant for dinner.

Julie: 18:08

The next day we all took the water bus called Vaporetto to go to Piazza San Marco, also known as St Mark's Square, the city's main public square. The ride is similar to taking a public city bus. There were marked seats for the elderly or handicapped, depending on how busy that particular time of day was or popular the drop-off location, the water bus could fill up with people standing very close. I enjoyed being able to see more of the city's architectural buildings along the canals. As we were passing by, there also were vintage wooden boats that were carrying people to and from. It reminded Woody and I of the classic vintage wooden boats we occasionally see back home on the River.

Julie: 19:19

We decided to walk around the various streets, or calles as the Italians call them, around the city. Our friends continued with their sightseeing and we would meet back with them later in the day. It was unlike any place we have ever visited before. So many little bridges to walk over that would bring us to another location to explore. Another common sight to behold was the gondolas floating along the canals. It was a must-do on our list. We decided that later that evening we would pick one that was close to where we were staying. I wanted it to be a romantic moment for us. After putting thousands and thousands of steps on our feet that day, we needed a rest back in our room. Our friends had this same idea about the gondola ride and chose to do it while they were out earlier in the day. The sun was starting to set.

Julie: 20:39

Woody and I changed clothes. I wanted to wear a cute dress along with my brimmed hat, and we picked the spot to start our ride. It was an elegant, long black boat with gold paint trim and red carpet inside with comfy cushions for our seats. The gondolier was dressed in a black and white striped shirt, a brimmed hat with black ribbon tied around it where the long ends dangled off the back of it, and dark sunglasses, standing on the stern facing the bow with his long oar. There was a beautiful painted compass in gold letters on the bow and two small gold dragons with red eyes, one on each side of the boat. I had my handsome husband sitting next to me, creating this very romantic, surreal moment.

Julie: 21:48

The gondolier was quiet for the most part. He pointed some special buildings out along the way. We really enjoyed the quietness of our ride. We could hear birds chatter overhead and music being played in the distance. It was an up close view into some of the homes, where we saw a woman hanging out her laundry on a line attached from her balcony, floating under the small bridges, and the sounds of children babbling with their parents. I was able to capture some unique photos from a different perspective.

Julie: 22:38

The last leg of our ride was rowing into the Grand Canal, passing by other gondolas, water buses and various boats, felt like we were in a parade. We ended exactly back where we started. I asked the gondolier if he would take some photos with my cell phone. He obliged and I was thrilled with the many that he took. I also took a few selfies that captured our gondolier as well. It was one of the most romantic moments of my life. I'm sure being in Venice had a lot to do with it, but there was more to it than that. Feeling so happy and blessed with my soulmate and the life we have created together gives me an abundance of gratefulness and a heart filled with love.

Julie: 23:48

Our last day in Venice was another fun-filled day. Joe and Becky joined us to take another water bus over to Murano. This is one of the major islands in the Venice Lagoon. This island is famous for its long tradition of glass making. The 20-minute ride offered us more views of the waterways. The minute we stepped off the water bus you could notice the more laid-back vibe and peaceful atmosphere. Becky and I had talked before about wanting to see how the glass is made. We all wandered through more cobblestone streets, appreciating the less crowded walkways.

Julie: 24:46

We first saw Yalos Murano's Vetro Artistico shop. All the glass-blown pieces were stunning, we told the young lady whose grandfather is one of the master artisans that we would be back. We came across the original Murano Glass Factory. We lucked out that we could go right inside. The young man invited us, free of charge, to watch the next glass-blowing demonstration. We watched a master artisan create a blue horse in a matter of minutes. It was fascinating to see. An interpreter explained the process to the audience. We walked through their gorgeous store admiring the one-of-a-kind pieces. We found a pizza cafe along the canal and enjoyed pizza and beverages that were served in Murano glasses. There are around 100 glass factories in Murano. Some of the families who passed their craft to the next generation go as far back as 725 years ago.

Julie: 26:17

Woody and I wanted to go back to Yalo's Murano, the first shop we saw. We fell in love with a unique disc with a modern design that resembles waves, and when the light hits it, the purple, blues, greens and yellows pop. The shop would ship it to us safely and it now hangs on our wall between our two glass sliding doors. Every time I look at it, it is a loving memory of our time in Italy. It was time to explore our last part of our trip, San Marino.

Julie: 27:03

We were not aware that this unique old world place is its own country. It is a mountainous country, the fifth smallest country in the world. Surrounded by north-central Italy, it is among the world's oldest republics and retains much of its historic architecture. Italian is the primary language. We stayed in the Grand Hotel San Marino. It's located in the middle of this historical city. We left Venice with a driver and van. It was about a three-hour drive south of Venice. As we were approaching San Marino,

Julie: 27:54

the last leg was driving further up and up and up this glorious mountain. The highest point is 2,457 feet above sea level. This beauty sits on the slopes of Monte Titano, surrounded by medieval walls depicting an old town history and narrow cobblestone streets. The three towers castle-like fortresses dating back to the 11th century, sit atop Titano's neighboring peaks, looking out to the Adriatic coast. Tourism dominates the economy, which plays host to more than 3 million visitors a year.

Julie: 28:52

After just spending two days and nights here, I can understand the draw in making this journey here. Experiencing the absolutely stellar, breathtaking and panoramic views were enough to satisfy your soul. Seriously, I felt like we were on top of the world, looking down on God's creation. A similar experience I had was traveling to Sedona, Arizona, and also viewing the Grand Canyon. There were no words to express the natural beauty all around, the contrast from the blue skies with big, fluffy white clouds against the greenery, huge pine trees, from the landscapes below and valleys with waves of hillsides that seem to never end, against the terracotta rooftops with carved stone buildings. It was living art right before my eyes. The first night's sunset was another sight to behold.

Julie: 30:26

We all had rooms on the highest floor, the third, with the best views, and a balcony to enjoy this splendid wonder. One of my favorite memories is having a simple breakfast with Woody on our balcony. The next morning we had brought with us some leftover salami and cheeses from our stay in Venice. Woody went to a cafe next door to the hotel and brought back cappuccinos and a fresh baked croissant to share. It was relaxing to sit together and enjoy the sunshine and peacefulness of the morning.

Julie: 31:16

Woody and I wanted to tour the first tower. The Guaita is the oldest of the three towers and the most famous. It was constructed in the 11th century and served briefly as a prison. It is an important national landmark of San Marino. It is depicted as well on the country's flag. It is built on the rock with no foundation, with a pentagonal base which has been reinforced many times in the past. This remote fortress watches over San Marino and its internal wall stops at the bell tower on one side and the pinnacle tower on the other, where these elements were built centuries later. We were looking out from one of the open windows while the bell started ringing. It was very cool walking around an authentic medieval tower. Our views were even more elevated and we could see another tower in the distance across from us.

Julie: 32:42

After having a delicious lunch just down the hill from the tower, dark clouds were rolling in. We could see that it would only be a matter of a couple of minutes before the rain came. It started to rain on our way back to the hotel, but a strange sudden change of temperature turned the rain into small hail. I captured the quick storm from our balcony and videotaped it. It came and went within minutes. Before we knew it, the rain, wind and hail stopped and the beautiful blue skies, white clouds and sunshine came back out. It was our last afternoon.

Julie: 33:45

We all took another walk. I snapped a few more photos of this beautiful, magical place. We had dinner together, all of us in the hotel's restaurant, and talked about how it was time to pack up and head home. Everyone was ready to go back to our homes, our own beds and see our families. 21 days is quite a trip. A driver picked us up the next morning to drive us back to Rome where we would catch our flight back to the US. I'll never forget this special trip ever. Maybe it will be in the cards for Woody and I to come back to Italy. If we are so blessed, we will be grateful. For now Italy, ciao, ciao, all my love always. The views and opinions expressed by Nearest and Dearest Podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Nearest And Dearest Podcast. Any content provided by Julie Rogers or any other authors are of their opinion. They are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything. Thank you.