San Marino, The Diplomat and Depeche Mode

Friday, February 21^st

Oh, tiny countries, how I adore you! On my European vacation, I've already visited the tiny countries of Liechtenstein and Monaco and later in the travels, I'll visit Vatican City, the smallest country in the world.  But in this installment of my journal, I travel to the oldest republic in the world, San Marino...!

A few fun facts about San Marino:

• established in 301 A.D.
• population of 29,000
• a total of 24 square miles (1/3 the size of Liechtenstein or Washington, D.C.)
• ZERO traffic lights in the entire country

To fully appreciate San Marino, we need to start with a quick (and painless) history lesson.

Italy became a country fairly recently, in 1861. Prior to that, Italy, Germany and other countries were made up of a bunch of individual city-states and kingdoms. So the individual cities that we know today within Italy (Venice, Verona, Milan, Florence, etc) were once kingdoms or republics.

In the 1400s, this is what Italy looked like:

If you look within the purple area, the Kingdom of the Papal States, you'll see a small yellow dot - San Marino!  San Marino was created in 301 A.D.  A Christian stone cutter from Croatia named Marinus fled religious persecution from the Roman emperor Diocletian and hid out high on Mount Titano (San Marino's highest peak).  He founded a small community of Christians and protected them from persecution.  The owner of the land eventually gifted the land to Marinus and the name was changed to San Marino. (The story reminds me of the Founding Fathers of U.S.! )

In the mid 1800's, the individual city-states were unified slowly into the nation of Italy, but San Marino remained independent.  Today, it is the SOLE remaining independent republic from this period in world history.  Okay, okay, history lesson over! 

San Marino is old, unique, a political relic but it's also GORGEOUS!

I drove into the hill, checked into my hotel and set off to explore the country. 

I was particularly excited to get a San Marino passport stamp, but the office was closed. I walked around the old town and after just 30 minutes, my thighs are burning. I’ve been to some extremely hilly towns and cities on this trip and San Marino is one of them! Everywhere you turn is another set of stairs, another hill. It’s gorgeous, though, and well worth the butt and thigh workout!

After lunch, I climbed all the way to the top of the hill and was informed by a snotty lady working the cashier desk that the entrance fee was 3€, cash only.  I had a credit card and 2.50€ in change.  She shut the window in my face. Niiiiice!  I asked a passerby where the nearest ATM was… at the bottom of the hill, naturally.  I decided to head back to my hotel spa, where I got a massage and body scrub, then got cleaned up and went downstairs for dinner. That’s where my trip got REALLY interesting!  

The Diplomat

At the table next to me at dinner was another single woman and I overheard her speaking English to the server. In between courses, I smiled, said “hi” and we struck up a conversation.  She seemed thrilled to chat and after a few minutes, she asked to move over to my table and we continued chatting and eating. I learned that she is a U.S. Diplomat.

[For security reasons, she asked that I not publish her real name or location on my blog or social media, but mentioning the region was okay. So I’ll omit any specific details and will call her Mary. She's a U.S. Diplomat currently serving in the Middle East.]

As we ate, we discussed our careers, our travels, and our lifestyles as single women traveling. I talked about my life, my career, my uncertainty about what to do next and my love of traveling the world.  She shared stories from life as a diplomat, her love of travel and the pros and (very few) cons of her job.  I was fascinated!  The job and lifestyle sounded amazing to me and of course, it’s an amazing opportunity to serve your country. Mary encouraged me to look into a job as a US Diplomat. She explained that they’re looking for people with a wealth of random knowledge about pop culture, American history, world history, and a variety of other topics. (I have that!) More importantly, they’re looking for people who like to travel the world, who are comfortable being alone, people who are well spoken, at ease in any situation, can strike up conversation and who are willing to move around every 2-3 years.  She said our dinner conversation was evidence of my aptitude of all of those things. Um, yeah! 

As we finished dessert, we agreed it was serendipitous that we’d met. Honestly, what are the odds that two women with so much in common would be at the top of a mountain in one of the tiniest countries in the world... at the same hotel, at the same restaurant, seated at tables exactly next to one another on the same night?  Before she headed off to bed, she asked if I wanted to tour the city with her the next day and I happily agreed. I went to bed, wheels turning in my brain.

The next morning after breakfast, Mary and I walked around town. We visited the Parliment building, and the offices of the where the country is run. I got my photo with a member of the Sammariese Military Police 

We toured the building, which was gorgeous.

This is the Parliment office, where the wto

I managed to get my passport stamp (hooray!) and I found a Christmas shop where I was able to pick up a Christmas ornament. Next, we went to lunch at a place Mary wanted to try…and the food was delicious!  She also introduced me to soppa freddo…a type of ice cream that was particularly delicious! 

It turns out, Mary is a HUGE Depeche Mode fan and had traveled from the Middle East to Italy/San Marino for a concert in Bologna later that night. My parents were also spending the weekend in Bologna, so it seemed like a sign to me.  In 35 years, I've never offered a stranger a ride, but I offered to drive Mary to Bologna. We checked out each others passports (she had a special Diplomatic passport!), I googled her real name and found enough information that I was convinced she wasn’t a crazy sick lunatic.  She probably had some government agency look into me and then, we were off! 

The drive went quickly and again, we talked non stop.  We chatted about our love lives, careers, more about the diplomat lifestyle, our families, travels and current events.  It was fun to have a travel buddy.  Before I knew it, we were pulling into her hotel and exchanging email addresses.  Mary was off to see Depeche Mode and I was off to surprise my parents…!

Life never ceases to amaze me.  I think it was serendipitous that I met Mary in San Marino.  It feels like we were destined to meet for some reason.  At the very least, we had great conversation, I learned a lot about the life of American Diplomats and made a new friend.  Maybe it will lead to an exciting new career for me, maybe not. 

But whatever happens next, this reminds me that smiling and saying “hi” to the person sitting next to you just might change your life. Or at the very least, your day.

Caio!

                               

Ravenna: mosaics and Dante's tomb

February 19

I left Parma and headed to Ravenna. Since this city had been a last minute addition to my trip, I hadn’t done much research. When I drove into town, I had no idea what to expect.  I knew it was where Dante Alighieri was buried, but otherwise, it was just a city on a map to me.

Ravenna is on the east coast of Italy, south of Venice. 

This is the birthplace of mosaic art and artists still practice the art form today. As I explored Ravenna, I learned a ton about the mosaic art form. I visited several artist workshops and talked the artisans. I learned that mosaic art in Ravenna falls into two categories. Each piece is either an original work of art designed by the artist, or an attempt to recreate (in whole or in part) a mosaic that was historically displayed in a church, crypt or bascilica,

I was able to see a few exceptional examples of historical mosaic art. First was the amazing San Vitale Bascilica.  It was started in 526 A.D. and finished in 547 A.D.. 

Once inside, I couldn't take my eyes off of the apse in the presbytery. All of the walls are covered in mosaic art. It was stunning.

To the right and left of the main altar were chapels... the brilliant blue and green mosaics were spectacular!

Once I finally tore my eyes away from the walls and the ceiling, I noticed the floor. The entire floor was covered in white marble mosaic. To be in a space so large and see millions and millions of pieces of marble laid perfectly was awe inspiring. Keep in mind, this was done in the 526 AD... there was no automation, no tiles on mesh backers...each piece was painstakingly laid by hand.

Behind the San Vitale bascilica is a mausoleum of Galla Placidia, who died in 452 A.D. She was the sister of the Roman emperor Honorius and asked to be buried here.  The mausoleum is gorgeous and decorated in primarily blue glass.  

The ceiling is covered in 570 gold stars!

Nowadays, if an artist designs an original piece, there are no rules. But, if an artist is replicating a historical or already created mosaic like those I saw in San Vitale, they take great care to do so properly.  If they’re recreating a floor mosaic, they’d use marble (primarily white) and the mosaic tiles would be placed at the same depth so the piece is flat, just as it would be on the floor.  If the artist is replicating a wall mosaic, they’d use glass tiles and the surface would have slight variances with regards to depth of the tiles. The softly undulating surface makes the glass tiles shimmer.  With gold glass tiles, real gold leaf is pressed between two pieces of glass. This explains why even 800 years after it was installed, the gold mosaic high up in the apse of the church still shimmered.  

I loved learning about mosaics! But Ravenna has alot more to offer than just mosaic art. Ravenna is also where famous poet Dante Alighieri lived, wrote The Divine Comedy and died in 1321.

Now, Dante was exiled from Florence during his life because of his political beliefs and affiliations.  But after his death and due to his fame, Florence has begged, pleaded and cajoled with Ravenna to return his remains to Florence.  Ravenna has always said no and reminded the city of Florence that they didn't want him in life, so they cannot have him in death. The two cities have been locked in a fight for centuries.  Popes have ordered his remains exhumed and returned to Florence, but when they tried to find Dante's body, they found nothing but an empty crypt.  Even as recently as the 1970s, Florence once again demanded his remains be returned and Ravenna answered simply "no." (I'm on Ravenna's side!)

His tomb is small but beautiful.  

A small oil lamp is hanging up. It burns 24/7 with expensive oil donated by the city of Florence, as penance for (poor) their treatment of it's most famous son.

And lastly, I have to mention Ravenna's leaning tower.  I know, I know, it's not Pisa, but it's a serious leaning tower, too! The Civic Tower (Torre Civico) is in the heart of Ravenna, built around 1,000 and one of the only towers not destroyed over the years. The top 6 floors has to be removed to avoid collapse, but you can still tell the structure is leaning significantly!

Ravenna is a sleepy little town but makes for an enjoyable visit. I enjoyed strolling around, looking at art, learning about mosaics and visiting museums.

Next up… I tackle another tiny country on my tour… San Marino!

Ciao!

Parma

February 18

I left San Remo and continued driving east along the Italian Riviera.  My destination: the gorgeous craggy cliff towns of the Cinque Terra. But as I drove, I realized that I didn’t want to spend any more time by the beach. I adore beaches (and mountains), but I’m here in February. All of my time spent in these wonderful locations (Nice, Monaco, Antibes, Cannes, San Remo) is like a big tease. I want to swim in the Mediterranean, layout slathered in coconut-scented sunscreen, drink an umbrella drink and eat seafood at a beachfront restaurant. But it’s cold and I’m wrapped in layers of scarves. A quick check of my iPhone and I see that the best hotels are closed and the ones that are open looked pretty blah.  So, by the time I drove up  the coast and around to the La Spezia peninsula where the Cinque Terra begins, I had decided to change my plans. I’d drive inland and save the Cinque Terra region for later in my trip, when, I reasoned, more hotels would be open.

I decided to drive across Italy to the east coast to visit Ravenna and San Marino, another of the worlds tiniest countries! To get there, I’d drive through Parma, birthplace of parmesan cheese!

I stayed  in Parma at an incredible 5 star hotel called Park Hotel Pacchiosi. My room was absolutely luxurious!  There were 20 foot ceilings, an amazingly perfect bed, a chandelier over the bed, a gorgeous bench and a beautiful rug. 

And then I saw the bathroom and literally started laughing..that's how happy I was!

Huge vanity and marble EVERYWHERE.

There was even a huge 12 foot wide double shower.  So, of course, I turned on both and walked from side to side.  Ahhh, the joys of a great hotel!

After a ridiculously long shower, I decided to get all gussied up and treat myself to a nice dinner. It felt really good to get all cleaned up and even better to have an awesome meal.

I love when my place setting includes 6 glasses. There are separate glasses for water, prosecco, white wine, red wine, dessert wine and an apertif/digistif.

I started with sparkling prosecco called Cartizze.

 And of course, in Parma, they serve you a few big chunks of awesome parmesan to nibble on.

Next, the chef sent out a few special appetizers just for me.  Smoked salmon, anchovy mousse and a third thing I've forgotten.

For a main course, I had asparagus and proscuitto rissoto with parmesean cheese and my favorite, Chianti.

And of course, I had to treat myself to dessert and cappuccino.

After my awesome meal, I went back to my hotel room and discovered that they had FREE movies in ENGLISH on the TV.  I snuggled into my comfortable bed with a glass of wine and drooled over Jeremy Renner in the Bourne Supremacy and laughed at Despicable Me 2. 

Ahhh... the joys of vacation! 

San Remo and the Italian Grammys

February 19th

It's not everyday you find yourself surrounded by Italian music stars, but thats what happened in San Remo. I walked right into the Italian Grammys.

The Italian Riviera is dotted with little towns and villages.  It stretches from where Italy and France meet on the west all the way over to La Spezia and the 5 towns of Cinque Terra to the east.

The Italian Riviera 

After my nightmare in Genoa last week, I decided to change my itinerary and stop in San Remo for the night. It ended up being a fantastic decision.

The entire drive along the coastline was gorgeous. And San Remo itself was off the charts.  I started snapping photos on the exit ramp. It was so gorgeous, I almost drove off the cliff. 

It was a perfect day, with blue skies and a few puffy white clouds.

Obviously, the photos are crappy because I'm driving (slowly are carefully) down switchback curves and shooting these photos out the passenger side window.

I drove into town looking for a hotel and dead-stopped when I saw the gorgeous Royal Hotel San Remo.

Oh, you guys!  It's like a posh luxury hotel from the 1920s.  Nothing has changed. It's glitz and glamour is still there.  It's set high above the road on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. I feel in love from the road and decided to pul in That's where things got a bit strange.

As I walked into the hotel, I noticed a group of paparazzi huddled around the entrance door.  Several of them quickly turned my way, cameras in hand, but then turned back, uninterested. Hmmm...

As soon as I walked in, I could tell something very interesting was going on in the hotel. Groups of people were milling around, whispering to each other and pointing at people checking in.  As I stood in line, I saw 2 or 3 different people approach this older man to my left.

Each person nervously spoke to him in hushed Italian, asked for a photo and beamed proudly when he obliged. For all I knew, this was the Italian Robert DiNero or something.  Very strange to see people fawning over someone you don't know...

Suddenly, a flurry of activity happened behind me.  A group of security guards surrounding a 40-ish slender, brunette woman quickly lead her through the lobby and out the door I'd just come in.  As the door swung open, I saw all the paparazzi flash bulbs go off in a huge, chaotic grouping.  They shouted in Italian while security got her in the back of a car and she sped off.

A man in a purple shirt appeared (below), was mobbed by people asking for photos and finally, security asked people to move across the lobby.  Okay...what is happening?

I finally got up to the desk and asked for a room. They explained they had just 1 room remaining...a large ocean front room.  I took it.  As they checked me in, I asked what was going on.

The receptionist explained the San Remo Song Festival was going on (the Italian equivalent of the Grammys) and the hotel was full with Italian celebrities, singers and musicians. Ahhh! I stumbled into a fabulous event! The Italian Grammys!

I have to say, being a celebrity must be very strange.  I'd hate it. The paparazzi were respectful but very intense.  The fans were completely inappropriate and seemed to lose all common sense. The older man was trying to check into his room, for crying out loud, and 3 or 4 people interrupted him to get a photo.  Let the poor guy sign his receipt! Get his key, drop his bag, take a load off.  Jeez. And to be surrounded by security and ushered around the way the woman was? She must feel like a prisoner.
Later, in the lobby, an older woman told me she's a pop singer and compared her to Lada Gaga or Miley Cyrus.

Anyway, I got up to my room and wow!  It was a huge room, a King size bed (unheard of in Europe!), and tall 25 foot ceilings.

But the view!  Well....see for yourself in this crappy video.  (I'm still trying to figure out video and my blog, folks.  Sorry!)

Here's a still photo, so you don't get motion sickness:

I actually squealed when I went into the bathroom. FULL SIZE AMENITIES? I've died and gone to hotel heaven!

Then, I realized they give you a box full of various lotions and creams. OMG, you guys.

My balcony overlooked not only the gorgeous Mediterranean, but also the balcony of one of the musicians who had a party that night. The artists stayed inside, but I manage to snap this photo.  (If anyone is up on their Italian musicians and artist and can identify any of these folks, let me know in the comments!)

The hotel had a spa with hot tub, Turkish baths, steam room and sauna, so I decided to go exploring San Remo and buy a bathing suit. San Remo is awesome.  There is a casino, which looked gorgeous. I fully intended to go back and do some gambling, but I never got around to it.

As I walked through the streets of San Remo in the shopping district, the sun was setting. Suddenly, I realized that all above me were twinkle lights!  Oh, so charming.

I found a suit and spent the evening relaxing in the awesome spa.

And despite all the fabulous artist parties going on around me and fans milling around the lobby, I decided to keep it low key.  I ate an amazing sandwich from room service, watched a gorgeous sunset and listened to the waves crashing.

The next morning, that gorgeous view was the first thing I saw. I snapped a photo before getting up so I could remember it!

I just had to take a photo at breakfast. These are blown glass flowers (probably Murano glass, made in Italy) that line the room up at the ceiling.  Considering the price of Murano glass, this art installation was very impressive!

My crappy photos don't do it justice. It really reminded me of those Dale Chiluly exhibits around the country of blown glass flowers.

I tried to get tickets to the Song Festival, but they were sold out.  I also asked around to see if there were any cool events going on that I could crash, but thats all kept pretty hush hush.

San Remo was gorgeous and I'd happily visit there again. As I was driving out the gate of the hotel, another group of paparazzi were waiting, with cameras at their eyes, ready for me.  They saw my sporty little Alfa Romeo, and seemed to be trying to figure out who i was. I put on my sunglasses, smiled big and waved to the cameras as I sped off.  

I'm (A Musing) Jules!  My autographs below....