Ravenna

Driving in Italy

We've been driving around Italy for a week now, on the autostrada doing 130 kph (that's about 80mph for all you "by the king's body parts" measurers),  on narrow city streets, winding country lanes and gravel roads, and though the Italians drive their chic Italian cars like the devil's on their tails, and they tend to keep their options open by straddling the lane dividers on the autostrada, we have not (tfu, tfu, tfu...) seen one accident, nor have we heard a car horn.

However leaving DC last week on the way to the airport, this is what we saw on the side of New Hampshire Ave.

New Hampshire Ave DC

More later on Ravenna and the Venezia Biennale. Today we plan to go to Padua and see Giotto.

Sunday, 8th of September 2013

We planned to go to Ravenna on the way back from Toscana today, but one thing lead to another and it was hard to say goodbye to Nurit, so we had one more cup of coffee, and breakfast, and went for a walk to see the new vineyard, and Toscana has its own pace, it grabs your ankles and holds tight.

Yesterday, I didn't get round to writing about the two little museums Dennis and I went to see in the nearby village, Cortona, both of which turned out to be not so little, though Nurit said she thought we were the only people she knew who'd gone to see them. I wanted to go because I happen to like provincial museums, they always surprise me (like the museum in Augusta, Georgia USA that has a huge, beautifully curated, interactive gallery dedicated to James Brown, because James Brown was born in Augusta, Georgia - who knew?), and I read that the Diocesan Museum in Cortona had one of my favorite Fra Angelica paintings: The Annunciation. Photos weren't allowed, so I'm afraid I've used an image I found on the net, which doesn't really do it justice. You'll just all have to go there and see it for yourselves. All the gold you see really is gold leaf, the painting radiates.

And Dennis wanted to go because he just likes "old shit" as he calls it, and the other museum, the Etruscan Academy museum, had plenty of that. It's a large rambling place, with artifacts and art from prehistoric to modern times, mostly Etruscan, but everything from fossilized prehistoric (I think) animals found locally, to modern works of art by local 20th century artists like Severini, as well as decorative items, jewelry, everything and anything to do with the history of the area, all beautifully documented and curated (Miri, you would have loved this place too).

Images from Toscana

Cortona and my cousins' house

  

  

  

We  arrived last night at the American Air force base in Aviano, about an hour's drive north west of Venezia, checked in to the inn on base, and promptly got lost looking for a restaurant, gave up, went back to the inn and crashed.

Dennis was sure that we wouldn't get on the military "space available" flight on Tuesday evening, it was only when the landing wheels left the ground, that he breathed easy. We were among the last people to board, and had about an hour and a half's wait till we knew for sure we were on the flight, and for anyone who has doubts as to how US military personal and veterans are treated, I can say that we were well taken care of, and all in all, the uncertainly of there being space on the plane and the waiting aside, it was one of the best and pleasantest flights we've ever taken, way, way better than any American commercial airline. Dennis's Uncle Sam was real good to us.

Entering Italy from the north

This morning we got on the road at around 8:30, maybe later... and proceeded to drive south to my cousins' house in Toscana, a more or less 4 hour hour drive. Driving in Italy is so smooth, the roads are fantastic, signs were good, AND you can get excellent espresso EVERYWHERE, including at petrol stations, which is how I thought it was all over until I came to the States.

Entrance to Nurit and Yaron's house in Toscana

Something about the dry heat and the light, and how the sun feels in Italy has a profound effect on me, perhaps because it's so similar to the light in Israel, or maybe I'm just jet lagged after three days of traveling, see for yourselves.

At Baltimore airport eating fried calamari drinking beer and waiting for the flight

So far looks like we're going

...as of 10 minutes ago it looks like the Strike on Syria has been postponed; Obama's decided to request permission from congress first, congress won't convene till Tuesday, by which time Obama will be at the G20, and we'll all be on our way.

Quite honestly I'm not sure if this delay is a good thing or not. I mean I think the fact that Obama's allowing time for the American people to debate, is a healthy aspect, but that's from a Western person's perspective, and even from this perspective it seems like an arse backward way manage an impending strike, but what do I know...

Meantime we finished shopping for the trip: Canadian whiskey, Vermont maple syrup, American clover honey for Rosh Ha'Shannah, and Italian GPS maps, guide books, adapters and sim cards.

Getting Ready

Mixed feelings. On the one hand looking forward to going to Italy next week, and on the other hand there's all that  saber rattling in the Middle East, and it's always awful to be away from Israel when there's a "situation".

Also, and I know how petty this sounds, but if the "Syrian Campaign" starts this weekend, the Israeli airspace might close, and my cousins, who'll be flying to Italy from Israel, and whose home in Toscana we'll all be meeting at for Rosh Ha'Shannah, may not be able to get a flight out, meaning that Dennis and I may need to think about whether or not we want to go regardless.

We have till Tuesday to see what develops.