"My dear lady, I should be delighted to stand behind you with a pencil"

Caroline joined us on November 17th. John and Angela joined us on November 24th. Thanksgiving in Rome was something I will remember for the rest of my life.

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we visited the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. Even out of season, I expected lines and delays. It could not have been smoother. I made reservations online. We were up and out to the Metro station and the "A" line by 9:30AM.  It was raining and we complimented ourselves on planning well. A rainy day at a museum is prefect. Three stops, we are within 1/2 mile walk of the Vatican. Another quarter mile, we enter the museum.

You can tell how long the lines must by the barriers set up. I show the receipt on my smartphone and we are touring the museum an hour earlier.

It still is crowded. There are the "flags on a stick" guides with bored looking followers in clear view. You have to be patient in front of major exhibits and there is little time to read. The Rafael rooms (3) are the worst. Tour guides seem to love Rafael. I am not sure why. First, Rafael did not paint. He designed the frescoes and his school of apprentices executed the design.

Rafael style is definitely transition to a more romantic vision of painting - the men and women are muscular ( Michelangelo's women look like men with breasts). I believe that Rafael got paid by the number of figures he could squeeze into a ceiling or wall. Rafael then had his "team" complete his vision. But, the Popes must have loved him and I do not think he worked cheap.

Michelangelo had a prep team for the Sistine Chapel but he did the painting (Michelangelo apparently painted the ceiling standing up and leaning backwards and forward as needed).

The museum is so much more than sculptures, Rafael and Michelangelo. I enjoyed the Etruscan exhibit rooms tremendously. Betty and Caroline enjoyed the Egyptian rooms and I did not even find those rooms.

The crowds become larger as they rush towards the tours' goal of the Chapel. Also the rooms become smaller. The rooms were designed as private offices or audience rooms for the Royal Popes of History.

We found that in museums and at ruins, we move at different pace. So we are quickly separated. I arrived at the Sistine Chapel well before Betty and the kids. After the smaller rooms, you notice the size. You enter from altar side of the chapel. From the ceiling, you are entering on the first day of creation. The center is defined by the creation of man. God reaching to touch Adam to give life.
The chapel is, of course, full but there is strictly enforced silence by staff. The no photo rule is enforced. Still tourist try and somehow the guards see it and are firm.

I am glad that we came in 2014. The restoration was completed a number of years ago. The restoration team left small sections of the paintings as they were before restoration. It is noticeable. The colors are exceptional. As with Renaissance paintings, the reds, blues and yellows are brilliant.
Da Vinci's paintings are idealistic, but real. Michelangelo paints his vision of what should be. Men - old and young - are powerful, muscular and stern (no hint of smile). Michelangelo paintings are homage to Greek sculpture with a brush.

Still, you are in awe of the beauty. I spent about 45 minutes observing the art from various part of the chapel. The imagination required. The execution overwhelms. I understand that with Michelangelo death, the next period of art is called Mannerism - attempt to emulate Michelangelo.

As by accident, we are all reunited in the chapel. Betty purchases Vatican stamps as souvenirs.

Caroline and I, of course, mail two postcards to get the postmark.

We are at the museum for over five hours.

On Thursday - Thanksgiving.

I think we had dinner at a restaurant near the apartment. The food was excellent. The service was personal and attentive. What I remember was the house wine was perfect. With other restaurants, the house wine comes in a pitcher or glass chafe , at this restaurant , it is their bottled wine in full bottles or half bottles.

Starting to come down with a cold again so my memory of what the primo piatto was is hazy. But, what I do remember is that Italy is full of these great little restaurants that you can walk by. Then, you discover it is white linen, attentive and refined service and great food. This restaurant was started in 1947 at same location by the father.

Love Italy.

"You must have shot an awful lot of tigers, sir"

What can I say.

Last day in Rome and Italy. We will be home sometime the afternoon on December 1st. It is Christmas in Rome. The stores and streets are decorated. The weather is definitely changing. We have been very fortunate the last two weeks. Late November weather is the wettest part of the year in Rome and the weather forecast earlier in the month was ugly. But, only 2 raining days out 14 was more than we expected.

I have learnt a great deal during the last two months.

I will miss the restaurants greatly. They are small and seem to be independently owned. You would like to believe family but that would be projecting. The menus are traditional- antipasto, primo piatti, secondo piatti and dessert. The restaurants' menus are Italian and English subtitles commonly. We did stay way from the restaurants with English first. We did run across a leather store in Rome that in big yellow letters stated only in English "Made in Italy". Can you say "china". It is a large problem in Italy. There is a big push for "made in Italy". Everything in Italy including truffles is buyer beware.

My experience with truffles is mixed. Presuming that as with all things - there is "good" and then "great", I would say truffles I had were "good". It is an acquired taste. The more often I had, the more I began to enjoy to taste. It is a slightly pungent taste. I had with eggs and the shavings were more than you usually receive. The taste you get from US olive oil with truffles at Traders Joe is a facsimile of the taste.

We have toured the Northern Italian cities where tourism is a major contributor to economy. The people we met deal daily with hordes of tourists. English is the universal language You do see some Chinese, but usually higher end stores. So you are never sure whether it is tourist "truffles" or Italian truffles. I had truffles in Parma and Siena and they are not high tourist areas and the restaurants were local. Truffles are a common ingredient.

October and November are ideal months to visit. Granted it rains. But, Betty and I could not imagine what Rome or Florence must be like with 90s and the huge crowds.

Gelato is pretty much what you have heard. It is very rich. A high content of cream. The traditional order is to large scoops of two different gelatos -- my favorite is strawberry and chocolate - topped with a scoop of cream. Then, a wafer is added to top of the mountain of calories waiting on top of a small cone or paper cup. and that is the small order.

Of course, the quality and cost vary. Never a bad experience. In Rome, Rick Stevens got it right (see I can give Rick a compliment) with his recommendation of Giolitti near Trevi Fountain.

Italians never dress down. Seriously, I do not remember a sloppy sweatshirt or dirty running shoe in our whole trip. If and when I saw one, it was a tourist.

In Florence, Siena and Rome on my morning walks, I saw stores specializing in tailored uniforms for hotel maids among other occupations.

Italian men do sport the popular unshaven look. But, you are confident that only after a half hour in front of a mirror.

Women never are seen without make-up - not just lip gloss. You seldom see flats. It is heels and tights. Every shopping block has a store selling Calzedonia leggings. Great commercial with Julia Roberts.

Scarfs are everywhere. I am sure that a reason that it was getting chilly. But, it is a common accessory for men and women. I watched a Kevin Costner's movie "Three Days to Kill" (not as bad as critics stated - they missed that this is a Luc Benson genre film - think critics not appreciating Roy Roger) and sure enough there is the scarf around Kevin's neck.

The Italians have multiple styles of scarfs and methods of tying. None of which I figured out. So around the neck once was my style.

I have developed a taste for an aperitif called an Americano and for Campari, in general. After a long walk in the afternoon, a glass of Prosecco for Betty and an Campari for me.

I think Betty and I figured out the cause of the greatness of Italian cooking and why it is not the same in US. First, everything is fresh. The cities are old with narrow streets not accessible to trucks - definitely not semi and often not even delivery trucks can reach to the restaurants - so all deliveries are by hand truck and are one day of produce, fish, meat etc..

Secondly, energy is expensive in Italy so there are no large refrigerators.

Italy is a country of small farms so produce tends to be local and fresh. Fish is plentiful since almost all cities are near water You do not see that much chicken on the menus - lots of seafood and beef. Definitely, no turkey.

But, it is the pasta. I am sure a lot is handmade, but I am just as confident that it is the same Barella that you buy at Safeway I what you get at Italian restaurants. The difference is the preparation. So the center of the meal is not the sauce, it is that tender and slightly chewable pasta.

The ingredients are fresh. No garlic. Lots of basil. Tomatoes are not Roma or paste. It is olive oil, basil and cherry tomatoes. There are cream sauces. Did not see Pesto featured.

Cheeses are a big part of menu and cooking. Italian cheeses are so much more and better than what we associate with Italian cooking. There is variety - soft and hard. The cheeses of Parma and Siena were spectacular.

The last few days with Caroline, John and Angela were unbelievable. I have a few more blogs to go. We had one power convertor and six devices so access to the computer was limited. We did so much.
Next Pompeii.