Tuscan Trails: Parting Thoughts

Montecatini's City Hall, where the mayor's office is on the second floor

Soon it was the end of our seven-day tour of Tuscany, and on the last evening together we shared email addresses and took pictures with new friends.

In total there were 31 people in our tour group, seven of us from Canada (and Hong Kong), the rest from the United States, mostly from New Jersey...!

Verdi resided here in the summers (balcony)

Two other women from the US were also Chinese, originally from Shanghai. On the first day they started chatting with us and soon were adopted them into our little sub group.

We had one evening free in Montecatini, the small town we were staying at, and following the recommendation of one of our tour members, we tried to find the restaurant he said had very good pasta.

After strolling a few blocks we found the place, which had a large outdoor area in the front, and indoor area in the back. We approached the restaurant, and immediately I could sense the staff tensing up, seeing such a large group of Asian people tromping up to their entrance.

I asked for a table for nine inside (as there were smokers outside), and they pointed to two tables, one for five people, another for four. At first we agreed, but then asked if the tables could be put together.

There was a flat "no" and so we started walking out. They made a last-ditch attempt to suggest we eat outside where there was one long table, but I said there were smokers. It was too late for them to remedy the situation. Granted the space inside was a bit hard to fit nine people, but they could have tried.

Prawns with vegetables

So we continued on in our quest to find a restaurant.

We wandered into the area where the hotels are cheaper, mostly pensiones, and many had seats out front for guests to sit and chat amongst themselves.

One of the hotels we stopped at had a restaurant attached to it, looked like a fine-dining place, and it was still early so it was empty. I walked in and saw the head waiter put his jacket on and straighten it stiffly, while the other staff stared at us. It didn't seem like a good sign.

I asked if they were open and immediately he replied they were all full for the evening.

Right.

This is a town of 20,000 residents, has 200 hotels and as our tour guide told us, has 100,000 visitors during the tourist season.

A very hearty pappardelle with duck ragout

None of us in our group said the R-word, but it was definitely on our minds.

After walking a bit longer, we got tired, and hungry. We finally settled on another hotel restaurant in the same area, and this time a young woman warmly welcomed us to the empty dining area that was also part of the lobby. Nine people was no problem and she quickly put tables together.

We made it easier for her to do separate bills by sitting with our respective families, and she was very friendly, smiling and laughing with us. Although she made a few mistakes with our orders, no one minded -- we were just pleased to have a friendly server.

In the end the food wasn't amazing, but we had a good time and generously tipped the young woman who was overwhelmed by our gratitude. She had no idea what we had been through earlier.

On the whole though, the people we met on the trip were friendly and nice. It made us wonder if they knew the difference between people from China and Chinese people from elsewhere.

Chinese President Xi Jinping recently warned his fellow citizens to behave themselves when traveling abroad. One wonders what they have done in Montecatini to result in us getting strange looks?

Nevertheless, I will not forget the fantastic Tuscan scenery, from the hillsides covered in olive trees and grape vines, to the picturesque coastal scenes in Cinque Terre, but in particular the fresh food! That is something even the best Italian chefs can't replicate in Hong Kong! Take me back!

Idyllic Day by the Sea

What is there not to like about this view looking down at Monterosso?

We woke up very early to take our tour bus to La Spezia, a military base by the Mediterranean on the way to Cinque Terre, both in the next door region of Liguria. Not only is it Italy's second-largest naval base, but also produces munitions and is a port of call for small cruise ships.

You might also see Giorgio Armani's yacht moored here, but we were there over a week before Fashion Week so he was probably busy putting his latest collection together...

The hills are terraced by farmers, with the houses down below

This area of Italy on the northwestern coast (the top of the boot) was part of the French empire under Napoleon, and he already had plans to make La Spezia his biggest naval base. But two years later he was defeated by the English. Nevertheless, the Italians took his idea and made it a reality.

There's a panoramic drive from La Spezia to Cinque Terre, known as "The Five Lands" or villages: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The whole area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has literary connections, as writers like Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary, Virginia Woolf, Henry James, DH Lawrence and Ernest Hemingway spent time in this area.

Geographically, the hills are very steep, and for centuries farmers have terraced these slopes by hand, without the help of animals. As a result people in this area are not very well off. It was only about 15 years ago when the area became a tourist site and about 60 percent of visitors are hikers. These are also very small towns with a total of 5,000 inhabitants.

More beautiful blue skies and waters to the train station

The houses by the sea are perched on the slopes too and tend to be built right next to each other to act as a defense wall against pirates. Houses also had back doors to escape quickly through the maze of streets.

Originally the houses were the same colour to blend into the natural environment, but these days new owners can express themselves by choosing from their palette. Apparently the going price for a flat here these days is about 8,000 euros per square metre...

It's nice to walk along the small streets -- which involves going up and down inclines, or up several steps to be rewarded with stunning views of sparkling clear waters down below. It was amazing to see how blue the water was!

Seafood spaghetti with clams, mussels and shrimp

However it's also hard to believe that on October 25, 2011 there was a terrible landslide in Monterosso. It was a dry hot day, and then suddenly there was torrential rain for hours, and at the same time one-third of the mountain above collapsed and slid down to the town.

There was a river of water that was one floor deep and cars had to be fished out of the water. Some buildings by the water still show the damage from that day. Residents were evacuated to other towns and it took less than a year to clean up the village. One of the churches displayed pictures showing the damage to the place, and those photographs are the only reminder of the disaster.

By the time we arrived in Monterosso, we were starving and had to eat! Our guide suggested we had to eat seafood, so spaghetti with mussels, shrimp and clams, or pasta with pesto sauce, which originates from Cinque Terre. We were also encouraged to order anchovies, which are from here too.

A memorable salad -- those ripe tasty tomatoes!

And yes the food was delicious! The spaghetti soaked up the bisque flavour of the sauce, and even better with rice. The salad was also fantastic too -- the tomatoes were so ripe, and the lettuce crunchy and fresh... not something one can easily find in Hong Kong...

The anchovy salad turned out to be several anchovy fillets with toast, but they were still delicious despite being on the salty side.

Technically you can walk from one village to another, though the stretch to Corniglia is closed -- according to our guide there isn't much to see there -- but another way to get around is by ferry. It's fun being out on the water, and being someone who loves being by the water, Cinque Terre is a great place to wander and hang out by the sea and chill out.

Love the jewel tones of the water below...

That said I would probably go stir crazy here after staying a day or two. But I can't get enough of the beautiful shades of aquamarine by my feet.

Picture of the Day: Idyllic Scenery

Arguably one of the most amazing views in the world in Italy

The wifi at the hotel I'm staying at seems to be overloaded and can't get on via my laptop so I'm blogging on my smartphone instead.

Today we visited Cinque Terre, the five villages in Liguria which are located by the Mediterranean.

As you can see, the view from one of them, Vernazza, is just breath-taking.

This morning in Montecatini, we woke up to heavy rain. But by the time we arrived at the coast, about an hour away by coach, there were blue skies.

There are lots of steep cliffs here and many farmers are still tilling the terraced fields by hand. It's a tough life we don't envy.

But the view! And to have a holiday home here! But then again it's no fun schlepping suitcases up hills and staircases...

Nevertheless the stunning view will be difficult to forget...