Experience Growth on Your Italian Vacation · Mar 9, 09:47 AM by James Martin
Spring has sprung here in California. It’s a bit of a cold spring, but stuff is popping out of the ground at an alarming rate. If weeds were good to eat, we could feed half of California.
That’s a new Calla Lilly we’ll sink into the soil as soon as the morning temperatures stabilize below freezing.
But you’re not interested in gardening in California, are you? No, you’d rather be sinking a shovel into the ancient soils of Umbria or learning to sort the wild edibles of Italy wouldn’t you?
Well, you can. In fact, for the money, if you’re interested in gardening and are going to be in Umbria, I’d venture to say you’d be nuts not to take a Spring Garden Workshop at the Art Monastery at Casale Santa Bridita. A more beautiful place to garden would be difficult to find, I’m guessing.
I actually don’t have to guess. I’ve been there. The picture on the right shows the little cafe (you know, called a bar in Italy) with some great views of the surrounding rural countryside.
The good news is that the workshop doesn’t cost a lot. Where are you going to get a week of experiential travel for a mere €390? With limoncello tasting. Check it out.
Filed in: Experiential Travel Food
Italy Travel Toolbox
- All About Italy Rail Passes
- How to Ride Italian Trains (video)
- Italy Maps
- Italy Cities Climate and Weather
- Italy Autostrada Map
- Cinque Terre Hiking Map
Dig Rome? · Feb 23, 12:05 PM by James Martin
Why just gawk at the Roman sites from the sidewalk, or stand in line waiting for tickets to see them close up? Why not experience the joy of discovery by excavating an archaeological site in Rome?
In June 2010, we’ll be starting our fifth season of excavation at the Villa delle Vignacce, one of the greatest excavation sites in and around Rome. We’re looking for people from all walks of life— structural and computer engineers, architects, artists, poets, students, accountants and tennis players— whatever your background and insights are, we want you— especially if you are happy to spend 8 hours getting sweaty and dirty working to save the cultural heritage of Rome. ~ Wanna Get Dirty This Summer?
Archaeology has to be at the top of the experiential travel list. Not only do you get to live in a place with a long and challenging history, but you get to discover it in real time.
Ok, so I’ve been an archaeologist and I can tell you some of the general pros and cons of these things. First off, archaeologists are pretty fun people. After all, they didn’t choose to work in a cubicle on purpose. They don’t make big bucks so they’re not usually snooty, and don’t have money to put into their Goldman Sachs “gambling with mortgages” accounts and so they spend it—often on alcohol, but still…they’re fun to be with and know a lot about things that don’t matter a bit in the modern world but are fun to think about anyway. A couple weeks with a bunch of archaeology types will make you rethink your career choice.
Until you excavate, that is. Here’s where it gets hot and sticky. Excavation is work. It’s not a treasure hunt, as you have been lead to believe from movies whose main characters are named after states. You move big earth, you move grains of sand with a dental pick, you measure—all in the sun. You uncover things that baffle you that you take to a real archaeologist who tells you it is a rock. You are disappointed if not humiliated.
But then there’s always the possibility that you or your colleagues will rock the world with a find that actually changes people’s minds about life in antiquity.
That’d be worth some sunburn and humiliation, eh?
If you want a real experiential travel experience, well hell, there’s no better. See: Wanna Get Dirty This Summer?
And tell me how it went, will ya?
Filed in: Experiential Travel
Having a Cultural Experience in Italy: Experiential Travel Tips · Jan 28, 04:29 PM by James Martin
When people ask me for travel information, they often append their request with something like, “Don’t send me to any tourist traps. I want to go to a place without tourists where I can have a true cultural experience.” The unwritten part is, “…which you are going to spell out for me and which is going to be easy.”
Here’s the thing: nobody can give you steps to follow to have a cultural experience—or, for that matter, an epiphany.
I like epiphanies. You just can’t force them. They come when you’re ready.
What you can do is open yourself up to experience. For the most part, this means becoming a “cultural relativist”, even if only temporarily and then only if your chosen political party or leaning allows it. Yes, that’s right, the first step is to stop thinking that the culture you come from is the very bestest in the whole wide world and nobody does it better, despite the fact you haven’t experienced any other cultures. Other folks a long way away from your country have solved (or tried to solve) the same social problems. They got different answers. That difference is what makes the world go ‘round. Well, that and a whole lot of good Barolo…
Become childlike. Marvel at things. Have no shame in asking about things you don’t understand. People everywhere like explaining their traditions. Open your mind. Control nothing.
You’re in the garden of Eden. What’s around you is beauty and goodness and light. Marvel at it. Remember you get kicked out if you try to gain control of things. Remember God.
Now you’re ready. I’ve got tips.
Learn a bit of the language. You’ll have a hard time making inroads unless you can at least show folks you’re a decent person. Learn the polite words. Greet people in shops. Thank folks who help you.
Go on a quest. Got a question about why folks do what they do? Find out for yourself. Want local regional foods, the best a restaurant has to offer? Discuss the food with the waiter and take his recommendations; it’s how you get good food in Italy because what’s special isn’t always offered to us hamburger eaters and isn’t always on the menu because they think we won’t like it. Or—go to an open air market and search for something you’ve never eaten before—perhaps agretti, or perhaps a rare cheese from a guy in a truck who likes talking and using his hands to make a point.
Stay where you’re not isolated as a tourist. That usually means you won’t be staying in a hotel. You might try a self-catering vacation home or apartment, but you’ll get more advice in a rural agriturismo, a country house on a working farm, where there’s someone to lead you over the cultural hurdles and send you to the right places to learn what you want to learn. You’ll also eat well and learn how the Italian insistence on good ingredients has created a cuisine that’s the envy of the world, especially in places where the industrial hamburgers are awash in Ammonia or other noxious liquids.
How to find an agriturismo and an owner that suits you? Easy. Go to twitter and search with the term “agriturismo”. You’ll come up with a list of owners that use the social network to tell you what’s happening in their neck of the woods. You can use twitter not only to find a likely agriturismo, but to see if the owner might share your interests or be willing to teach you something about the culture. If your quest is to find out how the taste of extra virgin olive oil you buy in the supermarket is different from that of artisanal production, you’ll be amazed the first time you taste an oil made by people who care. It’s an astonishing difference you’ll tell your friends about until they hate you for it.
I’m out of gas. Maybe my open mind has dried up. I need to remember to cover it in saran wrap when I’m not using it. There’s a hockey game on tv tonight.
Filed in: Experiential Travel Italy Travel Tips
Popular These Days
Sardinia. You Should Go · Jan 13, 02:20 PM by James Martin
Angela Corrias, a journalist who works out of the UK, is stuck in Sardinia doing research on the Knights Templar. She’s also cranking out articles about the interesting culture there. She’s breaking my heart. I wanna go back. I want to see the nuraghi, the sacred wells, the Roman baths still warm, eat lamb stew from a cork plate and chow down on some formaggio con vermini, cheese with worms, after.
Anyway, Angela writes about S’Ardia – A Race Between Danger and Faith for example. You won’t see a race like it anywhere. I’ve seen it five times. I want to see it again. The Palio di Siena? Child’s play, I’m telling you. Besides, the palio’s best riders are all Sardinian.
But my heart really went all a flutter when a read one of Angela’s recent articles Called Fordongianus: Roman Thermal Baths in the Heart of Sardinia. It brought back earthy memories of a 1980s visit when I was working on an archaeological project nearby.
Fordongianus is a Roman spa complex fed by natural hot springs that are still filling the pools to this day. We visited the complex often as it was a stop on our introduction tour for new volunteers on the archaeological survey we were conducting. Not many people had seen a working Roman bath complex.
But I have to tell you, seeing the water in the daytime was plenty of a deterrent for those reprobates among us who harbored thoughts of soaking in it. It was filthy. It was smelly. It said “stay away” in a variety of ways, none of them verbal.
Fast forward to another evening. Our dig house was visited by some British archaeologists. Earlier, a Sardinian volunteer had brought over some chanterelle mushrooms, so I asked if any of the Brits had Scotch. I knew a recipe for chicken with chantrelles and Scotch that I liked and wanted to cook it.
Of course they traveled with a bottle! In the end (meaning quite late, as is the habit in Sardinian summer) we ate luxuriously and there was that bottle of Scotch, unfinished, just sitting there…
So we drank from it.
By midnight we had run out of words to slur, so there was only one option. Well, that is to say there was only one option presented to us by our guests, who were noteworthy enough archaeologists that we forced ourselves into playing along at every opportunity.
“What say we have a race, Brits versus the Americans, Olympic style. Isn’t there a big pool at Fordongianus?”
I looked at my friend Mike. He was wincing noticeably.
The Brits encouraged us…wait, they made us go to Fordongianus. I am not the least bit sad at being able to tell you the American team did not compete. We stood like wienies at the side of the warm pool, gasping in awe of the fearless Brits, crawling through the murkey shallows, flopping over at the end of the pool, kicking plumes of brown water in the air…
I wonder whatever happened to them.
Sardinia is a fascinating place, even id you don’t have any notoriously staid British archaeologists on hand. So, if any of this makes you want to explore further, please take a look at Angela Corrias’ latest works. Then, start planning that vacation in Sardinia. And wait…forget the costly coasts—go to the interior—if you care about fascinating cultures and archaeology that is. You might want to also take a look at my Sardinia scribblings: Inside Sardinia
Filed in: Experiential Travel Italy Travel
Places to Stay in Italy · Jan 8, 10:05 AM by James Martin
I’ve been beefing up the main site here with tips on finding places to stay in Italy.
You see, over the years that I’ve been traveling, the kinds of lodging you might expect has changed dramatically. Then along came the internet, which ramped up the rate of change in way we look at our little rented sleep boxes.
In the 70s, we’d just get on a train and ride, secure in the knowledge that there would be a hotel across the street from the train station where there’d be a room into which we’d toss our bags before we went exploring.
All you did was look the place over, walk to the reception desk and inquire about price and availability. It was easy. The beds sagged, the bath could be down the hall, and the reception might well be manned by a toothless witch. We didn’t mind. We were young then.
Today, folks want the perfect lodging—and they can find it on the internet. Trouble is, all this market efficiency means all the “top-rated” places are reserved months and sometimes years in advance. The internet also means that big chain hotels can offer unreasonably low prices at the last minute to fill their huge hotels, a strategy that’s caused many independent hotel owners to be flung onto the mean streets, among them those memorable cheery ones you miss because they were a wealth of local insider information and made fresh, homemade buns for breakfast.
But the situation isn’t all bad. What has also skyrocketed is the availability of houses and apartments you can stay in—often cheaper than hotels, especially for families. You might have to rent them for a week minimum, but heck, tell friends you’re contemplating a week in Tuscany (or Puglia or the Abruzzo or Piedmonte wine country…) and see if they advise you that a week is too much! (If they do, dump them, they’re not your friends.)
In any case, I’ve spilled my guts. See Hotels: Finding a Place to Stay in Italy. Then, if you’re not familiar with renting a vacation home or apartment, read about Italy Self Catering and finally read some very short reviews of the places I’ve stayed over the years and really, really, liked: Recommended Self Catering Apartments and Houses
I highly recommend self catering. It gives you a base for some experiential travel. You can go to the same cafe in the morning, making it your cafe. Live like an Italian without the taxes and ponderous bureaucracy. It’s the best of all worlds, believe me.
Bed and Breakfasts? Coming.
Filed in: Italy Travel Tips Experiential Travel
Misty Umbrian Morning Panoramas · Oct 30, 12:35 AM by James Martin
For those of you who prefer to travel in the sultry dog days of summer, there are times I feel sorry for you. You miss Otricoli arising from the fog:
Or the promise of a warm morning:
(Click to see them a decent size)
The second picture was taken on our way to the Art Monastery in Calvi. Here’s a project I’m excited about. Artists take over an old monastery; turning part of it into a very inexpensive B&B and part into facilities in which they hold classes in art and create local performance art. Each shared room has a small kitchen, but there are also visiting chefs who can feed you. You can also learn skills relating to the land. These coming weeks are devoted to olive harvest weekends. Check them out. Fantastic group.
Filed in: Italy Travel Tips Experiential Travel
Fall in Italy - Fall Foliage and Trekking · Oct 24, 09:58 AM by James Martin
We’ve had a spate of bad weather lately here in the Lunigiana. It’s been freezing overnight and we’ve had a couple of loud, thunderous storms that have dumped a whole lotta rain on Tuscany. But so what? The results are beginning to show, the streams are flowing and the trees colorful. The scene you see to the right was recorded just outside the town of Monzone, where we’d just eaten a great meal at the Allbergo Ristorante da Remo (find it on our Lunigiana restaurant map.
Fall is the time for taking walks. In fact, the city of Sienna has been at the forefront of the Halloween Urban Trek, so around October 31 you’ll find interesting walks in many cities. There’s a very interesting one in Bologna, but since we’re leaving for Provence the next day, we wanted something close to home.
It was then I found out that the trek in Massa (PDF) concluded with them (fakely) lighting the castle on fire. Who could resist that. I don’t know how they accomplish their Fuochi d’artificio, but maybe we’ll find out.
Find out about other trekking oportunities on our Trekking page.
Filed in: Experiential Travel The Lunigiana
The Cultural Anthropology of Tablecloths · Oct 19, 11:51 PM by James Martin
Consider the tablecloth. I’m sure you have if you’ve ever been to an Italian restaurant. Tablecloths are essential table coverings, even in the smallest of dives.
By contrast, in America tablecloths are used by wives to torment husbands on those special occasions when tablecloths are put to use. “Honey,” you can hear them whine in unison from coast to coast, “do that over a plate. Look what you’ve done to my tablecloth!”
Yes, they own the tablecloth. It is a holy skin upon which all is sacred.
“Look at that spot! It’s ruined forever! Honey, next time go in the bathroom to pour your wine.”
Yeah, yeah.
You see, Italy is liberating for a guy. Say you open the door to a restaurant and find a woman mopping the floor. Your wife will hold you back with her forearm because the floor has just been mopped and she has placed herself in the position of guardian of the moist tile. The Italian woman with the mop looks at you like you’re nuts to not just plow ahead and motions you forward. Heck, she’s gonna mop again in 5 minutes anyway. You slosh through the suds. Liberated.
Then you sit down and order some wine. A carafe is plunked down onto the table. The last drip ends up on the white tablecloth.
Nobody cares.
You look at other tablecloths. There are purple spots, olive oil spots, indeterminate spots and spots on top of spots.
Nobody cares.
People have been having fun. You can tell because the tablecloths are the playing field for fun. Liberated fun
And you know what? Tomorrow there will be gleaming white tablecloths, devoid of spots. The sins of the evening? Washed away.
Thank you God. I love Italy.
Filed in: Experiential Travel Living in Italy