Posted: 04/August/2005 at 5:50pm | IP Logged

“Holy cow!!What a wonderful trip:fantastic company, beautiful sights, a fun, simpatico guide, a terrific driver, and victorious briscolani!What more could anyone ask for?(Perhaps one more briscola triumph, but that is another story being covered by our faithful RBR, who really earned the “roving” portion of his title, after so many kilometers of travel.)

Upon our arrival at Fiumicino, we were met by Antonio Luce of the Italian Travel Team (www.italiantravelteam.com) and Francesco Colella, the driver of the company’s shiny new Mercedes-Benz bus (pullman).From the outset, Antonio shared with us--and debated-- his political, religious, philosophical and economic views, making for some interesting and lively discussions on our long bus rides from one destination to another.Experiences such as this helped make our trip the unique, non-commercial journey that Antonio promised us. After making ourselves at home in the comfortable and well-located Hotel Cicerone ( www.ciceronehotel.com), we proceeded on our tour of Imperial Rome, led by Nora, our seasoned , cultured, and gracious expert on ancient Rome.

That evening, we dined at Gran Caffe Visconti, and feasted on the first of many sumptuous meals.Our dinner, accompanied by abundant vino, consisted of an antipasto of prosciutto con melone, pasta ortigliana (recipe at end), vitello con funghi e patate arrostite, with a dolci of gelato served with mixed berries.Not only did we dine well, but we were serenaded by a talented and willing trio consisting of a soprano, a guitarist, and an accordionist who performed our traditional Italian requests. Pedro (aka Pasquale) and Joe Novello (aka Peppino) seemed to enjoy themselves the most!

On Wednesday, after an abundant and varied buffet breakfast at the hotel, we were among thousands who attended the general audience with Pope Benedict XVI in Saint Peter’s Square. It was just one of a string of perfect, sunny days, and as we awaited the arrival of His Holiness, we basked in the sunshine and the unbelievable glory of the historic and religious atmosphere. We were seated in front of a group of German high school students who, although not particularly religious, voiced their pride in their fellow countryman, the new Pope. It was thrilling when our group was one among the many mentioned as in attendance.

Our air-conditioned bus whisked us off to the seaside resort of Ostia to Peppino a Mare for a lunch of antipasto, two pasta dishes (spaghetti aglio olio and spaghetti alle vongole), vino and a refreshing sorbetto di limone. We enjoyed the sea breeze as we ate, and some of us walked on the beach before we headed off to our tour of Ostia Antica, the ancient seaport of Rome. Much to our delight, our guide, Federico, is an archaeologist who gave us an informative explanation of the peaceful, well-preserved site (including the former STOREhouses, “condos,” and bagni).

Thursday was a free day, giving the briscolani the opportunity to rest and practice before the first big meet, and all of us a chance to shop and sight see. All the possibilities of the EternalCity beckoned, and we took advantage of these in a variety of ways. Some of us visited the Villa Borghese and the Galleria Borghese with its magnificent Bernini sculptures, others toured the Catacombs, several paid respects to Pope John Paul II at his tomb in Saint Peter’s, several lunched with former Consul Cantini, an old friend from his days at the Embassy in Washington, others visited with Roman friends or relatives, one followed a quest for Saint Cecilia through Rome, and some did the “tourist thing” by tossing a coin in the Trevi Fountain. The one common thread was that each person enjoyed himself or herself during the day in preparation for a festive evening at La Carovana (www.lacarovana.info), where we were wined, dined, and entertained. Acompanied by a trio singing arias from various operas, who were occasionally joined by Antonio and Francesco, we enjoyed a meal of antipasto, two pasta dishes (again!) of fettucine alfredo and rigatoni al sugo, bistecca all pizzaiola, topped off with after-dinner drinks. Our special surprise of the evening was a visit by Antonio’s family. What darling children and what a beautiful wife he has!

Friday morning gave us another day of lovely weather, perfect for our guided tour of the VaticanGardens and the first leg of the tournament schedule in Lenola, the picturesque paese nativo of our own Ezio de Filippis. The gardens were spectacular, and, best of all, we had only to share them with the gardeners!It really did seem like a private tour, especially after we saw the hoards waiting to enter the Vatican Museums. We not only walked through the seldom visited gardens, but we also got to see what most tourists do not:the new statues, all of female saints, affixed to the niches on the rear of Saint Peter’s (a potentially questionable placement, and perhaps rendered in a controversial “modern” style). It was especially interesting to watch the landscapers replanting the Papal Seal in the insignia of the new pope. I felt like a witness to history.

Then we were off through the lovely hills of Lazio to meet the briscola challenge by the lenolesi, but not until we had enjoyed our delicious pranzo at the Ristorante Belvedere, which, true to its name, gave us a panoramic view of the countryside. We feasted on antipasto di salummi e formaggi, pasta casalingha, arrostito di maiale, and an out-of this-world torta. (Should I mention that we imbibed in the heady, home-made local vino?)Well fortified with this meal, the players turned to their primary pursuit, while the rest of us left for an artistic tour of the town, led by Dmitri, the son of the sculptor Peppino Quinto. All the while preoccupied with the fate of our players, we visited the memorial to the victims of the bombing of the town in 1944, toured the Church of La Madonna delle Colle, walked down the Stairway of Peace with its mosaics submitted by artists from around the world (including one by Wheaton, Maryland artist Jerry Carter which can be seen at www.wheatonnet.com/wheatononnew101502.html), and viewed several of Peppino Quinto’s sculptures carved into the hills of the town. We also proved to be quite a curiosity to local residents!(See www.judypat.com/italy/lenola.htmfor characteristic photos of the village.) We returned to the restaurant to witness the victory of our team!(See Ricuzzo’s article “Victory is Ours!” for the technical details.) Consequently, we all returned to Rome as happy campers, especially as Antonio stopped at his mother’s place for his bike and a treat of home-made cookies, known as pizzelle to some of us, but called ferratille by Antonio.

On Saturday morning, we nostalgically left Rome, singing “Arrivederci, Roma!” with gusto. Once again, we enjoyed the scenery as we headed to Tuscany for avisit to Arezzo, a charming city known to many of us as the location of the movie La vita e bella. The Piazza Grande looked familiar as the backdrop to many of the scenes in the film. We were on our own to walk around the city (highlights, beside the Piazza Grande, included the Basilica di San Francisco with frescoes by Piero della Francesca, the Church of Santa Maria della Pieve, the houses of Petrarch and Vasari, the biblioteca, and the Duomo which had a nearby park with a superb view of the countryside), shop (lots of nice antique shops in the Piazza Grande), and eat in one of the fine sidewalk cafes. What a relaxing afternoon!In the evening we arrived at the Hotel Regina (www.hotelregina@zanhotel.it) in Bologna, an establishment with lots of Old World charm. The Piazza Maggiore featured an exhibition of skaters, dancers and gymnasts, and an outdoor market was situated in the square right next to the hotel, so many of us continued the day’s shopping before we went off to dinner at Osteria de Poeti (www.osteriadepoeti.com) for another double pasta meal of lasagne alla bolognese (recipe at the end) and tagliatelle alla bolognese, followed by churrasco (a mixed grill of sausage, chicken and spare ribs), with profiteroles covered in chocolate for dessert. Luckily, we were walking back to the hotel after this introduction to Bologna la grassa (i.e, Bologna, the gastronomic capital of Italy)!

Sunday morning took us to Dozza, another incredible find, with the town walls covered in murals painted by artists who participated in an international competition. Residing in Dozza must be like inhabiting a living museum!(Not to mention that the wine-tasting to take place that afternoon after our departure must have made the town seem like a living winery! Oh, so little time, so much to see and taste . . .) After walking around town and admiring the paintings, the castle,and the scenery (is there an Italian hilltop village that does not have a photogenic panorama?), we celebrated the feast of Corpus Christi by attending Mass at the Parrocchia dell’Assunzione di Maria Vergine. We left our peaceful surroundings to head toward Faenza, home of faience, or Italian maiolica, first for lunch in the Sala delle Staffe (stirrup room) of the Osteria del Mercato (www.osteriadelmercato.it), and then for a tour of the city and the InternationalCeramicsMuseum. At the end of the day, we had a little time for shopping. As we enjoyed ourselves sightseeing, eating, drinking and shopping, the French voted a resounding “non” to the ratification of the EU Constitution.

On Monday morning, we had the unexpected pleasure of being hosted by Marisa Lino, daughter of briscolano Luigi Lino, at the JohnsHopkinsUniversity’s Bologna campus, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (www.jhubc.it). Marisa, the director and a former U.S. ambassador to Albania, was a most gracious hostess, offering us information about the program (our introduction to Bologna la dotta ), refreshments (really, a second breakfast!), and a unique view of the city from the school’s balcony which gave us an understanding of one reason why Bologna is known as la rossa . We were off to the Republic of San Marino for a short visit, allowing us enough time to enjoy the panorama and do some shopping, but not enough to open bank accounts in the tax free principality. The men, now joined by an additional player in the person of Vince Fulginiti, a neophyte to the game, but a formidable player nonetheless, girded themselves for the challenge in Cattolica. I think all good intentions may have been undone by the feast presented to us at the Park Hotel (www.parkhotels.it):antipasto of prosciutto e melone, tworegional pasta specialties of tagliatelle al ragu bolognese and lasagnette al forno, followed by two meat dishes ofroast pork (cosciotto al forno) and faraone (fowl) alla cacciatore, accompanied by patate al forno and verdure saltate, all washed down by abundant local wines (we had to taste both white and red, naturalmente). Then we were faced with a groaning board of desserts, and we met that challenge admirably, as well! During the dinner, I had the pleasure of sitting beside the hotel owner, Felice Bordoni, and I can say that, while I felt the pressure to do his food justice, I do not think I made a brutta figura as a representative of the Americans. (If only the card game had gone as well . . .)Reluctantly leaving the inviting beach behind (one of us did succumb to the temptation of sand and surf), the ladies visited the Museo della Regina, an archaeological and maritime museum showcasing the Comune of Cattolica. Maybe we should have taken Enrico’s suggestion to cheerlead our players, instead.

A new day dawned on Tuesday, with our enthusiasm renewed. I felt especially heartened to learn that we were in Italy for an entire week before witnessing our first strike, a sciopero of the local transportation, which did not affect us at all and seemed not to faze the locals, either. Awalking tour of the city of Bologna introduced to such sights as the Sala Borsa, once the commodity market and now a huge bookstore, with a glass floor enabled visitors to view the ancient Forum below, the Basilica di San Petronio with its incomplete façade and the lovely compianto, the torre degli Asinelli and Garisendi, the University of Bologna medical school’s dissection room, the famous Tamburini salumeria, and the market of fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and even an equine butcher shop. On our way to Padova, we stopped for lunch at Hotel La Nave in the town of Masi in the Veneto, where we had a lunch of a pasta called strozzapreti (literally, “strangle the priest,” not our sentiments toward clerics at all!) topped with a sauce all’amatriciana, followed by a very tender grilled veal. The highlight of the day was a beautiful, restorative Mass celebrated by Father Paolo Floretta at the Basilica di Sant’Antonio, primarily in honor of Rina and Al Brendes’ fiftieth wedding anniversary. Certainly, the loss in Cattolica was assuaged by this highly spiritual experience.

Wednesday morning heralded our departure from Bologna to Cremona, another gem of a place unpopulated by American tourists. Our guide, Dolores Carmen, whose name illustrates the period of Spanish domination of this city, led us on a walking tour, concentrating on the Duomo, built in a unique Lombard Gothic style added to a Romanesque base, with its Torrazzo, the highest brick campanilein Italy at112 meters, and its magnificent frescoes on the life of Jesus that give the church the title of “the Sistine Chapel of Northern Italy. ”We were enthralled by our visit to the studio of French liutaio Philippe Devareaux, a resident of Cremona for 25 years, who demonstrated the stages of violin making. In the museum, we saw violins made by Stradivarius, Guarnieri, and Amati, and we shopped for violin-shaped torrone, mostarda (a spicy fruit compote), and other edible goodies at famed Spelari. Another delicious meal awaited us at Tacabanda-L’Osteria dell Musica:pennette alla “bersagliera” (recipe to follow), arrotolato di vitello (rolled veal roast), insalata mista (mixed salad), vino rosso e bianco, and for dessert, tiramisu. Che buono!Later in the afternoon, we arrived in Como at our hotel on the lake at Piazza Cavour, Hotel Metropole et Suisse au Lac www.hotelmetropolesuisse.com).Our rooms were spacious, lovely, and individually furnished, many of them with breathtaking views of the lake.As we strolled out in the evening for a light meal, or just a gelato, it was wonderful to learn that even the natives are awe-inspired by the panoramic vista.

On Thursday, while Italy celebrated the Festa della Repubblica, most of us went to Milano, where we very nearly had the city to ourselves.Silvana, our guide, met us at the Castello Sforzesco, which housed the Pieta Rondanini one of the four Pieta by Michelangelo. The statue isespecially interesting because it is incomplete, with an “extra” arm and a second face for the Virgin, perhaps because Michelangelo died before he had an opportunity to finish it or perhaps because he was dissatisfied with the work. We learned of the intertwined history of the Visconti and Sforza families, a tale that echoed through our travels in Lombardia.The Duomo’s exterior is in restauro, but the part that has been completed is beautiful.It just gleams!As Silvana led us around the third largest cathedral in the world, a Japanese tourist fainted and Enrico went to her rescue.He has always been our hero, but that day, he became a hero to that lady and her family, too.We walked to the Galleria and to the exterior of La Scala, but because most of the shops and many of the sites were closed for the holiday, we voted to return to Como after our lunch at the Ristorante Lo Zingaro.It seemed somehow discordant to be served risotto all milanese and other local specialties by Chinese waiters and waitresses (they were giving their Italian bosses a chance to enjoy the holiday) in a restaurant called “The Gypsy” but decorated with a nautical theme!We returned to Como for shopping, briscola practice, and a good night’s rest before the next partita.

On Friday morning, we set out to conquerPavia dressed in our most formal (and formidable?) clothing.At the Certosa, the Carthusian monastery, we were stunned by its intricate beauty.Our guide, Anna, described the history and art of the monastery before taking us to the city of Pavia to see the ViscontiCastle and the University of Pavia, famous for its medical school and as the place where Alessandro Volta probably invented the battery.Then we met the opponents and their spouses at the Tennis Club of Pavia, where we had a perfect pranzo of risotto alla Milanese followed by a delicate fish and the most unique and special dessert called “il ragu” because it looked like a pasta dish!It was, in fact, sweetened crepes cut into strips to resemble tagliatelle, covered with a sauce of pureed strawberries, which looked like tomato sauce, topped with vanilla gelato reminiscent of ricotta, and finally sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar which hinted at grated cheese.How clever, creative, and delicious! (Did anyone take a picture?)The gentlemen turned to the task at hand, and the ladies, secretly blessing them, followed American-turned-Italian Rosemary Pastorelli to shop in town.Upon our return, we found the men laden with more goods than we, for their victory brought them the “spoils” of silk ties, silver key chains, tee shirts!Even more obvious, though, were their grins and the camaraderie that they had established with the gracious Italians.

In appropriate mirroring of our sweet sadness as our glorious trip neared its end, our last day began as rainy, then became overcast, and finally, to match the infectious mood of our final celebration, turned into brilliant sunshine.We enjoyed a day, essentially, of dolce far niente, whether we took the boat ride around scenic Lake Como with its picturesque villages and magnificent villas, relaxed at the hotel, wandered around the streets and shops of Como, rode the funicular to the top of the hill overlooking the city, or attended the Picasso exhibit.As the hydrofoil returned the boat trippers to Como, we thought that the tranquility had come to an end: we heard sirens and shouts of “Aiuto!” and saw our compatriots out on their balconies or standing in the piazza watching the arrival of the fire engines, ambulances, and emergency personnel!Much to our relief, we quickly learned that we were witnesses to a disaster drill.How nice of the local authorities to stage such a spettacolo for our benefit.

Our farewell Gala Dinner was held that evening at the Ristorante Terrazza Perlasca along the lake in Como, one of the three best restaurants in town, according to Enrico’s friend. Indeed, our meal was a scrumptious selection of local cuisine, risotto alla milanese, cotolettaalla milanese, with lots of wine and after dinner drinks of limoncello or Sambuca.We were in the right mood for Enrico’s award ceremony, where the most important award went to Jane, his loving and patient wife.

The journey may have come to an end, and the tournament may be in the past, but our memories and the comradeship will stay with us all forever.Long will we remember the little things that made up our days:the jokes and chatting on the pullman, Antonio’s creative reading of the headlines (“Bush went to another church today, getting ready for his next job.When Hillary Clinton becomes the U.S. President three years from now, Bush will become Pope.”), Franco Campo’s breadth of knowledge on so many subjects, the strategy planning for the card games that rivaled that of any Roman general.I know that many of us are still in awe of such a small country has so many wonderful places to visit, all so rich in history, art, culture, natural beauty, and the indomitable Italian spirit.We came to admire that spirit as it manifested itself through the gentilezza of our hosts, the patience and friendliness of those in the tourist industry,the courtesy of the Italians willing to converse with Americans, and, more than anything, the resourcefulness of the people (once again, in Antonio’s words, “Gli italiani s’arrangiano.”).

Finally, I would like to quote my husband, who said all in thanking Ricuzzo for making the Circolo della Briscola a reality:

I could not help but feel so happy that Joann and I were able to come on the trip. For us it was one of the best trips we have been to!I am glad that we won, but what I really feel is that we should celebrate your vision of establishing the Briscola club, your leadership in keeping it as a family of comrades, your dedication and hard work for the club, your wise planning for a wonderful trip that every participant will forever cherish its memories.

 As for the victory, I was just a player that enjoyed the game, had a lot of fun, and appened to be lucky. I am forever thankful to Tony Volpe who insisted that I join the Briscola club. It has been so much fun.

Posted: 23/August/2010 at 12:04pm | IP Logged

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