Journey into the Boot: Capri Bella

Tuesday, August 9th

We woke up at the crack of dawn, to catch the first shuttle that would take us from the hotel to Amalfi, to catch the first boat that would take us from Amalfi to Capri.

Even after all that rush, rush, rush, it was not enough to avoid the crowds at the Grotta Azzure. We got to the famous Grotta at 11 am. It was packed with boats. We had to wait a whole hour to be able to enter. There must have been at least one hundred persons in our boat. When our turn finally came, we had to transfer to small dinghy boats that could accommodate just four persons. Jumping from our large boat into the dinghy was an adventure unto itself. Happily, I made it without ending up in the cold water. We then had to lower our heads and keep our arms inside the boat, as we squeezed through the small opening that would take us into the grotto. And then, voila!!! The most beautiful bright blue that I have ever seen. Was it worth all the trouble? Probably not. Would I do it again? Probably not. But I'm glad I got to see it once in my lifetime.

By the time everyone made it into and out of the grotto, it was already 12:30. Our boat then took us for a tour around the island of Capri. It was absolutely beautiful. It's hard for me to imagine that there are people that don't believe in God. When I see a place like the island of Capri, that has so much natural beauty, I have no choice but to believe that there is a God. It's simply impossible that so much beauty came out of a random Big Bang. There simply has to be a Creator that is much bigger than us behind it all.

By the time we got back to the Marina, we just had two hours before we had to board our boat back to Amalfi. This basically just gave us enough time to eat. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to visit Ana Capri, on the other side of the island, and I would have liked to have seen more than just the marina of Capri. I guess it's a good excuse to return.

At night, we were so exhausted from waking up early and from being on a boat bouncing back and forth, that we decided just to eat at the hotel restaurant. No complaints. Both food and views were amazing.

Buona notte.

Journey into the Boot: With Mary Everywhere

Monday August 8th

Today our true vacation begins, a mixture of pilgrimage and pleasure. Probably, more of the latter than the former because Rafael has already informed me that he's not planning to spend his entire time in Italy hopping from church to church.

We spent the afternoon in Sorrento, which is a beautiful town. It has a little bit of everything: history, shopping, plenty of restaurants, beach, lots of tourists and churches in every corner.

We began our walking tour in Piazza Tasso, under the statue of St. Antonino, its patron saint.

I love how every town has its own patron saint. There are statues of saints in every corner. But Mama Mary wins. She is everywhere. The Southern Italians, to my surprise, are truly devout. That was not my experience in Northern Italy nine years ago. As we were leaving the marina, on that rollercoaster of a road I mentioned a few days ago, there is a statue of Mary in one of the sharp turns. She has been strategically placed to protect the drivers because they need all the help they can get to drive in Italy. And as we passed her, I noticed the driver doing the sign of the cross.

A lot of the streets are also named after Mama Mary. The street we started walking from Piazza Tasso was Via Santa Maria Della Pieta. In the middle of the two block street, I discovered this little Shrine with a painting of Mama Mary breastfeeding baby Jesus:

The street ended in the Cathedral. Another thing I love about Italy. Every town, no matter how small, has a cathedral. This one was rather small but absolutely beautiful. My favorite thing was the beautiful "presepe," that I found next to the entrance:

We continued our exploration of Sorrento, running into a few more statues of St. Anthony. and then we came upon a statue of St. Francis, one of my favorite saints. So I decided to capture him for posterity.

By this time we were starving so we made our way down to the Marina for some delicious pasta and seafood at Ristorante Delfino. At this restaurant, I got more than a meal. I left with a blessing and a couple of medals of Mama Mary. It happened when I went to pay. Rafael had gone to the restroom so I went to the register by myself. The lady at the register had a basket filled with medals and she handed me two of them with this message: "Take Blessed Mary with you and she will take care of you. She will fill your life with blessings." I was utterly speechless. I left feeling full of joy.

We then began our drive to Amalfi, where we will be staying for the next five nights. Just as I feared, the roads are not for the faint-hearted. And I'm definitely faint-hearted. Even with those medals of Mama Mary in my possession, I had to close my eyes a few times and my knuckles were turning white from holding so tight to the door. In addition, we were driving south with the cliffs on my side. At one turn, we encountered a bus and we literally had to reverse because there was no room for both of us. Rafael had not driven stick shift in a while, so when trying to put the car in reverse, he missed and we almost ran right into the bus. Needless to say, I almost died. That was one of the times I had to close my eyes. But thank God and to Mama Mary, we made it safely to our hotel.

Our hotel, Il Saraceno Grand Hotel, is built vertically on the cliffs. Most towns on the Amalfi coast are built that way. And the views... They are simply magnificent.

With this view and this room, I've decided not to leave the hotel.

The good thing is that everywhere we go, the views are even better. On this night, we decided not to venture too far so we found a little restaurant, Da Ciccio Cielo, just 400 meters from our hotel. The food was delicious and the view... It was hard to distinguish where the sea ended and the sky began:

Thank you God for allowing us to experience your beautiful creation. And thank you Mama Mary for keeping us safe. Mama Mary, continue to protect us. And keep our family and friends, healthy and safe back home. St. Antonino and St. Francis, pray for us.

Journey into the Boot: A Culinary Treat

Sunday, August 7th

When in Italy, it's all about the food. Boy, oh boy. Today was a culinary treat. Breakfast was light because we overslept. We first woke up at 7am and decided we could sleep a little longer. The "little" turned into three hours.

After breakfast we sailed down the Amalfi coast which gets more beautiful, the farther south we go:

Lunch today was at Ristorante Maria Grazia, a restaurant that is only accessible by boat. The weather was not great today. It was raining and overcast. Therefore, one of the extremely nice guys that is part of the boat's crew, went in a smaller boat to the restaurant and brought the food back to us. We are definitely getting spoiled.

The food was simply amazing. I know I'm using this word over and over, but there's just no other way to describe it. We enjoyed spaghetti alla nerano (spaghetti with zucchini), polpo alla insalata (octopus salad), stuffed peppers and anchovies. I don't like anchovies, but these were not the usual canned anchovies that we get in Miami. These were fresh and they tasted totally different. Anchovies is the region's specialty so basically they come straight from the sea to your plate. It can't get any fresher than that.

At night we took a car up the mountain to a small town called Sant'Agata. There we found Ristorante Don Alfonso 1890. If yesterday I thought Il Buco was good, I was in for a big surprise. Don Alfonso is in a totally different plateau. It's been owned by the Iaccarino family for over a century. Don Alfonso is the main chef, and he has a staff of about 20 chefs which includes one of his sons. Our table was right in front of a glass panel from which we could see the kitchen. It looked as if I was watching a choreographed performance. Amazing to see these many chefs work in perfect unison.

Livia Iaccarino, the matriarch of the family, was the perfect hostess. She treated us as if she had known us all of her life. And the food!!! Even the word "amazing" is not enough to do justice to the flavor and freshness. Everything was perfection, from the homemade bread to the assortment of desserts they brought us. They grow all the fruits and vegetables in their own organic farm. You could taste how fresh they were on every bite, from the zucchini in tempura they brought us to start to the tasteful tomatoes that accompanied the lamb I ordered as my main course. There was also a soufflé made with melted mozzarella that just dissolved in your mouth. We ordered a dessert to share and I wish I hadn't because in addition they brought us an assortment of mini pastries (cannoli, napoleons, bananas flambé, chocolates...). Each was better than the previous one. And the presentation... It looked like Mt. Vesuvius just exploded on our table. I was totally in awe. I can see why Michelin has given them two stars. In my book, they deserve three. I hope they'll be around for another century so I can return when I come back to this beautiful country.

And as if treating us like royalty was not enough, at the end of our meal, Mrs. Iaccarino gave us a cookbook to take back with us as a souvenir. I will try, but I already know in advance that I will never be able to duplicate what they served us. Even if I was a great cook, which I'm not, the ingredients back in Miami would never do justice to the ones they have available in Italy. But it was a very nice gesture to give us that special gift. I took this picture of Mr. & Mrs. Iaccarino autographing the cookbook:

As I said earlier, today was truly a culinary treat in more ways than one.

Tomorrow, our real adventure begins, when we start driving through the thrilling, scary, zigzagging, narrow, but beautiful Amalfi Coast.

Santa Maria, proteggi conduttore.

Journey Into the Boot: Driving in Italy is not for Sissies

Saturday, August 6

Today we ventured out of the marina which required traveling up this rollercoaster of a road:

I was very happy that Rafael would not be the one behind the wheel. Even though he's an excellent driver that has maneuvered dangerous roads like the Road to Hanna in Hawaii and "Los Picos de Europa" in Asturias, Spain, I felt that this particular little road was best left to the experienced Italians. The taxi driver went up without any trouble, even in spite of all the mopeds and motorcycles cutting in front of him both from the left and the right, or the pedestrians who had no fear of being squeezed on the rock when two cars attempted to cross each other on the very narrow road. Once we made it to the top, we were rewarded with this beautiful view of the marina below:

We drove to Naples and our first stop was the Duomo of San Gennaro, patron saint of Naples. Even though this is not an important Duomo when compared to the ones in Florence and Milan, it was simply "magnifico," like the Italians would say. The facade is breathtaking and the spacious interior is a mix of styles from Gothic to Baroque to Renaissance, and I felt in love with it in less than a second. The Duomo was built in the 14th century and it never ceases to amaze me how they were able to build such incredible structures with such limited resources. They have been able to withstand the test of time, including earthquakes and volcano eruptions.

I loved the story of San Gennaro. His dried blood is contained in two vials in the main altar:

Three times a year, on important anniversaries like his death, the Duomo gets filled to capacity to witness the Miracle of the Blood. On these three occasions, the blood liquefies, and legend has it that if it doesn't, a terrible event will occur soon after, such as the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius or their soccer team will lose the national championship. Beneath the altar, we visited the crypt, and prayed to the relics of San Gennaro, a few bones safely guarded in a crystal box for all to see.

Afterwards, we went to eat the very famous pizza napoletana, and of course, a gelato. We took this picture, right outside the pizzeria with a postcard view of Naples right behind us (plus the pedestrians that cut into our picture):

The views on the drive back to the boat were spectacular:

In the afternoon, Rafael and I decided to venture into Sorrento, not realizing that it was quite a walk to get to the center. We were mistakenly informed that it would take us 20 minutes by foot. It took 45, and the worst part was the heat. By the time we made it to Piazza Tasso, the main square, we were so sweaty and thirsty, we just collapsed into the nearest bar to drink a cold birre.

In Miami, you order a beer and they bring you a beer. In Italy, you order a birre and they bring you the birre and an assortment of snacks: peanuts, salty crackers, breadsticks, and the most delicious breads (sort of a mixture between pan de Bono and frituritas):

We must return to both Naples and Sorrento because we didn't get quite our fill of either place. This means that our itinerary is about to change, yet again.

At night we went back to Sorrento to eat at Ristorante il Buco, a Michelin star restaurant (our son Rafi will be proud since he is the biggest fan of Michelin star restaurants). It was simply amazing both in decor and food. It is built on the cellar of an old monastery:

I loved the contrast of the modern decor against the stone walls of the old cellar, especially those cute little pink lamps they had on all the tables, instead of the usual candles. But the best part was the food. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of filling up two hours earlier with the birre and all the snacks, so I was not as hungry as I usually am.  All I had was a tiny polenta with ham (courtesy of the chef) and then I skipped the aperitivo, the primo piatto and the dolce. I just ordered the main course, secondo piatto. I opted for the warm terrine, slow-cooked pork with hazelnut and Annurca apple. Too bad I was not hungry because I had a bite of the aperitivo which consisted of steamed lobster with buffalo burrata cheese and it was to die for. Just writing about it makes my mouth water. I'm such a foodie.

I won't make the same mistake tomorrow when we go to Ristorante Don Alfonso 1890 which has two Michelin stars, so it's supposed to be even better. I can't imagine. I guess the 45 minute walk to Sorrento was a very good thing, otherwise I will return to Miami rolling.

Santa Maria, proteggi naviganti e conduttore.  San Gennaro, pray for us.

Journey into the Boot: Stella Maris, Proteggi Naviganti

August 5, 2016

Our trip is a combination of business, pleasure and pilgrimage. The next three days will be the business portion which is the main reason why we came to Italy. But honestly, if all business is handled this way, I wouldn't mind spending the next two weeks transacting business.

Today we boarded our host and hostess' floating home. It is beautiful beyond words. They were very kind to invite us to Italy to be with them for a few days. Yes, there will be business conversations and meetings, but there will be even more friendship, camaraderie, wine, food and enjoyment of all things Italian.

We sailed from Rome to Sorrento, a trip that took nine hours on the beautiful Mediterranean waters. The blue of this sea is hard to describe so I'll just share it:

We sailed down the coast of Italy and passed the towns of Lazio and Naples, and the isles of Ischia and Capri:

At 4 o'clock we finally spotted Sorrento. We entered the marina and were greeted by this beautiful image:

I learned that the Stella Maris is our Lady, Star of the Sea, who protects all sailors. She is a sign of hope and a guiding star for the sailors who make their living of the sea. She also intercedes as a guide and protector of those who travel. Therefore, for the rest of our trip, I will be interceding to the Stella Maris for her guide and protection.

And under the statue of our Lady, I captured this beautiful picture of the port of Sorrento at dawn:

Tomorrow, we will start to explore this beautiful area. Tonight we had dinner in the boat, a delicious corvina baked in salt.

I am so exhausted that my eyes are closing, and the wifi is not cooperating. I will post this as soon as I can connect and have the time because in Italy, there's no time to waste. Buona notte!!!

Journey into the Boot: La Dolce Roma

August 4, 2016

We arrived in Rome at noon. I had been paranoid, prior to the trip, that our luggage was going to get lost. I had even attempted to pack all our clothing in one medium suitcase and one carry-on, but packing light is an art which I have not been able to master. I had no choice but to check-in two medium pieces of luggage. I breathed a sigh of relief when they emerged on the carousel.

Our home for the night was a Marriott hotel in the center of Rome, Grand Hotel Flora. The bellman took our luggage while we went up to our room. And we waited. And waited. And waited. After waiting for an hour, I called downstairs to inquire about our luggage. They told me they would bring it up right away. After 30 minutes, we decided to go downstairs and bring it up ourselves. Our luggage was nowhere to be found. Wonderful. The airline didn't lose our suitcases but the hotel did. Eventually they found them. They had taken them up to the wrong room. God willing, this minor mishap will be the only one.

Finally we could go explore la dolce Roma. We hit the road and began walking down Via Vittorio. The heat was intense, but we were not complaining. After all, we are from Miami. We are used to the heat. When it got to be too much, we just sat in a bar and drank a cold birre. We also ordered a panini with prosciutto and cheese. Then we proceeded with our exploration, this time down Via Tritone. Then we took a side street and ended up in Piazza Spagna. By this time, we were so exhausted, we headed back to the hotel.

Rome is packed with tourists. There are people from every part of the world. I've heard French, English, German, Spanish, Chinese, and of course, Italian. I also heard some other languages that I was not able to identify. It's interesting how we are all different and yet, so much alike. Most people were with family. Parents with children. Couples. Grandparents. Teenagers. No matter what country we come from, we all value family and friendships with the same intensity and passion. It's a shame that we allow our differences to create barriers instead of concentrating on our similarities. The world would be a much better place if we cared for one another with the same intensity that we care for the members of our own family.

At night, after taking a nice refreshing shower at the hotel, we had a delicious dinner at Dal Bolognese on Piazza del Popolo, where I took this picture:

The tagliatelle al Bolognese was exquisite and the prawn carpaccio was out  of this world. Italians really know how to eat. I just don't understand how they manage to stay so skinny. It must be all the walking. I would have had enough with those two dishes, but then they brought me a veal a la Milanese that was bigger than the plate, accompanied by mashed potatoes. I was only able to eat one third even though it was divine. My hubby opted for the rack of lamb which was so tender you could cut it with a fork. And even though we couldn't eat another bite, we just had to try the homemade tiramisu which was by far the best I've ever had. And of course, all that was accompanied by a bottle of Barolo. We skipped the coffee because we wanted to make sure we had a good night sleep. Tomorrow, we must be on our feet at 5:30 am, Italian time. And with the jet lag, it's like going to sleep at 5 pm and waking up at 11:30 pm in Miami. 

Bonna sera.

Journey into the Boot: Italy, here we come

"Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house." Luke 10:4-7

August 3, 2016

I'm on my way to Italy. I have pinched myself a few times to make sure I'm not dreaming. But it looks like it's for real. I am inside a plane Rome bound.

If anyone had told me a month ago that I would be doing this, my answer would have been: "No way!" A trip to Italy in the month of August was the farthest thing from my mind on July 5th, which happened to be my birthday. On that day, I was actually planning a trip. But I had a different date and a totally different destination in mind. And yet, here I am, flying to Italy.

The plans were made just three weeks ago. Rafael received an invitation that he just couldn't say "no" to, and in three weeks we reserved flights, hotels, and even tickets to some major sights, like the Necropolis to visit St. Peter's tomb under the Vatican, something that usually needs to be done months in advance.

Those of you that know me well, know that I'm slightly OCD or just plain anal. I plan things way in advance and to the last minimal detail. Today, I was actually looking over my notes of the last time we came to Italy, and I had to laugh because every day was perfectly planned. I had a written itinerary per day of all the sights we were going to visit by the hour. I could have competed with Rick Steves and I would have won the prize for the perfect walking tour. This time, on the other hand, I just managed to put together the towns that we would like to visit and tentative dates for those. I booked hotels that I can cancel within a 24-hour notice and just this week, I was still making changes.

It's nerve wracking for someone like me to travel in this fashion. But in the past three years, during my dad's illness, I've learned that it's better not to plan too far in advance or your plans may need to be cancelled. I've learned to trust God more than to trust myself. I've learned that if He wants it to happen, it will happen, but if He doesn't, it ain't going to happen. I had to cancel a perfect trip to the Scandinavian Countries three years ago, a trip I had planned months in advance, "Christy style," with every hour of the day filled to capacity. But that cancellation led to an unexpected trip to Spain which just like this one, was planned within a month and it turned out to be just perfect.

I can't help but think of the apostles, who traveled the whole world spreading the Gospel, and they "carried no purse, no bag, no sandals." They didn't have reservations in advance. They depended on strangers to give them lodging for the evening. But they trusted God completely, and they knew that He was leading the way. My faith is not as big as that of the apostles. I did make hotel reservations in advance. I may need to change them but the idea of arriving at a city not knowing where I'm going to spend the night, it's more than I can handle. Maybe one day, I'll be that brave. But I'm definitely not there yet. But I'm making progress. At least this time, I don't have a minute to minute itinerary. I will let God lead the way and I'm excited to see where He will take us. I will trust that He is a better travel guide than me, and even better than Rick Steves for that matter (even though I will confess that I brought his travel guides with me). But I will try my hardest to let go and let God.

Usually when I travel, I like to keep a journal of our adventures and to record the places we visit for future reference. This time, I've decided to keep the journal on my blog. Since most likely we won't be spending too much time at the hotels, my writing time will be limited so I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar errors. I won't have much time for editing, since by the end of the day I will be tired and ready to fall sleep. But I will try to write as much as possible, just like I always used to do on my hand-written journals. This time, I'll just be sharing it with all of you instead of keeping it to myself.

I will be praying for all of you and your families. I ask in return that you keep Rafael and myself in your prayers for a safe trip, and for my family back home to be protected while we are gone. In less than one hour we will be landing in Rome. And I'm still pinching myself because I still think I'm dreaming.

Ciao e benedizioni.