Adventures and Misadventures

I have started to settle into Italy… as much as that is humanly possible. The people are incredibly friendly and I have also started to become friends with some of the other crews in the port. On the Sunday after our flat-out day in Rome Anita and I attempted to cook an Australia/NewZealand dinner for 2 other boats. Unfortunately our supplies were rather limited as Italian supermarkets stock little other than the standard Italian staples so we settled on an Asian Noodle dish (made with soy sauce… and not much else), Roast Beef with Roast Vegies AND Gravy and then an Apple Pie with Vanilla Icecream for dessert. YUMMO. The boys loved it and with plentiful amounts of red wine we had a fun evening and my Italian improved dramatically as our guests giggled at my crap attempts at speaking the language. The floodgates opened and nearly every night there were aperitifs on the dock or drinks on one of the boats near us. Work got harder as we struggled to prepare the boat for the owners first weekend on board at the end of May but the nights only became more fun. The next weekend Anita had taken Friday off to go and stay with a friend from New Zealand in Rome. Ila’s boyfriend drove 650 kms to see her for the weekend before heading off on a motorbike holiday to Sardinia (CUTE.) He arrived on Friday night before they set off to stay in a B&B in the Tuscan countryside. So I was all alone  but the other crews were having none of that and I was taken to watch the kite surfing at a nearby beach called San Agostino. The weather was still improving and the wind was perfect on Saturday afternoon so there were hundreds of wind surfers and kite surfers out enjoying the conditions. The multicoloured sails lit up an otherwise unspectacular beach but I must admit I’m comparing them to beaches in Australia. That night a group of us went to a local pizzeria in Civitavecchia before hitting the esplanade for a few quiet gin and tonics. As internet reception was rubbish on the boat and a phone call to my parents was long overdue I was forced to find my own way into Civitavecchia on Sunday morning. I’m not a brilliant cyclist at the best of times and in Italian traffic on bike too big for me I am sure I made a hilarious sight. On the way into town the traffic was really heavy and as I was unfamiliar with the pavements I hopped off the bike at every obstacle – which meant I ended up walking about 50% of the way. One nice Italian man even stopped to ask me something in Italian – which I am pretty sure was ‘do you have a flat tyre and need help?’ Unfortunately I didn’t know how to say ‘no, I’m just terrible at riding this strange machine and have traffic fright at present’ so I muttered ‘No, Grazie’ and waved him off. I managed to make it eventually and the extra practice and lighter traffic meant I managed to stay on the bike the whole way home! A strange coincidence had emerged in my recent email conversations with my relatives in the UK. Turned out they were heading straight to Civitavecchia on the QE2 as they cruised around Italy for 12 days. So on Monday afternoon I met with them for gelato at a small restaurant in Civitavecchia. We worked out that the last time they saw me I was 8 years old and marveled over how small a world it is when relatives from opposite ends manage to meet at an obscure place somewhere in the middle! They were absolutely lovely and I had a great time meeting them and look forward now to seeing them in the UK when I eventually make time for a visit! It was only a few days before we set sail for Ponza island to meet the owners. The wind had been blowing hard for the past two days and we bashed into a heavy swell. A light headwind, late start and a 60% perfect engine made progress very slow and we anchored off Ponza a few hours after dark. The horizon looked very stormy but we were too tired to worry, falling into bed around 11. 3 hours later we awoke to the anchor alarm screaming and a howling wind. The boat was dragging anchor and after chucking on wet weather jackets over our pyjamas we pulled the anchor and motored around to a calmer, safer anchorage. Talk about good practice for every situation! The next morning we spent the whole day getting the boat ready for the owners who were due to arrive the following afternoon on a Hydrofoil. Around 5pm we received a call to say that unfortunately they were unable to make it due to a death of a friend of the family. With the weather set to improve we decided to stay around Ponza for a few days and do some sail training rather than head back to Civitavecchia for the weekend. The storms had well and truly cleared by Friday morning and we enjoyed a leisurely sail around Ponza island to anchor off the village for lunch. In the afternoon us 3 girls headed ashore to explore the little town. Ponza is a small island connected only to the mainland by frequent ferries and hydrofoils. In summer the town is packed with Italian holiday makers but at this time of year it is still quiet and principally a fishing port. We wandered around admiring the side alleys, cute but EXPENSIVE shops and finally stopped for the obvious – GELATI. That night we headed ashore at the less populated bay around the corner where we were anchored. Dudi’s sister had recommended a restaurant to us and there was a perfect little dinghy channel in which to tie up the dinghy. The restaurant made the most of a stunning setting built into a natural indent in the cliffs and we dined on a raised table area made out of stone. Dinner was a divine seafood feast of fresh tuna, prawns, lobster done in a variety of ways which lasted several hours as we toasted the serenity! Saturday was also bright and sunny but unfortunately there was no wind so Dudi and I worked on the mast and rigging. After lunch a breeze came in so we headed out for more practice. Mrs M flies in the light wind being constructed solely of carbon and for all those in the know we did 8.5knots to windward in 7knots of wind. We tacked, jibed and reached our way around nearby Pomorola island returning just before dark to an anchorage which the night before contained 3 boats and this night contained nearly 100 due to the long weekend holiday! Sunday we sailed back for Civitavecchia making good time in the much lighter conditions and arriving well before dark. On Monday Dudi gave us a holiday and to celebrate the release of Sex and the City the movie and our inability to get into Rome to actually see the real thing due to the rainy weather we watched Sex and the City episodes ALL day. Like all rainy days we interspersed the episodes with glasses of red wine and baking (Apple Pie, Chocolate Cookies and Banana Cake) – no it is no surprise I am gaining weight in Italy! The week passed pretty quickly and having accomplished a few big jobs during the week Anita and I asked if we could leave early on Friday to catch a train to Pisa and Florence for the weekend. We set off on a train at 5pm complete with a few beers for the 3hr journey. Time passed surprisingly quickly. Ila upon hearing of our plans had organized for us to go and stay with an architect friend of hers, Sandro, who lived in the centre of Pisa right on the river. 5 minutes after we arrived we were bustled back out the door on the way to a dinner party in the Tuscan countryside. We drove for about 30 minutes through typical green hills scattered with gorgeous old villas and vineyards. Our hosts were Colin and Louisa two typical Londonite executives who had left the world behind to raise a child and run a B&B in the Tuscan hills. Naturally there home was stunning with a beautiful view for miles over Pisa, Livorno and on a sunny day the view continued to Corsica. Around 10 of us were there for dinner which turned out to be a planned grilled meat feast – aka BBQ. Armed with a big glass of red wine and the usual Australian enthusiasm for a BBQ I grabbed the tongs and took over the sausages. Believe me it was for the good of all as I realized that the Italians are completely inept at anything resembling a BBQ plate – stick to the wonderful pizza, pasta and gelato! After dinner a hashish joint was passed around (still not a fan of smoking so don’t worry Mum and Dad I didn’t indulge!!!) and the oldies settled into a very relaxed mode. Louisa then asked us if we would like to go with them to the studio…? The night got more and more surreal as we walked through the garden to a small villa wherein the music makers were literally making music!! The studio was complete with all manners of electronic recording equipment and a huge variety of instruments. They called it musical therapy and among the dinner guests there were a saxophonist, mouth organ player, piano player, 2 drums plays, acoustic guitar, electric guitar and bass guitar player, a flautist AND a singer! Over the course of the night they sang, played and improvised their way through songs ranging from Pink Floyd to Men at Work to the Italian version of Zorba. At around 3am we finally made our goodbyes and our ears ringing from the cacophony of noise we made our way back to Pisa with Sandro. Despite the cold we made a quick pit stop at the deserted Leaning Tower. The tower looked gorgeous lit up in the square of Miracles and we had no idea how lucky we were to see it in such a serene environment until the next morning. We groggily woke up after a few hours sleep and headed off to accomplish some sightseeing – after all that is why we were there! Stopping at a panetaria and a fruit market to pick up some bread and fruit for breakfast we meandered our way through the streets towards the Piazza of Miracles. It was hard to miss as the square was packed with camera touting tourists all doing the classic ‘I’m holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa’ pose and we longed for the peace of the night before! We took the obligatory photos avoiding the Pisa pose at all costs and quickly made our exit back down the side streets and away from the crowds again. Pisa had some beautiful architecture other than the famous tower and we absorbed the bustling university town atmosphere on our walk back across town to the train station. Firenze (Florence) here we COME! The highlight of our weekend was in sight and we arrived in the centre of Florence via 45 minute train from Pisa. It was less than a 5 minute walk to our cheap but cheerful double room in ‘Leonardo House.’ The best part about our accommodation was LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION and after dumping our bags we headed out the door, turned left and WOW there was the Duomo – Florence’s most famous sight. First things first our stomachs were empty and we lunched on a yummy Florentine speciality ‘Riboletta zuppa’ and toasted to our visit to Florence with a bottle of Chianti. As we finished up 2 Australian guys sat down next to us who also happened to work on a boat in a port in the north of Italy. Together we polished off another bottle of red wine and then decided to cruise around Florence for the afternoon together. Gelato, Cathedrals, Architecture and old Bridges pretty much sums up the afternoon as we dodged the rain showers and roved the alleys of Renaissance Italy. Ash was an amateur photographer and toted around a huge lens which was put to good use as Tim and I compared our little waterproof Olympus’s in embarrassment. We waved goodbye to our new friends late afternoon as they headed back to their boat and we headed to our accommodation to get changed ready for our planned night out. Our night started at a nearby ristorante in the centre of Florence. Smoked Salmon, Parmesan, Pizza and Wine just about describes our perfect start to the evening as we enjoyed the Italian ambience. We retired to the restaurant bar for a limoncello and an Italian coffee (my first – for energy!) at the invitation of the bartender. Being blonde and chatting to the bartenders is clearly a plus in Italy as we wound up getting all our drinks for free and 20% off the bill meaning we paid only 15 Euros for the whole meal! We moved on to the Irish bar (of course?!?) in the Duomo Piazza and again the blonde hair and minimal Italian paid for an incredible number of strange coloured drinks. With alcohol to the eyeballs we headed to a nearby club for a ‘Foam Party’ but upon seeing the mess on the dance floor and bolstered by the confidence only a multitude of alcoholic drinks can provide we talked our way into the top floor VIP area where we danced away the rest of the night. I made it home by 4 to pass out in bed only waking up to hear Anita coming in at 7am. The next thing I remember is me saying “Anita, isn’t that your phone?” and unfortunately realizing that the alarm indicated the end of all sleep for the day as we had to check out at 10am. Revitalized by a Panini and a hot chocolate we set off again on our sight seeing mission intending to make the most of our last day in Florence. We had by now realized that the beauty of Florence is purely in its huge number of stunning piazzas and art and architecture. We walked to Napoleon’s square, over the Old Bridge and to Palazzo Pitti on the other side of the city. Armed with a map we then made it our mission to walk up to Piazza Michelangelo to see the view over the city and take a photo of the statue of David (not the real one – the line was 2hours long for the Galleria del Accademia!) Armed with a map I took us off the beaten track and we found some gorgeous side streets lined with houses covered in verdant green ivy designed straight out of the renaissance. Near the top of the hill we stumbled upon a rose garden through which you could walk up to the Piazza. It appears that even in a city as touristy as Florence some treasures are kept out of the Lonely Planet guide (thank god) and reserved for the few who stumble upon them. The view from the top was worth the hike and put all the sights we had seen in Florence into perspective. It is not the individual sights that make Florence so beautiful and my favourite city in Italy (and perhaps the world) so far but the overall picture. The surrounding hills, the renaissance art and architecture, the food, the wine, the locals and the ability to wander away from the tourists down any hidden side alley and find yourself completely immersed in Italian history – still within sight of the Duomo. Exhausted we welcomed the 4 hour train ride home as a chance to catch up on some sleep. Another weekend over but finally I felt I had seen the heart of Italy and made the most of working in this beautiful country. Next week we head off for the season so my next update will be on Sardinia with the owners in around a month– I’m curious about how these superyachts really work. Ci Vidiamo Doppo (See you soon) xoxoxoxoxoxoxo