Besides Working April 28, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Carassai , 1 comment so farWorking with the grape vines has a tranquil effect and f
or meditative purposes, it is wonderful . Today is another beautiful day with minimal cloud coverage and high visibility, which makes today a great day to work outside. Yesterday was the same way and all of the critters came out to soak up some sun. We have been invited back in September to see the fruit of our labor- the grapes. I hope we can make it because if I enjoy pruning the vines then I would probably love picking (and probably tasting) the grapes!The common flowering plants around here are very lovely. There are Poppies all over the place, which are nice because they accent the countryside and up close the flower buds look like irritated skin (while I find it interesting, some people may not). There are many others that I don’t know the names of, but they help to mane this place very colorful.
Giuseppe told us that there is a castle in town that we will be checking out soon. He showed us a picture and it is not some ruins with a sign; it is very grand. We shall see!
Also there is the beach, which apparently the water is cold but it is getting hotter here. So perhaps on Sunday we will go with the family to the beach and hopefully the water is comfortable. If we can’t stand the water, a city is near by so we can walk around there.
The cute town on the hill is Cassarai, by the way.
Working in Italy April 25, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Carassai , 2commentsAs you guys know, we’re staying and working at Agriturismo la Cicala, a vineyard on the East coast of Italy. Despite the inclement weather of the past few days, today has been a gorgeous, sunny day. The weather is warming back up and our skin is loving the sun.
We didn’t get started with work until around 11 this morning but we handled the same amount of work as we did on Thursday in about half the time, clearly we are getting more skilled in tending grapes! Despite our growing skill, today the fields are muddy and pack onto our shoes quickly, making us feel like we’re wearing 10 lb. platform shoes.
After Giuseppe or I (Chris), clip the rogue shoots of the grape vines and tend to them, Tiffany comes through and ties the grape vines onto the poles, helping the grapes to grow straight and in the right direction.
The lack of rain gives us the stunning views we saw on our first day here but which has been blocked by the low clouds and fog since then. The countryside around Agriturismo La Cicala is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful change to the city scapes we’ve gotten used to seeing.
Rainy Day April 23, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Carassai , add a commentAll is quiet on the farm. None of the neighboring farms are being worked on. The entire countryside is quiet. When is drizzles here no one works. Days like today are days off for people around here and good days for staying inside.
We spent the majority of the day inside the farm house. Chris and Guiseppe worked on the website while I did research for our next part of our trip. We went to his house today (they don’t live at the farm house) and met his youngest son who is 13 years old.
Magda made three home made pizzas for us for lunch. They had the popular Italian toppings for this area; Marinara, Olive oil with Rose Marry and Garlic, and Marinara with a local fish. It was good but not at all what I expected.
Today was a very lazy day in rural Italy or at least for us. Tomorrow’s forecast is sunny with minimal cloud coverage and a high of around 65 F (typical weather here). So we will be back in the fields working with the young grapes.
Agroturismo La Cicala April 22, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Carassai, Uncategorized , 1 comment so farYesterday’s travels included an eleven hour train ride and 30 bus ride to get to the small village that the farm we’re working at (the village is called Carassai). The train ride was complicated and cheap (50 euro for the both of us and many train changes) but the views were stunning.
When we got to the farm house we were amazed!
The place is immaculate and the views from around the place are stunning. Guiseppe (pronounced like Joseph) and his wife, Madga, own the farm and 30 hectors of land around it. They grow both Sangiovese grapes (you need 85% Sangiovese grapes to make Chainti wine) and Olives.
Today we worked with the young grapes (about one year old). Pruning and making sure they will grow straight. The work is not too hard and there is a lot of it. Since this would cost us about 80 Euros a night to stay here plus the cost of lunch and dinner, if we were being paid, we would be paid 8 Euros an hour (breakfast is included in the price although with our work, they are obligated to feed us 3 meals a day, and we are only obligated to work for five hours a day each). Also, Guiseppe and Chris are working on his website this afternoon.
So Chris is in love and I thin
k I am too. The place is charming, the views are amazing, the people are very welcoming and generous, and the food is fresh and has a lot of flavor (which is a big change of pace from generally bland food that we could afford). Last night we had Spaghetti with spicy sausage, bread, salad from their garden, and eggs from their chickens.
There is a beach near by that we’re thinking about checking out when we have some free time. It looked nice from the train (white sand, really blue water). We have the farm house to ourselves this week, since there are no guests until next week and our hosts have their own home about a half a mile away. We are definitely going to be spoiled by this place!
Working On The East Coast April 20, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Naples , add a commentToday was like a down day except we were working most of the day. I spent the better part of the day looking for places to stay further north and cheap transportation while Chris was doing SEO work. We found a website that connects travelers with a company or an individual that needs work done in exchange for room and board.
We have found jobs on a vineyard/bed and breakfast on the east coast of Italy. The train ride to get there will take up most of tomorrow and so we should start on Thursday. We will be working, not for pay, but for room and board.These jobs range from Au Pair to gardening to sheep tending (I have to admit I am a little excited about the sheep tending).
The town is called San Benedetto Del Tronto and the place is called Agriturismo La Cicala.
It’s pretty exciting! Although we don’t know if we’ll have internet where we’re going to be. We shall see.
April 20:Week In Pictures April 20, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Week in Pictures , add a comment
Mount Vesuvius April 19, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Naples, Travel Tips , add a commentTo go up Vesuvius, you have to take a bus most of the way up and then hike to the summit. The cheapest way to get the bus is to go to the Ercolano stop where the bus tickets are the cheapest, in addition to the train tickets being fairly cheap. Be wary though because there is a tour that charges extra for a tour guide. It’s a volcano, do you really need a tour guide?
The bus ride up gives you great views over the Bay of Naples in addition to the towns of Pompei and Ercolano. About 4km from the bus stop at the top of the volcano, we stopped at a shop run by a man who has been living and working on Vesuvius for over 40 years, saw the last eruption in 1944 at age 16, and gave us a nice history of the volcano highlighted by pictures out of a book about Vesuvius.
The top of Mount Vesuvius is a National Park that you have to pay 4.50 to 6.50 Euros a person to climb to the top, depending on age and whether or not you are a student.
We paid to exert ourselves and climb to the top and it was worth it. The hike afforded us great views some of the time, odd visions while walking in clouds, and finally, stunning views into the volcano itself.
Along the way, there are several small shops where you can buy nifty figures and souvenirs from the mountain made of shiny volcanic rock and such. There are Roman statues, fairies, and even just plain shiny rocks!
At the top is a shop where you can grab a coffee while admiring the views around and over the mountain and if it’s cloudy when you get to the top, just wait a few minutes, the clouds have a tendency to be only temporary things, passing by and giving you an absolutely stunning view down the volcano.
While taking the climb, Tiff and I got engrossed in looking for shiny rocks of our own so that we wouldn’t have to pay for a rock, shiny or not, deciding that it would be more fun to find our own anyway. What we discovered by the end of our trek up and down the volcano was that there are more shiny rocks at the beginning of the path than at any other point on the climb; however, there were a lot of nifty, shiny, and colorful rocks on the path, just not as many as were at the bottom.
One thing to remember before deciding to climb Vesuvius is to bring a jacket even if it feels nice and warm at sea level; it can be several degrees cooler at the top and is often very windy, there are even signs posted around the entrance to the Park.
While looking into the volcano, we noticed that apparently there are steam vents in the sides of the volcano because there would be steam constantly moving up from the walls of the volcano and joining the clouds, even when there weren’t any clouds anywhere near the volcano!
Vesuvius is definitely something you can’t miss on a trip through southern Italy!
Herculaneum April 18, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Naples , add a commentWe woke up to cloudy skies and a drizzle that lasted all day. But we wouldn’t let a little rain stop us, so we went to 
Herculaneum today. Apparently the free heritage week ends on the 25th of April, so we can go to all of these places for free (we plan on leaving on the 21st).
Herculaneum is very similar to Pompei, except it’s smaller and much more preserved. So much so that we were very surprised to see that some of the rooms still had the original ceilings with Fresco still on it! Some places had the original wooden door frames. There were two and three story buildings mostly intact. Most of t
he buildings were once homes that had eight rooms and they were very spacious (perhaps very high-end homes). It was definitely something to see and a bit better to do in the rain instead of Pompei, since Pompei doesn’t have much shelter.
There is still excavations being done under the city that is there today, since there is still some of Herculaneum that has not been tampered with yet. We got to go into a little of the tunneling that has been done so far. There was a neat sculpture inside the tunnel and not much else that was of interest.
We hope to be going to the Archeological museum in Napoli tomorrow to see all of the things (and people) they have discovered in the ruins. It may be closed since most of Italy is on Mondays. We shall see.
Napoli: A Day At The Beach April 17, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Naples , add a commentAfter seeing the coast yesterday in Sorrento we knew we had to go to the beach. It hasn’t been that warm out (mostly in the low 70′s) but the humidity level makes it feel much warmer, so we packed the hotel towels, flip-flops, water, and sun block (leaving the cameras behind of course) and headed for the beach in Napoli.
Come to find out there isn’t much of a beach in Napoli which was a little sad considering the amount of reading I’d been doing about the lovely gray sand beaches this area is known for. The entire area of beach was smaller than our last apartment, but alas, the sun was lovely, it had a great view of Vesuvius, clear water, and it wasn’t very crowded.
We were wondering why the beach wasn’t as packed as the guide books were saying and then we got into the water! Saying “brrr” doesn’t cover it; it was down right cold! Apparently it is cold all year round and the locals wait until the middle of summer to go into the Mediterranean (I suppose it’s hard to fight the temptation with the heat and all).
We made a sand castle and lounged around, building up the courage to go into the nice water. We did actually go in twice, both times ended with us sun bathing like cats, trying to get dry and warm.
When we were walking to the beach from the bus stop there was a man on a moped, driving in the street that whistled at us. We looked over and he was trying to sell us an Iphone! There are a lot of people in the streets that sell Iphones, but we had never seen a drive-by (street-to-sidewalk?) Iphone salesman.
Pompei Ruins April 16, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Naples , add a commentToday, we took a train from Napoli to see the ruins of Pompei; the ruins were very well preserved when Mount Vesuvius exploded in 74 CE which coated everything in the city in ash before sealing everything with a blast of super-hot air coming off the mountain.
Because of the quick preservation, there are a ton of frescoes still visible in the city, spread out through the walls between the buildings, inside the buildings, and even on the ground in some cases! Also clearly visible in Pompei are the Romanesque ruins with columns, a bath house, and amphitheaters scattered throughout.
The city seemed to be designed with carts and pedestrians sharing the roads because there are sidewalks on both sides and wagon ruts can be clearly seen in the streets. Whoever built the streets in Pompei must have been brilliant; the streets were about 12-18 inches above the road and there were stepping stones on the street at the ‘crosswalks’ that were nearly the same height as the sidewalk, allowing us to walk through the city without jumping on and off the sidewalks!
We got lucky with our timing this week as it’s apparently Culture Week which meant that all of the museums in the area (maybe Italy), are free! We still had to get a ticket but we asked for it and they gave us a ticket admitting two people with a price of zero Euros.
