Day 8: Tuesday, May 8: Orbetello-Lerici
We leave for Lerici at about 10 am....I think that I like Orbetello more than Diana does. Part of its charm for me is its slight funkiness and its completely non-tourist ambience. Being set in the middle of the lagoon gives it an "end of the world" feeling....sort of like a floating city. The restaurants are good, the passeggiata is lively and it is well located for expeditions up and down the coast and into the interior of the Maremma.
We plan to stop in Lucca en route to Lerici. We have made it a tradition to spend a few hours in Lucca--one of our favorite towns, where we once spent two weeks studying Italian--whenever we are in the vicinity. The city is very attractive with typical narrow streets, impressive doors, distinctive churches and broad piazzas.
We want to do a little shopping--chocolate from Caniparoli, face cream from L'Erbario Toscano--visit our friend Paolo Moncini, the owner of the Piccolo Puccini hotel, have lunch at Vecchia Osteria Buralli and stroll around one of our favorite towns.
We park in our usual lot just inside the walls and complete our shopping errands before our traditional lunch of Tuscan fried chicken and fried vegetables--very light batter and delicate frying--sitting outside under the red awning at the Vecchia Osteria.
After lunch, we find Paolo and have a short conversation catching up on his news before retrieving the car and getting on the autostrada for the 45 minute trip to Lerici.
We are always happy to be back in Lerici....especially when we catch our first view of the harbor from the road high above the town. After we check in, we sit on our terrace and enjoy the familiar vista.
Before dinner, we walk down into town to meet Megan McCaffrey, who lives in Lerici and also is in the Italian trip planning business. We have corresponded by e-mail for a couple of years but have never met. We have drinks in one of the bars that line the fishing port and have a good time discussing her life in Italy, the travel business and local Lerici politics.
She walks us to her favorite local restaurant before she heads home....but unfortunately today is its closing day. We don't want anything too elaborate after our lunch in Lucca so we eat at a new pizzeria-restaurant called Moonstruck Too. Dinner is not memorable....Diana has a pasta dish with shrimp and I have grilled sausage. We leave quickly and climb up the hill to the Doria Park. Before turning in we spend a few minutes on our terrace looking at the lights around the harbor.
We plan to stop in Lucca en route to Lerici. We have made it a tradition to spend a few hours in Lucca--one of our favorite towns, where we once spent two weeks studying Italian--whenever we are in the vicinity. The city is very attractive with typical narrow streets, impressive doors, distinctive churches and broad piazzas.
We want to do a little shopping--chocolate from Caniparoli, face cream from L'Erbario Toscano--visit our friend Paolo Moncini, the owner of the Piccolo Puccini hotel, have lunch at Vecchia Osteria Buralli and stroll around one of our favorite towns.
We park in our usual lot just inside the walls and complete our shopping errands before our traditional lunch of Tuscan fried chicken and fried vegetables--very light batter and delicate frying--sitting outside under the red awning at the Vecchia Osteria.
After lunch, we find Paolo and have a short conversation catching up on his news before retrieving the car and getting on the autostrada for the 45 minute trip to Lerici.
We are always happy to be back in Lerici....especially when we catch our first view of the harbor from the road high above the town. After we check in, we sit on our terrace and enjoy the familiar vista.
Before dinner, we walk down into town to meet Megan McCaffrey, who lives in Lerici and also is in the Italian trip planning business. We have corresponded by e-mail for a couple of years but have never met. We have drinks in one of the bars that line the fishing port and have a good time discussing her life in Italy, the travel business and local Lerici politics.
She walks us to her favorite local restaurant before she heads home....but unfortunately today is its closing day. We don't want anything too elaborate after our lunch in Lucca so we eat at a new pizzeria-restaurant called Moonstruck Too. Dinner is not memorable....Diana has a pasta dish with shrimp and I have grilled sausage. We leave quickly and climb up the hill to the Doria Park. Before turning in we spend a few minutes on our terrace looking at the lights around the harbor.
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