Montefollonico Italy

It’s been a busy year of traveling, both in Europe and much closer to home.  It’s always fun for me to look back on where I’ve been over the year, so I can plan where I want to go the following year.

Here are the highlights from 2010:

January

• Starting the New Year with a stay in Seattle, I saw the fireworks at the Space Needle from the warmth and coziness of my hotel room.
• A sponsored trip to Spokane took me back to a city that I’ve been away from for far too long.  The occasion for the visit was the US Figure Skating Championships (in preparation for the Winter Olympics), but while there I got to see so much more of the city.  From a gondola ride over the river to a ride on the carousel in River Front Park, from visiting Barrister and Whitestone wineries to  Dry Fly Distillery to learn how vodka is made, and from experiencing the beautiful new Northern Quest Resort and discovering new gourmet restaurants, spending a few days in the Spokane was a bright spot in a gloomy winter.

February

• Heading south to Sacramento, and a little nicer weather, I attended Go West, a travel and tourism media event that focuses on the western United States. Along the whirlwind media appointments, I had a chance to see a few sights.  I panned for gold at Sutter’s Mill, visited the fabulous train museum, and visited the state capitol.  I also learned about the Sacramento Valley’s impressive wines and look forward to a return trip to visit a few of them.
• A road trip took me to the southern part of the state for Bed and Bookfest at Skamania Lodge.  A drive along the scenic Columbia River Gorge, a visit to the Bridge of the Gods, and cozy room at the lodge is a perfect winter getaway weekend.  It would be great in summer too, although a totally different experience.

March

• After an absence of several years, I headed back to Maui,discovering much had changed since I’d been there last (10+ years).  There was much to enjoy, including the warm weather and a visit to the Maui Lavender Farm to learn how master horticulturist Ali’i Chang has lovingly tended to the land.

April

• Spring brought another opportunity to explore another spot in the state, this time with a culinary themed press trip to Bellingham.  From visiting and learning about some of the local farms, to tasting Whatcom County wines, to visiting the Taylor Shellfish to learn how to shuck and prepare oysters, to discovering local restaurants, to enjoying the Chrysalis Inn and Spa, a Bellingham foodie getaway is a great spring getaway.

May

• A week in Orlando for USTA International Pow-Wow gave me plenty of opportunity to learn about travel trends in the United States. It was a great opportunity to meet travel suppliers from across the country and to discover what’s new and great in the travel industry, as well as to tour some of the Orlando sights.  Between media trips and various events, I had the chance to visit Daytona Speedway, Walt Disney World, and Universal Studios Orlando where we got a glimpse at the new Wonderful World of Harry Potter exhibit.  WOWZA on that last one!  It was also great to see fellow travel blogger Jennifer Miner, from The Vacation Gals. This annual travel event provides me story information and contacts to last the year, and is one of my favorite industry events.

June – July

• Heading off for the annual sojourn to Europe, the first stop was Sicily. We stayed at a lovely villa in the middle of a lemon grove in the small town of Giarre.  With a view of the Ionian Sea in front and Mt. Etna in back, the villa provided a wonderful place to stay as well as serving as home base for day trips to Taormina, Noto, Siracusa, numerous small villages along the sea, and climbing Mt. Etna.  We were in Sicily for a little over a week, just enough to whet our appetite for this charming island, and I think all of us would love a return trip.
• After Sicily, we headed to Tuscany for a couple weeks, staying at our favorite agriturismo, La Montalla, in the small town of Contignano.  We got to go back to some of our favorite Tuscan towns, including Pienza (for the traditional dinner at Latte di Luna), Montalcino (to order some of the delicious Brunellos and Super Tuscans to ship back home), Montepulciano (a necessary hospital visit), Radicofani, Orvieto, Montefollonico, and others, as well as had plenty of time to hang out at the farmhouse and enjoy the Tuscan sun.  Owner Giuseppe always makes us feel welcome, and we’ll be going back again in 2011.
• Lake Bolsena was a couple of hours away from where we stayed, but we had so much fun there that we made the trip twice.  It’s a lovely lake and town, and was a perfect place for watching a few of the World Cup matches.
• The heart of Italian art, Florence is a town that can overwhelm.  Since we’d visited before, we didn’t feel compelled to see ay of the “big” tourist spots, and could, instead, wander the streets as we wished.  In a city full of impressive architecture and art there were plenty of opportunity to stop and gawk, as well as multiple gelato opportunities.  It was great to be in Florence without an agenda of must-see attractions.
• After nearly a month in Italy, I got home in time for a quick press trip to Las Vegas, and a stay at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino.  The weekend included dinner at Diablo’s Cantina, the Frank Caliendo show, including a chance to meet the comic star, and a chance to bond with some other travel bloggers.

August

• August is a great month to be in Seattle, so this month was spent pretty close to home.  It was a great chance to finally check out Cafe Flora, the city’s notable vegetarian restaurants, as well as to do some wine tasting at Pour on the Plaza in Bellevue.
• I did have to make a quick trip to Washington DC for a hearing, and because of a variety of flight delays and misconnects had to sleep in the Chicago airport.  I haven’t had to do that in a long time, and it was a humbling reminder of the not-so-glamorous side of travel.

September

• I spent a few days in Southern California (Irvine) attending Travel Media Showcase, another travel media event.  This was my first year attending the event, and was pleased with the quality of contacts made.  There was also the opportunity to see some of the sights around the area, including horseback riding in Irvine Regional Park.
• Following TMS, I went on a FAM to the wine country of Temecula.  There is an incredible array of wineries there, and it was fun to visit three that spanned the spectrum:  Ponte Winery, Palumbo Family Vineyard & Winery, and Briar Rose Winery and its Snow White house.  And what would a visit to any wine country be without a delicious dinner with wine pairings?  We enjoyed the hospitality of the Temecula Creek Inn and Leonesse Cellars as they worked out the menu and pairings for an upcoming event.  I love being a guinea pig like that!  I was also thrilled to go on my first hot air balloon ride with California Dreamin’.  The experience was amazing, and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face and we watched the sun come up and floated above the vineyards of Temecula.

October

• Fall had me heading back to Spokane for a quick overnight to attend the opening of South Pacific, courtesy of the Red Lion Hotel.  The production is part of Best of Broadway Spokane, and the Red Lion Hotel offers some great weekend getaway packages.  While in town, I also had the opportunity to wander the Gonzaga University campus, including a look at some Bing Crosby memorabilia at the campus museum.
• I also headed back to Las Vegas for several days, for Blog World Expo.  For me it was a perfect blend of travel, tech, blogging, and business, all rolled together with some great networking.  I moderated a panel called “Travel Blogging as a Second Career” and was honored to meet and participate in the panel with Trisha Miller of Travel Writers Exchange, David and Carol Porter of The Roaming Boomers, and Rick Griffin of Midlife Road Trip.  During my time at BWE, I was the guest of ARIA Hotel at City Center, a beautiful LEED Gold certified hotel at the new City Center.  While there I had the opportunity to see the new Cirque du Soleil show, Viva Elvis, taste the delicious Spanish menu at Julian Serrano, and get a wonderful pampering Spa treatment.  Another highlight of the trip was a delicious wagyu steak dinner at craftsteak at the MGM Grand.

November

• I headed back to the sun in November, with a very quick trip to Fort Lauderdale and another travel media event, Visit Europe Media Exchange.  The event was held at the Westin Diplomat, and although the property is lovely, the stay and service were a big disappointment.  Still, the event gave me an opportunity to make some great contacts in Europe and to get lots of story ideas.

December

• Home, sweet home, in Seattle for the holidays!

Looking back, it was a pretty busy travel year.  As always, there were places I had hoped to get to that I didn’t, and places that I hadn’t expected to get to but did.  It was a great year – and I’m busy making plans so that 2012 will be just as great.

Where did you go in 2011?  And what was your favorite travel experience?

Photo credits:  All from the personal collection of Mary Jo Manzanares

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It’s with mixed feelings that I’m back in Seattle after three and a half weeks in Italy.  It’s always good to come back home, of course, but there is a part of me that was left behind, waiting patiently until I come back to claim it.

The pace was both busy and leisurely, with a day or two of activity followed by a day or two of rest.

Sunflowers, Tuscany 2009

Leisure days were spent by the pool, taking naps, drinking wine, eating pasta and lots of gelato.  Activity days were full of exploring, sightseeing, discovering new things, and lots and lots of walking to counteract all that pasta, gelato, and wine.  It was the perfect combination of Adventure Holidays and Walking holidays, with plenty of rest to get ready for it all.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip:

• Climbing Mt. Etna
• Exploring the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Siracusa and Noto in Sicily
• Learning to drive like the Sicilians
• Eating grilled shrimp, freshly caught moments before consumption, beach side in Muscali
• Watching World Cup games with the Italians
• Walking the hill towns in Tuscany
• Wine tasting, especially the Brunellos and Super Tuscans
• Food:  pasta, gelato (fig may be my new favorite)
• Visiting favorite places and discovering new ones, a good mix of the familiar with the new
• 24 straight days of 80-degree plus weather, and a good week where it was close to 100 degrees

Since no travels are ever perfect, however, honesty demands that I also list a few items that won’t make the highlight reel:

• Bugs.  I don’t know why it was so much worse this year than that, but I was a mess from bites that I couldn’t stop itching.
• Ice doesn’t seem to exist.  When you wanted an ice cold glass of water or tea, or even a beer, it just wasn’t that refreshing icy coldness that I love.
• The sunflowers are gone from Tuscany.  Economic factors caused farmers to plant wheat rather than sunflowers, and those beautiful fields of row after row of flowers were just not to be found.  Wheat hasn’t been all that successful of a cash crop either, so next year it may be alfalfa.
• Learning about the Italian health care system when one my traveling companions needed stitches in his head.  The system works quite well – efficient, high quality, and free – it’s just not the kind of thing you want to have to discover.

I’m a big fan of extended holidays.  They restore me physically, mentally, and emotionally in a way that a quick getaway weekend never will.  Italy does all that for me, and it’s good to know that it’s waiting for me until I get back once again.

Where do you go for that balance of active and restorative travel?  Do you have a special place that nourishes your soul?

Photo credit:  personal collection

NOTE:  This posts was sponsored by The Adventure Company; the opinions expressed herein are my own.

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One of the things that I was excited to do in Sicily was climb Mt. Etna.  At approximately 10,922 feet high, this largest active volcano in Europe was visible from the back deck of our villa.  Every morning I’d take a look at how beautiful it was, it’s very top visible in the earlier morning hours, and then watch as the clouds circled about it come mid-morning.

The presence of Mt. Etna, along with its history – both true and legend, dominates the island of Sicily,  Make no mistake about it, this is one of the most active volcanoes in the world.  This decade alone has seen two major eruptions, in 2001 and 2002, both of which caused damage to both the mountain and surrounding areas.

The three of us were all interested in climbing Mt Etna, and our choice of how to scale the mountain took us to Etna Sud, the southern slope.  We drove there, allowing about an hour for the drive.  If you don’t have a car, or don’t want to tackle the winding, hillside roads, there are plenty of tour buses that make the journey.

I’d done a bit of reading to prepare for this, and a pretty consistent theme seemed to be that the trip would take about 4 hours.  NOT!  Here’s the real story!

The southern starting point, at just under 6,200 feet, is called Rifugio Sapienza,  Here we lined up a guide, got a quick bite to eat, and waited for our 10:30 start time.  This area has a number of guide options, we selected one that offered a guide who spoke a bit of English.   The options offered are quite similar, as are the prices, so find a company and guide that you feel comfortable with.  There are also places to buy something to eat and drink – but remember – there are no bathrooms on the mountain.

I wore shorts for the expedition, and although I wasn’t the only one, I do ask myself what was I thinking!  It was a very sunny day and I was out for a day hike, and it didn’t occur to me that it might get pretty darn cold as we moved up the mountain.  Fortunately, our guide company had hiking boots and heavy jackets available (no additional charge).  You’ll need these.  I’d also recommend wearing jeans or heavy pants, both for warmth and to protect yourself from cuts and scrapes from the lava rocks, a hat to protect for both the sun and wind, and a pair of gloves.  You’ll also want to bring plenty of water.

The first leg of the journey to the top was easy.  A funicular (cable car) took us part way up, with the ending terminal situated at about 8,200 feet.  The funicular was re-built after it was totally destroyed in the 2001 eruption, and as you’re looking out and down you can see the lava fields that remain.  The terminal has great photo opportunities, and is also the last stop for a bathroom break and additional food.

Next, it was into 4×4 mini buses for the next leg, a bouncing ride over lava terrain to the area of the Torre del Filosofo.  This stop puts you at about 9,580 feet, and although the sun was shining brightly it was cold and windy.  For many people, this is as far as they’ll come.  That still makes for a great trip, and the view is spectacular.  There are some craters that you can walk to, some lava fields to check out, and photo ops galore.

But if you’re continuing on to the top, now it gets down to just you and the mountain. . . and your guide to lead you there.

Our group huddled together, got our final instructions, and set out.  I was giddy inside, excitement conquering cold, and ready to make my way to the summit.  We set out over lava rocks, over some remaining ice, and skirted soft, sandy lava fields, making our way to the top.  All around us was spectacular natural beauty, truly jaw dropping, and between the cold shivers I reveled in it.  It was about 1400 feet between me and the top.

Everything was going great. . . at least for a couple hundred feet.  And then it felt like I’d been hit up the side of the head.  I felt dizzy, nauseous, and I started to hyperventilate.  Our guide had me scoot to the front of the group, following right behind him.  This was both for him to help set a pace that was good for me, as well as to keep an eye on how I was doing.

I made it a little bit further, but soon found that my ears were blocked and I couldn’t clear them no matter how hard I tried.  It was hard for me to breathe, I still felt dizzy and nauseous, and my head was throbbing.  I recognized that this wasn’t a good thing, and so did the guide.  He quickly took out a walkie talkie and called for someone to assist.  Another guide walked me a short ways to a waiting jeep, and the driver took me down to the Torre del Filosofo area.  The guides have a kind of shack there, and they invited me in.  I still felt like I might get sick, so opted to lay down on a bench to try to get my bearings.  After about half an hour in the cold wind, I staggered inside where I could try to warm up while I waited for the guys to meet me for the trip down the mountain.  They guides at the shack generously brought me espresso, trying to keep me warm and help me to feel better.

Meanwhile, back on the mountain, the guys continued to the summit!  They reported that it was windy and cold, but an amazing sight.  Steam and clouds swirled around the crater, as seen in the photos, and it made both of them a little nervous getting too close to the edge.  A story was told about a Spanish hiker who fell into one of the craters, resulting in it being called the Spanish Crater.  I’m not sure if it’s true, or merely local legend, but it definitely made an impact on them and they steered clear of any edges.  After about an hour on the crater, they climbed back down meeting up with me at the guide shack.

Once back down from the crater, one of the guys opted to ride with me back down to the base (4×4 and then the funicular), while the other opted to remain with the group and walk back down to the base of the mountain.  He said it was almost a harder walk down than going up, as there were lots of sandy lava field which made it difficult to get a sure footing.

Why did I get sp sick on the mountain?  It turns out that I had altitude sickness, and while not uncommon during exertion at altitude, I was surprised given my effortless acclimation to cabin altitude on an airplane.  While I remained shaky for most of the rest of that day, within another day or so all symptoms were completely gone, and it didn’t interfere with any other activities.

In the case of MJ vs. The Volcano, the volcano won.  But I’m sure glad that I gave it a try!

Location:  Refugio Sapienza, at the southern base of Mt. Etna (map), Sicily

Time:  Various times, based on which outfitter you choose and which climbing options.  We opted for the full day excursion which includes the funicular ride, 4×4 ride, and the guide walk up and all the way down.  It takes approximately 6 hours.  Shorter tours are available.

Price:  The all day option was 70 Euros, which included the funicular ride, the 4×4 transportation, use of hiking boots and heavy coat, and the guide leader.  Prices will vary based on tour length.

Precautions:  You must be able bodied, and in reasonably good shape to climb the mountain.  If you suffer from asthma, are pregnant, or have a heart condition, you may not be allowed to participate.  I’d recommend caution for kids under 12 years of age, as the winds at the top can be brutal.

Photo credits:  All from personal collection

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It took the better part of 24 hours, but I’m finally settled into my villa in Sicily.

The day started with a 3:30 am car service pick up, which started the day’s travel with a flight to Chicago, then connecting to an overnight flight to Rome.  The group met up at the Rome airport, thankfully everyone’s flight was pretty close to being on time, and we caught a quick commuter flight to the island of Sicily.

The villa has exceeded expectations.  It’s a beautiful 4-bedroom place, surrounded by lemon trees.  There’s also two dining areas, two living room areas, a kitchen with a pizza oven, and a huge wrap around deck/patio.  I’ve included a few photos, but these first 24-hours are pretty much for settling in and relaxing.  We’ve gone to the supermarket, set in some provisions, and the rest of the day has been devoted to relaxing on one of the patios.

Tomorrow we begin exploring!

I’ve spent most of the day relaxing in the lounger, reading up on Sicily and planning for tomorrow, and well as catching up on some fiction.  Right now I’m reading Innocent by Scott Turow (the sequel to his smash novel Presumed Innocent).

The villa is stone, with a brick patio wrapped around it.  There are plenty of tables and chairs, and a couple of loungers.  The front of the villa face out toward the Ionian Sea, and the back faces toward Mt. Etna.  You can sit on the couch in the living room and look out at the mountain.  Spectacular views from everywhere!

This driveway connects the villa with the road out front.  Alongside there are lemon trees everywhere.  Fortunately the gate automatically opens and closes, because it’s a winding road out front and the drivers whiz by.  I’d hate to have to worry about traffic jumping into and out of the car to get open the gate.

I’ll try to have trip updates as I continue to travel, and I also have some posts written before leaving home.  You can find more of my photos from the journey on Facebook.

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