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Costumes, Comics and Games in Lucca

5 Nov
The train to Lucca from Firenze seemed crowded, but then it was a holiday, Ognisanti or All Saints’ Day. Still, the costumed young people (and occasional adult with a modest devil’s horns headband), seemed a bit odd the day after Halloween, especially since Halloween is not a big deal here.
Walking toward the famous wall that surrounds Lucca, the crowds were clearly large. Perhaps due to the spring-like day we had on November 1, people were lounging in the wide grassy lawns and parading on top of the wall in throngs. I found myself worrying that Lucca was just a little too popular and we would not enjoy a stroll around the mighty wall as intended. 
The gang from the Big Bang Theory would be at home here.
The gang from the Big Bang Theory would be at home here.
We struggled up the stairs inside the wall with the hoards of arrivals who were now clutching panini of porchetta or mortadella eating on-the-go. It was a conga-line of people, from bambini to nonni. What the heck was going on?
What was going on was Day 4 (and final day, grazie a Dio!) of Comics and Games 2015. This is the Tuscan equivalent to Comic Con. As we wound our way through the narrow lanes searching for our B&B (XIII Century building!) we encountered more characters, some elaborately dressed, some less-so, but an ever-growing crowd of people searching for their favorite animators, authors, artists, game designers, movies, merchandise, and whatever they could get their hands on to eat or drink. 
Characters were happy to stop an pose for pictures.
Characters were happy to stop and pose for pictures.
After checking in, we could not resist the impulse to venture into the streets and see this event. We were swept into the crowd, surging through the streets. It reminded me why I don’t go to crowded places unless I have a reserved seat. 
This was like a passaggiata that went out-of-control.
This was like a passaggiata that went out-of-control.
We did bear up for about an hour-and-a-half, but the crowd was so dense that when we did see a place for coffee or lunch (15:30 and we still had not eaten) it was mobbed with super heroes, bananas, princesses, or invaders. It was fun to see the costumes, and the crowd, being overall nerdy and geeky, was very polite but it gets tiring to swim in a school, especially upstream. 
Luckily by 19:00 the event was over except for the cleanup, which would go on for days. We departed Wednesday and there were still event tents all over the city. We might have missed some of the charm of Lucca, but had anyone told us Comics & Games was on, we’d likely have changed our trip. Sometimes ignorance is bliss and you stumble into something interesting. 
A few more pictures for your enjoyment. Click on any picture for a slide show. 
Yes, there were some children, though far outnumbered by costumed adults.
Star Wars featured prominently due to the new movie. The Bistrot served the usual Italian panini.
Everyone in costume loved to pose.
Even super heroes get lost.
Every major street was clogged with foot traffic. Luckily, Lucca is almost car free.
This store changed it’s name to “Haven for Nerds.”
Cartoon chair, Euro 1200.00.
EMTs took to the streets on foot. No room for an ambulance here.
Enormous crowd. We did not even dare go up on the wall.
Bananas!
Robot handbag, anyone? Leather shop in Lucca.
Poor puppy was forced to drag a (soccer) ball-and-chain.
Even stores got in the spirit, here “Minions” in a woodworker’s shop.
Harry Potter characters were prominent.

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A trip to the Questura

6 Oct
I should be writing about our trip to Switzerland and showing you beautiful pictures. I could be writing about the James Beard Foundation dinner we attended in Milan. (if anyone ever suggests you attend one, please do!) However, I am writing today about the latest installment in our journey to obtain the Permesso di Soggiorno we each need to remain in Italy legally.  Today, we visited the Questura (police station).
When I wrote about Our journey so far,  I mentioned we walked out of Poste Italiane with appointments for fingerprinting.  Here’s what I said at the end of that very long post:

At one point, he seemed to have completed my packet but handed me a receipt copy of the mailing label for sending the documents to the Questura that bore Ric’s name. I tried to point it out but was waved off. He proceeded with Ric’s packet then could not figure out why he did not have the proper label. Once again I tried to point out the problem but was waved off. He had Ric fill out another label, so now both my packet and Ric’s were labeled with Ric’s name and we feared the numbers would not be right in the system. More discussion. Papers shuffled. Perplexed expression. He opened my sealed application packet and saw the error. Not sure what to do, he simply manually corrected the code number on two documents so they match. The numbers in the computer system and what I have on paper match only because of a hand correction. Not sure that will fly….

Now we have appointments with the Questura for fingerprinting and I suppose some sort of interview, but God knows if this mix-up of coded paperwork at Poste Italiane will plague me. Maybe Ric will get a Permesso and I will be deported.

What I did not mention is that Poste Italiane set appointments for us on a day we would not be in Italy due to our planned trip to Switzerland. We shuddered to think of un-arranging those plans as we had cat sitters scheduled and we’d be forfeiting not only three days of our Swiss trek, but several hundred Euros in changed transportation and canceled lodging.
The first step in getting the appointment changed was to see if we were in the system. I looked every day. Eight days after the Poste Italiane experience, the Polizia di Stato website for stranieri showed Ric in the system. Hooray! But as I expected, the mix-up of coded paperwork made finding myself a problem. The number on the receipt the PI guy gave me was not right, but I was able to deduce it from the error I observed and so was able to find myself as well. I simply wrote a nice email to the Questura stating it would be difficult for us to make our appointments on 25 September, could we come sometime after 4 October? Miracle of miracles, they wrote back within one business day and changed them! Off to Switzerland we went.
Today, we journeyed to the Questura di Roma Divisione Stranieri (foreigners division) for our appointments. This division is located in the eastern part of Rome, near the notorious Tor Sapienza, where there is a refugee center and Rom (i.e., Gypsy) camp. Nice ‘hood. Luckily we took a taxi, both ways, as it would otherwise be two long bus rides and a stretch on the Metro, not to mention a walk through this area known for violence and immigrant problems. The Questura facility itself is behind unfriendly fences and, of course, there were dozens of people of assorted nationalities coming-and-going.
The first problem presented itself when I spoke to a member of the Italian Army who was organizing who should go where before we even got into the building. In addition to the email I had that confirmed our appointments, he wanted to see my original receipts from Poste Italiane. The guy at PI did not give those to us, despite my insistence we needed them. We were given copies with his stamp and initials on them. The soldier did not like this at all, but he let us get in line.
Once past security, we were corralled with everyone else that was there for the 12:30 pm appointments, hoofing it up to 3rd floor (4th American) because the elevator was only for use by pregnant women and the elderly. (Seriously. That’s what it said.) We don’t cotton to being elderly, so we walked up.
A clerk was checking paperwork and handing each person the packet that Poste Italiane had sent in for them. When it came to our turn, we were sent to the secretary on the second floor. It seems she was the one who changed our appointment date. But this woman said no, wait, the third floor has to handle this. She called upstairs then kindly accompanied us, apologizing all the way, telling us not to worry. She also wanted to know which office of the Poste Italiane had messed this up.
Back on the third floor, again more apologies, but no, they did not have our packets. (Yikes!) We were ushered to a very nice and competent immigration clerk who was able to process us. Not only did we have the problem that Poste Italiane had goofed up the code numbers as I suspected, but the packets had been sent to the third floor of the Questura for the original appointments scheduled for September 25th. Seems the agreement to change the appointment date didn’t get lined up with the delivery of the packets. I suspect we were seen as “no shows” on the 25th.
Our helpful and competent immigration official was able to find our application packets in their system, apparently scanned, and she made the appropriate cross-references, correcting the errors of Poste Italiane. There was much consultation among colleagues, and I know we were cutting into their lunch hour as it was now past 13:00, but she recognized the foul-up was theirs (and Poste Italiane’s) so she patiently worked through it and arranged for some people in the fingerprinting office to wait for us before going to lunch. We had brought along all the paper we submitted in San Francisco for our visas, as well as originals of everything submitted with the Permesso applications.  They asked for none of this, much to our surprise. The lease that was a sticking point with the Consulate General in San Francisco was a non-issue after all. I am glad we decided NOT to have it re-written and reregistered, for once saving a few hundred Euros.
What we experienced at the Questura was good teamwork, and in the way of all Italian networks, news of our problem with PI had spread like wildfire and everyone was talking about the error PI had made and trying to make it up to us. No one said, “It’s lunchtime I’m leaving.” We were treated very professionally and with courtesy. On our way out there were many farewells and thank yous all around, from the fingerprint people to the soldiers.
One more step to go: In about 40 days we should be able to pick up our Permesso cards at the commissariato (police station) near our home. Then we get to do it all over again next year to renew.

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Land of giant everything

2 Aug
An embarrassment of riches aptly describes the retail scene in the U.S. What an amazing thing it is to walk into a Safeway store after 3 years’ absence and see aisle-after-aisle of options! Acres of wine, miles of frozen foods, yet a rather humble selection of pasta types. The Safeway was at least five-times the size of our “big” neighborhood grocery store, DOC Parioli, but DOC has five-times the pasta.
The wine aisle in a Safeway store. Una scelta imbarazzante! (A selection so grand it's embarrassing!)

The wine aisle in a Safeway store. Una scelta imbarazzante! (A selection so grand it’s embarrassing!)

Going for coffee at an independent coffee house in Portland, we chuckled over the large cappuccino one patron was nursing. Ric took a picture with her hands and laptop in view for perspective. I was excited to get espresso over ice without the barista cocking an eyebrow and looking down her nose at me. It just isn’t done in Italy. You can have a shakerato or a sweetened caffe’ fredo, but over ice? I had more ice in my single drink than I can even fit in my Roman freezer.
Iced, iced iced! In the foreground my iced espresso, which is a sacrilege in Italy. Ric's "small" iced coffee (rear) was not only huge but undrinkable due to a burned taste.

Iced, iced iced! In the foreground my iced espresso, which is a sacrilege in Italy. Ric’s “small” iced coffee (rear) was not only huge but undrinkable due to a burned taste.

Coffee in the U.S.  is even more expensive than I remember, and it takes a long time to make an espresso. In Roma, from ordering to drinking is the blink of an eye. At Starbucks the other day I waited at least five minutes. What takes so long to pull a shot?
Land of the giant everything, a "bowl" of cappuccino at neighboring table.

Land of the giant everything, a “bowl” of cappuccino at neighboring table.

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Land of many languages

11 Jul
The Val Gardena is home to the Ladin people, an ethnic group of the South Tyrol with their own language, culture, and traditions. Repressed under Fascism, the language and culture is now embraced and celebrated in this small region. The language is spoken by an estimated 84% of the people in our favorite town of Ortisei and is spoken in the home as a means of  keeping the language alive. But as one cannot communicate outside the small Ladin region without other languages, almost everyone speaks German and Italian (education is all in Italian), and many people also speak English fluently, which is helpful with the numbers of non-German and non-Italian tourists.
Embracing this linguistic variety can cause confusion among visitors. We have been here five times now, and the other day got into an argument about the name of the main piazza in Ortisei. I said it’s Piazza San’Antonio and Ric said, “No, it is Piazza San Antone.” How could we not know that? Here’s why:
Sign in the piazza: Italian, German and Ladin names for the same piazza in Ortisei.
Sign in the piazza: Italian, German and Ladin names for the same piazza in Ortisei.
Even the town itself has three distinct names. In Ladin, it means “place of nettles.” Luckily we have not encountered any of the stinging variety.
Does trail #9 lead to 3 places? No. All are names for the same cute town.
Does trail #9 lead to 3 places? No. All are names for the same cute town.
Some place names are vastly different. The other day we were taking a trail we had not intended to hike. We were not really lost, just a bit off course. At a junction where we had to make a decision, we saw a couple descending so I waited to see if they could clarify our choice. First try, in Italian I asked, “Parla Italiano o Inglese.” Blank stare, then the man says, “Deutsch.”  “Do you speak English?” I ask. “A little,” he responded. When I asked where they had come from, he answered with “Langkofelhütte.” Luckily I knew that was the German for Rifugio Vicenza and not our destination, that we should take the other path. How can the same place have such wildly different names?
A final note, many signs at restaurants, etc., are in Italian, German and English to help the majority of travelers. But translations being what they are, sometimes they are amusing. At this rifugio (one of the nicest we have seen) the hills were steep, but what we really needed was some coffee.
IMG_4947

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Where few Americans venture….

13 Jun
From Montese we ventured to Lago di Garda. I have to say I was not impressed, except by our lodging at the fabulous Erika Hotel. And we did have some fine meals, especially at Cirano, affordable, family-run, low key, with excellent wine suggestions. Lago di Como seems better set up for hiking, long ferry trips, and gawking at fabulous estates. Maybe we didn’t give Garda enough of a chance. And there was that issue with a tow truck. I was not driving. We may have to go back just to stay at Erika’s and to ride to Monte Baldo. But on to the Alta Pusteria.
Our balcony looked out over the Val Fiscalina, which runs deep into the mountains. We hiked to the end of the valley.
Our balcony looked out over the Val Fiscalina, which runs deep into the mountains. 
Our Italian friends raved about Sesto and Moso. They go every winter and we decided that this would be a great opportunity to see the area since we were already at Lago di Garda. We left Rick and Jane in Verona to go on a wine tour with some friends, and rented a car to continue on to Moso. The drive was spectacular and luckily the traffic was minimal as it was Sunday. I shudder to think of those narrow roads through the mountains with logging trucks coming and going.
Moso was very quiet on Sunday. We had a bottle of wine gifted to us by Riccardo of Trekking Italy and we had cheese and sausage leftover from our Montese picnic. The very kind landlady gave us some great multi-grain bread, and we found water at the one bar that was open. What more could we need for supper?
The entire apartment is constructed in the traditional style of the Sud Tirol. Here, our nook.
The entire apartment is constructed in the traditional style of the Sud Tirol. Here, our nook.
We stayed at an agriturismo that I found through Red Rooster.  Red Rooster specializes in small family properties in the Alto-Adige. They are family focused and very affordable. Kirschnerhof is right on main street in Moso, but is indeed a working farm, with 11 head of dairy cows. The warm fragrance of the barn wafted over the property in a not-unpleasant manner. The place was spotless and impeccably organized. We had a comfortable and attractive one bedroom apartment that would easily accommodate a family of 4 for a price you won’t find at a Motel 6 in Cook, Nebraska.
We were greeted by a plaque announcing this was °home° for a few days.
We were greeted by a plaque announcing this was °home° for a few days.
In this region English is a distant third to German and Italian. I would call this a region of reluctant Italians. They seem shocked to hear us speak Italian. Menus are in German and Italian, seldom English. One day at lunch the waiter clearly knew we were not local and although we greeted him in Italian and asked for a table, he warned us the menu was only in German and Italian, then never spoke another word of English to us. Frankly an Italian menu is always our preference even in Rome as the English translations are often quite odd and sometimes they leave out items. But I digress….
Tiny Moso, or Moos in German, with dramatic backdrop.
Tiny Moso, or Moos in German, with dramatic backdrop.
Hiking is the thing to do here unless you arrive in winter when skiing is the #1 activity. June is not high season so it was quiet. Half of Kirschnerhof was occupied, meaning two-out-of-four apartments and one room. It seemed every place had a sign saying zimmer frei. Baked goods lean to types more commonly found in Austria or Germany, while pastas dominate restaurant menus along with lots of potato dishes.  As we have found in other parts of the Alto-Adige, menus are a combination of Italian and German cuisines.
We spent three lovely days hiking. Well-marked trails made way-finding easy, something we have come to appreciate both in the Val Gardena and the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland. The ability to hike to a rifugio and find coffee and full-service menus along with clean restrooms is so civilized! Nothing like fresh strudel and espresso for elevensies! Not to mention a nice place to freshen-up, instead of crouching in the woods. Click any image below to enlarge or for a slideshow.
Ric along the path to Fondo Valle.
The broad Val Fiscalina is filled with meadows and woods and made for pleasant hiking.
Rifugio Fondo Valle.
The little stream is unbelievably clear.
This guy ascended with us in the cable car. A few minutes later he made a dramatic descent.
On the way to Monte Elmo, the path leads through Rifugio Gallo Cedrone. Always nice to find good espresso and a toilet along the path.
High above San Candido I needed my fleece jacket while having cappucino on the terrace of the rifugio.
On the trail to Fondo Valle.
Finding your way is easy.
Rifugio Fondo Valle, a nice place to hang out before the return hike.
I think this is a ranunculus. Spring flowers were abundant in the meadows.
I took this picture of a bunny at Fondo Valle especially for our niece, Elizabeth. Ciao E!!
It was cooler by far than Roma. It was in the low 50s, Fahrenheit, in the morning, so hauling along the fleece jackets and SmartWool socks turned out to be a good idea. One day the high in Moso was 21 Celsius/70 Fahrenheit. Roma was 31C/88F, which is not bad for Roma in summer, but it is hot for moving around.
The Montese hike reminded us we really do like hiking sticks, so we bought new ones in Moso, the nicest we’ve ever had. Too bad about the three sets sitting in Roma, but they are a pain-in-the-ass to carry along, so it seems we end up re-buying them on subsequent trips. Once we had a set in Switzerland that when extended properly for hiking refused to collapse for transport home so we left them in the room. The newest ones are more cooperative so I think they will make it onto the packing list for Ortisei in July. Am I digressing again?
On our last hike, downhill from Baranci, we came across the ruins of an old health spa. While the spa heyday was the late 19th and early 20th century, knowledge of the curative waters goes back to the 16th century. I’ll let the pictures do the talking. 
Grand Hotel Wildbad back in the day….
The trail takes on right past the ruins. Ric is in the foreground.
Another view of the ruins. But the water is still there and drinkable!
Obviously in disuse for many years, but a flock of sheep keeps the grasses under control.
Walking down from Baranci we came around a corner to find this tiny church.
Healthful waters… heals what ails you. I drank a bottle from the spring.
We met only German and Italian-speakers here. The common greeting from hikers on the trail is Gruß Gott. After all, we are only 6 km from Austria as the crow flies: Up until WWI, this was Austria. Although Italian is the official language for education, German is the cultural choice in the household and the first words uttered in any business location. Nonetheless, like Montese, it was a good opportunity for me to practice Italian. Is it truly where no Americans go? Probably not really, but for those who want an experience where one does not run into English-speaking tourists at every turn, this is a corner of Italy to try.
We came across this strange box in the woods.
We came across this strange box in the woods.
Upon opening the box we found a clever display about the woodpeckers in the area.
Upon opening the box we found a clever display about the woodpeckers in the area.
Inside was an old woodpecker nest, displayed in cutaway with Plexiglas protecting it.
Inside was an old woodpecker nest, displayed in cutaway with Plexiglas protecting it.
And the original hole bored by the woodpecker led to the display nest.
And the original hole bored by the woodpecker led to the display nest.

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