The Seven Churches of Santo Stefano

August 14, 2017 by Joanne Bartram in Bologna, Cooking, Churches Italy, Travel, Walking

Church of the Crucifix, Basilica of Santo Stefano, Bologna.

I'm drawn to churches in Italy. There is something peaceful and spiritual about them. The coolness, the quiet, the dim light, the candles - all invoke a sense of calm and of one's place in the greater universe. I've probably lit 1,000 candles in churches big and small all across Italy - a nod to my Catholic upbringing - somehow those small flames seem to guide hopes and prayers on their way.

And then there is the art. I love the fading frescoes, the sculptures, the biblical stories told in paintings, the carved crucifixes, the Madonnas. And while I don't consider myself particularly religious, I find all of these tremendously meaningful.

Museum, Santo Stefano, Bologna

Fresco, Santo Stefano, Bologna

Chapel, Santo Stefano, Bologna

Intricate brickwork in the Pilate's Courtyard, between two of the churches in the Santo Stefano complex.

Perhaps the most amazing church I've visited in Italy isn't a single church at all but rather the Sette Chiese (Seven Churches) of the Basilica of Santo Stefano in Bologna. Parts of this series of interconnected chapels date to the 5th century and were likely built on the site of a fresh water spring and over a former temple to the Goddess Isis. Originally seven churches, changes throughout the centuries have resulted in the current four churches: Church of the Crucifix (the largest in the complex), Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Church of Saints Vitale & Agricola (local martyrs), and Church of the Trinity (or Martyrium).

Along with the four churches there are smaller chapels, the Pilate's courtyard with its intricate brickwork, a cloister with a central well and arcaded second story logia, and a small museum/gift shop.

Cloister Courtyard, Santo Stefano, Bologna

The whole series of churches is fascinating and each one is unique, but it was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (the oldest part of the complex) that most intrigued me. It is a dark space, small and round yet quite tall with rising columns, arched windows high up in the cylindrical walls, and a domed brick ceiling. In the center is a carved stone structure that is part tomb (intended for the now absent Saint Petronio), part altar, part spiral staircase, all topped with a simple crucifix. There are beautiful stone carvings and a small opening into the tomb space itself (I actually watched a tourist climb into the tomb opening but I decided not to follow!). This space is mystical and somewhat eerie - the air just feels different in here, filled with a presence that is not quite visible. Perhaps it is the distant echos of those early worshipers.

The Basilica of Santo Stefano is about a 10-minute walk from Piazza Maggiore and sits on a lovely triangular piazza at the end of Via Santo Stefano. It offers a unique experience, different from some of the more famous churches in Italy which get considerably more visitors. Its a worthwhile stop on any visit to Bologna. -post by JB

Escaping the Summer Heat in Coastal Oregon

August 07, 2017 by Joanne Bartram in Travel, US Travel, food

As much as I love Italy, I avoid visiting in summer when it’s hot, humid, and crowded. Even though the grapes and lemons are ripening, the days are long, and the Mediterranean is sunny and inviting, I skip Italy in June, July, and August.

But there is something about summer that calls out for travel and so, with temperatures at home in New Mexico topping 100 degrees for a week straight, I needed a summer vacation spot. Somewhere with cool temperatures, reasonable prices, and not too far from home. Somewhere like the northwestern United States, specifically the northern coast of Oregon, along the Pacific Ocean.

The coast here is rocky, foggy, wild, and wind-swept. The temperatures are cool and the air often damp and misty. But then the mist clears, the sun comes out, the sand warms, and the beaches become playgrounds perfect for walking, kite flying, sand castle building, and playing at water’s edge. The water remains cold, but the kids and dogs don't seem to notice as they run into the waves. At night, people build fires on the beach – and what's better than sipping wine by the fire while listening to the waves break on the beach?.

Here are some highlights from the four days in late June that I spent exploring the northern Oregon coast.

Seaside is a classic family beach town. It has beautiful scenery, long stretches of beach, a 1.5-mile walking path (the “prom”) along the beach, and an arcade-like atmosphere that kids love. There is also a river, perfect for paddle boats and crabbing. The local specialties are fish and chips (with fresh salmon and tuna) and anything made with crab. There are plenty of hotels and condos and also cute cottages to rent at reasonably good prices. Seaside is a great central location for exploring the coast and it's where I chose to stay during my visit.

Trail to the beach through the dunes

Carousel, Seaside

River view, Seaside

Gearhart (a few minutes north of Seaside) was my favorite spot on the northern coast. It’s a small village with charming homes, beautiful beaches (you can drive right to the water's edge at Sunset Beach), a seaside links golf course, a quaint downtown, and not one traffic light. It's also home to, in my estimation, the best bakery on the Oregon coast – the Pacific Way Bakery. I love the character of small, locally owned places like this. The setting is quirky and inviting; the owners friendly. It's a popular place with a steady stream of happy customers. The fresh baked goods – savory vegetable tarts, breads, croissants, coffeecakes, pastries - all look delicious. I would have loved to try them all, but settled on a marionberry scone. Not too sweet, packed with berries, and delicious! Good coffee too. I’d travel all day just for those scones!

Fort Clatsop, deep in the woods outside of Astoria, is a Lewis and Clark expedition campsite. There is an interesting small museum, a true-to-history re-creation of their log cabin campsite, demonstrations about life at the fort, and beautiful walking paths along the river where Lewis and Clark launched their canoes. This is a must for history buffs. A detour to nearby Astoria is worthwhile to see the huge ships enter the mouth of the Columbia River from the Pacific.

Canon Beach, about eight miles south of Seaside, has beautiful scenery, including dramatic Haystack Rock. There are long stretches of white sand beach, great shopping, fine dining, and, as a splurge, lodging at the exquisite Stephanie Inn. Cannon Beach is more upscale (and more expensive) than neighboring Seaside but it's full of art galleries and has a more "adult" vibe.

I couldn’t pass up a stop in the only town on the northern Oregon Coast with an Italian name – the little fishing village of Garibaldi. I was hoping for an interesting history here - Italian settlers, fisherman from Napoli, a tortured love story about an Italian count .... but, as it turns out, the name came from the first postmaster - who wasn't even Italian! The story is that the Italian Giuseppe Garibaldi was a personal hero of the postmaster and so the postmaster named the town Garibaldi. The most Italian thing I found in this work-a-day village were two lone cannoli in the local bakery.

Cape Meares is about an hour south of Seaside and just a few minutes from the tiny village of Oceanside. The cape offers dramatic coastal views, wildlife viewing areas, hiking paths, and an old lighthouse. Up the winding lighthouse steps is the lantern that protected ships along this stretch of coast for many years (now decommissioned). The brief tour gave interesting historical and mechanical perspective about the lighthouse.

Cape Meares Lighthouse

View from Cape Meares

Climbing the lighthouse steps

Roseanna’s Café in Oceanside is a perfect spot for lunch after visiting Cape Meares. The best tables are by the window and have spectacular and often stormy views. The service is friendly and the clam chowder unique for the addition of dill. The marionberry cobbler is served warm a la mode or with a dollop of whipped cream. The cobbler alone makes it worth the drive.

Roseanna's Cafe, Oceanside

A table with a view at Roseanna's

oops - dug in before taking a photo

The northern Oregon coast is a unique part of the United States, a bit of a hidden gem, and well worth a summer visit. Don't forget to try the marionberries! -post by JMB

I Portici di Bologna

July 10, 2017 by Joanne Bartram in Bologna, Italy, Travel, Italy travel

Portico - the word is the same in Italian and English; portici is the Italian plural. The dictionary definition, "a porch or walkway with a roof supported by columns" (thefreedictionary.com), does not begin to describe the grandeur of Bologna's portico-lined walkways.

Bologna's earliest porticos date to the 11th century (with modifications and additions in later centuries) and are found throughout the historic center of town. They are as practical as they are beautiful. Originally, they allowed for additional living space to be built on upper floors, an important housing consideration in a town with a large student population. This was accomplished by extending living space above the areas used by the people passing underneath, creating both living space and covered walkways. The ceilings of the porticos are quite high - legend has it that they are a standard height, designed to accommodate a man on horseback.

The porticos open to the streets through a series of arches.

Some of the earliest porticos were made of wooden beams and coverings, later banned and mostly removed. Today the porticos have brick or stone columns, arched openings, vaulted ceilings, and stone or marble pavements. As an additional practicality, the porticos offer protection from both rain and direct sun, making the streets of Bologna perhaps the most pleasant place to stroll in all of Europe.

This length of portico has beautiful columns and ceilings as well as marble flooring.

There are 38 kilometers (nearly 24 miles) of porticos in the historic center of Bologna, beneath which are a variety of shops, markets, cafes, and restaurants.

A pretty flower market under the portico.

The charming cafe Gamerini sits under a pretty stretch of portico along Via Ugo Bassi and Via S. Gervasio

A morning coffee or an afternoon tea at a cafe sotto il portico (beneath the portico) is a real treat!

Outside of the historic center is perhaps the most remarkable of all the porticos - the world's longest covered walkway, which leads to the Santuario di San Luca. This four-kilometer (roughly 2.5 miles) uphill portico has a total of 666 arches. It begins with a gentle rise from the Porta Saragozza and becomes progressively steeper as it climbs the hill toward the church. A massive and costly undertaking when it was built (late 1600s - mid 1700s), the arches were funded privately, many by families who built small shrines or chapels along the walkway (most now destroyed, only a few remain). Completing this walk really is a pilgrimage - and beautiful views and a lovely church await at the top (it's also possible to drive to the Santuario or take a tourist bus).

The all uphill portico leading to the Santuario di San Luca, Bologna.

The Santuario end of the portal is un'ascesa ripida (a steep climb)!

Bologna is a beautiful city, full of architectural, cultural, historic, and artistic interest. It's also a very walkable city - made all the more pleasant when strolling underneath i portici di Bologna.

-post by JMB

When You Can't Go for a Walk in Lucca .....

June 29, 2017 by Joanne Bartram in US Travel, Travel

The view from one of my favorite places to walk - on the wall in Lucca, Italy.

There is much to love about everyday life in a small town in Italy. One of the things I appreciate is the chance to have a car-free lifestyle. I enjoy walking to accomplish daily tasks, like grocery shopping. Walking is also a way to enjoy the beautiful vistas, charming streets, interesting architecture, shops, and gardens. As an added bonus I even find that I get enough walking in while I’m in Italy to balance out the added calories that come with my increased consumption of pasta, bread, and wine. One of my goals in Lucca this past spring was to increase how much I walk every day – to get at least 10,000 steps. I’m happy to say that I was able to do this, in large part because the wall surrounding Lucca provides the perfect 2.5-mile walking path. When walking on the wall there are people to watch, friends to meet, children playing, and wonderful views of houses, gardens, terraces, churches and the distant mountains. Walking in Lucca never feels like an exercise chore – it's a pleasure.

But something happens when I'm not in Lucca. At home in New Mexico I bemoan the lack of charming and nearby places to walk. Somehow the treadmill at the gym just doesn’t compare. Even the parks seem inadequate. And having to drive somewhere just to walk seems so, well, not Italian. Inevitably I fall short of my goals.

Determined to find a new and interesting place to walk near home, I recently discovered the joys of walking along the acequias of Albuquerque’s north valley.

Acequia is a Spanish word for an irrigation ditch. These ditches carry water past gates that control the flow of water (a precious resource here in the arid southwestern United States). The acequia gates are not just useful - they are also fascinating. Some are wooden, some metal, all are controlled with simple wheels and levers. The old designs still work well. Landowners with water rights can divert water from the acequia onto their fields. The rights to use this water are highly prized. Don’t forget this is the west and they don’t take kindly to water rustlers!

An old acequia gate

A control wheel for an acequia gate

Now, on first thought an irrigation ditch may not sound charming but picture this – a winding path shaded by century-old cottonwood trees along small canals filled with gently flowing water. The path curves and meanders past horse pastures, barns, and adobe walls brimming with vines.

There are also traditional New Mexico-style homes, open fields, and interesting sights around every bend.

The rustling sound in the bushes along the path are fat summer lizards scooting around. There is also the sound of birds, including the loud cry of the peacocks that live in a large pen along one section of the path. How beautiful to see them fan out their tails. The path is not crowded, but there are hikers, dog walkers, and even the occasional biker passing by.

This is definitely not the wall surrounding Lucca that I love so much, and getting to the acequia does involve a 20-minute drive. And yet, it gives me some of the same feeling that I love in Italy – beautiful views, a feeling of community with other walkers, and fascinating sights and sounds. -post by JB

An Antiques Market in Tuscany

June 26, 2017 by Joanne Bartram in Travel, Italy, Lucca

Market days are part of the culture in cities and small towns throughout Tuscany. The general markets, featuring a variety of foods and household goods, travel from town to town visiting each on a rotating schedule. There are also arts and crafts markets filled with work by local artisans (read more about this type of market in the post Sunday in Lucca) and specialty markets associated with holidays, including the famous Christmas markets.

My favorite of all the specialty markets is the Mercato Antiquario (Antiques Market), which comes to Lucca once a month on the weekend that includes the third Sunday. This market is huge, with more than 250 bancarelle (booths), which seem to spill from one pretty square to the next in and around the Piazze San Martino, San Giovanni, and San Giusto. Wandering the markets is a treat that combines the beauty of the squares, the sounds of spoken Italian, an amazing variety of antiques and collectibles, and ample opportunities to stop for a mid-morning cappuccino, people watch, and to soak in all the activity.

Wouldn't these pieces look great in my (imaginary) apartment?

The mercato in Lucca is especially known for its beautiful furniture, ranging from rustic to elegant and polished. I wander these booths, mentally furnishing my Lucca apartment. As I wander, I pick out kitchen tables and china cabinets, bookshelves and reading chairs, and the perfect outdoor furniture for my imaginary terrace.

My apartment also needs dishware, lighting fixtures, art, and decorative items, all of which are found in abundance at this market. Sadly, my apartment is just imaginary and I can't buy any of these wonderful finds. But it's still fun to pick out the treasures I would like to have.

There are also booths selling interesting collectibles, everything from antique lock and key sets, to medical instruments, silverware, war memorabilia, vintage cameras, glassware, and linens. It's tempting to take some of these smaller items home with me, but there is simply no room in my suitcase. So I must leave these lovely things behind and plan to "shop" again on my next trip. -post by JB