Day 13 - Walk to Eat

I've been walking pretty steady for the last 6 or 7 years. One to three miles most nights after dinner and longer walks on the weekend. Plus lots of miles while on vacation. 

I've read articles and blog posts where people have reported losing weight once they started a walking program. Ummmm....that wouldn't be me. 

Now in my defense I haven't gained a pound but I haven't lost many either. I seem to have a perfect balance of calories going in equaling energy going out. I guess that's a good thing because my goodness I do love to eat! 

On our last trip to Italy we did a lot of walking and a lot of eating! I'm sharing just a few of my favorite dishes from what is my favorite country. 

Manzoni Cafe in Milan

This is where I learned to love pasta without the heavy tomato sauce. This was ravioli stuffed with spinach and cheese lightly dressed with olive oil and chopped tomatoes.

Mozzarella cheese (made fresh) served with assorted steamed veggies.

Cafe Le Grazie 

After viewing Milan's most famous mural, Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, we were ready for some breakfast. Cafe Le Grazie is right across the street from the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie where the mural is painted on the wall. We just had to stop in the small cafe and indulge in a cappuccino and a freshly bake croissant that was filled with apricot marmalade. 

Cafe Montanucci

In the beautiful hill town of Orvieto we stopped in this little cafe because they offered free we-fi. I was delighted to see they also offered rice balls one item that was on my must eat list. Balls of rice stuffed with cheese, breaded and deep fried. Oh so good. 

We ate pizza at too many places to name! Each one different and delicious. 

and of course Gelato.

How many flavors can you get on one cone? 

At least three!

The European answer to fast food...

The Doner Kebab!

Thin slices of meat piled into pita bread topped with creamy yogurt sauce usually served with fries. You can find Doner Kabab shops in almost every town. Good, cheap food.

Add to this list wine, beer, Limoncello and more bakeries than we could ever visit...

All that eating means we definitely have to do a lot of walking!

                                               Delizioso!




For the month of October I'm going to be writing everyday mostly about walking. I hope I might encourage someone to get outside and take a walk!

A-Z Guidebook - Levanto, Italy on the Ligurian Sea

One of the places on our must see and do list was the Cinque Terre on the Ligurian Sea. But you know the old 'no room in the inn' thing. The hotels in the villages of the Cinque Terre were either closed for the season (that's what happens when you visit in November) OR they were way out of our budget. So we checked out the town of Levanto. Just a stones throw from Monterossa, the first village on the Cinque Terre. And guess what? We fell in love with this quaint little town.

Levanto is just north of the Monterossa and right on the Ligurian Sea. It has a beautiful, sandy beach and a lovely downtown area which boost a fishing tackle store, a bakery, several cafes and small hotels. Easy access by train to the Cinque Terre and friendly locals were the icing on the cake so to speak.

We stayed in an apartment in the Lyrica Hotel right on the town square. High ceilings, marble floors and staircases, tall French windows. I loved our hotel! In the evenings we could hear the children playing in the park and the people walking by the sea for a stroll after dinner.

Levanto is such a lovely, intimate little town  we're contemplating an extended stay in the future.

Check out other L places by visiting 

Lost Dog Found - An Adventure in Italy

One of my favorite memories of our trip to Italy was the day we found the little black Scotty looking dog.

We were in Rovereto, Italy at the southern edge of the Alps and we were looking for Geocaches. Our quest to find a geocache brought us to a park that was right beside an animal rescue place.

Arcadia Associazione Relazione Uomo- Animale Onlus

We parked and walked up the hill to a picnic area.So the clue to finding the geocache was 'under a rock'. Really? There must have a million rocks around. We didn't find the geo but I did spy a little black dog running around.

Riserva naturale provinciale - Laghetti di Marco

There were several people from the rescue place out looking for him and we stopped and talked to them on the way back to our car pointing out that we'd seen the dog further up the trail. They thanked us and we hopped in our car and got back on the road.

And what do we see on the main road? This silly little dog darting across the busy traffic almost getting hit by a big truck. John pulled off the road and I got out and coaxed him over to the car. It took him a few seconds but he finally jumped in the back seat and sat right by me. He looked so happy like he was finally home!

We drove back to the animal rescue and one of the guys came out and got him. That little doggie did not want to get out of the car! After a little pulling and tugging we finally persuaded him to  hop out.

This was the last view we had of him. He was looking back like he couldn't believe we weren't taking him home with us. Oh my gosh, I almost cried having to leave him there...

John said, "Thank God we're in Italy" because if we'd had been closer to home he knew I would have taken that little guy home with me. Yes I would have!

Above the Clouds in San Marino - One of the Smallest Countries in Europe

This is an excerpt from my journal as we were traveling from the Cortona area in Tuscany to San Marino:

Leaving our lovely airbnb run by Anna Marie and Aldo we took a crazy drive up and down 2 or 3 big mountains on our way to San Marino. Beautiful landscape, huge stone mountains and lush velvety hills. Cows grazing, tiny villages, stone houses, row after row of freshly turned soil, bare grapevines, and twisty, hair pin turns. We stopped on the side of the road and ate egg salad sandwiches. Only a few cars passed by. Nice and quiet countryside...

This is just one of the many old stone buildings we past on our drive.  Surrounded by vineyards or freshly plowed soil many of the building were vacant.

San Marino

On our loop through Italy we found ourselves too close to San Marino to pass up a visit. How could we miss a visit to one of the smallest countries in Europe? You can even stop in the post office and for 5 euros they'll stamp your passport a rarity for those who covet such things.

The tiny country of San Marino is completely landlocked within Italy. This 24 square mile country sits high above the clouds in the rugged Appennines Mountains,  For spectacular views take the cable car up to Mt. Titano the highest point in San Marino.

Cable car through the clouds.

It was an eerie experience riding the cable car up through the clouds. We couldn't see anything out the windows except white misty clouds. At least I couldn't see the ground. A plus for someone afraid of heights!

Terror in the cable car!

 Well not really but it did make for an interesting ride.

It  was such a strange sensation looking out over the sea of clouds below the city. Like we were in some mystical city above the clouds.

We arrived late in the day so the town was pretty deserted. It made for a peaceful, unhurried walk but we did miss out on seeing the cross bowman and the flag exhibition.  Also most of the stores and restaurants were closed.

Main square with the Liberty statute and the Palace of the People.

Getting Lost is Half the Fun!

Don't be fooled into thinking that you can't get lost in San Marino. I mean how can you get lost in a country that's only 24 square miles? It's easy as we found out. Has to do with the fact that San Marino is 24 square miles of up and down and round and round mountains!

Fortunately we came across a bus driver who spoke a little English and he helped us find the way to our hotel. (As you can see it involved a lot of hand signals!) "Do not get off the main road!" was his very precise command!

The sun had set by the time we took the cable car back down the mountain. As you can see it was a lovely evening with the moon rising over the clouds.

It was a wonderful visit above the clouds in San Marino.

San Biagio Church - Montepulciano, Italy

Built from locally quarried travertine San Biagio Church sits at the base of  the medieval hill town of Montepulciano. We could see the church from the wall of the town and we just knew we'd have to make our way down the hill to check it out. 

The church is even more impressive close up. Built around 1500 the church was designed by Antonio da Sangallo the Elder. A nice solid building.

The dome of San Biagio served as the inspiration for the dome of St. Peter's at the Vatican.

The front of the church is actually pretty plain with one lone tower. There was supposed to be a matching tower but it was never built. Even so it is a beautiful, impressive church surrounded by a lush green lawn perfect for a picnic or a little nap.

Check out more churches being shared at 

Tips and Tricks for Walking the Cinque Terre - Monterossa to Vernazza

The Cinque Terre (CHINK-weh-Tay-reh) in Italy is a series of five small fishing villages connected by cliff side trails and a railroad line. Walking the trails of this UNESCO World Heritage site offers spectacular high up views of the Ligurian Sea and the jeweled  colored villages below.

The village of Vernazza 

Before heading out be aware of the fact the trails can be haphazardly closed at any given time. Too wet or slippery, a rock slide or trail maintenance is often the cause of these closures. When we were there in November there was only one trail open and that was between Monterossa and Vernazza. All five villages could be visited by train but only these two were accessible by the trail We didn't know this until the morning we bought our tickets at the Levanto train station, To be safe check the website before making plans. 

To check for trail closing click here to visit Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre. You'll find an interactive map showing all the trails in the park system.

You'll Need a Ticket 

We bought our ticket at the train station in Levanto where they have a special window just for the Cinque Terre. Apparently the price can vary depending on what's going on but the day we visited we paid 12 euro for each person to walk the trail with unlimited use of the train. The very nice English speaking agent made it clear that we had to write our full name on the ticket or take a chance on getting fined. We did as we were told but we never saw anyone who looked remotely interested in whether or not we even had a ticket!

A Most Challenging Trail!

I would describe the trail from Monterossa to Vernazz a as very challenging. When you leave Montersossa you'll have to climb a series of stone staircases. Lots of stairs. Not just a few stairs but LOTS OF STAIRS and they go straight UP! At one point the stairs seemed to have no end. All I could think of was the song "Stairway to Heaven". 

Fortunately the stairs ended and we were on a fairly flat trail. (OK sort of flat)

Parts of the trail were very narrow.

We came across a small waterfall and creek and a stone bridge.

Steady climb up on an uneven, rocky trail.

In some places the trail went up and then back down. 

It's time for a snack!

And more uneven, rocky trail...

The trail is quite difficult but if you're in reasonable good health it should be doable. I'm in good health and walk a lot but I'm certainly no athlete and I made it!  Just take your time climbing and enjoy the views, the vineyards, flowers, cactus and the cats. Lots of variety on this trail! 

Looking back on Monterossa

Huge, beautiful cactus growing on the rocky cliffs.

and can you believe it? 

A cat sanctuary on the trail. Complete with houses and food and water! 

We even found a geocache in a small cave on the trail.

And Just in Case

Signs like this are posted at intervals on the trail in case of emergency. Of course you need a cell phone...

WC, toilet, bathroom? Whatever you call it you won't find one on the trail...

The Reward for Our Efforts

Our first view of Vernazza!

Now we just have to get down there...

The trail down into Vernazza didn't have as many stairs as there were coming up from Monterossa. It took us about 2 hours to walk the trail. That included a few stops for photos, to have a snack and to find a couple of geocaches. 

If you're ever in the area don't pass up a chance to walk this trail. The climb is something else but the reward is so worth it. Just to be able to say "I did it!" is a pretty good reward. 

What to Bring

• I wore hiking boots but a good walking shoe would be fine.
• Carry water 
• A little snack might be nice
• Sunscreen and a hat - especially in the summer
• Camera to record all the wonderful sights
• A hiking stick is nice but not necessary

Unknown Wall Painting of the Crucifixion in Lucca, Italy

While on vacation in Italy we made what was to be a quick stop in Lucca.

Lucca is in the Tuscany region not far from Pisa and famous for the well preserved Renaissance wall that surrounds the city. The wall is broad and perfect for walking or biking and at a distance of 2 miles makes for a leisurely walk. The idea was to walk the wall, hop back in the car and make the drive to our Airbnb that was to be our home during our stay in Tuscany.

You know what they say about the best laid plans. Hunger drove us down into the town in search of lunch. We ended up walking just about every street in this beautiful town.

Have you ever snapped a photo of something and later on wish you'd taken the time to get more information? Or a better photo? That happened with me while in Lucca.

As usual I was trailing behind my travel companions as we walked down an alley. Suddenly a rusty iron fence caught my eye and I stopped to take a photo. It was in front of what I thought was just an arched doorway. I was delighted to see the fence was some what protecting a wall painting.

See the small white rectangle on the wall below the painting? It say 'Eleosine' which translates as alms. There is a small slot for depositing coins. Could this have been a convent or a monastery and the money used to help the needy?

A beautiful rendition of Christ on the cross. How long before it completely disappears? Anyone familiar with Lucca or this wall painting? I would love to know more about this painting before it's gone.

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