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Italy on Crutches: Two Months of Crutches and Cobblestones

Italy on Crutches

Five weeks* in Italy (non-climbing)

*on Crutches!

A unique way to explore Italy.

Region: Italy
Type: 
Date(s): November-December 2010
Partner(s): none

Intro: Itinerary, Map, Espresso Goals, etc.

Photos
My photos are arranged into photosets. Scroll down this page to see these photos.

• Photoset 1 - Old-town Pavia **
• Photoset 2 - Cinque Terre **
• Photoset 3 - Lake Como
• Photoset 4 - Certosa di Pavia
• Photoset 5 - Pisa
• Photoset 6 - Lucca (Tuscany)
• Photoset 7 - Milan
• Photoset 8 - Trento - Bolzano - Rittner Horn di Renon
• Photoset 9 - Venice **

(** = personal favorites)

Map
Below is a map showing where I went on my mostly day trip adventures in Italy. 

Crutches
The photos below show me and my crutches in Cinque Terre and Pisa, 9 and 10 weeks after my climbing accident.

Espressos (and Gelatos)
Anywhere along an Italian city street, you are not far from a cafe where you can sit down and enjoy an espresso. Referred to "caffes" in Italian, these bold and flavorful 1 oz shots are a true Italian experience. There really is no such thing as the North American 16-20 oz coffee in Italy, although you can order espressos in a watered down "Americano" form. My favorite form of caffe was a "Caffe Macchiato" which has steamed milk foam on top of the espresso. Coffee in Italy is not cheap, usually 1 euro (~$1.50) for a standard espresso (the most I paid was 3 euros for a couple of sips of caffeine in Milan, and the least I paid was 0.40 euros in a vending machine at school). But my generous coffee-drinking dad offered to fund to my goal of sampling all of the cafes within 10 min crutching distance, and an espresso addict was born.....

Speaking of goals, I've also got a goal of sampling all of the flavors of gelato (Italian ice cream) I come across — nocciola (hazelnut) is definitely my favorite so far.

• Number of espressos, Macchiatos, Americanos, and Cappuccinos consumed: 40 *
(*a grand total of 40oz of espresso - just a normal Venti+refill day at Starbucks, right?...)

• Gelato flavors sampled: nocciola (hazelnut), stracciatella (cookies n' cream), vaniglia (vanilla), cioccolato (chocolate), cocco (coconut), caffe (coffee), fior di soia (soy cream), fragola (strawberry), pistacchio, nutella, yogurt
Given my espresso and gelato intake thus far, it's probably a good thing I'm not much of a wine drinker or pasta or pastry eater....

Itinerary
Below is an itinerary for my five weeks in Italy.


• Nov 14 (Sun) - Fly from Seattle to Milan, and take a taxi to Pavia, where I would stay at the CAR College across town from the ROSE School.

• Nov 15 - Touring old-town Pavia (Photoset 1).
• Nov 16 - Touring old-town Pavia (Photoset 1).
• Nov 17 - Exploring the colorful villages of Cinque Terre (Photoset 2).
• Nov 18 - Rainy day photo processing and espresso drinking.
• Nov 19 - Day trip to a tourist-free Lake Como (Photoset 3).
• Nov 20 (Sat) - A no-photography-allowed morning at Certosa di Pavia (Photoset 4).
• Nov 21 (Sun) - Church service at the cathedral, supermarket adventure, and exploring some old and beautiful churches and basilicas (Photoset 1).

• Nov 22 - Class starts and I begin my tasks of teacher assisting.
• Nov 23 - Teacher assisting.
• Nov 24 - Teacher assisting. And some night photos of the streets of Pavia (Photoset 1).
• Nov 25 - Teacher assisting. No Thanksgiving here.
• Nov 26 - Climbing the 296 leaning stairs of the Tower of Pisa (no class on Fridays!). I then took a train to Lucca and stayed the night there (Photoset 5).
• Nov 27 (Sat) - A day in the walled Tuscan town of Lucca (Photoset 6).
• Nov 28 (Sun) - Rainy day photo processing.

• Nov 29 - Sunny day grading and fielding homework questions. And some night photos of the Christmas lights in Pavia (Photoset 1).
• Nov 30 - Teacher assisting.
• Dec 1 - Teacher assisting. And discovering that crutches don't work too safely on snow.
• Dec 2 - Teacher assisting.
• Dec 3 - A museum, cathedral, and pigeons in the heat of Milan (Photoset 7).
• Dec 4 (Sat) - Castles, markets, and cable cars in Trento (Photoset 8).
• Dec 5 (Sun) - Dolomite views from a Bolzano to Rittner Horn di Renon cable car and mountain train (Photoset 8).

• Dec 6 - Photo processing, fielding homework questions, and carrying 50lb of groceries across a few kilometers of slushy cobblestones.
• Dec 7 - Teacher assisting.
• Dec 8 - Teacher assisting. And some night photos of Christmas festivities in Pavia (Photoset 1).
• Dec 9 - Teacher assisting.
• Dec 10 - Exploring the canals and doing night photography in Venice (Photoset 9).
• Dec 11 (Sat) - Markets and glass-blowing factories of Venice (Photoset 9).
• Dec 12 (Sun) - Photo processing and fielding homework questions.

• Dec 13 - Teacher assisting.
• Dec 14 - Teacher assisting.
• Dec 15 - Teacher assisting. Any my first cappuccino (Photoset 1).
• Dec 16 - Final exam and real Italian pizza party (Photoset 1).
• Dec 17 - Fly back to Seattle (leave Italy on Dec 17 and arrive in Seattle 26 hours later but still on Dec 17 due to time change). I was definitely not ready to leave Italy!

Photos

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A little about Pavia:

Pavia is a university town in northern Italy, about 35 km south of Milan. It has a population of around 71,000. Dating back to pre-Roman times, Pavia (then known as Ticinum) was a municipality and an important military site under the Roman Empire. Pavia reached its greatness over 1300 years ago when it became the capital of much of the Italian peninsula.

Pavia possesses a vast amount of artistic and historical cultural treasures. I found myself enchanted by the basilicas and churches, and the timeless aura of their grand architecture, glowing candles, shadowed crypts, ornate carvings, colorful mosaics, and magical murals. I visited all of them I could find on the map; my particular favorites were the Basilica San Michele, Basilica San Teodore, Chiesa di Santa Maria Canepanova, and Basilica S. Pietro in Ciel d'Oro, which were all within 5-15 minutes walk of where I stayed.

For five weeks I stayed at the CAR College in old town Pavia. The College is surrounded by cobblestone streets, delicious bakeries and cafes, and beautiful old churches. Very few of the shop owners speak English. It was a great place to get acquainted with Italian life, architecture, and coffee. Just watch out for wet cobblestones and fast Fiats!

Photos (nighttime shots):


Photos (basilicas and churches):

Photos (Enjoying the caffe and gelato):

Photos (miscellaneous):

A little about Cinque Terre:

The Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera, due south of Milan. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea.  "The Five Lands" comprises five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The population of each of these villages is between 1000-2000 residents. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside. Part of the Cinque Terre National Park, the area is a very popular tourist destination.

I left Pavia in the morning darkness, and three hours on the train brought me to Riomaggiore. I explored the marina and photographed the colorful buildings, and then I hiked the 1km paved Via Dell'Amore connecting the towns of Riomaggiore and Manarola. I then hopped onto the train to Vernazza, where I explored the main street and the Church of Santa Margherita d'Antiochia and bought some souvenirs. Then back on the train to Manarola for a sandwich, gelato, sunset, and night photography. The colors and shapes of the village became even more spectacular at night, and I was glad I had decided to stay despite the fact it meant I might miss the last bus from the train station and have to crutch a ways back to my apartment (fortunately, I caught the last bus with 1 minute to spare).

With a whole day of steep streets, uneven stairs, and crawling in and out of trains, Cinque Terre was quite the crutching challenge. But I always love a good workout, and it was worth every bit to experience this amazing and unique place.

Photos from Riomaggiore:

Photos from Vernazza:

Photos from Manarola:

A little about Lake Como:

Lago di Como, referred to as Lake Como by English-speakers, is widely regarded as being one of the most beautiful lakes in Italy. It is the third largest lake in Italy. The lake has been a popular retreat for aristocrats and wealthy people since Roman times, and a very popular tourist attraction, which boasts many artistic and cultural gems.

My one-day adventure to Lake Como started with taking a train to the quaint town of Varenna on the east shore of the Lake. From Varenna, I took a 15-minute ferry ride to Bellagio, which is a lush town that sits on the point where the lake's western and eastern arms split and head south. I enjoyed exploring the tight streets of Bellagio, which contain many small shops, restaurants, and hotels; many of these shops were closed since it was the off-season, but Bellagio is doubtless a bustling place in the summer season, when the gardens are in full bloom. I decided to take a scenic way home via a 12 euro fast passenger boat along the western arm of the lake all the way to the city of Como; a boat is difficult for photography, so I just enjoyed gazing at the passing colorful villages practically perched on the water at the bases of incredibly steep slopes. In Como I was entertained by the Italian menu of the local McDonalds and entranced by the the architecture of the cathedral, which was built from the 14th to the 18th centuries and contains elements of baroque, Gothic, Romanesque, and Renaissance styles crowned with a high octagonal dome.

My return to Pavia should have been a simple train ride via Milan. But I ended up missing my transfer stop because my crutches got stuck, and then a series of language misunderstandings led to finding myself way off route and very confused. Defaulting to my North American ways, I jumped into a taxi cab and 60 euro (~$90) later was in Pavia. I'll add the $90 to my growing tally of my accident-related expenses thus far....

Photos from Bellagio:

Photos from Como:


A little about the Certosa di Pavia:

One of the most notable buildings produced during the Italian Renaissance was Pavia's splendid Certosa, a Carthusian monastery 10km north of Pavia. Founded by Gian Galeazzo Visconti of Milan in 1396 as a private chapel for the Visconti family and a home for 12 monks, the Certosa soon became one of northern Italy's most lavish buildings. The interior—which has a main nave as well as Central, South, and North Apses and chapels, all which are decorated with colorful paintings and soaring ceilings—is Gothic, although some Renaissance decoration is evident. The Certosa di Pavia also includes a monk house, a big cloister, a refectory, and a small cloister.

To get to the Certosa di Pavia involved a 7 minute train ride from Pavia (I could also have taken a bus but I was already familiar with the train by now). Then it was a 1km walk to the Certosa. I was disappointed to see a sign restricting photography, but I still relished in the spectacular architecture, ornate artwork, and historical richness of the Certosa. I did take one discrete photo of the ceiling in an empty chapel, but most of my other photos were outside the Certosa. Although unintentional, the photos I took are in stark contrast to the grandeur and extravagance of the interior of the Certosa.

Photos:



A little about Pisa:

Once, if briefly, a maritime power to rival Genoa or Venice, Pisa now draws its fame from an architectural project gone terribly wrong: its Leaning Tower (Torre Pendente). The lean was caused by differential settlement of the soils beneath the Tower. By the late 20th century, the tower had reached a point where it threatened to tip over, so in 1998 soil extraction techniques were successfully employed to stop the slippage. The tower continues to be monitored by devices installed throughout the tower. The world-famous tower is only one of a trio of Romanesque splendors — the Cathedral, the Baptistry, and the Tower — on the green carpet of the Campo dei Miracoli. The piazza teams with tourists and cheap gift shops that will sell you a menagerie of leaning objects or plastic models of the leaning tower, and prices are high (15 euros to climb the tower, 4 euros to enter the Baptistry or Cemetery), but it's definitely worth the experience.

"There's no lift [elevator], you know," said the guy in the ticket office when I asked for a ticket to climb the Leaning Tower. The 296 leaning marble stairs were a bit challenging on crutches, but it was worth it for the view from the top looking down on the city of Pisa and the Campo dei Miracoli.

After climbing the tower, I took the required photo of my crutch propping up the tower. I also checked out the Cathedral and Cemetery. Then it was back to the train station to catch a train to the walled city of Lucca and find a hostel to stay in for the night. (I had actually planned on going to Lucca and not going to Pisa at all (I'm afraid of tourist crowds), but I had missed the connection to Lucca when i could not get to the departure track fast enough, and I decided to get on a train to Pisa rather than wait until afternoon for the next train to Lucca. It worked out well, as I enjoyed Pisa, and was able to get to Lucca that night and tour Lucca the next day. The night at the hostel in Lucca cost less than taking the train back to Pavia. Scroll below to Photoset 6 for photos of Lucca.)

I've given some of my favorite photos below.

Photos:

A little about Lucca:

Hidden behind imposing Renaissance walls, Lucca — according to my guidebook — is an essential stopover on any Tuscan tour. Now with a population of about 90,000, Lucca was founded by the Etruscans and became a Roman colony in 180 BC and a self-governing city during the 12th century. There are lots of things to see and do in Lucca, and the town is popular among tourists. The Cathedral and Chiesa di San Michele in Ford have wonderful Romanesque architecture and artwork. Climbing to the top of the Torre delle Ore (clocktower) or Torre Guinigi gives a sweeping view of the city. There's also a path atop the whole circumference of the town wall. And the Plazzas and Vias in the medieval heart of the old city — where cars are banned — are a fascinating mix of buildings of great charm and antiquity, smart boutiques, and bakeries, pizza shops, gelaterias, and cafes.

I arrived in Lucca at night, and was greeted by a chocolate fair in Plazza Napoleone — I was drawn to the vats of hot chocolate, which was actually just thick and rich melted chocolate of all varieties. As I walked through town searching for a budget hostel to stay in, I couldn't resist taking a few photos of brightly-lit churches or piazzas. I finally found Ostello San Frediano, a reasonably-priced hostel in an old schoolhouse. The next day, I did all the standard tourist stuff named above, including browsing and spending way too much money at the Saturday outdoor market booths. Lucca is a great place to get all your Christmas shopping done!

I found the overcast skies and shaded streets difficult for photography, but I've given some of my favorite photos below.

Photos:

A little about Milan:

When I had arrived in Italy, I flew into Milan, which is 35 km north of where I stayed in Pavia. Milan is the capital of the region of Lombardy, and has the largest metropolitan area in Italy. The city is a shoppers paradise, but it also has a host of museums, historical buildings, statues, and a famous cathedral ("Duomo" in Italian). The first glimpse of this late-Gothic wonder is memorable, with its marble forest of pinnacles, statues, pillars, and flying buttresses. Some 132 spires and 3200 statues are crammed onto the roof and into the facade and the central spire is capped by a copper statue of the Madonnina. Inside, the cathedral boasts a seating capacity of 40,000 and the 15th-century stained glass windows are masterpieces of color and detail.

Having not seen more than the airport in Milan, I was glad to get a free day to see the city. My main destination was the cathedral, but I also went to the Museo d'Arte e Scienza, which is a small museum with some interesting exhibitions of Leonardo da Vinci's works and authenticity of antiques. The highlight of my day was being handed some corn kernels in Piazza Duomo and being instantly covered in pigeons.

I didn't get many good photos, but I included a few below.

Photos:

A little about the Dolomites, Trento, and Bolzano:

The Dolomites are a mountain range in the Italian Alps stretching across northern Italy. The Dolomites offer spectacular scenery as well as world-class climbing, mountaineering, skiing, Via Ferrate, and hiking opportunities. Naturally, during my time in Italy I wanted to check out the Dolomites, if only from a distance. The calm capital city of Trento (population about 110,000 and capital of the Trentino-Alto Adige region) and the German-speaking town of Bolzano (population around 100,000) just to the north provided the most reasonable viewing base reachable by train from where I was staying in Pavia. Getting there and back was part of the adventure; over the course of 36 hours, I took 2 buses, 9 different trains, and 3 cable cars rides!

When I arrived in Trento, I was a bit disappointed that the mountains were so far off and unphotographable. So I spent the day touring the Castello del Buonconsiglio, the cathedral, and the cheery outdoor Christmas markets and roasted chestnut stands. I also rode a 5-minute cable car (the Funivia Trento-Sardagna) to the small town of Sardagna, which had a treacherous covering of snow but gave a great view of the populated Trento region below. A kabob, a youth hostel, and an early morning train ride later, and I was taking another cable car (the Funivia del Renon) 1000m up the Rittner Horn di Renon just north and east of Bolzano. When I reached the top of the cable car ride, I made the fortunate choice to hop on a small mountain train to the quaint German-speaking town of Klobenstein, located some 20-25 km around the hillsides of the Rittner Horn di Renon. The train took me through a winter wonderland of tiny homesteads and snowy forests, with the frozen Dolomites peaking over the horizon. Now that I've seen the mountains of northern Italy, if only from a distance, I know I will someday be back to climb some of them.

At times, the icy sidewalks caused my photography to suffer, but I still managed to take several photos. Below are some of my photos from my trip to snowy northern Italy.

Photos from the Trento area:



Photos from the Bolzano to Rittner Horn di Renon area:




A little about Venice:

Venice would be the grand finale of my non-academic adventures in Italy. Once a great maritime republic and now a world famous tourist city, Venice is built on 117 small islands and has some 150 canals and 409 bridges. Around 60,000 people live in the historic city of Venice. The main means of transport through the town is via the canals, on boats called vaporettos. Largely at sea level, Venice has for centuries dealt with problematic flooding and erosion. Now, with the gradually increasing sea level due to global warming (and to some extent the compaction of the soft alluvium and groundwater withdrawal), the romantic city is in danger of being swallowed by the sea. The MOSE project was started in 2003 with the intent to install rows of mobile gates that will isolate the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea when the tide reaches above an established level. If funding continues to arrive regularly, the work is expected to be completed in 2012. Until then, tourists can enjoy the raised walkways that are put up in areas like St. Mark's Square when the city floods.

Venice has a myriad of things to see and do. I had some TA duties to attend to, so as usual I tried to fit a week's worth of highlights into one weekend. I started off with a vaporetto ride weaving through the city along the S-shaped Grand Canal; the water and buildings were beautiful on the sunny December day. I disembarked at St. Mark's Square, where I enjoyed the 10th century Romanesque-Byzantine splendor of St. Mark's Basilica and associated museum, rode an expensive elevator up the Campanile (Bell Tower) to get a priceless birds-eye-view of the canalled city and the square below, and tried to count which there were more of in the square: pigeons or tourists. Then I headed north to the Rialto, which is the location of the city's first bridge and has historically been one of the liveliest and most characteristic areas of Venice. After my standard lunch of espresso/tomato-lettuce-mozzarella sandwich/gelato, I immersed myself in a maze of enchanting streets criss-crossed with canals and dotted with churches and utterly free of tourists. There are also no motorized vehicles on the streets, which is a unique experience in itself. I found the hostel I would be staying in (which was part of an old mansion in the heart of the maze), and then headed back out to enjoy Venice at night. I've decided Venice is one of my favorite places to explore at night. I stopped at nearly every bridge to take a photo of the mysterious narrow canals shimmering with the lights from the buildings above. I also took some colorful nighttime photos in St. Mark's Square and the bridge at Rialto.

The next day I woke up early to walk over to morning markets just west of Rialto; these lively markets have been a part of this location since 1097, and I was happy to find few tourists in the bustling scene. The variety of the seafood was utterly astounding. After photographing thousands of dead fish and sharing my fresh apple core with one of Venice's 87 million pigeons, I hopped onto a vaporetto to Murano, which is an island famous for it's glass blowing. The factories and shops are filled with colorful and fascinating glass creations. I went on souvenir overload, and didn't buy anything. Then it was back to the train station and a 3.5-hour train ride back to Pavia, where the students eagerly awaited me with questions about the upcoming final exam.

Some of my favorite photos from Venice are below. What a great way to conclude my time in Italy!

Photos:



Previous and Next Adventures

Vesper Peak (N Face, Accident/Rescue), WA
San Juan Islands Kayak Trip, WA