Two Ways to Travel

July 14th, 2016

I find there are two ways I travel….

One way,

I just fall into a place

~

 and sometimes that falling is deep.

Which sometimes leads me to the second way I travel

– which is to find out about the place until I am satisfied I know enough

Take for instance

~ Paris~

I fell deep

&

I still don’t know her enough

even after my many visits

she is multifaceted and I think it will take a lifetime

…which I am willing to do

bien sûr

or, say

…3 months

of going in and out of museums, and up and down streets, into shops, sitting in parks

until it’s time to leave,

ok, yeah maybe that will do it

…let me try is my deep desire

Always dreaming

of Paris

~…

But, back to this adventure~

On my first visit to Montalcino in 2013

I went by feel

In that short time I felt this place-

A real

like- at-first-sight

feeling

A place where the past was still present;

a present which I did not get to fully unwrap on that first visit.

Which is probably why Montalcino

always stayed in the recess of my mind as someplace to go back to.

And as luck would have it,

it was the first stop on the Dare to Dream tour.

When we set foot back in the town from our walk

 there was no doubt,

I was headed straight to Café Fashetteria

for my first

walk- done

celebratory drink

~

~

Café Fashetteria, is on Piazzo del Popolo

-the social center of town-

across from a wonderful pharmacy

where in  talking to the Signora

I learned that the pharmacy has been in her husband’s family for years

…since 1905

Farmacia Salvioni is old world beautiful,

with one room of the pharmacy  devoted to lotins and potions,

which,

truly unbelievable to me,

 I resisted

&

 instead  bought a

soft as butter purple paisley leather bag

to put them in

***

That first time at Café Flashetteria

I sat outside in the morning sun under the open umbrellas.

This time

finds me inside

***

…

 

sitting on their red velvet banquette

at a yellow marble table

Living in the moment and feeling this day,

I am thrilled to be surrounded by the

Italian Art Nouveau charm of this Café,

thrilled at the 1^st walk I just  experienced

 &

thrilled to be back here

where I am enveloped in the

turn of the century style that was Italy

…

~

Sitting under the Venetian glass chandelier which lights up the room,

 I see the curve of the chairs,

the glass case with gold trim which holds the apple pie that has my name on it

~

Sitting taking it all in

~I am in bliss~

 

I spy the dark wood shelves which hold the bottles of vino

lining the wall above the large shinny espresso machine

all pleasing to my eye

and  I know,

no matter which I choose,

 wine or caffeine…

~

~

it will hit the spot

This place is charming

~ it’s no wonder it is still here~

 

After this second visit, I needed to know more

~

Café Flashetteria

 was founded in 1888 by the inventor of

Brunello Wine di Montalcino,

Signore Ferruccio Biondi Santi-

Which leads me to wonder,

how does one invent a wine?

–another story for another day

 

In that Italian winemaking tradition, 

his vineyard and his café have passed on to his son

and luckily for us continues on in the family today

~

Totally satiated after our celebratory snack

&

 our walk

we leave to wander back to the hotel

only to run smack into

another century 

~a celebration of the thrush~

 

stay tuned…