Prison Break - or - It's a Small World!

Prison Break - or - It’s a Small World!

16, September
Annie has made reservations for us at Da Bado, per Francesco the best tripe in all of Italy. We walk about 10 minutes outside the walls of the city and enjoy a perfect lunch. Tripe, radicchio rissoto, and Volterran vegetable soup. Amazing service provided by Paolo, our former mafia hitman now waiter…more on that later. After lunch we toured the Palazzo Vitti. We discovered a painting by G. Martinelli, which Mom is sure must be a relative. It was interesting that since the family still lives in the palace there would be pictures from the late 1800 right along side the wedding pictures from the 80s (1980s that is!!). After Vitti’s place we caught up with Annie for a one-hour tour of Volterra. Only one other tourist showed up so the tour was informal and fun. We learn that the state prison here is an experimental prison where life-term prisoners are trained as actors for a touring stage production, chefs for the monthly “Eat at the Prison” events (these quickly sell out not only for the quality of food, the guest celebrity chefs which instruct the prisoners and the fact that this is the only opportunity available to view the Fortress which is a historical wonder. Jim whispers to me that he thinks the other guest might be American…turns out that Bobby, is from California and his fiancée lives in Stockton! Go figure. We end the tour at the wine bar…where all tours should end…talking and laughing and visiting with Annie and Francesco.


17, September
We have done our research and determined that we should leave earlier so that we can have a better chance at actually making all the transfers for the four separate trains we need to catch today. We see Bobby at the bus, he is heading to Siena. We catch the first bus without a problem and arrive at Volterra-Saline, gather all of our luggage and join 200 elementary children to wait for the train to Cecina. Jim had helped an older lady get her luggage off the bus earlier and in return she now informs him…no train, bus. We quickly verify that indeed the train isn’t coming and we pile on the bus, along with the 200 children. We were all happy to see Cecina! And even happier to learn the children were not catching the train to Pisa! We navigate the various lifts and track changes and train connections and arrive in Vernazza…along with the rain. Certainly don’t remember all these boats being in the piazza last time we were here…did someone say storm! We buzz Martina and each retire to our rooms to dry ourselves and our luggage. After the rain let up and we headed out to dinner, we found Valeria’s shop (Bernie). Mom says that a young woman was knitting in there earlier…Debi spots her and yell “Bernie?” She gives her a very odd look…must not be Bernie!

18, September

It’s drier this morning. We mill around the main street and Debi returns to the knit shop and this time connects with Valeria. There are introductions all around and her friend arrives and exclaims in Italian “that is the woman that yelled at me yesterday…she was with a very tall angry man” (Jim..angry??). Much laughing and hugging. We are off to Monterrossa to check out the town and see if the anchovy festival is today. We do a little shopping, a little sea glass collection and then try to find something to eat, and of course some gelato. Here comes the rain again! Sometime during the night, the storm knocks out the power and emergency lights flash on in everyone’s rooms. Quite a surprise in the dead of night!