Messina Italy

              

The setting of Willaim Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing was maybe my favorite place, second only to Venice but they are completely different and can nto be compared. The Cruise listed Mt Etna as the sight to see here but that was a ways away and after running ourselves ragged for the past few days we decided to take things easy and rome the port city.

I started the day with a trip to the spa and enjoyed a hot stone massage which is with out a doubt THE best way to start the day! The ship did not get to port until 11am so we got to sleep in before my appointment then grabbed lunch on the ship before heading out for the afternoon.

The port is known for the clock tower in the middle of the square that puts on quite a show at noon. Due to our late arrival and lazy morning we didn’t make it in time to see the clock strike 12 but that was where we headed once off the ship. We headed toward a large tower only to get there and find it was a different church, not the clock tower we were looking for but lovely none the less. There we saw a wedding party taking their pictures, while a thurday wedding seemed strange but it was fun to see. The bride was beautiful. 

                                  

 

We then headed to another large Cathedral with a bell tower. As we walked up to the church pre school was letting out so there were parents and kids every where. The main reason I loved Messina so much was the ability to take in and see people living every day life. The view from the street was unreal and then we climed the stairs up to the entrance of the church and the view just got better! We stayed there for a while just taking in the beauty of it all.  I cant put into words the smell, the view, the sounds, the breeze. . but  let me tell you it was the most peaceful place.

                              

 

We headed back down the mountain again in search of the clock tower. The city was built into a hill/mountain so every thing was built up. We wandered through side streets that were like steps. The houses reminded me of my Grandmother. Potted plants were every where and laundry swayed in the wind while dishes clanked. As we walked we saw and heard LIFE.

 We decided that we needed to experience authentic espresso and Italian pasterys so we window shopped for the best place. We finlly found a place crawling with locals, the tell tale sign that the palce is legit and good! We went in and ordered our espresso and I got a tart while Ryan ordered a cannoli which we didn’t see anywere but knew they had to have. Next thing we knew the waiter went to the back and came out with the most beautiful cannoli ever. I am convinced he filled it just for us, so fresh and oh so good! We took a seat outside and enjoyed our mid day snack.

We made one last attempt to find the Clock tower and were successful! It was right next to another Cathedral  and had a surrounding square that had a garden and fountain. Well worth the search.

 

We walked along the water front for a while hoping to find some sort of beach as the water was so clear and blue. We found one last fountian along the way.

Sadly we were unable to find one so we went back to the ship to settle and rest, looking forward to the following day at Sea. We knew we needed to save up our energy for VENICE! That night we had our last formal dinner and had a monkey waiting for us at bed time!

Hot Chicken Casserole

2 1/2 Cup cooked chicken, cubed
1 Cup diced celery
1 Tbs lemon Juice
1 Tsp Salt
2 Tbs minced onion
3/4 Cup mayonase
1 Cup cooked rice  (3 Cups)
1 Tsp Chicken Seasoning
1 Can water chestnuts, sliced
1 Can cream of chicken soup

Combine all ingreadents spoon into 2 quart casserole dish, Top with 1 cup oleo, 1 Cup crushed corn flakes, 1/2 cup sliced almonds crumble on top of casserole.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes

I took a few short cuts, #1 I used uncle Ben's rice in a bag because I had my chicken cooking whent to grab the rice from the pantry only to find I was out. I made a quick run to Publix and grabed the rice - 10 minutes was what sold me.

I also used onion salt instead of fresh onion and used crunchy nut cereal since thats what I had and I didn't want to buy corn flakes that were buy one huge box get a huge box free when I only needed one cup.

I dont have a traditional casserole dish so I used two pie plates. Worked out perfectly. Steamed some veggies and dinner was a served.

Roma!

Rome was another location with a list of “Must See”.  It was also another place that was quite a ways away from the port, Civitavicchia to be exact. (and let me tell you one you learn how to pronounce it its quite fun to say!) In order to alleviate any stress I signed us up for the shuttle to take us into Rome first thing in the morning.  We woke at the crack of dawn got on a bus to take us to the train station and took a 45 minute ride into ROMA!  There was one guide for 2 groups and she ran herself raged going from car to car to give as much info as possible.  We had only paid for the ride but she offered a few additional tours once in Rome and people jumped on those like white on rice! Poor girl was a little over whelmed I think.  We were talked into going with her into the Vatican Museum because she told us the lines were quite long and with her we could skip them.

 

We made it to the Vatican about 10am and we were to meet our guide at the Museum at 11. We spent the first hour walking around the Vatican and they were setting up for mass and everyone was waiting for the POPE to come and get things started. We were really hoping things would get under way so we could see the Mass but unfortunately we waited and waited and waited and then just as the music started and the pope appeared on giant screens its was edging closer and closer to 11.  We were able to see the pope make is grand entrance and see his Pope mobile. It was so cool. We didn’t see the mass as we made our way to the museum but it was an awesome experience. 

Once we got to the entrance of the museum there was NO LINE! We were a little mad that we pre paid extra to skip lines that didn’t exist but I honestly think there was no line due to the fact that mass was currently taking place.  Once inside we ran and I mean RAN to find the Sistine Chapel. That was really the only thing we really HAD to see so we were on a mission. I admit we saw a lot of cool things along the way but the Chapel was by far the most breath taking of all.  I find It amazing that it has been around so long and that the colors are vivid and the painting so grand and detailed. No pictures were allowed and I hope I can keep the memories as vivid as the painting!

Rome is actually quite large and the sights pretty spread out. We took our guides advice and grabbed a taxi to the Colosseum after the Vatican. We had until 4pm and tons to see so we were off and running.  Once at the Coolosseum we wandered around there for a while and took tons of pictures. It’s amazing to me that the Colosseum is the tourist sight and there are so many more unknown ruins all it. I love that life goes in around the ancient ruins. It is such a mix of old and new. They blend so well its unbelievable.

Next stop was the Fontana de Trevi, which was of course beautiful! You see the fountain in movies and it looks so serene and lovely but let me tell you there were so many people everywhere! Thankful we found a seat right in fount of the fountain and made our wishes. We also swapped photographer roles with our neighbors so we got some good pictures as well. The water was so blue and the details of the design so intricate. It is defiantly a dream come true and lived up to the hype!

 

We then headed to the Pantheon. I admit I didn’t have very much previous knowledge of this monument but it was a must see on the Husbands list and well worth the stop. Its apparently the largest free standing dome or something of that nature. I suggest you look it up because the building itself was jaw dropping and that’s without prior knowledge of its history.

Some where among the many sights we stopped for a quick lunch. Everyone says that pizza is american and not Italian but let me tell you it is everywhere! whether it is because Italians lke it or because they know tourists want it, no matter why they make it they have perfected it. Their pizza provided me with a new favorite topping, zucchini and let me tell you i love it!

 

Last stop was Piazza di Spagna which was also over run by tourist but a lovely sight none the less. There was a great fountain at the bottom of the stairs and the stairs themselves are at a dead end, and the street leading up to is filled with high end shops, think Gucci and the likes! Very cool!

 

We did Rome in a day but there is definably enough there to do and see if the trip were longer. I’d love to go back and research the history of all the places and go into places like the colosseum and St Peter’s Basilica which was the one place I wanted to see but didn’t get to as it was closed for half of the day and we ran out of time.

We also squeezed in some gelato because. . . well . . .lets be honest who needs a reason?

 

Another lovely day was followed by a lovely sunset and a lovely dinner and a bat . . .