Benozzo Apartment
We’ve moved apartments. We were very disappointed when we booked this trip to learn that the Mimi apartment was not available after April 1. We were told that the Benozzo apartment was very nice, but it did not have a view or a terrace. It did have windows facing the contessa’s renaisance rose garden and it was bigger. We whined to our neighbors that we didn’t want to move because we did not get to enjoy the terrace during rainy cold March and we expected April to be warmer terrace weather. We even whined to the contessa’s daughter. That got us an extra 10 days because, we were told, the trip of the people who booked the apartment was delayed. Imagine our surprise in seeing our new apartment and realilzing that we liked it better!
There is a lovely hall that leads into the apartment. There is a small desk area and the master bedroom, the master bath and a guest bedroom are off of that little area. The master bedroom is a nice size with a very comfortable bed and a big window that looks out onto the garden. The bath is not ensuite but that is not a problem. There is a guest bathroom at the begining of the apartment, at the front door. Not a problem for us, maybe for our guests. The small guest bedroom is next to the master. Both bedrooms have wood beamed ceilings and both have big windows looking out onto the garden. There is a second hallway that leads directly to the kitchen.
The kitchen is big enough and has a great window that allows me to spy on my neighbors while I fix dinner. I am fascinated (Arnie says obsessed) by our neighbors across from and below us who have an enclosed patio that leads to their garden. They have a glass dinning room table in the room and every night they set half of the table with a table cloth. He usually sets the dishes. They eat at around 8:30 while watching the TV in the corner. After dinner they each have a piece of fruit from the bowl that is permanently on the table. He helps to clear the table but then comes back into the room and watches TV as I assume she does the dishes. They appear to be in their 80’s. It seems that the universe is out of balance on the rare occasions that they do not follow this pattern. I am very relieved to see them again the next night. The woman in the apartment above them does amazing gymnastics to hang her laundry on the clothes line that is beyond a jungle of plants on her tiny balcony. Her life would seem so much easier if she removed most of the jungle to get easy access to the clothes line. I imagine that she prefers to look at the plants and willingly accepts her laundry challenges. I also watch for the lights on the 4th floor kitchen across from us. A young woman lives there and she is usually in the kitchen at the time when we are turning off our lights to go to bed. The people above her cram their guests into their kitchen for Sunday and holiday lunches. We also follow the progress of the childern in the day care center next to us. Thankfully, one chid has adjusted and stopped crying for the hours that he is there. I find watching (spying on?) the lives of our neighbors fascinating and wonder what they say about us. I imagine them saying, “What could that woman possibly be doing pulling on those rubber tubes?” (That is my exercise equiptment) Or, “My God, they are eating early again.” (We eat around 8:15, after I call Dad.) Or worse, “That woman is standing at her window looking at us again!” Well, back to the apartment.
The combination living and dinning room is off of the hallway that leads to the kitchen. A second guest bedroom is off of that room. The living room is huge with a very comfortable couch. (Our last apartment had only a love seat.) There are 4 additional chairs and a fireplace. We have 2 huge windows that face the garden. I usually stand there and watch the flowers grow while I drink my morning tea. There are 4 tortoises in the garden and the contessa’s 2 dogs totally ignore them. The garden attracts lots a birds. It is so peaceful to listen to the birds and just stare at the flowers. The irises and roses are in bloom now.
The second guest bedroom off of the living room is very charming. It has walls and ceilings that I just can’t describe. My friend Janet described it best as “Wedgewood.”
The windows in this room have the same view as the kitchen. It is a bit overdone, but Janet stayed here and she seemed very comfortable.
Back to the living room. We estimate the ceiling hieght to be 15 feet. The one feature that makes this apartment so unique is the ceiling.
It is fabulous to lay on the couch (Arnie) or sit in the comfy chair (me) and just stare at the cieling. It is only rivaled by standing at the window and watching the garden.
Like the sleeping dogs, we are very content here and have asked to book it for next year.
Link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/user/alaguar1
Link to the still pictures: ">http://flickr.com/gp/susanarnietravel/F4834P
On this day we lined up first for pasta (we were #49 and they were on #20). We bought a Tuscan specialty, Picci pasta. I like to eat that with the wild boar sauces or the duck sauces. So, are you just so jealous that I can talk about purchased wild boar sauce like I was talking about buying tuna fish? We also bought spinach gnudi (like gnocchi but made with ricotta not potato); and ravioli filled with ricotta and walnut. This is not a “fast-food” experience. The people are having elaborate conversations with the clerks about portion size and how to cook their pasta. I understand very little of what is said but I still find it entertaining. When it is my turn I just tell them that I want pasta for 2 people and they always give me the correct portion. One of the pasta women remembered us from last year and when she waits on us she is very patient and shows me the amount of time to cook the pasta by holding up the corresponding number of fingers. She also gives us the receipt at the same time that she tells us the price. She must see the look of complete concentration on my face as I interpret sette e venti, 7.20. This pasta is incredible. The picci is a thick spaghetti that has a real bite to it when it is cooked. The ravioli could make you cry. The next stop is the bread people, we were # 02 and they were on #80. You tell them how many people the bread is for and they cut you a hunk of the appropriate size. We are always tempted by the other treats and this day we bought a slice of apple strudel that tasted as good as it looked. They have a deep fat fryer at the bread stand. They fry bread balls, then sprinkle them with sugar and they fry polenta squares then sprinkle those with salt. We often buy the fried polenta for a snack on the way home. It is all of a 20 minute walk and we don't want to starve on the way home! Last is our deli/butcher. He still feeds us as soon as we arrive. It is usually a slice of bread with the Italian soft cream cheese spread on top. From him we buy our mortadella, prociutto, pecorino cheese and sheep milk ricotta. Every now and then he tells me that his sister made something; sometimes pasta, sometimes cheese. Then we have to buy whatever it is and we are never disappointed. He always tells me how beautiful I am and tells Arnie how lucky he is to be my husband. Now, I know he says the same thing to the 80 year old grandmothers but I don't care. After we leave him we take a look at the vegetables and buy whatever strikes our fancy. This day it was fresh peas. They had Fava beans but we weren’t in the mood to deal with them. When we went to the same vegetable vendor a week later she threw spring garlic and parsley in the bag of peas for free, I guess the second purchase makes one worthy. All of those goodies make up 3 dinners and a couple of lunches. Throw in the lettuce and pear that we buy every day from the guy around the corner from the Palazzo and we are good to go. 
On our way home from the market we stopped into a shop that sells wine in bulk. You bring your bottle and they fill it up from a spigot then cork it. They sold us a few empty wine bottles since we were not prepared to do this. La signora doesn’t speak English but that didn’t stop her from explaining everything to us in Italian and we got the drift of how things worked. Then she took my camera and gave it to Arnie and brought me to the spigot to have my picture taken filling a bottle. The wine was not bad for 3 euro. It beat out our favorite $3.99 Trader Joe’s Nero d’Avola. She is now Arnie’s BFF (Best Friend Forever). Arnie has been back every few days.
