Delphi

Delphi was the home of the famous Oracle of ancient Greece.



People used to come here from far distances to ask questions of the Oracle, who would often respond cryptically.



Current day visitors also come from distant lands, although I'm not sure they were there to hear prophecies.



The setting is stunning -- perched on a mountainside with a glorious view of the valley below.

Why go to Greece in January?

Because no one else is there, and you get all the beautiful archaeological sites to yourselves! We just got back from a trip there, and it seems all the other tourists stayed home. It was great, if cold. In fact, it was colder there than in Rome. The temperature was probably about the same (in the 40s Farenheit), but it was windier in Greece. We also encountered some snow in a couple of high-altitude spots.

The food was great, but alas, the coffee was ... um ... not so great. (I guess I've just become used to the taste of Italian coffee, and the choice of Nescafe / chewy Greek coffee / weak cappuccino just doesn't cut it.) A pleasant surprise was the ubiquity of pastry shops. Greeks apparently love pastry, cookies and baked snacks, and there are good bakeries everywhere. We quite enjoyed the not-too-sweet but rich in flavor cookies. The fresh, warm-from-the-oven spanakopita (spinach pie) was also a treat.

Pictures of spots around our driving tour of the Peloponnese coming soon.

Buona Befana

Did you get gifts or coal in your stocking today? In Italy, January 6 is the day when La Befana, a witchy-looking old woman on a broomstick, delivers presents to good children and coal to bad ones. Babbo Natale, or Santa Claus as we call him, has only been around since recent years, according to my Italian workmates. Back in their childhoods, gifts were not received on Dec. 25, but rather on Jan. 6, Epiphany.

Apparently the cashiers in the cafeteria at work celebrate Epiphany by giving out little chocolates with one's change. I like this.

Bagpiping mystery solved

Thanks to Italian Notebook, the bagpiping mystery has been solved. Apparently the players were Zampognari.

As they say in Italy at this time of year, "Tanti auguri" to all 3 of our readers.

Bagpipe "music"

Last night after work, I was peacefully doing yoga at home when all of a sudden, I heard this horrible cacophony. I went to the window to see what it could be. It turned out to be two people with bagpipes standing right outside my apartment building. Is this the equivalent of Christmas caroling here? I don't know. No one was gathering around to enjoy the concert.

Anyway, although these people were technically playing the bagpipes, I wouldn't call them musicians. In fact, it was as if two people who had never seen or heard bagpipes before had picked them up on the street and randomly started poking at them and blowing into them. There was no discernable melody or harmony, and they were not in unison. It was just loud noise. What was that about?

Eventually they went away. (Actually, they were there for a mercifully short amount of time.) Maybe people tipped them to stop playing.

Fashion consciousness starts early

Today, on my way home from work, I saw a mother pushing her approximately 18- to 24-month old daughter in a stroller. The little girl had a pacifier in her mouth. She was also wearing fashionable and beautiful knee-high leather boots.

Italian women begin their fashion consciousness training early in life, I guess.

Montepulciano, Tuscany

Want to see a great view? Head to the Tuscan hill town of Montepulciano.



You may have heard of Montepulciano's famous wines. The grapes are grown in the vineyards around the area. Maybe that's one in the view below.



The town is made up of neighborhoods called contrade, each of which is represented by its own flag.



You know when you've crossed into a different contrada when you notice the change in flags.



The contrade compete each year in a bizarre uphill wine barrel-rolling contest called the Bravìo delle Botti. Afterwards there is a procession in 13th-century dress. We weren't there on race day, though. We enjoyed the sight of the flags anyway.