home

italy (2)

To view the pictures without reading the email click this arrow

 

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Monday, September 17, 2001 12:03 AM

Subject: Ante was I ere I saw Etna

Final greetings from Sicily

 

We are now in Palermo having spent the week travelling amazingly long distances (for us) to see all sorts of things.  At last report we were about to see how Mt Etna was going, with great plans to go up the cable car etc etc.  Etna had a different idea.  What some places will go to just to stop our plans!

 

Three weeks ago Mt Etna erupted with a very large flow that took out the cable car, its poles and its docking station.  The lava was still hot in and around the souvenir shops and the restaurant had pictures of the latest eruption, showing just how close the lava flow and fires had come to the little old car parking area.  Not to be defeated, the four wheel drive buses churned up a very roughly cut road, through the recent lava flow and away from the cable car. 

 

We stopped at a point about 2500m above ground level and then used "shanks pony" for the final assault.  You are warned to wear strong footwear and warm clothing and we were very grateful for both.  Walking on lava is like walking on sharp crockery.  It sounds like broken plates under your feet and if you need to steady yourself on the way up or down, the lava takes chunks out of your hands!  My left thumb is still sore.

 

We walked up as far as we were safely allowed to go and, along with the other brave souls, collected a piece (or many pieces in some cases) of the lava to  bring home.  The lava rocks were still white hot in places and those with tissues in their pockets were happily burning them to prove just how hot the rocks were.  They (the tissues, not the people) rapidly burst into flame and the movie cameras rolled.

 

Coming down the lava slope was a separate experience altogether.  We were "lucky!" enough to be in the front seat with the driver.  Unfortunately, the driver was far more interested in selling crystal rocks to the people in the bus than he was in driving - well, that is the way it seemed to us when the bus was sort of on its nose going down the slope.  We made it back to car park level safely though and the only other thing that nearly put an end to us was a rock slide that stopped just short of the road as we passed by.  I don't believe it was orchestrated for each of the buses going up and down - the hole that remained from the slide was rather large!  (Stayed in Camping Etna, about 17km from the tourist site - good clean facilities, showers not included - 1,000lira, swimming pool, bar, snacks, shady, pleasant, not much English spoken.)

 

Feeling that we had really accomplished something (and still puffing from the effort) we set of for Siracusa, a gracious old town on the south east coast.  (Camping Agritourist Rinaura - CL type camp, showers 1,000 lira, park where you like in an old olive orchard, several stray dogs.)  We were told that there was a bus into town and that is what we did the next day.  Siracusa is a gracious old town (decaying gracefully - AG), with a lovely Piazza Duomo, but probably not worth the side trip to it.  It did, however, provide us with a great Sicilian meal - great antipasti, buffet style, which would almost have done as a main meal.  We then each had veal (one wine and one mushroom sauce) with a Siracusian salad - the usual onion, tomato, cucumber, oil and vinegar but with large chunks of preserved lemon in it - terrific.  A bottle of the best local red wine was a delightful surprise, being big and rich.

 

Because we had come so far down the coast and the next place we wanted to go was about in the middle of the island, we went further south, along the coast, to a place called Marina di Ragusa.  It was merely a stopping place but it is a very pleasant beach resort.  (Camping Baia del Sole - reasonable facilities, showers included, 3m height limit on main gate - go to reception first and they open the other gate for you, easy walk into the town which is mainly restaurants and souvenir shops.)

 

From Marina di Ragusa we drove to Piazza Armerina (not a good town for campervans) in order to get to the Villa Casale, a huge Roman villa built 3-4th C AD.  The remaining mosaic floors in this gigantic villa defy description.  So much remains of the tiled floors Shere that there is no need to use the imagination to see how wonderful it would have been to live in this house.  In the 13thC this villa was covered in a huge mudslide and lay for over 700 years unknown.  When finally, in 1955, money was made available for a complete excavation, the extent of the villa was rediscovered.  One mosaic floor is 60m long and depicts wild animals (lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, hippos, wild pigs) all being shipped to Sicily by Maximilian Heritas, the owner of the villa.  Another room shows the snake footed giants dying, having been shot by Hercules, with poisoned arrows.  The villa had its own baths with a tepidarium, a frigidarium etc etc etc.  The frescoes are also still visible, though not as good as many we have seen.  The mosaics alone are worth a trip to Sicily.  The "Bikini Girls" is the floor in another room.  Here 10 girls, dressed in what we, today, would call bikinis, are working out with weights, discus and are seen doing long distance running and playing various ball games etc.  The floor is almost completely entire, although a little faded.

 

We were saddened to read, however, that in 1995 vandals broke into the villa and poured paint all over the Bikini Girls and over the floors of many other rooms.  1991 also almost saw the place lost forever because of another mud slide (this one caused be deforestation - still, in 1991!!!)

 

There is nowhere for a camper to stay in Piazza Armerina and so, after visiting the villa, we headed for Agrigento.  We took the old road and were treated to some wonderfully austere scenery with rugged mountains and burning off of the wheat stubble.  The road has been badly neglected because of the new road and has huge potholes etc but we bumped along it, almost entirely on our own and eventually drove down into the Valley of the Temples - the main reason for going to Agrigento.

 

This morning we spent some time in the Valley of the Temples but have realised that we are actually "templed" out.  The Temple of Concord is in amazingly good repair, given that it is made from tufta (limestone) which is so very soft.  There were buses and buses of tourists there (at 8.30am) and we decided that we couldn't really be bothered with seeing the smaller temples.  The view from the Temple of Concord, out across the sea was great.  (Stayed in Camping Neptuna - San Leone - terraced site on the beach, showers not included, san facs a bit smelly, water not really drinkable.)

 

Now we are sitting in the campsite Degli Ulivi about 11km from Palermo and tomorrow another whole adventure begins again.  (Camp staff very helpful with written info on getting to city, other trips, maps etc.  Basic but reasonable facilities.  Local village about 300m.  Approach road has cars parked on each side of the road, makes it difficult - luckily for us the driver of a car causing us an impasse was just hanging over a fence talking to a friend so was able to move his car - less than graciously I might add!)

 

Palermo is the main city of Sicily and we shall be going in and also to Monreale (a tourist must) in the next few days and then we will be getting yet another ferry - this time to Naples.  So, until next time in old Napoli

 

Ciao

Deb & Arnold

 

 

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2001 11:51 PM

Subject: Come back to Sorrento

Dear All

 

No, not Naples as we thought, but Sorrento.  It is really very lovely and the weather is still being kind to us.  We had an uneventful crossing (overnight but not able to camp on board but had an OK cabin ) from Palermo to Naples, arriving in Naples about 7am. 

 

Backtracking to our time in Palermo it is a very gracious but decaying city.  The traffic problems are even worse than in Athens, or so they seemed to us.  Many of the places we wanted to see were either closed or boarded up, either undergoing repair, or not.  The fountain that we most wanted to see was also covered in scaffolding and was definitely being repaired.  The many palaces in which wealthy families once lived are now crumbled down ruins in which many poor are living but it takes very little imagination to know how lovely Palermo must have been in its hey day.  (Seems to be true of too many European cities these days.)

 

The 12thC mosaics in the Palatine Chapel and the church at Monreale were better than we thought they could be.  Some of them are so fine that you would swear that you were looking at a painting, rather than tiny pieces of glass.  Whilst we were at the church in Monreale, the police presence steadily grew until, after about an hour, the main square was swarming with armed police everywhere.  Through the narrow streets a screeching siren of a police car sounded.  People scampered to get out of the way.  Don't know who he was but a very casually dressed man with his entourage of dolly birds and wired and armed body guards pulled up outside the church.  Police salutes, hand shakes etc etc etc and he was off to look at the mosaics.  The bodyguard who walked behind this guy was employed, I am sure, because of his size.  You could not see the "important person" when the bodyguard walked behind him.  Oh, well.  It all added to the day's experience.

 

We stayed in the city one night and had dinner in what was supposed to have been a typically Sicilian restaurant. In fact, when we booked we were told exactly that.  Well it was obviously modern Sicilian because the dishes all looked very French to us but with Italian ingredients.  It was a lovely meal with local Sicilian wine (which was very good) and dessert with a glass of local Sicilian Muscat.  Crumbling, walls and damp paving stones, all lit by slightly yellow street lights gave the whole place incredible atmosphere. 

 

Just before we left Palermo we spoke with a charming Spanish couple who were on their way back to Spain.  When they knew that we planned on spending some time in the Alicante district of Spain over winter, we were able to receive lots of information about places to go and things to see in an area that we would probably not otherwise have known about or found out about.  (Thanks Alejandro, we greatly appreciate it and will be in touch with you once we are settled in Guardamar del Segura and know what we are doing.  Please will you let us know your lady's name.  You did not write it down for us and, being old, we have forgotten!  Thank you.)

 

Now we are sitting in the sun in Sorrento overlooking Mount Vesuvius.  We have spent two days soaking up the atmosphere of the place (and the usual domestic duties) and for Arnold's ..th birthday, tomorrow, we are going to the Isle of Capri.  Hence the reason for the Saturday, instead of Sunday epistle.  Monday will see us on a tour of the Amalfi coast - it is too beautiful and too dangerous a road to drive and observe at the same time so we will allow some poor bus driver to do that for us.

 

A relatively quiet week for us this last week but I think that with Capri, Amalfi and Pompeii coming up next week's letter could hold a little more interest.

 

Hope you are all well and happy as we are.  By the way, there are more Australians in Sorrento than we have seen in absolutely ages.  Most of them are young and back packing but you can hear the accent everywhere.  The place is also swarming with Brits.  We didn't know that Sorrento was a prime tourist destination for Brits and Germans.  There are a couple of gross English and German pubs around but they can be avoided and the area is so beautiful that you can forget the tourists anyway.

 

Love

Deb &  Arnold

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Monday, October 01, 2001 1:09 AM

Subject: The week that was

Dear All

 

Before I start to tell you about the great week we have had, let me explain that I am sending this particular email (and the one next week) to you all (i.e. the Aussi contingent and well as the international lot) directly (not through Deb Walsh to the Australians) because Deb is on holidays.

 

There has been a bit of confusion about the Aussi lot of emails.  Although those in Aus get emails from us, via Deb, you can email us directly.  You do not need to go through Deb to get to us.  She is just saving us some money by shortening the time it takes for us to email to you all on the mobile phone (our respective lots of Scottish blood shining through). 

 

So, in brief, the next two emails from us that go to Aus will come directly from us.  Thereafter they will come via Deb Walsh again.  Anyone who wishes to email us, please don't bother Deb Walsh  because you can email us direct.  Thanks

 

Now, at last report we were going to spend Arnold's birthday on the Isle of Capri.  This we did and had a great day.  We got a ferry from Sorrento to the Isle of Capri and then almost immediately got onto a small motorboat that took us around to the Blue Grotto.  Sorry to bore those who have done this but to get into the Blue Grotto is quite an adventure.  As I said, the motorboat took us to the entrance of the grotto where we expected to alight and then get onto the little row boats that take you into the grotto.  Oh no!  Much to my terror we had to step out of the motorboat and onto the floor of the row boat whilst rocking around on the ocean.  Those of you who know of my terror of small boats would be very proud of the way I hastily climbed between the two.  It is a weird feeling sitting on the floor of a rowboat seeing other people descend from above and the man in charge of the row boat is standing yelling at several of the other row boat "drivers" and not taking a great deal of notice who he bumps into or what is going on.  Anyway, all part of the fun.

 

Why, you may ask, are we sitting on the floor of the row boat, not the seats?  Well, the entrance to the grotto is very narrow and not very tall and everyone has to lie down to go through the gap.  The "driver" pulls you through on a chain at the same time as he is swearing at the others who are all trying to go through at the same time.  Lots of fun.  Once inside the grotto almost all of the "drivers" become opera singers and the cave is filled, not only with the most wonderfully translucent azure blue water, but the sounds of opera.  It is a magical place and the only problem really was that it was all over far too soon and we had to get back from the row boat into the motorboat.  Well, we lived to tell the tale. It was great.

 

The Isle of Capri is only about 6kmx4km and is very easy to walk around - provided you don't mind going up hill most of the time.  We got the funicular to the town of Capri and spent the rest of the day wandering around with the beautiful people, passing hotels that had the most stunning views imaginable, seeing lots of wonderful natural rock formations and, of course, having lunch overlooking the harbour.  Once back in Sorrento we had a siesta before then walking uphill again to have Arnold's birthday dinner overlooking the Bay of Naples and the lights of Sorrento. 

 

Next day, Monday, we had booked a trip along the Amalfi coast.  Were we ever glad that Arnold didn't drive it.  For one, he would have seen nothing but the road and secondly, I would have died of one of several heart attacks along the way.  The road from Sorrento to Amalfi is stunning and the scenery isn't bad either!  According to our guide the coach driver had 1,200 bends in the road to negotiate between Sorrento - Amalfi - Sorrento.  Several of these bends he had to attempt 2 or 3 times to get around.  Oncoming traffic was not as obliging as one would imagine and it is a nightmare drive if you have to do it in anything bigger than a "bambi" car.  We saw the luxurious houses of such people as Sting, Franco Zeferelli and Sophia Loren.  Amalfi itself is very much a tourist place and didn't hold a lot of interest to us but the whole day was really enjoyable including the 3 course lunch (and home made wine) at the Pensione Margharita in Scala.  Scala is a little town very near Ravello.  Ravello is the town that gave Wagner his inspiration for the completion of his last opera (I think). 

 

Back to Sorrento again via the mountains with great views of the Bay of Naples and all over Napoli itself.  Another exhausting but fulfilling day.  A rest day was in order after that.

 

Moving right along we drove from Sorrento to Pompeii - a taxing drive of about 30km.  Don't laugh - it was because we had to take the back road and it was almost as winding as the Amalfi road.  Anyway, got to Pompeii without too much trouble and even found a huge supermarket to top up supplies.  (Camping Spartacus - 50m from ruins, easy to find, plenty of hot water.  Pitches small in high season, generous if camp not full.  Washing machines only 7,000 lira - cheapest we have had in a while.  Bar, shop, restaurant all still open.)

 

Pompeii was far larger than we expected.  Having seen pictures and read lots about it I still was overwhelmed by its size.  We walked almost non-stop for 6 hours around the site and then only really touched on the major things to see in the guide book we bought.  The remaining frescoes in the Villa of Mysteries,  the houses with their richly mosaic floors, atria and the wonderful public baths left little to the imagination about the luxury in which the residents of Pompeii lived - well, the rich anyway. 

 

The process of making plaster casts of the bodies that fell in Pompeii gives one a feeling of being in a science fiction, attack of the mummies, type thing.  Many of the plaster casts have cracked and it is clear to see various bones sticking through.  The Garden of the Fugitives has about 13 of these "bodies" lying where they fell and it is quite haunting.  The whole day was a great success and a full day was needed to process the pictures and get them into Powerpoint.

 

It was in 79AD that Mt Vesuvius caused the devastation of Pompeii (and also Herculaneum - now called Ercolano).  It has erupted many times since then, the last time being in 1944.  Given that Mt Etna had erupted only 3 weeks prior to our going up, we decided it was probably safe to go up to Vesuvius.  We shared a taxi with several others and went from Ercolano about 20km up to the car park of the mountain.  "It is only 800m to the top" says a young, cheeky Italian driver.  "I will wait for you for 1 hour and 10 minutes.  We leave at 11.30."  Seemed more like 8,000.  It was a very steep climb but we managed and for our efforts we were rewarded with a big dirty hole in the ground and a few puffs of smoke.  No, it wasn't disappointing at all.  It was great to actually walk around the rim of an active volcano and not just any old volcano.  It was the famous Mt Vesuvius. 

 

Back in the taxi the driver gave us some lava from the 1944 eruption (out of our reach where we went) and then took us back to the ruins of Ercolano.  Here we were led to believe that the frescoes were in even better condition than those in Pompeii.  We were disappointed.  The town is much smaller - well - they aren't sure how big it is because excavation has stopped because too many people live on top of what was the city.  Ercolano was covered in a mud slide, not lava and ash as was Pompeii, and the woodwork has been retained in this town.  Some of it is charred and very worn (after about 2,000 years!) but in Ercolano there are many more two story buildings that still retain their second floor.  The ceilings of some of the houses are still in situ and you can get a better image of what the city was like because the buildings were more complete. 

 

So, we weren't really disappointed in Ercolano by the time we left.  It was just different from what we had expected. 

 

Spent the evening talking to some Australians who were doing a 6 month trip, having just left Hong Kong where they worked for 6 years.  They were doing flying visits all over the place but we had a great evening talking about all sorts of places, customs, food, wine etc etc.

 

Now we are in Rome and it is Sunday again.  Camping Roma - on the Via Auralia - Exit Ring Road at exit 1.  Easy to miss the entrance but the site is opposite the Paradise Hypermarket.  Clean facs (wc continental only).  Showers 500 lira for 4 minutes (we use our own).  Bus (immediately outside campsite) and Metro to city.

 

The week has flown and we have spent the week smiling because it is weeks like this that make the frustrating times disappear from your mind.  Not sure how long we will be in Rome but there is a lot to see and as yet we haven't decided where what etc etc.  In 1995 I threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, so I expect it was inevitable that I would come back to Rome - probably won't do it this time, then again.....

 

Till next week

Cheers

Deb & Arnold

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Monday, October 08, 2001 12:35 AM

Subject: Roman Holiday

Dea All

 

Have just arrived in Assisi having spent the whole week in Rome.  It turns out that it is really easy to get to St Peters and the Vatican Museums from Roma Camping - bus right outside.  From there it is easy to walk all over the place and that is pretty well what we did.

 

The splendour that is Rome!  Oh boy.  Much of that splendour is due to the wealth of the Vatican Museums.  We really didn't need to go to Greece.  The largest collection of ancient statues in the world is held in the Vatican Museum.  Naturally, the Sistine Chapel (pictures not permitted) held its own and was a lot less crowded than last time we were there.  Hence we enjoyed it a lot more without feeling that we were being herded through it.  We could just stand, straining our necks, to try to see every little bit of the ceiling.  We spent one whole day just in the Museum and Cathedral and were amazed where the time went.

 

Note for Stephanie & Stan - we didn't spend a night in the Hotel Oceania because it was so easy to get in and out from the campsite.  However, it is still there and the building is getting a facelift.  The whole place was covered in scaffolding but there was a big sign out the front saying that it was "a home away from home" to quote the Lonely Planet guide book.  Brought back lots of memories.

 

Another great memory revived (Ossie you may or not remember this one).   We were able to find a little bar where we went to drink late one night after a conference dinner.  The dinner was terrible and Ossie was able to get a reasonable reduction on the price.  We were all really grumpy and so several of us (Ray Garry and Harry Reich amongst us Ossie) went into Piazza Navona and then wandering the backstreets to this quaint little place (most of the places around there are quaint) in Piazza della Pace to revive our spirits.  It was always a spot I remembered and so it was fun to be able to find it again. 

 

The Colloseum, the Forum, Victor Emanuelle's memorial, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain.  So many many places to see.  It is hard to describe these places.  So vast, so old (most of them), so ...well, just sooooo....

 

We are slowly heading for Florence via the Chianti district and are looking forward to a few country days.  Big cities are very tiring and some of the roads can be as daunting as the little country tracks on which we sometimes find ourselves. 

 

Currently in Camping Fontemaggio.  Anyone using the Caravan Club Site Guide should not follow the instructions any further than keep the city walls on your left.  Thereafter just follow the camping signs - even though they are few and far between and DON'T go through the arch as the book says.  Very steep and narrow approach.  Site has a block of new san facs (if you can find them) which are fine.  Terraced and sloping, could be a bit boggy in the wet.

 

We both seem to be a bit worn out by our week in the big smoggy city and a few late nights with our new friend Richard who is an Army Chaplin and has spent time in both Bosnia and Kosovo.  As you can imagine we had some very interesting conversations.  He has just been posted to a tank regiment in Salisbury (UK) and the regiment has not seen any action for several years.  This means that it is likely to be one of the first to go in if heavy artillery is required in this latest disaster.  Several bottles of red wine (not sacramental) were consumed while we tried to solve the world's dilemmas and we had some of our theological questions answered (from an Anglican viewpoint) over several nights.  This also helped make for an interesting week.

 

Will keep this fairly short as I still have all of our pictures from Rome to put into Power Point and it is already 4pm.

 

Hope you are all well.  Next week the Aussies will get their email through Deb Walsh again, all being well.

 

Cheers

Deb & Arnold

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Monday, October 15, 2001 11:35 PM

Subject: A Mediaeval Montage

Dear All

 

A wonderful week driving between Assisi and Florence.  The Tuscan countryside is every bit as beautiful as I remember it even though we are here in Autumn instead of Spring.  The leaves are all starting to turn, not only yellow, but vibrant red and the softness of the light lends the countryside a certain magic.

 

Campers - while I remember!  Last week I said about not going through the narrow arch in Assisi.  It turns out that it depends on which way you head towards the campsite whether or not you use the arch but BE WARNED the arch is only 2.8m wide and the approach road very narrow.  You can avoid using it. 

 

Assisi is, unfortunately, covered with scaffolding and the skyline is littered with cranes.  It seems to be getting a huge overhaul and facelift which will show up the pink colours of the local stone beautifully.  The frescoes in the the Church of San Francesco are vibrant and the tomb of St Francis a little macabre.  Macabre by feeling rather than anything to look at.  Can't quite describe it. 

 

From mediaeval Assisi to mediaeval Sienna.  (Camping Siena Colleverde - the trees have grown considerably since last we were here and it makes the site more appealing.  San facs ok.  Easy bus into town.)  Don't know why I didn't enjoy Siena last time I was there but this time it was much better.  We wandered around, somewhat aimlessly really, enjoying the narrow streets and particularly the displays in the shops.  Window dressing in Siena is very good.  So too is the panforte!  Bought quite a bit and looks like we will have to buy some more before we leave the area.  It was positively hot sitting in the sun people watching and we decided to forego dinner in Siena and had some Chianti Classico back at the van watching the sun setting. 

 

A little north west of Sienna is a town called San Gimignano, yet another mediaeval walled city selling local produce.  This town, in my opinion, is the best kept of this week's mediaeval jaunt.  Wonderful viewpoints around the town give pause to appreciate the beauty.  In some of the back streets you can actually get away from the tourist throng and just admire the human abilities of the 14thC and also the landscape.  Although the landscape is now man made, the soft colours of the vines and the olive trees is a delight.

 

The point of interest in San Gimignano is the tall towers, only 15 of the original 72 remain.  These towers were used to store bolts of safron dyed cloth.  The town was known for the beauty of its cloth and, although originally thought to be a status symbol, the towers were actually used to hang the cloth vertically.  The longer the bolt of cloth, the more valuable it was, hence the hight of the towers grew in accordance to the wealth of the merchants. 

 

Camping in San Gimignano is interesting to say the least.  The Caravan Club site guide says to stay in the lower car park.  That is sort of what happens but the lower car park is about 2km from the town.  For 39,000 lira you can stay there for 24 hours, there is a minibus that runs every hour to take you to and collect you from the town (8.30am - 8.30pm) and breakfast of coffee and croissants is thrown in as well.  San facs are limited but ok - would be hugely stretched in high season.  The place is called Santa Chiara Parking Area and is easy to find coming either way on the S2.

 

On to Florence where we are staying at Parco Comunale Michelangelo.  Right next door to Piazzale Michelangelo (the famous lookout over the city), the views are fantastic.  It is an easy bus ride into town and that is what we did last night.  Had dinner at a restaurant listed in Lonely Planet as "one of the best trattoria in Florence" and spent the evening talking to four people from Adelaide!  They found the restaurant because of a recommendation by some Italian people who now live in Adelaide.  The local specialty here is Steak Florentinen Style - a great big T-Bone which was exactly what Arnold had been waiting for.   Gnocchi with gorgonzola was more my style and we had a really good bottle of Cianti Classico to wash it all down.  The bus took us back to the lookout over Florence and now suddenly it is Sunday again and the church bells are ringing and the sun is shining and the city is beckoning. 

 

Will just have to give in to the call.  The Uffizi Gallery will get a mention next week now doubt - can't get in until at least Tuesday.  Not sure just where we will be by next Sunday but it will be hard to top this week of mediaeval masterpieces.

 

Bye for now.

Deb & Arnold.

From: damag@bigpond.net.au

To:

Cc:

Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2001 11:26 PM

Subject: Genoa via Lucca, Pisa and the Cinque Terre

Dear All

 

A slight delay in the arrival of this message as we are having trouble getting through on Italian Telecom.  We keep having to ring France to get through.  As we will be in France in a day or two, the message will be late, so we can save some pennies..lira..francs..dracma..peso..Thank heavens for the Euro coming in on 1 January.

 

Another busy week.  Last week we were in Florence and that amazing Cathedral. We were successful in getting into the Ufizzi.  We were actually able to pre-book some tickets and did not have to stand in line for 2 1/2 hours like the less informed tourists.  We had tickets booked for 12.30pm and at 12.25 we were inside.  Sure, it cost a little more but not much and was well worth it. 

 

The Ufizzi is mind-boggling, even for artistic philistines such as us.  We walked around with the audioguide plugged firmly to our ears and were astonished when we walked straight past a room full of Rubens paintings that weren't even mentioned!  I think Boticelli is the star at the Ufizzi but I am sure that many (more learned) would not necessarily agree with me.  We stood for quite some time just staring at the Birth of Venus.  We were, however, disappointed to find that Michelangelo insisted on painting Adam and Eve with a belly button.  If they were not born of woman - they shouldn't have one!  Oh well, an oversight I guess. 

 

Having been to several mediaeval towns recently, we were not going to go to Lucca, the town of Puccini's birth.  However, we met a couple of Brits, Jeff & Jean, in Florence who said it was worth a visit and that we could stay for free in one of the car parks.  Well, we got a free night's accommodation from it but we were a little disappointed in Lucca.  I think part of that is that we had seen so many others that were great that this one seemed to lack a little.  But, campers, well hidden outside the city walls but within 3 minutes walk is a car park with fresh water and dumping facilities and we shared it with about 25 other motorhomes.  It is for motorhomes only and feels quite safe and secure. 

 

On to Pisa and, yes, the Tower still leans, but not as much.  The final correction to the Tower's lean has been made.  After all, if the lean was completely corrected there would be no tourists!  It has been corrected by 40cm and it is believed that it is now secure and will not tumble.  Despite what we had been told, you cannot climb the Tower and it is still in the process of having its final layer of cement placed around the bottom and it will then be cleaned.  The Piazza of Miracles is the square in which it stands and the Duomo and Baptistry that stand in the same square make for a really pretty place. The soft colours of the marble (the Duomo and Baptistry have both been cleaned) and the vivid green of the grass (which you don't often see inside city walls) makes for a restful feeling, despite the many tourists. 

 

We didn't stay in Pisa but headed instead towards the Cinque Terre (literally translated "5 lands").  The Cinque Terre is a MUST on any tourist list.  Five small fishing villages cling to the mountainside with their colourful houses merging one into the other.  When we were in Italy 6 years ago we visited this area on a tourist  boat.  This time we drove to Levanto, north of the Cinque Terre, and caught a train to the most southerly of the towns, Riomaggiore.  A Cinque Terre card can be purchased for 1,2 or 3 days and this allows you access to 2nd class strains between Levanto and Le Spezia and also onto the small electric buses that go up and down the very very steep streets of the towns.  We took the bus to the top of Riomaggiore where the old castle looks out over the town and the little bay in which miriads of small fishing boats sit.  They also sit all the way up the main street, flanking the roadway and generally lending the atmosphere that has made this region so popular.

 

We walked down from the castle and then went along the Via dell Amore, (Lover's Lane).  This narrow path is etched into the hillside and you can only access it by paying 5,000 lira (or it is included in the Cinque Terre Card) so the idea of it being a Lover's Lane is a little strange.  It is, however, a very beautiful walk through overhanging rocks and little man made tunnels and takes you along to the next of the five towns, Manarola.  Manarola is again a lovely place and similare to Riomaggiore but with its own unique charm.  We then decided to walk again along a not so well paved path, in fact absolutely dangerous in parts, to the next town, Corniglia.  When I say dangerous, I mean that it has broken fences allowing a slip of the foot to send you off down the steep drop that ends on the rocks below with the ocean not giving any care as to who it swallows.  Sounds good doesn't it!  Well, I kept pretty darn close to the mountain side of the path I can tell you.  It also went up and up and up and when we arrived in Corniglia we had to go up even more.  This time we took the public transport provided by the Card,  Within 2 minutes we were sitting in a very small but very pleasant square with a cup of coffee and a large bottle of water watching all the other tourists either eating, drinking or puffing their way round the town. 

 

You can walk to the other two towns  but we decided to get the train to the next town, Vernazza.  Said to be the prettiest of the towns, it certainly makes the most of the water (whereas Corniglia is right on top of a hill).  Again, small fishing boats line the bay and also the main street.  You are able to walk out onto the rocks at the end of the small marina and the postcards that can be bought show that the ocean there can get quite violent.  The pictures show the waves splashing over the breakwater and reaching the height of the old castle at the top of the hill.  The old castle is now a restaurant/bar and we DID NOT get to see the inside.  We spent a couple of hours in Vernazza and sat and people watched in the square overlooking the bay.  It was great. 

 

The day almost spent, we did not go to Monterossa, the last of the towns but caught the train back to Levanto where our van was parked, yet again, on a free site.  Well, we thought it was and we got one free night from it but, just as we were about to leave the next morning, the parking inspector came and charged us 25,000 lira (AUD 25) for the privilege.  We weren't the only ones - almost all 11 other vans got caught as well.  If only we had been early risers we would have been ok.  Oh well. 

 

Now we are in Genoa, the first Mediterranean port of call for Arnold when he was a ship's doctor many, many, many years ago.  Although the town is ancient (Christopher Columbus was born here), Arnold seemed to think it had changed a bit and didn't remember any of it.  So, today has been spent wandering the very narrow streets of the old town and walking around the many fine more modern piazzas (no, not pizzas) of Genoa. 

 

WARNING - Camping Villa Doria - the only one open all year is great BUT getting to it is a nightmare.  A series of extremely narrow one way streets, combined with a school where cars line up to collect children, make for a very difficult entry to this camp.  Once here, the camp is great.  It is small, pretty, clean, seems to have at least 5amps (haven't pushed it beyond that) and easy access to the town.  But, tomorrow we have to get out of here and my heart is already in my mouth. 

 

So, by the time you receive this message we will be somewhere in France and our "Italian Job" will be over.  We hope to have one last meal before we leave Italy and head for Provence and also a meeting with Judith and Alan Harper whom we met in Germany back in 1999.  So, no need to be miserable about leaving Italy as we are going to yet more lovely places.  The weather is starting to close in a little.  It is dark early now and yesterday it rained buckets.  Today, however, was 25 degrees C and a great day.

 

Hope you are all well.  Keep in touch

Deb & Arnold

top  home