From the Adriatic to the Mediterranean to the Amalfi Coast

The JB and I are discovering that it’s the smaller places in the Italian countryside that are more appealing rather than the larger or more ‘popular’ destinations.  We’ve had a mixed bag of late.  Beautiful little towns like Ravenna and Urbino and even the Republic of San Marino have been delightful, but other places like Rimini which is supposed to be a ‘beachside resort’ type of place was just cheesy and seem to cater only for locals.  Rimini has this beautiful beach on the Adriatic Sea yet all anyone can see as they walk along the shores are ‘game parks’ and themed ‘jamaica clubs’ etc.  It really ruins what could be a stunning beach landscape.  Anyway, we’re just tourists, so what do we know?

Ravenna, renown for its Byzantine mosaics and commemoration of Dante was wonderful.  Its cobblestoned streets were awarded UNESCO World Heritage listing a while back and we see why.

Mosaics in Ravenna

More beautiful mosaics...

Dante's memorial in Ravenna

After a few hours we trucked on to Rimini – although the beaches are not so appealing the highlight of this place is the ‘centro storico’ which has quite a rich war history.  Some amazing relics remain in quite good condition including an old fort, gate and bridge.  Definitely worth visiting.

Arco di Augusto: Rimini

Castel Sigismondo (the old fort) at Rimini

Out of the fog is Ponte di Tiberio: Rimini

From Rimini we also did a day trip up to the Republic of San Marino probably best known for Formula One and the fact that it is an independent ’state’ within Italy.  Beautiful little cobblestoned streets lead up to a cathedral and offer some unrivalled panoramic views.

San Marino

View from San Marino

St Michael's cathedral at San Marino

San Marino: View down the way and across the valley

On the way to Florence we stopped in at another hidden gem; Urbino.  It’s main claim to fame is that it’s the birthplace of the painter Raphael and the master mason Bramante also lived there for a number of years.  Today its steep, steep, steep streets are walked by tourists who can get up there, as it’s a little off the beaten track, and the few locals that reside there.  We visited the Ducale Palazzo which displays some beautiful artwork whilst being stalked by ’security’ that followed us from room to room.  Perhaps we appear threatening or I look like a thug in my beanie not sure, but it’s all starting to form a cohesive view of ‘Italian tourism’.

Urbino uphill

Urbino downhill...

Raphael (woof woof..)

Bust of Bramante

Urbino San Domenico Cathedral

Florence was the next major stop.  Again, a beautiful city but a little over-hyped.  Architecture is lovely, cobblestoned streets are beautiful and again there’s the UNESCO thing but we weren’t over awed.  Ponte Vecchio is very cute (would not suggest buying gelato from here), the Duomo is very impressive both inside and out and Piazza Michaelangelo offers great views across the entire city.

Ponte Vecchio, Florence

Ponte Vecchio lined with jewellery stores under orders from the Medici family

The Duomo, Florence

Inside The Duomo, Florence

Florence from Abbazia di San Miniato al Monte

Next was Pisa; we visited the Torre di Pisa (‘leaning tower’) which is probably the most comical piece of architecture we’ve seen, the JB and I both just cracked up when we turned the corner and saw this strange (but beautiful) little tower sticking up out of the ground at such a slant.  I expected it to be much bigger than the seven levels that it is.  It sits in Piazza dei Miracoli alongside a cathedral, baptistry and gardens which are all built in the same style giving the whole piazza a really relaxing feel.  Whilst there was still a stream of tourists, it was not overrun and we’ve really enjoyed our wanderings.

The 'leaning tower'

At sunset...

Pisa

Fools (hands in the air) taking photos of themselves 'holding' up the tower...

We also headed into Lucca; our expectations may have been over inflated by others who have visited previously, but we didn’t find it as impressive as some of the other places we’ve visited of late.  Yes, narrow cobblestoned streets and laneways are pretty and there is a medieval feel about the place but it also seems quite poor and not overly clean.  Plenty of history and walls are in remarkably great shape considering their age but we both preferred Brugge.

Streets of Lucca

Next we set off for an adventure we’d planned since before we left Australia, to visit Cinque Terre and walk the 9km of coastal paths between five villages.  It’s a walk that’s supposed to take approximately 5hours and apparently involves some mildily challenging terrain.  For unknown and reasons not forthcoming from any of the tourism officers we spoke to, the path was closed so we contented ourselves with driving through this beautiful landscape, stopping in the villages and wandering about.

Montorosso, Cinque Terre

Vernazza, Cinque Terre

Beautiful landscape, Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

We concluded our visit in Pisa with a drive into another seaside town, Livorno.  It features a beautiful esplanade area that we walked along. 

Waterside terrace destroyed in WWII then rebuilt, Livorno

On the way to Siena, we stopped at another beautiful walled city (which seems to be quite common in Tuscany) called San Gimignano.  It’s a little off the beaten track but really beautiful.  It has these huge towers that loom over the centre; apparently there used to be 72 of them but now only 14 remain. 

San Gimignano towers

  

The old well in Piazza di Cisterna, San Gimignano

San Gimignano streets

 

View across Tuscany from San Gimignano

Siena was just beautiful.  It helps when the booked accommodation really is the 4 star it’s promoted as.  The old part of Siena features the most impressive Piazza; Il Campo one of the most striking we’ve seen.  It’s probably best known as being the location of Palio, the horse race that occurs around the perimeter each year.

Il Campo, Siena

Fountain Gaia, Il Campo, Siena

Il Campo, Siena

The Duomo, Siena

View of Tuscany from Siena

One of last days in Tuscany was spent at a benedictine monastery called Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore.  It’s the only funtioning monastery we’ve visited on this trip – it’s quite amusing to see monks all decked out in their whites going about their daily business.  I had a chuckle when I saw one sitting at his computer working at a spreadsheet.  Anyway, it was a beautiful abbey with wonderful frescoes and a superb nativity scene with moving figurines. 

Frescoes at the abbey

More frescoes (the resuscitation of the fallen monk)

Yesterday we set out for Naples but because the drive was quite long we decided to stop over in a small place just outside Rome called Latina.  This morning after watching Verdasco take out Tsonga on Eurosport we continued our trip to Naples arriving in Pozzuoli earlier today.  This afternoon we’ve visited Solfatara, an extinct Volcano literally behind our hotel.  The smell of sulphuric acid (plumes still shooting out of the ground) and bubbling pools of water are interesting to wander about.  

'Extinct' Volcano Solfatara...

Bloody stinks of sulphuric gases...

Tomorrow we’re set to do Naples city before Pompeii on our way to Sorrento.  Until next time, that’s all folks!

Northern Italy

Thanks to everyone who commented on our last piece by the JB, he’s feeling enamoured by all the positive feedback to his publishing debut… it’s okay, he knows if at first you don’t succeed you must try again! So he’ll be making an appearance later on…

After leaving Turin a day late due to being snowed in, we headed to Milan in search of Becks who made his debut with AC Milan just a few days ago. Now there are rumours that he may not return to LA Galaxy to complete his contract with them! Scandal! I think it’s got more to do with Posh enjoying the shopping in Milan. Anyway, I would like to write that I had a fabulous time in Milan, although all that frolicking about in the Turin snow caught up with me, and I caught myself an bug. So whilst I took the porcelain bus for a drive, the JB headed into town to see the sights and delights of Milan. Over to him now…

The JB does Milan

First and foremost I went to main attraction from a tourist point of view, The Cathedral (Duomo) probably Milan’s most famous landmark, which can hold 40,000 people. Nearby, renown for its shopping is The Galleria which houses the likes of Louis Vuitton and Prada (Leroy city) I spotted Becks in amongst the crowd, although with his back to me unfortunately! Also close by, is the Teatro della Scala which doesn’t have the architecture and elegance of the Opera Garnier in Paris, in my humble opinion anyway! Apart from these few sights which are all within a couple of minutes walk of each other, there isn’t a lot more that Milan offers to the curious traveler. But if it’s shopping you want, it’s shopping that you’ll get.

The End by the JB

Milan Cathedral

One of four doors to The Galleria (Milan)

Inside The Galleria

Becks posing, as usual...

Teatro della Scala

The Castello Sforziosca

The next day, feeling marginally better I joined the JB for a drive up to Lake Como, some of the most beautiful scenery to be seen. Snow capped mountains, bright blue skies and crystalline blue water all made for a lovely day.

Lake Como and surrounding Swiss Alps

Lake Como surrounds

Lake Como (from the car)

Lake Como (so blue)

Next we headed to Verona, fair Verona, as Shakespeare refers to it in Romeo & Juliet. The Bard was a fabulous writer and after visiting Verona we can see that he also had a good eye, or two. An old Roman city that centers around Piazza Bra where the main Arena stands (it’s still used today for the Opera). We also visited the 83m high Torre de Lamberti (lovely panoramic views at the top), Casa di Giulietta (Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father! Refuse thy name! And I shall no longer be a Capulet!), and the Verona cemetery was something we stumbled across in our walks. Really beautiful Roman architecture, an amazing place to stand in.

Verona cemetery

Verona River

Verona Arena (Roman Amphitheatre)

Piazza Bra in Verona

Torre de Lamberti (83m high)

View from 83m up across Verona (snowy Alps in background)

Wall of Love at Casa di Giulietta Verona

Statue of Giulietta (that's 'the balcony' under which she's standing)

Legend says that if you touch Giulietta's right breast that a new lover will come your way - you can see how 'polished' it is.

So here we are in delightful Venice. This is a remarkable city for the fact that it stands on over 100 islands which are only connected by pedestrian bridges, that create a labyrinthine network of lanes and canals; apparently even locals get lost in amongst. It’s very much a tourist city with some 20 million visitors each year, but even in the midst of winter we came across a number of Asians, Americans and Australians. We think it would be quite difficult to live there as a permanent resident, as well as so many foreigners in the place year round, all municipal services are conducted via the waterways, the garbo collects the rubbish in a boat, the police patrol the ’streets’ in boats dodging gondola’s and water taxis, there are few parks/gardens due to the lack of space (YD wouldn’t survive here!) and there are conflicting opinions on whether the place is sinking – some say yes, others no. Most buildings are on the lean, so there’s serious movement going on, if they didn’t look so old, it could be suggested they were built by Metricon or Simmonds Homes.

And it is expensive, all the eateries we peered in to seemed to advertise inflated prices compared to what we’ve come across in Italy thus far. But having said all this, it is definitely a place that everyone should visit at least once, just for it’s unique nature. I’ve never been in a purely pedestrian city – no cars, no scooters nor bikes. Piazza San Marco is really the only piazza in Venice and it is very beautiful, particularly the mosaic artworks to the interior.

Venice canalway

Venice's Grand Canal

Piazza San Marco

Piazza San Marco

Basilica San Marco

Venice Carnevale Masks

Fancy a gondola ride???

Next we head to Rimini further down on the east coast of Italy. Although we’ve been snowed in and both suffered a dose of lurgy, we’re looking forward to the next chapter of our Italian adventure. As we head South and away from the Alps we hope to not encounter any more snow and find ourselves in a milder climate. Until next time, keep dancing!

Stuck in the Snow, by the JB

We are officially stranded in Chivasso, Turin where it is cold, snowing heavily and the car is engulfed by the white stuff. We can’t leave today, but we are warm, we have internet and we have hope. Hope that tomorrow it may not snow. There is also a pizzeria across the road where we  are warmly greeted as locals, we have been there every night, and the food is very good. Chivasso is a nice town, there could be places far worse in which to get stuck.

You may be wondering why the usual yappingdog is not present. Well, the YD is out playing in the powdery snow with her umbrella, picture Mary Poppins on ice. So I’m afraid you are left with me to misinform you of our adventures so far.

After leaving Nice, beautiful sunny Nice, with our beachside tans, we crossed into the glitz and glamour that is Monaco. On show, was an ice hockey tournament between Monaco and a team from the Czech Republic, right in the heart of  the marina, over a swimming pool. At the marina, we had a small breakfast where we took in the spectacular sights and scenery before making our way through the clustered city, passing buildings and monuments which were ‘graced’ by others in the past; some pics:

Swimming pool in summer, ice hockey in winter

Check out the size of these balls!

The marina from the Royal Palace

The main marina, splendid!

The Royal Palace

About the only locals actually working

The Monaco Cathedral, married and now resting here, Prince Rainier and Princess Grace

Looking out to the very bluewaters of the Mediterranean

Statue of Grimaldi, the man responsible for Monaco

Tribute to Fangio, racing car legend

Leaving Monaco, the French-Italian Alps

Having enjoyed our visit to Monaco we ventured on with the task of trying to get across the treacherous Alps. We knew there had been snowfall recently, so we advanced with caution.  Cars were motoring in and out slowly as we approached the ski resorts, the drive itself was a scene of white mountains, and in most, made for stunning views. Finally making it to the border crossing, a 3.5 km narrow tunnel through the mountains, we reached Italy, only to be greeted with cold icy conditions. Eventually and slowly we arrived at our hotel just north of the city of Turin.

Turin is a beautiful city, even though it is known for being industrial. It is not littered with as many tourists as other cities but it still has a lot to offer. We took advantage of the day there was no snow, to do some sightseeing before this recent dumping; some pics:

Near Cuneo, where the 2008 Tour de France went through

The Royal Palace in Piazza Castello, and me

The reason to visit Turin; to see the replica of the Turin Shroud (the real one is kept in a sealed box)

Altar of San Giovanni Battista (church of the shroud)

The Last Supper by Da Vinci (also a replica)

Turin landmark, 167m high tower affectionately known as The Mole

Parisian style arcade in Turin; 'La Galleria'

Directly outside our hotel; the snowy streets of Chivasso

So now all we can do is sit, eat pizza and pasta and wait.  Let’s hope the snow stops in the next couple of days as Milan awaits.  Until next time, keep on ploughing.

The French Riviera

About a decade ago a former colleague told me that there are few places more beautiful than the French Riviera; a statement that very much rings true today.  After a fantastic visit to Monserrat just outside of Barcelona, on Christmas eve we said adios to Spain and returned to France.  We were generously acknowledged by the lovely roadside prostitutes that we encountered.  Driving along these country roads, all of a sudden at the end of a driveway or unsealed road, there stands a chick all done up in hot pants, CFM boots, mini skirt and like.  Initally we were a little perplexed but it didn’t take long to realise that these roads are frequented by many truck drivers who spend many lonely hours away from home.  The JB was the one who enlightened me, given his trade and all.

We stayed in Montpellier for a few nights, a quiet little place as we wanted so that we could cook up a Christmas feast.  Being so close to the sea we joined in with locals who all seemed to be out walking the beach after their midday feed. During our stay we also explored some Montpellier history and did plenty of walking about the place.  From there we travelled on to Nimes, France’s capital of bullfighting.  A lovely day was spent touring the old Roman town and ruins including Les Arenes (the bullfighting ring still used today), Maison Carree and Toure Magne.

Montserrat

Montserrat translates as 'mountain of saw teeth'

Basilica at Montserrat

The Madonna at Montserrat

Montserrat view from one of the peaks

Gallo-Roman ruins at Montpellier

Montpellier

Montpellier's Arc du Triomphe du Peyrou

Les Arenes at Nimes (best preserved Roman amphitheatre in the world)

The Arena (stadium seating better than Docklands)

Original walls

With 6 wins under his belt, this gladiator looks proud

Toure Magne

Next we drove on to Marseille which the guidebook described as gritty and grimy and we both have to agree.  We were centrally located to pretty much everything worth visiting; Vieux Port, Fort St Jean, Fort St Nicholas and Notre Dame Cathedral perched on one of the highest points in Marseille providing some of the best panoramic views to be seen. We ate pretty well indulging in the local creperie and some lovely Italian seafood dishes.  As we arrive closer and closer to the border, the number of Italians we come across increases.  The JB is having a great time eavesdropping; finding out local information such as whether it has snowed in Milan overnight etc.

Fort St Jean at Marseille

Fort St Jean & Vieux Port from Fort St Nicholas

Notre Dame Cathedral Marseille

View from Notre Dame Cathedral(Il d'If is the little one at the front)

Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral Marseille (beautiful mosaics)

Those of you who know the Yapping Dog personally will understand the significance of our next stay in St Raphael.  And what a place; small like the Yapping Dog, cute like the Yapping  Dog and great great fun just like the Yapping Dog.  We were treated to a fantastic fireworks  display for New Years Eve with all the locals on the main promenade.

Craggy rock paths that we walked along in St Raphael

St Raphael promenade

Palm trees everywhere, from Valencia all the mediterranean through

NYE fireworks display at St Raphael

NYE fireworks...

NYE fireworks

On the drive to Cannes (from the car)

Yesterday we spent the day in Cannes avoiding the paparazzi (the Italians were loving all the attention) walking along Croisette Beach, taking cheesy photos at Palm Beach and taking in the lovely lovely surrounds that the rich and famous enjoy regularly.  We arrived in Nice last night and have today been walking and sitting down by the mediterranean seaside, people and dog watching and eavesdropping more Italians.  They are everywhere, but you cannot blame them, as this is such a beautiful place.

French coastline...just beautiful

Cheesy red carpet in Cannes

Cannes promenade for the rich and shameless

The Cannes movie tour is on this train...

Nice; Promenade de Anglais

Nice; Place Massena

Nice; beautiful beautiful beachfront...

Today is our last in France as tomorrow we drive on through Monaco (just going to see where Le Tour 2009 will commence from) and up to Turin, Italy.  Hopefully it won’t snow too much and the roads will be clear; forecasts suggest as such.  This heralds the last phase of the trip as we’ll be spending the rest of our trip here, aside from Dubai of course.  Happy New Year to everyone, we hope you all saw 2009 in with good food and company.  Until we next post keep up if you can.