SURROUNDING VILLAGES OF TUSCANY & UMBRIA

We set out for Cardosso - This was the village we had originally booked for 2 weeks, but through good fortune for us, the booking was cancelled by the owner. It was lovely BUT a very small village high up on a hillside, no public transport & probably would have been way too quiet for us noisy Connors.

The villages are part of the Garfagnana region of northern Tuscany, it is an area of valleys and mountains. But a word of warning - if you suffer from hay fever, don't visit in spring - the air is thick with pollen.  Most of the town are medieval with Barga (no folks not Bargo) being a popular tourist spot. Great bars & ristorantes can be found in most of the towns and of course - we have tried one or two.

Montecarlo (not to be confused with the Monte-carlo casino) Once again another pretty village - each village has it's own charm but after a while - they all start to look alike.

We visited the village of Volterra - which is the Italian town in the movie "Twilight" (although it wasn't actally filmed in Volterra - it was filmed in Montepulciano) - It was a large town with lots of historical sites.  It did have a vampire cult which could have been the reason why the author used the town for the book.

early roman site 

We found a friendly cafe for lunch 

ASSISI (UMBRIA REGION)

Approaching the Basilica di San Francesco (Basilica of St Fancis) certainly was an impressive sight.

St Francis is the patron saint of animals & the ecology (my kind of person) - The structure was completed in the mid 1200's.

Rob & I saying a prayer before entering the church

town square

The best pastry shops we have seen so far - trying to choose was difficult

Wild boar is part of the local cuisine - I enjoyed a very flavoursome wild boar ragout. 

Enough of visiting villages - time to explore Lucca.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD "DANIEL ALEXANDER" BORN 18/5/2015

We are thrilled to have a beautiful 2nd grandson

"DANIEL ALEXANDER" 

Mitch & Mel we are so very proud of you.

A new baby brother for Sophie and William. 

We look forward to meeting you when we return from our holiday.

All our love

Nanny & Poppy xxx

CINQUE TERRE - ITALIAN RIVERIA

Rob, Doug, Cliff & I drove to La Spezia to catch a ferry to Portovenere. We were hoping to explore the Cinque Terre. We arrived in La Spezia only to discover the cycle race "Giro d` Italia" finish line was in the town. There were so many road blocks we were unable to access the ferry terminal, so we continued on to Portovenere. 

Rob & Doug were only staying the day, so they went off on their own to explore the towns of Cinque Terre by ferry.

Meanwhile Cliff & I booked in to our hotel as we were going to walk the Cinque Terre from start to finish. The view from our room was pretty good for the price, plus breakfast. 

It was time to check out the colourful streets of Portovenere.

What to eat, what to eat - We couldn't make up our mind so decided another picnic was in order. More cheese, meats but this time a bottle of local wine (instead of a tetra-pak) We sat looking over the Mediterranean Sea watching a group of young people swimming & sunbaking - Cliff thought "that looks pretty good" so in he went. 

While I, on the other hand spent my time watching a baby bird - so cute (although Cliff thought the birds sunbaking themselves were even cuter)

The town is overlooked by Diora Castle (constructed in 1161)

Great views from the castle of St Pietro church (apparently built in the 6th century)

Next day we checked out bright & early to catch a ferry to the first town to commence our walk - The start of the walk on the Via dell'Amore (Street of Love) which is the easiest part of the walk from Riomaggiore to Manarola - we even had our padlock with our names engraved to attach to the fence. (just joking - no padlock for us) We met a really nice Kiwi couple who informed us all the trails were closed for restoration & the only part of the walk that was open was - THE HARDEST PART- the one with all the steps.

Photo of Riomaggiore

Back on the ferry & off to the last village of the Cinque Terre (or top village which ever way you look at it) On the way we saw the villages of Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza then our stop of Monterosso (after a while all the villages start to look alike)

Off we set  - it was an extremely steep walk (up hill) & busy - a bit like Pitt Street at lunchtime. 

We managed to complete the walk in 90 minutes & Cliff did it in thongs - a few people stared at his feet but only one person commented. WooHoo Vernazza -  we made it!!!

Lunch was in order, so we found a lovely restaurant on the dock & indulged in beautiful local seafood

The town was exceptionally pretty (but very touristy)

We caught a train back to Lucca. After a couple of hours we finally made it home for a well deserved rest. Tomorrow it will be time to explore Lucca & the surrounding villages.

QUOTE FOR THE DAY

Un giorno senza sorriso e` un giorno perso

TRANSLATION

A day without a smile is a day wasted

LUCCA - TUSCANY

The drive from Bellagio was pretty hair raising. Cliff was driving & the roads were barely wide enough for one car let alone two cars passing each other. This was one of the wider roads.

We arrived in one piece. It was too early to access our apartment so we sat in the piazza enjoying lunch at Dal Puccini, one of the many cafes surrounding the square. Lucca was founded by the Etruscans & became a Roman colony in 180 BC. It is also the birthplace of Giacomo Puccini the composer, Rob has booked tickets for us to attend a recital in the church of San Giovanni - our first opera, very excited. This city is like a maze - you can get lost at every turn, dont leave home without a map.

While we were enjoying lunch, a bride & groom entered the piazza, everyone at the cafes & restaurants started clapping & cheering.

Our apartment was ready, it was on the 3rd floor (the room with us waving from it)

very steep stone steps (no lifts to help with luggage - bad for the knees but good for the butt)

A lovely 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom place right in the middle of the piazza. Our bedroom is in the attic (another 12 steps up) maybe walking up & down all these stairs will burn off some of the food & vino we have been consuming lately.

BUT I don't think so

Rob loves to cook & we are thoroughly enjoying her delicious italian food such as this Bistecca (giant T-bone, each weighs a minimum of 750 grams) with roasted vegetables plus the boys found a 5lt flagon of red vino for only €4 to complement the meal (for cheap wine it was pretty good)

overlooking the piazza, there were families everywhere, young children playing soccer -  band playing music to a crowd of people - an old man dancing in the centre, children dancing with their mothers - the Italians are full of life & appear to enjoy every moment. 

Being festival time  - they were setting up for a DJ until midnight.

The party didn't start until 9:30, the Italians don't seem to eat until very late (8:30-9pm) then the streets & piazza fill up with people. Wandering through the crowds everybody was enjoying the atmosphere, little children were still dancing with each other at 11pm. 

Next day Cliff & I hired push bikes to ride around the walls of the city.

It brought back memories of riding as a child - a little scary after all this time

Off to Cinque Terre tomorrow to do some walking.