Naples – are we still in Italy? (Italy Part V)

From the rural tranquillity of Umbria, after a 400km drive south, we found ourselves thrust into the noise, chaos and dirt that is Naples.

Our view - a bit of a change from Assisi

Naples was a real culture shock for us. I knew it was ‘edgy’ and had a ‘rough element’, but that did not prepare us for a city which is easily the dirtiest we have seen in Europe and which feels more like a city in somewhere like Africa/Asia or the Middle East – rather than Italy. You are however constantly reminded where you are by pizza – this is after all the home of Italy’s most famous dish.

Saturday morning football

Driving in Naples is said to be something you do not want to do – and upon arriving we learned this to be true (fortunately from the backseat of a taxi, after dropping our rental off 3,700km after picking it up). Traffic lights (when working) offer guidance, but are not to be adhered to, lanes ignored (locals typically create an extra one, or just drive on the wrong side of the road), tooting is a way of life (much like Turkey) and scooters weave in and out of traffic like maniacs (sometimes with up to four people on them). Unfortunately, sporting a pink helmet and gripping the back of our B’n’B owner about half an hour after arriving I would be experiencing the ‘thrill’ of travel by scooter in Naples – crossing a 4 lane road on a red light being the highlight of the trip for me……

Parking is another story – I have never seen so many cars parked literally bumper to bumper in parallel parks – you seemingly simply gently nudge your way in and out – not sure you would maintain a no claims bonus in Naples for long.

So Naples was a place we had a love/hate relationship with. It is certainly worth a visit – highlights for us were:

• La Pignasecca – Naples’ oldest street market. Although not the most famous market in Naples, we really enjoyed exploring this market. The seafood here is probably the best we have seen in any market. The range was vast – all kinds of shellfish, crustaceans and fish on offer. It was incredibly fresh – small live clams squirting you as you walked by and bags of live eels slithering in shallow tanks.
• Chisea e Scavi di San Lorenzo Maggiore – under which are excavations under the city which have revealed the original Roman city which was situated here.
• Cappella Sansevero – a small site which is home to some beautiful and intricate marble sculptures – the most famous of which is the ‘Veiled Christ’ – worth the hefty entry fee.
• Pio Monte Della Misericordia – home of Caravaggio’s masterpiece – the Seven Acts of Mercy – but also housing a vast collection of art and antiques collected by the Pio Monte – which from what I could ascertain is a charity established by nobles which has survived for centuries, during which time it has amassed great wealth and treasures – and which devotes itself to the 7 Acts of Mercy – a number of causes such as feeding the poor, but which have evolved with time (ransoming the slave, no longer having much purpose these days, and having therefore been replaced by rescuing the prostitute).
• Museo di Capodimonte – a huge national collection of art, combined with a visit to the royal apartments (which include a room with porcelain walls/decorations – if the dictionary was illustrated, you would find this under tacky – fortunately it is one of only 2 in the world… both by the same ‘artist’).
• Sadly we skipped the Museo Archaeological Nazionale – home to many of the mosaics taken from Pompeii – but unfortunately these rooms and some of the other key rooms were closed for renovations during our visit. I would say something to see next time – but not sure there will be a next time for us.

While there are undeniably some great things to see and do here, the city is simply filthy – rubbish littered the streets, locals dropped litter rather than reaching for a bin, the smells were sometimes so bad they warranted a dry wretch, wandering round you never felt 100% safe (although I am sure most of the time we were) and the general chaos and noise of the traffic was a bit overwhelming. The locals on the other hand were passionate Italians – hot tempered, a bit loud and flamboyant and generally very hospitable. On balance, we were pleased to have visited, but very pleased to find ourselves leaving (except for the fact this necessitated a brief foray of driving in Naples)….

View out over Naples and the Bay

Herculaneum and the Pompeii

We visited these two sites from Naples and Sorrento respectively. Both are Roman cities buried by the massive explosion of Mt Vesuvius in 79AD – Herculaneum by a 16m sea of volcanic mud and Vesuvius by burning pumice and ash. In both cases the suddenness of the event resulted in significant casualties – and the fact that each city was buried has meant many things which would otherwise have been lost with age were perfectly preserved – mosaics, buildings, corpses, food – and so archaeologists have been able to learn much about day to day life in these once fashionable seaside villages.

Inside at Herculaneum

Pompeii is much larger and each day hoards of tourists flock here. Many of its finest mosaics and sculptures have been removed and are displayed in Naples, which is great in terms of preservation, but a shame as they look incredible in their original locations. That said – it is still a fascinating place and we easily passed about 6 hours here. Herculaneum in a smaller and less visited site. Similar in many ways to Pompeii, what it lacks in size, it makes up for by the fact its mosaics are still largely in place and you can visit it without having the navigate the huge tour groups which tend to dominate the more popular parts of Pompeii. Both offer a fascinating insight into life in these times – Pompeii even featuring a small brothel with frescos of various sexual positions, thought either to ‘inspire’ customers or be a form of menu from which they could select…..

Hmmm. Let's leave it at that huh? Next stop Amalfi Coast..... but have attached some pics from Herculaneum and Pompeii below.

Mosaic - Herculaneum

Vineyard inside Pompeii

Probably the first ever "Beware of the Dog" sign in the entrance to a home in Pompeii

Ancient pedestrian crossing and light coming into public baths

Preggie lady at Pompeii

Inspiration in the brothel?

On the Pilgrims’ Trail in Assisi (Italy Pt IV)

From Tuscany we had a fairly short drive to Assisi – a small hilltop village in the heart of Umbria. Umbria is not an area we knew much about, but it was to prove to be a real find for us. Umbria was almost ‘Tuscan like’ in its feel, although the vineyards fewer in number, replaced by olive groves and fields of crops. There was still a fair number of tourists here – but a different sort of tourist – and the place was a little more laid back and ‘off the beaten track’. In Assisi, as we were about the learn, the main category of tourist is the ‘pilgrim’……

St Francis – the Friars and Poor Clares

Assisi is the spiritual home of Umbria, on account of it being home to St Francis who established the Fransican order here before his death in the 1200s. A little ignorant of this, we found ourselves embarking on a tour of the Basilica Di San Francesco, led by a Franciscan Friar (who happened to be from Maryland US). The Basilica is an immense structure with a lower (older) church and the upper church built on top of it. Below these two structures is the crypt of St Francis, where the Saint’s body was laid to rest. As we were led around it we learned about St Francis, the history of the man and the order he established and of the building and its frescos. The tour was very well done and we both found it quite moving emotionally and spiritually. It is great to see a movement of people who continue to work for the beliefs espoused by St Francis with a focus on peace, acceptance and the care of others.

Our accommodation here was a self-contained stone hut at the base of Assisi and overlooking the plains below – dotted with fields, olives and churches. Each morning groups of pilgrims, usually accompanied by a Poor Clare and/or Friar would walk by on the road in or out of Assisi.

We also embarked on our own little pilgrimage to Santuario di San Damiano – the place where St Francis is said to have heard the voice of God instructing him to rebuild his ‘Church’, taken by St Francis at first literally and later metaphorically. We were once again handicapped by the lack of signage and without a Friar or Poor Clare in tow the ’15 min’ walk took us a good hour and a half or so. Having said that, it was a beautiful day and walking amongst the olives in the countryside was magic. The Santuario itself is very small and simple – but it occupies a very peaceful site on a hill and it is easy to see how St Francis developed such a connection with nature in the time he spent in the Assisi area.

Daytripping in Umbria

Our time in Umbria was pretty relaxed, however we did explore the area a bit including:

• Perugia – the main city in this area and a bustling student town (many of whom are foreign students studying abroad). Once we had our bearings, we enjoyed looking around this ancient fortified town. We saw its depths (in a well 36m deep dating to 3rd century BC, but also used during WWII to supply water to the city) and it heights (climbing one of the towers on the city’s defensive walls). Of course there were churches – this time we visited one of Italy’s oldest, dating to the 5th and 6th centuries, although before that a pagan place of worship had stood here. Perugia is also famous for its chocolate – so Michelle did not pass up the opportunity to invest in this side of Perugia….

• Montefalco – in Verona we had been introduced to the wines of Umbria – so we took a short trip to Montefalco and visited a wine estate there. As it happened, another kiwi couple were tasting while we were there – pinot growers from Malborough, enjoying their quiet season in Italy! The wines here were great, with Sangiovese featuring heavily, but without the price tag attracted by many of the wines of Tuscany. One to keep an eye out for….

• Spello – just down the road from us, a cute little town. Although we had a frustrating visit here (I won’t go into the detail), it was unquestionably a very pretty town with some nice restaurants and shops – it could certainly hold its own with some of the Tuscan villages we saw, albeit on a much smaller scale.

We’ll be back?

Umbria was a great region and Assisi a very nice spot to explore it from. I could certainly see me in villa here some time in the future for a week or so……

Our return to Tuscany (Italy Pt III)

We had a fantastic time in Tuscany when we travelled there a couple of years earlier and at the time wondered (wishfully) if it might be our home in Europe for a few months one day?! Although we could not make a home there, it was a real driver for the decision to travel in Italy before returning to NZ. As such the 9 days or so we had scheduled in Tuscany for this trip were ones we were really excited about and had high expectations for - it did not let us down.

The main square in Lucca - oval as it is built around the site of an ancient Roman Amphitheatre

Lucca

After a short drive we found ourselves in a new home (back in civilisation) inside the ancient walls of Lucca in the North of Tuscany. We set about exploring the labyrinth of narrow cobbled streets which twist through Lucca (like Venice, it felt like a great place to wander and get lost in - and we often did!). In an unexpected bonus the city's streets were lined with antique stalls - so we spent the afternoon multi-tasking - shopping for an antique champagne bucket while exploring the streets and piazzas. Exploring was successful, but unfortunately the search for the champagne bucket goes on (sorry Hannah/Jamie!).

Mosaic on Lucca church

Lucca is home to Puccini - one of Italy's most renowned opera composers. Having become ardent opera fans (recall Milan?) we of course embraced this cultural aspect of Lucca. This time we had front row seats, a marked contrast to our seats in the heavens in Milan. The setting was less grand, but equally dramatic - this time in 12th century reconsecrated church. Here we were treated to a number of short recitals of Puccini's works (and some Mozart). It was very raw - just a female soprano, a male baritone and a pianist at a grand piano (I like to think of it as Opera unplugged). While we enjoyed the experience in Milan, I think following it we were both dubious as to whether opera was for us - in contrast to this, we both loved the experience in Lucca - early days, but perhaps one of the Top 10 experiences of the trip.... time will tell.

Lucca is of course a walled city. The walls of the city are metres thick, 12m high and roughly 4kms in circumference. Free to all and with a track that goes right around them they provide the city with a perfect promenade come exercise area. We started each of our days here with a walk around the city wall - basking in sun there is no better way to get a flavour for the city below.

Church of Saint Michelle - who knew there was one?

Speaking of flavour - Lucca dished up 2 fantastic restaurants. The first we stumbled upon and it seemed to be one of the few open on Sunday. When we did a reconnaissance trip here in the afternoon it seemed to be hosting an Italian family birthday (Sunday afternoon) - from experience we could determine this had been a fairly long affair - tell tale signs including numerous cigar smoking, wine drinking men in all directions. When we returned a few hours later to Restaurante Olivio the party had moved on and our food was great - my lamb rack being incredible and both our pastas (seafood) were also divine. With big shoes to fill Cantine Bernardini stepped up to the plate on night two here. They pride themselves on dishing up local ingredients/dishes but with a modern twist. The food (and wine) here was incredible value and very very nice. Michelle had a crumbed loin of pork - the pork was literally melt in your mouth and when we asked about it we learned the pork was a special type from a nearby village - reared on pear, chestnuts(?), milk and other good stuff. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Beer Garden - Lucca styles

There is plenty of sightseeing to be done in Lucca - lots of big (and in some ways run down) churches etc etc. A highlight for us was the Palazzo Pfanner - a privately owned home and garden. Having been owned by an Austrian who introduced beer production to the town (and converted the garden to a beer garden!) it had an interesting history and today the gardens provide a picturesque place to pass some time (sans beer).

Siena - a city of sights

The Duomo Sienna (pretty much the view from our terrace)

From Siena we had another short (but fairly scenic) drive past Florence and south into Tuscany. Our arrival to our accommodation here will (I hope) prove to be the hairiest of our Italian drives (although we leave Naples tomorrow, so it could yet be topped). We knew getting to our accommodation would require a short (and legal) foray into Siena's 'no drive zone', but TomTom had one of her less auspicious navigational episodes taking us right into the tourist packed and narrow cobbled streets of Siena before directing us in a circle (triangle if we are being precise) route ending back exactly where we had entered the city - and announcing in her normal triumphant tone 'you have reached your destination'. Not her most glorious moment and we live in fear of a hefty fine for our little detour into Siena.

View from the Bell Tower with sloping Piazza below

Siena is a city which is crawling with tourists (lots of American students) but rightfully so, as like Florence and Rome, it has a wealth of sights worth seeing. Among the ones which stood out for us were:

• Climbing the city's bell tower to look out at the beautiful Tuscan countryside or down to the Piazza del Campo below. The Piazza is the heart of Siena - a half circle in shape and downward sloping it resembles an amphitheatre (or sink from above). Twice each year it plays host to the Il Palio - a horse race dating from the middle ages in which riders from 17 local districts race around the Piazza 3 times in the hope of winning the coveted palio. There was none of this Il Palio action while we were there, but we did join in with everyone else in the square to give a standing ovation to a couple (English we think) celebrating their wedding at a restaurant bordering the Piazza. A feel good moment.
• The Duomo in Siena is spectacular. Dating to the 1200s, it is most famous not for its roof, but for its floors - which are decorated with inlaid marble art - some basic, others extremely elaborate.
• Santa Maria Della Scala - a former pilgrim's hospital featured large frescos each of which told a story about an aspect of the hospital's work and business - including depictions of the wet nurses being paid in cash or with grain - a nice break from the religious art work - which while impressive is a bit overwhelming in its volume!
• On the subject of religious art - the collection at Pinacoteca Nazionale was really interesting - although we had no audio guide so were left to guess about much of what we were seeing - it held our attention... I am even convinced there was a 12th century depiction featuring the fairy chimneys (i.e. phallic rocks) of Cappadocia in Turkey!

Washing day in Sienna - and more evidence they love to dress-up here - Respect.

With a busy agenda in Tuscany, we also used Sienna as a base for a day trip to two famous hilltop villages in the South - Montepulciano and Montalcino. These happen to be most famous for the reds they produce - and for us these were return visits. Shoe shopping (sandals to be specific) won over wine shopping in Montepulciano with the final score being 2 pairs to Michelle and 1 to Ross). In Montalcino it was more about the wine, with a great lunch at the historic Cafe Fishetteria (again) followed by some serious wine shopping - we can't resist the Brunello here - let's hope EasyJet are lenient on their baggage restrictions.

Montalcino - It's tough- but someone has to drink it

We did however pause between shopping to enjoy these beautiful towns - most memorably enjoying fresh strawberries while sitting on a dirt track looking out over vineyards and olive trees as dusk was falling. Montalcino is certainly a place which warrants a third visit - perhaps not for some time though.

Enjoying the Tuscan view from Montalcino

What about the food I hear you ask? Fresh Porcini mushrooms fried and served piping hot at L'Osteria (a small family run sort of place) were the highlight food wise in Siena. The price was quoted per kg, but this turned out to be per 100gs - fortunately these were sensational - we'd happily pay to have them again!

Greve in Chianti - living on a vineyard (again)

It is hard to believe that Michelle knew she was pregnant when we booked most of this trip, for we once again found ourselves living on a vineyard - this time Castello Verrazzano in the heart of the Chianti region. We had visited this estate for a tour and lunch 2 years earlier and were really looking forward to returning. Greve offered a perfect base for us to explore this part of Tuscany in a bit more detail - this time detouring off the beaten track a little to some of the smaller, but equally enchanting towns in the area. 

Our home in Tuscany - bliss

Embracing the concept of exploring the region we took a fairly meandering route from Siena to Greve - stopping first in Radda in Chianti for a lite snack in the sun before continuing up (in altitude) to Volpaia. Volpaia was a really cute little hilltop town - seemingly largely owned by one family who operate a farm and vineyard on the surrounding land. It seemed popular with walkers, with plenty of tracks in the areas - perhaps a good spot to stay next time for a few days. From here we took a dirt road to Panzano (this time us giving TomTom a sense of aggravation as we set off along potholed roads she didn't know even existed!). Panzano was worth the trip - another cute hilltop town - featuring a designer leather store (more on that later) and a great terrace wine bar overlooking Greve and Tuscany on the plains below.

After unpacking at the winery we were quickly whisked off to a wine tasting dinner - think 5 or 6 courses and 5 or 6 wines to go with them - what better welcome could we (read: I) ask for. We were seated with 2 young American couples who had done the tour with Jillian (that we did last time) and really enjoyed the evening. Fortunately bed was just a short roll down the hill on the estate from dinner.

So now we know where Grandma's Bambina went

Although on our previous trip we felt like we had 'done' the sights in Florence, we (read: Michelle) felt there was some shopping which warranted a return visit there. So after exploring the weekend market in Greve I found myself navigating Florence's notorious roads once again... one or two beeps later we arrived safe and sound, ready to shop. First stop was the Santa Maria Novella shop - this historic 'pharmacy' was originally established by monks in the 1600s who grew herbs etc to create various creams and remedies. While retaining much of this tradition (old formulations and marketing) it has also moved with the times - now offering a 'cat and dog' range of products! We enjoyed our visit here and the credit card came out (not for the last time that day). Florence's markets are hard to top (I think perhaps Barcelona's are better) - but I could not resist returning to Mercato Di Sant'Ambrogio (near the apartment we stayed in last time) to fill up on some deep fried salted bread I had snacked on last time. Think doughnut - but salty. Michelle still doesn't quite agree it was worth the trek across town for - but for the afternoon of shopping we were about to embark on, it was the least she could do! Thankfully the damage was not as bad as it could have been - aside from some leather gloves and concoctions from SM Novella, we left relatively unscathed.  

We had not had great luck with weather prior to Tuscany, but it marked a bit of a turning point for us weather wise (fingers crossed this continues!). We took advantage of the weather to walk up from Greve to the nearby town of Montefioralle - another hilltop fortified village. While getting out for the walk was the key objective, it was sweetened by the promise of a Sunday afternoon lunch in the sun enjoying meat fresh from the grill with the local Italian's doing the same. A nice little walk - although we had to forgo the second half of the loop track on account of us not having the foggiest as to where the track went...... (don't get me started on Italian signage....)

Although we may have come through Florence better than expected, Michelle put Panzano back on the agenda and we had a quick return visit to a leather shop there. She had her eye on a handbag there (she can show you it next time you see her) and the shop was really interesting. Run by a German woman who worked in Florence to learn her trade in fashion, this small shop in a very small town had some amazing stuff. (Apart from Michelle's bag) the most interesting were products made with leather from Stingray..... judging by the price one can get for Stingray loafers, I will think twice before I cut a stingray off the end of my line in NZ to let it live  another day!

Fresh Porcini -in Florence - not sure the dried stuff will ever match up

The exploration of Tuscany continued as we set off for Umbria (our next stop). En-route we visited two more hill top villages San Gimignano: nice, with lots of towers (although less than the 72 it once boasted) but very touristy and then Volterra: most recently made famous by the New Moon / Twilight phenomenon (which neither of us have embraced). Nice to see - but not really for us. The stops in these towns did however reinforce our view that the smaller towns dotted around Tuscany are the real gems in the crown of this region.

Baby Nelson update

More importantly - how's the baby you say? It has earned the nickname 'Little Kicker' (thanks Georgia) due to its regular habit of kicking Mum in the guts. Nice of it to remind us it is there - and to let us know when a Gelatti is overdue. Michelle's belly is growing by the day - now sufficiently pronounced to award special treatment by the Italian men that notice - even to the extent a couple of cars have slowed (or just swerved) as we navagate road crossings in Naples - but more on that later.

‘The hills are alive……..’ (Italy Pt II)

Lake Iseo - an overnight stop en-route to Castelrotto in the Alps

After a week or so in ‘Italy’, we found ourselves in Alto Adige (after an overnight stop at Lake Iseo in the lake region). Located in the North East of Italy on the border with Austria, it is a place which while being Italian (since it was ceded to Italy after World War I, formerly being part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) feels distinctly Swiss/German/Austrian. The geography is dominated by the steep snow covered Italian Alps, complemented by rolling green hills in alpine valleys dotted with wooden huts/houses – the sort of scene that makes you want to belt out songs from ‘The Sound of Music’ – and at times, suffering from weather induced cabin (or car) fever, I am sad to admit that we may have done just that.

The hills are alive..... (the view from our hotel)

You come to Alto Adige for two reasons – in the winter to ski and in the summer to hike/climb. We were on the cusp of Winter/Summer and due to unseasonably cold weather, there was too much snow for the hard core walkers in the area. For less adventurous walkers such as us, conditions underfoot were fine, and we took advantage of a break in the wet weather to do a short walk from an alpine lake to a clearing and back. What we did not appreciate when we set out is how suited we would be to ‘walking’ in this part of the world. After a 40 minute (fairly steep) walk up we found ourselves nestled by the fire in a wooden alpine hut/bar – me rewarded in my efforts with a large German beer and bowl of the best soup I can recall ever having and Michelle tucking into a big bowl of apple strudel with ice cream. In the summer at times they have an Oompah band up on the roof and in 2007 it beat off 359 other contenders to win the award for ‘best alpine bar’. The fact that they celebrated with a staff trip to Oktoberfest in Munich gives some insight into how ‘un-Italian’ it feels here.

That man deserves a zuppa

The other highlight here was a trip into the picturesque town of Bolzano - a pretty place with nice cafes and food markets. It is home to Ortzi – a frozen early human from the copper age found by a couple hiking in the Alps in 1991 thawing out of ice where he had lain perfectly preserved for 1000s of years. Despite the fact that this man and his belongings were incredibly well preserved and offering much insight into life at the time, much remains unknown about him – including who shot the arrow that may ultimately have lead to his demise and why. An hour or two exploring the museum largely dedicated to him here was well worth it.

Church in the Alps

The area is well known for its wood carvers. We did think we might leave with a wooden toy for the little one, but as it turns out, the carving, while undeniably beautiful, tends to feature religious figures or scenes heavily and we decided a half metre figure of the Madonna and child was not really what our nursery needed….

The blend of cultures here was intriguing and we really enjoyed the novelty of it all (in addition to the breathtaking geography!). The blend was most evident when eating with the cuisine on offer a mix of typical Germanic foods (you could count on sausage with sauerkraut) and typical Italian (pizzas/pastas) - often with a bit of one culture influencing the other. Beer drinking was more commonplace, in contrast to the sight more often seen in Italy of a table of wine drinkers.

Hills on the drive from Lake Iseo to Alps - it was pretty chilly up there...

It is not just about beer and bratwursts here though. Sud Alto is a famous wine region (particularly for whites) and Tramin (the town after which Gewürztraminer is named) is located here. I have always found this strange – that such an un-Italian sounding wine can have its home here and it was a bottle of Italian Gewürztraminer purchased in London that first sparked our interest in visiting here. On our way south to Verona we stopped to do a couple of quick tasting – at the Co-op in one town small town we were joined by the local traffic officer – strange to see him tucking into a few wines with the locals in full uniform, car parked out the front at 10am on a Saturday morning!


Verona - the home of romance


After weaving up a very narrow and winding road to the top of the hills on the edge of Verona (which at this stage we had still not seen) and being greeted by a very hippy/alternative looking young Italian guy at our B’n’B we did wonder what we had got ourselves in for – but it all worked out fine…. in fact Christian’s breakfasts, especially the fresh juices which seemed to be a mix of whatever he had which was fresh (pineapple, apple, carrot) mixed with a healthy dose of fresh ginger root, will be a lasting memory of the trip!

We spent our first evening in this area exploring some of the less touristy parts of Verona and it was a place that really captured both our hearts. Nice cobbled streets, lots of little cafes, bars and gelateria, colourful and romantic – and on a Saturday night – bustling with a mix of students and trendy young couples. We selected a place to eat, pretty much at random, and I quickly learned that this was a town in which they take their wines seriously. I asked for a glass of wine – only to have the waiter suggest that we order our food and he would then be better placed to suggest which wine I might enjoy! We ate antipasti here while people watching and I was treated to several very nice wines – with the size of the glass (but not the pour) increasing with each. Not only did they take their wines seriously – but without exception it was served in beautiful glasses.


In Verona we were also introduced for the first time to the Italian concept of the ‘aperitivo’. Between around 5:30-6 and 7-7:30 the locals seem to congregate in cafes and wine bars to enjoy a drink which comes with a small selection of nibbles – a bit like the ‘pinxtos’ concept in San Sebastian but without the scrum to reach the bar. We tried it on our second night at a place Christian had recommended – yum!

Spot the Fiat 500 in the top LH corner.....

We had one day to see as much of Verona as we could and with our Verona cards in hand (a €10 card that gets you into most of the main sights) we had a pretty intensive day of sightseeing – the Roman arena, made of pink marble and still in active use today, ‘Juliet’s house’, complete with the balcony which is said to have inspired Shakespere’s balcony scene, climbing the 350 odd steps to the top of Torre di Lamberti, which offered great views of the city and a piazza filled of classic cars below, and the Castelvecchio, the city’s main castle and the museum inside it. We also managed to see the Duomo there during service – so sat at the back as one of the many priests up on the alter delivered a very animated sermon (not a word of which we understood – despite attempts to pick up a bit of the language!).

Our short stay in Verona was great and although it was not one of the places on the itinerary which we were really excited about – it was a place that we really took to.


Experiencing rural Italy - Emilia-Romagna


A short drive south (by now having covered about 2000kms in our once brand new Peugeot 207) and we found ourselves sitting outside a house in the country with a dog the size of small bear glaring at us. After a quick call to Paola (the owner of the house we were to be staying in) we determined we were on the right driveway – but at the wrong house…. Further down the dirt drive we found another house – this time with a dog that looked more like a sheep (and which was much friendlier) to greet us.

A couple of friendly faces

And so it was we found ourselves on a farm/winery/orchard/hobby zoo which would provide our base from which to explore this region over the next week. We had hired a small house built in the top half of a converted barn situated just out of Monteveglio near Bologna. Out our back window we could monitor the activities of half a dozen pet rabbits, from our bedroom we can see small groups of school kids arriving most days to explore the farm or learn how to make bread in a wood fired oven, and from the kitchen come dining room (where I am sitting right now) we look out to trees, with vines beyond. Chickens roam free, we have two pigs (a big one and a little one) which benefit from our scraps and next to the vines live a pony, a mule and donkey (a miniature pony is expected any day now). As we drove up the drive last evening, Michelle spotted a wild young deer in the undergrowth and just further up the drive a long black snake (not poisonous we are assured) slithered across the drive in front of us. One does not get lonely here.

Slow food and fast cars


Emilia-Romanga is famous for food (it is home to Parma ham, Parmesan cheese and traditional balsamic vinegar the production of which all involve significant aging periods) and fast cars – the Ferrari factory is here as are factories making Maserati, Lamborghini cars and Ducati bikes (I am sure there are more, so apologies to any petrol heads if I have missed any).

You can't help but draw comparisons with the Yellow Datty can you?

Disappointingly we discovered that to visit the Ferrari factory one must be the owner of a Ferrari. While we will shortly be in the market for a new car, I was not sure that Ferraris would be compatible with an ‘Isofix’ baby car seat (of which we are the proud owners) and therefore we did not investigate the acquisition of one of these vehicles any further. Fortunately there is an alternative option for the 99% of the world’s population who like us do not have the pleasure of owning a Ferrari – and that is the Ferrari Gallery – located in Maranello (also the location of the factory) – administered by Ferrari and home to a mixture of historic (and recent) F1 cars as examples of the Grand Turismo roadsters. As you enter you are greeted by a shop featuring an extensive range of Ferrari merchandise (with prices pitched at the hard core of Ferrari fans), but this place proved interesting for both of us – even Michelle left with a soft spot in her heart for yellow Ferraris – perhaps there is hope for me yet that one day I will find a replacement for the Datsun and at same time qualify for entry to the factory here (which is said to be one of the best places in Europe to work).

On the food front, balsamic vinegar seemed to be our focus (although more by accident than design). We visited a producer for short tour and tasting and also a small, but very good, museum in Spilamberto which is run by the association which controls and certifies production of the ‘traditional’ balsamic. Throughout these experiences you have it drilled into you that in a traditional balsamic there is nothing but grape must (no sugar or other additives are included) and that following the initial ‘cooking’ of the must it is simply left to time in small barrels (made of various types of wood – oak, cherry etc) to give the vinegar its distinctive flavour and consistency. The aged product is delicious and can be served on a grilled piece of meat, with fresh parmesan cheese, on ice cream and strawberries or even by itself as a digestive! At about €70 for 100mls of the 25 y/o variety it has to be special – and it was.

Don't you wish we all got better with age?

We saw less of the production of Parma ham and parmesan, but did ensure we partook in trying it whenever the opportunity presented itself! It is not hard to see why they call Bologna the capital of this region La Grassa ('the fat one').

For the first time we also had the opportunity to cook for ourselves. We enjoyed the chance to buy fresh veggies and goodies from the delis in the market before taking them home to whip something up. The highlight would have to be fried zucchini flowers – something we had tried and loved at La Famiglia in London, and which, as it turns out, aren’t too hard to recreate at home. We are having another batch for our final supper before heading on to Lucca from here tomorrow!

Flower arranging in the kitchen

While exploring the foods of the region, we also took in the sights of the main towns each of which we saw on separate day trips from our ‘base’ – Parma, Modena and Bologna. Of these, Bologna stood out as our favourite – a nice historic city centred around a grand piazza, great little food markets off the piazza and plenty of nice cafes, restaurants and gelateria. The gelatti we had from La Sorbetteria Castiglione here rates as Michelle’s best so far (mine was yet to come in Rimini….).

The coast and San Marino

From the farm we did a round trip out to the coast taking in San Marino, Rimini and Ravenna.

San Marino is Europe’s third smallest principality. Set on a hill overlooking the coast it has always remained separate from Italy (and was neutral during World War II). While it was interesting to visit here (and gave our child to be another flag in its passport) it was a bit of a non-event – tacky souvenir shops lining the streets. They seemed to have a strange fascination with weapons here – with numerous shops selling large (imitation?) automatic guns and knifes of all descriptions – perhaps to appeal to patrons of the museum of torture located here.

Mosaics of Ravenna

After San Marino, Rimini was a welcome return to Italian sophistication. We saw it during the afternoon siesta and out of peak season, so it was very peaceful – although in summer Italians flock here and its beaches are said to be packed with flesh by day, with the clubs being packed with flesh by night. Our flesh featured in neither of these places, which is probably for the best, but we did treat ourselves to a great gelatti (this time my favourite) – mine being a coffee flavoured one bearing the Slow Food seal of approval!


En-route home we visited Ravenna. This proved to be a slightly unanticipated highlight from a touristic perspective – with mosaics being the key draw card. We visited 4 separate sites all of which features mosaics featuring from early Christian times. The colours and detail in these huge mosaics are incredible – even today – many of them looking as if they had been made yesterday, rather than centuries ago. Although we were a bit rushed as we tried to get around the sites here, we were awestruck by the mosaics and if you are ever in this region and have the opportunity to spend a day/half day in Ravenna we would certainly recommend it.

Parmasean aging.....