Below are our exploits so far up to 6th June and our arrival in Tuscany.
Sat 29th May
Flight left Sydney on time. Kath and I had exit row seats with Liz right behind. A couple of meals, How to train your dragon, a short nap and before we knew it we were changing planes at Changi with only about 1 hour transit time. Deciding to walk between terminals at Changi used up about half an hour of that time, much to Liz’s chagrin.
On the final leg we all sat in same row. The leg room was not too bad so we had a reasonably good flight with reasonable food, an easy to watch French romcom and another good nap. We even landed in Rome a few minutes early.
Sunday 30th May
Arrive in Rome 7.30am on time – 16 degrees although it was sunny and seemed warmer.
A shuttle bus took us from the plane to the terminal and then “a little travel hiccup” (full details may be released later), before joining a slow “non EEC” passport queue. No problem through passport control and we arrive at the luggage carousel as Liz says “there’s my bag”. Followed immediately by the other two – things are looking up. The day gets even better as we walk out and there is Antonio waiting with a sign to pick us up. In no time we are on the auto strada on the way to Rome. Half an hour later we are in a small alley outside a green door waiting for Marta to turn up and let us in. Whilst we were waiting a work crew with a large cherry picker had blocked off the road to do some repair on the building opposite. We never worked out what they were doing but it was taking at least 6 of them to do it. They were also having some fun with a play fight and then one of them, who was holding a piece of bunting as a token OH&S exercise, took his hat off and much to the amusement of his mates pretended to ask for tips as guided tourist groups walked past in single file. Ten minutes later Marta arrived full of apologies for keeping us waiting. We enter the green door, walk through a short corridor and emerge in a large green garden courtyard surrounded on 3 sides by old apartment blocks and on the 4th side by a new office building completely covered in bronze coloured tinted glass which reflects the old buildings – so incongruous yet it works. Another surprise – the narrow ponds with fountains outside our apartment have goldfish and turtles! Lots of them and they are tame. Liz has already introduced them to Gary (the clip on koala) and named them before we get into the apartment!
The apartment comprises a main bedroom with ensuite and a living area with small kitchenette and another bathroom. Liz is sleeping on the couch. Small but clean, comfortable, so close to the action but amazingly quiet – except for the bells that chime every 15 minutes to tell the time! (not sure where they’re coming from and not too loud really so I’m sure we’ll soon get used to them).
Time for our first tourist destination and its literally 100m down the small side street we are staying in – Trevi Fountain. Amazing sight when you round the bend to walk into the small square where it is located and the place is teeming with people. The fountain is far more imposing and impressive than I had expected – clean and sparkling. The square is however smaller than expected though so it is very crowded. Strolling along a side street off the main square the sound of tourists and street vendors, selling bubble guns and clicking metal marble looking things, was briefly supplemented by the sounds of a couple in a first floor room engaged in a very loud physical activity at 10.30am – “That’s amore”. Liz wondered why I suddenly put my arm around her head and tried to distract her attention as we kept walking – didn’t really have to want to explain what was going on.
We stopped for a few minutes of reflection in a small church opposite the fountain and lit a candle for current and past friends. The priest selling the candles gave Liz a card about the Virgin Mary and told her to be good to her mother – we’ll see! No doubt the first of many churches!
An unexpected sight has been the beggars, some with deformities, on the streets – sitting or lying on the side of the pavement with their arms outstretched and faces bowed with small tins in their hands.
After lunch we did some basic grocery shopping from a delicatessen near Trevi fountain and bought some fruit from a stall before coming back to the apartment for a siesta! Not before Liz made up every possible rule of handball to stop me winning a game of handball which we played outside in the courtyard near the office side. I’m going to have to check all these weird and wonderful rules out with her friends when we get back! Around 4pm we ventured out again and wandered through the streets to the Spanish Steps. Again it was crowded but again more impressive than expected. The sheer age of the architecture, the contrast of building styles and the merging of historical site, business and residential is fascinating.
In Australia I never understood the concept of the Smart car – why would you bother? Well all is clear now. It is a car that is relevant for congested European cities. Not much longer than a motor bike it can be parked perpendicular to the kerb without sticking out into the traffic! They only need a space about 2m wide and they are everywhere, along with a gazillion scooters.
Back to the apartment at 6.30pm with pizza we bought at a pizzeria across the road and in bed by 8pm after a long and tiring journey and first day in Rome. Liz and Kath are already asleep as I close down the computer at 8.45. I wonder whether those bells will ring out all night...
Monday 31st May
The answer is “yes” the bells do go all night. Not loud enough to wake you up but loud enough to be heard. On the other hand the alarm that went off in the middle of the night, three times, would have woken the dead. 5am was the family wake up time. Not bad really as we all had 8 to 9 hours good sleep. Liz woke with a cough so that put paid to any thoughts of trying to doze off back to sleep. Another surprise is a small but hungry mosquito in the bedroom – we’ll get him later.
Time to plan today’s activities and wander down to the delicatessen for some fresh bread. I chose some fresh crusty bread. The food is sold by weight so I asked for the loaf to be cut in half and it was duly weighed and a docket produced. Walking back past the Trevi fountain I was glad I’d brought my camera as there were only three other people there – such a contrast from yesterday’s crowds.
Making our way back to Piazza Navona we again got slightly disoriented but eventually found it. The fountain in the middle depicts four great rivers of the world. The churches were again magnificent inside.
Lunch was spent at a restaurant facing the piazza in front of the Pantheon. Unfortunately half of the front facade of the Pantheon was shrouded in scaffolding but nonetheless it is an impressive building given its age. Inside is austere compared to the gilding and beautiful paintings inside the churches, but the architecture and symmetry is impressive. The dome is probably the most impressive with its large open hole in the roof. I took a photo of a man inside the Pantheon standing next to the sign that says no mobile phones...using his mobile phone...tourists! Wouldn’t get away with that at Avondale!
A longish walk in the heat of the day saw us arrive at Piazza del Popolo at 2pm and a 2 hour wait until the churches reopened. A walk up several flights of steps to Pincio required a rest half way up as we were beginning to flag. The panoramic views from the top were well worth it but were the final straw in the energy stakes and it was decided not to wait for the churches to reopen but to get the Metro back to Barberini and the short walk back to Trevi. Our first Metro experience was successful after having worked out the ticket vending machines and ensured we were travelling in the right direction. Back at the apartment it was time for – you guessed it – a siesta. The jet lag is still kicking in mid/late afternoon. Liz woke us up to suggest gelato. A walk around Trevi revealed hundreds of tourists swarming around there at 6pm. Gelato finished it was back to the apartment via the pizza shop to get Liz’s dinner. Kath and I were still full from lunch so had fruit. Several games of Uno after dinner finished us off for the day and Liz hit the wall at 8.30pm.
Its 9pm now and I’m struggling to keep awake so will sign off for a good night’s sleep before tomorrow’s visit to the Vatican – must remember to wear my long pants! Dress regulations are stricter than The Dale – ladies cover your shoulders please.
Tuesday 1st June
5am – got Kath with “pinch and a punch” and received the obligatory grunt of dissatisfaction. 5.30am and we’re all awake- not quite over the jetlag yet.
We’ve mastered the Metro so were at Ottaviano in no time and walking the wrong way towards St Peters rather than the Vatican Museum where our tour was supposed to start! Once on the right track we came across a MASSIVE queue stretching for hundreds of meters and just hoped that our pre-booked tickets meant we could walk straight on by – which we proceeded to do. When we got to the entrance there was a very SHORT queue for pre-booked tours which got shorter when a guard came up and waived us straight past that small queue and into the entrance where we went through airport style x-ray security. Five minutes later we had our tickets and were waiting for our tour guide to arrive. Having seen those queues, internet pre-booking is undoubtedly the way to go!
The tour starts with our Italian guide explaining the Sistine Chapel in detail as she will not be able to take us in as part of the guided tour. First stop is Pinecone garden in the old St Peters which also displays the relatively modern bronze sphere of the world. Moving on we went to the Courtile Ottagonale, the inner court of the Belverdere Palace which is home to statues of Apolla Belvedere and Laocoon, a Trojan priest.
Entering the Chiaramonti Museum we saw many statues and mosaics before moving up a level to the Gallery of the Candelabra before entering the Tapestry Gallery. Here the walls were adorned with intricate floor to ceiling tapestries many metres long depicting various religious and battle scenes. The ceilings were of particular interest as they were painted in a style to look like sculptures – trompe l’oeil.
The next gallery featured walls lined with painted maps, dated around 1580, of the regions of Italy.
The four Raphael rooms, commissioned by Pope Julius II in the early 1500’s, followed. Each depicted a different theme and were completely adorned on all four walls and the ceilings.
The official tour now finished, we entered the Sistine Chapel (commonly known as the “shhhhh, no photos” Chapel) on our own...with three million other tourists. Julius II commissioned Michelangelo to do the ceiling in 1508 – he was still there 4 years later with a very sore neck. The ceiling depicts 9 scenes from the Book of Genesis. Then he was commissioned to do the back wall, The Last Judgement, which was unveiled after 7 year in 1541. The walls were painted by artists including Botticelli, Pinturicchio and Signorelli – one side covering the life of Moses and the other the life of Christ. After the initial surprise that the Chapel was smaller and darker than expected, I was amazed at the detail and sheer scope of the project.
Leaving the Sistine Chapel we were directed to the Vatican Grottos which house the tombs of many past Popes including Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II. Walking up a very narrow staircase from the grottos meant that the sheer size of St Peter’s Basilica was even more overwhelming! The place is just massive!! The main alter, the Baldachin by Bernini, seems at odds with the rest of the cathedral which is otherwise more traditional with many huge sculptures, gilded ceilings and frescos. We especially took photos at the statue of Veronica for Kath’s mum. A final highlight before leaving was Pieta by Michelangelo – Mary with the dead Jesus across her lap.
Once outside we soaked up the atmosphere of St Peter’s Piazza, after having checked out the Beatles statues on top (have to see the picture), which was designed by Bernini (not the Beatles) in the mid 1600’s (not 1960’s). The obelisk in the centre of the court, which is surrounded by 284 columns on top of which are 140 saints, was brought to Rome by Caligula from Egypt –the Romans stole a lot of stuff over the years.
The Vatican is an amazing network of buildings which are almost obscene in their opulence. The revenues generated must be astronomical as the place was packed with sightseers. I have to admit though that the Vatican was far more impressive than I had expected in terms of size and magnificent works of art but also probably more at odds with a religion struggling against a worldwide wave of bad publicity. Part of the problem is no doubt all those statues of naked men showing their willies to the world. Many of the fabulous artworks also depict conflict and acts of atrocity and judgement.
Wednesday 2nd June
7am was wishful thinking – try 5am again thanks to the “cough alarm clock” known as Liz.
I finally got up at 5.45am and went in to Liz who was reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I fired up the PC and the kettle and started looking through the photos from the last few days.
Breakfast today was croissants and hot chocolate at the Illy bar across the road. I have never drunk such chocolately hot chocolate – too chocolately! Croissants were good though.
No real plans today as it is a Public Holiday to celebrate the anniversary of the republic. Many of the main tourist attractions are partially or completely closed including the Colosseo which is where we had been thinking of going. That will need to wait until Friday now.
Kath decided a short walk was in order and before we knew it we realised there were crowds of people heading towards the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II so we followed – as you do. Sure enough the streets round the monument were lined several rows deep with locals and tourists waiting for a military march past. The monument had an eternal flame burning and several wreaths which the armed forces personnel were turning towards as they marched by. The area was swarming with heavily armed police and a helicopter hovered above. They weren’t taking any chances as a young bloke with a backpack found out when he was surrounded by police and asked to open his bag.
One thing about Rome is that it isn’t all that big. Every time we go for a walk we suddenly realise that we have stumbled upon another monument that looked a long way away on the map. This is the case today as the Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II is next to the Paletino and Colosseo area that we had thought we’d get the Metro or bus to on Friday.
Italians and tourists are obviously accustomed to queuing to see some of the more popular sights and events. Yesterday it was the Vatican and today it was the Caravaggio exhibition at a gallery near the Quirinale with the queue about 200m long and 4 people wide. This city has soooo many beautiful paintings in every church and monument that I can give the Caravaggio exhibition (and queue) a miss. As one American tourist pointed out when discussing the queue with his travelling companion – “if it’s that good it’ll come to the Met” which was enough to convince his mate that he could wait to see it on home ground.
By now our short walk after breakfast had turned into a full morning’s expedition so it was time to return to Trevi for lunch. On the journey home we stopped in at Sant’Andrea al Quiranale, a church designed by Bernini in the mid 1600’s. Being on a wide but narrow site, Bernini positioned the longer axis not towards the alter but towards the sides. Nearby were the Quattro Fontane, each of a reclining deity. Dating from 1590 they are in need of a good clean!
The last stop was my favourite delicatessen for supplies. Unsurprisingly it was packed so Kath and Liz wisely decided to go souvenir hunting whilst I did the shopping. The place is a model in disorganised chaos. They have those ticket machines with numbers above the counter to say who is currently being served. The numbers on the screens bore no resemblance to the ones on the tickets and I doubt they had since the system was installed. As previously explained you get all the food sliced and weighed at the counter and then take the docket to the cassa to pay for it and getting the docket stamped receipt before going back to the counter and waiting for the guy to finish serving another customer before he can hand your food over in exchange for the receipt. 20 minutes later I walked out with the bread rolls, prosciutto, turkey and brie! It’s fun as a tourist but I wouldn’t want to do battle in there every day.
I’ve had a relaxing afternoon at the apartment, including a little nap, with Liz whilst Kath went for another walk. She went back to the Piazza del Quirinale, saw the queue for the palace gardens was as long as the one for the Caraveggio exhibition so decided to give it a miss and head to the church San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, a Borromini creation. She walked down Via Sistina to the Trinita dei Monti and then down the (very crowded) Spanish Steps. The journey home took her back along Via del Babuino past the expensive shops to Piazza del Popolo. After a bit of people watching she snuck into another church to avoid a hustler. It turned out to be Santa Maria del Popolo “one of Rome’s greatest stores of artistic treasurers”. It includes paintings by Caraveggio (conversion of St Paul and crucifixion of St Peter) plus the Chigi Chapel designed by Raphael.
Dinner tonight was at Cassa del McDonalds! I wanted to see if I could get wi-fi access (no!) and Liz wanted to see if Italian nuggets taste the same as Australian nuggets (yes!)
We won’t be late to bed tonight as we have a 6.45am start for a 12 hour tour to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast. We still managed the second episode of Glee!
Thursday 3rd June
At 6am the alarm sounded and it was the first morning that we could have all slept in! Liz just didn’t want to wake up and she wasn’t coughing for the first time. Unfortunately there was no choice as we had to be ready for collection outside the apartment at 6.45am. In fact it was closer to 7.15am by the time Max collected us in the Merc people mover where we met Americans Sarah and David. Next stop was to collect Bob and Barbera, also Americans and finally Shanti, a Singaporean of Indian descent who is living and working in America – all very nice and friendly. After a long freeway drive, on which we passed a monastery on a distant hillside called Montecassino (Kath’s school house name) we hit the narrow and windy roads of the Amalfi Coast. The roads wind up and down the steep mountain faces which drop to the sea. Blind, sharp hairpin bends make for an exciting trip, especially when a bus comes round in the opposite direction – I’m glad Max is driving. The hills are terraced to allow for cultivation on the steep slopes, with lemons in particular being a popular crop. About this time Kath is beginning to feel a little queasy and hits the Travel Calm. First stop is Amalfi, just as it starts to lightly rain. Amalfi town square was quite small and dominated by a church and surrounded by cafes and souvenir shops. Not a great deal to do in the rain but we did have a gelato and bought locally made Amalfi pottery house numbers for “56” which will look nice on the front of the house next to a lemon tree. We also found out what they do with the lemons – limoncello by the bucket load.
Moving on from Amalfi we arrived at Positano for lunch. Loved Positano much more than Amalfi. The grey sand/pebble beach was a great hit with Kath who put it slightly ahead of Scarborough! The sand of course is grey as it is primarily pumice based but is certainly not as attractive as the golden sands back home. There is segregation on the beach between the public and private areas. The only discernable difference was beach umbrellas and lounges on the Private side of the rope – the sand was just as grey! Positano was our lunch stop so we invited Shanti to join us at the restaurant recommended by the guide (who was no doubt getting a kick back). Being coastal, seafood featured heavily on the menu unlike in Rome. I decided on the sea bass in “crazy water” (tomato based sauce) and Kath had the grilled swordfish. Liz had pasta for a change – not. The meals were great and the conversation with Shanti was enlightening on the state of the American health and welfare system and on the cultural freedom as a woman she has in America compared to the subservience she would be expected to accept if she returned to live in Singapore. She made it abundantly clear that she would never consider marrying an Indian man and giving up the freedom she has now grown accustomed to. After lunch we were given a small glass of Limoncello to try – something akin to sour rocket fuel...good to have tried but I think I’ll stick to the single malt thank you very much.
Leaving Positano we headed across to Pompeii. We all assembled for the guided tour, with the exception of Shanti who must have been convinced by Max that he could show her a better time! Within minutes of meeting our guide we realised he was going to be great. He made it clear that he wouldn’t be suffering American fool tourists gladly and that everyone needed to keep up and listen as he had important information to impart. Poor Sarah asked a question about something he had previously discussed and he made her feel like a schoolgirl who wasn’t paying attention in class! But he also had a good sense of humour and was obviously passionate about Pompeii. Fortunately we had arrived mid afternoon and the crowds were leaving and the heat of the day was dissipating – best time to be there.
Where to start.....the Romans were amazing in their town planning and infrastructure construction. They built the town of Pompeii around a square where all the important community buildings were constructed. Pompeii was a trading port originally so there were merchants regularly travelling to the town which, had it not been for the eruption of Vesuvius, would have been like many other Roman towns of the time. The town centre became the place where news was shared and the community learned about what was happening within Pompeii and the greater Roman Empire – no TV, radio or newspapers remember. The Romans had a saying which translates roughly into “bread and fun”. The powers that be recognised if the people had those two things they would always fight to preserve them and so their system made sure the citizens were fed, had access to entertainment, wine and “lupe” – more on that later.
The first thing we are reminded about Pompeii is that it was never engulfed in lava from Vesuvius, which is 7 km away, but was buried in 3 days worth of volcanic ash and pumice stone that belched from the crater when it exploded and drifted over Pompeii. The citizens would have suffocated from the ash before being buried under metres of debris. One slight disappointment is that there are only two examples of the plaster casts of the buried inhabitants, and they are in perspex cases. The volcanic debris preserved much of Pompeii except for the roofs and second stories of buildings which collapsed under the weight.
Now excavated, a clear picture of life in Pompeii can be imagined. The roadways are fascinating. They had one-way and two-way streets and they drove their carts on the left hand side of the roads. The kerbs are quite high and to get from one side of the road to the other there are large stepping stones that cross the roads at regular intervals. The stepping stones are positioned to allow the wheels of the carts (standard gauge) to be driven through whilst allowing the pedestrians to walk across the street safe from the inevitable donkey poo below. The houses were laid out in a similar pattern throughout the town - two shop fronts with a house entrance in-between. The house was then in a courtyard behind the shops. The size and opulence of the house related to the wealth and social standing of the owner. The upper class had the benefit of larger rooms adorned with intricate mosaics and painted walls. In one house a painted wall is pointed out with a god in the background. It is Nike the god of sport and guess what, he has wings on his shoulders that look remarkably like the “swoosh”! Surely there has to be a copyright infringement there. Clear examples of bakeries, wine bars and brothels also exist. Getting back to “lupe”, a name given to prostitutes but literally translated as wolf, one of the best preserved buildings is a brothel. On the walls inside are pictures of the various services on offer which can be enjoyed in what looked like very small cubicles. The guide also referred to the story of Romulus and Remus who were supposedly raised by a wolf and are often depicted in sculptures and paintings as being suckled by a wolf. He said it is in fact most likely that they were raised by a prostitute – probably not as romantic a notion though and wouldn’t have made for such interesting art. The other impressive community facility was the gym, massage and steam room. The construction of the steam room was particularly impressive as it had double walls through which hot air passed and the domed ceiling had channelled grooves etched into it to ensure the condensation ran down the walls rather than dripped on the patrons below.
The extent of the infrastructure in Pompeii was highlighted by the houses having internal toilets and plumbing. The streets had lead water main pipes running through them with smaller pipes running into the houses. As the guide pointed out, once the Roman Empire fell, the world went backwards until less than two hundred years ago. Many countries still don’t have the infrastructure the Romans created in Pompeii. Quite an amazing feat. Naturally many of the ruins are in poor condition due to the ravages of nature and more tellingly the reclamation of materials by subsequent generations so for example the marble is all but gone. Nonetheless it is not too difficult to imagine how impressive and civilised Pompeii would have been and its inhabitants well fed and entertained.
Our two hour tour was over in a flash and it was close to 7pm and time to start the long journey back to Rome. Arriving back at 9.15pm, 14 hours after we started, we definitely felt we had received our money’s worth (although I could have done without the 6 hours or so in the back of the minivan). Liz enjoyed the day and I have to say she was fantastic – not one “are we there yet”, she was engrossed during the Pompeii tour and took loads of photos (maybe the next Annie Liebowicz or Alan Parish). After a quick dinner in the pizzeria across the road it was bed time at 11pm – no chance of lasting through an episode of Glee tonight!
Friday 4th June
Can’t believe it is already our last full day in Rome! Only one big landmark to tick off the list and it looks like another beautiful day on which to do it.
We’ve had a couple of text messages from the Heathcote vets in the last 2 days to update us on Hannah. She seems to be slowly improving and hopefully may be able to go back to the kennel after further observation over the weekend.
After breakfast we head off to The Forum, Palatino and Colosseo – three of the biggest names and important historical sites in Rome. On good advice we head to the Forum/Palatino entrance to buy our tickets and start our sightseeing. Again it is the sheer scope of the site which surprises me most. The other fascinating aspect is the way that various civilisations built on from the original structures – marble arches built by the Romans later became facades for churches built centuries later. Civilisations also built on top of their predecessor’s work – at one stage we realise that the excavated Roman ruins we are walking in are some 10 metres below the floor of a church built centuries later. The walk up to the Farnese Gardens provides a lovely green and cooler contrast and a good panoramic view.
Time to move on to the Colosseo! That advice about buying our tickets at the Forum/Palatino entrance bears fruit as we walk right past the huge queue to the Colloseo. Once inside, the structural engineering feats of the Romans are again inspiring. The stadium style seating for 55,000 could easily be transposed into a modern stadium such as the Olympic Stadium at Homebush. The timber floor of the Colloseo has long since gone and so exposes the labyrinth of tunnels and rooms underneath that were used to move people and animals around so they could appear from below through trapdoors having been winched up on elevators – quite amazing! To keep the spectators more comfortable, massive fabric awnings could be extended from the roofline to provide shelter from the heat or rain. Unfortunately, like so many of the Roman ruins, all of the original white marble that adorned the inside of the Colloseo has long since been scavenged to build and line the churches and cathedrals that followed. It still remains an amazing architectural feat though.
By now it’s close to 2pm and the 4 hours of walking in the ever increasing sun is starting to take its toll so we head off home, but not before Liz has her photo taken with a Roman Centurion (that will be 5 Euros please).
Back at the apartment we devour our Paninis and then relax while the hundreds of photos from the last two days download onto the computer. Liz’s camera card is full – not surprising when she takes photos of every animal she sees and a lot of close ups of rocks! Still she has taken some great photos too.
The girls have gone souvenir shopping whilst I type up the diary for the last two days.
I’m happy that we’ve seen most of what Rome has to offer – we’ve certainly walked many kilometres over the last 5 days! I could happily come back and do it all again or even stay for a few weeks and discover more of the cultural and social life. That could be a project for when Liz is self sufficient...and I am sure we will be saying that many times over the next few weeks.
Time to close off the Rome chapter of the adventure, pack the bags, have dinner, watch an episode of Glee (sad isn’t it but there are no TV programs in English and The Simpsons and Jonas Brothers in Italian just doesn’t cut it!) and prepare to tackle picking up a car and driving out of Rome tomorrow on our way to Tuscany.
Saturday 5th June
“D-Day” – Driving Day. Not much to report before 10am as it was just packing and having breakfast.
We caught a taxi to the Hertz depot in Tiburtina. Fortunately we had a lovely taxi driver who very kindly took us directly to the Hertz depot even though it was about 1 ½ km from Tiburtina Station where in theory he should have taken us. The taxi rules in Rome are very strict and in principle if taxis are booked in advance they can only be to specific destinations such as airports, train stations etc.
The car is a Ford Focus wagon and is a bit smaller than the Ford Mondeo wagon we booked but the guy at Hertz said it was the biggest car they had – at 10.30am on a Saturday in Rome we didn’t have much choice. The bags still fit but the security screen can’t close properly, but it will do. So with the bags loaded and Jane (my Tom Tom friend with whom I have a great relationship) plugged in and route selected I used the wrong hand to put the car into 1st gear and ventured out on to the wrong side of the road! Fortunately there was quite a bit of traffic so for the first few kilometres it was just a case of following the leader. Our first destination was Tivoli and the Villa D’este, about 30 minutes out of Rome. We decided to take the scenic, non Autostrada route. It certainly avoided the Autostrada! Within minutes of leaving Rome we were winding through narrow streets barely wide enough for one car let alone two – I quickly learned how wide the Focus was and where the front right of the car was. Rounding one corner Kath called out “car” as a car coming in the other direction was partially on our side and all I could say was “wall” as that was the other alternative on Kath’s side of the car. Somehow we passed without hitting so I’ve decided that that’s just the way it’s going to be and to be positive rather than tentative when driving.
Jane led us right to Villa D’este in the middle of Tivoli – in fact I think she led us right into the pedestrian only square next to a church adjacent to the Villa. There was a wedding on at the church so there were some wedding cars with ribbons on them but other than that nothing else. Getting such a prime parking spot was too good to be true though so I decided to park our car next to the wedding cars and hope that everyone thought it was part of the official party. We got away with it! Kath went to wander the beautiful gardens of Villa D’este on her own whilst Liz and I kept an eye on the car (and more importantly the luggage). Liz was also feeling a bit car sick so she was happy just to sit in the shade and relax. Kath reported back that the gardens were in fact beautiful with many stunning fountains.
Back on the road Jane took us via the Autoroute this time – much better. Sitting at 130km most of the way the journey was very easy. After a brief stop to refuel and have a bite to eat we left the Autoroute at the Firenze Central exit and went through the toll gates - after a couple of false starts. The first lane we went into someone was stuck at the boom so we had to reverse out and go down the next lane behind an MX5 which also had trouble with the card reader and required the driver to get out and try to talk with someone through the intercom. Time to reverse out again and try the next lane! We got to the boom, put in the ticket, put in the credit card and...nothing happened – it just spat out the credit card. After a couple of attempts I could hear a voice through the intercom no doubt telling me what to do and of course not only can I not understand Italian but the intercom made the voice indistinguishable anyway. Finally I turned the credit card round the other way and hey presto up went the boom gate!
A slight wrong turn just before we reached Casaveccia resulted in a drive around two local villages but before too long we were heading up a narrow drive to our new home for the next week. After our small two room apartment in Rome the Casa Aia we have in Tuscany is massive. Two very large bedrooms, three bathrooms, lounge, dining, kitchen, laundry and outdoor patio. Vicky met us on arrival and immediately made us feel at home, even down to a welcome basket of local foods and a bottle of wine – we only lasted until 6pm before the cork came out! Liz is thrilled that there are two dogs roaming around, including Baffo (moustache) who is Vicky’s dog. He’s a lovely 3 year old black Schnauzer ((unclipped so he is quite shaggy). We’re relaxing into our new Casa, doing some washing, cooking some dinner and having another glass of wine whilst looking out onto the beautiful roses lining the courtyard. I’m looking forward to a good night’s sleep!
Sunday 6th June
A lovely morning in Tuscany and we’ve decided on a quiet day. Whilst I boiled myself a couple of eggs Liz and Kath went for a short walk into Spedaletto just a few hundred metres up the road.
Mid morning Judy, Vicky’s sister in law popped into the courtyard for a chat. She is married to Vicky’s brother Nick. Judy explained that she was born in Kenya and then lived in South Africa most of her life where she met Nick. About 10 years ago they decided to get out of South Africa because of the safety concerns and ended up coming to take over the family holiday home at Casaveccia. The only way to make it viable was to open it up as holiday accommodation in summer. Vicky owns the house we are in and a smaller cottage next to it while Nick has the main house and the old barn which is partly converted into their home. Further renovations are planned for the properties but they are great as they are. Both Vicky and Judy try and get away for the winter months when it gets very cold with snow up to a couple of feet deep - Vicky goes to Morocco with her husband Alessandro in a caravan and Judy to South Africa or somewhere else that's warmer and less snowy than Tuscany. Judy recommended a couple of local restaurants and some ideas for day trips.
Our only other excursion was to the Coop in the main town to buy some grocery supplies. Pretty much like any Australian supermarket, the only main difference was in the fruit and veg department. One thing I’ve noticed is that the fresh food is more “real” here – in Australia the supermarket fruit and veg is all aesthetically perfect. Over here the food has more blemishes and may not look so perfect – for example today we saw several “deformed” cucumbers and tomatoes which looked strange but tasted great. We arrived at the checkout only to be told that we have to weigh the vegetables ourselves so I had to go back in to the store and weigh the tomatoes and cucumbers on scales that then spit out the sticky labels with the prices – very DIY. In fact if you want you can take a handheld scanner into the store with you and scan everything as you go round and then just pay as you leave without having to have everything scanned again. On the way home we drove to Trattoria La Baracchina which was recommended by Judy this morning. We’ll probably go there for dinner on Tuesday.
Back at the house we enjoyed a great antipasto style lunch before a very leisurely afternoon. Symon slept on a bench seat under the shade of a vine covered pergola for a couple of hours whilst Kath read and wrote postcards and Liz watched Prince Caspian.
A gentle stroll through the vineyards on the property before pasta and a couple of glasses of sparkling for dinner – very nice!
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