What a Trip

I can't believe we are heading home. We have been on holiday for 84 days but it seemed to fly by. Its been a wonderful trip and we have learned a lot about other coutries and ourselves. The good news is that Rita and I have enjoyed each others company as well as the warm and firendly hospitality of those we have met on our travels.

However, we are ready to come home as we miss our family and friends very much. Also, Rita is getting tired of her limited wardrobe.

It's been a lot of fun putting our trip onto the Blog, thanks again to William Bakker for teaching me how to do this. Hopefully everyone who read about our travels managed to feel the enjoyment and wonder we felt experiencing it.

Thanks for all your comments and emails throughout our trip it was definately great to here from our friends in Canada.

See you soon....Geoff & Rita

Vatican City

Saint Peter's Square from the Dome of Saint Peter's Basilica


Another perfect day for exploring Rome. Sunny and 16c. We headed for Vatican City, the smallest state in the World taking up only 0.44 kilometeres. The Vatican State was establishd in the Middle Ages and at its height of Power included most of central Italy. However, all this was wiped out with the unification of Italy in 1870. The existing State was established in 1929 and has its own police, diplomatic, army and post office. Saint Peter's Square has been the centre for Christianity for ouver a thousand years and is truly a magnificant sight. St. Peter's Basilica looks huge from the outside but you have no comprehension of how truly massive it is until you go inside. We were very fortunate when we went as the crowds are quite small for Vatican standards and had no problems moving around and getting into the sites.

Religious Procession from Ecuador leaving St. Peter's Square

St. Peter's Basilica Nave

The massive Bronze Baldachin on top of Saint Peter's Tomb.

Roman Holiday

The Roman Coliseum


The heading "Roman Holiday" is for all of us "mature" folks out there who can remember the wonderful Hollywood movie with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

Rome is definately up there with London and Paris. Its got great weather, its an easy walking city, the people are friendly, the food is fantastic and it has over 2,000 years of history on display.

We have been blessed with wonderful weather since we arrived; beautiful sunny days with temperatures ranging from 10 - 16c.

Geoff and Rita Inside the Coliseum

Some of the Roman Forum Ruins that were the Heart of Ancient Rome

The Pantheon was built a few years before the birth of Christ and only survived due to it becoming a Christian Church in 609. The Dome is bigger than St. Peter's and is built of concrete.
The Interior of the Pantheon showin dome supported only by its outside walls

Neptune Fountain at Piazza Navona

18th Century Homes built on top of Ancient Roman Ruins

The Spanish Steps leading to a French Church are very popular for catching a few rays

All Roads Lead to Rome

Without our GPS, we downlowded MapQuest directions to help get us to our car drop off location just outside of Rome's airport. It was raining when we got up and stayed that way until we were just outside of Rome. The cardboard and duct tape only needed one repair on the trip and we found the drop off location without incident. As we had reported the break-in on the car, they did not have a problem with the broken window. They took us to the train station and we headed for Rome and our hotel.

The hotel is very comfortable and within walking distance to all the main sites. We unpacked, went for a long walk to get our bearings and went for a genuie Roman Pizza. Tomorrow the real exploring begins.

Geoff Checking out the Blackberry as Rita Unpacks

Rita Checking out the Tiber River

Saint Pauls Dome in the Distance

Positano

Going Down the Steps to Positano

The weather has finally caught up with us on the Amalfi Coast. The first day we were in Positano it was sunny and 18c. The next day it was overcast with sunny periods and then it went into heavy rains for the next two days with temperatures hovering around 12c. We even had hail one night. Then it cleared up and was a beautiful sunny day. We had planned to take a boat to the Island of Capri for the day. Unfortunately, someone broke into our car overnight and stole our GPS system that we had stupidly left in the glove compartment. Our insurance required a police report to be able to make a claim for the GPS. Under normal circumstances this would be almost impossible as the police here do not do reports for such “minor” incidences and also do not speak English. Our landlord was very helpful and contacted the police and took us down to the station and convinced them to write up a report. He acted as interpreter and we got the document we required to send off to the insurance company. We also had to try and get the small window that was smashed fixed. We finally found a place that could fix it but they would have to order the part and we would be gone by the time it would get here. I decided to do my own repair job with some cardboard and duct tape and let the lease company sort it out when we return the car in Rome. The day was not totally lost as we spent what was left of it getting our exercise hitting the stairs, shops and beaches of Positano.

Geoff Checking out the Italian Vino Options for Dinner

Looking at Positano from its Main Beach

Rita Relaxing at the Beach Before Heading Back up the Stairs

Amalfi Coast

On the Amalfi Coast Highway

Weather was a bit iffy today. Warm (18C) but overcast with some sunny periods. We decided to explore the area by car and check out the town of Amalfi. Amalfi is quite a bit bigger, has a very good harbor and is a lot flatter than Positano. In fact, before a freak tidal wave hit the town in 1343 it was a major maritime power, especially in the 11th and 12 centuries. However, today Amalfi certainly shows a lot more wear and tear than Positano. But the old town area still is worth visiting and exploring.

The town of Amalfi with its beach

Donkey teams are still used to haul loads up that can't be done by Trucks

Positano is Why I Retired at 60

Looking at Positano from the Highway.

Our apartment is located just outside of Positano. As our travel book stated that driving in Positano is very stressful due to heavy congestion, has very narrow streets and very little parking, we decided to walk into town. It’s about a 5 minute walk from our apartment along the highway before you come to the steps that lead down into the town and the beach. 917 steps later we were on the beach. It took us 12 minutes to get down to the beach and I knew it was going to take a lot longer to get back up to the highway. Positano is truly spectacular but I am not sure why anyone thought this would be a good place to start a town. It climbs up the side of a mountain. The only flat area is their small beach. There is not enough flat space to have a Piazza or square, which is very uncommon in Italy. There are lots of short, narrow streets that wind their way up. You are either walking uphill or downhill. There are very few flat areas. We found a very nice outdoor café next to the beach for coffee and cake. We spent quite a bit of time sitting in the sun, enjoying the people watching and preparing ourselves for the ordeal ahead. It took about 18 minutes for us to get back to the highway, which is relatively flat and allowed us to catch our breath as we walked home. This Positano stair master workout will definitely allow us to indulge in some extra coffee and cake sessions while we are here.

Rita at the viewpoint. This is where we access the steps into town and the beach

Portofino climbing up the side of the mountain

The Road to Positano

Siena was our longest stay, 10 days and it was still not enough. We will be back to this wondrous place as there much more for us to see here.

Next stop the Amalfi Coast. It was our longest drive as Tom Tom told us its 480 kms and will take just over 5 hours to get there, not including our pee breaks. The good news is that over 380km were to be driven on the Autostrade, which has a speed limit of 130kmh. The bad news is that the last 50 kms is a very narrow and windy highway carved out of the mountains and the speed limit is 50kmh. However, the usual speed was about 30kmh. There is a very unusual sign that states in several languages that you have to give way to passing cars coming into your lane!!! This has to be for the local drivers as they are very aggressive, drive very fast and overtake in places that would be suicide for us in Canada. I am very happy that we have a small car.

Rita picking up some fruit and veg from roadside vendor on the Amalfi Coast Highway

We left at 10:00 and arrived in Positano at 16:00. Found our apartment and settled in. As in Portovenere, the better the view the more 1970’s our apartment seems to look. The good news is it’s clean and comfortable. And the view is unbelievable. We are hanging off a cliff edge looking out into the Med. The building is 3 levels with the owners on the lower level, a 2 bedroom apartment on the 2nd level and our 1 bedroom apartment on the top. The bad news? The parking lot is 75 steps above us!!! Tomorrow we will check out the Amalfi Coast.

This is where we are staying on the top floor. You can see the parking area on the upper left

Rita on our Balcony checking out the amazing view

Sunset from our Balcony

Sunrise to Sunset

First Light of a Tuscan Morning

This was going to be a long day as we wanted to visit Lucca, which is a 2 hour drive from where we are staying. We got up early (for us) at 07:30 and I immediately went outside to take a picture of the sun coming up.
Lucca has a well preserved 4 km wall surrounding it and it’s a great place to walk or bike. As we walked the ramparts we were joined by many locals walking, biking or jogging their way around the wall. Lucca has had three walls in its 2,000 years and the current one took one hundred years to build (1550 – 1650) and was state of the art for its time as it was designed to absorb cannonball fire. It was short but wide with 35 meters of dirt covered with brick and stone. It cost the town 33% of its total income for 100 years to build, however it was good value as it was never penetrated by an enemy. Lucca is also a very interesting place inside its walls as it has several Churches, lots of Piazzas and wonderful cobbled streets to roam and window shop. Lucca will also be remembered by Rita for having her third proper lunch of our Europe trip. It was in a sun soaked Piazza that was built on top of a Roman Amphitheatre. The current buildings mark the existing outside walls but the cobbled square is 9 feet above the original Amphitheatre floor.
On the way home we stopped to admire and take a picture of a remarkable sunset. It was a wonderful way to end the day.

Church of San Michele of Foro


Piazza del Anfiteatro sitting on top of the ruins of a 10,000 seat Roman Amphitheatre

Sunset on way home to Siena

The Wine and Cheese Tour

Today we visited Montepulciano and Pienza. The first noted for its Vino Nobile and the second for its Pecorino cheese.

Montepulciano and Fortified Wall

Montepulciano is by far the larger of the two and sits on top of a steep hill that allows for wonderful views of the countryside from several panoramic viewpoints. The town’s architecture is a mixture of its past history and has been heavily influenced by its two main city state rulers, Siena and Florence. However, the most popular activity is visiting the many wine merchants who offer up their version of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, a hearty red wine that is made from the grapes of the surrounding vineyards. Our favorite experience was at the Contucci winery located in the Contucci Palace in the Piazza Grande as we were able to go on a tour of the wine cellars located in their 13th Century vaults.

Rita enjoying the "low calorie" local treat Panforte with her cappucino

Geoff in awe of the Oak barrelled wine in the 13th Century Cellars

Pienza is a really pretty little hill town that offers great views of the surrounding Tuscan countryside and lots of tight little lanes with houses decorated with lots of potted plants. Pienza’s claim to fame is Pope Pius ll was born here in the 1400’s and their famous sheep cheese, Pecorino.

Rita on the steps of a pretty street in Pienza

Shop window in Pienza showcasing the local Pecorino cheese along with wild Boer salami

Rita Soaking up the Sun on the Pienza Ramparts

Headingt for the Hills

Civita surrounded by its Canyon

One of the reasons we chose to stay around Siena was its proximity to several small medieval villages allowing us to explore the area in easy day trips. Today we visited Civita and Orvieto.

Both are walled villages on top of hills but Civita is truly remote as it sits on top of a hill that is surrounded by a canyon and is only accessible by footbridge built in 1965. Before that there was a natural land bridge but it fell into the canyon as part of a massive slide. Civita only has 14 permanent residents, mostly in their 80’s. However, many of the homes are being purchased as summer residences by out-of-towners. There is also a multi million Euro restoration taking place to ensure Civita is preserved for future generations. While we were there, a film crew had taken over the village and was shooting a historical film about Pinocchio so we did not really have a chance to properly explore the inside of the village. What we did see had a lot of character and was well preserved.

Rita on the Footbridge to Civita


Filming Pinocchio in the Main Piazza of Civita

Hill Town of Orvieto from the Valley

Orvieto is much larger and although a hill town is accessible by car. You park outside of the walls and explore by foot. The town sits 1,000 feet above the valley floor and most of the buildings and ramparts made from very soft and porous volcanic rock. It gives the town a totally different look than other medieval towns we have visited. The front of their Cathedral is also quite amazing as it looks like an Alter you would find inside the Church. It was completed in 1330 and has an array of mosaics, stained glass and sculptures. We liked the town as it did not feel touristy and it has unbelievable views of the valley below.

The Beautiful front of the Orvieto Duomo

Rita on the Orvieto Ramparts looking at the Valley below

Siena Revisited

We have been blessed with amazing weather while here in Tuscany and today was no exception. Sunny and a warm 18C we started the day with a one hour “speed walk” with the landlord’s dog, Orzo, along some of the country back roads. It was a wonderful way to start the day. After breakfast Rita did a load of laundry before we headed for Siena to check out a couple of the museums and their Cathedral that we did not see on our first visit.

Rita hanging our clothes to dry out of her Bruno Magli laundry bag

Front of Cathedral Santa Maria

The Cathedral of Santa Maria was consecrated in 1179 but most of what is there today is from the 13th Century and was built to compete with the Cathedral in Florence. The Florence Cathedral is definitely more impressive on the outside but the interior of the Cathedral in Siena is definitely the hands down winner. It is packed with so many amazing works of art celebrating God, Jesus and Mary that it’s impossible to describe them all. For me the main features were the floor of the Cathedral which is completely covered by 56 intricate marble inlaid scenes that were started in the 13th Century and were not completed until the 19th Century. The earliest ones were more simple black and white designs with the later ones being very complex and multicolored. For Rita and I ”The Slaughter of the Innocents” panel was truly remarkable and moved us the most. The Libreria Piccolomini is also very impressive with its Frescos, painted ceiling and displays of hand written music scores intricately decorated with religious images. Even Rita was impressed and enjoyed exploring the inside of the Cathedral.

Libreria Piccolomini

One of the 56 marble panels on the Cathedral Floor

After all that exploring and Interneting it was getting late and we decided to sit back and relax with a glass of red wine at one of the café’s rimming the Il Campo Piazza before heading home for one of Rita’s excellent Italian dinners.

City Hall and Tower at Night