ITALY AUG 6 -25th , 2017

The nine and a half flight from Melbourne to Hong Kong was certainly made much easier because of our frequent flyer business class tickets. With a six hour layover in Hong Kong, we decided to take a quick trip into town. We watched the locals enjoying a live band in a public area, admired some local sculptures, did a spot of window shopping and then it was back to the airport for our early morning flight.

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MONDAY, 7th AUGUST, 2017 – ROME

We had coordinated with Kerry so that her flight from Sydney arrived just half an hour after ours at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. Kerry had booked a BnB very close to our own Airbnb accommodation at Via Ruggero Bonghi, 38 so we shared a taxi and agreed to meet up later in the afternoon.

We were delighted with our lovely rooftop apartment and the huge balcony with views overlooking the Colosseum.

The place where Kerry stayed was gated and so when we went to visit her in the afternoon we had to stand outside and shout until she finally heard us. We went for a lovely walk across a park at the bottom of our street to get a close up view of the Colosseum. It was forty two degrees and Kerry was feeling exhausted and a bit heat affected, so she decided to go back to her place and have a bit of a rest until we met up for dinner. She was only staying about 300 meters from our place and Barry gave her careful instructions on how to get back and also how to get to the nearby restaurant. At the allotted time we went to her house and shouted and shouted but got no reply. So we went to the restaurant hoping to see her there, but she didn’t show up. After dinner we went back to her place but our persistent shouting had no response. I started to get seriously worried and finally sent a message to her daughter, Ria, saying that her mother was lost in Rome.

8th AUGUST, 2017 – ROME

The next morning I had a distressed call from Kerry. The poor thing had been staggering around in circles, hopelessly disoriented and completely lost and overheated for what seemed like hours. She kept asking taxi drivers to take her to her address but they couldn’t understand her and thought she wanted to go to the train station. In desperation and fearing that she might faint with heat, she ended up lying down in the park with other ‘homeless’ people. She had wanted me to come and collect her from the hotel where she had eventually checked into. She had to go out into the street to find the name and address of the place. I can only imagine the frustration and fear that she must have endured!

That same day Barry and I had booked a guided motor scooter tour of the environs and introduction to the Colosseum. Barry went off to collect the scooter and discovered that the only ‘guided’ part of the tour was at the actual Colosseum which was our rendezvous point. Rome’s roads are peppered with one way streets which are not clearly defined on a street map. We could see where we wanted to go but couldn’t find a way of getting there. In the end we found ourselves going down a one way street and it was only as a large Mercedes appeared in front of us that we realised that we were going in the wrong direction. Barry found himself pinned under the Vespa with the melting tar on the road burning the flesh of his arm. I pulled the scooter off him and it wasn’t until later in the day that I realised that I had sustained a broken toe. So much for our ‘Roman Holiday’ Vespa adventure!

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9th AUGUST, 2017

We spent the day doing the ‘hop on hop off’ bus experience of Rome spending time st the Roman forums, the Pantheon, the Vittoriano (the typewriter) and a host of other famous landmarks.

10th AUGUST, 2017 – SORRENTO, ITALY

We stayed at the lovely GRAND HOTEL de la VILLE on Via Rota 15, SORRENTO

https://www.delavillesorrento.com/

Later in the evening we took a taxi to my favourite restaurant in Sorrento. It was down the bottom of the hill in a lovely little fishing village and the food was every bit as good as I remembered it from my previous visit. Perhaps it tasted all the better because this time I wasn’t eating alone!

Porta Marina Seafood. Via Marina Grande 25, Sorrento

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11th AUGUST, 2017 – POMPEII

We had booked what was purported to be a small group tour of Pompeii with hotel pickup. When the minivan arrived on time all seemed well. We stopped along the way for a photo opportunity of the glorious Bay of Naples but when we arrived at Pompeii we discovered that our ‘small group’ was going to join up with about five others, so it was not so small after all! Nonetheless, we had a fascinating tour of Pompeii and were also able to send a special birthday wish to a very special girl.

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12th AUGUST, 2017 – LUCCA

On my fifth visit to Lucca in seven years, I loved it even more than the first time. I had known Barry on every one of those trips and despite the time difference, we managed to speak together almost every day. Twice while I had been there, he had proposed to me, so it was very special to share my favourite Italian town with him. I had found a lovely Airbnb apartment right on the city wall which most unusually, had a large garden.

14th AUGUST, 2017 – FLORENCE

I never tire of Florence. Like so much else about this trip, it was a special thrill to share it with Barry. Every time I visit it is more and more crowded with tourists, but it is nonetheless worth it to see the Duomo yet again and all the other iconic sites of Florence, Ponto Vecchio, Piazza Della Repubblica and Piazza Della Signora. Then, of course, Kerry and I just love shopping in Florence!

15th August, 2017 – Lucca

The wonderful thing about spending ten days in Lucca is that it makes such a fabulous base. Walking around the 4 kilometres of leafy top of the city walls that completely surround the town gives a wonderful birds-eye view of the entire town. People stroll, jog, bike and roller blade around it. There is always something new to see and sometimes I take a break in the Botanical Gardens.

16th AUGUST, 2019 SIENA & SAN GIMIGNANO

While both Lucca and Florence are easily reached by train, some of the other lovely Tuscan towns can only be reached by public transport in a very convoluted and time consuming fashion. So we bought seats in a shared mini bus that took us to both of these absolutely delightful little towns. I had spent five days in Siena some years before and was thrilled to witness the spectacle of a competition of flag throwing by various districts of Siena. Each district has its own colours, symbols, medieval costumes and traditional bands and it was intoxicating to hear them coming from all the various sections and then gathering together in the town square (il Campo) sheer they compete in the flag throwing competition. This time we were going to be there for il Palio, a world famous horse racing pageant. I was tempted to attend until I realised that in order to get even a glimpse of the exhilarating one minute event, we would have to secure a place and wait there for at least five hours. We elected to go on another day!

SAN GIMIGNANO is famous for its 14 towers which give this lovely walled town a peculiar illusion of resembling a medieval Manhattan. These towers (which once numbered 72) were the symbols of the power and wealth of the city’s medieval families.

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A perfect day culminated with a stop at a winery for bread, cheese and wine and glorious vistas of the Tuscan countryside.

17th AUGUST, 2017 – LUCCA

I enjoyed strolling around Lucca with Barry showing him the places that I had fallen in love with again and again and pointing out the various places where Kerry and I had stayed previously and some of the great restaurants we had eaten in.

Lucca has some of the most wonderful restaurants that I have ever eaten in. Unlike many other Italian towns, here every visitor is treated like an honoured guest. At Gli Orti Di Via Iliza 17, we had goat, Vitello tonato and gnocchi, all of which was absolutely delicious. We shared the space with many Italian families and this delightful cameo is one of my favourite photos ever.

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Another great restaurant is Antica Drogheria Via Elisa, 5. The menu is casual and varied with many sophisticated surprises. This is the place to experience Florentine steak and slow cooked wild boar. Locals as well as tourists eat here and there is no discrimination.

18th, 19th & 20th AUGUST, 2017 – LUCCA

While Barry took the three and a half hour train trip to Rimini and spent three days there exploring motorcycle museums, Kerry and I gorged on shopping. We took another day trip to Florence and explored every lovely boutique in Lucca. Then on the 21st of August we went our separate ways. Kerry took a flight from nearby Pisa to Vienna and Barry and I continued on to Venice via Milan.

22nd AUGUST 2017 – MILAN

Barry needed to go to Milano to purchase parts to build his Benelli. I just love Milan!

We stayed in a wonderful hotel, Maison Milano UNA comes close to perfection. The location is the best possible – only steps away from the Duomo, Vittorio Emanuel Arcade and glorious shopping in all price ranges. I was initially dubious because the check-in area was so miniscule that we were all but sitting in the street. My fears were quickly allayed. Our room was of moderate size but opened up to an extremely generously sized bathroom that provided every conceivable amenity. There were even two types of salts for the bath. The bed linen was sublime as was the breakfast linen. Breakfast (at an extra €30pp) was only available as room service, but it was incredibly generous and delicious. Last but not least, the wonderful staff…They directed me to a nail salon for necessary ‘refills’, a trendy place for a pre-dinner drink, and a fabulous traditional Milanese restaurant. Top points!

https://www.gruppouna.it/esperienze/maison-milano

I can highly recommend UNO Maison Milano, Via Mazzini 4, Milan

23rd AUGUST, 2017 – OH WOW! BAUER PALAZZO, VENICE

On my previous trips to Venice, I had also arrived by train and then jostled with the crowds to find a place for myself and my luggage on the Vaporetto, the public ferry. I love traversing Venice by Vaporetto and always have two or three trips, one of them at night, because this is a spectacular way to see Venice. This time, however, especially as we were staying at the magnificent Bauer Palazzo, I decided that we should arrive in style. So I hired a private water taxi. The exhilaration as we soared down the Grand Canal, past countless palazzi from the 12th to the 18th centuries, and then arriving at the private mooring for Bauer Palazzo defies description.

We spent two glorious days exploring Venice, getting lost, admiring the spectacular buildings, Piaza San Marco, the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge and so much more before boarding our Silver Sea Venice to Athens cruise. We even took a very romantic gondola ride. It was all so very special!