greondastravels

This past week the temperature has been hovering around the mid thirties and quite humid, so it has made it a little uncomfortable! Sorry Melbournites, but we know we will be complaining in 2 weeks about the cold!

As this has been our last week here in Monforte, we have slowed the pace down a little!!!

We decided to return to Serralunga and do a tour through the Castello. The oldest part of the Castello dates back to the 13th Century and was built by the Falletti Family, who owned over 50 Castles in the area! It is said that the family spent only 2 or 3 days a year in this particular one! They would come to collect taxes!!!! It was an interesting tour!

We decided to head into the town of Cuneo , about 50 kms away. We had seen pictures of a rather large Piazza and thought it looked rather spectacular. Well, imagine our surprise when we discovered it was market day and the lovely piazza was full of stalls selling “rubbish”. We were very disappointed as it detracted from the view. So we decided to head to a small village called Limone Piedmonte which we had been told about.

The village is one of Italy’s oldest Alpine ski areas, about 8 kms from the French border and was very picturesque, with the village centered around its 12th century church. We spent a lovely couple of hours wandering the cobbled streets ,  far away from the madness of Cuneo!

We decided in the last week , that here were some restaurants in the area that we hadn’t yet tried! One of these was Moda (above) in our village.

We were wondering how one would get the “prime table” at the restaurant on their terrazza panoramica, and we found out ……you pre book and go on a Monday night when it is not busy!

The view was wonderful from our little balcony , and we enjoyed another great dinner.

We did a little celebrating on the night as it was the 2 year anniversary of Greg’s retirement.

Another glass of wine please!!!!!!!!!! Some things never change!

Another great dinner, with a spectacular view was at La Torricella.

La Torricella is an Agriturismo, just outside our village. We ate outside , and the view over the countryside with the sun setting was magnificent! And more importantly, no mosquitoes!

The sun set was spectacular , and the silhouette of Mount Viso over our village was something to see.

The meal was rather delicious, no photos of the food this time, we were too busy taking photos of the landscape. and the wine wasn’t  too bad either!

Of course , the week was not all eating and drinking! We undertook a other jaunt through the vineyards from Barolo to Novello.

Again Greg needed to “ice” the knees! It must be working as he pulled up ok! Mind you the time was 10.30am ! Rhonda decided a coffee and water was in order but oh no…..not Gregory!

Today is our last day here in beautiful Monforte. Over the past couple of days , we have been re visiting our favourite watering holes and saying goodbye!

We had our last drinks at our favourite wine bar, Le Case della Saracca. Rhonda now has an EXTREME liking for red wine! Probably because the white here was not particularly to her liking!

On Friday night we had our last pizza in the square!

We have thoroughly enjoyed our 2 months here in Monforte , and we can certainly recommend both the village and Elena’s apartment. Thank you Elena for your friendship , and we wish you and your family all the best! Maybe one day we will return!

We head off tomorrow for Sicily, and spending 2 nights “in transit”. So next update will be from Sicily……fingers crossed , you never know about the mafia, or the internet!

So ciao ciao for now

lots of love

Greg and Rhonda

xxxxxxx

As above, we are still enjoying the sweet life here in Monforte,and still discovering new places.

We did a day trip to the village of Mondovi, above. Mondovi has two parts , the lower town, and of course, the hill top centro storico! It was a surprise to us, not touristy at all, and the buildings were quite beautiful.

We took the funicular to the top, and of course as in every Italian village we found ABC’s. The Duomo was quite beautiful, and because it was quite a warm day, (any excuse) we sat in the gorgeous Piazza Maggiore and enjoyed a refreshment.

Many of the buildings had painted murals and sun dials on the facades.

We continued our drive and unexpectedly came across the striking Santuario di Vicoforte.

It’s claim to fame…..it has the largest elliptical dome in the world, it was quite spectacular.

In a “continuing attempt” to keep the waistlines somewhat under control, we went on another walk, from Castiglione Faletto to Serralunga, or from one hill top village to another. Of course that means down and then up , and on return down and up AGAIN.

After the first down and up, Greg’s knees required “icing” , but we survived , as did Greg’s knees!

That afternoon we successfully attempted another wine tasting at Concerto Fantino. Imagine our surprise when our fellow tasters were a couple from Melbourne!

We enjoyed a fabulous loooong lunch at a great Agriturismo called L’Angolo di Rosina in the nearby village of Novello.

Lunch was the usual process of pasta first, then mains , then dessert washed down with a bottle of red.Whilst the first 2 courses were fantastic, Greg’s dessert was sensational and Rhonda MADE him share half!

Yep . it’s the Tortino al Cioccolato, the one on the left! Yummo!

Yesterday we decided to let Greg have a “drive free” day, so we went with Giuseppe in his “Ape Calessino”, a real icon of the Itaian 60’s. Only 600 vehicles were made world wide!

We drove through the 5 villages of the Langa. Giuseppe took us to Papa dei Boschi’s , a hazelnut farm which has been operating for 3 generations.

It was actually really interesting and we learnt the process from the harvest ,to the roasting and the packaging. Of course there was some sampling at the conclusion and it was delicious.

We stopped for a great lunch and refreshments at the village of Roddi.

It was nice to have Giuseppe  take some photos of the 2 of us together for a change!

Sometimes there is just no where to set up a 10 second delay!

We have noticed how much the grapes have grown on the vines since we arrived 2 months ago! We can only imagine how beautiful the scenery would be in Autumn when all the vines change colour.

We went to the extremely colourful Cappella del Barolo. The chapel was originally built in 1914 as a shelter for the farmers but never consecrated. It was never used and fell into dis repair. In 1997 the owners decided to renovate the structure into a “Temple of Wine”.

They wanted to create something that would “attract people to spend a pleasant day, to sit, to drink a glass of wine, read a book, talk and even maybe pray a little”. It was quite unusual to say the least!

Of course the day finished with a wine tasting at Costa di Bussia, founded in 1847 by one of the pioneers of the wine growing area of Barolo.

We began in the right hand side, of course by passing the Chardy, and ending with Grappa. We had a fabulous day with Giuseppe , and if anyone is ever in the area this tour is a MUST!

Giuseppe’s web site is    http://www.laprimanellelanghe.com

After we arrived home we decided to head up to the square, as Friday night is Pizza Night and music! The DJ began with a Viennese waltz, then Dean Martin’s “Thats Amore”, then  “These Boots are Made For Walking”. Imagine our surprise when one hour later , Greg’s favourite “My Sharona” blared out! It was a great day and night!

So we have one week left here in beautiful Monforte. The weather is quite hot and humid , and we are not looking forward to that cold wet weather back home!

So it’s that time AGAIN!!!!!!

Ciao for now

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxxxxx

We have just spent a rather hot, but enjoyable three days in Milano.

Of course Milan’s most famous landmark is the stunning Duomo!

Because the queue was quite long to enter the Duomo, and it was in the sun, and it was 34 degrees, we decided to go through the Duomo Museum first which houses many religious objects used in the Duomo throughout the centuries, but the gargoyles were definitely Rhonda’s favourite.

Construction of the Duomo began in 1386 and continued to 1813 with the final finishes, the last door applied, in 1965! Hence the people of Milan have a saying for difficult tasks…….”it could take as long as the construction of the Duomo”.

Some stats for you….

1. There are more statues on this building than any other in the world.
2. 2245 statues on the exterior with 96 gargoyles and 135 spires.
3. The statue of the Virgin Mary on the tallest spire is covered with 3900 pieces of gold leaf.

We took the 2 euro elevator ride and not the 919 “free” steps to the roof of the Cathedral.

What a magnificent sight! You are surrounded by the spires and all the marble figures.

In the Piazza Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele 11 built in the second half of the 19th Century.

Today it houses all those stores that Greg would not let Rhonda enter. Prada, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Armani, Gucci, etc etc etc.

We did however have a coffee at the Camparino Bar and it was our most expensive yet! 5.50 euros per coffee and 4 euros for a small bottle of water!

There is a mosaic of Turin’s Coat of Arms on the floor in the Galleria. Tradition says that if a person spins 3 times with a heel on the testicles, (balls) of the bull it will bring you good luck! So when in Milan………..

After all this exercise, it was time for a cool drink, so what better way to cool down and quench one’s thirst than a bottle of Champagne…French of course!

We had a lovely 2 hours sitting, sipping,munching and watching the “beautiful people” pass by!

We wandered around Castello Sforzesco. It was originally built as a fortress in Medieval times, then transformed to a Palace from the 13th to the 16th Century! These thing take time!

Today the Castello houses many Museums.

Of course in our 3 day Milano “junket”, there were many ABC moments!

Besides the Duomo , the only other one we will bore you with is Santa Maria Delle Grazie.It is where Leonardo’s “Last Supper” is painted so thus it is UNESCO listed.

A little away from the hustle of Milano is The Navigili, the canal system. It was a nice quiet spot to sit, relax and have a coffee, cheaper than the Galleria!!!!!!!!

Rhonda did a “little shopping” , but not the shoes that she wanted. The only pair that she really really really wanted were only 425 euros, but for some strange reason Greg said an emphatic NO.

Scattered throughout the busy shopping area are many stores of ,and for the rich and famous , and the likes of Prada have their own cafes! We decided to have a coffee at the Prada owned Marchesi Cafe and the Barista certainly had a sense of humour! Can you guess which coffee above was Greg’s?????????

Greg would not even buy Rhonda these shoes! They are chocolate ones at 90 euros per shoe! Yes the window shopping was fun!

Our first nights dinner was sensational. After asking “Mr Google” for some sea bass he kindly suggested a Ristorante , quite near our hotel.

The entree pastas of “Italian Flag” seafood gnocchi, and pesto pappardelle were delicious , as was our main course of salt baked sea bass, as was the red wine!!!!!

On our second night we met the “other part” of our Swiss family, Nadines Dad and his wife, Sparta and Sabin. It was a great night, great food, great company , and it was lovely to see them again.

Before catching the Metro back to our Hotel, Greg took some night shots around the Piazza Duomo! It was midnight, and still loads of people were wandering, and it was still around 30 degrees!

We used the Metro system a lot over our 3 day stay and it helped Greg’s knees enormously! We had no problem with our train journeys either! ( Tez, we made sure our train from Milano actually STOPPED at our station!!!!!)

We had a wonderful 3 days, even though it was stinking hot. Milano is a lovely city but we prefer Torino!

So it’s Sunday night , and there is something happening in our Square tonight. Seems to be some type of circus act, so we may partake of a drink to suss it out! Will let you know if it was exciting or not!

So ciao for now!

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxx

After a few days of cooler weather, rain , thunder and lightening, summer has arrived in Monforte with avengence. We have had top temperatures of 30 degrees plus with many more to follow……apparently!

Last Sunday we were planning to go for a drive , and of course, “do lunch”. We did our “usual” and headed up to the Square for a coffee, then came home to get ready to leave. We noticed that the road was blocked and people were sitting along the road. What the…….. we wondered!

It was a bike race that did laps of our village FOR OVER ONE HOUR! So eventually we were able to leave! The restaurant which we “lunched” at was different to say the least! It was a set menu with 9 courses……yes 9 , with a pichet of red wine , and the cost was 52 euros in total! There were 5 appetizers, 2 pastas, one main and dessert! Needless to say no dinner was eaten that night!

We stopped at Mombacaro (left) a cute little village , and of course the ABC count continues to rise! The one on the right in Belvedere Langhe dates back to the 15th Century.

We partook of another walk, although this one tended to take us more along the road than through the vineyards. Greg still had some fun with his camera though!

The scenery of the hills and vineyards still amazes us. Hope you are not getting too bored by all these vineyard photos!

This walk took us past Osteria Rebbi where we had dinner last week, so it gave us the opportunity to take a photo!

With the cooler weather, the Alps re appeared for a few days and Mount Viso was back in full splendour.

Now however, you would not know they were there as they have disappeared in the heat haze again.

We had a great day yesterday and visited the town of Acqui Terme, about 80 kilometres away. It was a town founded by the Romans. In the main square, Piazza della Bollente, you find the amazing natural spring called The Bollente. It gushes from a fountain at a temperature of 75 degrees C at 560 litres per minute! How’s those stats????

It is “said to have” healing powers for all different ailments , so of course Greg tried it on his knees! So far it has made NO difference!

The Cathedral (yep ABC ) was consecrated in 1067. It was closed ( for lunch) , but apparently is quite spectacular inside. We will never know.

Piazza Italia has some beautiful 16th and 17th Century buildings.

Of course no day trip is complete without a rest stop for Greg’s knees and refreshments! This one was up there on our list, the snacks were sensational!

We have been eating well , the waistlines are proof, and have now sampled our pasta from Nonna and Nonno! It was as we thought it would be……..bloody delicious, and we washed it down with A glass of red! Does anyone wish to dine at Osteria Robertos??????

We still frequent the wine bars in our village! Not toooooooo often though!

The Barolo Bar is one of our favourites though! We may head down there tonight as Italy are playing in the UEFA Euro 2016 ( Or the European Football  Comp) so it may be a “hot time in Monforte” tonight.

We have to behave though as early tomorrow we head off to Milan for a couple of days and maybe some shoe shopping for Rhonda!

Hope  all you Melbournites are not getting too cold and wet! That is the  only thing we are NOT looking forward to when we come home!

Yep it is that time again!

Lots of love to all

Greg and Rhonda

xxx

We are still having a wonderful time, but we cannot believe how quickly the time is going now! There are still quite a few things we “need” to do before we move on, including places to see and restaurants to eat at.

We are still attempting to do a decent walk at least once a week. We found one through the vineyards, starting at Castiglione Falletto to Barolo.

The views were again quite spectacular and Greg had some fun with his camera!

Of course the knees needed to be lubricated once we returned home!

Elena invited us again to her home for lunch. It was another delicious 5 course meal. After lunch we had a very special outing. They invited us to accompany them to a friends house and watch them make ravioli.

The couple ran a restaurant in the square in Monforte for 37 years. Nonno made the past dough while Nonna put it through the machine, filled and pinched it to make “ravioli plin”. It was amazing to watch, such an art.

We had eaten pizza at the local square but we were told that the Piscine Pizzeria, or the local Pizza joint at the swimming pool was good too!

We enjoyed the pizza in the square better, but the swimming pool was pretty impressive for such a small village! It was a one kilometre walk to the pool, so by the time we returned it was twilight. The square looked rather impressive!

The roses in the village have just about come to an end but they are still really pretty!

We are still discovering the many villages dotted around the area.

Sinio, left, is a very small hill top medieval village with a population of 471 , but quite quaint. Canale , right, was a larger town , and the covered archways were a great spot for a drink!

We did a day trip to Santa Margarita , a 2 hour drive , on the coast past Genoa , near Portofino. Although the weather was not kind to us with rather grey skies , we still enjoyed the day. We had a great lunch and walked around the town looking at the beautiful buildings and the coastline.

We had thought about returning to Portofino, to re live a special time there a few years ago  drinking Veuve with special friends , so we started along the narrow winding road! However poor little Pierre was quite intimidated by the rather large number of red Ferraris and Italians that drive those cars do not get out of the way of  little purple Citreons , so we did a U turn and came home!

Another drive took us to Diano d”Alba , another beautiful hill top village.

We were lucky that the Alps had re appeared out of the mist that morning and even though the clouds had started to come in, the view was stunning.

Our next stop was Roddi with a rather impressive Castello , parts of which date back to the 1300’s.

Again Greg was having fun with the camera. The red geraniums are all over the place and in full bloom.

The next stop on the tour was Cherasco with many medieval palazzos and magnificent churches. Yes more ABC’s.

We are still enjoying eating at the many restaurants! We had a wonderful meal last night at Osteria Rebbi, just down the road from home.

Rhonda’s gnocchi with asparagus , ricotta and saffron was sensational , and Greg’s grappa pannacotta was his best one so far! Yum!  Donkey was on the menu , however not available last night. It was a shame as we would have tried it!

Well it is Friday night and pizza night in the square for us , so it’s ciao until next time.

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxxxxxx

We have just spent two fantastic days in Torino!

Torino, in 1861 was the first capital of Italy, and it has a very French feel about it! That is probably due to Napoleon, who on June 22nd 1880 entered the city , had the gates and ramparts demolished , and replaced them with broad streets and avenues in the style of Parisian Boulevards. He even erected a guillotine in one of the Piazzas. Don’t you love the French.

The City today has 18 kilometres of Arches and 320 kilometres of tree lined avenues, and heaps of palaces , or Palazzos. We loved it.

Our Hotel was great, not too far from the city centre, although we did take the tram a few times to help Greg’s knees! We had a small balcony with views up the street, as above!

The Palazzo Reale, or the Royal Palace of Torino is in the imposing Piazza Castello. It was built in the 16th Century by the Savoy Dynasty, and designed by the French born Madame Reale Christine Marie of France who wanted a “new worthy sumptuous residence”. What a woman!

It was stunning inside and housed the Royal Armoury which was quite a display.

Connected to the Palace, is the Turin Cathedral, and it is where the Holy Shroud of Turin is kept. The actual shroud is kept in a lead box , so you cannot see it, only a replica! But when in Turin……. we did not take any photos as we thought it would not be appreciated!

The Palace was just as spectacular floodlit at night as was the Palazzo Madama ,(below) now a museum. It was also attributed to Madame Christine from Palazzo Reale fame! She certainly left her mark on the city.

We were told by the Hotel that we must visit the Mole Antonelliana, as it was Torino’s answer to the Eiffel Tower! How wrong can one be!

However it’s claim to fame is that it is the tallest un reinforced brick building in the world with an interesting lift well, and it gave us a spectacular 360 degree view of Torino!

We stumbled across the Galleria Subalpina, an elegant arcade built in 1873 to enable the “beautiful people” to walk in style in inclement weather.

The Porta Palatina , or Palatine Gate, is one of the original Roman gates in the city, and one of the best preserved 1st Century BC gates in the world.

At each corner you walk around , there is another Palace! This one, (sorry for the scaffolding) is the Palazzo Carignano, built in 1679 and between 1848 and 1861 was the Home of Parliament.

The many large Piazzas in Torino were a great place to stop, relax, rest Greg’s knees and have a few refreshments!

Piazza Vittorio Veneto (above) was huge, surrounded by magnificent buildings, and had good beer and made great Aperol Spritz!

Another huge one was Piazza San Carlo (above) .

It was quite spectacular at night also!

We love the fact that in Torino when you order either coffee or “refreshments”, you get food. With coffee , it is usually small biscuits , and with drinks it can be many different things!

Here in Piazza Carignano, the coloured rice chips were interesting, along with the wasabi nuts and candied almonds!

Of course it was not ALL alcohol. We had read that the “drink” of Torino was the Bicerin, native to the city, so of course , again, when in Torino…….! We read that the drink was invented at Caffe Al Bicherin , so of course we had to go there to try one!

The Bicerin is ….an espresso with hot bitter drinking chocolate and whipped cream layered ( yes you can see the layers) in a glass! We expected it to be very sweet, but it was not too bad at all. We still prefer our cappuccinos though! The cafe has been there since the 18th Century , in a lovely courtyard so it was worth the effort to find it.

There are many historic cafes lining the arcades in Torino. This one Fiorio, on Via Po , was founded in 1780 and is one of the few that has maintained its original layout with its yellow marble counters. Apparently Mark Twain was a frequent visitor!

We managed to travel to Torino by train, and left Pierre in a car park at Bra overnight. Luckily he was still there when we returned and we managed to catch the correct trains Tez!!!!!!

Rhonda also did some “shoe shopping” in Torino but still wants to look in Milan for some more! She may need a second suitcase to come home!

We had a wonderful time in Torino , and would thoroughly recommend a visit, we actually enjoyed it more than both Rome and Florence!

So it is Friday night , and yep, it is aperitivi time!!!!!  AGAIN!!!!!!

so it is ciao from us

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxx

We have spent a fabulous weekend with “some” of our Swiss Family. Esther , Jean-Pierre and Claudie came for a “holiday” to Italy to see us. They arrived for a late lunch on Friday, after a 5 and a half hour drive. After a lunch at “Osteria Roberts” we made a visit to a winery not far from us.

It was the winery of Domenico Clerico but a little history first………

Domenico’s father had been growing grapes for a very long time, and in 1976 he asked Domenico if he wanted to take over the reins of the winery , which he did. Over the years he purchased more land and grew different grapes to produce different wines. Today he specialises in Barolo wines.

The story goes that for many years Domenico worked in cellars underground, and felt like he was living and working “like a mushroom”, so he built a magnificent new winery and cellar in 2013 at a cost of 40 million euros!!!!!! Not bad eh?????? It is complete with a house and a magnificent pool which he decided not to live in because he didn’t want to mix “work with home life”.

We did a tour of the complex, including the massive cellar and finished off with a tasting. His cellar produces 110,000 bottles per year.

We went to dinner at Le Case della Saracca, a superbly renovated Palazzo (Palace) at the top of the hill in the old village of Monforte , walking/staggering distance from home! It was extremely unusual , and the architect did a fantastic job.

We had a pre dinner drink with the many tapas at the bar, but we were a little disappointed with the dinner, however the spectacular surroundings made up for it.

On Saturday we decided to test Greg’s knees again , and we walked to Barolo. It was a lovely walk, again through the vineyards, about 50 minutes , and we all enjoyed it.

Of course, after a walk, one needs to hydrate and eat…….so we did! Again we had some great pasta, we haven’t had a bad one yet. Greg’s knees survived the walk back too!

We had a little rest, then off again to dinner. This time to Osteria dei Catari where we had been before and enjoyed. The food again was good, but the service was shocking. It is a little disappointing when you take guests!

On Sunday we traveled to Alba to…..   A. let the Swiss see the town and  ….. B.  of course to do lunch! We enjoyed a great lunch and then it was time to say goodbye to the Swiss. They headed back to Switzerland (another 6 hour drive) and we headed home (20 minutes). Which would you prefer??????

To walk off some of the eating and drinking we did on the weekend, we decided to do ANOTHER walk just around our little Monforte area. It was just over one hour. We think the 2 walks were a little too close together , as Greg’s knees were not as good, so he had to get the ice on them, but had a beer as well……just to be sure!

Today we have relaxed and have packed our overnight bags as tomorrow we are heading to Torino for a one night stay.

Elena is still very kindly bringing us home made jams, cherries from her garden and wine! We do not know how we are going to thank her. She is such a sweetheart!

So it’s that time again

Ciao for now

Greg and Rhonda

xxxxxxx

Yes. the weather the last few days in Monforte has been pretty average! When the sun is out , it is quite warm, however there has been quite a bit of rain too! But that has not stopped us from venturing out, doing lunch, and enjoying ourselves!

As you can see above, the mountains are sometimes very hard to find, but when the sun does shine, the scenery is still quite magnificent, and still ceases to amaze us at times!

We are still discovering many of the small villages in the area. We went to Bossolasco, the village of roses, and once we got there we could see how it got it’s name!

The roses were everywhere in the village , and above is just a few of the varieties! We intend to go back and do a loooong lunch there, as we found a great little spot with a great view to sit and ponder!

We have been watching the Giro d’Italia on the television here. At least you don’t need to understand the language to watch a cycle race! Not quite as exciting as the Tour De France, but we were a little excited when we discovered that on the last day of the race, they were coming quite near  to us on their way to the Finish line at Torino!

So we took off to the town of Racconigi, to see them ride through! There was a huge Polizia presence in the town , and for the first 20 minutes before the cyclists arrived, the police on motorcycles nearly outnumbered the spectators!

In the picture on the right , you can see the Astana team , and if you look closely, you can see the Pink Jersey of Vincenzo Nibali, who was the winner! Rhonda was not a fan of Nibali  who has been outed for “naughty things” previously, and was going to yell out a few things….however Greg pointed out to her that he was Italian, and we were surrounded by Italians, so instead she yelled out “go Orica” when the Orica Green team rode by! It was actually quite good to stand on the road , and get caught up in all the excitement. It has just made us more determined to go and see a stage of the Tour de France!

We have tested Greg’s knees out again, and done another walk, this time to another hill top village near to us called Novello. It was not quite a strenuous as the other one, and not as long, so Greg coped a little better.

The Castello at Novello, was rather spectacular. It is now a 5 star Hotel, but was originally a 13th Century Medieval Manor House, and was restored extensively in 1880. We decided that we needed a refreshment, but we were a little under dressed, and too smelly to enter the above establishment, so we went to the local bar instead!

Greg has now decided that it is the beer that helps his knees , and not the ice, so of course, it was a beer at the local bar……. hold the ice!

It is a delight to walk and drive the roads , and look out over the vineyards, hills, and mountains in the distance. No photos do it justice!

We are looking forward to tomorrow, when Claudio, Esther and JP come to stay with us for the weekend from Switzerland. We have a visit to a winery arranged, and some restaurants booked, so we just hope that the rain stays away!

We are still enjoying all the pasta we are eating at the restaurants here. It is so different from back home, and it is quite fun trying to work out the menus when they are only in Italian! So far no mistakes!!!!!

It’s bed time now, already done the aperitifs!

Ciao

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxxxx

We are enjoying our time in Monforte, however we have decided to seek an injuction with the Mayor of the village to stop the motorcycles coming in on the weekends! It is unbelievable, they are sooooo noisy , and there are soooooo many of them! That is our only complaint we have…..so far anyway!

We are still having our usual cappuccino at our local

We are gaining an understanding of the variety and more importantly, the quality of the wine grown in the area.

It is still a bit daunting to be presented with a 38 page wine list at dinner , with a price range of 20 euros to 800 euros!

We visited the village of Barolo, above,  which is apparently where the first Barolo wines were made by the Marquise Falletti.

The Falletti Castello in Barolo is now a Wine Museum , and throughout the region there are many references , ( and Palaces ) to the Falletti Family!

Pierre is handling the narrow winding roads well, nothing to do with Greg’s driving of course! Pierre has even had an Italian car wash!

We checked out the village of La Morra where the first wines were made in 1400…….by the Falletti family! Greg decided to do some black and whites , just for a change!

It is another Medieval village, again perched on the top of a hill, with a great Belvedere, with a fantastic view!

We decided to test Greg’s knees , and do a walk to Serralunga d’Alba, it was a 5 km hike up and down through the vineyards.

It was a fairly strenuous walk, but well worth the effort, as we rambled through the vineyards and marveled at the countryside.

Serralunga is another typical Medieval village, changed very little since the Old Times!

The FALLETTI Castello dates back to the first half of the 14th Century! We are thinking that this Falletti Family is the Packer or Rinehart Family of today! The Castle was impressive from the outside , but closed , so we need to return to go inside and check it out!

Of course Greg’s knees needed a GOOD rest so it was  a good excuse for a lunch stop!

It took us a little longer to return home , and at one stage Rhonda thought that she was going to have to piggy back Greg home!

However we made it……..JUST……..and after packing Greg’s knees in ice, and drinking a few beers he recovered!

So was it the ice or the beer??????????????????

We ventured into Bra for a “lunch date”, another Medieval town. We loved the Town hall, above, remodeled in the 18th Century.

More ABC’S too. We were impressed with the ceiling in the Church of Saint Clair built in 1742.

Bra is famous for it’s sausage! So of course we had to try it!

It is a gourmet sausage made of lean veal , and we finished our lunch with coffee and cake in true Italian style!

We are eating at “home” too and enjoying lunches of melon, prosciutto, parmigiano, and peppers! YUM!!!!!

We were also invited to our Landlord, Elena’s home for lunch! It was fantastic. She cooked us a traditional Piedmont lunch all washed down with local wine and grappa! Yummy!

In typical Italian style, after lunch we partook of a little siesta! When in Rome………

We visited the village of Grizane Cavour and went through the Medieval Castle. The tower dates back to the 13th century , and the main body to the 16th century! The best part was the Hall of Masks with it’s wooden ceiling constructed in 1547.

So as you can see, we are still having a great time, although missing everyone at home…..especially our little Abigail! We hope she remembers Nanny and Poppy when we get home!

So it is Friday night and we are going for a pizza for dinner!

Ciao for now

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxx

We drove along the coastline, the Italian Riviera, on our way to Monforte!

When we hit Italy, our first stop was for a decent coffee,  and we were not disappointed! The Italians know how to make coffee!

We are delighted with our choice of village here in Piedmonte! It has everything one needs, 12 restaurants / wine bars , 2 Pizzerias, 2 small supermarkets, ALL within walking / staggering distance of our apartment.

Our apartment is fantastic, and our Landlord , Elena , is amazing!

When we arrived  our house was full of local goodies, including cakes, chocolates, wine etc etc etc! It is a 2 bedroom apartment , and to our delight has a great coffee machine!

Our village is a hill top village, typical of the area! It is quite a steep walk to the top and we try to walk it every day to keep the kilos under control!

We went to Alba, about 20 kms away for the day. it was founded by the Romans , and during the Middle Ages it became the “One Hundred Towers Town” but only a few remain.

On the recommendation from Alison and Anthony at Scopri, our favourite restaurant in Carlton, we had lunch at Osteria del Arco! The food was great , and so was the wine! The challenge which we have accepted , is to try ALL the wines in the area! It will be quite a challenge given that the wine lists always come in 2 volumes…….quite lengthy!

We are following our usual routine, one day touring, one day looooong lunch, one day rest.

We had a rather coolish day, only 18 degrees, with some showers. As well as clearing the haze off the mountains, it dusted them with snow! What an amazing sight it was. We tried to capture it with the camera but the photos do  not do it justice! Sorry!

We had always thought that the Tuscan countryside was  magnificent, but Piedmonte , to our surprise is better. We will let you know if the food and wine is better as well…….so far so good!

As well as our “local coffee shop” in our village, we have another in the next village, Castiglione Falletto, and she already knows our order!

Our first touring day took us to some local villages starting at Barbaresco (above). As well as a lovely Medieval Tower, the whole area is a UNESCO listed wine area.

Next stop was Neive, one of The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, and we could see why! It was full of Palazzos, many of which date back to the 16th Century. We came across these gates to one of them!

Quite impressive!

We have also decided  that our touring days will incorporate a glass or 2 of wine! Both of these wines came from Neive, and according to our waiter, just across the road from the wine bar! You have to love the Italians, not only do you get a glass of wine, but the food comes with it as well, and it is cheap! BONUS!

We continued to marvel at the 360 degree views of the Alps. It was stunning!

Next stop on the tour was Treisco and of course time for another wine!

Rhonda has taken a liking to the Arneis , a local white , and Greg is trying every single available red that he can!

We had a great day and are looking forward to exploring many more of the small villages around us.

We thought you may be interested in seeing the balcony gardens that some of the locals have! We thought that they would not need a lot of watering!

So it’s ciao for now! We are out for dinner tonight! Pasta maybe?????????

It’s that time again!

Love Greg and Rhonda

xxxxxxx