greondastravels

Today is our last day in Bellano , but we have certainly seen and done a lot. Since our last post we have been on the go!

We did a day trip to Switzerland to a rather gorgeous town called Bellinzona.

It is known for it’s 3 Medieval Castles which are all UNESCO listed. They were built by the Dukes of Milan to stop the route southwards to the Swiss. The first castle , Castelgrande dates from 1250 to 1500. You can climb narrow steps to reach the ramparts or by a lift! Guess which way we chose!

The second castle is Montebello dating from 1462. It was our favourite and really very pretty.

The third one was Sasso Corbaro dating from 1478. We had a great day and it was well worth the trip.

We decided to brave the crowds and return to Bellagio to “do lunch”. We caught the ferry , had a lovely walk around the village before too many “tourists” arrived, did a bit of shopping, had a pre lunch appetitive and then had a fantastic lunch at Hotel Metropole on the water. It was Yum!

Because it was going to be 38 degrees in Bellano , we decided to drive back to Switzerland and visit St Moritz where the temperature was going to hover around 24 degrees! Jude had her eyes shut in the back seat on the winding roads.

We arrived at St Moritz and we must say the town itself was not quite as picturesque as we had expected. Very modern , sterile and not your typical Swiss village. We knew there would be upmarket shops , which there was, but left us a little disappointed.

After we had walked through the town we went down to the Lake and we were more impressed with that. It was very pretty and we found a spot for a hot dog, beer and aperol spritz to enjoy the beautiful view.

We have had time to sit in our garden and wonder about the guy who lives next door! He appears each evening in his very tight black or grey undies , hence we have named him “Reg Grundy”, he talks to his 2 cats , waters his grass in the same spot for hours , and he puts his bathrobe on his outdoor table to dry. We used to think it was a tablecloth! It has certainly made us laugh a lot.

We have had some lovely sunsets and the lights from our balcony at night are quite beautiful.

We also drove down to the town of Como to check it out. We really enjoyed the day wandering through all the alley ways. The Como Cathedral was rather stunning, with construction beginning in 1396 and was finished in 1770.

We took the Funicular up to Brunate to get a birdseye view of Como. The Funicular was built in 1849 and still running!

We descended and had a great lunch back in Como. The waiter was another one who wanted “Greg’s life”. “You have 2 lovely ladies and they pay the bill. I want your life” .

So tonight is our final night here on Lake Como. We head to Aosta tomorrow for more adventures.

So it’s that time again, time to pack, and of course have a drink or two!

Ciao ciao

Greg , Rhonda and Judy.

Still having a great time here in Lake Como even though it is still bloody hot! We decided to give Pippo a treat and take him on a ferry ride as well. We put him on the ferry to go across to Menaggio , then drove inland from Lenno , up the mountain to check out the UNESCO listed Sacro Monte di Varese. Known as “The Holy Road”.

We had a 2 km uphill “hike” on cobblestones to eventually reach the Santuario di Santa Maria del Monte. Along the way up you pass 14 small chapels! When we reached the top, surprise surprise there was a bar alongside the Church , so……… at 10.30am we decided to refresh with a beer! Why not! Greg did continue to say that it wasn’t worth the climb….except when the beers were on offer!

We drove past George Clooney’s Villa , but he didn’t seem to be home so we weren’t invited in for a drink! We did read though that the Mayor of his village was sick of people stopping outside his house , taking photos etc , so now if there are more than 3 people standing there , they all get fined 19 euros! We decided not to risk it! We decided to have a picnic lunch by ourselves on the Lake.

We had to return to Varenna for lunch to check out a few places before Jude arrived! The grilled lake fish was sensational, together with grilled vegetables and a potato gratin, washed down with a bottle of rose from Puglia! Yummo!

That day , when we returned to pick up Pippo, he had a little piece of paper on his windscreen, yes a parking fine! After a number of attempts to talk to the police about the fine, Greg finally got friendly and cosy with the local sergeant! After trying to talk his way out of paying, which they were not happy about, they advised him he had to pay the 40 euro fine , but there were 2 amounts on the notice , a lesser amount if you paid within 5 days. As Greg was paying on day 6 , the “junior officer” insisted he pay the full amount however his new friend the sergeant, said he could pay the lesser amount! Now he is Greg’s best friend and he waves to Greg in the village! Good friends to have!

Last Saturday we had a very early wake up call, 4.45am to head to Malpensa airport to pick up Judy. After coming back home and resting, showering and for Jude unpacking, we took the train to Varenna and did lunch. We had a great lunch at Osteria Quatro Pass. We all a great pasta dish of sun dried tomato ravioli with eggplant chips.

It was a very early night for all of us , so the next day we were ready to party! We decided to take Judy for a ferry ride so headed down to Bellagio first for breakfast, to try to beat the crowds. We sat with all the “beautiful people” , not out of place for us at all.

We spent the day crisscrossing the lake showing Jude some of the smaller villages. Although Mask wearing is compulsory to board the ferry , it seems people think that as soon as you get on , you can take them off! Ours only come off when there is no one else around us!

Yesterday we did a day trip to Milan. Headed off on the early train and had breakfast in Milan. The main event of the day was to visit the magnificent Milan Duomo.

The Duomo is the 5th largest Christian Church in the world and covers an entire city block .It was officially started in 1386 and finished in 1900. It is built from beautiful pink hued marble and is quite stunning. It has more statues on it than any other building in the world with over 3400 statues and 135 gargoyles. We first wandered around inside then took the lift (it was worth paying an extra 5 euros) to the roof top for the fantastic close up views of all the intricate spires. It was magical.

Although we have done quite a bit of touring since Jude has arrived , there has been quite a lot of shenanigans happening too. Also we have realised the alcohol supply is diminishing more quickly now we have one extra!

So it’s that time again, yes time for a drink, and work out our itinerary for the next few days , as the temperature is going to hit the high 30’s for the rest of the week! We think a couple of days driving to the Swiss Alps may be a tad cooler.

Ciao ciao for now

Greg and Rhonda and Jude.

We have settled in very well to our little house on the hill in Bellano on the shores of Lake Como. We have great views of the Lake from our balcony and lounge room and we also have a small garden to relax in. The only downside is the walk to the village. A 15 minute walk DOWN via a cobblestoned walkway , BUT its a 25 minute HIKE up the hill to come back home, and with a belly full of pizza and a few drinks , its a tiring walk home!

We like the village , it has all the essentials we need, good coffee places, in particular a Brunettis for Sunday mornings, great butchers for sensational prosciutto and salami, but the best thing about it is it not overcrowded with tourists, just what we like!

We have spent a couple of days ferrying around the Lake. The first ferry ride was for the “obligatory ” lunch at Bellagio, but we first stopped off at Varenna , the next village down from us, for coffee and cake for morning tea.

Views for morning tea were sensational , and our Risotto with perch and a bottle of rose for lunch was as we expected …fantastic…..however the fight through the crowds to get a seat at both morning tea and lunch was a “proverbial pain in the arse”. But it is tourist season so it is to be expected. The early ferry rides are the best but once it gets to around 11am they are packed!!!

Our village of Bellano is most famous for “Orrido di Bellano”. It is a “natural gorge created 15 million years ago by the erosion of rivers and glaciers which have shaped the rock into gigantic potholes , dark ravines and caves.” There is a pathway of footbridges anchored on the walls overlooking the water. It was rather spectacular and well worth the 5 euro entrance fee!

We decided to take Pippo back for a day trip into Switzerland to visit the town of Lugano. There were beautiful buildings on the bank of Lake Lugano. It was quite a surprise. The only downside of our trip was when we decided to have a drink and they wouldn’t take credit card or euros and we had no Swiss Francs so Greg had to find a bank and change euros to Swiss Francs….for a fee…..how backward was that! We gave Pippo a surprise and took him on the ferry back home. It was a great day.

We spotted a very cute little stone church wedged between 5 star hotels so had to check it out. The 16th Century Church Santa Maria degli Angioli was incredibly beautiful inside with its frescoed nave.

Our second trip on the Lake was an early ferry ride to escape the crowds to the rather upmarket village of Lenno, a lovely village on the Western shore. Its extremely elegant appearance is probably due to the many sumptuous villas that adorn the hills and Lakeside.

The Church of St Stefano in Lenno had beautiful 14th Century frescoed walls but the most interesting aspect was the 11th Century underground chapel and crypt which floods according to the water level of Lake Como.

On the trip to Lenno there were many quite flashy mansions, hotels and villas. This is not George Clooneys village though, we will be visiting there this week so may see if George is home so we can pop in for a drink!

Because our village is not the touristy one , it doesn’t have the ferries running constantly like the other busier places. But it’s fine because we can get a ferry to Varenna (picture below) , the next village down , and it’s a 1.40 euro train fare back home, so it works well.

We are waiting patiently for Judy to arrive “very early” next Saturday for 3 weeks , so in the meantime we need to rest up ! Not that it’s hard to do for Greg!

So its that time again.

And by the way it’s still around 30 degrees and the sun is shining. Makes for good drinking weather.

Ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda.

We left Ferrara and after a 7 hour drive we arrive at Lenzerheide in the Swiss Alps to celebrate the marriage of our “swiss son” Claudio to his beautiful bride Sandra.

It was a stunning drive through the Julier Pass, climbing to an elevation of 2284 m. We stopped off at a pretty little Swiss mountain village called Soglio, very quaint and picturesque.

Both Greg and Pippo did a wonderful job, and we arrived safely to our apartment in the village of Lenzerheide mid afternoon.

We were excited to see the Swiss Family the next day and Esther and JP took us out for a wonderful dinner that night in a Castello. It was a very balmy evening so we ate outside and had a fantastic meal.

So, the following day was the day of the wedding , and the weather changed dramatically. We went from a sunny 30 degrees to a wet and cold 8 degrees , BUT it didn’t deter from the happiness and celebrations from the wedding day! Lunchtime was a trip up the mountain to eat something to line the stomach for the drinking to begin! You could not see a thing but the lunch was good.

At 4pm Claudie and Sandra and immediate family had their civil marriage ceremony while the rest of us stood in the rain for 20 minutes waiting for them to come out! Then the drinking began and on and on it went!

Dinner consisted of 5 courses of fantastic food , loads of wine and lots of laughs. For us it was an absolute pleasure to be able to share their special day with them. Thank you so much!

Did you notice the cap off the schnapps bottle on Greg’s nose! It’s a Swiss thing!!!!!!

The next day we were kindly invited to Claudie’s new in laws for a bbq dinner. Another beautiful sunny day , not like the wedding day! Go figure!

We said farewell to our Swiss family on Sunday and headed back into Italy for our 3 weeks stay in Bellano on Lake Como. The drive was again through a mountain pass. If Rhonda had read previously of what was said of this pass on the internet , she would not have let Greg drive it!

“It was a former Pack Mule Route and a dangerous road. It is one of the most famous hair pinned roads in the world”

It was the Splugen Pass , 2113 m , ad 50 hair pin bends on the way down into Italy! However most of the time there was a line down the middle which is a MUST for Rhonda but there was a few roadworks, but the scenery made it well worth the drive! We arrived safely in Bellano and we have a great view of the Lake , but more about that next time!

So it’s that time again

Having a great time still

Ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda

We have been a bit busy going places and trying to keep cool! Temperature hasn’t been below 34 degrees since we arrived here.

We had a great day in Ravenna which is famous for it’s mosaics in the cathedral and churches and they were stunning. The whole town dates back 2000 years and it is UNESCO listed.

The Cathedral , San Vitale , was rather ordinary from the outside but inside…WOW! The mosaics on the floor and ceiling date back to the 5th Century and the 18th century frescoes were pretty stunning too. Worth the 9 euros to enter! There was a huge amount of detail , colour and rather intricate designs on every surface , it was amazing.

Next stop was the Basilica di San Francesco. Although the inside was not much, the interesting thing was the mosaic tiled crypt floor which was flooded with water. Worth seeing!

Last Church stop was St Appollinaire Nuovo with 2 side walls completely covered in mosaics from the 6th Century.

We had a good time wandering around and lunch was the traditional food of the area, a piadina, and it was delicious.

We found our “Brunettis” here in Ferrara so Sunday mornings have been spent gorging ourselves with Bombas filled with custard or nutella! No lunch required!

We had wanted to go to a nearby place called Comacchio , a 17th Century village known as “little Venice” due to all the canals that run through it. It sits on a lagoon and the famous dish from the village is eel cooked whichever way you like .No , we didn’t eat there! The “Trepponti” or 3 bridges (it spans 2 canals and has 3 legs, was rather cute. It was built in 1638 and was the fortified gate of the town.

Because we were near the coast we decided to take our bathers and hit the water at one of the “lido’s”, Lido di Spina and we went to the “Bagno Hawaii 1986, one of those beaches you see in Italy with miles of beach umbrellas and deck chairs! The Bagnos are usually family owned and you pay for your “piece of sand”. It was a hot, humid , overcast day , not a lot of people, and we didn’t pay a thing! After a relaxing swim and sit on the beach, we headed to Port Garibaldi for lunch where Greg’s mission was to find Rhonda her Spigola”. And boy did he succeed , it was delicious!

We have been having some great local food here in Ferrara. We had a memorable meal at Trattoria deil Noemi in the back streets of the Jewish Quarter. We started with a plate of 3 year old proscuitto , with piazini, light and fluffy delicious fried things, then capelleti al ragu , pumpkin filled ravioli with a bolognase sauce , again delicious, and dolci was a torta tagliette, an almond tart topped with dried pasta, and tenerina , the traditional chocolate cake from the region. We walked home via the castle and it was pretty stunning at night.

We also did a day trip to Modena, UNESCO listed since 1997. It is the home town of Ferrari , Maserati, the balsamic capital of the world, and the home town of Luciano Pavarotti. Piazza Grande with its magnificent Duomo was stunning, more so on the outside. It was founded in 1099, and the Ghirlandina Tower next to it was completed in the 14th Century as the Bell Tower of the Church and a defensive lookout. The Piazza Grande has been many things over the years, a market place on Saturdays, it housed the gallows , the chopping block, and unidentified corpses were hung from the gallows for identification. Nice! It seems a lot of Italian towns have an “umbrella street”, but no one seems to know why!

Of course Greg had to wander around the Albinelli Market place. We had lunch there and it was the “typical sandwich of Modena”, a panini with mortadella, parmigiano, and balsamic vinegar and it was delicious!

The Palazzo Ducale, home to the Dukes of Este was stunning.

Yesterday , the temperature was going to be 37 degrees , so we thought the best way to keep cool was to go for a drive! We visited 2 quite lovely medieval villages. The first one was Dozza, called “The City of Art”. We wandered through the cobbled steets and looked at all the murals painted on the walls of the houses. Every 2 years 200 plus artists from all over the world come to the village to create their artwork in the “open air gallery”. It really was very pretty.

Second village was Brisighella , the “City of Olive Oil and wine”. Again a very pretty little cobblestone medieval village and nice to wander around with no crowds.

So now it’s time to say arrivederci to Ferrara and we are heading to cooler weather and Lenzerheide in the Swiss Alps for 4 days to attend the wedding of Claudio and Sandra. We are looking forward to seeing our Swiss Family again.

For those who know us well, you will be surprised to hear that today is our first AFD as we have a long drive tomorrow!!!!!!

So it’s that time again, not for a drink though.

Ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda xx

We left Sulmona a week ago , and headed to Ferrara , but on the way we dropped into San Marino for lunch. San Marino is one of the worlds smallest and oldest republics. It’s situated on top of a rocky outcrop with great views all around. We took the cable car up to the Centro Storico and found lots of people shopping as it is a tax free haven for the Italians.

Lunch was fantastic and Rhonda’s vegetarian ravioli with peas and cherry tomatoes was her best pasta yet! Greg’s vongule was rather good too.

We arrived at our Air BnB in Ferrara and it is fabulous! It’s inside the City Walls in a cobbled one way street and a 15 minute walk to the main piazza and Pippo has his own little parking spot , a 5 minute walk away! Perfecto! We have a private walled garden which is lovely to sit in the late arvo and have a few drinks, and we also have air-conditioning, which is a God send, given the temperature has been 32 plus ever since we arrived.

We did a 2 1/2 hour walking tour through Ferrara with Massimo, our guide. We learnt a lot of the history of Ferrara and in particular the Este Family. The Este Castello is the centrepiece of the Centro Storico and it is magnificent.

Massimo told us some interesting stories of the Este Family who ruled Ferrara from the 13th to the 16th Century. One Duke apparently had over 800 lovers, many illegitimate children and the last Duke had 3 wives , to try to produce an heir. His last marriage was to a 15 year old girl when he was 45 ! But after 3 wives he didn’t produce the son , so the Catholic came along and threw the Family out and Ferrara became ruled by the Church.

The main Pizza in Ferrara is the Piazza Trento-Trieste , top right.

We also walked around the Jewish Ghetto Quarter. In 1500 , 2000 Jews were invited by the Este Family to relocate in Ferrara , to bring more wealth to the city ,however in 1598 when the Este Family were sent packing the church segregated the Jews from the city and locked them in the Ghetto at night. It is a lovely area to wander around. Ferrara is also a walled city, which we walk around…….a little…….each morning. After Amalfi we cant do the full 11 kilometres!

We did a day trip to Bologna , by train. It was interesting to note that masks are required, they must be P2 , and there was security on the train checking that people complied. We had been to Bologna before but still enjoyed wandering the streets and had a fabulous lunch . We started with a great bruschetta , and being in Bologna, we had to have the traditional tortellini bolognese! It was YUM.

We also took a drive to the Pomposa Abby, a Benedictine Monastery started in the 9th Century, and by the 12th Century it became a privileged destination for hermits, emperors, nobles, saints and pilgrims. Take your pick of where we fit in! There were magnificent frescoes from the 14th Century and beautiful ceramic floors from the 12th Century. It was worth the drive and the 5 euro entrance fee!

Another interesting building is the Palazzo dei Diamanti, a “Renaissance Palace clad in diamond shaped marble”. It is alleged that at the time of construction, an actual diamond was embedded in one of the diamond clad bricks, but no one has found it yet!

Although it looks like we have been eating out a lot, Rhonda’s personal chef is , as usual, doing a great job cooking up a storm , and making the “occasional” Aperol Spritz for her!

Last night , being Friday it was Pizza night , and for those who are interested, the current leader of the pack in the best Margherita competition is the one we had in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast. Last nights is currently in second place , but seeing we still have about 9 Pizza Friday nights to go , the competition will heat up!

So it’s that time again,

Ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda

We have just spent a lovely week in Sulmona , with not too much walking! Our Air BnB has been fabulous with a lovely terrace and garden to relax in.

Sulmona is an old Roman town with a medieval aqueduct that dates back to 1256. There are 20 churches in the town most of which date back to the 12th Century. It is also home to “Confetti” , the very popular sugar coated almonds that come in all different shapes and sizes and they make a very colourful display.

We did a couple of day trips , one through the Majella National Park, and sometimes on those small roads that Rhonda absolutely hates! First stop was at the typical Italian hillside village of Pacentro. We wandered through the gorgeous narrow streets , walked to the top to see Caldora Castello, and then decided it was time for a drink in the Piazza del Popolo with its 15th Century Church and 17th Century Fountain.

The village’s claim to fame is that Madonna’s grandparents were born here, that’s our piece of useless information for you!

We left the village and started to climb up the mountain only to be flagged down by the Carabinieri, the Italian Police. He very tersely asked for our documents, so we handed over passports and after checking us out for 15 minutes he told us to “go”! An interesting experience.

We had a lovely lunch at Buonvento, and had to try the local pasta, chitarra , or guitar pasta, home made egg pasta with a distinctive square shape, with pork , beef and chicken ragu! We started with a great antipasto and cheese platter. It was fabulous.

Another drive we did was through the countryside to visit 2 of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy”. We went to Scanno and Pescocostanzo. Again some winding narrow roads AND pouring rain, but we were still about to get out of the car and wander the villages narrow streets.

We have of course been trying out different places for coffee and drinks. We haven’t had a bad coffee yet, but we are in Italy after all. The breakfast pistachio cream filled croissants were a highlight.

As per usual , Friday night was Pizza night. The pizza was “just ok” but it wasn’t as good as the one we had in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast. The local wine was rather good and the chocolate cake was more cream than cake!

On the way back home we stopped by Piazza Garabaldi to take a night shot or 2.

One of the challenges of living in Italy is deciding what goes in what rubbish bin! You have 5 to choose from in Italy, and collection happens multiple times during the week for different bins!

Tomorrow it’s arrivederci to Sulmona and bonjourno to Ferrara where we are staying for nearly 3 weeks.

So it’s that time again…until Ferrara

Ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda

The third day of our walk went from Conca dei Marini to Praiano. We had a delightful breakfast on the terrace overlooking the Med.

After reading our guide book , we decided to take the “alternative option”. Allegedly the alternative walk was slightly easier , it was 3 hours instead of 4. Having completed this , we are not sure we made the right decision. It was mountain goat territory and in 32 degree heat , it was bloody hard! At times we wondered if we were any where near the path!

At one stage we had to walk along the main road and we were “resting” when a taxi came along and gestured to us if we wanted a lift! We should have said YES! Mistake! We arrived at the Hotel and it was gorgeous. We had a well earned “Arrival Drink” , a lovely room and a great swim in the pool to try to refresh ourselves!

Seeing it was Friday night , it had to be Pizza night and Greg had checked out a good pizza restaurant. We sat on the terrace with lovely views in very balmy weather.

Pizza was great and we loved the expresso coffee cups!

Next day was the walk from Praiano to Positano , also called “The Walk of the Gods” The day started with climbing 2000 steps , straight up , to reach the Colle de Serra. It was a bloody struggle with lots of stops , lots of heavy breathing and repeating to ourselves…..this was so much easier 12 years ago!

WE continued to walk along The Path of the Gods, with quite a few other people! Again lots of stops! We finally got to a village called Nocelle where we had pre booked our lunch. After towelling off in the toilet, we enjoyed a lovely lunch of prosciutto and melon and a burrata calabrase salad ( too tired to take photos! ) and a few drinks.

WE had great views of Positano along the way. We continued walking until we came to the next village of Montepertuso. At this stage we were facing another 1000 steps DOWN into Positano. We made the correct decision, the smart option of taking a taxi down to Positano, the best 20 euros we have spent so far!!!!!!! WALK COMPLETED AND NEVER AGAIN.

Again we fell into the pool at our beautiful hotel , rested and decided to head out with 1000’s of other people for a drink. It was extremely busy , way too many people for us. We found a little bar just up the road, not far to walk, and as you can see by the photos, Gregory got the best seat with the view!

The following day we had a transfer back to Ravello to pick up our car and leave the Amalfi Coast.

We had a few days to consider names for our Peugeot, and now we would like to introduce you to Pippo!

We are now in Sulmona in Abruzzo for one week , checked into our lovely little Air BnB and intend to relax! ( Not too much walking for a while).

Its that time again

Ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda.

The first day of our walking tour was from Ravello to Amalfi. It was all downhill and all down stairs….not good for the knees and calves! Regardless of the pain, the views were stunning.

By the time we had gone DOWN to Atrani, a lovley little fishing village we were definitely ready for a refreshment. A beer was in order even though it was only 11am.

We then continued along to the town of Amalfi, with thousands of tourists. Two rather large cruise boats were in the harbour which meant a heap of Americans wandering around. We found our Hotel on the waterfront, but a slight hiccup occurred when we discovered our bags were “somewhere in transit”. They did arrive eventually.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner that night. Greg was in heaven with his spaghetti vongule and Rhonda’s grilled lumberjack was pretty good too. Greg had his first Panna cotta and unfortunately it did not pass the test. He will just have to try some more. We washed it all down with a bottle of local Rose which was pretty good.

The day consisted of 19500 steps and 14.3 kms. Not a bad effort. No wonder we have aching knees and calves and quads! Also a top temperature of 31 degrees!

Today we were awake early with the sun rising at 5am! We enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Hotel and set off on our walk from Amalfi to Conca dei Marini. Another beautiful walk along the coast with stunning views and again heaps of steps, this time both up and down. According to our guide this was a 3 hour easy climb with no shade. Not sure about the easy part but there was definitely no shade. Thank God for the 50 plus sunscreen.

We found a great little bar along the way for a pick me up beer to keep us going. On the way we had a memory re call. Twelve years ago when we did this walk we were “high jacked” by a Nonna to carry her shopping bags up a very large flight of stairs. Today at exactly the same place we were “confronted” by a very elderly gentleman (we put his age at least 105 years) who stood in front of us waving his walking stick, demanding that we purchase some of his lemons and rotten apricots at a cost of 2 euros. He was not taking no for an answer , so we paid 2 euros continued on our way and ditched the fruit. Greg reckons he was related to the Nonna from 12 years ago. It gave us a good laugh.

We arrived at our lovely hotel which is perched on the cliffs above the Mediterranean. We have a small balcony overlooking the water , the swimming pool and the coast line. It is stunning! We had a swim and decided to head down to the Lido Restaurant for an early dinner. We had our first Spigola and it was sensational.

Todays stats were 11,400 steps and 8.2 kms and another 31 degrees day!

Tomorrow we head to Praiano, another warm day with heaps of steps!

So its that time again

Ciao

Greg and Rhonda

We left Melbourne in pouring rain and 10 degrees , and arrived in Rome to blue sky and sunshine and 30 degrees!

The flight was a little stressful at times given we had delays out of both Melbourne and Singapore , but having said that we must admit that business class is the only way to fly!

We arrived at Rome airport and went to pick up our new Peugeot 3008. Sorry no photos as yet but will take some suggestions for a name for him or her!

As per normal Gregory jumped behind the wheel and headed for Ravello on the Amalfi Coast. Only a couple of incidents on the way down. We were undertaken by a motor bike that is, we were in the same lane, he was between our car and the railing on the autostrade at 130kmp! The usual trucks were there of course, changing lanes and cutting you off….welcome to Italy!

We stayed last night at Hotel Parsifal and we were upgraded to a room with a great terrace overlooking the coast. Magnificent. The hotel dates back to 1288 when it was built as a Convent. The gardens are beautiful. We threw our bags in the room, and headed to the Piazza Duomo for our first Aperol Spritz and G n T. They were worth waiting for!

We had a great dinner at Babel but unfortunately Rhonda forgot her phone so no photos! Dinner consisted of a salami plate , a burrata bruschetta and meatballs, Italian tapas washed down with another aperol , beer and a glass of vino rosso and of course we had to have our digestive of a limoncello. Rather good for a first meal in Italy. Staggered back to our Hotel in time to take a few night shots before falling into bed.

Today we are starting our 5 day walk along the Amalfi Coast. Today it is a short stroll down to the town of Amalfi so we should be there in time for a few drinks before dinner.

Its that time again.

ciao ciao

Greg and Rhonda