Friday 30th August 2013
Well all is ready to go. Tora has kindly offered to drive us to the airport at Sola, Stavanger for our flights to Florence via Frankfurt. Everything is packed and I mean Everything! we are looking forward to this break following all of the house renovations, job situation etc.
The journey was uneventful, Frankfurt is functional without being attractive and the bus to plane journey is wearing but everything ran to time.
Florence is very warm. The bus journey from the plane to the terminal was a game of sardines – lets see if we can get a whole plane load on a single bus! Oh yes we can!!
A good journey by taxi to the hotel and the hotel seems fine, just a stone’s throw from the river and La rotunda, a restaurant that Roy and I visited last time I was here. On that occasion, we were visiting Nuovo Pignone because they had made our power generators for Alvheim with too low inertia in the alternators (another story) and we had flown in with Abel to fix it. On searching for somewhere to eat, we happened upon La Rotonda and had a nice meal in the restaurant upstairs. When we came down, it was to a world cup football game (2006), Brazil were playing. The bar was full and there were many Brazilians there, including women interestingly dressed, drums, trumpets, the whole works. It was fantastic!
This time, we dined outside in an area that wasn’t there before. The food was good. My first beer was a litre of the local beer! (yes in one glass!)
After dining, we went inside for further refreshments and chatted to the manager. He remembered that night in 2006. He also pointed out the new dining area and the new raised seating area where the Brazilians were on that night. He said that the Brazilians perform every Sunday night. He also told us that the place had only just reopened that night following the summer break (August).
We sat for a while and watched the Super Cup, Bayern Munich vs Chelsea.
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Poster advertising the Brazilian night on Sundays
Saturday 31st August
Following breakfast on a delightful terasse, we took a walk along the river to Ponte Vecchio, where the bridge is lined with jewellers and has been so for centuries.
Following that we walked to the Duomo, but the queues were quite long so we wandered back to the hotel via the Piazze de Republique. Following checking out of the hotel we had some tea and water in the Curtatone Pasticceria opposite. Mistake to order tea as it came with warm sterilized milk!
Cath went in search of a hairdressers and after several false starts, she found one that spoke (some) english. Lunch was a Caesar salad for Cath and pasta with tomato sauce for me. That whiled away the time until nearly 3 O’Clock, when we could pick up the hire car. We were issued with a Fiat Punto, which was dented on every panel, even though it was quite new. We then drove to the resort, which was quite a tortuous route through the mountains.This was made worse due to a screw up on my part when we doubled back when the distance went from 36 to 55km. It was only later that I realised that it was due to me changing the units on the satnav from miles to kilometers!
The directions we were given by the resort were hopeless but the satnav did its job, aided by a builder in one of the few villages we found on route. We eventually found Antico Borgo i Cancelli.
Frayed nerves were calmed by a cold beer before a shower and Dinner. Once we had time to chill, we realised what a beautiful place we were in, surrounded on all sides by alpine forested mountains.
Dinner was both delightful and wonderfully low cost. The brushetta that we shared as a starter, was a delightful blend of proseccuito ham and parmesan cheese. The pasta that followed was also nice, tagliatelli with porcini mushrooms. Cath had rigoletto with spinach and ricotta cheese. All washed down with local wine. It was a great evening and we were surrounded by groups of italians having a thoroughly enjoyable time (as judged by the noise levels!).
Sunday 1st September
We breakfasted at the on site restaurant where we had last night’s meal. It was much quieter (we were the only ones there! We had baguettes and jam. The waiter was very friendly. He is a student at the University in Bologna studying international planning? (beats me what that is) but said that he woudn’t stay in Italy as the country take too much tax.
We then went to the next village called Marradi and found several shops open, although not the supermarket. We managed to buy bread, cheese, salami, butter, bread, tomatoes and onions, so that will do for lunch then! The village was very pretty with a river running through it. There were a good number of fishermen although the only fish we saw being caught were tiny.
La Rotonde, Florence
Following lunch from the ingredients we bought in the morning, we followed the local’s custom and had a siesta. Then it was beer o’clock! Whilst enjoying the beer, I organised photographs from the last 9 months. Cath had a monster tub of ice cream as served by our new best friend the waiter. The evening meal was every bit as good as the one from the previous night. I had brushetta followed by lasagna. Cath had a carvale pizza, which is named after the local mountain. When we paid the bill, we had to have the digestive, strawberry flavored on Saturday night, lemon on Sunday! Seconds were supplied curtesy of our new best friend.
Monday 2nd September
The morning started quite overcast, which our waiter friend described as f****ing english weather. It was still 20 degrees though. We went into Marradi to do some shopping and found out that it was market day, so after the spar shopping, we wandered around the market. Cath bought a sun dress and I bought some lotion to put on my ever increasing number of mosquito bites. I seem to be a delicacy for them. We went to the tourist office to get some information on walks in the area and found the staff very helpful, which is typical of what we have found since we got here (except for the surly woman on reception who doesn’t like to be disturbed it seems).
We had a nice lunch with salami and mozzarella cheese and baguette. Then it was siesta time.
For the evening meal we decided to have the full italian spread. This started with a selection of sliced hams and sausage with flatbread and sliced baguette. Really tasty ham. The second course was pasta – 2 varieties, tagliatelli and rigolleto. Then followed a meat course with sausages, ribs chops and vegetables. A lemon sorbet finished the meal and of course, a digestiv, which this time was lemon based, very nice. Cath had some sweet wine.
Tuesday 3rd September
We had breakfast in the house today, marmalade on baguette, small but just what was required after last night’s feast.
The waiter last night told us of a walk that started from the village of Crespino del Lamone and goes to the peak of Monte Carvarleone and despite finding the signs on a lamp postindicating wehd found the walk, we couldn’t find the start of the trail up hill. After a few false starts we gave up and tried another walk in Biforco. This was up to a tower. (Roccadi Castiglionchio or Casiglionchio fortress). It was very steep and no respite from the slope, but the view from the top was fantastic (or suggestive as the translated guidebook said!)
tower
We then drove long the valley and up and over the hills to Palazzuolo Sul Senio only to find it shut due to siesta time. After a warm walk around the town, we had a drink in one of the 2 bars that we found open. We were the only customers.
The evening meal was welcome and we shared a brushetta. I had a quatro staggioni pizza and Cath had taglia with potato and bolognese. Cath then had the final portion of Tiramasu. We also had more of the local wine.
Wednesday 4th September
We woke up again to blue skies, a burning sun and even more mozzie bites! A pleasant breakfast was enjoyed alfresco at the on site restaurant with our friendly waiter in attendance. The fruit juice – Mela Verde, green apple, tasted great. I also had a cappucino. I have given up on tea as it has proved to be too difficult.
We decided to visit Ravenna today. The journey was going fine until we got pulled in by two police men, one with a machine gun! Cath was driving so she was asked for her identification. After checking her passport and driving licence and after a few routine questions, we were allowed to go on our way. Cath was a bit shaken but no other problems.
We also found a closed road and had an interesting diversion on a narrow concrete road through some fields. We eventually got to Ravenna and found a parking place near the centre, with the aid of some enterprising africans. We had to buy some tissues from them!
Ravenna was interesting. After a visit to the tourist information, we were armed with an excellent map of the city. First we went to the Basilica where we found we could buy a multi-ticket to visit several tourist attractions of a religious nature. We then went to the Duomo but found it closed for lunch/siesta. By this time we were both desperate to visit a public convenience but we had no change! We found a nice cafe in the centre and had some nice cappuccino, which was a bonus as the toilets were excellent! Following the coffee,we headed for the main square, Piazza Popolini, where we ate our baguettes. They were setting up for a concert in the Piazza and the sound checks were pretty good. We then had to move the car as we had inadvertently parked in a short stay car park, so we moved the car to a longer stay car park nearer to the Duomo. The Duomo was still closed when we returned so we visited the Baptistry (Battisto Neonano), which had many impressive mosaics. We then went and visited the Basilica St Vitale, very impressive, and the Mausoleum di Galla Placidia (Empress / well it impressed me!). By this time the Duomo was open. First impressions were not good, the side chapels were impressive though if not a bit over the top. All in all, the Duomo was disappointing, as was Ravenna. Yes there were many interesting buildings but the overall impression was a bit of a letdown.
Leaving Ravenna was a bit of a trial as the GPS was a bit slow in indicating one of the turnings and so we had to turn around. We did this in a petrol station and decided to pick up some fuel at the same time. Mmm, prices were high, even more so as the attendant insisted on doing the filling, even though there was meant to be a choice. There was also a sign which said that credit cards could not be accepted. A sign of the economic times in Italy.
On the way back, we stopped at Brisighella, a beautiful town with three structures on three surrounding hills. Some pictures were taken, including some of the fountain, which was a huge globe with the fountain originating from the top.
We stopped off in Marradi on the way back for some shopping and Cath hit the rush hour after siesta. The evening was a repeat of the last few with beers, food & wine and midgie/mozzie bites. Good food again though.
Thursday 5th September
A slow start to the day as planned. Cath did the washing, I cooked boiled eggs for breakfast. That became the mode of the day. We just lazed around reading until around 4pm when we went down into Marradi to get some antihistamine for the mozzie bites. We also bought some mozzie & midgie killer. Shortly after taking the tablet, all the heat had gone from the bites. I’m not sure if this was the tablets or the three beers that I had in the bar next door. The bar (Cafe Centrale) was very upmarket for the town, very nice. He even had a framed letter & picture from Wills & Katie apologising for not being able to make the opening of the bar but they had another function that day (Their wedding!) It was of course a fake which a friend had made for the opening as it was the same day as the Royal Wedding. Then it was back to the resort for the usual evening meal and mozzie bites! They have started to chew Cath now!
Friday 6th September
An early (ish) start to the day as we have a trip planned to Scarperia, which is meant to be the most beautiful place in Tuscany if not the whole of Italy (Local Guide Book)!
So we made our way to Scarperia, famous for Laguioli knives. A very tortuous route with many hairpin bends. The morning market was in full flow in the main street when we got there. It was pretty much the same as the one that we visited in Marradi on Monday. We went into the shop that sold the Laguioli knives.I had my eye on a wine bottle opener/knife combination with an olive wood surround. None of the items were priced but I was not ready for 153 Euros! The market started to close at 1230 and the shops at 1300hrs. Cath & I stopped in a cafe for an ice cream. 10 minutes after we left the shop, I realised that something was missing. It was the rucksack with my camera, lenses, refreshments, sun tan cream etc. I had left it in the cafe. Luckily it was still there when we got back. We had a wander around the streets, taking in the palace (nice frescos) and the church (old but nothing special). So we concluded that the guide book was taking liberties in describing the place as the most beautiful in Tuscany. It was nice but not that good.
We decided to visit the local lake next. Trouble was we could see the lake but couldn’t find a way to get to it. When we did, the gate was shut. By this time, we had decided to visit another town in the area, Vecchio.
Vecchio was nice with two large squares. we had some water, took some pictures and then headed back. on the way bak we stopped off in Marradi, where we had a beer, coffee & cake in cafe centrale. It was quite busy so we went to another bar in the town square, Bar Bianco. I had a draft Morretti and Cath had some draft tonic water.This was another great bar with lots for sale inside. we bought two jars of the local honey after tasting it. Outside, there were several groups of men of differing ages playing cards. Much talking was going on with the usual full hand movements. It was very entertaining.
We headed back to the resort only to find the gate shut. The workmen were on the spot though and soon opened it. They were getting it ready for the winter. Cath went for a swim, while I went to the bar to write up the blog. Another nice evening with good food and wine. I also had to drink 3 digestivs. The barman gave us a bottle of the local sweet wine to take with us.
Saturday 7th September
We packed up before going for breakfast. Breakfast was good, as usual, I shall miss the Mela Verte (green apple) juice. We then said our goodbyes, exchanged phone numbers, facebook addresses etc. and headed off for the next resort near Assisi. Reflections on Anitico Borgo i Cancelli: it was a lovely place, great views & food. The people running the restaurant were fantastic. Very friendly and helpful, so thank you Oscar, Michele, Juliana & Christian. It was a real family atmosphere in the place. I particularly liked the way they all sat down together for food ahead of the restaurant opening.
So we set off for the next resort, Carpediem Assisi Living Club, which is actually 6km from Assisi in a place called Piano del Pieve. This is again, a mountainside resort. The journey itself was OK apart from a couple of minor incidents. The first was when we stopped for some food and to stock up on petrol. We bought a map and then some food. When we went for petrol, the machine would not take any of our cards. When Cath went back to the service desk to find out why, she was casually told “Oh we are out of petrol”! Now this was a motorway service station, with the petrol price on the sign as we approached. The next incident happened a few kilometers later when Cath was driving and the Carbinieri decided to follow us through around 10km of roadworks, where the speed limit varied between 30 and 40 kpm. Not long after this started, we gained a long tail back but no-one dared to overtake. Once the roadworks finished and the speed limit was back to normal, the Carbinieri diverted into a petrol station. Everyone then proceeded to overtake us, grinning as they passed! After a couple of satellite hiccups, we arrived safely at the resort an managed to get into our apartment 2 hours ahead of the official time.
The apartment was good and with the added attraction of air conditioning. The only issue was that the nearest eating place was 800 metres away long a dark busy road. A festival was on just across the road and we could hear the music clearly in the apartment with the doors and windows shut. It sounded like everyone was enjoying themselves. At 1900 hrs was a welcome meeting, which told us nothing more than was in the handout that they gave us on arrival, but in 2 language. Following the presentation, we skipped the red wine served in plastic tumblers and sandwiches with curly edges to rush down to the local restaurant (Bar Ristorante Giovannino)for some decent italian food and beer. We did think we were being antisocial but not for long!
The food in the local restaurant was good and quite low cost. There was the added bonus of an integral shop to buy some supplies.
Sunday 8th September
Well the noise from the local festival did not keep me awake for too long and I slept well. I volunteered to get the bread. The shop in reception did not have any so I had to go to the restaurant from last night to get some fresh bread. It tasted just fine.
After breakfast, we headed for Assisi to get some fuel and for Cath to attend church. We found the petrol and after working out how to operate the automatic dispenser, we went and parked. We did not quite expect the tourist trap that we were faced with! The first church that Cath and I found was St Ruffino Basillica, which was a beautiful church. Cath went inside and I was half way up the hill when she called to say that the next service wasn’t until 1800 hrs, so we went and found another church, Chiesa di S. Chiara. Again I left Cath at the church for the 1130 service and went wandering. I found the Basilica di S Francesco and wandered in with many others. A service was going on and little man in uniform got upset when I took a picture, despite many others taking pictures! I collected Cath and we both went back to the Basilica di S Francesco and had a more thorough look around. The wee man was still there bollocking other would be photographers. The one disappointment about Assisi is the way that cars are allowed access throughout for driving and parking. This means that you are forever having to get out of the way of cars, sometimes in streets that are barely wide enough to fit a car into.
We headed back to the apartment via the bar/restaurant where we dined last night, to pick up some water. The Italian grand prix was on the television so we decided to stay for a beer/ice cream. We headed back for some lunch and to watch the end of the grand prix on the tv in the appartment, but despite 80 channels, the grand prix was not on any of them! After a siesta, we went in search of food. We decided to dine in the pizza restaurant opposite the one we dined in last night. It was called Ristorante Pizzeria Bar Dal Moro Di Ronca. We were to early (before 1730) and so decided to find a bar for a pre-dinner drink. Our first attempt failed. We headed up a hill near to the village but after the 6th hairpin bend, we decided this was not a good idea. So we headed for Assisi to a bar we had spotted earlier in the day. After parking the car, we were halted in our tracks by the police for a procession of religioni, which included a statue of the Virgin Mary and across. The religioni were singing. It was quite a spectacle. We found the bar, ordered the drinks and sat outside. A few minutes later, the procession went through again. We later found out that the 8th September is the celebration of the immaculate conception. (I have done the arithmetic between now and Christmas day and cannot make it work!). We then went back to the pizza restaurant, which was now open. The food was again very good (not had a bad meal yet). Cath and I both ordered pizzas, they were huge. We could only manage about half of them. On the way back, we dropped in to reception (to use the wifi) and found the end of a sangria party. The sangria tasted a bit harsh.
Monday 9th September
We awoke to rain! This changed our plans to head for Tuscany. We decided to do something local instead. Shopping seemed to be favourite and as our local restaurant/bar/shop was closed on Mondays, we had to go further afield. Close to Assisi is a town called Santa Maria Delgli Angelis and we had heard that there was a Eurospar supermarket there. After some trial and error, we got the address from the internet and the GPS did the rest. It was a good supermarket as supermarkets go, we found all that we required.
After lunch we went to another hillside town called Spello. It is also very old with parts of the town being pre-Roman. We went into the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which looked OK from the outside but unbelievable inside. Very ornate with many good quality frescos and paintings, some of Mary & the baby Jesus from 1500. We then walked slowly through the town, uphill until we found a viewing place that was amazing. Views across the valley to the mountains on the far side and views along the hillside to Assisi.We then walked round the top part of the town then back to the bottom end where we had beer/water in the shadow of a roman gate. We enjoyed Spello very much. The only disappointment for me with Spello was the same issue that I had with Assisi, the prioritiation of the car above people. Cath cooked the evening meal, Porcini mushroom risotto. Very tasty! We need to do more cooking with Porcini mushrooms when we get back.
Tuesday 10th September
No rain, so after breakfast we headed for Tuscany. Interesting driving on the Autostrada, its easy to see why Italy averages 70 deaths on the road every weekend. The first place up was Radda i Chianti. A very picturesque walled town on a hill. We visited it with the boys a few times when we were here in 2005. It hadn’t changed. After coffee & cakes at Dante Alighieri, a place where we had visited with the boys, we wandered through the streets looking at various shops. The in thing seems to be the tour de france style cycling tops but at 75 euros to 130 euros, the interest wanes somewhat. In addition, I don’t think that they had my size! We went into a gallery that was exhibiting pictures of Tuscany. I was taken with the hill scene that was split into 3 pictures, whereas Cath preferred the poppy scenes. They were quite expensive so we decided to think on it. We later decided to not purchase as we couldn’t think of a good place to hang them that would justify the expenditure.
We then went to Montegrossi to a bar that we had visited several times in 2005, once on the way back from Montevarche on the return from a supermarket visit. There we met a couple of cyclist, one German, one French, who were married to Italian sisters. We had a great afternoon with several beers consumed and not much cycling. (Well the boys took their bikes for a trip!) The cyclist’s journey home was eventful, after several tumbles, they were picked up by a lorry driver and taken back to their in-laws. The second time we visited the bar, we attended a beer and crostoni festival, complete with karaoke! A local family took pity on us as the evening got very cold when night descended and we hadn’t brought coats with us. They went and fetched coats and fleeces. It was a great evening. The third time we visited, the owner made a meal for us on the Saturday night before we departed. I recall it being very good. Anyway, all of that is history. When we arrived at the bar in Montegrossi, it was closed and the name looked different so it looked like it had changed owners.
Next we went to Gaioli i Chianti, a town which we visited previously to get Liam some medicine for an ear infection. it is a pretty town with a river running through the middle between the walls of the buildings and the wall on the side of the road. We did not stop.
Next we headed for Montevarche to find the supermarket that we had visited previously. It was where I had purchased a GPS and the fruit and veg was the best we had encountered. After consulting the internet for the address, we found the place. The area was a bit more built up than previous but the supermarket was just the same. Cath found the biscuits she had been looking for (biscotti) and we found some sweet wine to accompany them. We also found some Amarone at 17 euros! In the DIY store next door, Cath found a 1 metre long radiator brush, so her day was made!
The journey back was as eventful as the outward journey! In addition, the satnav took us up some of the steepest roads I have ever driven on!
In the evening we went to Bar Ristorante Giovannino, we were a bit later than normal, just ahead of the rush. Despite this, we seemed to get served last. We put this down to the fact that we didn’t order starters and the kitchen dealt with starters first. It seemed to make sense. Either that or locals before foreigners. The food tasted great anyway.
Wednesday 11th September
Early start as we were getting the bus to Assisi at 0900hrs. This was on time and by 0915, we were heading up the hill to the fort Rocca Maggiore. Built over 1000 years ago, it provided a good lookout position from it’s elevated position above the town. We arrived early and it didn’t open until 1000. We wandered around the side of this impressive fortification. It has been partly restored and some props were inside the closed rooms to give an idea of what it was like when it was functional. A spiral staircase wound to the top of the keep, from which views of the surrounding countryside could be seen for miles into the distance. A good lookout post to spy potential attackers.
The keep was used to film Zeffirelli’s 1972 film Brother Sun, Sister Moon. The trip under the battlements to the far lookout tower was declined though as it was too claustrophobic.
Next up was the Cathedral of San Rufino. Again, the details here are too much to take in, let alone write about. Needless to say, wonderful frescos, pictures, ornate gold leaf work and architecture. The highlight for me was in the chapel, where above the entrance was a wonderful fresco of the last supper. It was only later that Cath advised that the chapel was only for praying in!
Following a coffee stop we went to an exhibition of paintings on glass by Massimo Cruciani, which were local scenes and some religious ones. They were fantastic but at fantastic prices. We then visited a gallery in the Piazza Comune, which had photographs on the route that St Francis took from Assisi to Santiago in Spain.
Next up was the Fonte Marcella, an ornate fountain. When we eventually found it, there were a couple of brits sprawled across it and not adding to the photogenaity of the feature. They eventually got the hint though and moved on. It was OK but smaller than the picture in the guide book would have you believe and it wasn’t flowing.
Hunger was setting in at this stage so we decided to visit a restaurant, La Lanterne, that Cath had seen earlier. After a big climb up the hill we found it and were given a table inside. The food was good, Cath rated the pasta as the best that she had tasted. The sparkling wine was also very good. We dragged the lunch out over a couple of hours.
Next we visited the church in the Piazza Comune, Chieza di San Pietro, which had a roman exterior and a 15th Century interior. The interior was a blaze of gold leaf with very strong frescos. The lack of windows has helped preserve them I guess.
The next stop was a cake shop with the outside advertising a kilogram of meringue for 35 Euros! I had some vanilla ice cream but Cath had some nougat cake (350grammes), which she couldn’t finish so we had a doggie bag to take it with us.
Next we visited the Chieza Nuova, which is a church that was built over the house where St Francis’s family lived. You can see the very cell where his father kept him imprisoned (nice family!). It was very small. It was all a bit disturbing.
We then went to another gallery, which I had spotted last Sunday. We bought a nice local poppy scene, which the artist signed. He wrapped it in 3 more of his drawings! We look forward to getting that framed.
Finally we went to a bar for some beer/water/juice (the juice not so good) while we waited for the bus back to the resort. It was the same bar that we went to on Sunday night and the entertainment watching the traffic was compelling as the vehicles competed to drive through a narrow archway.
Once back in the resort, we decided to just have a snack for the evening meal and to read with a glass of wine or two.
Thursday 12th September
We had a late start with a wonderful ham and cheese omelet for breakfast cooked by Cath. We then decided to head for the next town down from Assisi, Santa Maria delgi Angeli. We found a place to park on a side road near to the Basilica. We had been walking about 5 minutes when I realised that I didn’t have my iPhone with me so we went back to collect it. We then went to a camera shop, where I tried to get a replacement UV filter for my camera (I had found the old one cracked a few days ago). They didn’t have one of the correct diameter so we bought a new memory card instead as the old one was getting low in capacity. Next stop was the post office where we bought 3 stamps for post cards. After finding the correct queueing ticket we were summonsed to a service window and Cath did her best phrase book request for the stamps, which was duly acknowledged. Five minutes later, we were no closer to getting the stamps. The man behind the counter went for a walk for a couple more minutes before checking his folder of stamps for the fifth time! Eventually he pulled out three stamps and we paid for them.
Next we went to the Basilica, which bore the same name as the town. Our attempts to gain a look inside were thwarted by the religious police though as it was closing for lunch.
We returned to the car. After putting rucksacks in the boot, I was about to open the driver’s door, when I noticed that the door lock was displaced and there were scratches around it. Someone had tried to open it with a screwdriver. The owners of adjacent cars were returning so we advised them what happened but their cars were intact. We decided to report the matter to the Carabinieri and so drove straight there. We parked within their electric gates, only to be told by the policeman that we couldn’t park there. He spoke no english, so with deft use of the phrase book, Cath managed to communicate with him. After finding out where we were staying, he advised us that we needed to report this to the Carabinieri in Assisi in the morning. We drove back to the resort and checked with reception if this was correct but the lady behind reception couldn’t advise whether this was the case or otherwise. We went back to the apartment and after lunch, Cath called Avis in Rome, where we were due to drop the car off on Saturday. They said we must call Florence, where we picked the car up from. We called Avis in Florence and got through on the third attempt. They said that as long as the car was drivable and lockable, there was nothing to do but to return the car to Rome on Saturday as planned, but she added, if the car is stolen in the meantime, then it was our responsibility – Great! We then called our insurance company in the UK who cover our excess on hire cars. They were great, said it happens all the time with hire cars in Italy and that they would send a claim form, which they did minutes later. We have to fill it in within 30 days of returning the hire car.
Given our new liability with the hire car, we decided to stay in during the afternoon and read.
In the evening, we went back to Bar Restaurant Giovannino for dinner, but we are too keen and arrive half an hour before the restaurant opens! It was worth the wait. My Spaghetti and Cath’s Stagazzole were great. Called the folks on the way home. All in order.
Friday 13th September
Early start again as we have to visit the Carabinieri in Assisi. Only one delay due to some temporary traffic lights on the road to Assisi. Not, as we thought, to repair the awful state of the road but to dig another hole, which will no doubt add to the poor state of the road. We parked up in Assisi and wandered down to the Piazza Commune, where the Carabinieri was located. Once we gained entry with the help of another flavour of policeman, we went in, explained why we were there and were told that we should report this in Santa Maria degli Angeli. We explained that we tried to do that yesterday. He must have took pity on us (although he probably felt that he had been stitched up) and told us to sit down. Once we had filled in the necessary forms and were given a copy (important for insurance claims), we were told we could go. What a nice man! This is in complete contrast to recent travel books that I had read and that mentioned the Carabinieri as complete buffoons. We were well pleased.
Next problem was to find a tube to transport our painting back home. We tried various stores in Assisi but no luck there. The most embarrassing incident was when we went to the Tourist Information point to ask the location of a book shop, only to be told “yes over there on the square” – only about 25 meters from where we stood! We tried various shops in Assisi but could not find what we were looking for. We decided to head somewhere else (Assisi is not really your typical town for the mundane type of stuff!) First we headed for Foiigno, another town along the valley, just along from Spello, which we visited a few days ago. We spotted some industrial units but there was nothing like we were looking for. Cath remembered passing a type of DIY store that we passed on the way to Tuscany a few days ago. After some searching on the net, we remembered it was called Leroy Merlin. We found out that it was on the way to Perugia, so we set off under GPS guidance. Fifteen minutes later, we were there. The store was like an upmarket B&Q. We found an ideal plastic tube that was intentionally designed to transport pictures. We also bought a hacksaw so that we could make adjustments if the tube did not fit into the case. We also stopped at the supermarket to stock up on bread. Cath also decided to stock up on the world’s supply of scotch tape by buying ten rolls! (don’t ask!). We then headed back towards the resort, stopping at Giovannino’s for a couple of beers before lunch. It was very pleasant! Porcini omelette and mozzarella salad for lunch seemed to work very well (Cath’s efforts). We had a lazy afternoon reading. The evening was taken up with packing.
Saturday 14th September
An early start and we were packed up and ready to go at 0915. The journey through Assisi was slow due to the normal tourist buses plus the added bonus of a morning market. After that, the journey went well, we found a petrol station on the autostrada that actually had fuel. Driving into Rome was interesting! The satnav took us to our hotel location on Via Nazionale. 3 trips around the block and we still hadn’t spotted it. Cath phoned and confirmed we were in the right area but the one way system was thwarting our attempts to get outside it. We decided to drop off the car at Avis first and then get taxi to the hotel. This proved to be a good move. Dropping the car off and trying to explain about the damage from the attempted break in was a little more difficult but the police report seemed to help. We then got the taxi to the Hotel. When we found it, the hotel sign was about 3 inches square so the chances of finding it from a moving car was pretty remote. It is called the Hotel Boutique Nazionale. It is only small but it is quite practical, tidy and modern. The receptionist was very helpful and spent some time telling us about the places to visit, buses to catch etc. and she marked them all on a map for us. The room was nice and modern.
After a freshen up and a quick snack, we decided to visit the Colosseum, which was about a 10 minute walk away. The usual throng of unofficial ticket and tour operators mobbed us outside and advised that the queue was about half an hour. We ignored them. In reality it took less than 10 minutes. The Colosseum is impressive, from all angles. We walked around and took many pictures. The place was very busy though. The museum part was interesting, but, as usual with museums, it didn’t take long to reach saturation point.
On the way back to the hotel, we stopped off a couple of times for beer/water/wine.
In the evening, we decided that after two weeks of Italian food, we wanted a change. We took a wander and found an Indian Restaurant called Indian Affairs. The food was excellent, as was the kingfisher and Pinot Grigio! Following the curry we went for a wander and found a pizzeria called da Trani. We sat by the bar and had beer/coffee. The beer was excellent. It was Poretti. I had the light one at 5.5%. there were two more, a double blonde and a dark one, both at 6.5%.
B&h
Sunday 15th September
We decided to take the open top bus around Rome. We went to the nearest stop, bought our tickets and waited. Eventually, the first bus arrived. It was full! We declined the offers to buy umbrellas and ponchos from the local salesmen. After another 20 minutes, we got on the next bus to arrive. We settled down on the open top to take some pictures. It started to drizzle. We took some more pictures. The drizzle turned into light rain. We cursed that we had not put any coats in the rucksack. The light rain turned into heavy rain. Cath had a beach wrap with her so we sheltered under that. It helped for a while but suddenly got very wet. By the time we got to the Vatican, it was really raining hard. Cath got off the bus briefly to buy an umbrella, which we sheltered under for the rest of the bus tour. We gave up on the commentary in the effort to keep as dry as possible. There were no free seats downstairs. By the time we got to the terminus, there was a river on the upper deck and my feet kept getting washed as the bus went up and down the hill. When we got to the terminus, we sheltered under some scaffolding while the downpour reached its heaviest. Eventually, it abated somewhat, so we wandered back to the hotel for a shower and a change of clothes. We then ventured out in the direction of the Colosseum and found a pizzeria for some lunch.
After lunch, we went to the Colosseum and caught the city tour bus again to complete our trip, only this time we had our coats with us and sat on the lower deck.
Following the trip, it started to rain again so we donned coats and headed back to the hotel, via a market stall to buy a new suitcase for the journey home.
In the evening we went to da Trani to eat. The food was good in general although Cath’s strawberry Tiramisu was not up to scratch. However, the Poretti and the banter with the waiters & waitress more than made up for that. We stayed for a few more rounds after the food.
B&q Synthetic Paint Brushes
Monday16th September
One trick that we did do yesterday was to pre-book tickets for the Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel. This was a good move. When we got to the Vatican and eventually found the right entrance, we walked right past a 3 hour queue and straight to the front. We decided to skip the Greek and Roman parts of the museum and head straight for the Sistine Chapel. This again was a good move as there are several rooms before and after the chapel that warranted a good viewing. The Sistine Chapel itself was indescribable, you just have to see it to believe it. The downsides though is the sheer number of people, the people that still take pictures despite the many signs and guards telling people not to, and the way that people try to walk through you as if you were not there. I blame the tour guides for this though.
Following the Vatican, we took the Metro to the Spanish Steps and took some pictures there. We had some lunch at a pizzeria not far from there called Sugo. The food was good, my quattro staggioni pizza had mussels on it! After lunch we wandered back to the hotel.