Life is good

Well, we are still at Bolsena and have come to like the campsite very much
despite our initial thoughts. Yes the facilities may not be as we have been
used to, but they are still very good in their own way. There are more
continental WC than UK style, i.e. holes in the ground, but that does not
seem to be so much of an issue as they are always kept very clean and most
of the campers seem to prefer those than the UK ones. The showers are mostly
in cubicles outside, but there is a non stop supply of hot water and again
very clean, and you get to have a shower in the nice morning sunshine. I
guess it is just more of a European way of living than we have been used to,
but you adapt, and we have.
We have cycled into Bolsena a few times and it is a very nice town indeed.
It is probably the first place we have visited on this trip that we have
thought 'we could live here'. There are a only a few shops but they stock
everything you could ever want or need, and the old part of the town is just
delightful.
Back at site the private beach onto the lake is very nice, and it has black
volcanic sand which makes a nice change. If you don't know, this is the
largest volcanic lake in Europe. We had a nice swim in the lake today, the
water is cold but very pleasant when you get in, and no salt so you don't
end up all sticky when you get out.
The site has got busier over the last few days, but you don't seem to notice
many people about if you are just sitting on your pitch as they all descend
on the beach to enjoy it.
So, in summary we have not really done much since we have been here and I
think we will just chill for a few more days before heading east back into
Umbria or wherever.

Ciao

M&S

When in Rome - Part II

We had two more days of seeing the Roman sights. Sunday we headed first to
the Vatican to see the Pope. And see him we did as he briefly blesses the
huge crowd in Piazza St Pietro from a balcony in the Palace. We had heard
that he did this at noon every Sunday and thought that something was going
on as the streets from the metro stop to the Vatican were streaming with
people, and on arrival in the piazza it was almost packed out. At 12h00
sharp he made his appearance although he was at quite a distance and hidden
behind his bulletproof rostrum. After a few minutes as we did not understand
what was being said we decided to head into St Peters itself as the queues
from earlier had gone whilst the Pope was greeting his audience. What an
amazing building. Not only is it enormous but also extremely ornate. We took
our time and saw as much as we could take in while the place was almost
empty, and made it out again before the tour groups from outside in the
square descended in their hundreds. After eating our lunch in the square we
headed off on foot across the river and ended up in the park in the north
east of the city centre off from Piazza Del Popolo. After a nice stroll
around in the park and as we were feeling the heat we headed back to site
and chilled out in the evening sunshine.
Monday morning was another early start as we were going to try and visit the
Vatican museums early before the crowds hit. Silly idea. We got there at
about 09h00 and the queue was already from the entrance almost all the way
back to Piazza St Pietro, mostly tour groups. We decided to give it a miss
as it would have taken probably 2 hours to get through and it would have
been unbearably busy inside. So instead we utilised our travel tickets and
hit a few buses and trams around the city. We also visited a very nice
little church not far out from the Colosseum which had an amazing mosaic
above the altar, one of the few in the city. As we did not have any food
with us we took a bus to the Centro Storico to hunt down a place from some
options in the guide book, but as is usually our luck they were either
closed or only doing pizza, which we wanted, in the evening. We eventually
found a nice place doing sandwiches and satisfied our hunger. Later on back
at the site Sue was chatting to a nice Dutch lady who said they had been
told buy a German lady who's husband was a tour guide that the Vatican
museums are not worth visiting from Spring through summer as they are packed
and you just get rushed through. Glad we did not queue and spend the 12€
each for the privilege. We will have to return at another time and visit.
After 4 hard days of wearing out the Roman pavements it was time to move on
and today we took the short trip north up to Lago Bolsena and the town of
Bolsena. The campsite was a bit of a fright on first arrival as the
facilities are not quite as good as we have been used to, but they are okay
and will suffice for a few days while we chill out here. I took a brief
cycle back into town, about 3 miles away, and it seems very nice. So we will
be popping in and out over the next few days I am sure.

Avete un vocabolarietto migliore di questo?

Ciao

M&S

When in Rome

We eventually managed to drag ourselves away from our lakeside retreat on
Wednesday morning although we did deliberate about it for a while. Well when
you are having a nice time in a lovely location and there is no real need to
go anywhere in any specific time scale then it is hard to leave what feels
like 'home'.
Anyway, we hit the Autostrada and dropped down to Roma. We had a tip off
from a nice Dutch man at the lake about a site we were thinking of going to
but didn't believe it had any public transport near enough to make it
feasible for visiting the city. He had just come from there and said it was
no problem. And it isn't. The campsite provide a free bus to the nearest
station and then it is just 15 minutes into the heart of the city. The site
is nearly 15€ cheaper a night than the one we would have gone to.
So we arrived on Wednesday, settled in, and then headed into Roma first
thing on Thursday. We purchased a 7 day ticket for the public transport
(i.e. travel card), only 16€ each, and had a very nice first day roaming the
streets. Unfortunately not long after physically extracting the tickets from
the nice not so shiny ticket machine, had to hit it a few times to get it to
cough out what was required, we then found that there was a general strike
on all transport on the next day, Friday, so we would not be able to get
into the city then. Anyway, once in the city on Thursday we ended up at the
Colosseum, via the sights leading down to and including the Capitoline Hill,
but decided against venturing in as the queue was very long and it looked
even busier inside. We made a plan to return another day early in the
morning to beat the tour buses. We then took the returning long stroll back
to our train station via several of the shopping streets and the Trevi
Fountains, although we somehow couldn't find them.
Friday, the strike day, was still very nice enjoying the sunshine, getting
all the washing done, doing some shopping, and just relaxing some more.
Can't get enough of a good thing.
Today we headed back in to the city early to do the ancient remains before
the crowds hit. We left the site at 08h00 and arrived at the Colosseum just
after 09h00. Quite an amazing place although the several hundred weight of
scaffolding both blocking up entrances and also supporting the odd brick or
two kind of detracts from the overall atmosphere. The Forum and the
Palatine, the oldest of the Roman ruins, are also quite impressive but hard
to imagine what it once was as it also has the 'scaffold' effect and the odd
bit of reinforcement here and there.
The old town, Centro Storico, was very pleasant and more of a place to
stroll and take in all the sights. Eventually after a coffee and cake stop
and a bite of lunch we ended up at the Pantheon, one of the oldest buildings
in the city. As you can expect for a free entrance it was very busy, but
still quite awe inspiring given its age.
We had no choice as it was so warm to get a bit of light refreshment at this
point and navigated the streets to find a recommended ice cream parlour to
sample some 'healthy' local specialities, before then heading back to the
train station to get the treno back home.

Felice Compleanno Matt

Ciao

M&S

Just Chillin'

Well on Thursday the weather did not look nice. It started raining at about
06h00 and kept going strongly until very late morning. So we decided to sit
tight and leave Perugia until Friday. Once again we used the cheap local
trains and buses and ended up in the old town on top of the hill in the
centre of the city. It is not a huge place, but still very nice and not very
busy. The best part were the views from the walls on the edge of the old
town looking around for miles despite it being very hazy. The sun shone all
day and our decision to delay from Thursday was vindicated.
Apart from that we have really just kicked back end enjoyed the sun and the
views across the lake from site. As I mentioned previously we have a nice
pitch on the waters edge, there are about a dozen or so pitches that are and
the rest of the 50 odd are back further into the hotel grounds. This does
lead to some most amusing dashing about in the mornings when a waterside
pitch comes up for grabs as someone is departing. Before the dust has
settled from the departing unit someone else's outdoor chairs appear to mark
the pitch as 'in use' so that they can dash back and grab / move the
remainder of their possessions before anyone else can lay claim. This almost
led to an altercation yesterday when the staff at reception must have told
some new arrivals that they could have a pitch by the water, but in the time
it took them to walk down and inspect the chairs and assorted items from
another caravan had already been relocated. Sadly no fistfight ensued and
the new arrivals chose a different pitch instead. One lives in hope.
You will be pleased to hear that 'Whistling Joe' next door is still in full
'tune', and he has managed an ABBA number or two and a little bit of
classical. Well I assume that is what they were as they are not exactly true
renditions, and he must be just a wee bit tone deaf.
However, it is very pleasant here and we shall stay for a few more days just
chilling out before we head in the direction of Rome over the next week or
two.
Yesterday was very hot and sunny, and the lake was eventually quite busy
with small boats of many a design. Unfortunately today is calm and it is
just starting to rain. No worry, the local paper promised 32C for tomorrow
fingers crossed!

Pensavo che fosse é strano

Ciao

M&S

In which I try to set fire to Noddy

As planned we eventually left Bucine on Tuesday, although we did deliberate
about it for a while in the morning as it was pouring with rain as it had
done for the previous afternoon and evening. At last the thunder and
lightning eased off and we decided to get going. We did not have too far to
go and ended up on the north shore of Lago Trasimeno at the town of
Passignano sul Trasimeno. The site is in the grounds of the Hotel Kursaal
and we have a nice pitch right on the waters edge. The site was fairly quiet
when we arrived yesterday but has started to get busier and we now have
neighbours squeezed in next to us which is fine apart from the mans
incessant whistling. He spent about 2 hours, not kidding, extracting all
sorts of tables chairs and who knows what from their motorhome and never
stopped to take a breath. It seems that when he is not talking to his wife
he whistles, oh and its the same tune. Perhaps we might snip their handbrake
cable in the dark of night and wheel them into the water, shame its only 7m
at its deepest.
Anyway, we had a nice stroll into town and the lady at the Tourist
Information was very helpful with all our questions about local transport.
We bought a couple of nice pastries and headed back to the van to enjoy them
with a nice cafe latte. When we have used the espresso pot, the traditional
little metal ones, it gets washed and then dried quickly on the electric hob
otherwise it is a pain to dry. Unfortunately whilst the pot was drying I got
sidetracked helping a Dutch couple move their caravan, and then went to sit
outside with Sue and forgot about the aforementioned drying pot. When the
smoke alarm in the van started cheeping I suddenly realised that perhaps the
pot was now dry. Well most of it was apart from the plastic handle that was
now melted around the base of the pot and was smoking a tad with the odd
hint of a flame. I don't think it would have done much damage, but it just
goes to prove that smoke alarms are worth their weight in fire
extinguishers.
Tomorrow we will get a train into Perugia if the weather looks nice and then
perhaps do Assisi on Saturday.

Ciao

M&S

Time for a Holiday

After all the hustle and bustle of lovely Florence we headed about 60km
south into central Tuscany to a site just outside the small town of Bucine.
We thought that a relaxing weekend in the countryside would be a nice
'holiday' from the holiday. We have spent the last 2 days relaxing, well
cleaning the van inside and out, and generally enjoying the lovely hot
sunshine.
As can be expected at some point or another your blissful peace and quiet
will be shattered by something or somebody and this time it wasn't hundreds
of screaming kids but a group of bikers on Harley Davidson's who arrived on
Friday for the weekend. Actually they were mostly quiet and compared to the
kids almost nonexistent.
Today, Monday, we took a break from the relaxation and went into Arezzo for
the day. We cycled into Bucine, about 3 miles away, and took a train. It was
only 4.40€ each for a return and the journey was about 30 minutes, so not
bad value. Arezzo is a fairly large town and has a charming old quarter
perched on the top of the hill in the centre of the town. We spent a fair
while just strolling the streets stopping here and there to admire the
buildings and pop into the odd church, including the Duomo. Just outside the
Duomo a presentation was going on and afterwards we discovered that it was
the 148th (I think) anniversary of the Police force. We did not understand
what was being said but several officers we presented with awards of some
description and a few local citizens were also acknowledged to the rapturous
applause of some local youths. After the pomp had finished we checked out
the Duomo, and were most pleasantly surprised by its interior. Mostly quite
plain and not over the top apart from one of the side chapels that was most
ornate with frescos and lit by real wax candles. I mention the candles as
most of the churches we have seen so far don't seem to burn candles anymore
but have electric imitations instead.
After the Duomo we covered the remainder of the old town and stopped in the
Piazza Grande to consume our packed lunch that Sue had made earlier and to
enjoy the warmth of the sun. In a way it was quite fortunate that the town
was not too big and did not consume too much of our time as we got the 14h14
train back to Bucine and cycled back to site arriving just in time before a
thunderstorm and a very large downpour commenced. If we had stayed any
longer in Arezzo I think we would have got quite soaked at some point or
another.
We will leave here tomorrow and head down to Lago Trasimeno just into Umbria
and stay there for a few days and make some trips into local towns including
Perugia, and also perhaps back across into Tuscany to some of the beautiful
hill towns.

Lo consiglieró ai miei amici.

Ciao

M&S

Noddy 'kicks' the bucket

Almost another week flies past and a few more sights of Italy under the
belt. Our Tuscan tour started off on Saturday with a trip into Pisa. We had
decided to get the bus in as we thought it was only a few minutes walk from
the site to the nearest stop. Unfortunately it wasn't, almost 25 or so, and
thanks to some not very good directions at first from the site reception we
missed the bus we wanted and had to wait for an hour for the next. We
eventually arrived and conveniently hopped off just outside the Campo di
Miracoli. The main square with the Duomo, Tower, etc. almost looks like a
theme park. It is a bit surreal to have several huge spectacles of buildings
in their dark and light striped stone all in the middle of a nice lawn,
especially as they must have been cleaned recently and were mostly bright
and looking quite new. What doesn't help is the long stretch of tacky
souvenir shops that line the side of the square selling all the usual bits
that people buy on mass to prove that they were there. The tower was still
leaning and they now charge the princely sum of 15€ for the privilege, they
must keep the money in a safe as a counterbalance, but as they only let a
few in at a time every 40 mins it was already looking like late in the day
if we were interested, but we decided that there are better Italian sights
to spend the money on later in Rome. The Duomo was only 2€ so we checked
that out, and it was very ornate, and in some ways a bit too ornate and
almost like a grand art gallery. Breaking with the traditional Pisa tour of
just hopping off the coach climbing the tower and hopping back on the coach,
we headed of to discover what the rest of the city has to offer. It was
indeed very nice, and fairly quiet. There are several other nice smaller
churches to see and some amazing old buildings. It seems quite a shame that
most people never see any of it. After a very pleasant day we got a bus back
to Torre del Lago and headed back for dinner. We were greeted with the site
of hundreds of kids who had arrived in the campsite that afternoon. They
must have belonged to several different scout groups from around the area.
They made a fine old racket until will into the night with all sorts of
games and songs. We weren't to sad to see them leave eventually on Monday.
On Sunday, we chose to go and see Lucca and decided that we would not use
the bus this time and drive there. I should have known that taking the van
would be a silly idea especially after reversing out of the pitch straight
over our bucket we use for emptying the waste water tank. It is just about
usable but a new bucket will be required. We thought Lucca would be quiet as
it was a Sunday, but we must have spent almost 45 minutes trying to find
parking and eventually found some down a side street. It was well worth it
as Lucca is a very pleasant place to stroll around with many a fine old
building and church to take in.
As Monday was a public holiday we had an easy day at the van and cycled down
to the beach in the afternoon although we didn't stay long as it was not the
nicest beach we have seen.
We hit the Autostrada yesterday and headed for Florence aiming for a site
next to the Piazzale Michelangelo looking down on the city. Even though the
site was very busy we managed to get a spot and after some lunch we took the
20 minute stroll down into town across the Ponte Vecchio for a nice
afternoon of sightseeing. What a lovely city Florence is, and it is quite
busy even at this time of the year. There are some amazing buildings to see,
especially the Duomo. Well from the outside at least. For a building that is
so exquisite and intricate on the outside, the interior is very plain and
almost stark. In contrast, to the north of the city is the church of
Santissima Annunziata which has a very plain front facade which was a late
addition, but the interior is just quite breathtaking.
After making the mistake in Lucca of having a cup of coffee and a snack
sitting at a table and getting charged the earth for it, we made sure we
stood at the bar when we had a couple of coffee and cake stops in the
afternoon. An espresso can be under a Euro at the bar, but almost 3 or 4 if
you sit down instead. So despite many an hour of walking, stay on your feet
if you still want to have the bus fare home.
Today we had an early start and hit the city again to see all that we had
not covered yesterday. It is amazing how you can spend 6 or 7 hours just
ambling around the streets taking in all there is to be seen. The only
problem is that if you get the timing slightly wrong then a lot of the
places you want to go into shut from just after midday to about 16h00.
Tomorrow we will head a bit further south and spend a few days around Arezzo
and gently amble down via the rest of Tuscany and then Umbria towards Rome.

Ciao

M&S