Blogs from Castiglione del Lago, Umbria, Italy, Europe

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Europe » Italy » Umbria » Castiglione del Lago April 22nd 2013

As the title may suggest to you we were to be reminded that even at our venerable age (Gretchen is almost there) we can still learn valuable lessons on the road. More of that later. We woke in Teramo to a partly cloudy morning which looked substantially better than the thunderstorm and rain from last night. The road sweeper was out keeping the streets cleaned which we are finding is more obvious now we are further north in Italy. Shame that the towns in the southern part of the country haven’t invested into these machines. Breakfast was good and the coffee strong (one morning coffee Ruth and Owen and you would have your equivalent for a whole year!) We knew that the journey from Teramo to Spoleto was going to take over some lesser, country roads ... read more
Spelonga
Snow not that far away
Torre del Ponte

Europe » Italy » Umbria » Castiglione del Lago August 12th 2012

Although we are enjoying looking at all the sights as we travel, people are the most important thing. We loved spending the week in Rhodes with family and today we spent the day with friends. It is a little ridiculous that we had to come to Italy to meet them as they only live in New Zealand, but the coincidence of being so close on another continent couldn't be passed by. Regan and David had been in the youth group Fiona ran in Balclutha in the late 90's. She had attended their wedding shortly after we had moved to Australia and hadn't seen them since. Facebook had kept us in touch and we had realised we were all travelling for three months and our paths crossed this week. They were staying in Tuscany and a half ... read more
The parents - thanks to Regan for the photo
Sabre eating spaghetti
And Zion eating too

Europe » Italy » Umbria » Castiglione del Lago April 14th 2011

Deciding not to bother with seeing Siena we headed off again in search of those rolling Tuscany hills we wanted so much to see, well not more than 15kms out of Siena we found them. The weather had turned a little with a cool 8 degrees and a stiff cold wind but that did not for one moment detract from the beauty of Tuscany, it really is a special part of Italy and to be frank the best we had seen so far. Slowly driving down narrow lanes and just soaking up the beauty was just great. Winding our way to a little old town called Cartona, reputed be over 3000 years old we found a typical hilltop village that was difficult to get to but worth the effort. Finally scoring a car park just by ... read more
Tuscan Hills
Tuscany
Tuscan Hills

Europe » Italy » Umbria » Castiglione del Lago August 15th 2008

Under the Tuscan Sun....... I understand why this book found it's inspiration here. One cannot help but notice how shadowy the lanes of these villages are. To an outsider it is often daunting, odd. But the shadow, while staving off the unbelievable heat, gives an air of mystique. Of course in medieval times, when fortresses & walls were erected to keep the residents safe (here for example- Etruscans against Romans, and later Tuscans against Perugians) the public had no choice to to be packed in. The hilltop is only so big. Here in Castiglione del Lago one is greeted by dozens of wine, cheese & sausage shops with their owners proudly exhibiting their goods @ the entrance. A wood cutting board in one hand full of marvelous looking samples for all the passers-by. Delicious! Don't expect ... read more
Scenery
"Main Street"
A fine example of the wine shops

Europe » Italy » Umbria » Castiglione del Lago July 19th 2008

A visit to a huge lake, just down from Castiglione del Lago. The guide book had recommended a particular restaurant in town for a local traditional dish of white bean stew and the carp caught in the lake, so we headed there for lunch. The town was glorious, in what seems to be the usual Umbrain style, built ontop of a hill, we drove and parked and went straight to eat. We loved the restaurant and those white beans, cooked in a broth and served with what ever, Karl chose Pork, Onita had the Carp. Then on for a Gelato, which ended in the usual story of Asha eating it neatly and efficiently without too much mess, whilst Jay just not getting the hang of licking all round the sides, so getting most of it melted ... read more
Main street
Town gate
Castiglione del Lago

Europe » Italy » Umbria » Castiglione del Lago June 5th 2008

There were two days left before we left for home and we had packed our bags in readiness for going home. We had left enough clothes out to last us the last few days. We decided to visit two places today – Perugia and LakeTrasimino. Perugia was rather uncharacteristic for a town in Umbria. It does have an historic centre but it is well hidden amongst the urban sprawl. It is easy to miss on your way to somewhere else. The town itself is quite vibrant due to the university. Students are everywhere. We had a drink on the Corso Vannucci a busy noisy square full of people. It is most definitely a people watching square and we enjoyed a bit of peace before the storm. Storm clouds were gathering and the sound of thunder claps ... read more
Perugia
Lake Trasimino




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