http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Marche/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Italy , Marche en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:56:58 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:56:58 UTC youll like this day...up bout 9am looked at the breakfast buffett in the hotel.... found out that this country doesnt eat a hot breakfast or healthy. just a bunch of sweets doughnut like croissants etc some salami and cheese though. tried their fresh orange juice.... blagggeeoo. not was i was used to. trust me this was 1 of 2 things i didnt like in italy. hit the road and walked toward http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Senigallia/blog-339113.html Got on the long train ride to FalconaMarmimar. This high speed train went about 120kmh or around 80mph. going thru those tunnels fast made jenn and my ears pop. oh yeah we didnt realize our tickets gave us assigned seats and we found out when some couple started telling us something in italian and by there gestures and tickets in hand i put 2 and 2 together. So about and hour into the train http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Senigallia/blog-337835.html hey guys we made it to senigallia. without anything going wrong we actually got here 3hrs early we got the early train from rome. we are checking in as i type this. its about 60degrees in the town though... cold front. we are going up to our room now. ttyl http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Senigallia/blog-328494.html I arrived in Ancona early in the morning via train. I booked it out of Trieste when I wasnrsquot having any luck finding a place to stay and had to change trains three different times pretty standard. I was glad to get off the train though. First on my agenda was to find the next ferry to Split. I found the port without a problem but ran into one when the office was closed. I then went out to f http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-327819.html Wednesday July 16thToday was a catchup day as we prepared to depart Fano for Venice. The kids got their last swims in with Mischa at the Villa Giulia pool. We repacked and boxed up some items for shipment to the U.S. In the late afternoon we returned to the lavanderia in Fano near the boardwalk to do a last couple of loads of laundry. On our earlier visit the kids had found a fountain near th http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-305530.html Tuesday July 15thAhh the value of tour books. The Italy guide that we brought with us recommended the Conero Peninsula south of Ancona for its secluded undeveloped beaches. Ever on the search for out of the way places we decided to try to find one of these unspoiled stretches of sand and surf. The Conero Peninsula begins on the southern outskirts of Ancona a city about twice the size of Fa http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-305523.html Monday July 14thToday we spent another relaxing day at the Villa Giulia pool. This time Mischarsquos parents came over bearing canned sausage for Mischa to share with our kids. The fried sausages along with Spaghetti Orsquos made a delicious combination. That evening we went into Fano in search of a good restaurant. After two failed attempts to find restaurants listed on Villa Giulia's r http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-305506.html Sunday July 13thTouring the city of Urbino was our next destination. Most of the Italian shops and restaurants close on Sunday so it is an ideal day to take in some sights. The trip to Urbino from our villa was about an hour along some beautiful hilly roads through the Tuscan countryside. Becky and Susan spotted several large glorious fields of sunflowers along the way but we were always http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-305167.html Saturday July 12thThe next leg of our summer adventure took us to the Adriatic side of Italy about halfway up the east coast. We chose the resort town of Fano because it was part of La Marche which had the reputation that it was less commercialized than other seaside cities along the Adriatic Sea. Fano is named after Fanum Fortunae a pagan temple to the goddess Fortuna.After arriving late th http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-303064.html Made it to Ancona today a short trip. It was pretty uneventful all the way. We found a hotel without much of a problem. Then we thought it might be a good plan to book the ferry to Patras so off we went to the ferry terminal. The booking office for Superfast Ferries was closed. After a thunderstorm and a revisit things turned out as I expected not going to open until tomorrow morning. The http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-286491.html Well I went round the port today and it gave every appearance of being completely deserted. Probably because it's Italian Liberation Day I think this Irish truck driver I ran into in an Indian restaurant told me all about it as well as many other things. He looked somewhat like my grandfather with his nose and spectacles but had none of his manner. He drives an eighteen wheeler around Greece http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-269996.html So here I am in Ancona. Took the train after packing up having a cappucco and pastry and strolling around the area one more time. That last wasn't anything special I didn't have time to go anywhere cool and it was rush hour. But it was my last bit of Rome. Who knows when I'll be back there. Probably years and years from now. Weird.My hostel is about two minutes from the train station and it s http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-269709.html ItaliaNot quite the start of the real travelling but we've just spent 5 days in the Marches with Gus Sarah Gaz and Em. The village of Auditore was lovely. We got to see San Marino San Leo and Urbino which was all good. Spent most of the time stuffing our faces and drinking cheap village wine for euro4 a litreWe've finally sorted out some plans and booked flights to Cape Town so ignore t http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Urbino/blog-262259.html As you know I left off last time right in the middle of what we in the trade call a good bit.Having seen a few Ferraris's in a museum I was happy but there was something missing. There was a large supercarshaped hole within me and Ferrari unfortunately failed to fill it. I wouldn't say I was disappointed but I needed more. Please welcome Number 12 Via Modena Sant'AgataLamborghini.We tur http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Ancona/blog-257402.html Come nei ristoranti indiani quando ancora stai mangiando e ti vogliono portare il conto ti chiedono finishMa stavolta abbiamo finito davvero e siamo stati vittima dello sbalzo cromatico pi che del jetlag dovrebbero avverti anche su questo...ehehe dai colori sgargianti dell'India alle tonalit grigie del nostro inverno. Quindi per aiutarci i prossimi giorni vestitevi con colori accesi e so http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-250666.html Aspettando il visto per l'India Visti i problemi e le paranoie per il rilascio rimandiamo per scaramanzia ogni commento ai prossimi giorni. Comunque abbiamo deciso di usare questo simpatico mezzo tecnologico per informarvi sulle nostre avventure indiane dato che non riusciremo ad aggiornare il sito da la. Quindi per qualche mese traslochiamo qui e sarete bombardati di mail...ahahah http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-221265.html Sunday Sara had to pack coz she will be leaving to Australia when I leave for AlbaniaBut I was a little dizzy still and my eyes start swelling for some stupid reason argh....so slacked the morning went to her parents' house she cooked some pasta and just hea till Mirko came.So deicded to see Urbino which accidentally was their University town So Mirko drove me there to look around.... http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Urbino/blog-211557.html Viterbo Europe Italy Marche By LDUCAJuly 9th 2007LD The Last Italian Excursion. We had a tour of the city for the morning but then we were free to do as we pleased. After some shopping Adriana and I finally accomplished what we set out to do that entire trip have a lunch OUTDOORS at a cafe where we can just sit relax and people watch. It was the best lunch I had in all of Italy. We split a http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-177479.html So they told us to wear comfortable clothes so for me jean skirt sandals the typical. Oh no. Bad Idea. We go truffle hunting and with our luck as with every day it rained. So we are trekking up this muddy muddy hill definitely a hill compared to the Sibillini to find this delicacy il tartufo. If there is one thing I am going to teach the world it is that truffles are MUSHROOMS. The http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-177447.html SiroloThe Bells of Loreto So we went to Le Grotte di Frasassi oggi it was basically like every other cave I have gone down into but nonetheless it was interesting and neat one thing I never thought I would do while I was in Italy. Afterwards we went to lunch close to the caves where I got to spend a lot of time talking to our busdriver GianCarlo. Absolutely he was one of my favorite peopl http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-177442.html It wasn't long until I found myself studying Italian in one of the world's biggest secrets of a town. The name is Urbino and if you look for it on a map you may have to enlarge it four times. But it's a piece of heaven on earth with the kindest of people and the most beautiful of landscape. With rolling hills and Renaissance architecture the town's history dates back centuries ago with the cast http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/Urbino/blog-175747.html We drove down to Macerata where a pretty awesome university resides. We first toured the University that is after we found our 6 lost companions of course getting lost on the random elevators that take you higher up in the city. I can't even imagine going to a university such as that. I could be nothing but inspired in these classrooms completely surrounded by breathtaking artwork. Refe http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-173980.html So the trip no one could have prepared us for. Long story short we drove out to the Sibillini mountains and took a trek up the mountain all while stylishly wearing a poncho. However all we were told is we're going on a hike. After about a hour just to get to the beginning of the ascent there are preparedmountaineers coming down the trail we are about to climb. They are coming down ador http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-173508.html We all piled into our infamous bus with our even more infamous driver GianCarlo and headed to the town of Urbino. The big deal about Urbino il Palazzo Ducale the reason my name ends up all over this place. This town was at the top of the hill marked by the breathtaking views reference the photos and the steepest hill I've ever climbed. Not even that relatively short but very steep hill http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-173478.html So initially we all met up at the airport. Naturally the first person I met was another TEXAN. Funniest story from meeting up there is when I met Allie from Chicago. Oh Allie pictured here with me in front of the forum in Rome much much later in the trip. When Allie introduced herself to me... my response was What Allie... WHAT ALLIE What is your name how do you spell that...m http://www.travelblog.org//Europe/Italy/Marche/blog-173142.html