Buono Sera And now we are out of Italy. Took us a while. We counted up and realised we had been there for just on 7 weeks! So, given that it was raining and 'tempests' are forecast on Cinque Terra we have scuttled off to France and are enjoying the sunshine in Antibes. Nice places everywhere!
Buona Sera We also loved Rome and we were only there one day! In one afternoon, Bill and I managed to walk from our hotel at the top of the Spanish Steps to the Colosseum via the Trevi Fountain. We then wandered down through the Forum, past the 'Wedding Cake' and, eventually, up the Spanish Steps. My high school Ancient History came flooding back - well some of it, anyway, (it's been a while!). We have vowed to go back one day. I'm glad you got to see the Vatican. The queues were very long when we were there. Ciao
Aparto And that was just one side of the lounge room. Rome is worth a bit of time we think. The week we spent was good but we could easily have spent longer.
Pizza Thanks for the tip Alex. Hopefully other people will take note, as we will for our next visit. Luckily we have since scored some good pizza here in Florence.
Pizza and Rome If you're looking for good pizza - and are still in Roma - try Pizzeria da Baffetto, on via Governo Vecchio, off Piazza Navona. You have to queue to get a seat... but it's worth the wait.
Alex
Pizza Our luck has changed. An excellent feed for both of us: one pasta and the other pizza but it was in a shopping mall rather than a tourist area. I have even taken note of how they did both so we can try to replicate. Lovely stuff
Speaking of pizza and Rome One of the more memorable "meals" Virginia and I have had was eating slices of pizza sitting on the edge of the fountain in Piazza Navonna on a sunny day in March 1990. No doubt bought from a tourist trap but it was beautiful. Hopefully your luck changes too in finding some good cafe food!!
I Like It I enjoyed reading this post. Patsy, as I enjoy reading all the posts you guys put up. Hope the breadboard didn't do too much damage as it flew off the roof of the car. We did that years ago with a pizza - it was still edible when we found it sometime later.
Those Fazios We have certainly spotted the name about on a number of different companies and shops, mainly down the east coast. Probably wont make it over to the Aeolian Islands. Have just posted on Sicily so you can read a bit about now. Have just left Palermo on our way along the north coast.
Good to see you're taking your time We've seen nowhere near as much of Italy as you but can fully understand the appeal. Keep an eye out for Fazios in Sicily (or the Aeolian Islands to be more precise). Now, the risk is that once you've visited Ireland as well, we may have to come a long way to ever see you again!!
Delaying Greece Thanks for your comments. We've decided to see more of Italy while we're here and then go to Greece later, preferably after the peak of the tourist season. We're also trying to practise the slowfeet thing.
What Is It About Italy? Not sure what it is about Italy but I fell in love with it for the very brief time we were there a few years ago. Your photos are as good as ever and I look forward to seeing the rest of them one day.
Look forward to reading more Hey guys. Just took a glance at your blog and can't wait to read more. Still trying to go through my own pics and return to a normal existence. Will be following your travels
Now there's a surprise that you rather like Italy...You might want to hang around a little longer until the Greeks calm down - at least if you were headed to Athens.
Chargers It was with sadness that I pensioned off my old Mountain Designs pack. 75 litres will allow you to get plenty in it.
The usb idea should work. Another, but heavier, option is a small power board so that when you strike a place with a power outlet you can charge everything at once. Our Korgo multi adaptor has been worth its weight in gold. Cost that much too.
chargers People will probably read this one a lot.
I am now going through a process of finding usb charging adapters for all my stuff. This will mean I only have to take the computer charger - everything else can charge via the usb port.
We've also gone for a new 75L Mountain Designs canvas pack. It's heavy, maybe a bit of a gamble - but it should last a long time. Mainly, though, it was close to half price :)
And I'll invest in a new pair of double pluggers, too.
Will we be seeing you soon? Hi Lovely to read your blog. How shrewd to miss the shutdown of the airways!! Not sure what your time scales are re coming back to the UK. You are welcome anytime, but we are flying to Athens on 2nd June and back on the 20th. We are off to Amorgos, Koufonissia and Naxos. We are working before and after but off at weekends. However, that does not prevent you staying here and doing your own thing during the day and catching up with us in the evenings. Paris is great, in the 'old days' everything used to be soooo expensive, but I guess thats the case with a lot of tourist cities. Beer and a baguette cost us a small fortune. Unfortunately for us we have just passed the anniversary of our return to the UK and work. Which means that we can't be saying "this time last year we were............".
Oh to set off again. We still have the campervan idea for 2011. Can't wait to speak to you about what your reflections are. What you are glad you did and what you would do differently. Anyway, let us know your plans for North Wales. Cheers for now- Donna
Our travels over the years have often sought out those places that we haven't yet experienced. We have loved chasing new places, but there is a change underway. We continue to enjoy experiencing other cultures along with their food, beverages, history and ways of life but now, having a little more freedom, we will also make more effort to seek out out such things as music events and festivals, particular natural attractions that we have missed and places where we can better appreciate the history of a place and its people.
The attraction of the road less travelled and the place less visit... full info
Pete
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re "For Adam" #12549837
Cheers David...