Geo: 38.1124, 13.3712_... read more

Geo: 37.8531, 15.2878After a crappy night in Catania we were busting to get away to our next stop. We had booked a deluxe room at a resort and spa in Taormina for four nights. This was to be our luxury time and we could laze about for a few days. Did I mention yesterday that I bought THE BEST PAIR OF BOOTS EVER in France?Our helpful taxi driver from the night before picked is up mid morning for a 40 minute drive to the resort. The Taormina Riviera is much like the Amalfi coast, although the countryside is very dry. It is hot in Sicily. We arrive at the resort and are allowed to check in to our Junior Suite on arrival! We have been upgraded to a much bigger room and I lost G for ... read more

Geo: 43.5249, 5.45414We had spent the past two days travelling the Provence countryside with Jane's help but some days it seemed we were travelling right alongside the motorways or taking the longer, scenic route although we had asked her for the fastest route. Perhaps G just wasn't driving fast enough. I played with the GPS last night and found a setting "avoid motorways". Oh. That's why. Now unchecked. Today we travelled to Avignon via the motorway. Who knew the motorway ran right alongside our hotel and we didn't need to work our way through the centre of Aix every peak hour, morning and night. Bad, bad Jane. Quick drive to Avignon and our first stop was a 2 hour audio tour of the Palais des Papes, the Popes Palace. This place is massive. It is one ... read more

Geo: 43.5119, 5.46623Buffet breakfast was provided at the hotel this morning. I don't like French breakfasts. We caught the bus into the city centre of Aix-en-Provence - much easier than taking the car and finding parking. We were dropped at a majestic fountain, La Fontaine de la Rotonde. Apart from the Trevi (which was undergoing maintenance), this would be the grandest fountain we have seen. Aix comes from the Latin word Aquae, and fountains form an integral part of Aix-en-Provence. We visited the tourist bureau where you have to cue for hours to get a tourist brochure. Forget it. We wandered around town taking in the sights and the shops but I wasn't really that impressed. Just another town. Not much atmosphere. The rain was coming in so we chose an undercover restaurant to spend some ... read more

Geo: 44.4944, 11.3492Today we needed to leave Tuscany. Franco came to meet us for check out at 1000am and we were on the road for Bologna. The drive was a couple of hours and then it took us a bit longer than it should have (ie lost) to find the B&B. We found it, and checked in. Our host Francesca was lovely and the B&B was a nice surprise by Italian standards. Beautiful lush surroundings, modern decor, excellent shower and very comfortable.We quickly unpacked and jumped on a bus for the old town. Bologna is a walled city and the buildings are very grand. Our first stop was a market at Piazza Minghetti. Spotted a few things to buy already!! Francesca had provided us a walking map so we followed that for a few hours to ... read more