Blogs from Volterra, Tuscany, Italy, Europe - page 2

Our last trip and in fact our farewell to Italy came as headed for Colonnata. Not quite culture but definitely it was in the broadest sense because ofits proximity to Carrera and the marble quarries which produced the materials for Italys sculptors. Large rocks were strewn along the roadside as it wound its way up the hill. Not beautiful place, in fact the scarred landscape was quite ugly in parts. Shops lined the roadsides selling marble products ranging from full scale large sculptures the type of which you would struggle to get on a plane to tiny perfectly formed owls. We bought Ozzie to join another marble owl purchased years before. Now he wouldn’t be so lonely with Ozzie to join him. For lunch we headed to the small town of Lerici close to La Spezia ... read more

Da vi vågner regner det stadig voldsomt. Vi prøver at sove det væk men det hjælper ikke rigtig. Vi spiser morgenmad og kravler tilbage i sengen og hører lidt Harry Potter. Stadig regnvejr. På vej hertil så vi en coop, selvom logoet havde de rigtige bogstaver tænkte jeg at det nok ikke var det vi troede det var. Men det var det. Coop hernede er så hvad der nok svarer til en Bilka eller Kvickly Xtra hjemme ved os. Den lå inde i et lille center og havde det hele. Vi får handlet ordentligt ind, hvilket vi ikke har fået i et stykke tid, og håber så det ikke regner mere da vi kommer ud. Det regner stadig, og underligt nok har skyerne hele tiden været meget vide og slet ikke mørke, men det bliver ved ... read more

One of our last visits of our holiday were to a castle, a deserted town on a Sunday afternoon and to see modern sculptures in a town square. Colle Di Val d’Elsa is a quiet little place a bit off the beaten track for visitors. As it was a late Sunday afternoon the town was exceptionally quiet. In the streets we saw weatherbeaten grandfathers smoking or playing cards, grey haired grandmothers knitting or crocheting and children and toddlers playing in the streets. A scene that must have been prevalent in England in the 19th century but lost now. If there was a downside to Colle it was that it was impossible to get food on a Sunday. All restaurants seemed closed and even if we found one that looked vaguely open there seemed no-one interested in ... read more

Well, we seem to be the victims of climate change here in Tuscany. Apparently this is the wettest spring in memory. It has rained every day since we arrived - but there have also been moments (even hours on occasion) of sun. With the continuation of great coffee, the rolling hills of Tuscany, ancient villages, risotto funghi, etc etc etc one really can't complain about the weather. We had the usual disasterous arrival.....got here at 3pm by train on Saturday, car rental place closed at 1pm for the remainder of the weekend. It continues to be the case that all things in life can be solved with money....so we spent a ridiculous 60 Euros ( you would think they would have a Euro symbol on this damn keyboard) to get to our castle. Yes, that's right, ... read more

Italia summer 2007... read more