Blogs from Italy, Europe - page 8

Todays plan with Alan was to have us do 3 wine tastings, and after a nice 1 hour trip we arrived at the first winey. Albola Winery and Castle seemed like a nice place to start, we parked and went in, they were lovely and friendly sat us down in their sheltered courtyard and gave us an explanation of the operation and wines. We tried one white, 3 reds and a surprise dessert wine. The dessert wine was a unexpected treat and a long with a couple of bottles of Chianti Riserva we left with a dessert wine. We found a great little off the beaten path lunch spot before continuing our tour. Off to our second winery Cantina Castelvecchi . How ever when we arrived there was no one to be seen, we poked around ... read more

Today we are going to spend the day at a Beach Club in Viareggio, then we are picking up Rose's Cousin, who last featured in London family dinner, from Pisa Airport. We had decided to spend the day at Bagno Andrea Doria beach club. We chose this as we could book and pay for the tent, chairs and parking which meant we would be able to have a soother entry. We had a great day in the heat and the Mediterranean which was probably 30C but with a great sea breeze. They had a great restaurant and shop with ice pops and drinks. We did not take the camera, so no photos other than the one Rose added to our Facebook. Late in the afternoon we packed up and drove to Pisa Airport and picked up ... read more

And so it is that all roads eventually lead us back here and we must start listing off our ‘lasts’ as we head home. Last morning at the villa, last rally drive down the hill and last visit to a hilltop town…until next time! An early start to pack and get everything sorted, especially the mountain of garbage and empty bottles!! Goodbyes to all our flat mates of the last week and we were off down the freeway to Orvieto, via our last coffee at the autogrill. Another parking arrangement with the marriage in tact and we were off up the hill to Orvieto. Another beautiful town with photo opportunities at every turn. However the highlight was undoubtedly the cathedral - absolutely stunning! I’m not normally a huge fan of religious buildings, but the pope who ... read more

After yesterday’s unsuccessful venture into nature, we thought we’d stick with man made beauty for the next few days. Another lazy start before we were on our way to Gubbio. Miraculously didn’t need a divorce to find the parking area and we were on our way up into town in minutes. The town is spectacularly set on a hillside, dominated by the Palazzo dei Consoli. We made our way up up up but thankfully, it was cooler today with a bit of cloud cover, so whinging was minimised. We enjoyed a wander through the medieval street before reaching the top point of our climb at the cathedral. Meandered back down and pottered around in some shops before the requests for lunch became overwhelming and we stopped on a small square. We all enjoyed some pasta, with ... read more

Who will come-a-knockin' with me to see how many doors will open to us as we walk beside walls along the paths and steps of Lecce old town?... read more