Lucca - perfect for cycling

Yesterday we noticed lots of cyclists, on a range of hired bikes, dodging pedestrians: so not to be outdone we thought we should join them. More importantly I had come to the realisation that Lucca is absolutely dead flat, although surrounded by some impressive mountains. With some apprehension I approached the bike hire place and considered the option of a tandem ( head straight for divorce I immediately thought!) or one of the double pedal cars ( see tandem) and settled on a standard bike equipped with basket.

No helmets required here, and it was a perfect balmy day as we set  off to do the top of the Lucca wall ride: all 4 kms of it. The road is wide and huge trees have been planted on either side. Every now and then you reach an embattlement where presumably cannons and weapons were used to keep out invaders. The wall itself is about 8 metres high and just as wide with huge gates or portas which allow exit through the wall. You just pedal or walk around slowly, and when something looks interesting there are numerous paths down into the old city.

We pedalled around for the morning, stopping for anything interesting that required investigation. We did see a number of Duomos, including one that truly met the Lonely Planet's description of a 'giant wedding cake'. Apparently Lucca has 99 churches so you will be thrilled to hear that we saw only a few. But we did got to the Palazzo Pfanner and gardens owned by an Austrian who sold beer to be served in the Gardens of the huge mansion and eventually made enough money to buy the entire place. He was also a doctor and Surgeon in the late 1800s so there were some very torturous looking medical instruments and the skeleton of a foetus from that era.

At one point we came across a market square with a huge open marquee busy with  bakers making all sorts of bread in huge outdoor ovens. We went to see what was going on and were given two huge paper bags of slices of fresh warm bread, some with chocolate, fruit  and fennel seeds. It was a fundraising exercise for a domestic violence and stalking program so we donated some euros and wandered around the market munching the delicious bread. Ewan surprisingly (not) spent ages at a technology stall eventually buying a tiny speaker for his phone and a penknife ( to replace the one he lost at security for the St Peter's Basilica). I just need to point out that I bought nothing!

At one of our other stops Ewan bought himself a new lycra bike top designed by the shop owner for the World Road Cycling Championships. The other members of his Sunday cycling group will be so jealous!

The lovely thing about the wall is that in addition to the tourists (who are the ones with maps trying to work out where the hell they are) lots of locals use the path. It was Sunday so the playgrounds were in full use by families often including a Nonna in a wheelchair. At tables dotted around the path groups of old men were busy playing dominos and arguing with each other. It was clearly the place for dog walkers, but they were all on leads and very well behaved compared to some dogs I could mention! Avoiding the pedestrians was quite an art but we didn't cause any injuries as everyone just ambles along.

Ewan rode his bike so slowly that I could barely stay upright so I pedalled off without him, stopping to take photos while he caught up to me. He has perfected the art of pedalling slowly as he exercises the dogs by cycling with them. Knowing our dogs, they aren't speed demons so that explains his slow pace.

There is evidence of the World Cycling Championships everywhere: the shop window displays, posters and the occasional lean and mean looking cyclist contrasting with the rest of us mooching along.

When we returned to our rooms Ewan managed to find the Time Trials on today on the TV. Yesterday in Florence I noticed that they were setting up metal barriers around the Duomo, and sure enough that was part of the track for today. Ewan was most annoyed because Orica Green with 3 Australians in the team came in second by a mere 0.8 second.

We had a quiet afternoon to have some down time before going on a ramble through some of the streets we hadn't seen. I climbed a Tower to get a great view of Lucca, whilst Ewan rested his ankle. We found ourselves strolling around part of the wall again as the sun set. Very relaxing end to a lovely day.

your chilled out reporter

Dianne

On the move again: Lucca here we come

After 3 nights in Florence we're off to another Tuscan town; Lucca.

But before we caught the train and sat quietly for a couple of hours, there was business to be done.

I headed off for the Central Market to buy some sustenance for the trip - crusty bread, pecorino cheese,  sliced meatloaf, sweet tomatoes, enormous peaches and a slab of fig slice. My basic italian and charades seemed to do the trick, fortunately.

The market was full of gourmet delights and some not so gourmet - tripe for example. Apparently the Florentians are very fond of tripe and there was a stall selling mounds of it. We had been served some on an antipasto platter last night and initially thought it was calamari, until we tasted it: nice lemony flavour but the texture wasn't so great! Maybe we'll leave it to those who appreciate it!

I had also hoped to do a last peruse of the leather stalls nearby but discovered, when I went to the Bancomat (ATM), that my 28 degrees credit card wasn't working, so that curtailed my spending!

To cut a long story short, Ewan had a rather terse conversation with someone in a call centre who said both of our cards were blocked but couldn't provide a reason. When Ewan asked to speak to his supervisor he told Ewan to use professional language and hung up! There's great customer service for you! Not to worry, we have other options and will follow up when the Australian office is open.

We caught the local train to Lucca which meant lots of stops and locals coming and going. Lucca has an old quarter which is contained within a huge wide 4 kilometre wall that you can cycle or walk around. We were booked in to stay in a B&B which is actually part of an ancient  wall within the larger town wall and used to be part of a Roman amphitheatre. All very cute until we had to haul our bags up ancient narrow terracotta stairs with rough rock walls: very narrow and very steep!

Our room looks out over cafes and trattorias in the lane below and is very close to the largest Piazza in Luca surrounded by stuccoed apartment buildings. We have access to a rustic kitchen and sitting room all very tastefully furnished. Great recommendation Jude!

We spent the afternoon wandering around the winding alleyways, checking out the tiny shops and cafes, and getting the lay of the land, which is basically flat. You will be relieved to learn that we did visit one Duomo, and this one had a real corpse lying in state behind glass still dressed in her nun's habit: a rather gory sight. I'm not sure poor Saint Zita would have chosen to be dessicated skin and bone on public display, but there she was, in all her glory.

As travelling is so tiring we have been getting into the habit of a siesta in the afternoon which is a great way to revive for further eating and drinking. so after participating in this ancient custom, we headed for the circular Piazza, which is 5 seconds walk from our front door, and spent some time choosing one of the any outdoor restaurants clustered around the edges. Check tablecloths, wrought iron chairs and large umbrellas are the common features. With delicious smells of wood fired pizza and pasta enticing us, we finally made a decision and ordered ravioli: provolone and sage for Ewan and chestnut and speck for me. We had decided to leave room for dessert and I had vanilla pannacotta with chocolate sauce whilst Ewan went for the healthy option of fruit salad which arrived covered with luscious cream.

This was quite restrained eating. The multiple courses that the Italians eat are amazing: we are definitely failures when it comes to keeping up . They usually start with antipasto or soup, followed by a bowl of pasta, and then the main meal arrives - meat and vegetables. Followed by dessert of course , and all washed down with vast amounts of wine. So far we've only managed two courses and that's more than sufficient.

HEALTH REPORT  (for those concerned) Ewan has been icing his foot and seems to be mobile without too much trouble although the stairs here might be the end of him!

He's snoring soundly and dreaming of the World Cycling Championships that are on in Tuscany in a week's time. We won't be in Lucca for their stage next week, but we have seen a few cyclists in lycra training already.
Ewan will just have to content himself with a sedate pedal around the top of the walls tomorrow, but I'm sure he's dreaming of greater things at the moment....

your travelling correspondent

Dianne

Florence....such a civilised city

Today we set off to score a few more brownie points in the Tourist Stakes.

By complete happenstance the Hotel Panorama, our current abode, is almost on the Piazza San Marco and consequently next door to the Galleria Academica, which houses Michaelangelo's David.

After breakfast on the 4th Floor, overlooking the Duomo and the city of Florence, we set off (slowly) to beat the crowds as David is very popular.

The Academy was originally, in the 16th century, a school of the arts. Many students who became famous painters attended and it had a music department as well. There were the usual endless versions of Madonna and child ( including a very beautiful Botticelli) , and lots of superb golden triptychs (too much of a good thing!) but there was also some very old musical instruments. Two Stradivarius instruments - one a completely intact violin, and one a tenor viola - from the mid-16th century were on display. There was also a Plaster cast room of many sculptures and a demonstration video of how the original plaster statues are converted into large marble pieces. Very interesting.

And of course, there was the ENORMOUS ( in every sense of the word) David himself. He is very impressive and beautifully sculpted, but I'm sure his hands are too big and not in proportion to his body. Anyway how would I know anything, having never been a sculptor of any sorts ( I don't think pottery at OT school counts!)

Then we headed for the Museo San Marco which turned out to be an old convent or monastery with lovely green cloisters and more pictures of Jesus on the cross than I have ever seen in my life! Every monk's cell had the same frescoe of Jesus painted  on the wall with some slight change to make it different to the one next door, but all of them with lots of dripping blood!

Ewan decided it was time to ice his sore foot so I headed off shopping on my own ( Yes!!!! Oops: I mean how sad for him). I spent a couple of hours perusing the markets and inhaling the smell of leather before buying a few purchases.

After lunch with Ewan (I couldn't desert him completely!) he headed off for the laundromat ( all he had to do was sit after all!) and I headed off for the Pitti Palazzo. That meant contending with the crowds around the Ponte Vecchio again. It seems to me there's thousands of tourists but not so many buyers of the gold jewellery on offer.

The Pitti Palace was the 16th Century palace of Cosimo Medici and his wife, and it would be fair to say that they went for quantity, in preference to quality - although the interiors were lovely. It's just huge and made from enormous blocks of stone: a very substantial palace from the outside.

There was a costume museum with lots of dresses and accessories from the last couple of centuries. The curators had assembled showcases of Haute couture gowns from the last few decades which I found fascinating. Also displayed in very dark rooms were the clothes that Cosimo, his wife and son were buried in. They died around the mid 16th century so the fabric was very fragile and the darkness designed to preserve what was left. Amazing!

Then I wandered around the exquisite Borbolino Gardens surrounding the palace. It was quite hilly but the gardens had topiary, a lemon grove, fountains, extensive lawns and pathways. Very relaxing on a hot day.

In order to revive myself for the walk home I needed another gelato of course. One a day is acceptable surely!

Florence is certainly a very civilised calm clean city, despite the throngs of tourists. Most of the central area is pedestrian access only and all of the 'things to see' are located in one district so walking is the way to go. My one attempt at using the bus today ended up with me going in the wrong direction completely: much better to go on foot!

After a delicious dinner in one of the piazzas at a very trendy place called Za Za's it's off to bed and then off to Lucca in the morning.

your on the move traveller

Dianne

Pounding the streets in Florence

SMITH HEALTH REPORT:

At the moment it is 11.00pm and Ewan is sitting with his sore foot resting on an ice pack on the bed.

The re-emergence of the foot problem may have been caused by our extensive sight seeing today.

Here's the list:

Walked for 10 minutes to the Duomo ( our hotel very convenient to all the must-see places in Florence!) and waited in line admiring the ornate pink green and white facade before wandering around admiring the simple decor inside the church.

- Climbed the 432 steps to get to the top of the dome on worn spiral steps for most of the way, and admired the 360 degree view over the terracotta rooftops of Florence. Then staggered back down ( which really hurt Ewan's foot).

- Visited the Museo of the Duomo to see Michaelangelo's Pieta and the real golden Doors of Paradise. In some ways it was fortunate that most of the Museum is being rebuilt so there wasn't a lot to see!

- Climbed more stairs to get to the 16th century apartments of the Medici family at the Palazzo Vecchio including an enormous high- ceilinged painted hall, and rooms decorated to recognise the exploits of the family members. Apparently they were all strong, fearless and god-like judging by the frescoes, gold and artwork used. I particularly liked Elenora's apartment as she had superb frescoes and paintings depicting heroines of the Age.

- After a quick lunch - Yes! Some sitting down time!! - it was off to the Uffizi Gallery to make sure we arrived at the appointed time of 2.45pm. A few hours and many treasures later we exited and made straight to the nearest gelateria for some much needed sustenance: bacio, pistachio and hazelnut ice cream - delicious.

- Then to complete the sightseeing it was a quick walk across the Ponte Vecchio to admire the view, and the jewellery, none of which appealed as much too gaudy and sparkly for me.

- Finally homeward bound we walked through the shopping strip and had a quick peruse of the leather stalls at the market.

- But never ones to miss an opportunity to add to our lists of sights seen, and to fully utilise the Duomo ticket purchased earlier in the day, we stopped to briefly visit the Baptistero next to the Duomo. A chance to sit down and stretch our necks to admire the detailed golden mosaics in the dome.

So is it any wonder that Ewan has had to resort to the ice pack, voltaren, nurofen etc etc and a bandage to control the swelling??? No it is not!

We came back to the hotel and collapsed for a couple of hours before dragging ourselves to a very nice restaurant very nearby.

Gold stars for such a huge number of attractions seen today! But we are both totally pooped so it's off to bed!

your tired but content correspondent,

Dianne

What goes up must come down.......

The only sounds to lull us to sleep in the retro swiss ski lodge were the quiet tolling of the huge bells attached to the local cows as they quietly moved around the mountains. Apart from that - total silence.

As we made our way down from the top of the enormous mountains we drove through some more towns and continued to puzzle about how the population lived. As we approached the coast again there were more pastures and crops but not enough to support all of the mountain towns. It's a mystery.

We headed along the coast to Palermo, the largest city in Sicily, with the help of the GPS now christened Gloria (Mark 2). When we were in Botswana we used an amazing GPS who Erin christened "Gloria", so this is her Italian counterpart.

I have become a complete convert to all things technical: what a turn around I hear you say??!!

Firstly I did NOT bring any books with me at all, and have been using a Kindle app on the tablet. I was not convinced that I would enjoy this, but Ewan had downloaded lots of Scandinavian crime novels which are great. Although there is something a bit bizarre when reading about a murder mystery in Iceland whilst on a train in Italy!

Anyway, with the assistance of Gloria, we approached Palermo with some confidence that we could actually negotiate the tangle of streets. Despite a few small hiccups when she seemed to get confused (nothing to do with my navigation of course) we made our way to the Palazzo dei Normanni. It's the top attraction in Palermo - a medieval palace now used as Sicily's parliament. The most stunning aspect of it was a beautiful tiny chapel which outshone many of the far larger Duomos and Chiesas (churches) we'd seen. First built by Roger II in the 12th century it has been restored and was absolutely beautiful: carved and painted wooden ceilings, marbled Byzantine-style mosaics, tiny gold and coloured mosaics depicting biblical stories and stories of real life of the times. Sounds like very other church but this one was really special. Our appreciation of it may have been helped by an audio guide that actually made sense!

As anyone who knows Italy will tell you, the opportunity to overdose on churches is easy. In Palermo there were huge churches on every street corner whilst the population is crowded into old apartment buildings - typical of many Italian cities. Even in the tiny mountain towns there was a number of churches for each of them : surely one would suffice? Clearly they are all on a path to heaven!

Then we wandered around the Piazzas and old streets towards the port. There was some evidence of buildings which had been bombed in WWII that hadn't been rebuilt.

We enjoyed risotto for lunch - pear, gorgonzola and walnuts (superb!) - whilst we tried to book accommodation for the night and flights. Our hotel - the Hostel Casa Marconi - was not far from the centre of town and we took the advice  of the hotel owner and dined at a local outdoor Trattoria - Il Viccolo - to the sounds of a an accordion player busking in the Piazza. So very Italian!

The only down side was the huge piles of rubbish we encountered on the walk there: disgusting! Apparently there was a strike or some problem with the rubbish collectors who hadn't collected the rubbish for some time. Some years ago the whole of Naples closed down after the rubbish collectors went on strike for weeks - I hope that isn't the fate of Palermo.

This morning we were on a sad mission: we had to return the gorgeous little Fiat to Avis at the Airport. It had done well getting us around Sicily, but it was time for us to head for Florence and the joys of Tuscany.

Sicily was a wonderful trip and we didn't see even a third of it, or have any altercations with the Mafia. My only other sadness was that I hadn't been able to sample all of the desserts on offer, and I definitely didn't have enough of the ricotta and fruit-filled cannoli for which Sicily is famous ( then again that may be a good thing!).

The only fly in the ointment today was that accommodation in Florence was as scarce as hen's teeth and we had tried but failed to book any, so we found ourselves ringing possible places from the McDonalds outside the central Train station in Florence. Apparently we had arrived just before the commencement of - wait for it!- The World Cycling Championships!!!!  Well you might ask if one of our duo (and it wasn't me!) had any idea about the timing of this momentous event, but the other half of the duo assures me he had ABSOLUTELY NO idea. I will leave you to come to your own conclusions about this amazing coincidence.

Anyway we finally managed to locate the most expensive hotel we have stayed in so far, and it is not exactly luxurious for the price. But on the other hand the train station was looking as if it might be the only accommodation available so I am not complaining. It's also within walking distance of most of the 'Things to see" so that will be great for the next few days.

Now we're about to set off to get our bearings, and some dinner, so arrivederci for now.

Your excited traveller,

Dianne

Tips for driving in Sicily

Here is my list for surviving the challenges of driving in Sicily:

1. Make sure you buy or hire the smallest car possible, but check that you can fit your luggage in first as some of the cars are exceptionally small. Small is good so you can avoid getting trapped in very narrow roads or lanes.

2. Speed limits are optional so feel free to create your own - everybody else just goes at any speed they fancy.

3. Stopping for pedestrians at pedestrian crossings is optional. If you like the look of them or they have just ignored you and started to cross anyway, probably best to stop, but at another time feel free to go barging ahead.

4. Parking is an art form here. Be creative: any space that will fit three quarters of your car is big enough. If you can't quite fit in  - don't worry - just park your car with it's tail hanging out and have faith that all of the other drivers will be happy to go around you.

5. Your other option is to double park and walk away nonchalantly : what the hell!

6. Park on the corners of the streets in any town and don't worry about whether you are blocking access to the street: you don't have to pay for parking if you park outside the blue lines so the corner of the street, where there are never blue lines, is a great spot.

7. When you park and the streets are narrow try to remember to fold in the rear vision mirror on the roadside. Many of the cars here have distinctive scratches and dents on their mirrors. The good news however is that they will spring back into position if hit!

8. On narrow roads where one car has to give way to the other it is a fight of wills -  stand firm, you don't always have to be the one to pull over.

9. It is compulsory that you spend at least half of the time you are driving on a mobile phone at the same time, especially if you are a bus or taxi driver. Extra points go to the drivers who are also doing up their seatbelt or smoking at the same time.

10. You too can play the scratchie parking ticket game. Just when you think you have bought a scatchie ticket and may win a fortune your hopes will be dashed. It is a parking ticket that requires you to scratch out the time and date. Darn!

11. Last, but by no means least, remember 'He who hesitates is lost'. Nothing will be gained by being polite and giving way and waiting for people. The driver behind you will use their horn and shatter your nerves if you are too nice. Just go ahead and barge in without meeting the eyes of the driver you have narrowly missed. The Sicilians will not value your manliness or womanliness if you drive like a wimp. Go for it!!

The islands, the mountains, the coast....it's Sicily

Over the past couple of days we've seen the coast, and now the mountains of Sicily. I am reporting in from a very isolated faux swiss chalet at the top of the Madonnie Mountains in central Sicily.

But let's start at the very beginning (a very good place to start, as Julie Andrews would say):

SMITH HEALTH REPORT:

Whether it was due to the mystery injection, the weird bandaging or the night's rest, Ewan's foot was much better yesterday morning. He ripped off the bandages, the swelling had gone down and he was able to walk and drive, so that was a relief (particularly the latter as I was not looking forward to driving) . Panadol Osteo and Nurofen have kept things under control and not interrupted our attempts to be the best tourists possible.

So we headed to Milazzo from Messina to catch a cruise to go to some of the Aeolian Islands. The cruise ship was enormous and we were rather dismayed to see buses of passengers being ushered on board. But we sat on the top deck and there was plenty of room and a great view.
The Aeolian Islands are an essential for every tourist so numerous ferries and hydrofoils go every day. They are basically a row of 7 volcanoes whose uppermost parts protrude above the water. The whole trip took about 10 hours including a few hours spent on each of the islands.

First stop was Panarea, a tiny dot in the sea which had some beaches, delightful boutiques and enticing resort hotels. Most of the passengers headed for the rocks or the shore to have a swim. Rather than inflicting the sight of my body in bathers on an unsuspecting public (although after some of the sights I saw....!!) I decided to sit on the rocks and dangle my feet in the cool water, following Ewan, who called it hydrotherapy for his foot. We sat in the peace and quiet watching the azure blue Mediterranean lap quietly on the shore and then..........a huge hydrofoil went racing past and caused a huge wake which swamped us and left us dripping! Fortunately it was really warm and a walk around the island soon dried us out.

Then it was back on the boat heading towards Stromboli, one of the few volcanoes that are still active. We could see white steam slowly drifting from the top of its crater, interspersed with grey cloud when it actually erupted slightly. Surprisingly there are a couple of villages on Stromboli (on the side that doesn't have lava flowing - excellent choice!), so we wandered around one of them and read our books for a while before climbing on board again.

We were most amused to see signs showing emergency access paths from the beach to the crater in case of tsunami! I would have been much more concerned about large eruptions from the crater and how to leave the island as rapidly as possible. Apparently there were 2 significant eruptions in 2007 so I'm not sure it would be the top of my list for potential places to live!

After pasta for dinner we stood on deck as darkness fell to see the glowing fountain of lava that Stromboli spurts into the sky every few seconds. During daylight you see nothing, but once it is dark you can see bright orange spurts of lava. It was spectacular, but unfortunately my camera didn't cope so I'll have to get the postcard!!

We set sail for Milazzo and the hotel for a good night's sleep  - and some moisturiser as I was rather pink from too much sun.

Today we packed up the Fiat 500 (so cute) and headed in the direction of Palermo on the northern cast. We had no idea where we would end up so it has been quite an adventure. We met some Australians on the boat and they had absolutely everything booked before they left home : sounded very boring really.

Anyway we headed for Cefalu which is a beautiful old coastal town with lots of cobblestoned alleyways full of fascinating shops ( I really will have to get rid of Ewan so I can go shopping sometime soon). But most importantly the beach had real sand!!! The first we've seen.

Because the Mediterranean is so calm - it was like a mill pond when we were on the cruise - there are lots of buildings right on the rocks on the shore line. We went for a lovely walk along the buildings and the sea wall on rocky steps that had been created from the local rocks. Obviously the tide doesn't change much otherwise the buildings would wash away as they are a matter of only a few metres from the water.

We visited a lovely old 12th Century Norman church and treated ourselves to coffee and cake. (We were both a bit vague about the history of the Normans and their conquests so we might need a history lesson when we return Dad).

The Sicilians love of desserts is going to be disastrous for both of us. Every cake is an artwork and usually multicoloured: almost a shame to eat them.

Then we decided it was time to see some of the mountains for which Sicily is famous. Along the coast from Milazzo to Cefalu the main highway consists of tunnels cut through mountains and high bridges: for more than an hour we never actually drove on land: truly a triumph of engineering.

So we headed for the Madonnie Mountains driving towards central Sicily and away from the coast. The temperature dropped as we climbed higher through enormous sheer mountains which appeared uninhabited,. Finally we spotted what appeared to be a row of houses perched on the top of a high ridge: it was Polizzi Generosamo. This was a remarkable, and quite large, town isolated by the mountains around it. We wandered around trying to work out exactly why it was there. Apparently it was a fortress town and that made a lot of sense as you could see for many kilometres.

We'd brought a picnic of bread, cheese, salmi and ham , spiced up by some tiny pickled fish, so we sat and ate lunch on the steps of a very old derelict church overlooking the valleys below. A few local goats with constantly tolling bells seemed concerned at our presence.

From there we weren't sure whether to forge ahead even higher into the mountains, but decided to be brave and take a look at a place called Piano Baglia which turned out to be a ski village (although no snow currently as it's Autumn). We wound our way upwards on some tiny deserted  roads and finally decided we would try to get to the only Hotel in the area in the hope that was open.

So here I sit at the Hotel Pomeria which reminds me of an old ski lodge......

The  owner just came rushing over to me saying "Look! Look!" and when I peered out the window there was a family of wild pigs including a whole lot of piglets, rooting around in the garden. The locals soon put me straight: they are bad as there are too many of them. So there you go!

It's really very quaint this hotel, sort of 1960's swiss ski lodge decor: old photos, lots of wood, card tables and soft armchairs: all very comfortable . So our adventure has been quite a success today!

your adventurer

Dianne