Rome, Italy

It all seems like a blur now that we are back in North America amongst old friends. Craig's photos have been ready for days, but Lynda has been procrastinating and the write up hasn't gotten done. So here goes....
Rome = 2 thumbs up. Its historical and cultural significance is immense. Everything is so impressive. The Colosseum, the Vatican, the Pantheon, the piazzas, the fountains, the statues, the restaurants, the transportation, the shopping. We could go on and on, but in truth we only saw a fraction of it and we were there for six nights. Rome is definitely worth a visit and then a return visit. We spent our first three nights at a bed and breakfast (Maison Genevois 3) in Prati and the last three nights at an apartment (VRBO # 220827) in Trastevere. We were very happy with both of them, but it is always nice when you can have more privacy and space.
Rome is a popular European destination, but it wasn't obnoxiously busy. It seems they have some experience dealing with tourists and the system runs smoothly and efficiently. In many cases, you can book tickets in advance online or pick up a tour on site. It was oppressively hot the day we went to the Spanish Steps and there were a lot of people milling around, but down the road, it wasn't impossible to find a spot to throw our coins into the Trevi Fountain and make a wish. We always got on the bus or the Metro, and we had no trouble finding a place to eat. Even the toilet line-ups at the Vatican moved quickly.
It is impossible to talk about Rome and not mention churches. They are everywhere, and they range in size and grandeur. One of our favourites was the Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva located near the Pantheon. Not only does it have paintings by Filippino Lippi and Fra Angelico and a lesser known sculpture of Michelangelo's, but it also has the tombs of St. Catherine of Siena (minus her head) and two Medici popes. As we wandered around the dimly lit church in awe, we were treated to the magical sounds of a choir in practise for an evening concert. This only enhanced our experience. None of these churches compares to St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. It seems that many great artists left their mark here - Michelangelo, Bernini, and Raphael to name a few. It is over 15,000 sq meters in size and can hold up to 60,000 people. You could walk around inside for hours and not see everything. Then there is the Vatican Museum. We bought our tickets online so we were able to walk right in, but the line-up for general admission was at least a mile long. We were stunned by the wealth of the Vatican. We are sure that if they sold all their holdings (tapestries, paintings, statues, religious icons etc.), they could eradicate world poverty.
The time has come for us to return to North America. We have two flights to take to reach our destination of Dallas, Texas. For those of you who can't fathom why we would stop there, it is the home of the Bebb family. For years we have promised to visit them. Now it is time to make good on the promise. We have eight nights to recuperate from jet lag, acclimatize to North America and catch-up with good friends. So, bye for now, y'all!

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Canada Day Barbeque

It's almost time! We need to have a head count so we can put our bbq elves to work. If you are planning on joining us on July 1st, please email and let us know (we are currently phoneless.) We will provide the burgers and all the trimmings. BYOB and lawnchairs. It would be helpful if you could also bring one of the following: an appetizer or salad or dessert. We have heard about BC's inclement weather, but we will proceed rain or shine. Give us until 2pm to unpack our bags and then feel free to drop by. Come for a short time or a long time. We look forward to seeing everyone who wants to see us!

Santa Teresa di Gallura, Sardinia

We packed up the car and made a quick stop at the campground to say goodbye to Lydia and Bernhard. They had been much more active than us over the last two days. Berhard made a marathon bike ride through the mountains on one of the days and on the other, they hiked to Tiscali and encountered a number of snakes on the river bed. (So sorry we missed that one....not.) Luckily, Sardinia is not a large island. Once we started driving we were able to reach our destination of Santa Teresa di Gallura within a couple of hours. It turns out our bed and breakfast, Domus de Janus, is right in the centre of town. It is run by a friendly and likeable trio, Daria and Simone and their dog, Indiana. They are lucky enough to spend half of the year residing and working in Rome and the other half of the year in Santa Teresa, also working, but at a more casual pace. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and are sorry that our vist came to an end so quickly. (Thanks to Daria, Lynda has the name of a great shopping area in Rome. We'll see if we have time to fit that in.)
We spent most of our time exploring the area around Capo Testa. In addition to the gigantic rock formations that were once Roman quarries, there are some pretty amazing beaches too. After a glorious day in the sunshine, we thought we had broken the weather jinx for sure. It was not to be. The rain returned with a vengeance, along with a furious thunder and lightning storm. We dare not complain. The residents of Vancouver, Canada have no sympathy for us. They are still awaiting the end of the spring rains.
So ends our short sojourn to Sardinia. After a leisurely lunch in Castelsardo, we drove the coast road back to Alghero as far as we could, and then turned inland. By the time we reached Alghero, it was sunny and hot again. We dropped off our rental car, headed to the airport and caught our flight back to Rome. We are excited about spending time in Italy's capital, but we are also intrigued. We have heard so many differing opinions about "Roma." Some people love it, others can't get out of there fast enough. We aren't sure how it will go, but we are well-rested and ready to pound the pavement. Stay tuned for our opinions.

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Cala Gonone, Sardinia

As we left Bosa, we programmed the address of the Hotel l"Oasi into the GPS. The closer we got to Cala Gonone, the worse the weather became. It was raining and there were occasional bursts of thunder and lightning and to add to the worries the GPS was directing us to smaller, narrower, more twisted and remote roads. We couldn't imagine where we were going to end up. Surely, this wasn't the right way? We thought we were heading to a beachside resort. Instead we were navigating our way up and down the side of a mountain. Finally, we arrived and were treated to a beautiful spot with a spectacular view. (We later found out that we came into town on the old road. It is more frequently used by the local goats than by cars. There is a lovely, new road with a wide tunnel, but it wasn't the route our GPS took us on.)
It's so rewarding when you take a stab in the dark and achieve success. Lynda randomly selected this destination and our hotel based on a couple of comments she read on Trip Advisor. We couldn't have been happier with the results. Cala Gonone is approximately three hours from Alghero, located on the east coast of the island. The actual population is 1200 people, but in August when all the Italians take their holidays, it balloons to 30,000. We can only imagine what it must be like. We are very happy to be here now with only a few tourists. The Hotel l'Oasi is a family run business that has been in operation for over thirty years. It is run by Massimo and his wife Caterina, who are absolutely delightful. We can honestly say that, over nine months of travelling, l'Oasi makes our top places to stay list. The fact that they serve an authentic Sardinian dinner every night for 17 Euros each has only enhanced our experience. If we lost any weight prior to arriving here, we have certainly put it back on over the last six days.
What have we done here? Not much, actually. The area is surrounded by beautiful beaches so we have tried to go to as many of them as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of them are only accessible by boat and at this time of year, the boats are not operating on their full summer schedule. One of the most famous beaches, Cala Luna, is accessible by boat or by foot. We did have one energetic day. We drove down to Cala Fuili, parked our car and hiked for two hours to the beach at Cala Luna. Along the way, we met a German couple from Bavaria, Lydia and Bernhard. We started talking with them and hiking together. The conversation was interesting and lively. We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and the entire next day with them. (A funny thing about Italian beaches: it may be remote and you may have to hike in, but it won't be completely rustic. More likely than not, you will be able to get a cold drink or a coffee because there will be a restaurant/bar in operation.
Again, the weather has been temperamental. We have had a few warm, sunny days, but a scirocco rolled in and since then the town has been blanketed by a sticky mist. We can barely see the bay from the balcony of our hotel room. We have three more nights in Sardinia. Tomorrow we are driving north to the town of Santa Teresa di Gallura. This is the closest point to the island of Corsica. If we have time and the weather cooperates, we may have an opportunity to touch down on French soil before heading back to Rome where we will spend the final days of our European vacation.

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Alghero, Sardinia

Another marathon day of travelling: a 45 minute drive to Chiusi, a two hour train journey to Rome, a 50 minute bus ride to the Ciampino airport, a three hour wait, a 50 minute plane trip to Alghero, a 10 minute ride to the car rental office and finally a 10 minute drive to our bed and breakfast. We arrived at "Rosso di Sera" in a daze, but we instantly appreciated our accommodation. It was a beautiful, modern house, on an olive farm, with a pool, only a short distance from town. Definitely a step up from the hostel we had just left. We enjoyed many chats with Claudia, our hostess, who manages the B and B for her family. Although she is in the final stages of her wedding preparations, she was a wonderful resource for us. We also appreciated the company of her dog, Fiocco, who was always out and about, running around the property.
Alghero is the main resort town in southwest Sardinia. It was a bit too busy for our liking, so we spent our days exploring the outskirts. There are beaches in town and on the road out of town. After a morning at the Grotta di Nettuno (that's 652 stairs on a return trip), we drove back towards Alghero. It wasn't long before Craig got his wish. We ended up at the Spiaggia del Lazzaretto with hundreds of other sun-seekers. Aaaahh, a sandy beach with turquoise waters. Craig dived straight in, but Lynda remained on the shore. Either the water was too cold or the weather wasn't hot enough. Either way, we have no photos to share because we were too afraid to pull out the camera. We didn't want to risk its demise so close to the end of our trip. The next day we headed north to the town of Stintino. We didn't actually make it into the town until later in the day because we were distracted by the sight of a beach and had to stop. This beach was much better - it was made of tiny pebbles. After several hours in the sun, we drove into town to see the Spiaggia della Pelosa. It was mayhem there and with good reason. The beach and the sea are spectacular. Lynda jumped out of the car to take several photos, but then we were on our way.
We have seen enough of Alghero for the time being (we do have to return to catch our flight back to Rome.) Driving and parking here is a bit of a nightmare. We were panic stricken when we discovered a small dent in the front fender of the car. We knew we hadn't hit anything, but who knows what happens when you leave the car in a parking lot? After a quick trip back to the rental agency, we were informed that the dent was previously there. What a relief! On our way to our next destination, Cala Gonone, on the east coast of Sardinia we stopped for lunch in Bosa, a small port with another hilltop fortress, looming over pastel painted houses. Luckily for us, Sardinia is a small island and we will be able to complete our trip in about two hours. We are looking forward to more sun, more relaxation and more beaches.

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Umbria, Italy

Right next door, to the east of Tuscany, is the region of Umbria. Although it is less popular with tourists, Umbria has a charm all its own. It has the classic rolling hills, winding country roads and hill towns, but it seems more agricultural. The Lonely Planet describes it as "the green heart of Italy." Apparently, it is a great place to do some hiking. We spent our first night at an agriturismo in a village called San Biagio delle Valle which is about twenty minutes from Perugia. "Torre Colombaia" is actually an organic farm that grows lentils, spelt and other types of grains. We only stayed one night, but we were served a fabulous dinner that ended with some delicious strawberry trifle.
Since we had arrived so early in the day, we had time to do some exploring. We headed to the town of Spello, for no other reason than its description in the guide book. We were not disappointed. It was only a short hike to the town from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. The streets were narrow and windy. It has a beautiful church in the centre of town called Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore. Their pride and joy are some frescoes painted by Pinturicchio. The church has done an excellent job with the lighting to illuminate them in a dramatic fashion. Almost all of the houses had baskets of flowers and pots full of plants around their doorways. It smelled so fragrant. The town was in the process of getting ready for "Corpus Domini." We learned that this celebration takes place 60 days after Easter. The residents make elaborate designs out of fresh flowers and lay them in the streets. While we were there we saw many women sitting outside preparing flowers and leaves. It all looked so interesting. We weren't exactly sure when the event was taking place, but we were sorry that we weren't going to be able to see the final extravaganza. We thought Spello was absolutely charming and definitely worth a visit.
The next day we decided to visit the town of Gubbio. We drove up into the mountains and were treated to some fabulous Umbrian landscapes. Gubbio turned out to be just as delightful as Spello. We arrived to find a lot of people milling around. The Piazza Grande was decorated and roped off, with bleachers on either side of it. It turns out that later in the day, the annual "Palio della Balestra" was taking place. This is an archery competition between Gubbio and its neighbouring towns. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay for the festivities (again), but we did get to see some of the participants practising. A must-do is to take the funicular to the top of the hill behind the town. You could drive up, but why miss a ride in this crazy contraption? It was the most fun we'd had in a long time. At the top you can go into the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo where the remains of the saint are encased in glass. We weren't sure how we felt about that, but the church has some amazing stained glass windows that were worth seeing. After a few hours, we reluctantly left Gubbio and made haste to the village of Torricella on the shores of Lago Trasimeno. We had a reservation at a hostel called "Casa sul Lago" and we had to be there before three o'clock or we wouldn't be able to check in until four hours later. Luckily, we made it with a few minutes to spare.
We have stayed in a huge range of accommodation on this trip: hotel, caravan park, side of the road, house, motel, chalet, bed and breakfast, pension, guesthouse, apartment, villa and hostel. While none of them have been horrendous, it is true that "you get what you pay for." We have enjoyed staying in the hostel (which is for people of all ages), because it has allowed us to stay under budget for this portion of the trip. The room is basic, but it is large and it has a private bathroom (two toilets and a shower.) Breakfast is included and we have used the kitchen to cook a light dinner at the end of the day. They also have free WiFii and bicycles, and the other guests are lovely. Half of the people staying here are volunteer students from England or New Zealand. They get room and board and work for five hours per day. It seems like a great way to immerse yourself in the culture and learn Italian.
We have made excursions to Castiglione del Lago (where we explored the medieval fortress), Isola Polvese (an island that is an environmental laboratory) and into the hills at the northern end of the lake. While we have had a small taste of Umbria, there are many towns that we have not yet seen. Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, and Spoleto to name a few. We have not been able to make this into a beach holiday either. The weather has been inconsistent and the lake is not the best for swimming. Craig is anxious to get back to barefeet and soak in some sun before we head home. We are hoping that our twelve day trip to Sardinia will yield these results.

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Montepulciano, Italy

We're on the road again. Our destination is Montepulciano, Italy. All of you Twilight fans will know it as the filming location of the recent "New Moon" movie. We aren't sure why since Stephenie Meyer's novel takes place in Volterra, but this time last year, Montepulciano was bursting at the seams with film crews and groupies hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite vampire. We squeezed into Mark and Elaine's Fiat Panda with and all our bags, and gratefully accepted a ride into Cerbaia where we caught the bus into Florence. Once there, we went to the train station and joined a huge line up of people all trying to buy tickets or get information. We saw self-service ticket machines, but it wasn't until we spotted an English speaking attendant that we felt confident enough to give it a go. She did all the work, we handed over our Visa card and voila, we had our tickets! More importantly we were able to leave the train station and get "due cappuccini." At 11:30 am, our train pulled out of the station and we we were on our way. It was definitely the milk run, but we enjoyed seeing the countryside. We went through Arezzo, past Cortona and along Lake Trasimeno. At 1:30 pm we arrived in Chiusi, exited the building and found a bus that was leaving immediately for Montepulciano. It is great when the connections work out so smoothly. There was only one glitch along the way. We were supposed to get off at the bus station in Montepulciano and call the owners of "Al Poggiolo" to come and pick us up. We made the mistake of getting off on the road below the old town. This meant we had to walk to the top of the town with our packs on our backs. Anyone who has been to Montepulciano will understand what this means...a steep incline. Plus we had no idea where we were going. We had to stop along the way and ask for directions. One of the restaurant owners (Guiliano from Acquacheta) called "Al Poggiolo" for us, gave us a map and sent us on our way. A short time later we were in our apartment, enjoying the fabulous vistas of the Tuscan countryside.
Montepulciano is a great base for exploring the Tuscan countryside because it is so centrally located. We did not do much travelling from here. Partly because we elected to wait until the end of the week to rent a car, and partly because we were quite happy to putter around our apartment, shop for daily meals and explore the streets of Montepulciano. The town felt authentically Italian. There really weren't a lot of tourists around. There are a few sights to see: the 16th century cathedral, the Piazza Grande and the Palazzo Communale. The Palazzo Communale is the town hall and the building with the clock tower. It is also the site in "New Moon" where Edward plans to reveal himself as a vampire because he thinks Bella is dead. At the last possible second, Bella bursts onto the scene and throws herself at him to prevent his reveal. The vampire lives another day and the star-crossed lovers are re-united.
Back in the real world.....there are some fine restaurants in Montepulciano. We had an enjoyable evening at Acquacheta later in the week. It is very popular and reservations are a necessity. They are famous for their slabs of beef, served rare. We went for the late sitting of dinner (9:15 pm - who enjoys eating this late?) and outside we met Scott and Teresa from North Carolina. Funny enough, we had seen them earlier in the day at the restaurant where we ate lunch. We started talking and then ended up sitting together at dinner. It turns out that, between lunch and dinner, Scott and Teresa had gotten engaged. They were in a festive mood so we helped them celebrate. (FYI - we had rabbit for our second course. It was very tasty.)
Montefollonico - Across the valley, on a neighbouring hillside, is the town of Montefollonico. It is small and quaint and not touristic. After talking to Elena and Margherita about it, we embarked on a cross-country walk. Down a long, country road beside the grapevines. Up a dirt track through the bush. The final push on the main road leading into town. When we arrived, we were hot and sweaty and hungry. We didn't make it further than the local bar where we used hand signals to order two ice lattes (they don't really have a name for it here so we are always listing the ingredients.) Then we plonked ourselves down in the shade and consumed our picnic lunch. Our intention was to meander through the town, then find an alternate walking route back. On our way out, we stopped to talk to two German residents of Montefollonico (Helmut and Uta and their dog Corinna) who were also sitting outside. That was as far as we got. The bar had closed for the afternoon, but when the security alarm was triggered, the owner arrived to check things out. Thanks to Helmut and Uta's connections, another round of beverages was ordered and we continued our chat. Helmut and Uta have lived in Tuscany for seven years. Uta is an author and Helmut is a photographer and photo scout. If you want to come and photograph classic Tuscan scenes, Helmut is your man. For a fee he will take you around to all the best spots and you can shoot to your heart's content. Several hours passed by and then Helmut made us an offer we couldn't refuse. Uta needed to go home to work, but he offered to take us on a tour of Val d'Orcia in his car, and then return us to Montepulciano. What a privilege! Craig did his best with our little, digital camera and we spent a wonderful afternoon with Helmut. It goes without saying that we would have had a difficult time finding these locations on our own. Many thanks to Helmut and Uta for their kindness. For us, these random encounters are the highlight of our trip.
Helmut's Photos

Pienza - Now, with a Fiat Panda of our own and our trusty GPS, Craig is ready to drive in Italy. We decided to make a short trip up the road to Pienza. It is only a small town of about 2200 residents, but it is World Heritage-listed because of all its historical monuments. There is the Piazza Pio II, the cathedral, the Palazzo Piccolomini and the Palazzo Borgia, all built between 1459 and 1462. Pienza was the birthplace of Pope Pius II and he took it upon himself to have the entire town rebuilt. We had already been there earlier in the week with Helmut, but we had to go back for a second look. The view of Val d'Orcia from Pienza is breathtaking.
In the blink of an eye, another week has gone by. We are going to spend the next week exploring Umbria. We have our Fiat Panda which means we are now independent. We won't have to rely upon public transportation or the kindness of strangers. This should allow us to get off the beaten path and cover a fair bit of territory.

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