One of the benefits of living in Nice is that you can get the best of two cultures: French and Italian. The most obvious example of this is the food where pizza and pasta dishes sit side by side with pates and coq au vin.…Read More

One of the benefits of living in Nice is that you can get the best of two cultures: French and Italian. The most obvious example of this is the food where pizza and pasta dishes sit side by side with pates and coq au vin. However, there is also the added element of being able to travel between the two countries easily. My girlfriend loves to regale her friends with stories of how – after a night consuming copious quantities of wine – she and her friend got on a train to have coffee and breakfast in Italy. We have also hopped on the train countless times to enjoy the market in San Remo and the beautiful surroundings of Dolceaqua.
Last month, my girlfriend also looked to take advantage of the proximity to Italy by applying for an internship in Milan. As she would like to work in fashion, she thought that it would be the perfect place to immerse herself for a couple of months. And, it is not too difficult to get there. It is approximately four hours from Nice to Milan by car, so we decided that we could combine going for her interview with visiting the city. We were both very keen to see the renowned Duomo cathedral.
As our first stop was for the interview, the first thing we would see in Milan was not the ancient cathedral, but the famed fashion district. If I am honest, even though I am a big history buff, I was probably looking forward to that as much as the cathedral or any other attractions in the city. This was not for any particular tangible attraction that the fashion district would offer, but simply to enjoy the atmosphere and to soak-up the super chic aura.
Sadly, I have to say that I was a little disappointed. Perhaps I am not sure exactly what I was expecting. Maybe I was expecting to see top models sauntering past me – although it was probably a good job that I didn't see any of these as my girlfriend may have been angry at my craning neck – or icons like Donatella Vertsace or Karl Lagerfeld sipping Cappuccino in a nearby cafe. As you might imagine, we saw none of theis. The majority of people we encountered were very well-dressed – no-one looked too impressed at my sports anorak and sneakers – and there were some fabulously expensive boutiques, but little that was truly spectacular.
With no models to ogle and the desire to keep my girlfriend out of the expensive boutiques – which couyld have had disastrous consequences – I was a little underwhelmed at tha Fashion District. However, it may be a better idea to visit during Fashion Week or to go if you are prepared to part with a large wad of Euros.
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A couple of notes:"Prego" is a word you will hear a lot. It seems to be a multi purpose word. You may hear someone behind a ticket desk or the hotel desk use it to summon the next person waiting. You could hear it used…Read More

A couple of notes:

"Prego" is a word you will hear a lot. It seems to be a multi purpose word. You may hear someone behind a ticket desk or the hotel desk use it to summon the next person waiting. You could hear it used as a "your welcome" if you say thank you or grazie. It is almost always the word used to answer the telephone as well. Quite handy to know!

Of course there are homeless people in Rome, just like anywhere else. There are people begging on the streets but we didn't notice anyone sleeping in doorways and even most of the main piazzas where the tourists are seemed free of beggars but we did see them. Some had disabilities and were unable to walk. They were perched or lying on low to the ground wheeled platforms, their disability sometimes displayed (i.e. twisted feet) and a cup in their hand. We also saw what appeared to be older women, wearing long full robes and a hood, on their hands and knees prostrated on the ground, forehead nearly touching the ground and holding a cup in front of them.

You couldn't imagine a more emotionally wrenching style of begging, could you? Except Graham noticed one of the "old" women stand up and he could tell it was clearly a young woman but some of the disabled people certainly weren't faking.

We say goodbye to Rome today and are to fly back to Manchester this afternoon, changing again in Gatwick and arriving in Manchester about 9:30 tonight.

We decided to book a car to the airport rather than drag our bags around train stations. A private car was only a couple of euro more than a taxi and infinitely more comfortable. It's yet another sunny day and the driver seemed to have taken us around some back streets and drove us around the Colosseum as well to get out of the city so it was nice to have a last look. At one point, though, he drove us down this little uninhabited lane and we both worried a bit that he was taking us to some field somewhere to murder us and fit us with cement shoes. Not really, but we were concerned until we realized he was taking a very odd approach to a motorway. Must have been an on-ramp that locals know about but isn't a formal one or something.

We had spectacular weather all week. I enjoyed most of the food though Graham only enjoyed a few meals we had. We did walk ourselves into comas a few days , or at least it felt like it. We always do. We saw a lot of the major sights and things on our "bucket" list even if we didn't make it to the Forums or the Gladiator school/barracks ruins. Those were probably the only things we didn't see that we wanted to but we were so tired that we probably wouldn't have enjoyed it at that point.

We saw the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel via tours and I think it was the right way to go. As always, I loved seeing the Pieta and the Pantheon. We had a bit of cross communication sometimes with waiters and shop staff but mostly we did ok with the few words of Italian I could remember. The hotel staff were all really good to us anytime we asked for anything. The only points the hotel loses is that though the breakfast did have eggs, they weren't very good and the coffee wasn't good either though you could ask for a cappuccino and it would be made fresh for you. It also loses points for the juices which were basically just sugary coloured water.

We used taxis a few times when we were too tired to fuss with busses and they were fine, obviously more expensive than taking a bus or metro, but always efficient even though the traffic was manic and you didn't always want to watch! Yes, the traffic. Insane really. No concept of lanes, especially with the million or so scooters. They did more or less stop at traffic lights which is an improvement. The bus and the metro were easy to use and there weren't too many steps in the metro stations we used. If you're going to use them a lot, get a day or week pass.

We tried to check in at a British Airways kiosk but it only printed one of the four boarding passes we needed. We asked at the BA desk and were directed to a shorter line at the check in area and got that sorted.

My god/dess it's a pain in the arse getting around in airports and planes and such! We passed through security at Fiumincino and headed in the general direction of the gate but stopped at a cafe for lunch. We already knew what our gate was so went directly there after. This is another very large airport!

The gate area for our group of gates was quite nice with all the designer shops. The plane arriving was late so we were then late getting away, nearly an hour by the time it pulled away from the gate. Luckily, though the plane was full, apparently the one empty seat across the aisle from us was next to the wife of the guy sitting on the aisle in our row so he moved over and we had the row to ourselves. Good thing! That made it more comfortable at least.

Getting off was the usual hurry up and wait and then there's the long walk through to passport control where there's 500 people in the EU (European citizen) line (Graham's) and about 2 dozen in the "other" passports line (mine). The EU line moved very quickly. Mine did not. There were maybe 3 agents dealing with our line. One of them had the same two women almost the whole time I stood there. I kept expecting them to be taken away at gunpoint or something. I don't know what the holdup was. Another agent took off to deal with people arriving on the gocart. *sigh* Finally once the other queue cleared completely, the people in my line were ushered to the other agents.

I was asked if I was traveling with anyone and when I said I was and he was in the other line and now waiting for me, she told me since we had been traveling together, I could have gone with him!!! Agggh! How were we supposed to know?

We had to exit the whole works and go back through check in, meaning more security. This time there was hardly anyone there so we sailed through. We then came into the lounge and found a restaurant and had a meal. Graham finally had the full English breakfast he'd been dreaming of all week!

Thankfully we had lots of time between flights so the late arrival and long queue in Passport control didn't really worry me. On the ground in Manchester, we catch a shuttle bus to a new car rental "village" and then picked up a few groceries for the next dayat a 24 hour Tesco before going home.

Rome was great. Will we go back? Probably not but we would like to go to Florence some day. Close

Today (Nov. 9) is a gruelling 3 hour tour in the Vatican museums. We slept in this morning and didn't get moving until mid-morning. We walked to a Metro to take it to the Vatican where we are later to meet the tour group. We…Read More

Today (Nov. 9) is a gruelling 3 hour tour in the Vatican museums.

We slept in this morning and didn't get moving until mid-morning. We walked to a Metro to take it to the Vatican where we are later to meet the tour group. We skipped breakfast and had an early lunch to fortify ourselves for the long tour through the museums and St. Peter's.

We were early for the tour meeting spot in Piazza di Risorgimento and decided to have gelato and sit in the sunny square. The gelato was beautifully creamy and the sun was warm. The square is just outside the walls of the Vatican City which is a state/country of its own. If we had been visiting anywhere in it beside the museums and basilica, we would have to go through passport control. I believe the official name of the country is the State of the Vatican City.

We met our group of about two dozen ended up being split into two, our group was guided by Sussana and the tour was given in Spanish and English. We had another of those radio thingys with a single earbud which worked better than the phone style receivers we used at the Colosseum.

We walked to the entrance halls of the museums where Sussana had the tickets printed. Up a flight of marble stairs out into a courtyard, We stood there for about a half hour while she explained the highlights of the Sistine Chapel and some of the more important panels along the sides including one or two by Boticelli, and some by (Perugino) one of which is very important as he was the first to use perspective in a painting.

She then talked about Michelangelo and the history and story behind his painting the chapel ceiling and the Last Judgement. It's interesting to find out the way the frescos are created (wet plaster, outline from a "cartoon" etched into holes, then filled in with paint). Michelangelo did the first three panels of the ceiling with one format, scenes from the story of Noah and the Ark but realized that from the floor the figures in the panels looked too small so he did the rest with fewer people and larger so they would be seen better from below. The last few panels were done without the cartoon outline, just straight painting onto the plaster. The ceiling panels are all Old Testament stories, no references to the Christian era at all.

Before we get to the chapel, we have to walk quite a long way, through several large galleries. A couple also have little gift shops along the side. We also ducked into one room that had high ceilings and was completely covered in painted scenes. It was very impressive. We weren't able to go into the Rafael rooms though. I guess it's just not part of the tours which are mainly to get you through to the Sistine and out again. There are 17 km of galleries and museums and I'm sure it would do you in trying to see it all in one day.

Finally we come to the main event. The Sistine Chapel. By now it's 4:30 and the light outside is fading into night. The windows in the chapel are blocked and only indirect light shows inside saving the paint from deterioration. For the first 500 years, this was used regularly as a church and centuries of smoke, candlelight, incense, oil lamps and people had coated the painting with soot and dirt. A Japanese company paid millions in the 1980s to have the artwork cleaned and it took something like 16 years.

The chapel is dim inside, partly because of the lateness in the day. We had 20 minutes to look around. You are not supposed to take photos even without a flash. That always annoys me because if there's no light, there should be no damage caused. You can take pictures elsewhere in the museums without a flash. Anyway, even though I shouldn't have, I still managed to sneak some stealth photos.

Our feet, legs and back were really taking a punishing through all this and we still had to walk all the way back up to the entrance/exit. We did get to walk down the spiral ramp/staircase though, which was neat.

After that, the tour is done and we had to walk all the way around to the Basilica on our own. We had to go through a security x-ray check and by this time I was a wreck. I told Graham to go ahead since I'd seen it and he hadn't and I'd catch up. By the time I dragged myself to the stairs to go in, he was already at the top. A guard noticed me and I must have looked pretty bedraggled because he offered me the chance to use a lift. The problem with that was that I didn't know where I would be inside and Graham wouldn't find me so I struggled up the stairs which were mercifully not steep.

The Basilica closes at 6 and we only had about 15 minutes by this time. We made sure to see the Pieta, my favourite ever. She's right by the entrance. We didn't go all the way to the Bernini bronze canopy but could see it. The ceilings are very high and the decoration is all very lavish mosaics, not paintings, plus all the statues.

It's the largest Christian church in the world and there are markings on the floor from the entrance showing you where the edges of some of the other large cathedrals and basilicas would reach, including St. Paul's London and the Duomo in Florence. I forgot to look for the markings to show Graham. He's not religious at all and though it's quite a sight to see, thought it was an awful lot of expense and effort to go to in order to build something dedicated to something that doesn't exist!

We left the building just before the six o'clock bells rang and saw a changing of the Swiss Guard in their colourful uniforms. When I say "changing of the guard", don't expect an elaborate ceremony like you might see in London. It's just 3 of them changing their posts with a bit of marching and such. We were there at the right time to see it and got some pictures.

I wasn't even sure I could feel my feet except for the pain radiating from them. Taxi time again. We saw a stand at the back of St. Peter's Square. One taxi drove up and we tried to get in but a group of people pushed past us insisting they were waiting first. Fine. Another one came and a woman grabbed that out from under us too. When I third one came, I was ready to fight for it. We didn't have to and got in.

After a rest of about an hour, we decided to go back to the restaurant down the road where we had that delicious steak. I enjoyed my meal just as much as the first time we'd eaten there, though Graham still thought the steak the other night was not to be bested. I made sure I had room for dessert this time and it was a little torte of ricotta and pears with a powdery top, presented on a plate with chocolate drizzles and a bit of whipped cream on the side. Heaven!Close

I don't know about footloose but we certainly are foot sore! We "did" the Colosseum today, Nov. 7, and seemed to involve ourselves in more walking than necessary. I don't know what it is but we either get off a bus at the wrong spot…Read More

I don't know about footloose but we certainly are foot sore! We "did" the Colosseum today, Nov. 7, and seemed to involve ourselves in more walking than necessary. I don't know what it is but we either get off a bus at the wrong spot or have to walk extra to find our destination.

This morning we headed to find the bus stop. It had a stop for every number except the one we wanted, naturally, though we saw the bus we wanted go by a few times. We waqlked up the road. Surely we'd come across the stop eventually. "Eventually" was the accurate word. It probably wasn't far in the grand scheme of things but it was farther than we thought we'd have to go. Once on the crowded bus, our noses pressed up against the front door, we spotted the stop at the place we started. For some reason, neither of us saw it though we were right beside it.

We knew the bus was heading to Piazza Venezia which was a bit of a walk to the Colosseum so I thought we should get off at the stop before. Which turned into just as much walking. We went down a flight of stairs and around near the Trajan Markets and ruins of the Trajan Forums. We probably wouldn't have had as good a view of that had we stayed on the bus so that was good to see at least.

The column of Trajan has a relief spiralling up to the top with illustrations carved into it of all Trajan's victories. The markets were just that, shops but they were multi levels of shops, very modern! They were up as high as six storeys in some parts and contained offices and warehouses as well. There is a museum on the other side of it, we walked past that when we first got off the bus.

It was still a bit of a walk to the Colosseum from there and it's really warm today with hardly a cloud in the sky. We booked the tour online so we buzzed through the reservation line, got our tickets and had a 15 minute wait for the guide. The tour we took included the hypogeum (basement level) and the third level in addition to the main stuff.

The guide was quite good though we did find the radio devices a little hard to make out at times. Booking these tours is the only way you get to go down under and see a bit of the underbelly of the Colosseum where they kept the cages and props and all the mechanics for pushing people and animals and stage bits up into the stadium.

I managed to get up the steps from the basement and barely managed the steeper stairs up to the second level. I didn't think I'd get up to the third level so I stayed put and Graham went up and took pics from there.

The tour ended after that. We were both tired and thirsty and exited the structure and tried to decide where to go next. We walked around away from the direction we'd come and there were a string of restaurants there. We knew it would be pricey and we shouldn't have gone into one but we did. We ordered burgers but if that patty came from a cow, then the cow had feathers and clucked. The waiter said he'd ordered the one we wanted but I don't think the cook got the message. It was ok but I'm pretty sure it wasn't beef.

Did we have the energy to go tramping around the Forum? One sign pointed us to the right for an entrance which seemed to indicate we'd have to climb the Palatine Hill before getting to the Forum. I was sure there was another entrance around the corner and there was. But it was blocked off. We were both done in and I was damned if I was going to walk all that way back around. It was starting to get late and we'd not have a lot of time inside before they closed anyway.

Finding a bus stop was another problem. We walked into Piazza Venezia in front of the big white "wedding cake" building, the Vitorio Emanuelle II monument, and couldn't see where the busses stop and the one we wanted seemed to be coming from around a corner. Expecting we'd have to walk another long way, I gave up and we headed to the taxi stand

Into the cab and a fairly short ride back unlike yesterday's marathon in traffic. But before hitting the room, I really wanted a beer so we went into the hotel bar and had a Peroni and it hit every spot there was! We tried one of the other neighbourhood restaurants tonight, Taverna Flavia (see review). Food was pretty good though last night's was better and cheaper.

November 8

The theme for part of today was Horror. From "real" horror to fake horror! The real horror was the museum and crypt of the Capuchin Monks at Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccin on Via Veneto. (see review in this journal) The main attraction is the crypts, decorated elaborately with the bones of thousands of Capuchin monks over several centuries. It's eerie and kind of unsettling really. There are even what appears to be skeletons in the brown hooded monks' robes surrounded by bones and skulls.

Next order of business was the Fake Horror. It was too far to walk to our next destination so we took the Metro for the first time. It was pretty simple to use. The signs were clear for which platform you needed since we knew the stop we wanted. We got tickets from the machine and went through the barriers. I asked at a news kiosk which direction for Via Gracchi and headed off.

Graham is a big fan of horror movies and in Rome there is a shop owned by Italian horror director Dario Argento called Profundo Rosso which is also the name of one of his films. The shop itself is small and contains pretty much the usual sort of thing you might find in any sci-fi fantasy themed shop. The cool thing is that underneath is an exhibit of movie memorabilia from Argento's films. It's dark and shadowy, with the exhibits lit in lurid lights and there's a sound track to describe each "cell" and which film it relates to. It's gruesome, but then it would be, wouldn't it? It was well put together, though and only took about 20 minutes to see everything and take some photos.

Time to find somewhere for lunch. We walked towards a shopping street called Cola di Rienzo and found a small cafe called Taverna di Luisa on a side street. They had a fixed price menu for 10 euro with bruschetta, pizza, dessert and water included. The pizza was lovely, crispy thin crust and really big.

Over to the shopping street next. We shopped and browsed and picked up a few things, some for gifts and some for ourselves. We walked down to the Tiber River and wandered along it until we came to Castel St. Angelo, the fortress that is best known as the stronghold of some of the medieval popes. The area in front of it is thronged with both independent hawkers pushing more cashmere scarves and all kinds of other things, and a little market stall area with legitimate vendors that allow credit card payment as well as cash. I did find some nice things there and bought a handful of Christmas presents.

I'm not as worn out as I was yesterday but I still have sore feet and legs. We got bus tickets from a machine and found the right stop. The next bus was only about 10 minutes' wait and we even got seats! As the bus wound its way through the streets, it got quite full.

Something we've noticed, though we buy tickets and validate them on board in the machine, people are getting on the bus, not just at the front but at the rear exits and are not paying or punching tickets. I don't know if they have passes or are just taking chances. We weren't about to. Don't want the Italian SWAT teams swooping down and tossing us in the dungeons of Castel Sant'Angelo for not paying for a bus ticket!

We even managed to get off at the right stop this time. We stopped off at an old patisserie just around the corner from the hotel to get take out tiny coffees and pastries. We had a rest and then we decided to go to the Hard Rock Cafe for our evening meal, by taxi. It's not that far but we were tired of walking for today. Close

We left Manchester very early and security queues were long and bothersome. I found myself in the middle seat both times which was Bad Thing #1 but then, The man sitting next to me and his wife across the aisle were moved to where they…Read More

We left Manchester very early and security queues were long and bothersome. I found myself in the middle seat both times which was Bad Thing #1 but then, The man sitting next to me and his wife across the aisle were moved to where they could sit together so at least we could spread out and it was a bit more comfy.

We got into Rome about 2:30 and trekked our way through the airport to where the train station is. I'm sure I saw a sign that said there was a regional train alternative to the more expensive express but the machines didn't show it nor did the rather rude man at the ticket counter admit it either. I'm not entirely confident but it seemed we didn't have a choice and spent the 32 euros for the two tickets. It takes about 35 minutes into Rome Termini from the airport.

We took a taxi because we were tired of dragging our bags around even though we only had carry on luggage. The hotel, Bailey's Hotel isn't too far from the main train station and is on a narrow one way street, Via Flavia. Our room is on the top floor next to the tiny elevator but we don't hear a thing from it as there's a little corridor into the room from the door. Nice large room and working wifi!

We headed out to see if we could find something to eat. It's close to 5 and restaurants close for a while and reopen in the evenings. We did find a little place that had some sandwiches, a pasta dish and a burger and a few other things that could be reheated and we had that since we were starving though it was hardly a "foodie" welcome to Rome!

We continued to walk as it got dark and headed towards the Spanish Steps. Graham wasn't impressed. To be fair, it doesn't look like much from the top, it's better from the bottom with the stairs rising in front of you and no, it's not one of the WOW sights of Rome but it *is* one of the famous views. At least, from the bottom. We stood at the top for a bit, glancing at some of the artist renditions of various Roman views and watched the people and then got a cab back to the hotel. We relaxed in the room for a bit and then went to the hotel bar for a couple of glasses of Vino Rosso to cap off the day!

The next day, The sun was out and it stayed out ALL DAY! This is epic for us. Everywhere we go we generally get maybe one day of sunshine and it's forecast nice all week! I can't get over it! To make sure we saw as much of Rome as possible under sunny skies, we thought it would be a good day to do the open top bus tour. I know they're a bit expensive but we like them.

First, breakfast in the hotel. Not bad. They had lots of cold items, including bakery goods, and a big pot of scrambled eggs which was nice though the eggs tended to be a little rubbery. The juice was little more than sweet coloured water, though.

We walked to Piazza Barberini where we could catch the tour bus. At the Termini station stop there were vendors milling around beside the bus trying to sell scarves, hats and even bottles of water to the tourists on the bus.

The tour covered all the main sights though it's not always easy taking photos from the top of the bus. The bus is either shaky or you get the bus rails in the way or what you want is on the other side and then you just get the backs of the heads of the other tourists in your pictures!

That's ok. It is a good overview of the sights. At one point the bus stopped and stayed there quite some time. It seemed to be an accident though not sure if the bus was actually involved or stuck behind one. A police officer finally arrived, blew his whistle and things seemed to get moving shortly thereafter.

We got off the bus a stop before the one where we got on because I knew the Trevi fountain was nearby. We found the fountain and took photos but Graham didn't want to throw the traditional coin in because he said there are other places he wants to see first and may not want to come back to Rome! He's not counting it out but was just hedging his bets! I've been three times now so I'm not bothered.

We elbowed our way out of the crowds and took a side street away from there, stopping to look at some of the souvenir shops and for coffee. I knew that the Piazza Colonna was along Via del Corso nearby as we'd seen it from the bus earlier . The column is that of Marcus Aurelius, showing scenes from his campaigns, and dates from 163 C.E. The statue on the top and the fountain under are from the 16th century.

From there we found ourselves in the nearby Piazza Montecitorio where there is an Egyptian obelisk which was apparently brought to Rome by Augustus.

On the outskirts of that piazza, we saw a very cool store called Eclectica where you had to buzz a doorbell to go in. it was filled with all sorts of memorabilia and antiques. There were even medals and items dating to WWII but with a difference, there was a lot of it relating to the Nazis and Mussolini. You don't see as much of that elsewhere, not that I've seen but it is a part of Italy's heritage and history.

Just past there was a nice little wine bar and we decided to have lunch there. It was a leisurely lunch as is traditional in Italian restaurants. We had Italian beer, and I had a plate of pasta carbonara, my favourite. (Enoteca Capranica, see review)

Finally, we came to the Piazza della Rotonda, where the Pantheon is. It's one of the oldest Christian churches in Rome and was a pagan temple before that. The dimensions of it are beautifully perfect, as high in the middle as the diameter of the dome. Though the interior has been redesigned over time, the marble floors still date from ancient Rome. The church itself is circular as well with a portico outside lined with columns. It's one of my favourite buildings in Rome (see review)

Walking from there along the cobbled streets, we looked at some market stalls and I bought a triple print that I can frame as one large picture. We found Piazza Navona next and walked around there a bit, taking pictures of the big fountain, Bernini's famed Fountain of Four Rivers, and sampling amazing gelato! There are a lot of artists set up in the square along with entertainers. One guy was sitting in a chair, his head obviously under the jacket but a hat and sunglasses were balanced over that and it looked like an invisible man sitting there. Another couple was dancing the tango. The piazza is lined with restaurants and there's a church on one side. This is another busy and popular spot at night.

By now we are flagging a bit and though we found our way to a street where we might have been able to catch a bus, we couldn't figure out where the bus stop was so we ended up in another taxi. The traffic was rush hour strong and it took a while to get back to the hotel. I'm not entirely sure the cabbie didn't take a round about way but perhaps it would not have made a difference no matter which route he took at that time of day. We got back in one piece, that's the main thing and I feel much better after a shower and rest.

We went out again later to find a nice restaurant, one we saw mentioned in a Trip Advisor review of the hotel actually, though they didn't put the name of it in. They said "left out of the hotel, down about 70 yards over on the right is xxxxxxxx" obviously meaning to put the name of it in after and didn't get to it. We went down the road and decided on one of two that were side by side. It was a good choice! We'd had steaks that were some of the best I've ever had. The "primo" course of soup was served in something the size of a small mixing bowl and it was really good but there was far too much of it. Definitely a meal to write home about! Close

Italy is famed for it's gelato. We might call it "ice cream" but it's so much more than that. It's richer and creamier without being heavier. The flavours are more intense and most of the gelateria make theirs by hand, churning goodness into every lick…Read More

Italy is famed for it's gelato. We might call it "ice cream" but it's so much more than that. It's richer and creamier without being heavier. The flavours are more intense and most of the gelateria make theirs by hand, churning goodness into every lick of it!

We were in Rome for 5 days though only managed to get to two places. We did have some for dessert at one or two restaurants but it doesn't quite seem the same as sitting in a square by a beautiful fountain in the sun or as the sun is going down, with a cone or a cup of gelato in your hand. You may pay more in the hot tourist areas such as Piazza Navona or Rotunda but even then, it doesn't matter because it's all part of the Rome experience.

Most of the shops I've seen are small, just room enough for the counter and one or two people. The rest line up out the door it seems. You can usually choose at least 2 flavours or more. Some shops sell it by cups of varying sizes and you can fit in as many scoops as you can, usually 2 or 3 at least and the fun is in picking various flavours and seeing if they all work together.

We had gelato from a small outlet in Piazza Navona. It wasn't the more famed Tre Scalini, which is also a restaurant, it was just a tiny storefront across from the big church and Fountain of Four Rivers, I seem to recall. We also tried some from a shop called Blue Ice which is a chain of gelateria. The one we went to is close to the Piazza del Risorgemento outside the Vatican walls at the end of Via Ottaviano. Other famed locations are near the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, naturally, because of the throngs of tourists that visit there but you can find a gelato shop anywhere in Rome easily. And you should. Close

How to get about in and around Venice.Alilaguna.This is probably the first introduction to the means of transport you will encounter taking you from Venice Marco Polo International airport to the centre of Venice. The journey takes approximately an hour with two main routes the…Read More

How to get about in and around Venice.

Alilaguna.

This is probably the first introduction to the means of transport you will encounter taking you from Venice Marco Polo International airport to the centre of Venice. The journey takes approximately an hour with two main routes the first skirts the island of Venice terminating at St. Marks Square and is known as the blue line. The alternative line is the orange line which takes you down the length of the Grand Canal via Realto.
You can either buy your tickets on line prior to leaving home and are marginally cheaper than buying them once you arrive in Venice. It costs 15 Euro a single ticket. Print off your voucher and present it to the ticket office on arrival and they will issue you with your ticket.
Once you leave the boat your ticket then becomes invalid so make sure you get off at the right stop. The boats are quite fast but slow down when a taxi passes by usually ensuring that the boat gets a soaking from the wash left by the taxi. The boats leave roughly every hour.
In the height of summer there is an additional service from the airport via Murano.
In total there are five Alilaguna routes serving not only the airport but some of the other islands so make sure you get on the right coloured line. You are permitted to carry one suitcase and one piece of hand luggage. Additional luggage is charged at 3 Euros per piece.

CVTV.

This is the public water bus service which runs all over Venice and the surrounding islands. There are 22 different lines and three night services.The price for a single ticket on board or at the water bus stops is 7 Euros each this is much more expensive than the fares paid by the locals who can buy a booklet of 10 tickets for the same price. Children under 6 are carried free. The water buses are quite frequent and could be a cheaper and more economical means of travelling around Venice and the islands. They also offer 12, 24, 36, 48, 72 hour tickets or a 7 day ticket for the following prices 18, 20. 25, 30, 35 or 50 Euros respectively. It is quite a fast means of getting around Venice and to the outer islands. One of the best trips to make is of an evening where you can go up the Grand Canal to admire the sights for a fraction of the cost of a taxi.

Water Taxi.

This is the most expensive form of travel around Venice at approximately 110+ Euros from the airport to Venice and if your hotel has a landing stage the taxi will take you and your baggage right to the door of your hotel. Some companies who offer pre buy water taxi do not actually provide what you think you are going to get but instead bus you into the Piazza Roma and then a short water taxi ride to your hotel. To be honest although it is more exclusive and takes only approximately 40 minutes I think it is more fun to use the Alilaguna and certainly much cheaper. However if you want to arrive in style this is the way to do it.
You can also jump in a water taxi to take you to the other Islands such as Murano be warned the taxi’s do travel very fast.

Gondola rides.

The Gondola rides are available all over Venice and weave in and out of the smaller canals. This is a unique and interesting way of travelling and for some especially romantic. However it does come at a price in excess of 100 Euros. The gondolier does not always wear a hat although they will wear a striped T-shirt and do not always sing as you might imagine. These flat bottomed boats are the traditional form of transport around Venice and there were in the region of 8,000 plying the canals in the 18th Century. Today there are approximately 400 traversing the canals. Some of the Gondolas actually had a small cabin on board for the occupants to remain hidden and take around Venice discretely. A good example of this can be seen in the Doges palace the Gondola used by the Doge of Venice. The gondolas are made from 8 different types of wood and after training the gondolier receives his licence but has to be knowledgeable in the History of Venice, the canals and language skills. They are decorated with gold and have comfortable seating.

Traghetto

This is probably one of the most fun ways to cross the Grand Canal jostling places on the canal with water buses, water taxis, the Alilaguna and other Gondolas. The Traghetto is a gondola that usually carries locals and tourists from one point to the opposite side of the canal for an amazing price of 50 cents. It is painted black with no adornments on them at all as it is a working boat. You might find locals stand up for the journey but most sit down on the sides of the gondola. The traghetto are operated by two oarsmen instead of one used on the tourist Gondolas and cross the canal in minutes.

On foot.

The easiest and best way of getting around Venice is on foot. You need to be pretty agile as there are lots of small and large bridges to cross that link the islands to one another. It is one of the most brilliant ways of exploring Venice and even if you get lost you will walk down small alley ways turn a corner and come across breath taking and stunning views. Venice can be a bit of a maze of streets and alleys leading into lovely little Piazzas with pavement cafes and garden restaurants. Venice is like pandoras box as every turn will bring another delightful sight. However it is easy to lose your bearings but carry on walking and look to the sky and you should see St.Marks Campanile so you can get your bearings once more. St. Marks Square or Piazza San Marco and Rialto are usually well sign posted.
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Alilaguna.The Alilaguna is a method of transfer from Marco Polo airport to Venice by water bus. Although there has been a service from the mainland to Venice since the 1930’s it was only as recent as 1999 that the companies amalgamated forming one company. They…Read More

Alilaguna.

The Alilaguna is a method of transfer from Marco Polo airport to Venice by water bus. Although there has been a service from the mainland to Venice since the 1930’s it was only as recent as 1999 that the companies amalgamated forming one company. They initially started with four boats but now have 34 boats. They are easily distinguishable from the Actv water buses as they are brightly coloured with yellow paint and a white roof.
The two main Alilaguna water bus routes to and from the airport are the blue line which skirts the island of Murano and the Orange line which heads down the Grand Canal both lines are destined to reach Piazza San Marco and the blue line will go on to the Cruise ship terminal via Guidecca island. They do not stop at all the water bus stops but zig zag down the route dropping passengers at the main stops for example Rialto and St. Marks square. In total there are five lines all designated by colour the three remaining lines serve the other islands in the Lagoon for example Lido, Murano, Burano and Torcello some of which are only seasonal. There is approximately a 10 minute walk to reach the water landing stage from the airport.

Tickets:-

You can buy your tickets from the ticket office either inside the airport where there is usually a queue of passengers just having landed at the airport or you can walk straight down to the landing stage and buy your ticket. There are also ticket offices near the water bus landing stages in Venice.

You can pre buy your tickets on line which works out cheaper than waiting to buy them when you arrive in Venice. Print off a voucher and take it to the ticket Kiosk where they will give you your ticket for your journey. Most people seem to take the blue that will take you to Piazza San Marco. Both Lines take approximately one hour to reach Piazza San Marco, Venice.

Prices of Tickets.

Single journey Euro 15 or Euro 13 if bought on line.
Return journey E27 or Euro 25 if bought on line.
Children under the age of six are carried free.

The journey.

After obtaining our return tickets we boarded the orange line which would whisk us across the lagoon towards Venice and down the Grand Canal to our stop at Rialto. You step into the boat from the Quayside in the centre of the boat where the driver sits. The driver will clip your ticket to show that it has been validated. He will then direct you to sit either at the front of the boat or towards the rear. At some of the stops there are automatic ticket machines where you have to pass the ticket through the machine which will then open a barrier for you to enter the landing stage. Inside the boat it can become extremely hot and while there are windows that open down the side, when the boat passes a water taxi that speed across the lagoon you are more than likely to get splashed from the wash of the speeding taxi.

There is a designated lane which both the Alilaguna water buses and the water taxis use, the water taxi obviously being much faster as they speed across the lagoon to Venice and will take you right up to the door of your hotel if it has its own landing stage but bearing in mind this comes at a hefty price in excess of Euro 100. You are permitted to take one suitcase and one piece of hand luggage. Additional suitcases are charged at Euro 3 a piece.

The boat gently pulls away from the quay side and then starts to speed quite quickly across the lagoon slowing down when passing water taxis or other water buses to reduce the wash from each other that causes a lot of rocking of the boat. The boats also slowdown in parts where the route comes quite close to the small islands this is to prevent damage to the island by the wash from the boat.

Once we had crossed the lagoon we stopped at one bus stop no one got on or off but once we turned into the Grand Canal some passengers alighted at the various bus stops. We approached the Rialto Bridge and once through it came to our stop. It was quite easy to get in and out of the boat but the boat does tend to rock about a bit and it is quite easy to lose your footing.

It is a lovely way to arrive in Venice and although not the cheapest way to arrive it is quite fast in comparison to the Train or Bus journey to Venice which terminates in the northern part of Venice then you still have to catch one of the local water buses and then walk to your hotel.

Would I recommend using the Alilaguna?

Yes I would recommend it as it is a good introduction to what you are about to see throughout the Venetian islands and an easy way to get used to getting on and off the boats. You also get to see Venice from a distance and it is quite exciting as you get nearer.

You can visit the Alilaguna web site where you can gather all the information regarding time tables and price of tickets. You can also pre buy your tickets which are marginally cheaper as Venice is quite an expensive city so if you can save yourself a couple of quid why not?


http://www.alilaguna.it/
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On our way back through Tempio Pausania we admired some fantastic rock formations. This is the main town of the Gallura region and an important centre for the cork industry. There is a wonderful pine forest here and nearby are thermal springs, as these have…Read More

On our way back through Tempio Pausania we admired some fantastic rock formations. This is the main town of the Gallura region and an important centre for the cork industry. There is a wonderful pine forest here and nearby are thermal springs, as these have diuretic properties we gave it a miss! Almost three quarters of Sardinia’s surface is covered with rock dating back to the Palaeozoic era. I am not a geologist but this would be a place of interest for them. Where layers of crystalline slate have eroded the granite emerges and this gets weathered by rain and wind and forms the most fantastic shapes I have ever seen. When the Alps were formed and there was a lot of movement and Sardinia and Corsica were thrust away from the main land, the island was so stretched and pulled and a gigantic rift emerged which runs through the entire island. I was amazed at how many woody plants were growing even at heights of around 800metres, where the soil is acid there are lots of cork oak trees and the cork products are available in local shops. Oak trees of different sorts grow all over the island, as do olive trees and fig trees and there is a lot of shrub woodland which grows up to 5 metres and is called "macchia". Although I understand we didn’t visit at the best time to see lots of flowers we did however notice heather and little rock roses and other flowers which I did not recognise. We didn’t touch the huge flowering cactus or prickly pear for obvious reasons!

In the eastern half of Sardinia granite is very prominent. We decided to visit the famous Bear Rock, it is found near Capo d’Orso, there is a charge for the car park but it wasn’t expensive. The climb up to it has been made easier in a very sympathetic way and fits in well. These so called sculptures formed by weathering are called Tafoni. Some are more mushroom shaped and these are called fungo. Traditionally shepherds used the natural shelters for protection from the sun or the rain. Although it was a 200ft climb it was worth the effort even with the sun blazing down.

I did not enjoy History at school but have to admit I quite like finding out about things when we are visiting places so on this holiday I found out about the Nuragic culture, named after the round towers or "nuraghi" built from huge stone blocks. This was between 1500-500BC. These were built in prominent places to deter potential aggressors. We decided to have a morning visiting several of these in the area around Arzachena. This is the historical municipal town of the sub-region Gallura. It is a fertile area and farming of cereals and vines are popular here. They are managed by the local council and you pay to visit, you can buy a ticket for each one individually or it is cheaper to buy a ticket to visit up to 5 of the tombs. It was a few euros for each one, but as it was hard to find anywhere to park for the one, they certainly had the right idea as many people drove off without stopping! We visited the Tomba dei Giganti Coddu Vecchiu – the Giants tomb, legend has it that giants with supernatural powers built the nuraghi and buried their dead there. I cannot imagine how people so long ago raised stones as large as these without mechanical devices! Another was called the Necropolis of Li Muri this had several rectangular tombs and encircled by smaller stone slabs and Tomba dei Giganti li Lolghi, an edge had been cut into the stone as was described as a masterpiece of its time.

Sardinia isn't just quaint towns and fabulous beaches there is a wonderful history to explore.

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Having finally made it out of the Aspromote National park, we entered Bova Marina on a road that looked like a back alley in an industrial area. We could see the highway, suspended high, high above on a massive bridge that bypassed the town.…Read More

Having finally made it out of the Aspromote National park, we entered Bova Marina on a road that looked like a back alley in an industrial area. We could see the highway, suspended high, high above on a massive bridge that bypassed the town. We wandered through the town to the left and couldn’t find the way up to the highway. Of course there were no signs!

We went back to where we started and tried going straight. That landed us underneath the highway in a place that appeared to be the unofficial town dump. Back to where we started and off to the right… That turned back up into the hills on tiny drives. We turned around again and went back to where we started in the back alley. Left again, into town, left on main street, turn onto the lungomare – the main street along the ocean. We followed that all the way to the end where it turned, went under a bridge, and came out back at the unofficial dump. We continued back to where we started. This was getting ridiculous. We had been driving around this tiny town for half an hour and could not find the slightest hint of a sign to the highway! Try, try again. Back into town to the main street, turn right. Cross over the bridge that the lungomare road had gone under. And, suddenly, there was the entrance ramp to the highway. No warning – just a very sharp right to the ramp.

Sigh of relief! We zoomed along the highway. (Well, we were going about 50 km/h because of all of the towns, but after crawling along in first and second gear through the mountains on bad roads and then wandering lost through a tiny town for the better part of the day, 50 km/h seemed fast.)

Through beach town after beach town, we hurried to Bianco, hungry and in need of a bathroom! We drove into town – not a single sign for a winery or "cantina" in a town heralded as the place to get Greco di Bianco passito.
Resigned, we parked and wandered around town in search of a place to get food. We went into a grocery store (hoping for a bathroom) but they didn’t have one available to the public. On top of that, their breads and cheeses looked mass-produced. We left and wandered back towards the beach. We found a gelateria/pasticcheria -- F. Lli Canturi -- on the corner of a small plaza on Via Vittoria. They had a bathroom and food. Just what we needed!

We each got a waffle cone bowl with 6 little scoops of gelato. Richard had chocolate and hazelnut. After seeing that I could choose more than 2 flavors, I ordered chocolate, hazelnut, and gianduia (chocolate hazelnut). The gelato was very good, especially the chocolate - so dark it was almost black! We walked down to the waterfront and ate our gelato, enjoying the sound of the waves on the beach after a stressful day.

We walked back to the car, stopping at a different grocery store on the way. We picked up some bread and cheese. We had some meat and cheese left over from Pizzo at the car and figured we could make a snack to hold us over until dinner. When we got back to the car, we found the area smelled like garbage and decided not to eat there. We drove all the way through town and into the countryside on the north side, still hoping to find a cantina. No luck, and we turned around…

...and we got stopped by the carribinierri at a random check-point. I smiled and said "American" in my best Texas accent. He smiled back, nodded, and said something along the lines of "documenti," which I took to mean he wanted to see my driver’s license. Unfortunately, I had closed the door on the strap of my backpack, so I couldn’t get the bag to budge. I got out of the car, and got my driver’s license out and gave it to him. Meanwhile, Richard got out and dug the passports out of his backpack in the trunk of the car. Richard gave him those, and the officer asked for the papers on the car. The officer glanced at my driver’s license and our passports (and into the now open trunk which held Richard’s backpack and a case of Fontanavecchia wine) while Richard pulled out the rental car paperwork. The officer glanced at the rental car papers and said we were ok to leave.
As we pulled away, Richard commented that the officer seemed much more laid-back about our getting out of the car than officers in the U.S. tend to be. I smiled and said, "yeah, well, in the U.S., you don’t usually have another officer standing there watching with a machine-gun."

There had been a total of 4 officers: the one checking us, two taking everything out of someone else’s car in a very thorough search, and a fourth one standing a bit to the side watching over everything. The fourth one happened to be standing at the ready with a machine gun. I supposed that would provide a level of confidence to all of the officers.

We turned into the lungomare as we drove back into Bianco. We pulled out our snacks and sat on a bench by the beach and watched the sunset, then the moonrise, while we ate our bread, cheese and sliced meat. The wind was getting quite cool, so we hopped back in the car and made the long drive back around the "tip of the toe" to Scilla.

We had hoped to get dinner at another restaurant the B&B had recommended, but it was closed. We wandered through town and found a pizzeria ristorante high up on the hill. They were going to seat us inside, but the air was hot and smoky inside. We requested to sit outside, and they were amazed that anyone would want to sit outside when it was so cold! It was probably in the low 70’s! The meal was good, but nowhere near some of the other meals we had had thus far.

It had been a long day, but we needed to find an ATM to get cash to pay the B&B. We walked through town, through increasingly narrow streets. We stopped periodically to watch the ocean crashing up through the gaps between buildings. We saw a rowboat pulled up in a little overhang between two buildings and marveled that anyone could get the boat out without being dashed upon the rocks.

We came out of the narrow streets onto a wide area by a marina. We walked along the marina and still found no ATM. Richard ran up the road ahead to see if he could find one. The road curved away from the marina but still ran along the coast. I went and stood next to the ocean, watching the waves crashing against the rocks and occasionally watching the spray splash onto the road when a particularly large swell hit. Richard came back, having not found an ATM. We wandered back down the narrow roads to the B&B and went to bed. What a LONG day!Close