Tuesday 18th June - Rome
Today we needed to discover the rest of the wonders of Rome so that when you say "Did you see.....?" We could answer nonchalantly "Of course " This definitely required two circuits on the trusty hop-on-hop-off bus. We managed front seats upstairs in a canopied bus the first circuit so had a regally chauffeured drive around the Eternal City. Also we could hear the commentary and it was in English so we were really on a roll. The 1 1/2 hour circuit gave us an excellent overview, and of course we had also done an in-depth explore of some of the wonders.
That necessitated lunch which we had in the beautiful train station where I discovered yet another wonder, the Baba cake. My goodness, I wish I hadn't left that till the last day.
Sufficiently re-fuelled, we sallied forth again, targeting the wonders we had not examined close-up. The Pantheon was first on our hit list.
That was built between 27 and 25BC and dedicated to all gods of pagan Rome. In 608AD it became a Christian church. It had a mystical aura about it and once again I was offended by the narcissistic obsession with photography before such spiritual works of art. One section of it was cordoned off for people who wanted to sit in peace while all around were the masses who were only interested in how they looked with this wallpaper behind them.
We then walked on to discover the Fontana di Trevi which is certainly the most beautiful fountain in Rome (if not the world) and was built in 1762 in the Baroque style. I was astonished that it was sandwiched between a plethora of shops and ristorantes in the square which serves as a theatre. The central statue of Neptune is flanked by magnificent side statues symbolizing the abundance and health that water has always given to Rome. There are water fountains throughout the city so that pedestrians (and their dogs) have access to water 24/7.
We stayed on in that area so that Peter could rest with a pina colada and crepe and I could enjoy the fountain longer on my own, and then do my last bit of shopping.
Our last must-see was the Spanish Steps in the Piazza di Spagna built in 1629. There were crowds of people there, the armed military and police so obviously something was being planned . We thought that could be our exit point so we completed 13,000 steps back onto the next bus. We have been averaging that number per day but I don't think they will compensate for the Roman diet that we have been enjoying.
So tomorrow we will be picked up with our 2 suitcases each and driven to the airport ready for our 38 hours of travel through Hong Kong back to Auckland's winter. And that is the downside of going away. It has been a superb trip - our teenage OE that we missed out on really.
Arrivedercci Roma.
Tuesday 18 June 2019
Monday 17 June 2019
Monday 17 June - Rome
I was extremely displeased to see that the entry I wrote for Sunday did not appear. Huff!!! However I guess you may well feel that a shopping trip was not worth reading about. But, believe me, it was just as hornswaggling as all our other activities. Never mind. It's now 11.25pm, and I'm not spending my last waking minutes today on a shopping trip we did yesterday.
This morning began at 5.30 as we were being picked up from our hotel at 6.30am for our 3 hour bus trip to Naples and Pompeii. Most of the passengers were overnighting in Sorrento, but we booked to return at 8.30 tonight. A long day, but at least we're back. We only have one day left now and there's some major omissions such as the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.
Naples is 200km south of Rome. We drove past such famed places as Tivoli, the Monte Casino Abbey which was built in 577AD and frequently attacked and restored until 1944 when the Allied Army dropped 600 tonnes of bombs on it, killing 75,000 people including our Maori Battalion. Yet again it has been restored to its former glory. It was delightful driving through the luxuriant countryside, so tranquil now with its vast crops of grapes, citrus fruits, tobacco and vibrant oleander trees. Southern Italy is prized for its beauty and tranquility, and many exceedingly wealthy Italians have their holiday homes in the area. Sophia Loren was born in this area. We drove past Mt Vesuvius but she was shrouded by mist at that stage in the day.
We reached Naples around 11am . The population there is 4 1/2 million , 3 million of whom live in the CBD in squalid conditions in high-rise tower blocks. It has a reputation as a den of iniquity, such a stark contrast to the Amalfi Coast, which is a billionaire's playground. Super-yachts are parked close together like a Wilson's carpark. There were 4 cruise boats in the Naples harbour and the congestion was horrific. Fortunately our coach made no attempt to allow us to disembark. There was absolutely no room to walk anywhere.
We drove on to the fringes of Pompeii for a pre-ordered pizza lunch with limoncello before starting our 2 hour walking tour of a tiny section of the 163 acres of Pompeii City which was destroyed by Mt Vesuvius in 79AD killing about 22,000 inhabitants. It was discovered in 1748 and the restoration has been going on ever since. The inhabitants of the city had such a sophisticated life style and it was fascinating hearing the descriptions of this while we were actually standing there on site.
By the afternoon, the mist had cleared from Mt Vesuvius and she looked totally benign - which she is not. Her most recent eruption was in 1944 and she is expected to blow again in 20 - 30 years time. Currently 20,000 earthquakes are being recorded PER DAY. That has not deterred the 700,000 people who live happily around her base now.
Some of our bus passengers were going on to holiday in Capris which has 15- 20,000 visitors per day in this summertime . We were very content to climb back into the half empty coach to return to Rome.
I was extremely displeased to see that the entry I wrote for Sunday did not appear. Huff!!! However I guess you may well feel that a shopping trip was not worth reading about. But, believe me, it was just as hornswaggling as all our other activities. Never mind. It's now 11.25pm, and I'm not spending my last waking minutes today on a shopping trip we did yesterday.
This morning began at 5.30 as we were being picked up from our hotel at 6.30am for our 3 hour bus trip to Naples and Pompeii. Most of the passengers were overnighting in Sorrento, but we booked to return at 8.30 tonight. A long day, but at least we're back. We only have one day left now and there's some major omissions such as the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.
Naples is 200km south of Rome. We drove past such famed places as Tivoli, the Monte Casino Abbey which was built in 577AD and frequently attacked and restored until 1944 when the Allied Army dropped 600 tonnes of bombs on it, killing 75,000 people including our Maori Battalion. Yet again it has been restored to its former glory. It was delightful driving through the luxuriant countryside, so tranquil now with its vast crops of grapes, citrus fruits, tobacco and vibrant oleander trees. Southern Italy is prized for its beauty and tranquility, and many exceedingly wealthy Italians have their holiday homes in the area. Sophia Loren was born in this area. We drove past Mt Vesuvius but she was shrouded by mist at that stage in the day.
We reached Naples around 11am . The population there is 4 1/2 million , 3 million of whom live in the CBD in squalid conditions in high-rise tower blocks. It has a reputation as a den of iniquity, such a stark contrast to the Amalfi Coast, which is a billionaire's playground. Super-yachts are parked close together like a Wilson's carpark. There were 4 cruise boats in the Naples harbour and the congestion was horrific. Fortunately our coach made no attempt to allow us to disembark. There was absolutely no room to walk anywhere.
We drove on to the fringes of Pompeii for a pre-ordered pizza lunch with limoncello before starting our 2 hour walking tour of a tiny section of the 163 acres of Pompeii City which was destroyed by Mt Vesuvius in 79AD killing about 22,000 inhabitants. It was discovered in 1748 and the restoration has been going on ever since. The inhabitants of the city had such a sophisticated life style and it was fascinating hearing the descriptions of this while we were actually standing there on site.
By the afternoon, the mist had cleared from Mt Vesuvius and she looked totally benign - which she is not. Her most recent eruption was in 1944 and she is expected to blow again in 20 - 30 years time. Currently 20,000 earthquakes are being recorded PER DAY. That has not deterred the 700,000 people who live happily around her base now.
Some of our bus passengers were going on to holiday in Capris which has 15- 20,000 visitors per day in this summertime . We were very content to climb back into the half empty coach to return to Rome.
Saturday 15 June 2019
Saturday 15th June - Rome
Today was the walking tour of the Colosseum which was another of the 3 I booked weeks ago. After our experience of St Peter's Basilica yesterday, we were a tad apprehensive, but we turned up at the required 8.30 (the bus driver actually turned up at 7.30 to find he had muddled the tours) and off we zoomed through slightly less traffic way across town and spilled us out to join hundreds of others in clusters and the long queue. This was another"must book ahead" case. We were put into a group of 12 English speaking people and off we waddled following our flag-bearing guide walking right past the long queues and through a separate entrance for organized people. It's all so Mother Duck and her ducklings. We're all plugged into our headsets (whispers) and cling to Mother Duck for sheer survival. This guide spoke better English at a slower rate so I was able to make some notes as we went.
The Colosseum was an amphitheatre ordered by the first Roman Emperorer Augustus in 76 AD and opened for free entertainment plus bread to all people of Rome. The political grandstanding was held 2 days a week for 5 centuries during which time millions of humans and animals were slaughtered for fun. The arena held 60,000 people and was acoustically perfect. The stage area was built if wood and covered in sand to soak up the blood. Elevators were invented to lift the participants up to stage level from the vast tunnels and holding pens underneath. The spectacle started at 8.30 with gladiators against beasts; at 12.00 the criminals contest the beasts and at 4.00 gladiators pitched against each other. The crowd decided who won and should be freed. The other was killed. There is a large cross erected just as a Christian presence. You'll remember the story of Androcles and the lion, I'm sure and this was the setting.
The Colosseum was covered in marble over the stone work. That marble was all stolen centuries later in order to build the 500 churches in Rome today. Recycling they called it.
Rome was born in 8 BC on the Pallentine Hill overlooking the Tiber River which we climbed up after the tour of the Colosseum. The Temple of the Eternal City was built by the first emperor, Hadrian, in 2 AD. There were 11 aquaducts built .
We saw through the private hippodrome built in 1 AD. So much of this colossal domain remains because it was not bombed at all during the wars. We could see the teams of restoration builders working on various sites. The Palace was covered in marble brought over from Egypt and some of it remains to be seen today. When Nero came in to rule his palace was coated in gold just to outdo the Egyptian marble used by his predecessor. However, Nero was such a wicked ruler, with his cruelty and sadism going as far as his murder of both his mother and wife, and the crucifixion of St Peter upside down, that when he died, the public buried his palace where it remains today.
It was fascinating to see the remains of the Vesta temple which marked the centre of this eternal city now in ruins. The Vestal Virgins were (I think 12) female children chosen from wealthy families to keep the flame burning in the Vesta. They were held captive for this task for their lifetime - and there it still stands today.
I found all this so enthralling. I took Latin for 3 years at high school, but it was only today that all that boring history became a reality.
We were certainly in better shape when a taxi returned us to our hotel today, even though we had walked 15,000 steps , but really there's nothing to beat a siesta. That restored us sufficiently to continue our pina colada research in the early evening, happen upon the beautiful Basilica of St Mary Major standing alone with no pesky selfie seekers, and make a decision over the ristorante for our risotto and prosecco.
A really absorbingly interesting day. Much to my astonishment, Peter has chosen a shopping tour for tomorrow's activity. We're to be collected by coach at 11.00am and whisked off to a vast outlet shopping centre for four hours. I suspect the attraction is air conditioning, seats, coffee, loos and an absence of selfie narcissists. Other visitors prefer the Pantheon but we may have had our fill of history.
Today was the walking tour of the Colosseum which was another of the 3 I booked weeks ago. After our experience of St Peter's Basilica yesterday, we were a tad apprehensive, but we turned up at the required 8.30 (the bus driver actually turned up at 7.30 to find he had muddled the tours) and off we zoomed through slightly less traffic way across town and spilled us out to join hundreds of others in clusters and the long queue. This was another"must book ahead" case. We were put into a group of 12 English speaking people and off we waddled following our flag-bearing guide walking right past the long queues and through a separate entrance for organized people. It's all so Mother Duck and her ducklings. We're all plugged into our headsets (whispers) and cling to Mother Duck for sheer survival. This guide spoke better English at a slower rate so I was able to make some notes as we went.
The Colosseum was an amphitheatre ordered by the first Roman Emperorer Augustus in 76 AD and opened for free entertainment plus bread to all people of Rome. The political grandstanding was held 2 days a week for 5 centuries during which time millions of humans and animals were slaughtered for fun. The arena held 60,000 people and was acoustically perfect. The stage area was built if wood and covered in sand to soak up the blood. Elevators were invented to lift the participants up to stage level from the vast tunnels and holding pens underneath. The spectacle started at 8.30 with gladiators against beasts; at 12.00 the criminals contest the beasts and at 4.00 gladiators pitched against each other. The crowd decided who won and should be freed. The other was killed. There is a large cross erected just as a Christian presence. You'll remember the story of Androcles and the lion, I'm sure and this was the setting.
The Colosseum was covered in marble over the stone work. That marble was all stolen centuries later in order to build the 500 churches in Rome today. Recycling they called it.
Rome was born in 8 BC on the Pallentine Hill overlooking the Tiber River which we climbed up after the tour of the Colosseum. The Temple of the Eternal City was built by the first emperor, Hadrian, in 2 AD. There were 11 aquaducts built .
We saw through the private hippodrome built in 1 AD. So much of this colossal domain remains because it was not bombed at all during the wars. We could see the teams of restoration builders working on various sites. The Palace was covered in marble brought over from Egypt and some of it remains to be seen today. When Nero came in to rule his palace was coated in gold just to outdo the Egyptian marble used by his predecessor. However, Nero was such a wicked ruler, with his cruelty and sadism going as far as his murder of both his mother and wife, and the crucifixion of St Peter upside down, that when he died, the public buried his palace where it remains today.
It was fascinating to see the remains of the Vesta temple which marked the centre of this eternal city now in ruins. The Vestal Virgins were (I think 12) female children chosen from wealthy families to keep the flame burning in the Vesta. They were held captive for this task for their lifetime - and there it still stands today.
I found all this so enthralling. I took Latin for 3 years at high school, but it was only today that all that boring history became a reality.
We were certainly in better shape when a taxi returned us to our hotel today, even though we had walked 15,000 steps , but really there's nothing to beat a siesta. That restored us sufficiently to continue our pina colada research in the early evening, happen upon the beautiful Basilica of St Mary Major standing alone with no pesky selfie seekers, and make a decision over the ristorante for our risotto and prosecco.
A really absorbingly interesting day. Much to my astonishment, Peter has chosen a shopping tour for tomorrow's activity. We're to be collected by coach at 11.00am and whisked off to a vast outlet shopping centre for four hours. I suspect the attraction is air conditioning, seats, coffee, loos and an absence of selfie narcissists. Other visitors prefer the Pantheon but we may have had our fill of history.
Friday 14 June 2019
Friday 14th June - Rome
Happy birthday Anne. Hope you got my email.
This morning we needed to be in the foyer of the hotel to be picked up for something I booked months ago and have now forgotten.
And we were, and it turned out to be a tour of the Vatican City. My goodness me!!!! It was similar to our tour of Versailles when all I could see right the way around was the back of Peter's shirt. If any of you are planning on going, or have friends with plans, tell them they absolutely must book a tour group. Chaos reigned. And all in temperatures that soared to 37C. When we were finally sorted into an English speaking group, we followed our guide on an endless walk up hill passing many hundreds of people just sitting in a queue. The closer we came to the entrance, the more the people looked statuesque. Had they been there from the day before?
We entered the Vatican Museum first where photos are allowed without flash and the guides are allowed to tell you all they know. We had a charming Italian lady who knew everything so after the first half hour we just had to pull the whisper plugs out of our ears. I can actually tell you nothing at all. It was an arduous experience which took heavy toll on Peter so I was more concerned on his keeping up with the group in that mass of humanity. The art collection is supreme but after two hours in those crowds, in that heat we would have liked to bail out. But we couldn't. Where's out? Then suddenly we were divorced from our guide, told to put our cameras away, and given half an hour to go through the Sistine Chapel and meet up with our guide at the other end. Throughout the Chapel guards were constantly moving people along, trying to stop them from talking. What a job! Of course it was all totally breathtaking but equally exhausting.
Then just when we thought it was over, we had to walk through the Basilica itself and listen to our guide telling us all she knew. It is all unimaginably huge, and bigger and better than anything anywhere else in the world (so we kept being told). I can fully understand the motivation behind the Reformation. There was no reason to be quite so callous about it, but a change was warranted.
Eventually we were allowed outside into the Square where the Pope speaks to the masses and of course that too was vast. Eventually the guide ended the tour and left us outside Vatican City, back in Rome having walked 11,000 steps, and having no idea where we were. Our most dire needs were drink , chairs and food (at 1.30pm)
so we staggered into an air conditioned restoronti and started the recovery process.
Actually one of the most entertaining aspects of the tour was watching those whose custom it is trying desperately to get photos of themselves by these monumental art works in that density of humanity. They truly expected us to move around them to get the perfect shot. I'm sure the inability quite ruined their experience. They even tried it in front of The Pieter. NO!.
Eventually we grabbed a cab and he drove us for an endless amount of time through the insane traffic to our front door. Dear man. Then a shower and bed. That was our once-in-a-life-time Vatican City experience. And to think that is going on 364 days of every year (presuming they have Christmas day off). What a huge business enterprise it is.
Much later in the day, we hobbled out the front door of our hotel and tried turning right. It was a tad cooler by then so we tried walking around the block and discovering our whereabouts. And there was the railway station where we came in last evening. How funny. We had no idea we were that close. It took our taxi driver an age to get us here, but that's because of the density of the traffic and the one-way system. Our feet were still smarting from the morning, so we found ourselves a restaurant on a footpath with the railtrack running alongside and enjoyed prosecco and sea bass which is certainly my favourite. Quite apart from the monuments, history and architecture of this city, the people are an entertainment in their own right. How can people be so entirely different? FASCINATING!!!
Happy birthday Anne. Hope you got my email.
This morning we needed to be in the foyer of the hotel to be picked up for something I booked months ago and have now forgotten.
And we were, and it turned out to be a tour of the Vatican City. My goodness me!!!! It was similar to our tour of Versailles when all I could see right the way around was the back of Peter's shirt. If any of you are planning on going, or have friends with plans, tell them they absolutely must book a tour group. Chaos reigned. And all in temperatures that soared to 37C. When we were finally sorted into an English speaking group, we followed our guide on an endless walk up hill passing many hundreds of people just sitting in a queue. The closer we came to the entrance, the more the people looked statuesque. Had they been there from the day before?
We entered the Vatican Museum first where photos are allowed without flash and the guides are allowed to tell you all they know. We had a charming Italian lady who knew everything so after the first half hour we just had to pull the whisper plugs out of our ears. I can actually tell you nothing at all. It was an arduous experience which took heavy toll on Peter so I was more concerned on his keeping up with the group in that mass of humanity. The art collection is supreme but after two hours in those crowds, in that heat we would have liked to bail out. But we couldn't. Where's out? Then suddenly we were divorced from our guide, told to put our cameras away, and given half an hour to go through the Sistine Chapel and meet up with our guide at the other end. Throughout the Chapel guards were constantly moving people along, trying to stop them from talking. What a job! Of course it was all totally breathtaking but equally exhausting.
Then just when we thought it was over, we had to walk through the Basilica itself and listen to our guide telling us all she knew. It is all unimaginably huge, and bigger and better than anything anywhere else in the world (so we kept being told). I can fully understand the motivation behind the Reformation. There was no reason to be quite so callous about it, but a change was warranted.
Eventually we were allowed outside into the Square where the Pope speaks to the masses and of course that too was vast. Eventually the guide ended the tour and left us outside Vatican City, back in Rome having walked 11,000 steps, and having no idea where we were. Our most dire needs were drink , chairs and food (at 1.30pm)
so we staggered into an air conditioned restoronti and started the recovery process.
Actually one of the most entertaining aspects of the tour was watching those whose custom it is trying desperately to get photos of themselves by these monumental art works in that density of humanity. They truly expected us to move around them to get the perfect shot. I'm sure the inability quite ruined their experience. They even tried it in front of The Pieter. NO!.
Eventually we grabbed a cab and he drove us for an endless amount of time through the insane traffic to our front door. Dear man. Then a shower and bed. That was our once-in-a-life-time Vatican City experience. And to think that is going on 364 days of every year (presuming they have Christmas day off). What a huge business enterprise it is.
Much later in the day, we hobbled out the front door of our hotel and tried turning right. It was a tad cooler by then so we tried walking around the block and discovering our whereabouts. And there was the railway station where we came in last evening. How funny. We had no idea we were that close. It took our taxi driver an age to get us here, but that's because of the density of the traffic and the one-way system. Our feet were still smarting from the morning, so we found ourselves a restaurant on a footpath with the railtrack running alongside and enjoyed prosecco and sea bass which is certainly my favourite. Quite apart from the monuments, history and architecture of this city, the people are an entertainment in their own right. How can people be so entirely different? FASCINATING!!!
Thursday 13 June 2019
Thursday 14th June - Rome
We've arrived!!!! A grand achievement!
Our only event today was a visit to an olive oil boutique enterprise with tastings and then an oily lunch. It was all presented so professionally and what it showed me was the superb standard of oils produced in NZ.
This enterprise produced 20 different oils, but there are 600 which exist in Italy. We learned the meaning of the term "extra virgin oil" and the way they actually extract the oil. A tour through the processing plant was all new to us. This enterprise employs about 50 pickers per season.
After seeing how the mechanical press operated we were taken upstairs to the tasting table where we were given 3 little samples of their oil. How very interesting to hear about the subtleties of these. I could taste no difference whatsoever and did not like any of them. Then we had a 4 course lunch offered to us during which we tried those same 3 oils with tomato, mozzarella cheese and bread. The next course was a delightful chick pea soup into which we were supposed to stir the decreed oil. I preferred not to. Then we were presented with thinly sliced raw beef on lettuce leaves and told to try the oils on them .Peter and I declined that altogether. This was followed by a very dark chocolate icecream over which an oil had been poured. One mouthful, that was it. The other group members bought up large, but we escaped into the sunshine and settled on to the bus. We were far more interested in getting to Rome.
And so we did. Not easily, mind you. Mercifully our tour guide was returning to Rome via the fast Express, so we could tag along behind him. What chaos!!!! However, by asking lots of questions we caught the 4.13 pm train. It was running a tad late but that's ok. Passengers have 8 minutes from the time of the announcement of the Platform number to the departure of the train whether you're on it or not. It just closes its doors and goes. We had booked first class which proved an excellent idea. It included a juice and a bikkie. The train winds up to 250kph so the trip was an easy 1 1/2 hours. Very pleasant and comfortable.
Of course then we were tipped off the train as quickly as possible and went in search of a taxi to battle the insane traffic to reach our Best Western Hotel which was very close to the station but totally impossible for us to achieve with the density of people and traffic and our heavy bags. What a lovely warm welcome we received here. We really felt so triumphant. We have a magnificent room with an enormous bathroom with a black, twinkly , marble floor. Goodness me. We managed to get to the sumptuous dining room, down margaritas and proseccos, eat vege soup and Veal done the way Italians do, a fruit salad and stagger to bed. Not too sure how this combines with Peter's drugs but we'll find out in the morning.
We've arrived!!!! A grand achievement!
Our only event today was a visit to an olive oil boutique enterprise with tastings and then an oily lunch. It was all presented so professionally and what it showed me was the superb standard of oils produced in NZ.
This enterprise produced 20 different oils, but there are 600 which exist in Italy. We learned the meaning of the term "extra virgin oil" and the way they actually extract the oil. A tour through the processing plant was all new to us. This enterprise employs about 50 pickers per season.
After seeing how the mechanical press operated we were taken upstairs to the tasting table where we were given 3 little samples of their oil. How very interesting to hear about the subtleties of these. I could taste no difference whatsoever and did not like any of them. Then we had a 4 course lunch offered to us during which we tried those same 3 oils with tomato, mozzarella cheese and bread. The next course was a delightful chick pea soup into which we were supposed to stir the decreed oil. I preferred not to. Then we were presented with thinly sliced raw beef on lettuce leaves and told to try the oils on them .Peter and I declined that altogether. This was followed by a very dark chocolate icecream over which an oil had been poured. One mouthful, that was it. The other group members bought up large, but we escaped into the sunshine and settled on to the bus. We were far more interested in getting to Rome.
And so we did. Not easily, mind you. Mercifully our tour guide was returning to Rome via the fast Express, so we could tag along behind him. What chaos!!!! However, by asking lots of questions we caught the 4.13 pm train. It was running a tad late but that's ok. Passengers have 8 minutes from the time of the announcement of the Platform number to the departure of the train whether you're on it or not. It just closes its doors and goes. We had booked first class which proved an excellent idea. It included a juice and a bikkie. The train winds up to 250kph so the trip was an easy 1 1/2 hours. Very pleasant and comfortable.
Of course then we were tipped off the train as quickly as possible and went in search of a taxi to battle the insane traffic to reach our Best Western Hotel which was very close to the station but totally impossible for us to achieve with the density of people and traffic and our heavy bags. What a lovely warm welcome we received here. We really felt so triumphant. We have a magnificent room with an enormous bathroom with a black, twinkly , marble floor. Goodness me. We managed to get to the sumptuous dining room, down margaritas and proseccos, eat vege soup and Veal done the way Italians do, a fruit salad and stagger to bed. Not too sure how this combines with Peter's drugs but we'll find out in the morning.
Wednesday 12 June 2019
Wednesday 13 June - The same place.
Our unit is a 2 bedroomed one with a large family room and kitchen. This meant that I could leave Peter to his misery and sleep in another room with the door shut. I awoke at 8.30 this morning to the most heavenly picture calendar scene and the birds shrilling in the sunshine. Did Peter survive the night? YES!!! Aren't antibiotics wonderful. He had been awake for a couple of hours and was wondering if I had survived the night. The best sleep I had had since we left NZ.
The programme for the morning was an Italian cookery class offered by our resort. This gave Peter the opportunity to relax for the morning and me the opportunity to be entertained by the 2 very Italian chefs who had us making I crostini di fegatini (chicken liver toasts -for those of you who didn't know) and Le fettuccine con salsa di pomodoro e basilica. You can work that one out. Fettuccine with a tomato and basil sauce. My forte was setting the table for 18, Italian style. What a table cloth!!!!!. Of course the lure for all this was getting to eat the resultant huge lunch washed down with limitless wine followed by espresso, Italian style.
We didn't return to our units until after 2pm. By this time Peter was showing signs of his former self, and by the time he had his afternoon snooze, there was another improvement. The temperature was many degrees cooler today (or was it that we were 800 meters up and not cooped up in a bus driving winding back country roads for 3 hours? Peter felt up to a slow evening stroll around the estate, catching up on the news from the various resident cats. We came upon our group who had met for a second evening of enjoying the wine and cheese they had bought from our travels. This led inevitably to wandering off to another fabulous Tuscan meal with a variety of Italian wines.
I have every intention of remembering this Tuscan Treats trip for the rest of my life. Off to Rome tomorrow.
Our unit is a 2 bedroomed one with a large family room and kitchen. This meant that I could leave Peter to his misery and sleep in another room with the door shut. I awoke at 8.30 this morning to the most heavenly picture calendar scene and the birds shrilling in the sunshine. Did Peter survive the night? YES!!! Aren't antibiotics wonderful. He had been awake for a couple of hours and was wondering if I had survived the night. The best sleep I had had since we left NZ.
The programme for the morning was an Italian cookery class offered by our resort. This gave Peter the opportunity to relax for the morning and me the opportunity to be entertained by the 2 very Italian chefs who had us making I crostini di fegatini (chicken liver toasts -for those of you who didn't know) and Le fettuccine con salsa di pomodoro e basilica. You can work that one out. Fettuccine with a tomato and basil sauce. My forte was setting the table for 18, Italian style. What a table cloth!!!!!. Of course the lure for all this was getting to eat the resultant huge lunch washed down with limitless wine followed by espresso, Italian style.
We didn't return to our units until after 2pm. By this time Peter was showing signs of his former self, and by the time he had his afternoon snooze, there was another improvement. The temperature was many degrees cooler today (or was it that we were 800 meters up and not cooped up in a bus driving winding back country roads for 3 hours? Peter felt up to a slow evening stroll around the estate, catching up on the news from the various resident cats. We came upon our group who had met for a second evening of enjoying the wine and cheese they had bought from our travels. This led inevitably to wandering off to another fabulous Tuscan meal with a variety of Italian wines.
I have every intention of remembering this Tuscan Treats trip for the rest of my life. Off to Rome tomorrow.
Tuesday 11 June 2019
Tuesday 11th June - Fattoria degli Usignoli
Truth to tell I have no idea where we are. The book just says Tuscany but then the whole trip has been Tuscany. We are 800 meters above sea level in a large resort. I can find no information on it at all.
Our main focus since I wrote yesterday has been keeping Peter breathing. He brought his inhaler but it had expired. So there we were all through the night with him having to stay upright to breathe. Needless to say sleep was infrequent. So this morning our tour guide and one of our group who is a career nurse went on a hunt through Pienza to try to find a doctor. Remarkably difficult. However we did locate a chemist who was not prepared to let us have the antibiotics the nurse said he needed. We had a full on Italian "discussion" with all the accompanying gesticulating and modulation, but ur did result in the antibiotics for €7.50. He would not let us have the inhaler which was on the shelf behind him. VERY frustrating. So after dosing him with that and parasol he climbed into the bus curled up in the backseat and concentrated on breathing
On the group went to an inorganic farm called the Monticiello cheese factory. The valley was bought 3 generations ago by a Swiss couple and has now gained UNESCO recognition with its production of Pecorino cheese. They also grow olives, produce boutique wines. Are a self-sufficient farm used as a national training centre. All a huge enterprise. We thoroughly enjoyed the lunch they served up to us.
The three hour drive to the resort we are in now was long , hot and tedious. Peter had to be transferred to the tour guide's seat at the front and the rest of us wished we could be. It was a real case of "Are we there yet". By 5pm we drove up the regal cypress lined driveway and helped unload our cases. I was delighted to see a 2 bed-roomed unit, so I'm expecting a better night's sleep.
Truth to tell I have no idea where we are. The book just says Tuscany but then the whole trip has been Tuscany. We are 800 meters above sea level in a large resort. I can find no information on it at all.
Our main focus since I wrote yesterday has been keeping Peter breathing. He brought his inhaler but it had expired. So there we were all through the night with him having to stay upright to breathe. Needless to say sleep was infrequent. So this morning our tour guide and one of our group who is a career nurse went on a hunt through Pienza to try to find a doctor. Remarkably difficult. However we did locate a chemist who was not prepared to let us have the antibiotics the nurse said he needed. We had a full on Italian "discussion" with all the accompanying gesticulating and modulation, but ur did result in the antibiotics for €7.50. He would not let us have the inhaler which was on the shelf behind him. VERY frustrating. So after dosing him with that and parasol he climbed into the bus curled up in the backseat and concentrated on breathing
On the group went to an inorganic farm called the Monticiello cheese factory. The valley was bought 3 generations ago by a Swiss couple and has now gained UNESCO recognition with its production of Pecorino cheese. They also grow olives, produce boutique wines. Are a self-sufficient farm used as a national training centre. All a huge enterprise. We thoroughly enjoyed the lunch they served up to us.
The three hour drive to the resort we are in now was long , hot and tedious. Peter had to be transferred to the tour guide's seat at the front and the rest of us wished we could be. It was a real case of "Are we there yet". By 5pm we drove up the regal cypress lined driveway and helped unload our cases. I was delighted to see a 2 bed-roomed unit, so I'm expecting a better night's sleep.
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