2/9 Genoa
Today we left France and moved on to Italy. The Tom Tom was misbehaving which made the journey difficult and challenged Jess´navigating skills to the max as we spent time driving round and round Genoa trying to guess the way. We did eventually arrive at the campsite in Bogliasco, to the east of Genoa, around 1 ½ hours later than planned. We decided not to venture into Genoa itself so enjoyed a swim at the beach. It had nice crashy water and very hot stones for sitting on. We then went for a walk around the town which had some pretty views along the coast and stopped for a nice beer in the sunshine before heading back to the campsite for a chill out and dinner of local specialities, foccacia, pesto and ravioli with walnut sauce.
3/9 Lake Como
The TomTom decided to work this morning (yay) so we were back on track on our way to Lake Como. Unfortunately we were stuck in a traffic jam for ages due to road works closer to our destination,Unno on the Lecco side of Como. The first campground we found was full but there was another one 1km down the road where we got a pitchright next to the lake! We had a stunning the lake and mountains. We chilled out in the sun until we were brave enough to go for a swim in the lake. It wasn't too bad once we were under(although as usual it took Marcus a little while to get in). There were a lot of fish in the water trying to nibble our toes. After our dip we walked to the next town, Vasenna, along the road with no footpath. It was a little scary with the Italian drivers zooming around the narrow roads. We got our nights supply of pasta and wine before heading back to camp. Luckily we didn't plan a night out on the town as there were massive thunder storms. We think there were about 4 separate storms that we were in the middle of. We enjoyed our dinner in front of the van nice and dry inside as the thunder and lightning roared and flashed around us lighting up the lake and the mountains in the distance.
As there wasn´t much around where we were we decided to head to the down of Bellagio further along the lake. The bus seemed to come at irregular time (maybe about every 2 hours) so we decided to walk.In hindsight this probably wasn't the smartest idea as for most of the way we walked along a windy narrow road with no foot path and pushy Italians in cars, trucks and on motorbikes and bicycles. We walked 9.5km in around 1 hour and 40 minutes which we think was alright. Bellagio was very nice and fancy but also very touristy. We walked around the town and had lunch. Jess had an anchovy pizza while Marcus had a quarto stuchious (ham, cheese, onion and capsicum panini). Marcus also decided that while in Italy he should do as theItalians do and have a coffee. Jess suggested a latte while she had espresso. Marcus thought it tasted like coffee and didn't feel the need to have another. The rain started to comedown again so we walked around the shops in town and brought some yummy food in the deli before heading to the bus stop to get the bus. Luckily we were early as the bus driver tried to explain (not so pleasantly) that we needed to buy tickets before we boarded from a shop. We tried 3 shops before finding the right one and raced back to the bus to sit for another 15minutes before he decided to depart. It continued to rain for the rest of the afternoon so for the first time on the trip we felt compelled to watch some programmes on the laptop before having an early night.
6/9 Levanto - Cinque Terre
7/9 Cinque Terre
8/9 Pisa and Florence
9/9 Florence Day 2
Today we headed off early to see the Statue of David at Retiat'Accademia. The queue wasn't too bad (although perhaps we have just go used to all the queuing in England). He was rather impressive. Much bigger than you expect. Most of the other work at the gallery was ok but not amazing. Maybe we have just seen too much fine art? Next we walked around the Dumuo which is white, red and green marble on the outside. The queue was massive so we decided we had seen enough cathedrals and not to bother going inside. We explored the town some more and looked around some markets. Jess rubbed the nose of a hog at the leather market which is meant to bring good luck. It sure helped her buy a new wallet at the market (also a belated anniversary present) before we tucked into some lunch. Florentine steak and capperchio sword fish, of course with a Chianti to wash it all down.It was very good considering there were a lot of really touristy restaurants around. The food and service at the one we found was great. We then wandered through the streets of the city again before heading back to camp for a restful evening.
11/9 Sienna
12/9 Rome
Onwards to a big city today, Roma. We decided to stay at camping Tiber which was to the North but with transport into the centre. We didn´t quite realise that the road to get there was a popular stopping place for truck drivers looking for...company... Once we arrived at the campsite (pretty empty as the end of the camping season was now upon us) we headed into town by train for a look around. We made our way to the Spanish Steps - however no writers or artists wanted to make either of us their muse and the only attention we got was from the hawkers. On to the next site, the Trevi fountain(the real deal, not the one we had previously seen in Las Vegas.) It was much busier and bigger than at Las Vegas. We were impressed. Jess managed to squeeze in between the masses of people in order to throw her coin over her shoulder to ensure her return to Rome. Marcus didn't do it this time as we think a second coin means you will getan Italian lover - which Jess decided her husband did not need. Next we walked through the streets to the Pantheon a big roman temple which had been converted into a cathedral. The artist Rapheal was burried (although they had to dig him up once to prove it to non-believers). Through Rome we stolled along to a piazza with a statue with the man in the red blanker... We continued along the river before looking at an Egyptian Square and picking up some food for dinner. Pretty good going for our first day in Rome.
13/9 Rome Day 2
14/9 Rome Day 3
16/9 Bologna
We continued our trip north. We had intended to visit Verona but a mistake in TomTom programming meant we ended up at Lake Garda. However, after driving around the town of Peschiera del Garda for a while and not finding anywhere to stay we decided that our initial plan was the one to go with so carried on down the motorway to Verona. We were a bit concerned upon reaching Verona, driving along the beautiful riverside, up the hill above town to where we thought the campsite was, only to discover that it was closed. Fortunately it was only closed until 2pm when people could check in. We parked up next to the various other campervans that were there and took the short walk down the hill to the river and then across the beautiful old bridge which took us through the city walls and into the old town of Verona. Verona had many more tourists in it than other places we had visited, but the place was definitely picture postcard material, with narrow streets, balconies looking over pretty squares and people trying to sell you stuff. It was still nice to wander around within the city walls, taking in the atmosphere. We reached the main square, full of people and with a big old Colosseum in it. Unlike in Rome, this one is still in regular use, hosting concerts and other events for locals and tourists alike. Instead of joining them we found ourselves a local cafe to sit down for a drink and watch the world go by. We saw every second person was drinking a bright orange drink out of wine glass. It looked a bit like Fanta but we assumed it had to be something else. Turns out it was something called Aperol Spritz and we thoroughly enjoyed ours. Conscious of the time we made our way back to the camping ground where we were able to check in. The place was really built for tent campers so we squeezed our van between two trees, wondering how we would get it out again in a couple of days...After some dinner we went for a walk to the citadel up the hill where we got a fantastic view of the city all lit up at night. Very pretty and you can see why Shakespeare chose this as the setting for his most famous love story.
18/9 Verona Day 2
As Verona is the setting of Romeo and Juliet, the city has taken this opportunity to capitalise on it from a tourism perspective. All the major sites from the play are represented somewhere in the city and we decided to take ourselves on a tour around them. Most of them are just pretty buildings which had previously been lived in by their various namesakes from the play, so Romeo's house, although pretty, was not open to look around. Juliet's house is something different all together and the tourists were there in their droves. As you enter through the archway the place is full of graffiti from lovers writing messages to each other. Jess was keen to profess our love. Marcus felt defiling of private property was not really romantic...In the square pas the entrance way there is a statue of Juliet, situated below the 'famous' balcony. It has had its fair share of hands rubbed across, the bosoms seeming to be the most popular point. We made our way into the museum which, considering the hordes of people outside, was very empty. It was pleasant enough, giving us some insight of what life must have been like for people living at that time, interspersed with the fiction of Romeo and Juliet around the house. Jess stood out on the balcony, but with nobody serenading her she had to stay with Marcus. We made our way away from Juliet's house checking out the city walls and the ancient Roman ruins along the way to Juliet's tomb. We weren't really sure what this was going to be, but it turns out it is an old monastery that has been rebuilt after being largely destroyed in WWII. It now houses a collection of Italian religious artwork, both old and modern which we had a look around. At the end of the tour is a downstairs crypt with an empty tomb in it. This was Juliet's tomb. We weren't sure it was worth the walk but at least we saw some art. We wandered back into town and through the main square again to check out the city walls on the other side of town, by the river. They were pretty impressive, with fortifications to keep invaders at bay. There was something in the air though, rain, and lots of it. It started pouring down and eventually we decided we were not gong to see any more so walked back up to the campsite. The rain stuck around all afternoon so we passed our time in the common room. The campsite was packed out with people looking for somewhere dry. We met any American family who were big Flight of the Conchords fans and couldn't believe they were meeting real NZers. Their kids seemed a bit disappointed that we were not personal friends with Murray though...
The rain was lifting in Verona in the morning but it was time to move on to our last destination in Italy, Venice. The drive wasn´t too far and before we knew it we were setting up camp at Camping Fusina (Marcus had some vague memories from last time he was there.) After a few chores we were in the ferry and on our way across the water to the magical city. There were ominous clouds in the distance so we crossed our fingers that we wouldn´t get too drenched. The ferry pulled in and we started weaving our way through the narrow lanes and squares of Venice. We didn't really know where we were going but just followed the crowds past all the little shops and over the canals until.we reached St Marks Square, the centre of Venice and site of the round domed St Mark's cathedral, the Torre dell'Orologio and many many pigeons. We carried on a little further until we got to the market on the Rialto Bridge but those clouds were getting ever closer so we decided to instead pick up some bread, prosciutto and Fragolino (yummy Strawberry wine) for dinner. After a few wrong turns we made our way back to the ferry to the mainland before the rain arrived. There were a few spots of rain on the ferry ride, unfortunately the storm had beat us back to the mainland and we had to make a dash from the pier back to the van through the pouring rain. We were well and truly soaked by the time we arrived, as was the washing we had put out before going out. After putting the clothes and ourselves through the dryer we put together some dinner and watched the storm continue to erupt over Venice from the safety of the van.
Fortunately the rain had cleared by the morning so were able to get on the ferry again and have another go at looking around Venice. As we were not in a hurry today we took the roundabout way to get through town, stopping at the shops and galleries along the way. We wandered along the canals and through the market on Rialto bridge to take us through the quieter area on the other side of the Grand Canal. It was still very touristy but somehow Venice is so magical that it gets away with it. We stopped at an Italian restaurant we had read about and although it was chock full of tourists the personal attention from the owner helped it feel authentic. He recommended us some very tasty local white wine and we tucked into excellent seafood pasta, complete with squid ink which ended up all over Marcus' face...This was easily the best meal we had in Italy. We did eventually have to leave and carried on deeper into Venice, now into the Jewish quarter, which was a bit more normal, being largely devoid of all the tourist trappings. Jess attempted to befriend a cat (on advice from Marcus) but the cat wasn't having any of it, and Jess wondered if her stance against cats was still the right one. We pondered getting a ride on a Gondola, but the price and obvious lack of interest of the Gondoliers made us decide to spend our money elsewhere. Satisfied with our time in Italy, we wandered back through the streets, a bit more leisurely than the previous day, and caught the ferry back to the campsite.
https://picasaweb.google.com/JessicaLMcMillan/September2011VanTourItaly#
Today we left France and moved on to Italy. The Tom Tom was misbehaving which made the journey difficult and challenged Jess´navigating skills to the max as we spent time driving round and round Genoa trying to guess the way. We did eventually arrive at the campsite in Bogliasco, to the east of Genoa, around 1 ½ hours later than planned. We decided not to venture into Genoa itself so enjoyed a swim at the beach. It had nice crashy water and very hot stones for sitting on. We then went for a walk around the town which had some pretty views along the coast and stopped for a nice beer in the sunshine before heading back to the campsite for a chill out and dinner of local specialities, foccacia, pesto and ravioli with walnut sauce.3/9 Lake Como
The TomTom decided to work this morning (yay) so we were back on track on our way to Lake Como. Unfortunately we were stuck in a traffic jam for ages due to road works closer to our destination,Unno on the Lecco side of Como. The first campground we found was full but there was another one 1km down the road where we got a pitchright next to the lake! We had a stunning the lake and mountains. We chilled out in the sun until we were brave enough to go for a swim in the lake. It wasn't too bad once we were under(although as usual it took Marcus a little while to get in). There were a lot of fish in the water trying to nibble our toes. After our dip we walked to the next town, Vasenna, along the road with no footpath. It was a little scary with the Italian drivers zooming around the narrow roads. We got our nights supply of pasta and wine before heading back to camp. Luckily we didn't plan a night out on the town as there were massive thunder storms. We think there were about 4 separate storms that we were in the middle of. We enjoyed our dinner in front of the van nice and dry inside as the thunder and lightning roared and flashed around us lighting up the lake and the mountains in the distance.
4/9 Lake Como Day 2 - Bellagio
As there wasn´t much around where we were we decided to head to the down of Bellagio further along the lake. The bus seemed to come at irregular time (maybe about every 2 hours) so we decided to walk.In hindsight this probably wasn't the smartest idea as for most of the way we walked along a windy narrow road with no foot path and pushy Italians in cars, trucks and on motorbikes and bicycles. We walked 9.5km in around 1 hour and 40 minutes which we think was alright. Bellagio was very nice and fancy but also very touristy. We walked around the town and had lunch. Jess had an anchovy pizza while Marcus had a quarto stuchious (ham, cheese, onion and capsicum panini). Marcus also decided that while in Italy he should do as theItalians do and have a coffee. Jess suggested a latte while she had espresso. Marcus thought it tasted like coffee and didn't feel the need to have another. The rain started to comedown again so we walked around the shops in town and brought some yummy food in the deli before heading to the bus stop to get the bus. Luckily we were early as the bus driver tried to explain (not so pleasantly) that we needed to buy tickets before we boarded from a shop. We tried 3 shops before finding the right one and raced back to the bus to sit for another 15minutes before he decided to depart. It continued to rain for the rest of the afternoon so for the first time on the trip we felt compelled to watch some programmes on the laptop before having an early night.
5/9 Milan
We left Como and drove to Milan and found a camping ground next to a water slide park (although not open), The campsite also had apetting zoo which had a huge ugly sheep and goats and birds. We caught the bus and the metro into Milan where we looked at the Duomodi Milano, a massive cathedral which we thought was really impressive- probably our favourite traditional cathedral so far. We particularly liked the stained glass windows. Next we went to the Galleria, an old fashioned shopping arcade, which had a cool glassdome. Marcus did as the practice suggests and spun on his heel on the bulls' balls to gain virility. Although plenty of women did this too Jess thought it made more sense to leave it to the men. Then we walked round the town a bit more before getting a gelato. Jess had raspberry and lemon, Marcus campari (ooooh yuck says Jess) and white chocolate. Refreshed we had a look around the outside of the palace before taking a break in the park. Once we regained our energy we headed off to look at some shops in the area which was meant to be not so expensive as all the designer shops in town. We didn't manage to buy anything as many were closed and a market was just packing up.We did see some nice apartment buildings with lovely courtyards.Although it has some nice sights Milan seems to be a place where people either live or come to spend lots of money at the shops. Not necessarily our sort of place but nice nonetheless.
6/9 Levanto - Cinque Terre
We decided to skip our scheduled stop to Parma and went straight to the Cinque Terra which Jess had particularly been looking forward to. We stayed at a campsite nearby in Levanto which had a horse and lots of bugs. That day we decided to look around the town and planned a full day for the next which we discovered was just as well as that day there was a train strike. So we enjoyed a wander to town to the waterfront and beach as well as picking up some train tickets for the next day. The beach was plenty busy but we decided to leave taking a dip for another day.
7/9 Cinque Terre
We head off early and caught the 9.30 train to the Cinque Terre(aka the 5 lands). The Cinque Terre are five villages that used to be only accessible by water and were famous for their rugged beauty, We decided to start with the furthest village away - Riomaggorie and walk back through each town. The first walk was the Della Amore - the walk of love. It was nice although there were a lot of tourists and the path was paved the whole way (we wanted some proper walks). The walk took us to the next town Manrula which we looked around. The towns are all perched on a series of cliffs over the water although the building of the railway and roads means that now it is mostly little restaurants and tourist shops. The next part of the easiest walks was closed so we had the option of taking the train back to the next town or do the hard walk (2 1/2 hours). After the first was was an easy 15 minute walk we were up for the challenge. So we headed up many steps (1 hour continuously uphill) giving our muscles a good work out and then we got to walk along through vineyards with stunning views of the town. This was (pant) more (pant) what (pant)we (pant) were after (gasp!). Where's the water? Maybe all the local food and drink we had been sampling had affected our fitness. It was all worth it though and we felt very satisfied at the end of it,particularly as we didn't have the walking poles that all the other tourists felt were necessary. Corgnilia was the town we next arrived in where we stopped for a snack and a sugary drink in front of a freaky mermanish statue. Back to the blue route we then walked to Vernazza. It may be that our muscles were feeling the pain from the last walk but this definitely was harder than the first with uneven paths and hills. At Vernazza we stopped for more water at the waterfront and were envious of the people swimming at the port. The sun had really come out now so it was rather sweltering. The final walk was to Monterosso which was another 2 hours of walking, again with some very step paths but we made it! We think we did at least 5 1/2hours of proper walking that day before reaching the campsite at 6.30pm. Pretty decent compared to the exercise we get in London. Exhausted back at the campsite we ate a well deserved Gnochi for dinner before collapsing into bed.
8/9 Pisa and Florence
Next on to Pisa where we are glad we decided only to stop long enough to see the leaning tower as there were many hustlers and we were very concerned that our van might not still be there when we got back as we didn't give any change to the lady who was begging by the parking meter. It was good to cross another obligatory tourist attraction off our to do list before moving onto Florence.
We got caught in a traffic jam on the way to Florence due to an accident, probably due to the Italians erratic driving. But it was worth the wait as the campsite was nice with views out over Florence.Chores were done; Jess - washing and Marcus - fixing the van door. We also met an English couple (we were not very good at meeting people on our trip) from the West Midlands who were nice to chat to. Turned out they had travelled the world in campervans and modified vans into campers for a living. We then headed out to have a look around Florence and Marcus bought an Italian Leather Belt (a belated anniversary present). We walked through the main square, checking out all of the imitation statues (although they are all still old in their own right) and the pont de ververe (a famous bridge with buildings on it, like in Bath and took the long way home up and down a hill next to a big wall. Once it was dark we headed back to Piazza Michaelagelo (where we had earlier seen a copy of David) to get a night view of Florence and all its pretty lights. It was just next to the camp ground so was an easy trip home to bed (although the Contiki at the bar above had other plans as the music went all night.)
9/9 Florence Day 2
Today we headed off early to see the Statue of David at Retiat'Accademia. The queue wasn't too bad (although perhaps we have just go used to all the queuing in England). He was rather impressive. Much bigger than you expect. Most of the other work at the gallery was ok but not amazing. Maybe we have just seen too much fine art? Next we walked around the Dumuo which is white, red and green marble on the outside. The queue was massive so we decided we had seen enough cathedrals and not to bother going inside. We explored the town some more and looked around some markets. Jess rubbed the nose of a hog at the leather market which is meant to bring good luck. It sure helped her buy a new wallet at the market (also a belated anniversary present) before we tucked into some lunch. Florentine steak and capperchio sword fish, of course with a Chianti to wash it all down.It was very good considering there were a lot of really touristy restaurants around. The food and service at the one we found was great. We then wandered through the streets of the city again before heading back to camp for a restful evening.
10/9 San Gimigano
Today we travelled into the Tuscan countryside to visit the town of San Gimignano. It is a nice town with heaps of olive groves and vineyards around it. It is typical picturesque Tuscan countryside so of course it is heaving with tourists. After heading the wrong way on the bus from the campground we made it into town. It is a walled city with various towers, built by the medieval families competing with one another to have the best. Many have gone to ruin over the years but there are still about a dozen dominating the skyline. It didn't take long to get our full of the town but we enjoyed looking around and get a few gifts and some tasty artisan chocolate before heading back to camp. We had a beer in the sun and thought it might be noisy night as there was a Royal Enfield motorcycle reunion happening, however we didn't have any trouble and all the noise had stopped by a reasonable hour. (Yes, we are getting old.)
11/9 Sienna
Today was a short drive up the road to the town of Sienna . Once there we caught the bus into town again a walled medieval city. We were impressed with the ornate light fittings with red white and blue patterns. We later discovered that the whole of Sienna wasn't the same. We walked towards the centre of town where we saw a group of locals all wearing yellow scarfs with yellow and blue tights, they were all chanting and drumming. We weren't sure if this was some type of religious festival or what. We later discovered that Sienna is split into 17 different districts and this was one group of them. In each area of the town they display their local flags and the street signs and street light fittings each match the colours. It is to do with (we think anyway) the bare back horse races and the yellow people were celebrating a win. Marcus decided to buy a flag to join the winning team although none of them were particularly interested in sharing their winnings with him. We continued to wander around the town and we went into a large cathedral decorated all in brown, white and black tiles - Duomo di Siena. It made an interesting change from the usual cathedrals we had seen during our travels. We went and satin the main square, Piazza del Campo, the site of the bareback horse race and had some sandwiches. Sufficiently impressed with Sienna,but feeling the Italian heat we went back for a swim at the campsite´s pool (along with many other people.) We met another lady who had heard our accents and used the opportunity to offload her book which she had finished on us. She said her husband would be pleased. He would have probably been less pleased that we gave her four books we had finished in return...
12/9 Rome
Onwards to a big city today, Roma. We decided to stay at camping Tiber which was to the North but with transport into the centre. We didn´t quite realise that the road to get there was a popular stopping place for truck drivers looking for...company... Once we arrived at the campsite (pretty empty as the end of the camping season was now upon us) we headed into town by train for a look around. We made our way to the Spanish Steps - however no writers or artists wanted to make either of us their muse and the only attention we got was from the hawkers. On to the next site, the Trevi fountain(the real deal, not the one we had previously seen in Las Vegas.) It was much busier and bigger than at Las Vegas. We were impressed. Jess managed to squeeze in between the masses of people in order to throw her coin over her shoulder to ensure her return to Rome. Marcus didn't do it this time as we think a second coin means you will getan Italian lover - which Jess decided her husband did not need. Next we walked through the streets to the Pantheon a big roman temple which had been converted into a cathedral. The artist Rapheal was burried (although they had to dig him up once to prove it to non-believers). Through Rome we stolled along to a piazza with a statue with the man in the red blanker... We continued along the river before looking at an Egyptian Square and picking up some food for dinner. Pretty good going for our first day in Rome.13/9 Rome Day 2
Today we decided to head to Vatican City for some religious enlightenment. We were expecting a huge queue but we were inside within 15 minutes. The Vatican museum was rather overwhelming with alot of art to see. Jess particularly liked the map room with all sorts of ancient maps of the world and it cities (at least the ones they knew about. The Vatican Museum is kind of like the British Museum in that it shows all of the “treasures” pillaged by the catholic church over the years. It is worth getting to the end of it though, as that is the famed Sistine Chapel, with Michaelangelo´s famous masterpiece painted on the ceiling. 4 painstaking years of hard work. It has recently been restored, so the colours are bright,but the crowds make it difficult to get a proper look. After some authentic(ish) Italian for lunch we wandered down the road to St Peter´s Cathedral. (Sorry St Pauls, but it is significantly more impressive with the massive square out the front.) We got inside and decided before visiting the inside of the Cathedral we would climb up the dome to have a look around the city. You could get a lift up halfway, but being cheap and determined we decided we would walk the whole way up the spiral staircase. The first half wasn´t too bad,with a wide spiral staircase and plenty of room. However the higher we got the hotter it got, the tighter it got (walking on a lean) and the more crowded it got with the pace moving at a crawl. However an hour or so later we were at the top checking out the impressive vie wall around the city of Rome. The fresh air was also appreciated on our sweaty bodies. As always the trip down was quicker and before we knew it we were visiting the inside of the Cathedral we had just been on top of. The place is huge inside, being barely able to see from one end to the other, but what more would you expect from the home of Catholicism. Even the alter covering the remains of St Peter(apparently) is huge. Somewhat exhausted and feeling sufficiently spiritualised we made our way back out to the campsite and collapsed into bed.
14/9 Rome Day 3
It was a big one to start our final day in Rome, the Colosseum.The queue we had been waiting for had finally arrived so we stood dutifully under the arches waiting for our turn to buy tickets as other people shoved and pushed in around us. It was worth the wait, however, as we emerged into the sunlit amphitheatre, home of many gladiatorial combats of the past. The place really is huge and although you have to use your imagination to see what it would have looked like in operation (as it is really only the stone part that is left) that isn´t too difficult a task. We did the circuit and then checked out the exhibitions inside. Nero seemed to be the man to read about at the moment and although he was famous for fiddling while Rome burned, in fact he was responsible for much of the building work which is now considered of historical significance.After our visit to the Colosseum we crossed the square to the Roman Forum, the centre of life in ancient Rome. This area is full of ruins of various temples and other important buildings of ancient Roman times. The area it takes up is pretty massive and there are all sorts of columns and arches to keep a historyphile happy. As some of the ruins are very ruined you do have use your imagination more than a little to guess what it was all like though.
After our trip around the forum in the blazing sun we ventured up the Palatine Hill, the area on the hill above the forum now populated by the ruins of the homes of the rich and famous during Roman times, including Nero. As interesting as this all was we were starting to suffer some ruin fatigue, so after looking at the main buildings (and a few more because we couldn't find the exit) we left the Palatine Hill, grabbed a Gelato and jumped on the train back to the campsite. It was now the perfect time for a swim at the campsite pool before settling in for an early night.
15/9 Perguia
Today we bid farewell to Rome and made our way North again to the hilltop town of Perugia. We were a bit worried on arriving to find that our planned campsite had closed for the season, but fortunately we were able to find another one further up the road. It must have been close to closing with only us and one other person staying there. We managed to catch the local bus and this took us into the town and up the hill to where Perugia's old centre was located. Unfortunately we arrived right when everything was closed, so we did a few laps of the town, looking at the nice old buildings and streets and churches, but couldn't help feeling it was more of the same that we had already had. We checked out the view over the countryside, indulged in some local cakes and generally took it easy. The bus didn't run either for several more hours so we didn't have much else to do but chill out. When the bus did come people were starting to appear into the town again, but by this time we had had our fill of Perugia so instead made our way back to the campsite.
Having learnt our lesson from the day before, we waited around at the campsite for a while before heading into Bologna so that we would arrive a bit later in the day. What a difference a few hours makes. Upon arriving in the city centre the place was teeming with activity. After checking out the bookshop where we bought some English language classics we wandered down the main road toward the centre of town. It was full of designer shops, and markets in the side streets, and had cool little archways which covered the footpaths in places. This was very welcome as there was a touch of rain around the the place. The main square featured the impressive Fountain of Neptune and had pretty buildings and lanes all around it. We made our way down one of the little lanes and it was full of shops selling all sorts of local food. Our mouths dripped as we stared through the windows but our budget only stretched to a couple of Cannoli each. Yum! One of Bologna's landmarks are two towers next to each other which tower above their neighbours. They could be cool, but unfortunately are situated right in the middle of a roundabout with power lines all around them so you don't get much of a view. They are nearby the university so we had a quick look around the ancient university buildings. They were a hive of activity as this was the start of the university year so there were people selling books, looking for flats and generally hanging around. We ventured back through the middle of town to St Dominic's Basilica which has a statue high on a pillar in front of it and has a beautiful white interior with ornate paintings throughout. Happy that we had spent our afternoon well we sat back at a restaurant on the main square for a couple of drinks before finding the bus to take us back to the campsite.
17/9 Verona
We continued our trip north. We had intended to visit Verona but a mistake in TomTom programming meant we ended up at Lake Garda. However, after driving around the town of Peschiera del Garda for a while and not finding anywhere to stay we decided that our initial plan was the one to go with so carried on down the motorway to Verona. We were a bit concerned upon reaching Verona, driving along the beautiful riverside, up the hill above town to where we thought the campsite was, only to discover that it was closed. Fortunately it was only closed until 2pm when people could check in. We parked up next to the various other campervans that were there and took the short walk down the hill to the river and then across the beautiful old bridge which took us through the city walls and into the old town of Verona. Verona had many more tourists in it than other places we had visited, but the place was definitely picture postcard material, with narrow streets, balconies looking over pretty squares and people trying to sell you stuff. It was still nice to wander around within the city walls, taking in the atmosphere. We reached the main square, full of people and with a big old Colosseum in it. Unlike in Rome, this one is still in regular use, hosting concerts and other events for locals and tourists alike. Instead of joining them we found ourselves a local cafe to sit down for a drink and watch the world go by. We saw every second person was drinking a bright orange drink out of wine glass. It looked a bit like Fanta but we assumed it had to be something else. Turns out it was something called Aperol Spritz and we thoroughly enjoyed ours. Conscious of the time we made our way back to the camping ground where we were able to check in. The place was really built for tent campers so we squeezed our van between two trees, wondering how we would get it out again in a couple of days...After some dinner we went for a walk to the citadel up the hill where we got a fantastic view of the city all lit up at night. Very pretty and you can see why Shakespeare chose this as the setting for his most famous love story.18/9 Verona Day 2
As Verona is the setting of Romeo and Juliet, the city has taken this opportunity to capitalise on it from a tourism perspective. All the major sites from the play are represented somewhere in the city and we decided to take ourselves on a tour around them. Most of them are just pretty buildings which had previously been lived in by their various namesakes from the play, so Romeo's house, although pretty, was not open to look around. Juliet's house is something different all together and the tourists were there in their droves. As you enter through the archway the place is full of graffiti from lovers writing messages to each other. Jess was keen to profess our love. Marcus felt defiling of private property was not really romantic...In the square pas the entrance way there is a statue of Juliet, situated below the 'famous' balcony. It has had its fair share of hands rubbed across, the bosoms seeming to be the most popular point. We made our way into the museum which, considering the hordes of people outside, was very empty. It was pleasant enough, giving us some insight of what life must have been like for people living at that time, interspersed with the fiction of Romeo and Juliet around the house. Jess stood out on the balcony, but with nobody serenading her she had to stay with Marcus. We made our way away from Juliet's house checking out the city walls and the ancient Roman ruins along the way to Juliet's tomb. We weren't really sure what this was going to be, but it turns out it is an old monastery that has been rebuilt after being largely destroyed in WWII. It now houses a collection of Italian religious artwork, both old and modern which we had a look around. At the end of the tour is a downstairs crypt with an empty tomb in it. This was Juliet's tomb. We weren't sure it was worth the walk but at least we saw some art. We wandered back into town and through the main square again to check out the city walls on the other side of town, by the river. They were pretty impressive, with fortifications to keep invaders at bay. There was something in the air though, rain, and lots of it. It started pouring down and eventually we decided we were not gong to see any more so walked back up to the campsite. The rain stuck around all afternoon so we passed our time in the common room. The campsite was packed out with people looking for somewhere dry. We met any American family who were big Flight of the Conchords fans and couldn't believe they were meeting real NZers. Their kids seemed a bit disappointed that we were not personal friends with Murray though...
20/9 Venice Day 1
The rain was lifting in Verona in the morning but it was time to move on to our last destination in Italy, Venice. The drive wasn´t too far and before we knew it we were setting up camp at Camping Fusina (Marcus had some vague memories from last time he was there.) After a few chores we were in the ferry and on our way across the water to the magical city. There were ominous clouds in the distance so we crossed our fingers that we wouldn´t get too drenched. The ferry pulled in and we started weaving our way through the narrow lanes and squares of Venice. We didn't really know where we were going but just followed the crowds past all the little shops and over the canals until.we reached St Marks Square, the centre of Venice and site of the round domed St Mark's cathedral, the Torre dell'Orologio and many many pigeons. We carried on a little further until we got to the market on the Rialto Bridge but those clouds were getting ever closer so we decided to instead pick up some bread, prosciutto and Fragolino (yummy Strawberry wine) for dinner. After a few wrong turns we made our way back to the ferry to the mainland before the rain arrived. There were a few spots of rain on the ferry ride, unfortunately the storm had beat us back to the mainland and we had to make a dash from the pier back to the van through the pouring rain. We were well and truly soaked by the time we arrived, as was the washing we had put out before going out. After putting the clothes and ourselves through the dryer we put together some dinner and watched the storm continue to erupt over Venice from the safety of the van.
21/9 Venice Day 2
Fortunately the rain had cleared by the morning so were able to get on the ferry again and have another go at looking around Venice. As we were not in a hurry today we took the roundabout way to get through town, stopping at the shops and galleries along the way. We wandered along the canals and through the market on Rialto bridge to take us through the quieter area on the other side of the Grand Canal. It was still very touristy but somehow Venice is so magical that it gets away with it. We stopped at an Italian restaurant we had read about and although it was chock full of tourists the personal attention from the owner helped it feel authentic. He recommended us some very tasty local white wine and we tucked into excellent seafood pasta, complete with squid ink which ended up all over Marcus' face...This was easily the best meal we had in Italy. We did eventually have to leave and carried on deeper into Venice, now into the Jewish quarter, which was a bit more normal, being largely devoid of all the tourist trappings. Jess attempted to befriend a cat (on advice from Marcus) but the cat wasn't having any of it, and Jess wondered if her stance against cats was still the right one. We pondered getting a ride on a Gondola, but the price and obvious lack of interest of the Gondoliers made us decide to spend our money elsewhere. Satisfied with our time in Italy, we wandered back through the streets, a bit more leisurely than the previous day, and caught the ferry back to the campsite.https://picasaweb.google.com/JessicaLMcMillan/September2011VanTourItaly#
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