Renault Roaming

October 2018 - April 2024

Italy -- Croatia - ?
All in my little Red Renault Trafic Read more

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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Nov 10, 2018
- ☀️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 45 m
- Italy Tuscany Florence Bellosguardo 43.766803, 11.21492943°46’0” N 11°12’54” E
Day 14
Musical oligarch
November 10, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
If you thought that the Russian mafia have only recently discovered Tuscania, here is evidence that they came with staves long ago. Perhaps it is just a side note to history, but I suspect they acted in concert.Read more
Tony Hammond Russian around as usual Rols?!
12/1/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Nov 12, 2018
- ☀️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 103 m
- Italy Latium Pomezia Piazza Indipendenza 41.6693, 12.501241°40’9” N 12°30’4” E
Day 16
Tuscany Umbria
November 12, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Heading South to my first workaway. Avoiding the autostrade, it is obvious why Italy never became a great trading block as the roads are all minor, twisting narrow and I'll-paved that take forever to get anywhere. Geopolitically good for bandits and minor princelings but not for bulk cargo movement.
I spent a night in Chiusdino under the eagle eye of the local Saint.
The town of Montegabbione defensively sited on a hill is typical of the area.Read more
Tony Hammond As long as the roads don't leave you bitter and twisted...
12/1/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Nov 15, 2018
- ☀️ 13 °C
- Altitude: 501 m
- Italy Tuscany Chiusdino 43.152222, 11.07555643°9’8” N 11°4’32” E
Day 19
Walter Scott
November 15, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
+ San Galgano was a famous knight before establishing this hermitage for himself.

+ Renouncing war he buried his sword in this stone so as not to be tempted to use it again. Much like a junkie now would flush his stash down the loo.

+ The design of the cupola when contemplated excessively generates visions and dizziness.

+ A selfie to show how 'with it' I am.
In 1181, the story goes, 3 envious men tried to remove the sword. Failing in this they left and a wolf outside ripped the arms off one of them. The forearms (carbon dated to the12thC) remain on exhibition as a warning to others.Read more
That's a definite message to keep your hands to yourself....
11/20/18Reply
Hands off!
11/21/18Reply
Tony Hammond Like your hands on approach....
12/1/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Dec 1, 2018, 12:14pm
- ☀️ 12 °C
- Altitude: 290 m
- Italy Latium Torri in Sabina Pizzuti 42.340131, 12.63900342°20’24” N 12°38’20” E
Day 35
Hard yakka
December 1, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
Martin and Alex invited me to be a workawayer with them in Torri in Sabina. This is Wilma, queen of the azienda, taking her leisure. She is an Italian short haired pointer (Bracco Italiano,) aged 13 months who spends most of the time bouncing and running around, but enjoys a quiet nap in front of the fire.
When the heat gets too much she moves onto the couch with Martin and her playmate Churchill, a Jack Russel.
Selfie with Wilma and Martin.
Just in case you get the wrong impression, we do work. Here we fill bottles for 5c with aqua minerale from the local spring. We also refitted a giant pantry, have split loads of wood and fitted a pool cover.Read more
Tony Hammond The picture of canine contentment!
12/15/18Reply
Rose Siva Sounds like a dog's life...
12/15/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Dec 1, 2018, 2:14pm
- ☀️ 14 °C
- Altitude: 290 m
- Italy Latium Torri in Sabina Pizzuti 42.340131, 12.63900342°20’24” N 12°38’20” E
Day 35
In the pink
December 1, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Autumn colours
View from the sitting room
750 cc Pink Panda is 30 years old and still going strong though she needs a bit of stick going uphill. I had fun redoing the electrics to get her started up. Reminded me of my old Morris.
House and car are colour coordinated.
Hard to believe that this patch of ground, 100 m below the house beside the stream carrying the run-off from the valley, was a field of wheat only 30 years ago. I met here the local farmer who has lived on the side of this valley all his 80 years and gave me a potted history of the area. It has gone from traditional Italian country living, every square metre terraced and cultivated, pigs and cows in every home etc etc to being an hour commute by train to Rome. Lack of children was one reason: industrial farming another. The milk coop was forced out of existence by the price the big boys wanted to pay for milk; 35c per litre which is less than the cost of feeding the cow. Familiar story. Now there are only olive trees left.Read more
Tony Hammond UnbeLEAFably beautiful...
12/15/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Dec 3, 2018, 2:14pm
- ⛅ 13 °C
- Altitude: 178 m
- Italy Latium Torri in Sabina Pizzuti 42.338672, 12.62793142°20’19” N 12°37’41” E
Day 37
Restaurant
December 3, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Took some time off for lunch at one of the first Roman centres in the territory of the Sabina.
Forum Novum was a small Roman town in the Sabine Hills, 50 km north of Rome. In the middle ages it became a village called Vescovio, which was tiny but had a very important church. The British School at Rome has researched the area around the Tiber between 1000 BC and AD 1300, investigating how human settlement of the area changed over time.
There are only low walls left and many assumptions so I didn't photograph it!
The church of Santa Maria, was a cathedral until 1495, when the diocesan headquarters was moved to Magliano Sabina. The church was destroyed in the ninth century by the Saracens, then rebuilt and restored several times. A dig found the remains of a building that may have been the original church, dating back to the fifth century AD. Most of the remains are 12C, including the bell tower.
Its main claim to fame now is that it was a favourite retreat for Pope John XXIII who came many times both privately and officially.
The grubs not bad either.Read more
Tony Hammond Glad to see you are Roman around in search of interesting things to photograph - and congrats on using BC and AD again!
12/15/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Dec 4, 2018, 2:14pm
- ☀️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 354 m
- Italy Latium Casperia Valle Tassignana 42.336134, 12.66947342°20’10” N 12°40’10” E
Day 38
Casperia
December 4, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Outing to a local fortified hill town, Casperia. It has managed to retain its medieval architecture with cobblestoned streets and century old small houses that line the lanes of the town. The walls are 2000 years old and like a spiderweb the street form concentric rings around the summit, with steps connecting them.
Unfortunately a recent earthquake has made some of the buildings, notably the church, unstable and therefore closed to the public.
Its pedestrian only access - no cars allowed - but the locals have found their own solution.Read more
Tony Hammond Nicely cobbled together!
12/15/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Dec 4, 2018, 3:14pm
- ☀️ 16 °C
- Altitude: 354 m
- Italy Latium Casperia Valle Tassignana 42.336134, 12.66947342°20’10” N 12°40’10” E
1
Day 38
3 things to know about local activities
December 4, 2018 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C
Sign on a house or barn suggests something.
They make olive oil.
They burn witches in front of the church.
Mona's Meanderings Ahahaha 🤣
12/14/18Reply
Tony Hammond Did they fry the witches in olive oil?
12/15/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Dec 4, 2018, 5:14pm
- 🌙 13 °C
- Altitude: 354 m
- Italy Latium Casperia Valle Tassignana 42.336134, 12.66947342°20’10” N 12°40’10” E
Day 38
One (quarter) day at a time
December 4, 2018 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
Above the only remaining gate into the town, I spotted this relic: a mediaevil 6 hour clock based on Roman 2ndC BCE timekeeping.
The DAY runs from 06:00 to 18:00 divided into
Terce 09:00 until
Sext 12:00 until
None 15:00 until
Vespers at 18:00 when NIGHT started.
During the night Roman guards would stand watch, (being vigilant from which we get VIGILS.)
First from 19:00 to 21:00
Second from 21:00 to 24:00
Third from midnight to 03:00
Fourth 03:00 to 06:00Read more
Mona's Meanderings That’s uber cool. 🕓
12/14/18Reply
Tony Hammond I'll just give you a TIMELY reminder to use BC and to drop the E!!!
12/15/18Reply
Tony Hammond what happened between 18.00 and 19.00? Time for vigili to partake of vinoni? x C.
12/15/18Reply
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Traveler Renault Roaming
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- Dec 13, 2018, 12:10pm
- 🌧 9 °C
- Altitude: 53 m
- Italy Latium Rome Prenestino 41.885137, 12.53015241°53’6” N 12°31’49” E
Day 47
Eternal city
December 13, 2018 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 9 °C
+ The family matriarch had run a hotel most successfully near this Piazza Ragusa and about 18 minutes walk from the railway station, Roma Tuscolana, and 500 metres or so from the Villa Wolkonsky where I remember swimming when it was the British Embassy as well as the ambassador's residence it is now. My host, Alex, had taken over the running of this hotel, discovering a typical history of undocumented administration that he struggles to untangle.
In the meantime, lucky workawayers like myself are offered a couple of nights free accommodation in order to visit the town. I spent a day and a half walking all around the old part, realising that I had seen most of it when we lived here, but not having enough time to really examine places of interest in depth.
+ I picked out a few things to look at, from the background layers of history to be found in every wall,
+ or converted into offices, like this headquarters of an association of architects.
+ Old buildings morph sometimes seamlessly into new ones.
+ The Ponto Rotto on the Tiber - is half a bridge better than no bridge?
+ The first King of a united Italy, Victor Emanuel II, has as his - national - monument a giant marble "Wedding Cake", sometimes called "The Giant Typewriter". Other names are: Mole del Vittoriano, Il Vittoriano, or Altare della Patria. It is said to be built in a neoclassical style with eclectic influences: or to use more technical language, its a mishmash.Read more
Traveler When in Rome...
1/6/19Reply
Tony Hammond Good to see you roman around old haunts....
1/7/19Reply
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