Reset search
Alphadog's TravelsAlphadog's Travels
SatelliteEdit route
📍 Italy Read more Sydney, Australia
  • Italy … finally!
    Day 10

    Hello Lake Como!

    Yesterday in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We didn’t get much of a chance to look around the town of Como as we were up and moving pretty early. We were up and on our way to Menaggio.

    The road up was tight. In some spots vehicles could only go in one direction at a time and you could see some buildings had been scrapped. These roads were built in the time of the horse and cart! Luckily our bus is small so managed to get through. During peak season this road would be choked!

    Seems this has always been a popular place to visit but it wasn’t until celebrities (like George Clooney) started to buy villas that its popularity really took off. Queen Victoria visited here as well which made it fashionable with the English so there is the Grand Hotel Victoria and even (gasp) an Anglican Church!

    Lake Como was formed by glaciers and is very deep at 400 metres. This big mass of water tends to keep the climate around the lake a bit warmer in winter and cooler in summer, coupled with the stunning scenery you can understand why it is so popular. It is shaped like an inverted Y.

    Many of the locals actually live on Lake Como but drive into Switzerland each day to work - the cost of living is lower in Italy but wages are higher in Switzerland.

    The lake is well serviced with ferries and even a hydrofoil to move people around.

    We were visiting a couple of towns on the lake so we boarded the ferry on the western side of the lake in Managgio and went across to our first stop Varenna on the eastern side of the lake. It is a cute little town with a number of churches. The oldest is St John the Baptist’s church from the tenth century but there was also the church of St George and a couple of others which were only from the 13th or 14th centuries. We had a bit of time so we wandered around town before catching the ferry across the lake to our next stop Bellagio.

    This is bigger than Varenna and sits at the point between the two arms of the lake. Given it is not even peak season yet it sure was busy! Lots of shops and narrow streets with cars trying to squeeze past pedestrians - chaos!

    Our last stop was Bellano back on the eastern side of the lake were we met our bus and made a quick trip down the freeway to Milan. The government is trying to improve access to Lake Como so on the eastern side there is a freeway and train line all with lots of tunnels.

    We made it into Milan and found a nice restaurant for dinner. Tomorrow we start to look around Milan.    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 9

    Wherefore art thou?

    May 30 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today we left Venice and headed west. Final thoughts on Venice - I really liked the history and the canals are great but it would be a pain to live there, imagine renovating a house where everything had to come by boat!

    We hit the autostrate and headed to our next destination - the city of Verona.

    Of course this city is famous for being the location of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. While a good story it is just that, a story, Shakespeare didn’t visit Verona. Our guide filled us in, apparently Shakespeare based the story on another story written by someone else and it is a bit of a political statement on the tension between the Vatican and the Emperor. Anyway Verona has cashed in on it and you can visit Juliet’s balcony - the original owners in the 14th century had a name similar to Capulet - along with a few hundred of your closest friends, yes it was packed!

    Verona’s other claim is a first century arena that is older than the Colosseum. They still use it for concerts and shows.

    Verona is on the river Adige which is the second longest in Italy after the Po. It is dominated by the Castel San Pietro which sits on the river.

    After looking around we made it back to the bus and onto the autostrade for our next destination - Como, on the lake of the same name.

    Some comments about Italian traffic. It is bad! The cities are worse than Sydney as they are usually tiny streets not meant for cars but outside the cities the autostrades are also bad. Most of the time traffic flows OK but there are so many semi trailers it is always heavy. They have to pay tolls but it isn’t fully automatic tolling you have gates to pay by cash, card, or auto-toll so it is usually a mess. Of course road signs and rules are seen as guidelines which can be broken if desired.

    We stopped on our way to Como to visit a winery making Franciacorta wine. Despite the name this doesn’t have anything to do with France it is the type of wine they produce. These sparkling red and white wines can only be made in this area of Lombardy and the process has similar controls as the cheese and prosciutto manufacturers we visited the other day.

    To date the land we have been travelling through has been flat agricultural land. Como is not far from Milan and is starting to get up into the hills and mountains at the top of Italy. We saw some on our way and there is still snow up high, great views!

    After our wine tasting we continued on to Como. Arriving quite late so we haven’t looked around yet, that happens tomorrow.    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 8

    Venice

    May 29 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today we were up early and went for a walk to the Rialto Bridge and St Marks Square before breakfast. Venice is one massively crowded city during the day but if you get up early you can see these places with relatively few people.

    We went on a guided walking tour of the Basilica di San Marco and the Doge’s Palace.

    The Basilica is really fascinating. Venice was originally a separate country to Rome until Napoleon conquered it all in the early 1800s - no love lost there, even today! Before that though it was quite different in that they democratically elected a leader every few years - the Doge. He was seen as a servant of the people. He could only rule for a set number of years and then he was replaced. There was a group of 6 who supported him and there was also a senate of a couple of hundred who supported them. So it was very democratic for its time.

    The Venetians were very much focused on trade and had become very wealthy as a result. This meant when the Vatican tried to enforce control the Venetians said no we will do it our way. So of course they are Catholic but they are not tightly controlled by the Vatican, a situation which still exists today.

    Given the location of Venice the Basilica has a strong Byzantine influence with many of the icons looking more like Greek Orthodox images. Over the years as various influences came and went some of the imagery was changed so you have a mix of styles.

    The Basilica, like the rest of Venice, is sinking and very high tides can flood St Marks Square so it is now surrounded by a water barrier.

    All the gold and pictures on the walls and all the patterns on the floor are made from mosaic tiles. There are millions of them and they are stunning.

    After the Basilica we went into the Doge’s Palace which was where the Doge lived, the seat of government, law courts, and also a prison. It was very opulent!

    As well as having all the democratic processes in place they did have a secret police to monitor and report on any untoward activity. There were also slots where people could dob in someone who was breaking the law, if you did dob someone in you had to do it in writing and have it witnessed by two others - but be careful, get it wrong and you as well as your witnesses were punished!

    The prison sits just across the canal. Criminals accused of certain offences were tried in the Palace and if convicted sent across the Bridge of Sighs to prison. We walked through the prison and it was also very advanced for its time with limits on the number of prisoners in each cell, they could have visitors, they were allowed to buy wine, and they had to work.

    After the tour we went to a demonstration of Murano glass blowing and a talk about some of what they make. Really interesting. They make drinking glasses and decanters as well as chandeliers, jewellery, ornaments, plates, and so much more.

    We then shared a pizza for lunch and had the afternoon to ourselves. By this time St Marks Square was packed and it was a hot day so we went to the Museum Corro which had a heap of statues, paintings, coins, maps, etc all impossibly old. As I said Venetians were traders so map making was very important.

    By this time it was spritz and beer time followed by dinner in a cute restaurant in one of the alleys. Venice has a myriad of alleys and even maps become hard to follow so we have to use Google Maps to get around, much easier.

    So far this holiday has been fantastic. The things I really like:

    - the history is just fascinating
    - the food is sensational and cheap

    The things I don’t like:

    - Italians have not got the message about smoking, everyone smokes and cigarettes are very cheap
    - pickpockets, you do have to be careful, one of the ladies on the trip was targeted but they didn’t get anything

    Tomorrow we are off the Lake Como with a stop in Verona.    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 7

    Goodbye Bologna

    May 28 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today we left Bologna for our next stop - Venice!

    On the way we stopped at a couple of places in Modena to try some of the local cheese, prosciutto, and vinegar. The EU license production of various things to ensure the authenticity of things that have been made in a traditional way for centuries but are at risk of being replaced by mass produced non-authentic substitutes.

    The first place we stopped at was a cheese factory specialising in producing parmigiana reggiano cheese. We probably call this parmesan cheese in Australia but this is so much better. The process is very strictly controlled and this factory can only make 14 wheels of cheese each weighing 50kg per day. They have to stamp each cheese, store it for at least 12 months then get in inspector out to tap the cheese wheel and listen to make sure the cheese makes the right sound before they are allowed to affix the coveted DOP stamp and sell it.

    The DOP stamp means that product has been made in the traditional way and comes from the traditional location. No where else except producers around Modena can sell the traditional Modena cheese with the DOP stamp.

    Next stop was a prosciutto factory higher in the hills. Once again they follow a very strict process with every ham being stamped with an identity tag and then tracked through the production process from end to end. They are inspected at various stages to ensure the process is followed and that each ham is up to the correct standard. They open the windows of the storage areas as part of the process to allow the hams to dry so they have to be a certain height to properly cure the ham. The hams are checked using a piece of bone from the ankle of a horse as this bone doesn’t have a smell and will hold the smell of the ham for a few moments to allow it to be checked.

    Last stop was a vinegar factory. Once again a strict process with certain types of grapes to be used and checks along the production process. In the first year they have a set of 5 or 6 barrels of different sizes. They harvest and cook the grapes (which is different to wine production) and then fill all the barrels. The barrels are not sealed so some of the liquid in each evaporates over a year and they are stored in the attic to ensure temperature variations. After a year all barrels are checked and refilled from the next largest barrel - so the smallest gets filled from the next smallest and it in turn is refilled from the next smallest and so on. Eventually the largest barrel is refilled from the current year’s production and so on for 12 years for the standard ‘Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena’ or 24 years for the extra old version. All very interesting, have to say I didn’t know much about vinegar production but I do now! Once again the DOP stamp is attached and highly prized and they can only product a limited number of special DOP designated bottles each year.

    Of course all of these places could produce more of exactly the same product but the fact it wouldn’t be DOP stamped means they would not be able to charge a premium for their products.

    After our food lessons we headed up the autostrada to our destination for the next couple of nights - Venice!

    We took a water taxi to our hotel, ditched the bags and started exploring. By this time it was about 7pm so we had to find somewhere for dinner which we did down one of Venice’s mass of small lanes. After a seriously good lasagna we made a trip to St Marks square. A few people around but some interesting buildings - check out the photos.    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 6

    Walk around Bologna

    May 27 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    Today we did a guided walking tour of Bologna.

    There has been a university in Bologna since 1088 making it the oldest continuously operating university. We went into one of the old university buildings where they used to teach anatomy. The Teatro Anatomico is the main room where they used to conduct dissections usually on poor people or criminals. Back then they was the belief that anatomy and astronomy were linked so the ceiling is covered in the star signs and the god Apollo is in the middle. Around the walls are famous teachers like Hippocrates.

    The students sat around the marble table where the bodies were carved up. The church dictated the rules so they could not hold a heart in their bare hands and the toilet area had to be covered. The lecturer sat up high at one end of the room and his assistant did the dirty work.

    Unfortunately this room was badly damaged by a bomb in WW2 but they managed to save most of the statues and so rebuilt the room soon after.

    Back in the Middle Ages going to university was only for the very rich so the walls of the Uni are covered by family crests. Students used to come from all over Europe so these different locations were shown as well.

    After the Uni we walked around some of the back streets where they have food markets. You can see in the photos it was all pretty sensational. Bologna is known for its mortadella and pasta so most shops sold these and so much more.

    We then headed out to where we could view the two towers of Bologna. There used to be literally hundreds of these towers and they were mainly for defensive purposes. If someone attacked the town rich families could retreat to their tower and it would have been hard to get them out. These towers came it all shapes and sizes the tallest one still standing is 97 metres tall. They have a problem with the other one in that the ground has become unstable so it is leaning quite badly, something they are trying to stop.

    We then went into the Basilica di San Petronio. This church is the fourth biggest in Italy behind St Peter’s in the Vatican, Milan, and Florence. The Meridian line in the Basilica di San Petronio is the longest at about 60m. Every day at noon the sun shines through a small hole in the roof and falls on this line. At each solstice it stops and heads back the other way along the line.

    After the Basilica we headed across the one of the oldest gelato shops Gelateria Gianni. It was sensational! Yes even better than Messina - a big call.

    Bologna is famous for its covered walkways or porticos and many are UNESCO heritage listed. They evolved because land was tight within the walls of the city so people came up with ways to give themselves more space by building up and over the street.

    After the tour we had lunch and hung around town. Dinner was at a restaurant across from our hotel.    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 5

    The Clock Tower

    May 26 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    The Piazza Maggiore has a number of buildings around it including the local government offices. They started building this building in the 1300s and it evolved over a couple of centuries to be what it is today. The key feature of this building is the large clock tower that overlooks the Piazza and one of the best views in town is from the top so today we climbed it.

    The building was used as the Cardinal’s residence but now it is all administrative and contains an impressive art collection. Being the government offices it also hosts weddings and there were a few of these happening throughout the day.

    We bought our tickets and made our way up and the views are pretty good.

    Afterwards we scored some lunch, wandered around a bit and headed back to the hotel.

    In the evening we did what many of the locals do, sat on the steps of the Basilica and people-watched!

    We met up with the people in our tour group. All are Australians and suffice to say we would be in the younger age group.

    Tomorrow our tour starts!    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 4

    Pilgrimage

    May 25 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Overlooking Bologna from the south west is a small hill with a big church on top it is the Basilica di San Luca. This church was founded in the 1200s but not finished until much later. It holds a painting of the Madonna and child which is said to have been painted by St Luke the Evangelist and originally hung in the Temple of Saint Sophia in Constantinople.

    To get to the Basilica there is a long covered walkway called the Portico San Luca which was built in the 1600s to provide protection for people making the pilgrimage to the church.

    So today we ticked off going on a pilgrimage from our bucket list.

    The walk is about 3.8kms and the first bit is nice and flat but the hill and associated steps soon arrive. We started early so it was nice and cool and it took us about an hour all up.

    The view was pretty good. It is popular with the locals with lots of people running, walking, or cycling up the road to get to the church.

    After looking around and viewing the painting we headed back through the old city gate called Porta Saragozza and along the street via Saragozza to the centre of town. The weekend is obviously when the locals get out and about as some of the main streets are closed and people everywhere.

    We wandered around for a bit before stopping at a restaurant on Piazza Maggiore for a couple of drinks and some lunch - pizza! Really good.

    After a bit of a rest at the hotel (going on a pilgrimage is tiring) we went out to a cafe for another drink and some lasagne.    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 3

    Walking in history

    May 24 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today was one of our free days in Bologna. The tour doesn’t start until Sunday so we have a few of these so we can scope out the place and recover from the trip.

    We walked down to the Piazza Maggiore early and looked around. The Tourist Information Office is in the Piazza so we scored a map for a self guided walking tour.

    There are so many Basilicas in Bologna. The first we went to on our tour was the Basilica di San Domenico. They started building this church back in the 1200s and has the toomb of Saint Domenic inside - very ornate. A young Michaelangelo did some of the artwork.

    One thing of interest was a piece of sheet music in a frame which was actually written by Mozart when he was 14. It seems Mozart performed in this church in 1770. The piece of music included some edits by one of his teachers. Google Translate is very useful in these situations.

    We then walked up to the Basilica di San Stefano which is four churches joined together.

    Then it was across to the other side of town past the two towers to one of the canals in Bologna. It looks like Venice.

    We then came up the main shopping strip to the Piazza again.

    After lunch we went outside the old town into the Giardini Margherita for a walk. This is a bit of open space and felt like Centennial Park in Sydney with lots of playgrounds for kids.

    There seems to be a bit of a pattern with the weather. Bright and sunny until about 3pm then an afternoon thunderstorm rolls in complete with small hail. This lasts for about 30 mins then is clears up.

    Dinner was a small restaurant across from the hotel. Ramon told us (among many other things) that in Bologna we should try the tortellini, tagliatelle ragu, and the lasagne so we started ticking them off. The food so far is, of course, excellent and very cheap.    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 2

    Bologna

    May 23 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    The flight out of Dubai was right on time and wasn’t as full as the flight from Sydney. It was an uneventful trip except for the route, it avoided flying over a few of the Middle East hotspots by flying up the western side of the Persian Gulf then over Iraq to its border with Turkey then a left turn to Italy.

    To say Bologna is a second tier airport would be accurate. There are no aerobridges and we had to get a bus from the plane to the terminal. The terminal itself was small and one section was actually an inflatable building (not kidding)! It took an age for the luggage to come through but immigration and customs was very quick.

    We found our transfer and made our way into the city. Our driver was a Cuban called Ramon and his hands weren’t on the steering wheel for much of the time as they were needed for talking!

    Our hotel is in the old part of town which once upon a time would have been within the walls of the town. The streets are very narrow and cobblestone. The hotel is small but very nice.

    We went for a walk up into the old town to the main square of Bologna the Piazza Maggiore. Wow it is old! There were lots of people around, a busker doing a reasonable job of Guns & Roses, some cops, people on bikes, lots of cars, and some buses. Chaos!

    The square is dominated by the Basilica di San Petronio. This unfinished building was started in the 1300s and is massive, you could fit St Mary’s in Sydney in this church and have lots of room to spare. It has a Meridien line running through it so every day at 12 noon the sun shines through a hole and falls on this line.

    We walked around town for a bit and stopped at a cafe for a a beer and a spritz before heading back to the hotel.

    After little sleep for 36 hours we didn’t even make it out for dinner.    Read more

  • Italy … finally!
    Day 2

    Stopover in Dubai

    May 23 in the United Arab Emirates ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    After 14 hours we have made it to Dubai. We have about 3 hours here then board a 777 for a 6 hour flight to Bologna.

    The flight from Sydney was absolutely full but the airline was fantastic, can’t fault Emirates.Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2024© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Blog
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Support
  • Legal notice
  • English