Italy 2024

Riomaggiore - Raindrops keep falling on my head!
Woke to drizzle and sometimes rain, so Derek decided not to walk the trails. We walked down to harbour and 'beach' before breakkie in the main street which was colorful with umbrellas and the tour groups streaming in. We decided to train hop to see the towns.
First stop - Manarola. Lovely town with main street wending up into the hills, with church at the top. Derek and I did a loop walk that took us to a high path alongside gardens of vines and flowers. Judith opted for a more leisurely wander in the town.
Second stop - Corniglia. It was quite a hike up to the town from the station - luckily there was a shuttle bus that we could take for the trip back. The town was a real surprise - tiny and seemingly not much to it, but the we discovered a maze of narrow alleyways and stairs to a piazza overlooking the water and back to Manarola. Lunch at a tiny cafe.
Third Stop - Vernazza - a bustling largish town centred on its lively harbour. Derek wanted to follow the trail up and out of town to take a photo, - Judith and I opted for coffee at one of the many cafes, huddled under umbrellas ( sadly not from the sun) for shelter from the off and on rain.
Fourth Stop - Monterosso. It was raining fairly persistently by the time we got into the town from the station, and got even heavier while we wandered around the quaint and winding streets. It was too wet and miserable to be able to enjoy unfortunately, and we retreated to a Cafe and shelter for aperitivo.

Back to Riomaggiore later than planned - about 7.30. We decided to stop for dinner in the main street near our apartment before going home. Lovely meal to end an enjoyable if not-to-plan day.Читать далее

Bari - More than Pasta Nonnas!
A long train trip today - 6 hours! Z down the East coast to Bari. A lot of the route was along the coast and interesting to see beaches and lots of caravan parks.
Bari is a pleasant surprise with the 'new town' having streets laid out on a grid, many having trees and parks, and never ending apartments rising ( only 4 or 5 stories), above the streets.
Set out for the 'old town' which was quite close and loved the tiny winding streets, the beautiful and surprisingly simple Basilica di San Antonio, and the even more simple Cathedral, which had a service underway - in itself beautiful with choir and priest singing. We saw the pasta nonnas making orchitte pasta which is one of the specialities of this area, and walked on the walls of the town overlooking the sea and marina.
Aparetivo int the main piazza and then dinner at a gorgeous old restaurant near the apartment.Читать далее