Rain Rain Go Away.

The sound of rain was disappointing when I woke yesterday morning. But what was devastating was when I looked outside and I couldn't see anything, not even one of the biggest lakes in Italy that was only 20meters away. Why so devastating? We had a car booked and I intended to show the family the local sights including driving up Mottarone, down to Lago Orta and down through the valley I used to love riding through. So in the end we decided to cancel the car, no use spending the money and not being able to see Jack Sh#te. Instead we headed to Verbania for the morning. Kylie did some shopping and I walked around in the rain wishing she would hurry up. 

Lunch was back in a little bar back in Stresa and Sebastian loved his Spaghetti Bolognese although he seemed to get more on his jumper than in his mouth. We did some wandering around before having the usual gelato. 

This morning I woke up with optimism, it had stopped raining and there was reasonable visibility. We had decided that today we would take the Lago Maggiore Express  (not a very good description of the speed) to Locarno and get the ferry back.

I had a quick run and the one down side to Stresa is that if you want to have a flat run you almost have to do loops up and down the main drag or brave the road with no edge or footpaths. If they have footpaths around here they aren't in very good condition. Unfortunately by the time I had finished running it had started to rain and clouds had rolled in. We decided to go for it anyway.

We caught a train to Domodossola that rolled passed Lago Mergozzo, a lake I used to love swimming in and through the valley to Domodossola. We then bordered the Lago Maggiore express that wound its way up the mountains and back down to Locarno in Switzerland. Despite not being able to see all of the tops of the mountains the scenery was unbelievable. There were many sheer cliff drops and valleys, plenty of rivers and waterfalls and numerous small mountain villages. Some of the houses were so remote that they seemed to have a cable line across a huge valley with basket attached. At the border Swiss border patrol boarded the train, they didn't bother to look at our passports, they just saw that we were Australian and kept wandering, they did however give the German couple behind us a good grilling.

Lorcano was a nice town, unfortunately we didn't get to really explore as much as we would like because of the weather. I had forgotten how expensive Switzerland was, our Maccas lunch (I know we shouldn't have eaten that junk) cost the same as $57 Aus. We found an awesome chocolate shop and spent up. Sorry none of it will be making it home.  We wandered some more and we aghast at some of the prices for shoes etc. 

We jumped on the ferry for the slow 2hr trip home, pity the hydrofoil wasn't going at the time we need it. No passport checks on the way home. The fog was probably worse on the way home. I was disappointed for the family as I know how beautiful the area is and it was a shame they couldn't see it in all its glory. 

Turning 40 in Style

After being shown the ropes by our AirBnB owner Rosanna we wandered along the lake as they had a market on showcasing food and produce from the Piedmont region. We fell in love with some local salami and ended up going through that on the first night, luckily the market was still going the next day and we bought more. 

We walked down to where the cable car used to run from (it is getting repaired and should be operational again by July), along the way getting some great snaps of the 3 Borromean Islands, Isola Bella, Madre and Superiore.

The cobbled town centre was the next destination on our wanders. It is a beautiful little area of narrow streets filled with restaurants, shops (particularly clothes and leather goods) and of course Gelaterias. Straight away we found our favourite Gelateria. If you wander the back streets more you can find out more of where the locals hang out playing bocce. 

The next day was Kylie's 40th and of course Mother's Day. It was great to look out across the lake from the comfort of the bed. Here in Stresa they were having the I Love Mumma festival in the pedestrian centre of town. It seems every where we have gone we have come across a festival.

For lunch we headed out on a ferry to Isola Superiore or as it is now known, Isola Pescatori. It is only a small island that is cram packed with lakeside restaurant and hotels. We booked in to one of the highest rated restaurants on trip advisor, Hotel Belvedere restaurant.  Whilst the meal was good I didn't find it as spectacular as I was hoping. But the views are amazing. The highlight for the kids were the fact that there was a cat wandering around and also when the lady on the table across from us spilt red wine all over her partner. Thankfully he had a sense of humour and laughed along with the kids. 

That evening we headed back into the town centre and they had a number of singers performing outside some of the restaurants. We ended up drinking beer and cocktails on the street (oh how much more relaxed the liquor licensing is here) whilst the kids danced around the some classic English songs. It was a nice way to end Kylie's 40th.

Onto Stresa

I had two excited kids who were looking forward to travelling from Florence to Milan on the new Frecciarossa 1000. Check out the Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 HERE  According to claims it is capable at travelling at 400kph but is still waiting for signalisation upgrades across the Italian lines to do this.

We arrived at Florence Santa Maria Novella station and nowadays they don't seem to tell you what platform it the train is leaving from until it is just about to leave. That way they can group you together and check your tickets before you get on the platform instead of on the train. 

We lashed out a bit and got seats in Business Class. If you book early enough you can actually get business class seats at the same price as standard seats. The train was nice and new and the carriage was roomy and quiet, but all this didn't help it get off on time. Grrr

Once we were underway the Tuscan countryside whizzed by at 300 kph. Every time Sebastian tried to get a photo of the speed over 300kph it would disappear off the screen like they wanted to keep it a secret how fast we were going. It was a remarkably smooth ride.

It would be fantastic if we had trains that travelled this fast in Australia. Imagine the growth of regional centres like Bendigo or even Shepparton if it was possible to get to Melbourne in under an hour. Anyway!!!!

We changed trains at Milan and headed to Stresa which is around 80kms north of Milan. It was great to travel along a train route I know reasonably well and as the train gets to Arona it runs along the shores of Lago Maggiore. Kylie and the kids enjoyed this part of this slow train. 

We arrived in Stresa and headed for the house we had rented for the week. We had rented an apartment on the lake which has sensational views from both bedrooms and the the lounge room. I'm looking forward to Stresa, I love coming to this area.

Florence

Our first morning at our hotel, Mia Cara, turned out to be a hit, especially with the kids.after having some great Italian breakfasts this one had the works. Sausages, scrambled eggs, fried rice, cates, poached eggs, cereal and all the Italian stuff that we had been having. But the kids loved the fact there were smarties.

We headed off to see Michelangelo's David. We lined up for about 90 minutes. The Accademia was how I remembered it, small. The kids did love David, but they couldn't care too much for the rest of it. Kylie thought the statue was good but wasn't sure it was worth the wait. 

We then went the wrong way on our walk up to Piazza Michelangelo, which was a good thing because it was going to be too long of a walk for the kids. We headed back to the hotel for some down time. After which we headed to a small nearby park. It had a small lake so the kids enjoyed running a few laps.

Today started with a big breaky again and then we caught a bus up to Piazza Michelangelo. There are some great views of Florence and we were pretty lucky it was reasonably quiet. We jumped on the bus again and went down to the Bomboli Gardens. These we quiet good and a lovely view from the Porcelain display Villa. Dan Brown goes into the History of the gardens a little in his book Inferno. We ended up in the Petit Palace, which is a pretty grand place. The locals had fun stirring Sebastian about the Juventus jersey he bought

We had dinner at a restaurant along our street and as it turned out the family next to us were from Melbourne. They live just around the corner from where Kylie used to live. On a whole Florence has been tough to enjoy with the kids as they aren't really into the artworks.

Stresa tomorrow, yay

Onto Firenze

I woke sore from yesterday's run but I wanted to find Bramasole, the villa that Frances Mayes bought and renovated, that lead to the book and movie, Under The Tuscan Sun. I found it and it is very easy to see why she fell in love with the villa and the view. 

We had our final breakfast and had a wander past our favourite sites before catching the but to Camucia and then the train to Firenze (Florence). I think the kids were over looking out the window and were happy to play the iPad. 

Our first destination after checking into our hotel was the Duomo. Along the way we found some markets. We got Milana into bargaining, but I must say the they weren't as much of a push over as I remembered. The kids found the vendors a bit off putting the way they tried to get you in to buy. We just told them that this is a good practice for Hong Kong in a few weeks.  The kids were wowed by the Duomo, but less enthusiastic about the crowds. It seemed a lot busier than Rome. We wandered past the Uffizi Gallery and the lines were huge. The river Arno awaited us next and of course the Ponte Vecchio. Whilst it is impressive, it wasn't as impressive as I remembered. The streets here seem much cleaner than in Rome and the crowds a lot more arty. It was nice to be able to wander around. Last time here I was rushed from leather factory to leather factory and saw hardly anything.

Cortona Day 4

I started my day with a run up to Torreone and the Medieval Castle at the top of Cortona, I took a turn down a road I had seen people running along earlier in the week and I am glad that I did. It was a beautiful loop and after running 4kms up hill it was nice to have a kilometre or two of flat ground. My legs will be sore tomorrow with a tough decent back to the town. 

As a family we took a walk down hill to the cemetery. It was a walled cemetery where the locals obviously because it was kept in excellent condition and many of the graves adorned with flowers. We continued down to the church of Santa Maria Nuova. There was a small tourist group doing yoga.

We had lunch overlooking the Valley. As I mentioned earlier it is a view you could never get sick of. The kids loved the little playground we found. We continued along passed the park and walked along a kilometre long avenue that was closed to cars. It was a beautiful and after running uphill this morning I wish I had of found it earlier, it would have saved my legs. We found the pool and tennis courts at the end of this avenue.

We finished the afternoon at the gelato store and ate it sitting on the steps. We had an interesting dinner. The host was very friendly but after the fact we didn't spend much on dinner he wasn't as friendly. It was nice but not as nice as the other night.

Cortona Day 2/3

The weather looked ominous as we woke after our first night in Cortona, the clouds loomed and we  had a few drops of rain. We headed out and wandered up the hill towards the church at the top of Cortona. Along the way we walked along a beautiful path just inside the town walls. It was lined with trees and had cobbles with a small stone path along the middle. When we arrived at the top there was a special service as the had lolly stalls and there were cars strung down the hill for a kilometre. 

We ate lunch on a look out and found a park for the kids to burn off some energy. We spent the rest of the day exploring the beautiful village with such fantastic views. Every time you get to the town walls you are greeted with panoramic views over Tuscany and Umbria. For dinner we found a sensational, friendly restaurant. The kids voted it the best meal of the holiday so far.

This morning I was woken with a complete white out. It was raining and you were lucky to see 20 metres ahead of you. Not good when you have a car hired for the day. I caught the bus down to Camucia and finally found the car rental place. The man there was, um, interesting to say the least! He was in for a chat (even though I just wanted to get going) and told me how good Australians were but didn't like Americans or Poms! So for the first time in 14 years I was faced with challenge of changing gears with my right hand. 

After picking up the family we headed to Castiglione Del Lago for a look around (and relive the old days). It was still as beautiful as I remembered it. We were fortunate enough that the rain had cleared and the sun was coming out. We grabbed a few pics before heading towards Montepulciano. Kylie loved the drive and got a few pictures as we went. Everywhere you looked there were stunning villas on top of hills and a lot of old farm barns ripe for the renovation- oh to have the money. 

We arrived in Montepulciano and parking was stressful. The car parks are so tiny, I had to let the family out before parking it as it was too hard to open the doors safely.  Montepulciano is similar to Cortona with a great view back to Castiglione Del Lago and Cortona. 

After a quick bite we headed in search of the white road with the cypress tress that features in many movies. I had researched it beforehand and with the help of Google Maps we found the exact spot to take the photo. Although it wasn't full sun it was pretty good, especially compared to what it had been in the morning. 

Driving home we decided to take the Autostrade, it's always entertaining. Despite the 110km limit they just fly along. The impressive thing is how accommodating they are, if someone is in the fast lane and a faster car comes along, they get out of the way pretty quickly. Along the way we saw one of the Italian's huge AutoGrill (service area). I remember visiting this one about 17 years ago as it straddles both 4 lanes of traffic, we had a bit of a laugh that day and stirred up a few of the local gypsies. I must say that being on the Autostrade was nice as the other roads were in atrocious conditions. Extremely dangerous and in need of repair.

We arrived home and headed straight for Gelateria Snoopy. The kids were looking forward to it after having a Gelato free day yesterday, although I might know one person who snuck out and broke the agreement.