Umbria - Simply the best!

A week has past since we arrived in Umbria and the time has flown by. The whole area is simply stunning in all respects.

We have managed visits to Perugia, Assisi (photo) and Spello, which were all facinating in various ways, but particularly so in the case of Spello which has remained unchanged since medieval times (photo). The only indication that the town is accepting modern times is the use of old Fiat 500 cars which are much in evidence and are the only cars that can be used in the narrow alleys.

The weather has been superb for the last few days and now seems more settled. I have taken to the hills on my bike and have decided that rural Umbria is best visited on foot or by bike to savour the sights, sounds and smells. The aroma of wild roses and lime flowers provide added stimulation to the senses.

On Sunday I set off early and by 11am had completed three separate hill climbs before again gaining sight of Lake Trasimeno far below, and whilst admiring the view tears came to my eyes (caused by a mixture of suntan cream and sweat running into my eyes).

On Thursday 27 May we depart from this area and start our slow journey north over the next five weeks. We intend staying at Bologna and Lake Garda before spending some time near Innsbruck before our arrival in Bavaria. Keep up the reading,

Regards J & M

Through Tuscany to Umbria

On Tuesday 18th May, we left the shoreline of Northern Tuscany and set off to travel through the heart of that region to the neighbouring region of Umbria, which we have not previously visited.

The final few days at Torre Del Lago Puccini had included visits to Lucca, Pisa and Pietrasanta. Pisa was the site of a previous brief visit, but the other two were visited for the first time and are to be highly recommended.

Our journey to Umbria was only around 150 miles, but was not without incident. After taking a wrong exit at a roundabout, I was forced to negotiate the narrow streets of a hilltop village centre in order to retrace steps to the aforementioned roundabout. The locals looked on in total bewilderment at the smiling foreigner with large car and caravan snaking along narrow lanes previously intended for wheelbarrows! Still, all went smoothly and we soon were re3united with the roundabout and after listening more carefully to Tom Tom, we took the correct exit.

Having previously chosen a site on the shores of Lake Trasimeno, near to the village of Passignano, our hearts sank as we entered the site, which was a dump. A barking German Shepherd (4 legs) in a compound around a caravan was the final straw. Our practice in the narrow lanes of the previously mentioned village, stood us in good stead as we drove in, drove round and drove straight out again! After checking the site book, we managed to book into a nearby site 10 minutes later and felt that we had escaped the slums and had arrive in Heaven, and better still, there was a lakeside pitch just waiting for us. The views across the lake to the nearby Umbrian hills (see photo), and also towards the village of Passignano, with the castle topping the ridge and finely sillouetted with the setting sun (see other photo) was the perfect vista to accompany our glasses of wine. Now, this is what I call living!

On a practical note, I can say that driving in Italy is an experience and to assist others, I provide the following information:

Traffic Lights: Green - Go quickly. Amber - Go very quickly. Red - Go at full throttle.

Indicators: Flashing to left or right would not appear only to be a signal of an intention to turn, but is taken by all and sundry as an invitation to overtake whilst one is turning.

Traffic Laws: Optional unless you are a scooterist in which case, observation is seen as dishonourable.

Mobile Phones: Only to be used whilst driving and also at the same time smoking a cigarette with the remaining free hand. In our personal experience, this also includes bus drivers.

Buongiorno,

John and Margaret.

From Spain to Italy

On Monday 10th May we left our beach in Spain and headed for the port at Barcelona in order to collect our tickets and board the ferry to Genoa (Genova). I can tell you that it is easier written about than executed, but that is another story.

The ship was large, but only carried a small number of vehicles on this particular day as well as around 45 adults and around 450 vociferous 15/16 year old schoolchildren, who once on board acted like numerous flocks of starlings; wheeling, diving, forming and re-forming without any apparent purpose or intended direction. The adults took refuge on a sunny quarter deck and began to relax and read whilst sunbathing. All went well until we were discovered by our juvenile fellow passengers, who then landed without prior warning and as a consequence were able to observe middle aged Meldrewism at close quarters.

On a wet Tuesday morning we docked in Genova, Italy, and made our way on a fantastic motorway for around 100 miles through numerous tunnels and across dozens of high viaducts giving splendid views through the mist to the coast. We arrived at our site withing the village of Torre del Lago Puccini (named after its most famous inhabitant). The area is near to the seaside town of Viareggio and near to both Pisa and Lucca. Our village is blessed with a beautiful lake (see photos). There are ample opportunities for cycling and general sightseeing trips. Today we took a bus to Lucca, which we found to be a wonderful walled city (see photo).

We plan to stay in this area for a few days more and visit Pisa by train (10 minutes) and then take a sightseeing car trip into the local mountains known as Apuan Alps.

Sun,sand and a bit of the other!

Well, we have really settled into this life and may find it difficult to adjust on our return. The area around our campsite at Torre de la Mora is stunningly beautiful. The beaches are spotlessly clean and have the most wonderful soft sand. On Sunday, I took an early cycle ride and checked out the nearby town of Tarragona in preparation for a later visit. On my return, I merely changed out of cycling gear, donned the swimming trunks and went for a swim along the bay before my breakfast, what a life!

Just as you think that life can't get any better, something happens to bring you down to earth and in this case it was the arrival of very heavy rain on Sunday night which followed a very sunny day. The torrential rain continued all night and all day Monday, which allowed us to catch up on reading and forward planning. By Tuesday lunchtime the rain was much lighter, so we travelled by bus to Tarragona and by the time we arrived, the sun was making an attempt to cheer us as we visited some amazing Roman sites located within the old town. I have included a photo of the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre, however, it is only one example of the structures within this wonderful town, which included a barrel vaulted underground passage of 93 metres in length, which supported a second and higher passageway giving access to those citizens who visited the Circus in the time of the Roman occupation. Also on our itinerary were visits to a couple of townhouse/palaces containing splendid furnishings and pottery and also gave wonderful views over the town and surrounding area.

Thankfully, on Wednesday we awoke to a clear blue sky and then spent the day cycling and walking in order to explore the surrounding area and cliff top walks. We also managed to book our car and caravan for the 15:00 hours sailing from Barcelona to Genova in Italy, which should arrive at 09:00 hours on Tuesday 11th May. From Genova, we intend to make towards the area of Lucca and then perhaps on into Tuscany and/or Umbria before swinging north to Austria and Bavaria.

The second photo was taken on our cliff top walk and shows a superb castle which has been occupied from the 14th century to date.

We must say that we really do appreciate the comments that readers place on the blog and at least we have an idea who is reading the stuff that I waffle on about in my rambling way.

Best wishes to all,

J and M.