A quick trip to Roma for lunch

Being doubtful about the quality of the dinner options that awaited us near Rome's Ciampino airport (justifiably so, as it transpired), our intrepid heroes took a sudden decision to duck into Rome for lunch. We'd had a memorable lunch back in 2005 at an osteria that, for us, had epitomised a local eatery so we decided to return. Great idea, huh? Well there were a couple of minor drawbacks....

Andrew had a loose recollection of where we were heading. Now that's not so bad in a small place, but central Rome is another matter altogether. We pointed Pierrot at the supposed street, and then had to actually get there. Rome traffic is probably not as terrifying as we'd feared, but it's not far from it. As well as being thick and slow, it's also full of drivers who are sick of waiting and likely to try out some radical manoeuver - and, naturally, without bothering to indicate first. Having acquired some new wrinkles and grey hairs, but happily no dings or dints, we reached our destination. Unfortunately it didn't look a lot like we remembered: unsurprising really, because it wasn't the right place. We were an unknown number of blocks away, in an indeterminate direction. Undeterred we strode forth, rapidly considering and discarding various streets that all looked a bit similar, but just weren't it. We eventually found our goal (aptly enough, called Miraggio), though without remembering the way back. Oops.

Tracey, contended in Miraggio

Things hadn't changed a bit since our previous visit. The red&white checked tablecloths were still there, several generations of a Roman family were dining at a long table and so on. The gorgonzola gnocchi was every bit as good (and heavy) as we remembered, but sadly the trippa alla Romana (Roman tripe) wasn't available. Luckily it was paiata season, and this was excellent (it's veal intestines tied up looking like umbilical cords and stewed in a lovely tomato sauce - much better than it sounds).

Somewhat slowed-down by lunch, we embarked on the Quest to Find Pierrot. We'd parked right near a big church, which in most cities would be a pretty useful landmark....but not Rome, where it feels like there are more large churches than there are bakeries in Paris. Having increasingly-frantically roamed the streets and getting close to out parking meter deadline we finally approached someone with a map....he was lost, and didn't speak English though he did speak French...and we pieced together our location. Turns out we were about 100m from Pierrot (Tracey's proposed a homing beacon for cars - great idea). All we had to do then was get out of Rome!

Amalfi

Pompeii: thankfully, it's a plast

Having already introduced you to Tipoli (Trivoli), we headed further south towards the Amalfi coastline, passing through Crapoli (Napoli). You may think us harsh in our judgment but Napoli by far wins the award for the dirtiest most trash filled city we have been through on our travels. The streets are lined with feet deep rubbish along the side of the road with packs of stray dogs sifting through, broken down cars and shanty like makeshift building structures. We were pleased to be able to drive straight on through. We do admit not to have visited the old centre, we're sure there must be some redeeming features for which people choose to visit or live in this sprawling city. As we leave Napoli and cross over the hills to the Amalfi coastline the narrow roads slowing wind down along the steep hillsides and cliffs. We had heard the reputation about these stretches of road, that you must have nerves of steel to make it through without traumatic stress or vehicular damage, not an understatement. Which side of the road to drive on appears mostly optional and parking on a blind corner, no problem at all. The Italians must love challenges and obstacles and we now understand why they must have developed Grappa..

The wonderfully well-preserved large theatre at Pompeii

Arriving at our hotel we were pleased we had reserved garage parking, many of the cars parked on the roadside looked a little worse for wear, minus side mirrors etc. As mentioned the hills are steep in this area and our hotel was no exception and as luck would have it, the elevator from the street was out of order, thankfully we were only at the equivalent of the fourth floor and we only had to take up one of our 30kg+ bags ;-). Like all hills and stairs there's usually a good view at the top and this time was no exception. We had a corner room overlooking the Mediterranean sea and Amalfi coastline.

The Forum, Pompei

Pompeii

We could have spent the whole time marvelling at the beauty of the view and rubbing shoulders in town with the well-heeled (there's plenty of money around this part of the world). However, Pompeii is just over the hills in a suburb of Crapoli and we couldn't pass up the chance. Finding it was a challenge in its own right: an entirely unwanted and unenjoyable detour through a shabby, scabrous, filthy part of town and we finally got there. This being a foremost attraction, masses of others had had the same idea and were also marvelling. However it's a pretty big area (maybe a 20 minute walk across the diameter of the site if all you were to do was walk, which you just can't and shouldn't because it's all so absorbing). Not sure how to best sum up the impression of the place: the former, doomed inhabitants don't dominate one's consciousness as we might have thought though the story is sheeted home when you see the plaster casts of bodies' impressions left within mounds of volcanic ash. It's hard to imagine an entire town of this size, with all the people that includes, being wiped out.

Pompeii fresco. You'd look concerned, too, if you had no body.

Sadly we had less time there than it deserved (we only had about three hours, but in reality you could spend a whole day - just don't expect to find any decent food, so bring your own). Also sadly, we didn't make it to the Crapoli museum wherein many of the most beautiful frescoes, statues, pottery etc are kept (sorry Kev, I know you said we should but it just didn't happen).

Boating off Amalfi

Foodivore in Amalfi

Andrew, Amalfi - but no anchor

Back in Amalfi that afternoon we decided to hire a boat for a few hours and check out the view from the water (less traffic and therefore more tranquil). We found one at 60euros + petrol for three hours (that's pretty much the going rate) and off we hared. What a shame that the propeller malfunctioned after about five minutes....by which time we were well offshore. We crawled back to town at slower than walking pace (no oars on this boat!) and swapped for the hirer's own boat, the engine and propeller of which at least worked. Do you know the theory that mechanics have the dodgiest cars? Well the same may well be true of boat hirers. The perspex windshields rattled out of their fittings when any swell appeared and a quick dip in the Med was called for in an attempt to retrieve the anchor which, we were astounded to discover, hadn't been tied to the boat. Who doesn't tie the anchor to their boat?? How do they think an anchor works in the first place - throwing a piece of metal overboard doesn't seem likely to help you remain in one place. Anyway we suspect collusion between him and the local chandlery, particularly when we forked out an extra 40 euros for a replacement (and that he told us the anchor was but two days old, the previous hirers having lost it's predecessor). The view from the water was, thankfully, gorgeous and we have no regrets whatsoever. Be warned though!.

Amalfi sunset

Food was mixed, though in all fairness the service was the issue far more than the food. In a country that respects mama and nonna so much, it's amazing that waiting staff are so oblivious and rude to females. The place we dined on the first night served good food, but the staff didn't deign to acknowledge Tracey's existence - thereby undermining the good efforts of the kitchen (rather good red mullet, a seafood bisque that had far more seafood than bisque ;) and the best risotto thusfar in Italy). Far better was lunch in Positano, where we were both treated respectfully and treated to some excellent pasta (puttanesca & the house sauce that was similar to puttanesca, as well as a classic vitello con limone - veal with lemon). Much cheaper and a cheerful, family-run place. Worth a return!

Tracey at Amalfi

Having been treated to a dramatic thunderstorm on our final night the morning drive up the insane roads (Tracey's turn - as always first thing in the morning) was made even more challenging by wet roads, mist and intermittent cloud. Lingering wasn't an option though, as an unexpected trip loomed....first to Rome, and then to Lyon.

Final score in the big Bureaucracy Showdown: Tracey&Andrew 2 d French Bureaucracy 1

After five and a half months here and following innumerable fruitless questions, wasted visits and ambiguous letters we have only three weeks left until we head home. Strange then that we should only now be the proud, exhausted possessors of valid visas to stay in France for the last 23 weeks and another three.

Foodivores outside the OFII in Grenoble, with valid visas

Keen followers of this titanic battle (us versus the monolithic French bureaucracy) will recall when the score reached 1-1. We won't lay out the worst of the details right now: we're just relieved.

Ripatransone: unpublicised beauty on the Adriatic coast

Sunset from Relais del Colle - great spot for an aperitivo

Sated by the slightly ragged grandeur of Venezia we headed to a spot near Ripatransone, which is just off the Adriatic coast. On the way we got a look at a typical Italian summer beach scene which, to those used to long clean empty stretches of sand, looked alien: a veritable clogged maze of umbrellas, sunlounges...tucked behind paid admission entrances. Gulp - wonder what Amalfi will be like.
Those thoughts were forgotten when our larger-than-life host, Luciano, greeted us enthusiastically at the Relais del Colle. Peppering his speech with contented utterances of "perfe-ecto", he got us settled right in by suggesting a rest, a dip in the pool, with dinner to be served sometime after 8.30. We willfully added an aperitivo under the pergola, perched high on a hilltop, watching the sun's marvelous brazen orb sink behind the surrounding hills and turning to silhouette the numerous hilltop towns. Once full darkness fell these emerged again as twinkling fairy tale clusters of lights in the distance. Belissimo! The Marche area is mostly undiscovered by non-Italian tourists and has the look of what we imagine the Tuscan countryside to be (only a week until we'll be there to compare).
We were caught unprepared for the extent of dinner - well we thought we were hungry and ready, but the pace was challenging. The Relais serves its own organic/biodynamic produce, and it's delicious. Warm, sweet tomatos on bruschetta, dipped through little pools of sweet and fruity olive oil. Succulent cantaloup with prosciutto. A large platter of homemade tagliattelle alla Ascallana (with a sweet tomato & tuna sauce)....we shouldn't have finished that one, because no sooner we had than another (only half the size - ie enough for two or three people) appeared because we clearly needed more. Learning from our error we left some of the second helping, and were then confronted with the main course of roasted pork with a delicious saute of zuchinis. Fearfully, we tried to do it justice but barely managed half. Sweets were then upon us: a trio of sorbets that were pure in flavour and a relief (we'd heard talk of cake, which by this stage sounded scary). They also make their own organic wines wine flowed readily.  Luciano then serenaded us with some lovely piano, before thrusting a guitar at Andrew and telling him it was his turn. It's been a lot of years....but the couple nearby didn't seem too critical. Luciano then whipped out a tray of digestivos: grappas infused with a variety of flavours (basil, sage, elderflower, peach and several others). All homemade with the farm's produce, and all delicious. After sampling a little of them we resolutely called time and waddled upstairs to bed.

Tracey and friend - Ascoli Percena

Palazzo at Ascoli Perceno

Reflections at Hadrian's Villa

We were beguiled by Luciano's offers of breakfast (including of grappa and/or limoncello, both of which we declined) but kept it light and headed off to Ascoli Piceno. This is the major town in the area, tucked away from the coast a little and ornamented by a charming old town centre. In the prevailing European tradition the heart has been largely pedestrianised which adds to the charm. The town was readying itself for an evening festival (possibly the major annual festival, or maybe just in honour of the local soccer club - it's hard to tell when you don't speak the lingo). We called our fathers for Fathers' Day (hi Eddie & Don) and then strolled around listening to marching bands warming up, observing numerous sets of wedding photos an generally liking the white stone buildings and streets. In one of the central piazzas we discovered lunch, which turned out to be a good-value stomach-stretching excursion through many typical local dishes. For a four to five course meal, with wine and coffee included, 26 euros was a bargain (note - your euro buys you far more food and wine in Italy than in France).

Luciano was happy to arrange a "light" (the term is relative) dinner of bruschetta + olivey nibbles, pasta and a mousse-like fresh peach dessert and more of their homemade wines - followed by a little nip of limoncello of course ;-) also homemade.

Leaving is always hard, and this was no exception. We hadn't found the chance to use the Turkish bath, have a massage, use their Wii or any other of the many diversions available. Relais del Colle goes down as one we highly recommend, and intend to return to.

Glory faded before the physique

En route from Ripatransone we found time to pass through Tipoli (sorry, Tivoli, but it's a dump) to check our Hadrian's Villa. Some excellent Roman ruins warmed us up for a future excursion to Pompei.....

Return to Venezia

Back on Ponte Accademia, five years later

Tracey on the campo

Innumerable writers have grasped for the perfect simile for Venezia, and we're prepared to add our own: a magnificent main course from the best of restaurants, with a third already eaten. The obvious glory is still there, but impeccably presented it no longer is. You just want to see it at its prime to see if your imagination matches the reality.

A lovely afternoon cruise down the Grand Canal

Those that believe that it's a great big tourist trap and that you can't find good food in Venice just don't know where to go (admittedly, it's hard to know where to start and there's a lot of food/fuel that we're not interested in). We were lucky enough to find a dazzling range of options fit for such a jewel. From the tapas-style food at our local osteria to the sumptuous multiple courses dining at the campo outside our accommodation. Dining at Cantina Canaletto in the cave (wine cellar) the walls of vino from which any can be had by the glass, the charm of the violinist playing in the room next door, the ridiculously-sized wine glasses (over a litre in size), the beautiful bottle of Montepulciano. A 7 course lunch at Osteria di San Marina that sits under the balcony of our room - including suckling pig, smoked-at-the-table tuna, millefoglie of dark chocolate and mousse. The local unpretentious osteria for some of the best-ever meatballs, cold roasted fennel, sardines. Stopping in for an espresso and fresh warm tart of mushrooms or anchovies for breakfast.

Being our second visit we felt liberated from the must-do list of Basilica San Marco, Doge's Palace and so on. Instead we were able to relish in the simpler delights:

• Strolling the quiet, local (tourist-free) corners of Dursoduro and near the Arsenal
• Checking out the famous fish & produce market at Rialto
• Heading offshore to Murano to observe the creation of glass "items" (the only word suitable to encompass everything from the elegant to the downright hideously tacky).
• The charm of a private gondola cruise with a cold bubbling glass of Prosecco, with the gondolier occasionally providing interesting insights on Venice, its canals and the people who have lived there, and other time providing a quiet suitably atmospheric song/humming.
• The yellow-rose light fading on the various campaniles near sunset
• Our decadent marble and velvet filled room (Hint - a good room in Venezia is worth it. You do so much walking and it can be really warm, so a handy comfortable retreat for a couple of hours is the perfect tonic to be able to get out again in the evening to see even more.)
• Observing a ridiculous giant cruiser that was large enough for a full-size cruising yacht to be strapped to the side for occasional jaunts (we'd seen motor launches in similar spots in Barcelona, but this took the prize). Perhaps the Venice Film Festival had attracted some stupidly expensive guests?
• The reprieve from traffic and cyclists - not to be overestimated in Europe. The ease of canal transportation was equal to the Paris metro, which for us is high praise.

  

  The entree platter is as big as the glass??

  

  Lovely bouquet

  

  Tracey outside our favorite osteria

  

  Somebody's lunch just waiting to happen- Venice fish market

  

  Scenes from Rialto

  

  It looks like this so often - charming

  

  Andrew on the balcony, checking out the campo

  
  

Lake Como, Bellagio...but soft! What light from yonder window breaks?

Tracey sunning herself at Bellagio

Pierrot (his Italian alias) escorted us into Italy under blazing sunshine, the only relief from which has been at night and in the many tunnels burrowed through the hillsides (good thing too - you should see the narrow lakeside roads). A short ferry trip across Lake Como brought us to within 100 metres of our destination: the Hotel Metropole in Bellagio. Traversing the distance was an episode in its own right, because hot summer Sunday afternoons in charming villages tend to draw thick crowds, and this was no exception. Once we'd gained access to the pedestrianised section of town it was a case of gently steering Pierrot through the throngs, waiting for them to gradually acknowledge the unexpected presence of a car in their midst.

Once we'd checked in we discovered magnificent views out over Lake Como from our room's balcony - we were literally lakeside. The smashing views and scenery have been one of the recurrent "pinch me I must be dreaming" aspects of this trip.

Italy is, of course, a Food Country. The change in style was immediate, welcome and delicious. Scallops with creamed broccoli & truffle sauce, papardelle with gooseliver & truffly bits, tortelloni with lake fish & thyme at Cafe Suisse. Prosecco, spinach/ricotta ravioli with truffle sauce followed by a gooey chocolatey tartufo nero at Metropole. Omelette with summer truffles followed by a generous plate of formaggio at Belvedere.

The local wines were also a delight - for example, Lugana whites which recall both viognier and semillon/sauv blanc. To say nothing of grappa and a very happy reunion with limoncello!

Two nights were lovely, and we'll happily return to both Bellagio and the hotel again to soak up more of the ambience of the charming lake.

Verona beckoned...both the doomed romance of Juliet & Romeo and an animal park Deb had recommended to us. Quite by accident we found ourselves gazing upwards at a balcony, only to realise it was the famed Capulet balcony upon which Romeo is said to have espied Juliet. It was only appropriate that Tracey should ascend and Andrew remain below. It must be hoped that the celebrated lovers were spared the thronging crowds and the walls embellished by grafitti, lipsticked kisses and chewing gum (?what was that about?)!

Look closely to find the baby hippo

Food in Verona had one big highlight: Osteria del Ugo. We were treated to, among other things,  musso ravioli, slow-cooked musso, fabulous filet of beef with a chocolate-looking balsamic and red wine sauce. Fabulous dining. (PS musso is donkey.)

The drive-through animal safari park on the way out gave us some great up-close looks at critters, none dumber than the sheeple who let their children hang out car windows as they drove through leopard territory (we kid you not). Pierrot wasn't intimidated though: we've realised that the Peugeot logo is in fact the rare, smooth-tailed rampant wild squirrel. More than a match for any mere rhinoceros!

Wherefore art thou Andrew?

Bellagio from the Lake

Lake Como: view from our balcony

Wengen

Swiss banks: less secure & with a more diverse clientele than imagined

Sharing a beer

View from the room

Taking the ausfahrt (exit) out of France, we found ourselves in the land of extremes, Switzerland. We arrived in beautiful sunshine. To get to our home for the next 4 nights we had to leave Pierre and train it to a small carless village called Wengen. The trains are more funicular in their design, that scale the side of the mountain with gorgeous views over mountains, waterfalls and small Swiss villages. Arriving in Wengen it was just a short hike to Hotel Belvedere, home. Stepping out onto our private balcony, the view was breathtaking (and not because of the altitude, Wengen is at 1274m). We had an expansive view over the verdant valleys, tall waterfalls and mountains, including Jungfrau and it's snow covered peaks... the perfect place to sit with a glass of wine and absorb the clean mountain air. Our first full day we decided to work off some of France and climb some mountains. We must confess to taking the easy option for the first 1000m of the climb and caught the mountain train up to the start of our planned walk for the day...though we more than made up for it during the remainder of our 5 hour trek. The views of the Swiss Alps were breathtaking as we descended and ascended through the mountains on a gloriously sunny day. The sun glistened off the snow peaks of the Jungfrau as we heard the whistling of the marmots, the bells of the cows (and occasional donkey...everything is better with a donkey), the sounds of falling rocks (mostly from psychotic cyclists rather than avalanches for which there were warning signs). We stopped for a cold drink with some goats on the way down the mountain. Could you imagine a more perfect Alpine summer day? The sun streamed down (about 27 degrees, with a bit of peeling to show for it), a gentle breeze blew (but never when we were walking uphill), and the Swiss were thoughtful enough to ensure that their drinking water was icy cold. The views up across Jungfrau and down towards Grindelwald were breathtaking - naturally. Here's the thing about Switzerland that everyone else has always said and is really true: the colours are incredibly vivid, and everything really does look like an oversaturated postcard. The big difference is that it's real, and we drank in every electric-koolaid-coloured moment.

Aere Gorge

The fondue was well deserved by the time we descended back to our alpine retreat in time for dinner. A foodie heaven Switzerland is not but we did have a couple of highlights...other than the fondue; a divine velvety creamed spinach & garlic soup and a warming liver dumpling broth. There's also the cheese, we discovered a fabulous local cheese called Challerhocker and another made nearby beneath the north face of the Jungfrau. A bit of extra cheese was also naturally found in the fondue of which we had a gorgonzola one and a traditional which you could taste the rich flavours of the local wines used. Switzerland is not for the fainthearted or the short pocketed, it is ridiculously expensive. The short train ride to the start of our walk, one way for two people, took a total of 10 minutes but cost 40 Euro (about $70), no wonder we walked the return journey.

Our second day was somewhat wet, what a perfect opportunity to go to Aere Gorge, this is the gorge where a couple of Australians were killed in a flash flood a few years back. The gorge is a long stretch of narrow cliffs for which a torrent of water flows though and you are positioned on a platform path that trails it a few metres above said torrent. The day cleared a little for our stroll through Interlaken and a scenic drive through the hills. Switzerland is certainly a place to which we'll return and our hotel in Wengen, Next time we'll stay a little longer and get the six day train pass to take us through and to scenic locations. The only disappointment was a planned visit to the glacial ice caves Tracey visited 18 years previously. Unfortunately we discovered the glacier, its cave and carved sculptures, has since melted.

Our intrepid heroes in front of the Jungfrau

Trail friends

Looking fab in Marmotte country

It really looks like this all the time