On foot in the foot of Italy

We have now spent three days wandering around the streets of old Palermo. Foot soldier Yvonne has only complained a few times as we deal with a city that has seen off the Carthaginans only relatively recently. And some of the lanes around here are still awaiting repairs from Hannibal's elephants even if they actually crossed in Italy via Spain and then the Alps, not here.

We are now well established in our B&B in the La Kalsa district, formerly wearing a distinctly Arabic influence and the after effects of Allied bombing in WWII. And without wheels of our own, we have limited ourselves to the old parts of town. A modern city is a modern city is a city.

That said, Palermo centro has plenty going for it and we have not lacked for interesting things to do and places to visit. Just a few of the large number of churches as you would expect in such a catholic culture. Will they ever escape the greedy powers of Rome? We have also visited several old palaces, the markets, a gallery or two whilst all the time people watching, dodging cars and scooters and keeping our eyes peeled for interesting cafes and eating places. History has left some seriously great marks here, that is for sure. Especially Norman and Arabic. Especially interesting was the recently discovered and now uncovered art/history left by Inquisition prisoners-despite efforts by the Church to cover up this part of their story.

Actually, apart from the very hot weather in the middle of the day, getting around on foot is quite easy and navigation not a problem since those Romans liked to build very straight main routes.

And as with Sardinia, these Italians are friendly and easy to engage with. From the local patisseria and coffee spot just a few metres from the front door to the local Arts and Tradition pizza place, the numerous drinking spots and up to the restaurants, we have enjoyed it all so far. Outside of the old town, there may be other aspects of Palermo which are not so good. But we will not be seeing any of that. With its long and distinctive life under Greek, Cathage, Norman, Arab, Spanish and now Italian domination, this is a city centre well worth a look. Of course one has to do a little research to even begin enjoying the city. So as foot soldier Yvonne enjoys the last of her sleep each morning, Tour leader RDK leaves for an early morning city walk to finalise the places and the routes to be taken each day. As the city also wakes up and starts moving, he also gets another view of the people and places.

But our time here is rapidly expiring and we leave here by hydrofoil to the Aeolian Islands tomorrow afternoon. Emerging 'Food Fuehrer' Yvonne is specifying the location for our last dinner here after our excellent trial run last night. And we have not seen a drop of rain since we left Tuscany a few weeks ago and the place could use some. But that means long and balmy evenings dining outside is the go here. Fantistico.

 

Farewell Sardinia

Well, it is over for now. Just 13 days and four stops is enough for us to score Sardinia as well worth the effort. Maybe as high as Collingwood sits for the moment in the AFL. And a lot higher than Argentina, Germany, Spain and Portugal in the football. Sorry Charlie and Harry but Messi and Ronaldo have gone the way of GD's underdaks and the Ozzie Soccer team, out the door and ready to head off home.

It is the weather and the water that does it. Beaches everywhere are places of relaxation with families enjoying life and with us visitors joining in to drop into the placid sea. A little too much wind at times around Cagliari but we certainly had a good taste of life around this island. Yvonne doing her acqua aerobics was also serious stuff at times. The water is just sooo clear and sooo relaxing. Not to be beaten anywhere on the planet.

We did also visit the National Museum of Archaeology which definitely scored a 10. Well laid out and clear explanations. Living on the Castello of Cagliari, half way up the hill meant everywhere you went was either up or down stairs or steep declines. That is just how Cagliari is. However we did have amazing views of two sides of the city right near us.

I know that things are distorted when you do not know the systems, processes, culture and language. But people here have been super friendly and helpful and we are having no troubles to report on. Yes you do need a car to get around the place but we enjoyed every minute of our time here and driving is a dream as long as you pay attention and watch for the pot holes We were happy campers as we headed off from our perfectly located castle cave dwelling to the airport on Sunday.

It only takes one Italian to create chaos, especially the female of the species so our move by air back to Rome and then over to Palermo on the first weekend of the summer break was okay but only just. Lots of noisy people, an apparently system air traffic control problem and delays all over Italy of one hour or more set the scene. Space in terminals and on board at a premium and some confusion erupting at times. So we were glad to get to our new home in the city centre of Palermo by about 9pm.

So now we get to compare Sicily with Sardinia.

From somewhere in Sardegna

So, at first I thought it was quite good to be getting a brand new hire car at Olbia airport. Only 28 kms on the clock. And car collection was followed up in the car park by another helpful employee who asked if we had any questions about car operation and who also conducted a forensic examination of the car to prove it had absolutely no visible blemishes. Great.

But if you have ever driven in Europe along small country roads and in villages and places where they erect quite large obstacles to stop or at least discourage itinerant car parkers, and if your partner happens to be just a little critical these days of your driving prowess, then life gets more complicated. So now I have a permanent car parking assistant and a constant anti collision guide to go along with GPS, early braking systems and god knows how many alerting and alarming gismos already in the car.

Then getting back to the real travel story we are enjoying the West coast of Sardinia around Alghero, a town with a strong Spanish look and feel. We traversed some quite rough and grand country to get here and we are enjoying our rustic farmstay located not far from the local airport. Ryan Air is sometimes a visitor to the very close to here runway. But that said, there are not yet that many non Italian tourists here.

We are spending our time relaxing on the beaches and exploring the scenery and local towns. A chance meeting with a Dutch couple advised us to visit Castelsardo, a very old village, which was an amazing place with people still living in the ancient buildings of the old castle. We also enjoyed the town of Bosa on Monday and we are now now locals walking the Alghero city walls and practising out meagre Italian. Yvonne continues to say 'Aperol Spritz' quite fluently now. The weather is perfect too.

At around 8 pm as the heat of the day has ebbed away, it is perfect for strolling around Alghero old town. The football is attracting a lot of interest even without Italy and there is very little touting going on which is somewhat refreshing. All in all our time in the Agriturismo and the Alghero area exceeded our expectations.

But nothing lasts and we have now moved on to our final spot in Sardinia-Cagliari the capital. Not much to report at the moment as we are camped in our cave dwelling within the old castle and have not yet ventured too far. And you know that in many places in Europe, space is a precious commodity so in cafes, restaurants, beaches, car parks one feels a bit like Gulliver trying to squeeze into places and nearby conversations can test one at times. With driving and parking here also a little tense, we have now hidden our so new car in a nearby underground park, probably for the duration.

PS. A garbage truck is about to come through the front door! Tour group mobs are on the prowl. So life in the historic centre is going to be interesting.

PPS.  As I am posting this, the local tourist centre mini train has just gone past the front door.  So I just might have to spend the day sitting in the doorway in my singlet and shorts acting like a local and seeking a euro or two just like the friendly Africans also very close to home and seeking a living from the visitors.

Shock and awe meets the l-u-r-v-e boat

We were obviously not well prepared for Sardinia. Thinking it to be perhaps a backwater in the same sense as nearby Corsica. Well known to the locals, maybe other Italians and a few hardy tourists but somewhat off the track.

After a very relaxing day of train travel from Lucca to Rome Airport where all connections were easily made, we boarded a full Air Italy flight to Olbia in the North of Sardinia. Apparently George Clooney is making a film Catch 22 at the moment based in part in Olbia but he was not to be seen.

But the airport was new, clean, efficient and operating flawlessly so it took us no time to load up the SEAT hire car and to join the traffic searching for pit stop one, Santa Teresa di Gallura at the northern tip of the island and just out of the Emerald Coast. Traffic was orderly and Tom Tom working well so now we are in this holiday town enjoying fine food, great beaches, friendly people and a relaxed atmosphere. Our hosts were impressed that we are from Australia, speak a little Italian and cannot do enough for us.

Can it get any better than this?

The Mediterranean here is to die for. Clean with the most amazing aqua colours and you just melt into the water. Often compared to the Caribbean apparently.

We took a one day boat trip to Maddalena island and back with visits to pristine areas and a couple of good stops for swimming along the way.

But now we are dealing with a completely different kettle of fish with just a couple of nights at a resort above Porto Cervo, playground of the rich and famous. Not much to our style but fascinating nevertheless. A Rolls Royce showroom alongside boats big enough to go to war. We are yet to find a city centre of sorts and car parking is very sparce indeed.

But from here we head to the other side of Sardinia where we are going to try an Agriturismo in a more rural setting. No wifi for four days will be something of a test for us these days as we are too much used to constant contact with the world. That is if we can find the place.

So we are beginning to settle into the Sardinian lifestyle and after the shock of finding it such a great place, we are keen to make the most of the opportunities here.

Historical meeting in Lucca

For the first time in human history Yvonne met Randall in Lucca. Chief tour guide Yvonne had spent three days living with her two Roman elephants sharing her room at the extremely comfortable and very well located Locanda S. Agostino. Just a few metres from Via Fillungo and the parade of Italians on holiday. And after three days alone and just eight minutes later than planned, Randall turned up led in by Mario, our host.

And Lucca centro, a walled 500 year old city, is just perfect for Italian style parading. We thank Ben and Sarah for advising us to take a look here and to avoid the alternative idea of Florence, as great a city it might be.

So we have done the obligatory city walls walk sharing spaces with families, lovers, joggers, bikes and picnickers. Summer is gradually getting stronger here and the days just that little bit warmer each day.

Apart from eating and drinking our way around the city, accompanied by a gelato and an aperol spritz or two, we have even been shopping our way along.

Randall had never seen Florence so we took a train there one day. Either we are becoming more sensitized to tourist crowds or numbers are rising, but the Medici city draws them in in droves. The ambiance was good though, despite the numbers, as tourists of all ages, colours and brands enjoyed their time exploring the sights. But one day was enough at this time of our lives with mobs that big.

In the home of Giacomo Puccini, one just has to learn about him and his music. So we had just an hour of recital concert early one evening. We visited his home today as well. And even though Italy is not part of the tournament, World Cup soccer is on screens in various eating and drinking places of Lucca. We lost our first match it seems. Such is life, we were probably robbed if reporting is as usual.

But ever so slowly our minds are turning to Monday and our large travel day over to Sardinia. Yvonne is now very keen to see water and perhaps dip her toes into the Mediterranean.

 

Montefalco artistic festivities

One of the things that travel does is broaden your experience of how people live in places other than your homeland. And if you combine travel with another living experience such as painting then effects multiply. So as Yvonne's experiences deepen, expectations increase. And they were not quite met this year it seems.

So to deal with the negatives first. Having an artist/teacher with a focus on mixed media and with Yvonne being a dedicated water colour painter there was always potential for disappointment. There was only one other like minded water painting soul in the group and they both felt that they did not gain a lot from the tuition. 

However many sketches in the four towns visited were obtained for future works on Yvonne's return to Australia should that eventuate.

The group of people were great including the two 'painting partners' who came along to have some fun. Many discussions took place within the group over the week on a great number of subjects.

Apart from exploring and sketching in Montefalco the group visited Bevagna, Assissi and Yvonne's favourite, Spello, a town of art and flowers. A local guide accompanied them on a tour of Montefalco including the Museum to see the frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli (1450:1452) which Andrew Graham-Dixon raved about in 'Italy unpacked”.

As well a local guide took them on a tour of Assisi including a visit to the beautiful Basilica Saint Francis, which went way to long! The week also included dinner at a wonderful local restaurant and a wine tasting. You might ask did this group leave time enough for painting?

All in all a most enjoyable week. Yes it is sometimes tough for world wandering artists.

 

What a great idea this was

I am posting this in Camogli, one of the picturesque coastal towns and village of Liguria. The just completed walk was our shortest at 6 walking days. But we all found it very demanding in places. Just as well we had trained fairly hard for it.

 

All 10 members of the team fell over on the tracks at least once. Two of us had to purchase new boots along the way and at least two others now have boots that are on the way out.

The weather was with us most of the time and I did not have to use any of the wet weather gear I was carrying. But on the fifth day out we spent over five hours walking in clouds and dealing with wet and very slippery conditions. We were all super careful to avoid any slippages on the mostly rocky tracks with steep drops over the edges . But that is a part of the deal and why we do these walks,

Our walking days all had their own challenges and it was great it b walking in such remote and challenging conditions. A walkers walk for sure.

Route leader Peter again kept us all to agenda, timing and direction, Although we used the great trip notes and well marked maps we also had GPS tracking as well.. So a little hard to go wrong in some ways. Sometimes it was just that little more difficult to make track decisions with at times too much info and perhaps more leadership than we needed. It really comes down as to what you want to achieve. Maybe a journey to another understanding and/or destination.

So 10 happy campers are enjoying a last rest day on the coast before we go our own ways again. I think we are up to about 11 walks for some of the group which started with just two.

Each walk has been very different and most memorable in different way. And even as we have our day off and our minds turn to our next travel obligations, we are already thinking about what we might do in 2019, fitness and health not withstanding.

What a great walk idea this was.