Leaving Costacarrio
After 3 weeks we finally decided it was time to pack up the caravan and move north.
Rio Verde Camping Villagio was a fantastic site for launching out into Mt Cucco National Park and Umbria. We sadly farewelled Francesca our lovely host promising to return.

Packing up

Francesca looking serious

Costaccario
We were glad to be back home in quiet Costaccario, reunited with our caravan. Ron was very keen to get to the Sibilline National Park at the southern end of Umbria so the next day as it was fine and sunny we pack a few things and headed for them there hills.

Sibillini
This place was so much fun. There is a 9 day walk of the circumference of the park. This is beautiful country with large upland plains full of wild flowers and towering mountains.

Wildflowers

The first day we walked in a beautiful valley without another person, car, dog in sight. We found a cabin in a caravan park at Ussita. They provide a kitchen but no kitchen utensils i.e. nothing. I had to drink a glass of wine out of a vitamin pill bottle in desperation. So we went to the Trattoria for dinner. They were so kind to us and just brought us plates and plates of pasta, pizza, salami etc.

Our cabin

A picnic (we have one most days)

Castellangelo is a walled town on the lower slopes. Castelluccio a most beautiful village overlooking the Great Plain is Ron’s pick of all the beautiful towns we have seen in Italy. We stopped to buy local produce which included salamis, sheep cheese (which I can eat), lentils and truffles.

Castelangelo a walled town in the Sibillines

Castelluccio

The market at castelluccio

The 2nd day Ron decided that we would climb Mt. Vetorre the highest mountain in the Sibillines. The climb starts at 1600m and goes to 2400m. I have learnt that in this kind of country it is not km travelled that counts but height achieved.

The view from Mt. Vettore

We travelled to the start of the climb and there were stacks of people and cars. It was Italian Republic Day long weekend and every Italian and their dog seemed to have arrived at the Mt Vettore. Most walks we have done since we have been in Europe we have not seen a soul so this was a new phenomena. I had been saying things like “Italians do not appreciate their National Parks, they only like to eat and siesta and other nasty things” Boy was I wrong.

We started the ascent up a very steep windy track covered in small stone. On the descent it was very dangerous imagine walking on marbles. We met lots of nice people on the way. It was a fiesta atmosphere. After 2 hours I made it to the top. Ron turned back earlier. By then I had a nice young couple keeping an eye on me to make sure I was Ok (sweet).

Ron on the track up to Mt. Vettore

The last part of the climb

A map of Italy made out of trees viewed from the top

Well there were literally hundreds of people at the top all with their lunches watching a slalom ski competition on the last remaining patch of snow. Some had climbed with packs of horses. It was all an extraordinary sight. All these people had made this quite difficult ascent with lunches and children for a ski comp.

Florence, Firenze

On our way back we decide to do a stop over in Firenze as our car problems had cost us valuable days. Our trip to Roma and Pompeii will now have to wait until next time so we decided to sneak a quick look around Firenze as a consolation.

Again without much idea of what we were doing we booked into a cabin in a camping park in a small village called Fiesole which is 9 km out of Firenze. This is a hilltop village with great views over Florence even from our cabin. It is an ancient village older than Florence with its own Roman Theatre and archaeological site- a great place to stay near Florence. The English have been coming to Fiesole since the 1800s, even Queen Victoria.

Next day we purchased a 24 hour ticket on a tourist bus (open topped double decker) that took us from Fiesole to Florence. It was a hop on hop off affair with English audio -a great way to get to Florence and do a tour and back to Fiesole. We visited the Duomo and climbed the tower, 440 steps, and the Archaeological Museum with great Egyptian and Etruscan exhibits.

The Duomo

Day 2 in Florence we caught the ordinary bus in and visited Palace Pitti and the Uffizi Gallery. The latter was phenomenal however very busy with tourists. We had reserved tickets the day before which made getting in a lot easier but still a squeeze of people. The Uffizi is an ancient art gallery dating from 1600’s with good examples of Raphael, Botticelli, Titan, Goya, some Leonardo da Vinci and many others. A lot of the art was donated by the last member of the Medici family on the condition that it never leaves Florence.

Ponte vecchio

Leaving Cademario

It was sad to leave Cademario. We had breakfast at our place with Joanna and then headed south. There has been this ad that has had me confused for some time now. Joanna explained it to me. What do you think it is?

Leaving Cademario, Switzerland

Swiss flag flower garden

It wouldn't be a Priestley holiday without a car drama . Our car the Hyundai Sonata (affectionately known as Frank) needs new brake pads so we have been here for a few days until it gets fixed. You can imagine the problems we had explaining it all in my very poor Italian or Ron's English. We have Joanna to help us. She speaks Italian, German, English, French, Portuguese and some others (as they do in these parts) and has been a great help.

Lelo our mechanic was the best looking mechanic I have ever seen. Now that Pammie has requested more hunk photos I may give up on birds. Anyway I was too shy to take his photo so Pammie you will just have to imagine. The mechanics all wear the same uniforms, in this case red overalls and black T shirts.

What we like best about Switzerland:
*the efficient mechanics,
*the efficiency everywhere from the recycling stations to the public telephones with computer to send email and fax as well. (see picture below)
*friendly people always trying to guess which language to answer you in, (after they have heard my Italian)
*cheap beer (that's Rons)
*someone is always cleaning or mowing something
*the scenery, the Alps
*the walks and the forests, I have seen deer, hare and fox as well as many birds
*the weather
*the chocolate

Public telephone and computer with email, fax options (not vandalised) in a very small village

Saint Bernardino Pass

What we like least about Switzerland:
*the poor air quality, which is common throughout Europe, but particularly bad here
*the hair pin bends and the mad driving (though not as bad as Italy)
*expensive meat, chicken and fish


After all that we will be sorry to leave. Thanks David and Kim for having us.

Lady beetles

Hello to Uncle George
I've heard that I have a few devoted blog followers (besides my Mum) in particular my Uncle George. Just a quick hello to George and Helen and I am thrilled that you are with us. You should be able to leave comments at the end of the blogs. I have just looked at the settings and opened it up for comments from all. Just click on comments at the end of the post and add as anonymous. Anyway if you want to start you own blog George just go to www.blogger.com and it is really simple only taking me about an hour to sort out my first post. Much love Angie

A night in Banco and a great lunch in Breno

Last night we went to a concert at a small hall (think Kohinur) in a small village called Banco. The music was great, Jersey Julia a fantastic saxophonist and her mate Mike Green played great blues.

The food was another story, the choice being chilli con carne or polenta with pork. Ron couldn’t have either so ended up with just polenta. See pictures below, I got a serious case of the giggles and Kim was no help. We were just very pleased there was nothing on offer for dessert. We survived just.

DAVID P is sending these photos by email, so we'll have to wait for them, but believe me they are worth seeing.

Lunch today at beautiful restaurant in Breno called "Betty and Luis" made up for last night. Our hosts Verana and Max were delightful. We had tomato soup with vodka, risotto, saltimbocca, Ron had fish and desserts to die for.

Max our chef

Desserts to die for, (white chocolate mouse, coffee ice cream, berry mousse, chantilly cream, rhubarb jelly, strawberries with raspberries).

Joanna, David and me

Kim trying to have a go at Ron's finger

David and Joanna, planning their ascent of Mount Rossa, and Ron

Said goodbye to Kim and David after a great weekend.

A holiday away from our holiday, Cademario, Switzerland

Leaving the caravan in Costaccario, we’re back in Cademario Switzerland catching up with Ron’s brother David and Kim. Kind of a holiday away from our holiday, it feels like home being back here again.

Inside David and Kim's house

Ron working on computer, at last we have good internet access.

We had lunch in Lugano and a great dinner at St Michele, Arosio.

David (Ron's brother ) and Kim

A cake shop in Lugano, if you look carefully you'll see a cape gooseberry in its lantern on the top

Salami shop in Lugano (Joanna tells us the salamis are fake)

Pammie, I found a hunk for you working at the restaurant in St Michele. I needed Kim to lure him for a photo. What do you think? He was so cute. When we asked for a menu, he replied in not so perfect English “I am the menu”, which amused us all.

Kim and "the menu"

Off to climb a mountain today with David, Kim will shop instead. Weather is a bit iffy so may catch the funicolare instead.

Ron and David at Funicolare terminal to San Salvatore, Lugano

Umbria

We have spent 10 nights in Costaccario now and have fallen in love with Umbria. We have a regime of walking in mountains one day and then visiting an historic town the next. We have been to Perugia, Siena, Assisi, Nocera Umbra, and a few others. Highlights have been the Duomo in Siena and St Franceso’s church in Assisi. The walking is fantastic. We also visited the Frasassi caves the largest in Europe, a 30km system. Because it was only discovered in 1970 it is very pristine (no soot from gas lighting etc that you see in some caves) exceptionally beautiful.

Siena

St Francis of Assisi Church

Small section of marble floor in Siena Duomo

more floor, absolutely beautiful

It was great to wander around Perugia where I lived for 4 months in 1980. My memories of that time are great but I was surprised at how little I remembered although after a while things started to come back to me. My Italian still isn’t much good but is better than nothing. I can understand more than I can speak.

Fountain in Perguia

Also went to St Egidio the small village where we rented a house while we were in Perugia. The airport is now there and the country surrounding Perugia is full of buildings and industry. Tried to find our house but it looked like it had been renovated and is now very up market. While the old town of Perguia is still the same the surrounding town has grown enormously.

I wasn’t going to tell this tale ….

but at the Gubbio Ceri Festival Ron had his wallet pick pocketed. He lost 2 drivers licences, 4 credit cards, phone cards and about $250. We went to Polizia and then the Carabinieri to report the theft and went home a bit upset as you can imagine. A few days later we are walking through Gubbio and a policeman recognised Ron and call us over to say they had the wallet. We were taken in police car to secret head quarters and were escorted through high security doors into the bowels of Italian police operations. The wallet was returned less money and credit cards but it was good to get licences back. We felt like real Gubbio locals to be known by the police. Ron said it was time to leave town.

Ducklings near Acona