Skip to main content

Operation Italy

We were back on Italian soil after a few days in lovely Croatia (and possible fines from unwittingly driving on Slovenian toll roads without a pass).


 
 
Gondola Traffic
First stop, Venice! When asked to sum up Venice in three words Brad replied, "overcrowded, overpriced, overrated". I, on the other hand, can appreciate fine architecture and culture when I see it. It is an amazing city!

We bypassed the €80 gondola ride, opting instead to pose in front of those who had forked out for the experience.

Bologna, the home of lasagne and bolognese, was our next stop (for lunch of course) and then onto Florence. Not only was the city stunning but the showers at our campsite were the best yet!

What a fine specimen... David´s not too bad either...

Wandering the streets of Florence

Like a good former St Francis of the Fields student, we visited Assisi on our way to Rome. It ended up being one of the highlights, a little medieval village on a hill with fantastic views! 


St Francis of Assisi
We stayed 5 nights in Rome and loved every minute. Our lovely friends in Bolzano (northern Italy) had given us tips on how to experience Rome like the locals. 

Thanks to them, we enjoyed our favourite meal in Italy so far (apart from the wedding and home cooked meals at Lago D'Iseo/Bolzano obviously). It was in a tiny restaurant with individual hand written menus (complete with scribbled out and corrected prices) and one charming waiter who spoke barely any English. Beautiful freshly cooked bread, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and pizza!

Just a few people turned up to see the Trevi Fountain...
Relaxing after a big day. The Palatino, Rome
Vino, Vino, Vino
At the campsite in Rome we ran into an Australian couple we had met at the campsite in Venice. They are coming to the end of their incredible trip from Brisbane to Bristol - on a motorbike! (Brisbane2Bristol.wordpress.com). We joined forces to visit Pompei, before sharing some freshly made car park restaurant pizza and pasta.
Even ran into the big man himself at the Vatican...
Along with 30,000 others...

The Forum by night
Pompei
Mt Vasuvio, Pompei
Brisbane2Bristol on a motorbike!
Brad shows us how to cook burritos using only a trangia
We drove up the coast of tuscany to Pisa and Lucca. In Lucca we bought some beers and walked up onto the old city walls to watch the sunset. We then found a trendy little micro brewery and enjoyed some local beer with the Luccanese hipsters finishing work on a Friday evening.

It had to be done...


Micro brewery in Lucca
Sunset beers on the walls of Lucca
Dinner in Lucca (contemplating election results...)
Our final destination was the Cinque Terre, on the North Western coast of Italy. We completed the walk in 34 degree heat with a raging hangover (thanks, Lucca). It was definitely worth it and the perfect end to our Italian journey. 


 
The Cinque Terre
We're very sad to leave but looking forward to the next part of our adventure. Ciao Italia, Hola Espana!



Brad gets a little bored on the long trips...
  
Labels:

Comments

  1. Judy C5 October 2013 at 01:54

    Hello my lovelies. Glad we went to Venice in winter, hardly any tourists and Christmas lights to behold. One night 4 of us were the ONLY people in St Marks Square. Set up the camera on a tripod so we could capture the scene. As it was close to freezing and the shutter seized and we did not get it. This was pre-cameras in mobiles of course. And Lucca was my favourite. Stayed in the old city just off the square you are pictured in. Once again Christmas market, lovely decos and no other tourists. Thanks for the memories!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous12 October 2013 at 00:22

    Wow, we definitely should have gone in winter then Judy. It would be amazing to be there with no crowds!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All roads lead to Rome: Marathon Recap

Let me preface this by saying, before last year, I would never have considered myself a runner. And I still don't! As you know, I have had a lot of time on my hands over the past couple of years and decided to take up running as a "hobby". Yes, I know. This does not sound like the Kath you used to know. But alas, desperate times call for desperate measures. It was after signing up for a 10k at the beginning of 2016 while Brad was doing his marathon, that I realised event running is a LOT more fun than your average Monday night jog. And if the best part about running isn't that you can eat whatever the hell you like, then I don't know what is.  Brad smashes out the Gran Canaria Marathon, 2016 After a couple of half marathons (I know, right? Who even am I anymore?!?!) and another couple of 10ks, I thought, "bugger it. Why not give a marathon a crack?" Brad and I decided to choose a primo location for the marathon, so that we coul...
Post a Comment
Read more

A bucket list reshuffle in the Arctic

Norway. November. Polar night. Why not?  We jumped on the plane after a whirlwind month of visitors whose names ALL began with J. I was tongue tied for an entire month. Special mention to Jojo, Judy, Joe and also my friend Julie who took us on an impromptu tour of the island. The weather was about -5 degrees celsius when we got off the plane in Oslo, extreme layering took place immediately, followed by a long silence between Brad, Jojo and I. I am pretty sure we were all thinking the same thing, "why on EARTH would we come to Norway in winter...by choice?!". ...No one said a word until we made it to the warmth of our airbnb... A day of museum visiting, reindeer meat sampling, Norwegian salmon eating, ridiculously expensive beer drinking and early sunset photography lay ahead of us. One visit to the Fram museum in Oslo and naturally, being an ENFP personality, I now want to become a polar explorer. Cute sled dogs, open seas, northern...
1 comment
Read more

SOMOS DE PRIMERA!

First of all, there was the BIGGEST of BIG news on Gran Canaria this month! Well, apart from this of course: http://thecanarynews.com/bus-crashes-into-gran-canaria-airport/ In the middle of June, Michael and I were beginning to worry that civil war had broken out on the island, when all we could hear were loud explosions, screaming and car horns outside. The local Las Palmas "football" team has moved into the Spanish Football League's first division (La Liga) for the first time in 13 years after winning against Zaragoza 2-0 in Gran Canaria. This is a big win for Las Palmas, who came close last year but were disqualified thanks to some overly keen pitch invaders. As the professional bandwagon jumper that I am, I will be keeping a close (ish) eye on their progress. Check out the FEROCIOUS mascot for UD Las Palmas: (HAHAHAHAHA!) Somos de Primera! The team toured the city on buses signing autographs... Annnnyway, enough of this chit chat about "football".  We have b...
Post a Comment
Read more