Early start this morning or at least it felt like it. We looked over the views of Florence from the same location we visited last night and had some great panoramic views. I don’t know whether it was the previous evening or the fact that this was the last day but the bus was subdued on its way to Sienna.

Last panoramic views over Florence

This is where the famous bare backed horse race happens.  It’s like the Melbourne cup on Steroids. They take three months to prepare the jockeys and your horse is drawn out of a hat.  The horses are blessed in a church and if they leave fertilizer, it is good luck for the people.  The riders are given sticks to whip the horses and the other riders and they race three times around the square which is shell shaped.  They put sand over the stone square and they ride bare back.

Pretty safe really(not), and the prize, a painted flag(whoopee). It something I think that was dreamt up during a night out on the grog and should have been forgotten in the morning. However, being Italy it is an annual event with great passion and rivalry.

The racetrack in Sienna

This town is famous for its banking industry.  Like all banks it was bailed out in the global financial crisis.  I noticed something else about this about this town; it had a predominance of bald headed men.  I have thought hard and long about this and I can come to no reasonable explanation as to why they would all congregate in a walled city like this.  The other thing that is interesting about this town is that if you build you had to use the one colour and type of brick.  It is called Sienna red.  I wonder if the Mayor owned a brick factory??

Some more views of the cityscape of Sienna

 

I hope I look as stylish as this guy at his age

After this we drove to Roma for our last night together as a group.  We had a meal in the Marriott with great views over the city landscape.

We enjoyed the company of the other travellers and especially the guidance and effort afforded us by tour director Maria and our driver Alfredo who can drive a bus on road that should be good for a little Fiat let alone buses.

 

Just a foot note.  The internet in the hotels is dreadful so I apologize for the intermittent posting.  We have a package on the boat which means I should be able to upload all the postings I have written but not uploaded.

Ciao

Happy Birthday Chris

Today we went on a trip up the side of Lake Como to catch a boat over Bellagio.  On the way we saw George Clooney’s home.  Apparently he will be home in June so we couldn’t drop in for a cafe.  Our guide was telling us that Jonnie Vercase left his home on the lake to his niece.  After a while she put it on the market for 13M Euro.  They were deciding whose bid to accept when a Russian came along and offered 35m Euro.  This has set a new benchmark in Lake Como and has affected all properties in the area. Lake Como is surrounded by the Alps and we could see the Alps of Austria and Switzerland.  So if we say we saw Austria and Switzerland we were not lying.

Cafe with George…not home

Bellagio is both beautiful and draining on the bank balance. The china in Italy is amazing, as is the leather goods, cloths, shoes…. We were supposed to explore the island however we had a very interesting tour of two shops.

 

We cruised around a part of Lake Como.  We saw a house the Guinness family bought as an investment to rent out.  Unfortunately they forgot about the 185 steps down from the road and no garages.

Steps what steps

The National Trust Estate has a house of the lake that makes a lot of money as a weddings’ venue.  It costs 1000 Euro for a simple civil ceremony and that doesn’t include the reception or getting the mayor to perform the ceremony.  You might recognise the tree in the garden as it is the tree in the James Bond movie when Daniel Crag is recovering from his injuries.

Daniel Craig recovered under that tree

Further on down the lake we found the location of our next June long weekend.  It costs $150,000 a week, breakfast not included.  A Russian hired it for three weeks for his daughter’s wedding.  I am starting to worry about validity of the Russian money being invested in this country.

Long weekend here we come

In the afternoon we went for a walk along the lake with the expectation of going up the mountain on the cable car.  It must have been the Maseratis or the Ferraris from Melano taking our attention  because we walked past it and took some time to realise it; anyway the gelato was good.

The Ferraris of the boat world  Boat shed too small I think?

The evening meal was in a local restaurant where we had a salad, pasta with three cheese sauces, steak done with parmigiano and rocket and carrot cake and lots of local wine. The steak was interesting because the cheese gave it a salty taste and the rocket provided the pepper.

Happy birthday Zac, we tried to text but the reception on the ferry wasn’t the best as we exited Venice.

Verona here we come.   These people know how to dress.  They are very smart.

 

We went to Guilette’s house of the Romeo and Guilette fame. How cool was that and we also went through the whole house and stood on the balcony.  In case you think it is strange if you hold the right boob of Guilette it is meant to be good luck in love.  I felt she was a little cold….

Guilette’s balcony and me !!!!!!

Verona also had a very cool flower market in the square.  They also had an interesting arena.  It was not as spectacular as Roma but it was better than the Athletic Oval in Toowoomba.

Arena and view of square from cafe

Then we went onto Milan. We went to the largest castle in Italy. This place had a moat that went all the way to Venice.  It was 200m by 200m and the walls were 6m thick.  Also the holes in the wall in the pictures were for the timber structures to act as scaffolding while being built.

Milan has been governed by various countries over the period of its existence and they all have had an influence on the general culture and architecture of the city.  Interestingly, I believe the city has Parisian influence in the style of the building.  In any case it is a very stylish city.

 

We also saw the fourth and last Pieta of Michelangelo. He died at the age of 89 while he was completing it.  It was carved out of a previous sculpture which was of a man holding the body of Christ as ot was removed from the cross. Michelangelo was unlucky in love and he believed that the only true love was the love of a mother to her son. We have seen the first Pieta and we are going to seed the other two in the next couple of days.  A bonus….

 

We then had a tour of the Milano Opera House and stood in a balcony alcove.  We marveled at the marble columns in the centre of the building carved out of single blocks of marble and the large busts of Toscanini.  This was the home of Maria Callas one of last centuries greatest Sorpranos.

Check out the dancing girls (Ballerinas)

We then had a tour of Milan’s cathedral.  I didn’t want to go as I am churched out and I am exhausted.  Guess what, I was blown away by the mosaics and the general structure of the church.  It was built by a Duke because he had a child and the church was large enough to hold the 40,000 people standing.  This was part of a pact the Duke made with God if he had a child. Today it has a congregation of 80.  This probably explains the great big advertising billboard on the side of the church. They have to pay the bills somehow.

 

Dining with Hugh

We then had a quick trip to Lake Como and straight to bed.

 

This morning we went to Murano Glass factory.  Mind you it is a very small factory with only 5 master glass blowers and yes it cost me.  Louise has to get her ears pierced again.  At least it will make it easy for the boys to buy presents for Lou. I resisted the option to purchase a chandelier; I don’t think our entrance is grand enough for a 10,000 Euro chandelier.

Interestingly the glass factory also makes gondolas, 60,000 Euros each.  They are painted black in remembrance of the people killed by the plague.  Venice has 400 bridges and a population of 55,000.  It has a daily visitation of 80,000 people. There are no cars in Venice.

Not another bloody tourist

Before we visited the Basilica we had lunch in St Mark’s Square.  There was a quartets  playing on either side of us, sun shining, big beer and lots of people to watch.

Looking relaxed

We visited the Basilica in St Mark’s Square.  Venice is famous for its mosaics.  This basilica is covered with mosaics on the floors and the ceilings.  The floors are very uneven because it is sinking under the weight of the marble in the building.  Many of the mosaic are painted with 24 carat gold. The effect is quiet amazing; however it is a Basilica which is a church for the Pope whom they saw as a king.

 

Another entrance mosaic

We also had a walking trip around the residential areas of Venice. You would certainly know what you next door neighbor was up to and what they wore.  Lines are strung between houses and we were constantly walking through washing.  Funny enough they mustn’t wear undies/panties because I never saw any on the lines Oh la la.

Pop over for coffee anytime

 

This guys, is how the Italians stop you peeing in the corner. It splashes over you shoes.

 

Leaning tower of Venice

In the afternoon we went to the island of Burano. This is a fishing village where each house is painted a very bright colour.  If you own a house on Burano you are not allowed to change the colour of your house without permission.  This village is also famous for its lace.

We had an amazing dinner of risotto with shrimp, spaghetti with clams (pippies), tempura shrimp and calamari, sea brim with salad and biscuits dunked in liqueur.  All this was topped off with great company and lots of wine.  On the way back one of the older ladies fell off the gang plank.  It was a bit interesting because we were concerned about the boat crushing her.  A few stitches and lots of bruising and she has survived, just.  A very traumatic end to a day.

Colourful houses

Casanova’s original house in Burano

Leaning tower of Burano

Ciao

30^th March

This morning we were up early to avoid the crowds at the Basilica built for St Francis of Assisi. This place is surrounded by a medieval village. Pretty cool..

The actual Basilica is in original state and has not been restored in any manner or form.  Unlike the Sistine Chapel no expense was spared in the paintings in the Chapel.  The blues in the St Francis Basilica are much deeper and brighter than the Sistine Chapel.  Michelangelo had quoted a price and he kept the price down by watering the paint colours down.   Also this was a fresco not a mural.  A mural is painted on a dry surface and stays on top whereas a fresco is applied to wet plaster and penetrates the plaster.

Also St Francis would not have approved of the lavishness of the Basilica rather he was a very simple man who reformed the church.  A story was told of WWII when the Germans were rounding up the Jews the parish members hid the Jews the crypt of St Francis under the church floor.  One of the parishioners was a printer and he forged papers for 300 Jews and saved them.   Also the town administrator, a Nazi doctor was a devout catholic and he prayed every day at the church. He knew about the plan and kept quiet.  In the court yard of the church there is striped marble.  This was a present from the Jews of Israel for saving their people in WWII.  Moral is good people will always do good things and bad people will always do bad things.

Also St Valentine came from this area.  The Romans would march through the valleys and collect any unmarried young men to join their army.  St Valentine thought about this and solved the problem of the Romans taking all their young men by having a mass marriage.  Hence the men couldn’t be taken away and hence St Valentines Day.

Entrance to Basilica of St Francis of Assisi

 

Entrance Courtyard with striped marble floor

View from hill to town of Assisi

 

 

Then off to Venice, where we had a tour around the Grand Canal in a very groovy timber boat and then we were serenaded by singers while we cruised around in Gondolas. Very magical…

Two things.. yes we did go under the Rialto Bridge.  We found out the next day about the terrorists who were planning to blow it up. I can also say that the septics in some of the villas that empty into the canals need work.

That’s what I call a taxi

Traffic jam in central Venice

In Venice even the fish market has style

Spot the terrorist Rialto Bridge

Taxi parking rank  no Ubers in sight

You can see the white knuckles of Lou and I was balast up the front

Ciao

 

The 28^th we went to the IsIe of Capri or as the Italians say CAAAAAAAAAAAAPRIIIIIIIIIIII. I think I got that right. Pretty cool place with a great trip over in a ferry.  On the island we went to a home of a Swedish doctor Exel Munke.  This place was built before the road was built and is a pretty incredicvle location. Property over on the island is about $1.5M for 100sm.  Pretty cheap really.  Luckily we arrived at the beginning of the season as there were only about 3000 people a day visit whereas in the peak time it is about 25,000 a day.

 

 

In the avo we visited a timber inlay company that is in its 5^th generation of manufacture. Sadly for the bank account Lou was in a buying mood. It is hard to appreciate the work involved in developing this product.

In the evening we made pasta and had a four course meal.  The Italians love to eat. I have discovered Lemoncello.  Give me you lemons and I will make some.  LOL.

On the 29^th we got on a bus to the Amafi coast. Looks like a great fishing spot and the locations of the houses are incredible.  In this area as with a lot of areas you can’t get a building permit for a new build.  However you can rebuild to the same foot print of the original home or barn, so nothing is pulled down because once it is pulled down you can’t rebuild.  Looks like our place actually.

We had to change to a smaller bus to get to Almafi. As we drive now there is a drop of about 500m of the edge of the road and the road is not wide.  We past a big bus earlier and we had to back up and pull over and they had to pull their mirrors in to pass. The road is also very winding and with a continuous middle line, but hey we are in Italy and God protects the chosen ones.  They pass anywhere, hills corners you name it and they believe it is okay to pass other vehicles.  Just like Vietnam really only more mountains and smaller roads.

Last night we had a great meal at a fabulous restaurant, Le Del Terme Colosseo.  The surprise was that they had hired three opera singers to sing for us.  The restaurant was in an underground cavern which was the sleeping quarters/baths for the gladiators.  There were no gladiators however Lou dragged me onto the dance floor after lots of food and wine and I danced like a gladiator.  Great food great wine, average dancing gives a great night.  One of the ladies on our table claim to fame was that she was the White Rabbit at Disney Land in Florida.  She doesn’t look like the White Rabbit now, she retired.

 

Today we went to the Vatican again. The museums we saw were incredible. The Sistene Chapel is indescribable. To see the ceiling of the chapel is to believe that it is curved however it is flat. Michelangelo took four years to paint the ceiling and five years to paint one wall.  It was worth it.  They must have heard we were coming so they had it cleaned.(20 years ago).

We then went to St Peters.  It took a hundred years to build.  People who know me know that I have something to say about most things, however, I can’t begin to describe this place…. Google it and come and see it. Just one fact, they had a problem with the painting fading, so they had them redone in very small mosaics. I couldn’t tell that they were mosaics.  Speechless!!!!

This avo we went to Pompeii. 60 AD had an earthquake and they rebuilt and 17 years later it erupted.  We saw a map in the Map Room in the Vatican that was made in the 1800s and it did not have Pompeii marked on it because it hadn’t been excavated until after that. I also found out where standard rail gauge come from.  It was the standard width of a Roman cart.  We saw it in the sewerage drains that ran throughout the town.  The carts would drive in these drains and worn tracks in the stone.

We also went to a Brothel in Pompeii.  I have included pictures of the stone beds and the original sexual options on the walls.  Firstly the beds haven’t improved in 2000 years and I can’t comment on the other side of things.  My first visit to a brothel and they didn’t take Visa. As a curiosity, check out the arrow pointing to the brothel.

We have arrived at our motel. Faulty Towers.  Sibal met us at the front with a free drink, which I declined.  The head waiter is the spitting image of Robert De Niro.  Apart from that the location is above Sorrento with a view to the Bay of Naples.  Not Bad!!

Cho

Today we went and saw the Pope.  On the way we got a great picture of the Vactican, although some idiot put a bloody great add for Hondas in  front of it.  Mind you Honda must have paid a lot for the opportunity.

The Pope gave us a wave, I think and blessed us.  Funny, 20,000 people had the same experience. I got picture of him at maximum zoom, just..  All jokes part it was amazing to be in St Peters Square on a Sunday to be blessed and to be a part of this experience and I am not a catholic.

We then went to the Circus Maximus where they killed Christians and had great chariot races. We saw the Planino where the emperors lived and hence the word Palace and then to the Coliseum. This was amazing…there is only the inner circle of building left standing as the outer four have been removed or destroyed. It is huge,  having five layers of seating high and three layers under ground.  The floor of the Coliseum was timber, covered in sand to absorb the blood and in the floor they had elevators to pop the gladiators and wild animals up into the arena.  There were three stories under ground where they kept the wild animals and gladiators. In one season they killed 4000 wild animals.  They don’t record how many gladiators died in the same time.  We are in awe of this place!!!!!

Interesting facts from the Coliseum;  no Christians were killed there and the word fornication came from the Coliseum.  After the Coliseum was closed prostitutes would hang around there and take men into the fornas or archways for sex.

Great day!!