The Grottoes of Castellana, Puglia

These grottoes of the town Castellana in Puglia, Italy were discovered in 1938 by Prof Franco Anelli.  We took the long itinerary (3 km) which took about 2 hours, and we reached the magnificent "white cave". A wonderous trip indeed!

Corri la Vita: combating breast cancer in Florence

through the Boboli Grdens, along the Arno River

You'd be forgiven for  thinking that Firenze / Florence was welcoming Ciao Bella Tours to the city. Hot pink everywhere.Thousands of people (and dogs) turned out on September 27 2015 for the 12th version of the walk or run through the city of Firenze , with the focus on combating breast cancer. Salvatore Ferragamo is the major sponsor.

The shorter walk of 4.6 km commenced at the Piazza del Duomo,  and the route took us along the Arno, across two bridges ( Carraia, and alle Grazie), past the Pitti Paace, through the Boboli Gardens, up to the Forte Belvedere, and finally to  Piazza Signoria.  Men, women, children of all ages, babies in prams or rucksack type carriers on the back of Mamma or Babo, dogs on leaches (many wearing the pink tshirt), all wearing the hot pink tshirts with a number attached..  We spotted  a number in the 40,000s

Afterwards, back to friends' home for a huge Sunday lunch with the family

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Ristorante Torre di Angelucco, Martina Franca

What a find! Chef Angela Pagano provided a wonderful meal for us in September 2015. It's a small restaurant, well set up with a modern feel to it, excellent service and food suggestions, and EXCELLENT food.  Martina Franca is one of the most beautiful towns in Puglia, Italy - especially at night.

Otranto by wagon train

 We took the wagon train from Lecce to Otranto, with only one change of train at Maglie.

Although it is forbidden to cross the train lines (see Photo number 3) it is the only way to get to the little trains.  These wagon trains run infrequently .

At some stations there is still manual changing of the tracks.

Lake Garda. Sirmione, Bardalino, Garda, San Zeno di Montagna

The ferries on Lake Garda from Sirmione are frequent and on time.  Check out www.navigazionelaghi.it  or infogarda@navigazionelaghi.it .

Our ferry departed Sirmione port at 10.55, arriving across the lake at Bardolino exactly 40 minutes later. We walked from Bardolino to Garda along the seashore,  "Passeggiata Riva Lunga" almost all on good pavement surface, and flat.  Passing little "beaches" of pebbles, many bars and snack shops, seats to stop and relax and enjoy the view, flowers, trees, Magnolias, swans, ducks, camping sites, families enjoyng their day at the beach, olive trees, pine trees,.  Not rushing, with a few stops, the walk took about 50 minutes to arrive at Garda.

Excellent Bus terminal information, not far from the port.  Bus to the mountains to escape the heat to San Zeno di Montagne, where there were approximately  4 tourists.

Back to home base of Sirmione on the last ferry at 7.15pm.

Il Ceppo. Food wonderful food in Vicenza

 Il Ceppo in Corso Palladio, 196, Vicenza reminds me of Peck in Milano, except that Ceppo is 1/10th the size.  The food is well presented, with much of their offerings made in house.

They also do A great business with Bacala, if you like that fish.  try their Bistrot del Bacala.. Sotobotega.

In these photos you can find: Provola Affumicata Fresca at a cost of E 19.90 per kg, Tortelloni con ricotta e spinaci at E 29 per kg, and a great variety of cheeses.

The top photo indicates a Festival della Sopressa - the house speciality at E. 23 per kg.

A light lunch outside on the footpath of a pedestrian road, opposite the " MUST SEE" Tempio di Santa Corona.

Sirmione, Lake Garda and Scaliger Castello

 On a map of Lake Garda in Northern Italy, Sirmione is the toe of a ballet dancer's leg, sticking out into the big lake.  The centro storico of Sirmione is a little island, now linked to the nearby mainland by bridge.

The Castello is its own little island, right at the entrance to the town.  It has not only one but 4 drawbridges over the moats ( 2 are just wider enough for one of two people or horses to cross), so to get entry to the medieval castello,  you would have needed to cross  double drawbridges. 


The castle also has a "curtain wall"  for extra security, which you can see in  the top photo.

One of the drawbridges can clearly be seen in the third photo.

The butterfly type tops of the walls indicate allegiance to the ghibelline faction (as opposed to the guelfs) in Medieval Italy.

It is possible to enter this fortress, and walk up steps to the top of the castle walls or further still inside up to the top of the tower. We climbed only to the top of the walls (an easy climb of about 80 wide steps),and the area to walk is surrounded by a low balustrade (Photo number 4).

Well worth the effort!

Men in Sicily

One of the past times of men in Italy is playing cards.  We've been following a group in Palermo, Sicilia who daily meet in a park  near the Old Gate to the city to play.  In 2015 we found that their  meeting spot has changed, and the little cafe nearby has closed down also. So, their place to store their chairs when they go home for lunch has changed too.  Now the chairs are hung on different trees.

Da Adolfo Lunch in Positano

Lunch in Positano, and how apparent chaos turned into fun.  On the way back from a boat trip around Positano we were dropped off at Da Adolfo - a lunch spot  only accessible by sea, and famous for its informal approach to excellent seafood lunches.  Chaos to start with (they couldn't find our booking) and we wondered if the waiters (all barefooted on the rough stones) would remember all our selections and requests.  Just relax! It all turns out OK in the end.  And it did.  Interesting range of people, arriving every few minutes - some obviously well know to the owner or waiters.  The cooking is done in a little "shed" above the eating area, with a window (or hole in its wall) overlooking the customers. And we got a free ride back to Positano pier.

The best cemetery in Italy ?

Along the Amalfi Coast near Massa Lubrense, not far from Sorrento, is a beautiful small  cemetery with brilliant views of the blue Bay of Napoli.

Water Features

How about these two for a change of smiling or ferocious lions as a water feature? (Found in the Cathedral of Cagliari)

NORA, Sardinia Sardegna, Roman Theatre

Nora, the earliest  town in Sardegna, was a prosperous town for 1500 years.  Originally founded by the Fenice, 9 and 7centuries BC.... then the Punics, later the Romans.  It was a major trading post around the Mediterrean . You'll find Nora in Pula, south west of the island and around 30km from the capital city of Sardegna, Cagliari.   Here's the Teatro Romano, which held 1200 spectators.

MIlking the goats in the mountains of Sardinia

High up on the mountains of the tough central part of the island of Sardegna, the shepherds attend to their goats and sheep.  At Scala e Pradu we watched as the shepherd and his dog put their goats that run free into a small pen, and the shepherd began his back-breaking work of milking his flock. A twice a day effort.