Florence and Rome (via home)

Hello everyone

We left the Dolomites and headed south towards Florence which is a small and compact city. The cathedral is clad in white, pink and green marble with a terracotta dome and so beautiful standing next to the equally striking campanile. The Ponte Vecchio Bridge over the River Arno is home to many small but exclusive jewellery and gold shops – definitely window shopping only!

From here we drove to Ciampino where we left the van for our short break back home. It was lovely to see so many of you and catch-up, and sample the delicious (proper) beer and cider at The Snug beer festival!

Our flights to and from Manchester ran like clockwork, and Kathryn and Sophie joined us on the return trip – we were ready to hit the sights.

 

We arrived at St Peter’s piazza to see and hear Pope Francis address the crowds, before visiting the vast Vatican museums and Sistine Chapel. The wealth of art on display is amazing, and we could have spent a day in here.

 

 

 

 

The Colosseum is huge, especially seeing the extensive network of rooms below the arena where the animals were caged before battle commenced. 

Tucked away amongst the side streets is the elaborate Trevi fountain – unfortunately partly covered for restoration and cleaning at present with the Spanish Steps a short walk away.

 

 

St Peter’s basilica is breathtakingly beautiful inside. We climbed up to dome’s interior to view the mosaic ceilings up close, and appreciate the size and scale of the space below. Then up more steps, we exited at the top of the dome for views of the Vatican City and Rome below.

 

 

Returning to the ground floor, we admired Michelangelo’s Pieta, saw the inlaid keys of St Peter, and the huge bronze canopy reserved for the papal mass. Below this is the beautifully decorated tomb of St Peter.

We’ve enjoyed Rome, but will leave tomorrow and head north to Pisa.

Will post again next week - love to all

Slovenia

Hello everyone

The Skocjan Caves were fantastic. A short walk led us to an artificial entrance where we descended into the ‘Silent Cave’ where the temperature is a constant 12°C. Next was the ‘Murmuring Cave’ – so called because you can hear the River Reka running through it - said to be the world’s largest subterranean canyon at 300m long, 60m wide and 100m high.

We’d had constant rain for the previous few days so the river was thundering through – it usually flows at 6m³ per second, but on that day it was flowing at over 200m³ per second. Crossing the narrow 45m high Cerkvenic Bridge was truly magnificent, but unfortunately, no photos allowed in here.

 

A short drive away was Predjama Castle, amazingly built into the rocky cave half way up a 123m high vertical cliff in the 16^th century, although an earlier building dates back to the 12^th century. We took a tour of the castle – set over 6 floors the dungeons and stables are housed below, and on the top floor is a passage leading back deep into the cave system. There are miles more of cave systems below the castle, but closed over the winter so the hibernating bats are undisturbed.

 

 

 

Next, we visited Ljubljana. This is a lovely capital city, and with a population of 280,000, it is small but very welcoming. Its castle is perched on a hill with great views of the city, including the cathedral and triple bridge over the river. We spent a couple of days here living city life before heading for the Triglav National Park – sadly a brief visit due to the constant rain.

 

The small town of Bled near the Austrian border is incredibly picturesque, with its church on an island on the lake – an image often used by the Slovene tourist board. A walk around the lake took us 1 ^1/2 hours, and it was blissful to enjoy the sights without all the summer tourists!

 

After a drive through the beautiful Soca Valley, we headed north skipping across the Austrian and Italian borders and are now in the Dolomites. These mountain drives have offered spectacular scenery with the trees in their autumn colours, and there’s a sprinkling of snow high on the summits. We're currently on a camperstop in Covara - how’s that for a view!

 

Will post again soon - love to all

Croatia

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We set off on the coastal route south through Croatia marked on our map as a scenic drive – and it was. The road hugs the coastline but is set high offering lovely views of the sea and the small villages set within the coves. The sea is crystal clear and the area is renowned for diving.

 

Our first port of call was Zadar - a pretty town with Roman ruins near St Donat's church in the centre. The weather had improved and we were back in shorts and T-shirts as we ambled around.

 On the waterfront is the impressive ‘Sea Organ’ – a series of 7 marble steps leading into the sea underneath which are pipes and bellows which create a pan-pipe-type sound when the waves lap. It was a mesmerising sound increasing in volume when boats passed! Next to this is the ‘Salute to the Sun’ – a huge disc of small solar panels set into the ground which absorb the sunlight and then produce dancing multi-coloured light patterns after dark. Watching this whilst listening to the wave music was fascinating.

From here, we continued southwards stopping off at Primosten – a typical coastal town set on a small promontory with a church at the top of the central hill. As the tourists have now left, we had the place pretty much to ourselves to mooch around.

Split is a much larger and busier town than Zadar. We visited Diocletian’s Palace – built in 305AD, but now a ruined shell filled with cafes and bars. Next to it is the mausoleum with beautiful Corinthian columns inside - this has since been converted into the town’s cathedral.

There were no overnight camping opportunities in Split, so we headed inland.

 

Turning northwards, we headed for the Plitvice Lakes National Park. There are 16 lakes over 8km with water rushing from lake to lake via a series of waterfalls. Surrounding the lakes are forests, whose leaves shone gold and bronze when the sun occasionally came out. We walked through the lake area on wooden boardwalks to see the falls up close – a truly beautiful place.

 

 

 

 

We’ve now crossed the border and are in Slovenia again, planning on visiting the Skocjan Caves later today.

Will post again next week - love to all

San Marino and Venice

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We crossed country through rolling hills and headed north along the eastern coast – a much more relaxed drive compared with further south with wider roads and less erratic driving!

 

We decided to visit San Marino – a tiny republic set high on a hill top with fantastic views over the surrounding area – it covers 24 square miles with a population of just over 30,000. Although it uses the euro currency, it’s not in Europe. From the free car park, a steep walk led us up to the old town which has 3 castles perched atop the hill. There were several small shops selling guns, knives, perfume, leather and designer goods seemingly catering for the noticeable Russian-speaking visitors.

 

From here we continued north to Venice, across the flat terrain of lakes and wetlands – reminiscent of Holland many months ago. We stayed at a campsite at Mestre on the mainland and took the 10 minute bus ride across the causeway to Piazzale Roma where all land transport ceases.

 

Venice is such a beautiful place – around every corner there is a picturesque canal and bridge. The weather was perfect for ambling around – clear blue skies and warm in the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived early in the mornings, so the crowds were bearable around Piazza San Marco, the Basillica and the Ponte di Rialto, but it’s easy to lose the crowds away from the main sights. We spent a couple of days soaking up the atmosphere, enjoying the food and sampling a few of the small local bars.

We then travelled towards Trieste. The weather has changed over the last week – it’s much colder (especially at night) with an autumnal feel, but the skies are still clear and sunny. We left Italy early this morning, had breakfast in Slovenia and are now in Croatia on the wedge-shaped Istrian peninsula. We visited the Roman amphitheatre in Pula, and now camped at Rabac overlooking the Kvarner Gulf and enjoying the view.

Will post again next week - love to all

Amalfi coast, Pompei and Vesuvius

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We drove north along the coast to Tropea, and then picked up the motorway to make headway. Some stretches of motorway are built on high concrete stilts to cross the many hills and valleys – the scenery was beautiful with villages and towns built on the hillsides.

 

We stopped at Paestum and the ancient city of Poseidonia to visit the Greek temples – made of local stone rather than marble as in Greece – which were remarkably well preserved. There are 3 temples with The Temple of Hera being larger than the Parthenon in Athens, an amphitheatre and a coliseum-type building partly buried beneath the modern road. Within the museum were finds from nearby tombs with ‘The Diver’ being the most famous. It was fascinating.

 

From here we drove along the Amalfi coast - it’s a white-knuckle’ drive according to our guide books! The road twists and turns, is very narrow in places and is full of Italian drivers who are only half concentrating – they are invariably on their mobiles – whilst overtaking, pulling out in front of us….. – quite like Sicily really! The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful with the small towns clinging to the steep-sided cliffs.

 

 
From here we based ourselves in Pompei. The archaeological site is large and took a day to explore. Only the ground floor of buildings survived the Vesuvius eruption in 79AD, but some have exquisite painted frescoes on the walls, mosaic-tiled floors and mosaic decorations on the walls. It’s amazing how these survived.

From Pompei, we took the train to Herculaneum which was also devastated by the same eruption. Here, the archaeological site is much smaller, with more complete ruins – charred wood of floor joists are visible. Again there are beautiful frescoes, mosaic floor and wall decorations.

 

 

Our trip up Mount Vesuvius was excellent. Part of the journey was by bus, and then 4x4 jeeps through the Vesuvius national park and finally a 20minute walk to the crater. You can walk about half the way around the crater top – steam is visible from the inner wall which is ‘normal volcanic activity’ according to our guide. The views of Naples city and the Bay of Naples were stunning.

 

From here, we’re continuing northwards.

Will post again next week - love to all

Sicily

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We continued along the northern coast of Sicily before heading inland skirting the Monti Nebrodi hills – beautiful winding mountain roads with very little traffic – and headed for Agrigento on the southern coast. Here is the Valley of the Temples – a series of ancient remains from the 5^th century BC set amongst olive and almond trees. Both magnificent, the Temple of Juno is less well preserved than the huge Temple of Concordia which was used as a church in the 6^th Century AD.

 From here, we continued along the coast road towards Siracusa and its old town of Ortigia – a port island joined to the mainland by a causeway. It was here that Archimedes shouted ‘eureka’ after proving his water displacement theory. The cathedral here has the ancient columns of the 5th century BC Temple of Athena incorporated in its outer walls – amazing! We enjoyed just ambling around the old town, people watching and enjoying the hot sunshine.

 

Leaving Siracusa, we headed towards Mount Etna – it’s visible along most of the coastal route north. The steep and winding road led to the southern car park where we stayed overnight with a couple of other campers. The view of Etna smoking and the lava fields are fantastic. We climbed 2 inactive volcanoes and walked around the crater which was amazing, and there was a welcome cool breeze here. Etna lies directly on the 15° longitudinal meridian which is marked by a small monument on the car park. After leaving here, we noticed the van has small yellow stains on the bonnet and over-cab which haven’t washed off – we think its sulphur from the volcanic atmosphere – what a souvenir!

 

From here, we made our way through Taormina – the main holiday resort on Sicily – back to the ferry at Messina. There are some incredibly narrow roads on Sicily which have proved challenging at times; coupled with the typical local driving style, we’re surprised we left with the van unscathed!

Can you really trust your sat nav?

 

Back on the mainland, we’re plotting our route north, and enjoying the continuing hot and sunny weather.
 

Will post again next week - love to all