Tag Archives: Italian

A Kiwi Christmas

As a kiwi, Christmas is all about summer, barbecues at the beach, Christmas decorations that make no sense and Turkey roasts eaten on a steamy hot summer’s day. It’s what we know and love.

Last year was the first time I have ever spent Christmas in a cold place and suddenly it all made sense. A quick flick through the photos from last year brought back memories of Sorrento – where every year at the start of December, as winter arrives, the Christmas lights are turned on.

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A year ago today

Last year we spent November and part of December in the small coastal village of Positano on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Through November the village is winding down. The tourist season has ended and hotels and restaurants are closing up, taking a break until the next spring.

Eden Roc Hotel was our second home. The Casola family who own the hotel also own Villa Greta – our place, and extended the hospitality of the hotel to us. On hot days we could lie by the pool and evenings out often started or ended with a drink in the hotel bar looked after by the lovely Carlo.

Eden Roc hotel closed at the end of November so on the 30th it only seemed right for us and the dogs to wander the 500 metres along the road and say farewell to what had become our “mother ship”.

Everyone at the hotel seemed relaxed and the wine was flowing a little freer than usual. The family patriarch (who had been quite ill but seemed to be on the mend) was in the hotel and insisted on buying us a drink or two or three. It ended up being a big night.

Which explains the photo – taken about 3pm the next day – when all the Mowday girls were sound asleep on the bed, one of them nursing a sizeable hangover.

One year ago today

July 12 2011 – we were staying in the lovely Villa Greta in Positano on the Amalfi Coast. It was a scorching hot day with the temperature hovering in the low 30′s (celsius) with hardly a breath of wind. The ideal day to wander down to the beach – in this case our local, Arienzo Beach. “Local” means directly below Villa Greta down 239 steps. All very well going down but an absolute nightmare coming up on a hot day. But well worth it for a lie in the sun and a fine pasta lunch at the beach club.

July 12 2012 – I was sitting in my study in Casa Kainui, Wellington. The sun was shining and I thought about taking a wander down to our local beach – Hataitai Beach. The temperature was hovering in the low 10′s (celsius) with a brisk wind blowing from the south- no, it’s not quite the same.

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A taste of Italy

Every time Jean and I feel homesick for Italy we make the pilgrimage to MariLuca Ristoro. It is owned and run by a friend, Guiseppie, and stepping through the door feels like stepping back to Italy. It’s all warmth and friendliness and excellent Italian food, all in the heart of Wellington.

Bellisssimo.

Note: photos are courtesy of MariLuca Ristoro

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Farewell Renault, hello Fiat

On Saturday we returned our trusty Renault Megane Estate. Its 6 month lease was over and we couldn’t extend the term any further. It has been a fantastic car – reliable, spacious, comfortable, fast, economical, everything you could want. We returned it almost intact to the Renault Depot at Heathrow, just a couple of scrapes on one side resulting from trying to squeeze into a narrow driveway in Firenze.

We will miss its luggage capacity, its start/stop button (just like an Aston Martin) and the way its side mirrors folded in when parked. We won’t miss its cable gear shift which meant that second and fourth seemed to be in the same place, or the cacophony of beeping that greeted any parking manoeuvre thanks to the front and rear parking sensors.

So what car would you get as a replacement for a capacious, comfortable estate car? A Fiat 500 of course.

The irony that all through Italy we drove French cars and now in the UK we drive the quintessential Italian car is not lost on Jean and I. The irony that we have an estate cars worth of luggage and the 500 is about the size of a roller-skate is also not lost on us.

But it’s a Fiat and a really good one at that. It handles like a go-cart, it looks cute and it just makes you, well, smile.

It’s ours for the next two weeks or until Mr Avis wants it back again.

Note: The photo of our Fiat 500 was taken at Woburn Estate just before sunset. I quite like this shot.

And now we turn 200
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And now we turn 200

This is our 200th toscanakiwi post. When we started the blog it was to keep friends and family informed about our little adventure in Italy. But reading back over some of the last 200 entries I now realise it is also a collection of memories for Jean and I. It might be old age or just the passing of time but little things get forgotten and one adventure gets confused with another in our minds – but the blog is always there with the real story.

In September 2011, post number 100 was sent from our cottage in Tuscany. At that stage around 4,800 visitors had read the blog since it’s launch. As of today that figure has increased to 11,541.

A huge thank you to all our lovely readers. Your feedback is always welcome and knowing that our adventures are providing a little interest and entertainment is all that we can ask for.

Ciao

Graeme and Jean

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Return to Positano

Our time in Positano is but a distant memory but as we left Positano in early December we videotaped the drive around the main road, down to the village and back again. The plan was to show our lovely readers how narrow the roads were as well as some of the sights of the town.

It has taken a while to edit the footage but it is now as complete as it will ever be.

The trip is along the main road through Positano which runs to Amalfi one way and over the hill to Sorrento in the other. We then detour onto the one way road that winds down the hill to the Positano village and then climbs back up to the main road again.

In praise of French motorways

A brief post in praise of the French motorway network. We have become expert users over the last few days and are impressed by the quality of the roads and the general lack of traffic. The rest stops are frequent and in great condition, and every 40 km’s there is a food and drink facility.

The official speed limit is 130 km/h and most drivers seem to stick to it – some don’t.

Daisy’s tour of Troyes

In every trip there is a point where you just need to slow down. For these two kiwis it was after a few days of driving and nights of staying in hotels, packing and unpacking the car, shuffling dogs and figuring out where the next meal is going to be. On this trip that place was Troyes in the heart of the Champagne -Ardenne region.

It is located on the Seine river about 150 km southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses (mainly of the 16th century) survive in the old town. Troyes has been in existence since the Roman era, as Augustobona Tricassium, which stood at the hub of numerous highways, primarily the Via Agrippa. (Thanks to Wikipedia for that information).

We stayed in Hotel St Jean in the old part of the city which was, as mentioned above, all narrow lanes and half timbered buildings. Daisy and Poppie loved walking around the narrow streets – despite the somewhat chilly temperature – and cheesey winter coats.

Taking Daisy for a walk is always an experience. She’s deaf and losing her eyesight, so smell is her main way of experiencing what is around her. This means a walk is usually a series of short trots between long pauses to smell things. Smells that can take minutes to digest and understand. No amount of tugging on her harness will move her until she has extracted that last waft of the aroma. Often that means our patience runs out and she gets picked up and carried – much to her disgust.

Anyway, for Troyes we thought we’d post Daisy’s view of the town rather than ours.

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Keeping the girls warm this winter – warning cute alert!

Winter means warm clothes. That means both us and the girls. So when we made the last visit to our dog groomer in Siena we did some winter coat shopping for the girls. The buying criteria was two-fold. Firstly, warmth for the girls on cold winter days and secondly, out-right cuteness.

In Troyes it was cold enough for the girls’ coats to be used and after a walk in the brisk 4 degree temperature we all adjourned to the bar for drinks.

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Our night in the Alps

Girls relaxing in our room at La Ferme de Cortanges

After our trip through the Alps from Italy we stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in the small village of Cernex located in the Rhone Alps region of France, very close to Switzerland and only about 30 kms from Geneva.

Our hostess was the lovely Rachel Schneider at the beautifully presented La Ferme de Cortanges or Cortange Farm in english. It is an old farm house which Rachel and her husband have restored and turned into a thriving business.

Every room of the seven room establishment was dressed differently and all were located around a comfortable central salon.

For dinner Rachel recommended a local restaurant which served traditional french cuisine. The team headed there for a delightful meal – €41 for four courses plus a bottle of excellent white wine.

After a wee taster from the kitchen of Mussel Soup I tried the fresh oysters and Jean tried the fresh salmon. Both were great. The oysters weren’t quite Bluff Oyster quality (for non New Zealand readers Bluff Oysters are from the deep south of New Zealand and available each year for a limited season. they are fat and full of flavour – for kiwis the benchmark by which all other oysters are measured).

For mains we couldn’t pass by the Boeuf with Bearnaise sauce which was followed by a selection of cheeses from the cheese cart and then souffle with fresh berries for dessert. All stunning.

It was the first time we had taken the girls to dinner in a formal restaurant for a while and, thankfully, they behaved.  Daisy even took a shine to the young couple sitting next door to us and spent time starring at them as they ate.

I didn’t want to ruin their illusion but the Boeuf and Bearnaise sauce on their plates had more to do with that than anything else.

Next day it was fresh fruit, croissants with homemade jam, and a mix of cheese and salami for breakfast then back into the car for an early start as we headed deeper into France.

Through the Alps

Our trip north meant a trip through the French Alps. We originally planned to travel through Torino and then north to the Mount Blanc Tunnel but this route was closed the day we were travelling. We travelled to Torino and then headed northwest towards France and the Fréjus Road Tunnel which runs under Col du Fréjus in the Cottian Alps between Bardonecchia in Italy and Modane in France.

The tunnel is 13 kilometres long and was opened in 1980. It is the fifth longest road tunnel in the world and cost just under €2 billion to build. The French and Italian governments are clearly attempting to recover this cost with the impressive €35 toll charge.

Either side of the tunnel we had spectacular views of the Alps which our photos don’t really do justice too.

As we were driving Jean was shooting video of the trip.

Cenobio del Dogi in Camogli
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Cenobio del Dogi in Camogli

On the way north we stayed at Cenobio Del Dogi, the same hotel on the Portofino Coast as we did heading south in April. Our conclusion after a second visit was much the same as after our first visit.  This is a grand hotel in the spirit of the 1950s or 1960s and it’s easy to imagine Sophia Loren or Marcello Mastroianni sweeping down the main staircase on their way to drinks and dinner. The owners have resisted the temptation to modernise the hotel and have maintained (at considerable cost I suspect) that wonderful historic feel of a classic grand hotel.

We had drinks and dinner in the bar, surrounded by persian rugs and big easy relaxed armchairs. We had breakfast in the formal dining room with hand painted friezes on the walls and full length windows that showcased the view along the coast. We left wanting to return and spend longer than a night – a week would be a good start.

When in Rome …

We arrived in Rome late in the afternoon and were welcomed by Hotel Barocco with a cheerful smile – nice – and a room upgrade which was even nicer. The room included a terrazzo which only dog owners will understand is a bonus. We had two tired puppies who immediately took to the bed and settled in for a sleep.

Staying in hotels with the girls has a strict arrival routine:

  1. Paper down in the bathroom for doggie toilet if necessary (not so needed with the terrazzo but a safety measure)
  2.  Towels onto the bed to protect the beautiful white linen
  3.  ”Do not disturb” sign on the door so housekeeping doesn’t walk into a cacophony of barking
  4.  Doggie food into the fridge which usually means some drinks coming out – some to drink because we really needed a drink after the drive and some to make space for bags and containers of food
  5.  Dog bowls into the bathroom along with doggie fork and knife ready for dinner
  6.  Time for that drink and to watch some english language TV shows.

After settling in we all went around the corner to La Baita for a drink. The temperature was about 10 degrees but the addition of heaters to the bar meant we were toasty warm. The bar is located at the bottom of Via Veneto and looking up the street you could see the Christmas lights adorning the hotels. There is much time and effort put into decorating the area for Christmas – all very much appreciated by this kiwi contingent.

The next day we went to the Trevi Fountain and, for €2 thrown over our left shoulders, we ensured our return to Rome. Even in winter the fountain attracts visitors but there isn’t the absolute human crush of summer. We could actually sit and enjoy the sights for a few minutes.

That night we dined at the restaurant Trip Advisor rates as the 71st best restaurant in Rome from the 3,400 it rates. It happened to be about 20 metres from our hotel and was called Osteria Barberini. We were greeted like part of the family and the service throughout the meal was a delight.

The food was simple Italian fare but superbly done. We had entrees – one was a mix of bruschetta, the other fresh (really fresh), locally made mozzarella with rucola and pomodoro (rocket and tomatoes) followed by classic prima piatti – Spaghetti Carbonara and home-made Lasagne, all washed down with an Italian Chardonnay. Desserts of Pannacotta and Creme Brulee were followed by complimentary Limoncello and a wee stagger back to the hotel.

All up the meal cost €55 which was unbelievable value. If you go to Rome you have to try this place. If you’re not visiting soon, read the Trip Advisor reviews to get a flavour of the place – ours will be there soon.

The next day we repacked the car to the roof – much to the amusement of the porter at Hotel Barocco  and headed to our next stop. It was Chianti for lunch with our friend Olga and then on to the Portofino Coast for our next overnight stop.

Heading north for the winter
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Heading north for the winter

Tomorrow we leave Positano and start the drive north to the UK. As a friend pointed out this seems exactly the wrong direction to be heading as the northern hemisphere winter sets in, but it’s a drive to stay with friends for Christmas in what, for us, will be a new experience.  A winter Christmas.

We will be sorry to leave Positano which has treated us very well but it is time to move on.

This means dragging our battered suitcases out of the cupboard they’ve sat in, forgotten, for 5 weeks and packing our lives into them for the journey north. Hopefully our lives haven’t grown in size too much so we can’t get them closed.

We then need to fit the suitcases into our trusty Renault, ensuring there is enough room left for the girls and for us.

Our next deadline is Calais for a vet check for the girls next Tuesday with a channel crossing on Wednesday so we have just under a week for the trip. Two nights are going to be spent in Rome at the lovely Hotel Barocco on Piazza Barberini to allow us to throw “those coins” into “that fountain” as an insurance policy for our return to Rome in the future. The next night we will be staying in or around Cinque Terre. Beyond that, we’ll be making things up as we go.

Ciao Positano, see you again soon.