Category Archives: New Zealand

The mystery machine

Posted on by

Next to our hotel in Rome there is a vending machine. It is covered in buttons, has slots for money and for cards, is covered in pictures and Italian writing, and it changes colour every few seconds. It looks a bit like a Las Vegas slot machine, and like one of those has caused both delight and tears.

We have sat at the bar which is next to it and observed many people using, or trying to use it. Last night there was an American girl trying to use it, the interaction ended in tears.

So what is this mystery machine and why does it affect people the way it does. Jean went to investigate.

it is a cigarette vending machine which has instructions only in Italian and a process for purchase that is convoluted and complicated. Clearly the locals understand it, but any visitor is baffled. Often they put their money into the machine only to fail the process to purchase and then walk away empty handed and without their cash.

Upon investigation, Jean’s concluded that ID is required as part of the purchase process. All Italians have this via a national ID card. Things like passports and drivers licences or foreign ID cards are useless – but there is no indication of that on the machine. So having watched people struggle with it and fail, I’m pretty sure that this machine is the most profitable vending machine in Italy.

Friends in Tuscany

Posted on by

We are lucky enough to have friends in Tuscany and we all got together for dinner at San Felice. It was a wonderful night, great food, great wine and great company.

Three Kiwis and four Italians, what a special experience.

From seafood and bustle to meat and quiet

Posted on by

We have been in Tuscany for a couple of days and the contrast with Positano is dramatic. Gone is the bustle and noise of the busy seaside town, replaced by the quiet of rural Tuscany. The noisiest thing we hear are the church bells ringing out on the hour or the distant sound of tyres on white roads (gravel roads).

The constants are the long lasting summer weather and the incredible sunsets.

We moved into Relais Vignale in Radda in Chianti a few days ago and it felt like catching up with an old friend. We booked the same room as last year so enjoyed our own private garden and a room with enough room to swing many cats – if we so wished.

Marco still runs the bar like a military operation and remembered us from last year. The pool was still there but with new seats and loungers. The big change was the restaurant – Vignale Ristorante – which has a new manager, who has taken it’s slightly tired and stodgy menu and reinvented it with traditional local cuisine with a modern feel.

The restaurant uses its terrace view to great effect and we spent the first evening enjoying some delicious food – lots of meat and not much seafood, excellent local wine and the view of the sun slowly setting beyond the olive trees.

If you’re staying at Relais Vignale in the next wee while (that would be you Tony W) give the restaurant a shot. I’m sure you’ll be in for a great evening.

We have also been able to catch up with our friends Olga and Dani. We’ve had meals out and meals in – including a traditional kiwi barbecue at their place, with an Italian flavour. Marinated chicken, Italian sausages and a huge slice of prosciutto went on the barbecue, accompanied by arancini, courtesy of Dani, focaccia courtesy of our NZ friend Tina and everything else courtesy of Olga.

There was food for a dozen people but the 5 of us made a good dent in it.

Relais Vignale pool from the bar
Aperol Spritz – cliched but a true taste of Italy
Restaurant Vignale’s terrace from the bar
The view from the restaurant
Our place – for a few days
Some bloke at the barbecue
Two barbecue experts
Home made Focaccia bread
Home made Arancini
Tuscan sunset with a kiwi flavour
Sunset from Dani and Olga’s terrazzo

Has anyone we know invested in a local villa recently?

Posted on by

We spotted this lovely villa on our walk to the village in Positano.

Tax – boring but worth it

Posted on by

For those of you heading to Italy – or the rest of Europe, tax is an important subject. Sales tax specifically. Anything you buy which is coming home with you, and which you paid more than 70 Euro for, you can claim the sales tax back. This averages around 12% of the sale price. On a 600 Euro purchase that can be around 75 Euro back.

This can mount up and become a welcome refund at the end of your trip.

The place you purchase the item from does the paper work (which is mostly automated anyway) and all you need to do is visit the relevant tax refund kiosk at the airport you are departing from to claim the refund. Simple.

View from the pool

Posted on by

The hotel pool has a great view. Yesterday afternoon at 5pm the dock was busy with ferries coming and going. Beside them, the smaller boats dropping off their day trip customers – returning from Capri, Amalfi or other places along the coast.

Further down the coast a gaggle of super yachts are moored up as they prepare for another night on the water. I have to say – the slide? Really?

Sweet treats

Posted on by

Tony works at Eden Roc hotel and, among other things, manages the breakfast service. He is a lovely man with a happiness and joy about him that is infectious. Even the grumpiest breakfast customer is inevitably won over by his charm and eagerness to make “Tony’s breakfast” the most important meal of the day.

Even on days that we don’t have breakfast at the hotel but come later to spend time around and in the pool, he appears with a small box of sweet treats for us (well me actually) – a selection of the cakes and pastries he knows I like – that we can bring back to the casetta and eat later.

A trip to the dairy

Posted on by

Yesterday we were running a bit low on essentials so Jean decided to walk to the corner dairy and pick some stuff up. It’s a great walk, even dodging the traffic on the narrow road is a sport in its own right. Here she is returning triumphant with milk, eggs, wine and beer. She forgot the tonic, bugger.

Good Morning Positano

Posted on by

Get up. Put the kettle on. Open the front door. Not a bad way to start the day.

Sorrento for the day

Posted on by

Our driver arrived promptly at 10:30am and we were off to Sorrento for the day. Alberto was a great driver, just the right amount of chat and info, and great skills getting us over the hill to Sorrento feeling good – it is a twisting road and can cause a queasy stomach.

Because he is from Sorrento Alberto drove a route that took us along the edge of the cliff past some great views and some stunning hotels and homes.

It was hot today in Sorrento, either 28 degrees if you believe Apple’s weather app, 32 degrees if you believe il Meteo which is the equivalent of our Metservice app, or 39 degrees according the sign outside the Farmacia in the main square. It felt like the Farmacia was closest. Ideal weather for shopping.

Alberto dropped us in the middle of Sorrento at which point the shopping began.

Jean stumbled across Marella last year when we were here. Its parent brand is Max Mara and it has the essence of that top end clothing brand with somewhat more reasonable pricing. The clothes look great. And there is one in Sorrento.

So while I sat in the “husband chair” she was dazzled with options. One thing we notice is the sales assistants are also fashion experts – this goes with this, and with this and when we add this, and what about this … so half an hour later Jean has a selection of clothes being rung up and a bag so full the handles break after leaving the shop.

“The husband” also did a little shopping bagging a rather nice Bulova watch for the collection.

Lunch was at Fauno bar, followed by a few more hours shopping while “the husband” found himself a nice quiet bar and an endless supply of Heineken to fill in the time.

Alberto then took us home and the purchases were unveiled one by one. For you to see the purchases, gentle reader, you’ll have to wait for our return.

Jean in Sorrento
Watching the world from Il Fauno Bar in Sorrento
Shopping
Bulova – the other moon watch

A day at the beach

Posted on by

On Friday we went to the beach. There were three options – Arienzo beach – 239 steps below our villa, Spiaggia Grande – the main beach in Positano and Fornillo beach which is one bay on from the Spiaggia Grande.

Arienzo beach is home of the famous Arienzo beach club which we have visited before. It is close to the casa and private but has changed in the last few years. It used to cost 10 Euro for a towel, lounger and umbrella plus whatever you spent on lunch and drinks. Since Covid, it has become an Instagram hotspot and now only offers packages which start at 350 Euro for the “basic experience” which includes loungers, umbrellas, lunch and a bottle of bubbles, and goes up to 850 Euro for the “VIP experience” which include a 20 minute photo shoot, vintage champagne and caviar. Yikes, that makes for an expensive day out.

Spiaggia Grande is the beach you see in all the classic shots of Positano. Rows of loungers and umbrellas all lined up like soldiers. It is close to the village but is very busy. It seems better value for money than Arienzo beach but we have tended to avoid the hustle and bustle that comes with it’s hundreds of keen beach goers.

Which brings us to Fornillo beach, the quiet alternative to the main beach and where we spent a day last year.

It is a longer walk to get there and back on a hot day but it’s worth it. Jean got to swim in the sea, taste the salty waters of the Med, and fulfil her piscean needs.

Casa e Bottega – revisited

Posted on by

One of our favourite places in Positano is Casa e Bottega. We wrote a story about it last year and we were keen to revisit this year. Checking our schedule of events – yes we have one, but that’s another story – Tuesday was the allocated day we walked down to the village for lunch at the cafe.

Casa e Bottega is both a cafe and an arts and craft store which, for one of us is dangerous. Last year we bought a ceramic jug for the kitchen which Jean then nursed home wrapped in copious layers of bubble wrap in her carry on luggage.

Bad news, this year the moment we walked in she spotted this years purchase, another jug which will go well with the one we bought last year. I am seeing the start of a dangerous trend here.

As always the food was excellent and the company of the staff and owner, the lovely Vito (who also owns the Palazzo Murat Hotel) was delightful. He confirmed what we had felt from day one, that the village is less busy and more relaxed than last year with less people visiting on day trips.

For him that meant a hotel that was still fully booked during the peak season but less people spending at the bars and restaurants. Given how frantic last year was, he genuinely thought this was a good thing. A sentiment echoed by everyone else we have talked with this trip.

One thing about the Casa I had forgotten were the two resident dogs who have free rein of the cafe, sleeping in their beds in one corner, walking around being patted by the patrons, or simply lying down wherever they want. Being dog owners separated from our girls, it was great to be able have a pat or have a head laid on your knee for a gentle rub.

The Monster House

Posted on by

About 30 metres from the top of the Spanish Steps is this unique house. It is Palazzo Zuccari, also known as the House of Monsters of Rome, which now houses the Bibliotheca Hertziana.

The Bibliotheca Hertziana is a highly specialised library which can only be accessed after completing a doctorate in History of Arts or Humanities – although there are now daily tours available.

This facia was originally the back of a house built in the 1500s (before the Spanish Steps were built) which was the entrance to a garden. The owner, an artist, wanted a striking entrance that contrasted with the beauty of the garden beyond. Hence the monsters sculpted around the doors and windows.

Also, please note Jean doing her best Insta pose.

Flying High with Emirates

Posted on by

Thank you Emirates. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in your business class cabin on route to Rome. It felt like the golden age of flying when it was more than just a way to get from A to B, but rather was an experience in it’s own right.

There was room to spread out, great food and drink, and service that was unmatched. Nothing was too much trouble for your wonderful staff and how you managed to produce my pan-fried beef tenderloin served with thyme jus, mashed potatoes and blanched broccoli in an aeroplane at 40,000 feet is a mystery to me.

Emirates pride themselves on their diversity of crew and our cabin was served by a team brought together from all corners of the globe. All with a single-minded focus to ensure our trip was as relaxed and enjoyable as possible.

And to top off the experience, there is the cocktail bar at the rear of their cabin. The ideal place to stretch you legs, meet fellow travellers, enjoy a quiet drink and, in Jean’s case, make new friends.

I said previously that we were Premium Economy travellers – and while that is a great experience, this was special. The chance to upgrade was well worth the extra cost and has made us rethink how we will travel in future.

And yes Emirates, this post is a shameless attempt to get the offer of an upgrade when we return home in September.

Jean making friends at 40,000 feet
There’s even a place for your hat
Champagne seemed to feature large in our trip
Me trying to look cool but failing dismally

Back to Italy

Posted on by
Florence from Piazza Michaelangelo

We weren’t planning to visit Italy this year. Last year’s trip was on such a scale and the credit card bills were so large that we were genuinely planning a “stay at home” year.

But last year, on a whim, we had pencil booked a two week stay at Casetta Arienzo in Positano for August this year.

We ignored the time late last year when we usually book the early bird flights to Europe. We were mentally not going, we had checked out, so to speak.

Until an email arrived in May from the lovely people at Eden Roc Hotel asking us to confirm or cancel the booking for Casetta Arienzo. That changed things.

Or more accurately, we came to our senses.

Within a fortnight in May we arranged everything – flights (thank you Petra our lovely travel agent of 25 years), hotels (some old favourites and some new experiences), train trips, rental cars in Italy and all that goes along with a holiday.

We are going for a month, staying in Positano for two weeks, spending a week or so catching up with friends in Tuscany and making up the remaining time in Rome.

Time has flown and it’s now mid August and we’re flying out in a couple of days. We can’t wait.