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On Saturday we visited the historic hilltop village of Noto located about 45 minutes drive south west of Syracuse. It is a UNESCO world heritage site famous for its fine early 18th century buildings, considered among the main masterpieces in the Sicilian … Continue reading
The view beyond our pool and out over the olive grove was enhanced on Thursday night by a spectacular sunset.
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Ortygia is a small island separated from Syracuse by a narrow canal. It was the site of the original ancient Greek settlement which later became the bustling trading and fishing port of Syracuse. In fact the population of Syracuse around the … Continue reading
Today the All Blacks played the Wallabies in the second Bledisloe Cup test. Despite a TV with over 500 channels these Sicilean AB supporters could find no TV coverage of the game.
Compounding this, the villa internet connection is the narrowest broadband connection in the world and so video was all buffering and no streaming.
But the saviour turned out to be the Radio NZ iPhone app which streamed the radio commentary of the game perfectly. And when broadcast through our portable JBL bluetooth speaker it gave us stadium quality sound.
And what an All Black victory – 51 points to 20 – tutto bene.
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We arrived back at Sant’ Agostino after dinner one night earlier this week and discovered one of the guests had almost managed to park their Fiat Punto in the carpark. Now I’m no expert but given the height of the curb the … Continue reading
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Last Monday we departed Positano early in the morning for Naples airport and then on to Catania in Sicily. After a 45 minute flight, a 40 minute wait for our bags and an hour long wait at the Hertz office to … Continue reading
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Yesterday we moved from the villa to the hotel proper. We have a delightful room just a stone’s throw from the piscina – and the hotel staff to cater to our every whim. The hotel describes its rooms as suites … Continue reading
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Dinner at Chez Black can be a sophisticated affair. The restaurant is one of Positano’s oldest and most respected. Since 1949 it has been host to many famous people including Denzel Washington and Harvey Weistein who we sat next to … Continue reading
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It’s amazing what you take for granted. Our short walk from Villa Greta to the village is along the main road through Positano which twists and turns with the contours of the cliffs. Although that walk is only a few … Continue reading
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Half way down the hill on the way to the beach at Positano there is a restaurant called Bruno. It started as a small indoor restaurant and, over the years, developed a great reputation for it’s food. In the last … Continue reading
Over the weekend we took the first steps towards Italy. Our suitcases came out of the cupboard and we started to think about packing. For me that involved a lot of T-shirts and shorts and not much else.
For Jean it began closer to the ground. Darling, you’re packing how many pairs of shoes?
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June 1 is officially the first day of winter but clearly no one told the weather gods as Wellington was treated to a stunning day. But those of you familiar with our place will know that we lose any sight of the … Continue reading
Siena from the Torre del Mangia
For no reason, a photograph taken from the top of the Torre del Mangia in Siena looking towards the Duomo and the countryside beyond. The view, after climbing the tower’s 400 steps is absolutely wonderful.
This shot was taken 12 years ago and has survived a transfer from film to print to scanned image. The scan was state-of-the-art for 2002 (for that read low res, and full of noise) but, with a little Photoshopping, it can be brought back to life.
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Since April 2011 there have been 299 posts to this blog so this one is officially number 300. Over the last 2 and a bit years we’ve covered our trip to Europe – which was the reason for starting this … Continue reading
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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 … Continue reading
La dolce far niente 