Tag Archives: summer

Arriving in Venice

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After a 4 hour train trip from Rome, we arrived in Venice. The only train station I’m aware of with a canal running past its front. There to greet us was Alaria. She had organised a water taxi which took us and our bags through the canals of Venice, eventually reaching the Londra Palace. Our home for the next 4 days.

It’s a lovely hotel which has, in one guise or another, been receiving guests since 1857. It has both a bar and restaurant with terraces that look over the water.

If you are planning a trip to Venice then this could well be the relaxing retreat from the summer madness you are looking for.

Arriving at the hotel and our room with a view

Out and about in Rome

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We spent a day wandering around Rome – visiting some places we’ve seen before and adding a few new ones to the list.

We also took our first selfie – not sure why.

The Trevi Fountain
Crowds at the Trevi Fountain
First selfie – hmmm
Second selfie – better
The back streets of Rome
The Pantheon – recently a charge was introduced to manage the number of visitors
Fontana delle Pantheon
The missus, a picture of elegance in a sea of worn sneakers and ill fitting t-shirts
Piazza Navona
Bernini fountain in Piazza Navona
Third selfie – winner
The queue to enter the Pantheon – not sure if the new charge has worked.

Our room in Rome

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Hotel rooms in Rome are often slightly weird. Because they have to work with the existing building layout there can be some unusual layouts. Ours is long and winding, but the plus is the outside terrace and what comes with it.

Given the 30 degree heat, the sauna didn’t offer a lot of value, but the rest of the terrace was priceless.

Room 43 Hotel Barocco Rome – trashed but ours.

Trains, planes and automobiles to Rome

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After many hours travel we arrived in Rome yesterday. Everything went as it should – we made our connections, our bags arrived and all our transfers when smoothly although the final leg – a train from Milan to Rome and a taxi to the hotel was done with us largely asleep as the local time of 8pm meant our bodies had some catching up to do.

It was great to sleep in a real bed at Hotel Barocco – despite waking at about 6am with an overwhelming desire for dinner.

So soon after, we sat down to a three course dinner masquerading as the Barocco breakfast – pastries, cheeses and cold meats, fresh fruit, eggs, rolls and the inevitable cups of cappuccino.

The perfect way to start a day in Rome.

The view from our terrace – early morning in Rome.
Hotel Bernini Bristol made famous in the book The Da Vinci Code
Our first breakfast in Rome
More breakfast in Rome
A great way to start the day

On the train from Milan to Rome – bored and tired at 157 km/h

Our itinerary

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I’ve had a few requests for the itinerary for our Italian odyssey. So here goes:

  • 24 July – Depart Wellington
  • 25 July – Arrive in Rome, stay 3 nights
  • 28 July – Train to Venice, stay 4 nights
  • 1 August – Train to Florence, collect rental car, drive to Camogli, stay 7 nights
  • 7 August – Drive to Radda in Chianti, Tuscany, stay 5 nights
  • 12 August – Train to Naples and then driver to Positano, stay 3 weeks
  • 2 September – Train to Rome stay 4 nights
  • 6 September – Depart Rome for home
  • 8 September – Arrive in Wellington – recover from jetlag

So there you have it – 7 weeks in 9 lines. Simple.

Return to Venice

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We last visited Venice in 1999. That would be 24 years ago.

Although the memories have blurred with time, we have evidence of the trip in the form of the the photographs taken – with a Nikon 35mm film camera – as iPhones weren’t invented until 8 years later.

Looking at these shots, clearly neither of us have aged a day since then.

We are looking forward seeing the city again.

We will be back there is a fortnight and are staying on the Island at the Londra Palace. We have trips to both Murano and Burano planned and we may even spend a day at the Lido if the pull of a beach day becomes too strong.

From what we hear Venice will be crowded, with an inundation of day trippers. Hopefully the evenings will be quieter – and we can, once again, enjoy an aperitivo at Caffe Florian in Piazza San Marco listening to the music.

 

A short video using footage from our 1999 visit to Venice.

Back to Arienzo Beach

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Yesterday we went to our local beach – Spiaggia Arienzo. I blogged about it before in 2011 when we last visited it. In particular, the blog mentioned the number of steps from the road down to the beach – 239. Easy on the way down, not so much climbing back up.

Although the price for a lounger, umbrella and place on the beach at the Arienzo Beach Club has gone up from 9 to 20 Euros in the last 8 years, it’s still worth it with table service to your lounger being a winning idea. Lunch at the beach club was great and it is still amazing they can produce such good food, in such quantity, so quickly for lunch from a kitchen the size of a closet.

At the end of the day the 239 steps up to the road felt a lot steeper than 8 years ago and this old man needed a couple of stops along the way. Ideal breaks to grab a glance at the luxury villas that cling to this part of the coast.

 

Moon over Positano – Take 2

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As often happens here, last night was a repeat of Monday night with the moon appearing above the sunset. This time I managed to capture the event crisply without the use of a tripod.

I simply took the shot about 20 minutes earlier. The shot is not quite as dramatic, but it’s all there. I also took a shot with a different camera which provided quite a different look.

A slightly blurred moon over Positano

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If you have ever wondered why a tripod should be part of a photographers travel kit – here’s the reason.

Last night there was a fingernail moon over the bay as the last of the evening light faded. A perfect shot – but without a tripod it was a succession of ever so slightly blurred shots. No amount of ISO pushing or aperture opening could bring the shutter speed down to avoid camera movement.

The camera was braced, I was braced, but the result was always the same.

Note to self – next time pack the damn travel tripod.

Our local store

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Since our last visit a new local store has opened just a few 100 metres up the road from our place. It’s small but stocks all the essentials – and offers take away food as well.

The bonus is that you can sit waiting for your order, having a beer, watching the goings on – that is the main road through Positano in the foreground.

A sad day in Positano

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Today my sister Tina from Austin in Texas was supposed to join us in Positano for the next week or so.

But just a few days ago she fell and broke her leg in multiple places. It was a bad break and has required pins, nuts, bolts, some nails, a couple of girders and multiple surgeries to repair as you can see from the X-ray.

It reminds me of some of the DIY repair work I’ve done around the house but hopefully with better results.

The doctors have done all they can but it’s going to take 6 to 8 weeks – with a chunk of that as bed rest – before Tina can start getting back to normal.

As a result she is unable to fly – or do anything much for that matter – so any thoughts of coming here are gone.

We will miss her terribly and wish her all the best for the next few weeks. Keep your leg elevated Tina, and enjoy the endless waiter service.

 

One for the cat people

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Positano is known for its cats. They wander around the village under some form of collective ownership that means they get fed and looked after by, well, everyone. Despite the busy roads most seem to survive and lead long and happy lives – usually curled up in the shade during the day doing what cats do best – not much.

Casetta Arienzo comes with its own cat. It’s a little tabby cat with one eye, an insatiable appetite and a tail that never stops moving. It’s on our door step every morning when we get up and every night when we go to bed. It lies in the shade on the verandah when we are at home or out and about. It has decided it’s our cat.

Cat food is now part of our shopping list when we go to the alimentari and a bowl of water is permanently on the verandah. Ah, the responsibilities of parenthood.

 

 

 

Snacks on a train

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I’d like to say that this post is all about Jean’s first lunch on a train.

The trip from Firenze to Napoli included lunch as we rocketed through the countryside north of Roma at 275km/h. Compared to typical airline food this was a feast of pasta, ragu and buffalo mozzarella all washed down with a Sicilian Chardonnay.

But really this post is just an excuse to use the title.

Heading south

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View from our villa – hazy weather means Capri is shrouded in the distance

Yesterday we travelled from Camogli (south of Genova) to Positano (just south of Napoli). The 2 hour drive to Firenze to catch the train south was negotiated successfully – including the Firenze one way system which is always a challenge.

It felt like it was going to be a good day.

As it was Saturday the rental car office was frantic (most villa rentals run for a week from Saturday to Saturday) with tourist picking up cars. The queue went out of the office and down the street – quite hard work for those waiting in the 32 degree heat.

We drove past all this chaos, into the garage, was met by a lovely Avis rep who checked the car (no dents this time), helped with our bags, ordered a taxi for us and handed me a receipt in about 3 minutes flat.

It was really looking like a good day.

The taxi dropped us at the organised chaos that is Firenze train station with time to spare for our train. Luckily we could escape the chaos as our tickets included access to the Frecciarossa lounge – an air-conditioned haven of peace, tranquility, free beverages and snacks.

Jean discovered the shopping mall under the station and disappeared for a few minutes returning successfully with “that t-shirt top she’d been looking for” and “something to wear by the pool”.

The train trip south was 3 hours. We arrived in Napoli at 5pm and were greeted by our driver Enzo on the platform. An hour later we were in a warm and slightly muggy Positano being greeted by the Eden Roc team.

Definitely a good day.

Last day in Camogli

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Today we leave Camogli and head south to Positano. We have thoroughly enjoyed both our time here at Cenobio Dei Dogi and our time exploring the village.

Would we come back – like a shot.

As always it’s about the place but also the people you meet. After 6 days of turning up at the same places for meals and drinks, exploring the village on foot (it’s not a big village so there’s not much walking involved) and generally settling in we are starting to be recognised. The fact that we are from New Zealand is a surprise and the start of a conversation. And that’s what it’s all about.