This gallery contains 4 photos.
We have a Madonna. Just down the road from the villa is a short set of steps leading up to a statue of Mary set into the cliff. She is behind glass to protect her from the elements and is … Continue reading
Every time we arrive back at Villa Greta we are met by Daisy and Poppie. They are so pleased to see us and it doesn’t matter how many times we come and go we always get the same rapturous welcome. For those of you who don’t know them Daisy, being nearly 15 years old, is the slower one. Poppie is the one with her favourite toy in her mouth.
This gallery contains 10 photos.
For our visitor’s final day in Italy, we visited Pompeii, one of the three towns destroyed by the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 79 AD. What sets Pompeii apart from other roman ruins is the fact that the eruption buried … Continue reading
You can always tell when the girls feel at home. They start barking at everyone walking past and go nuts when anyone visits. Based on this, as of last Wednesday Villa Greta became “our place”. For the next few weeks anyway.
Inside stuff to pack
It has been a fantastic 6 months reveling in the Tuscan way of life but all good things must end. And our ending is just a new beginning as we swap Tuscany for Positano on the Amalfi Coast.
We were there in July when it was summer and it was almost tropically hot. In November it should be cooler but still as warm as a summer’s day back home.
Outside stuff to pack
We shall see, but first we have to get there and that means cramming everything we own into our Renault Megane Wagon and driving south for about 5 hours … 6 with stops for the girls.
Farewell Tuscany, hello Positano.
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Our stay in Tuscany is coming to an end. We leave at the end of October but our original plans to head home have changed a bit.
We have decided to chase the warm(ish) weather south to Positano and have arranged to stay for 6 weeks at Villa Greta looking out over the ocean. After we spent two weeks there in July we always said it was somewhere we wanted to return.
So, at the end of the week, we pack up the Renault and head south until early December.
It sounds simple when you say it fast but after 6 months we are quite settled in our tiny cottage in Tuscany. We have a lot to take with us. Slightly more, we suspect, than our 3 suitcases can carry.
Never let it be said that Toscanakiwi doesn’t respond to it’s readers comments. The recent post about our day at the beach raised a number of questions.
Here, we answer them.
That Ferrari
I didn’t have a photograph of the Ferrari yesterday but “Tina of Texas” wanted to see the car. Today I wandered up the road to take a shot and, being Italy, the car was still there. In fact it hadn’t moved an inch.
What you can’t see from the photo is the steepness of the drive the car is parked on. Clearly the car’s owner doesn’t trust the handbrake and has used what I assume is a Ferrari aftermarket accessory to ensure the car stays put.
Obviously it must be a Ferrari branded brick although I couldn’t get close enough to confirm this.
The turntable
The turntable is covered in a very stylish faux grass finish. Not really sure the logic of this but I guess it’s an Italian thing.
The beach
Geoffman asked about the makeup of the beach. Asienzo beach is mostly a pebble beach. There is a small area of sand but from where we were it was a stony walk to the water.
Also the stones were incredibly hot so part of the entertainment was watching people do a funny little dance when a stone or two worked it’s way into their shoes or sandals. From experience I can say – ouch.
Today we went to the beach. We walked down the 239 steps to Arienzo Beach and paid €9 each for a lounger, an umbrella and a spot on the private part of the beach.
After an hour of tanning and swimming we adjourned to the Arienzo Beach Club for a pasta lunch, beer and Gin & Tonic. The beach club is a restaurant and bar built on the beach and consists of poles, canvas, chairs and tables. It’s amazing they can produce good food but based on our choices for lunch, they can. What’s more, anything to do with seafood is fresh – caught that morning, in fact.
After another hour in the 32 degree sun we headed up the steps. – all 239 of them. The walk up takes you past some of the most expensive villas in Positano and at the leisurely pace we were walking we got to see them in detail. I was most impressed by the one with the brand new Ferrari out front and, to allow the car to turn around, a turntable at the end of the drive.
I’m sure the Ferrari driver was equally impressed by the two hot, sweaty, smelly, gasping tourists staring at his car and his turntable.
A couple of photographs of Villa Greta taken from across the road.
We arrived in Positano on Saturday after a 5 hour drive from Tuscany to the warmest, friendliest greeting from the staff at Eden Roc Hotel. We aren’t staying at the hotel but have rented a villa they own called Villa Greta. The villa is situated just along the main road, 10 minutes easy walk from the hotel.
When we arrived there were fresh flowers on the table, wine and fresh fruit in the fridge and a home made cake on the bench. A lovely touch by the hotel we thought.
Compared to our cottage in Tuscany the villa is huge and everyone is enjoying the additional space and various mod cons – like a dishwasher.
The dogs have recovered from the drive south and have settled in. They already bark at everyone walking past on the street – much to the delight of the locals.
We normally arrive at Positano later in July but the good news is that the weather is great and the temperature is around 30 degrees. The town doesn’t feel packed and the superyachts are just starting to arrive in the bay. The bonus is that we can use the hotel facilities – pool, bar, restaurant, did I mention the pool, etc – so we have the best of both worlds.
La dolce far niente 