ITALY- PART 1

Our trip in Italy began like any good Opera- filled with Drama! We entered from Austria through the towering Alpine ranges, driving into tunnels that wove and turned like on Top Gear. We arrived in Mestre near Venice with absolutely no idea where we were, as we exited the highway and drove through the town Matt started having trouble with Kermit and we began to worry. Kermit has been less than kind to us of late, with a broken water pump and two services back in Denmark and Germany, then issues along the way with smoking brakes and overheating up hills, it has been a tough ride. Now here we were in Italy and the gearbox wouldn’t find first or second gear. Oh dear.  We drove the streets cautiously looking for help, tourist information or something and stumbled upon a campsite we had read about near Venice. We pulled in and decided in was time to bite the bullet and contact our English European Breakdown Company for some help. After a six-hour wait in the forty-degree heat outside of a campsite we decided help wasn’t coming anytime soon so we checked in for the night and watched the beginning of the Soccer World Cup with a few vinos. Finally at 7am, we received a call saying our tow truck was ready and we caught a lift to the mechanic a mere two-minute drive away- IF ONLY WE KNEW! Shortly after the diagnosis came through and a small pin was missing from the gearbox and the part wouldn’t be here for 4 days. So with no more assistance from our breakdown company, we drove slowly back to our campsite and checked in again and began the wait.

 On our first day we caught the bus to Venice and we meandered through the winding cobblestone streets with no map, just directing ourselves towards the main attractions like the Rialto and Piazza San Marco. We stopped for a late lunch in a beautiful courtyard in San Polo and heading back to our campsite to swim and sunbake by the pool. After a rest day cleaning, washing and food shopping we were ready to go touring again on Sunday.

We headed on the bus back into Venice and walked to the ferry point where we headed to the quaint Islands of Burano and Murano. Burano is a kitchy place known for its lace- everything from clothing to tablecloths. The island is bursting with different brightly colored buildings sporting an array of flowers, flags and drapes that pop and excite in the sunshine. We enjoyed a traditional lunch in Burano before heading off to Murano. Murano is home to the traditional Venetian blown glass, we wandered through the streets windowing shopping at the stunning (yet very expensive) hand blown glasses and even watched a few glasses be made in one of the stores. What an incredible talent and art form it is!

We headed back on the ferry and spent our final night in Venice. With Monday’s arrival, the car was fixed and ready to rock and roll again. We drove to the town of Padua (Padova) and marveled at its beauty. Less touristy then Venice, Padua is quaint charming town, where we enjoyed a vino and a true classical lunch in an osteria favored by the local Old Italian men. We ate ham and bread with incredible vinegar and enjoyed fresh homemade pasta the way it should be. Late in the afternoon we headed to Verona where we sat high up on a look out and watched the sun go down over another stunning city.  We woke early, eager to begin our day and walked through the streets of Verona. We headed to the main square, Piazza delle Erbe, and admired the work of the painters capturing the mornings market before heading to Juliet’s Balcony, Verona’s most sighted attraction.  The balcony from the scene of the ill fate lovers was once a place of love and hope with couples leaving locks and scribing their love notes upon the walls, now however, the commercialism and touristy aspect seems to overshadow its original meaning with hundreds packed into the small space leaving inscriptions on anything from gum to Band-Aids. Though Juliet’s balcony may have lost some of its romanticism, Verona itself has not. The streets are quaint and the restaurants and buildings are beautiful, no wonder it set such a great backdrop for Shakespeare’s tale.

After walking the morning in the blazing heat, we headed to Lazise on Lake Garda to a waterpark and spent the afternoon being kids again. The picturesque Lake Garda with the Dolomites in the distance made for a beautiful getaway from all the touristy days, so we stayed another day laying by the pool and fishing and drinking into the sunset.

The following day we headed to Milan, arriving after lunch we spent the afternoon walking around the Duomo and window shopping and admiring the beautiful clothes before heading to Corso Como, a cool restaurant and bar strip where we had Aperitvo- cocktails and free buffet of Italian goodness! We watched the Italy vs. Costa Rica game with a bar full of Italians, holding our tongues (trying not to laugh) as they lost. We spent the rest of the night drinking cocktails and listening to an amazing DJ before walking back through the city and to our campsite.

The next day was International Go Skateboard Day, so we headed to Milano skatepark in the morning before riding into the city to Luini’s a famous institution in Milan serving the best panzerotti (a deep fried pizza pocket). Tourists and locals alike line up for the opportunity to eat these delicious pillows, and we were not disappointed, they were definitely worth the wait! We then rode to central station where the skaters had congregated at some of Milan’s most famous street skate spots to celebrate Go Skateboard Day. Matt joined the festivities while I took photos of the skaters. We rode back through the city and then drove to Pavia. We checked in at a campsite and rode into Pavia center to meet Bianca and Lorenzo. We walked around Pavia gazing at the beautiful heritage buildings and along the river before heading to dinner for the most amazing pizza followed by gelato. The night was wonderful, the company was delightful and we just really enjoyed a night out with other people our age. The following day we caught up on sleep and spent the afternoon by the pool relaxing after a fun packed few days. That night we drove to another campsite just out of Parma.

Parma is home to some of the world’s best foods, Parmigiano Reggiano and prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham). As our lives revolve around food, our mission was to indulge in these local delights. We spent the morning exploring the outskirts of Parma, searching for Parmesan farms although unsuccessful. We then drove into the city and rode our bikes through the main streets before finding an osteria (another traditional little restaurant) by the cathedral where we ate like gods. We treated ourselves to plates of local Parma ham selections and pumpkin and Parmigiano Reggiano ravioli, all washed down with quite a lot of the house vino bianco (white wine). 

After a long boozy lunch, we rode through the town some more before heading to Modena in the late afternoon. While enjoying some delicious gelato, we admired the stunning old town of Modena. While standing outside the town hall, we ran into Matt Orlando (head chef from Amass restaurant) who was in town for a special dinner for a few days. What a small world it is! What are the chances that we were standing in a square at the exact moment he passed by? That afternoon we ventured back to our campsite in Modena for a swim in the pool.

The next morning we began another produce driven day. Starting at a balsamic vinegar farm, Villa San Donnino, just out of Modena. Our lovely guide Sarah showed us through the attic of the property to see where the vinegar is stored and aged in batteries (sets of different sized vinegar barrels). We learnt about the long process of the real Balsamic Traditional, which is aged for a minimum of twelve years and the more exclusive Extra Vecchio, which is aged for a minimum of 25 years. Sarah then guided us through the tasting process from the store bought balsamic that is mass-produced to the different levels and ages of the real Balsamic. We even enjoyed aged balsamic with vanilla ice cream, possibly my new favourite dessert! 

We strolled around the beautiful vineyard and admired the stunning farm before driving to Hombre a cheese farm and dairy. We met the owner Giovanni and his brother Matteo and were given a private tour of his Parmigiano Reggiano aging room that stores an incredible 6300 wheels of Parmesan at 35kgs each. Giovanni then showed us into his father’s private Maserati collection museum filled with old cars and motorbikes. Matt died and went to heaven. Afterwards we headed to Spilamberto for the festival of Saint Giovanni and enjoyed a beverage in the small town market festival before heading to Bologna for the evening.

 The next morning we woke and skyped home before heading into Bologna center for some Bolognese for lunch at a traditional trattoria. We visited the historical Duomo, and walked around all the main sights before calling it a night and heading back to our campsite. The next morning we left Bologna and head for Florence. We drove through the winding hills of Italy in the pouring rain and arrived in Florence just after lunch. We spent the afternoon meandering around the historical centre, visiting the stunning Cathedral and statue of Neptune holding Medusas head as well as Donatello’s versions of David. We enjoyed incredible gelato flavours like ricotta and pear, pistachio and white chocolate and crème caramel while sitting upon the canals.  We stumbled upon a beautiful looking restaurant where we sat and feasted upon some Florentine cuisine. 

The following morning we woke and embarked upon another adventure. We arrived in the quaint town of Lucca at lunchtime. The scenic center is encased within stunning Renaissance walls that define it and also create one of the most peaceful picnic spots, where we stopped for a sandwich of local meats and cheese before riding around the town. That afternoon, we headed through the sunflower fields to the seaside of Viareggeio, where we found a campsite that felt more like a hippy commune. We spent our time swimming at the beach and joining in the festivities as the locals danced to a band (that played broken English/Italian versions of new songs as well as some classics) late into the night. We were greeted the next morning with another beautiful sunny day, so we headed to Pisa. The incredibly famous and touristy town known for its architectural mishap is as astonishing as it reads. The true beauty and marvel of the leaning tower itself with its surrounding pristine green grass and Duomo is not lost regardless of how many tourists have flocked to “hold it up” and take their snapshots. We walked the town eventually finding a cute baugetteria that made sandwiches of porchetta, sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms that we ate beneath the monuments in the sunshine. 

That afternoon we followed another magnificent winding road through the Tuscan hills, stopping for a short wine and olive oil tasting, before arriving in Siena for the night. Sunday had arrived once again, although unlike most Italian towns that are quiet and sleepy on their day of rest, Siena was buzzing in anticipation as the famous Palio, bareback horse race, was a mere few days a way. Colourful flags of the competing contrade (districts) lined the streets and crowds marched singing their district’s song proudly towards the Piazza del Campo for the afternoon trials for the race. Unfortunately due to lack of planning, we knew we would be unable to sit in the infamous bleaches on the day of the race as they are booked two or so years in advance but seeing the chaos and atmosphere of the lead up was almost as thrilling. We spent the rest of the day walking the streets enjoying the enchanting city of Siena, marveling at the incredible architecture of the Duomo (cathedral), one of Italys most stunning Gothic churches. The next day, after a short nights sleep due to incredible thunderstorms, we woke to a sunny morning, luckily, as we were heading out for the day on a Vespa tour through the Chianti region of Tuscany. We arrived at the start point; merely surviving the drive thanks to our tour guides classic Italian driving abilities, and greeted our group for the day, ten American tourists.

After a somewhat shaky start on the Vespa, (for me at least!) the nerves settled and we began twisting and turning through the hills. The adrenaline was pumping and the sun was shining, it was absolutely amazing. We arrived at our first stop, Castello, and after a short guided walk we were given free time to explore the quaint town.  Armed with a delicious gelato we roamed through the small brick archways and relished in the view. When time was up, we jumped back on the Vespa’s and rode towards a stunning winery on top a hill. We walked up through the vineyard and met Matteo, our guide, and we began our tour of their small wine production. We enjoyed a wine tasting with a classic Tuscan lunch admist the wine barrels, tasting real Chianti classico and Cantucci e Vin Santo, a sweet wine with traditional Tuscan biscuits. After lunch, we got back on our Vespa and enjoyed the afternoon riding through the beautiful scenery, stopping to admire a nearby castle.

After a fantastic day with our group, we said arriverdci and jumped back into Kermit and headed for Massa Marrittima, to a little restaurant called Osteria Da Tronca for a delicious Tuscan feast. We drove through the sunflowers fields at sunset towards Grosseto where we spent the night. The following day we relaxed in Grosseto at Maremma, a favourite beach spot amongst the local Tuscans before heading to Rome the following morning. Bonjourno Rome!