Turin

There's a whiff of Paris in Turin's elegant tree-lined boulevards and echoes of Vienna in its stately art nouveau cafes.

Wide streets and elegant covered walkways.  If you have ever watched the 1960's movie The Italian Job it was shot in Turin.  The car chase scenes are along the covered walkways in a Fiat which is manufactured in Turin.

We spent two nights there.  There are palaces and beautiful parks and gardens alongside the river.

From Turin we took a train, a French TGV to Paris.  That was a 6 hour trip and the TGV is not as nice as Frecciarossa train.  It was travelling at around 300kms an hour but not as smoothly.

We arrived in Paris very late that night and went straight to our hotel.  The next morning we went to the Gare du Nord and caught the Eurostar back to London.

We are now in the UK visiting family and friends.  More blogs to come on our UK adventures.

Us on the hop on hop off bus

Country Roads of Puglia & Neopolitan Riviera - Rome

After our visit to Pompeii we continued on to Rome for the last night of our tour.

We came back to the same hotel that we stayed in the first night of the tour.  That evening we went on a walking tour of the city and we had a lovely farewell dinner in a trattoria near the Piazza Navona.

The next morning Colin and I checked out of the hotel and we went to the train station and took a train to Turin.

The train was the Frecciarosa train which can travel at 400kms an hour.  Our train didnt go quite that fast but it was travelling at 298kms an hour most of the time.  It was a lovely train.  Very clean and the ride was smooth and quiet. 

Onboard
Frecciarossa train

The Frecciarossa  train

Country Roads of Puglia & Neopolitan Riviera - Pompeii

Pompeii is one of the most significant proofs of Roman civilization and, like an open book, provides outstanding information on the art, customs, trades and everyday life of the past.

The city has re-emerged from the darkness of centuries precisely as it would have been when it was unexpectedly buried in the thick layer of ash and lava which poured down from the devastating eruption of Vesuvius. 

It was the year 79 A.D. The scale of the tragedy was appalling: in what had been one of the most active and splendid Roman centres, life came to a permanent standstill.
The thick layer of volcanic material which submerged it, made up to a large extent of ash and lapilli - non-hard material, unlike that which covered Herculaneum and which solidified into extremely hard stone -has meant that the city has remained intact until the present day, not only as far as its buildings are concerned, but also as regards the contents inside the houses and shops, providing an absolutely fascinating picture of "daily" life.

The walls of the houses are covered with electoral propaganda messages or risque jokes aimed at particular citizens. The signs on the shop doorways indicate the activity carried out there or the name of the owner. Alongside the elegant villas belonging to the nobility and the luxurious residences of the middle class, stand modest houses where several families lived.

The peasant dwellings on the other hand are situated around vegetable gardens or small plots of land. 

On the edge of the city stood the brothels, squalid rooms intended as places of pleasure for sailors and travellers passing through, in the narrow lanes, the workshops and utility rooms provide further evidence of the daily routine performed by workmen and slaves as well as the women of the house. The houses still contain furniture, ornaments, gold and silverware, work tools, kitchenware, bronze and terracotta lamps, foodstuffs of all kinds, counters for serving drinks, grain mills and grindstones, workshops for manufacturing cloth, smithies and outlets selling groceries, fruit and vegetables.

There is a remarkable record of Roman painting, of which, without the finds made in Pompeii, virtually nothing would be known.

Our visit to Pompeii would have to be one of the highlights of this trip.  I loved walking along the original cobbled streets and seeing the stepping stones spaced so that the wheels of the chariots could pass freely by.  The sheer size of it all was overwhelming.

Country Roads of Puglia & Neopolitan Riviera - Amalfi Coast

After leaving Alberobello we headed for the Amalfi Coast.  On arrival we checked into our hotel in Sorrento for 3 nights.

Early the next morning we all piled into a couple of mini buses for a scenic drive along the Amalfi Coast road.  

Our first destination was Positano.  We set off on the coastal drive which was absolutely stunning, a beautiful view around every bend.  The traffic was horrendous and the Italian driving was dreadful.  Cars were parked everywhere along the road.  Sometimes  cars stopped in the middle of the road to take photos.

Our driver stopped at a viewpoint for us to take photos.  He was only able to stop once as it was so busy and the designated stops were full.  At one point our mini bus had to back up the road to allow a large bus to come through.  That was a bit scary.

When we got to Positano there were traffic wardens stopping all vehicles getting in to Positano.  We sat in a very long queue for ages before we were able to proceed into town.

We parked the bus at the top of the town and we walked with Caroline our tour guide who pointed out things of interest along the way.  We walked down the very steep streets shaded with wisteria and star jasmine which perfumed the air.  Lots of shops selling Positano fashion for an exorbitant price.  There was nothing there I could afford.  Lovely jewelry shops, again too expensive.  We walked to the bottom and walked on the beach and saw all the boats big and small out in the bay and walked back up again, stopping along the way for a coffee in a shop recommended by Caroline.  We had a nice coffee there on the shady terrace.

After Positano we continued along the coastal drive to Amalfi.  When we arrived there our local guide Michaelanglo was waiting for us and he took us on a 45 min walking tour of the back streets and alleyways of amalfi away from the tourist crowds.  It was cooler here among the whitewashed houses lining the narrow lanes.

After our walk we found small café and had a sandwich for lunch before walking back to meet the bus for the return journey to Sorrento.

The bus journey took about an hour and half and again there 

was a traffic snarl around Positano but the views were stunning and the forecast rain never came.

Sunset Sorrento

Sorrento

A refreshing ale in Sorrento

Sorrento

Sorrento

Amalfi Coast drive

Amalfi Coast drive

Rooster Islands Amalfi Coast drive

Positano

Positano

Amalfi

Amalfi

Country Roads of Puglia & Neopolitana Riviera

We visited an Olive Oil farm near Alberobello that produces several varieties of exceptional quality olive oil some flavoured with lemon, chilli and they also produce many cosmetic products made with the olive oil.

We had a fun morning learning about the production of olive oil as well as a tasting session and then spent some time looking at the cosmetics produced from the oil as well.

Country Roads of Puglia & Neopolitan Riviera

We stayed in a lovely hotel in Alberobello for 3 nights.  One evening we went to a local family home for dinner in the countryside.

It was a fabulous evening. We entered through huge wrought iron gates into the courtyard which had been set up with long tables for us to dine at.  The family came out to greet us.  Four generations of the family.  Nonna then showed us how she makes Orriechetti pasta which is truly an art form.

We then sat down to homemade anti pasto, followed by Nonna’s Orriechetti pasta, then chicken and potatoes and veg from the garden.  Followed by fruit from their fruit trees.  Plenty of wine, pear juice from their trees and to complete the meal limoncello of course.

Towards the end of the evening they took us through the house to the open rooftop terrace for fabulous views of the surrounding countryside.