Florence

Church. They discovered that promising people the more they donated the quicker they would get to heaven was a terrific fund raising strategy.

The author of Pinocchio lived here as a child. His parents were servants.

Italian for tax dodge. The taxes were based on the amount of ground you occupied, not the air above it..

Michaelangelo lived here. The famous Italian, not the ninja turtle. He wasn't home.

Selfie above Florence. The look of exhaustion after climbing so high is well hidden.

Somewhere in Italy there is a town on the top of a hill without an amazing view. We haven't found it yet.

A statue of Michaelangelo in Michaelangelo square. We discovered that Michelle is more into Renaissance style than baroque or medieval. James is more into dorky style.

Florence Misc

A local artist has taken to updating some of the street signs.

Serious Police car.

The end stops at the Florence train station. They remind me of something out of a cold war movie or a Thunderbirds episode.

When your flight is delayed you grab these and talk to two old Swedish gentlemen.

Aah Venice..

The standard Venice photo. Venice is full of lane ways. It's not a place where you can get anywhere in a hurry.

It's rather picturesque.

Venice.. Where Moet is in the drinks fridge of a pizza shop.

Lots of water.

I'll have pasta, a Merlot and some gumboots please waiter.

Charging for everything.. This is 1 Euro to turn on the lights to better see the roof of a church. Our major achievement for the day was managing to use a toilet for free!

Being a huge Indiana Jones fan I had to find this spot. This is the library from the "X Marks the spot" scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Only the outside of the building is used in the film - the "X" scene and subsequent catacombs scene is done else where.

Italian Trains

The first rule of Italian trains is that unless you are catching them at the origin of their trip, they are always late.

We have probably caught 10 trains now. Current record is 42 minutes late on a 1:58 trip. The only time you will see a conductor is the one trip that you mistakenly get on the wrong train. Thus you get a fine for being on a 1st class train when you've paid for 2nd class.

Some of the trains have barn doors between carriages.  These are most accurately described as Italian agents of death. They are spring loaded so when you try to walk through them they are constantly trying to close on you. If you follow someone through them you're likely to get a door to the face as they try and close.  Then when you're thorough, they oscillate for about a week before returning to their home position. To complete the happy picture they are noisy.

At least the trains are relatively clean.

Italian death agents. More effective than any Mafia hit man.

Random Poggibonsi

Afternoon tea from our hosts. Best.

Coolness overload for James. We caught the tail end of it but it was a Blues Brothers & Beatles promotion for the shop behind. Eating pasta listening to Blues Brothers tunes was both surreal and awesome.

And beside the Beatles drum kit was a classic Lancia.

Dinner plate thingy.

36th Coppa del Chianti Classico

Yay!

More Fiat race cars than I've ever seen before.

Jaaag.

More Minis.

We snuck back to town for a sneaky wine tasting and some pizza for lunnch.

Another pretty town..

With another ok view!

Through sheer luck we found out about this event, a round of the European hill climb championship. It was about 20km from where were staying so we decided to have a look. The event is 8km between two towns, Quercegrossa and Castellina In Chianti. The vehicles that we saw were mostly 60s-70s era touring or sports cars but there was a few quicker machines including a pair of mid 90s DTM Alfa Romeos.

San Gimignano

Another old area with a pretty average view..

Colle di Val d'Elsa

The way there was pretty enough with lane ways like this.

Its fair to say the view was pretty impressive.

More..

And the other side.

Michelle and I had a sneaky late afternoo drink here overlooking this.

The oldest building was over of the churches from the 12th century. The new stuff is from the 15th century..

On the advice of our host, we caught a bus to Colle di Val d'Elsa. He told us to go up the elevator and see what we could find..

The AirBNB Experience

Accommodation for this trip is through a variety of sources, including for the first time for both of us, AirBNB. The AirBNB model is one where hosts rent you a room of their house/apartment. Cheaper than a hotel, more personal but more of a mixed bag as every experience is different. 

Our first AirBNB experience was with Martina in La Spezia. We were greeted with a smile and some water. Martina's apartment was very well setup with post it notes with helpful advice. Martina made us feel very at home and had a supply of maps, time tables and tourist information for us to use. She went out of her way to help us, including making phone calls about the status of the local ferry. It was not hard to see why the inside of her front door was covered with post it notes of thanks from guests.

As we walked to dinner Michelle instructed me that if something ever happened to her I was to marry Martina.  High praise indeed!

Our next experience was with Roberto and his parents in Poggibonsi. Roberto had been very helpful via email before the trip but due to our late train (there seems not to be any other type in Italy) was unable to be there when we arrived, instead leaving his father Piero to let us in and show us around.

Piero turned out to be the most lovely man, with the gaps in his grasp of the English language filled in by smiles and hand gestures.  Our room was lovely, complete with a key to it that may have been made a hundred years ago. Piero was lovely, but Roberto was out of this world.

Through the course of our emails beforehand,  we had mentioned that the trip was our honeymoon.  Roberto subsequently arranged for a nice evening bottle of local red wine and a rose for Michelle.

Then he proceeded to be the most helpful person on earth. He was like our own personal Poggibonsi tourist information consultant. Nothing was too much effort to try and arrange.  We were overwhelmed.  His guest book - a bit more formal than Martina's post it note door - was filled with glowing recommendations, every 2nd one finishing with an offer of accommodation if he is ever in their country. 

Wow. 

Michelle, if something ever happens to me..

Random La Spezia

The La Spezia market.

Michelle in food heaven. Delicious.

Bargain price of 37 Euro!

Prosciutto & melon. Description on menu correct to dish.

Gary & Bonnie's Italian cousins!

24th Sept, Monterosso to Vernazza Hiking

One of the many gates off the regular trail. Keeps the tourists and the grapes separate.

This is the view looking back towards Monterosso

Vernazza.

Steps, steps and then more steps.

The days are long and we usually go to bed earlish for us 10 wake up at 7 and try and make a deal that we'll sleep in the next day . It's a good thing we are waking up each day excited about what we are going today . Today it's a hike from Monterosso to Vernazza , I ask James to google the prettiest section of the 5 T hike ( the hike along the Cinque Terre villages )  we find out it's this part , we also find out its the hardest steepest and most grooling section and direction to hike . We some how put this to the back of our minds and get ready for the hike and talk about the views and what it might be like and if the reviews of the hike are true or a bit over hyped.

Mean while beneath us is a food market that I have watched set up from our balcony since 4 am and am itching go get some lunch for the hike from and practice my Italian that some how works ok , we are both baffled by this.

We decide to get breakfast at a free wifi area before the market (although i want get going I also wants to relax and enjoy down time ). James orders by pointing I laugh but likes that it works . Then James packs for the day and I'm off to the market .

The market is a success with a whole bunch of fruit salami tomato and breads purchased for 4 euro which will come in handy later.

We catch the over crowded train (everyone has the same idea as us ) and pre purchase our tickets to get into the national park ,  I comment a million times how lucky we are to be here ...it's true very very true.

The hike is everything we read and worse, it's hot and very steep we take it slowish, most people finish the section in 2 hours- 2:30 we think we do it in 1:45. The views are out of this world and the landscape is hard to imagine , there are vineyards that scale the steepest mountains and houses of cliff edges . The water is the bluest either of us have ever seen at one point my eyes well up from its beauty James must have had something his eye too . The path is very narrow and we have to stand side of to let other pass through , there aren't many going the opposite "easy " way but they all look at us in awe , trying to encourage us . I ask how much further , one says it's be cruel to tell you , but your up is so so so very hard , this only makes me more determined to finish it.

The final stretch is down with a few ups and the post card view is totally worth it ..
We are exhausted and sit and eat our lunch over the view rather than in town . We agree we've earned both a nap and a lie on the beach . Beach is first we find the free beach, and comment how lucky we are in Aus to have beaches with out rocks and are free . We lay, I try the water it's too cold and catch the train home for a nap and dream of dinner.

Before dinner we head down to the pier and discover a free wifi area and do more admin , changing accom etc , traveling is admin sometimes ( this time admin with good views ).

The restaurant is called inferno ( hell ) is underground and everyone goes there.
Like in Aus the wait staff / owners at hip places are rude and look like this is the last place they want to be . The owner looks at me like he hates me at least 4 times and James and I are in fits of laughter every time this happens . We manage to order , the food comes out seperated by 10 minutes ( there is only 2 on the table ) they don't give us wine glasses , and the menu was / is hand written .. The food it's brilliant at least and we eat everything after our huge walk. Paying is another funny scenario when we show him we have a discount ( the restaurant participates in putting them selves on the discount list , they are not force ) he rolls his eyes and presses a sad face button on the screen and types in the discount ... We laugh we pay and leave.

We walk off the food and go to bed early - tomorrow we go to Tuscany after a morning in town , we'll be up early again even though we make a deal to sleep in , travelling is fun we can sleep on the train.