The Cinque Terra

After Karl headed back to Germany, I spent the weekend with Sara & Charlie - two of my most favourite people in the world - on what promised from the start to be a real adventure! On Friday we tried to make our way to the Cinque Terra, a collection of five small fishing villages, on the Italian coastline. The first evening we spent a few towns short of our destination as we were quite literally stranded - the national train and bus services were on strike, the boats weren't running and the taxis unavailable! It was none the less a great evening at the local La Negria bar & hotel, and early the next morning we eventually found ourselves in the small town of Corniglia.

The town of Corniglia is a nestled in the hills overlooking the Mediterranean, with every spare inch of land terraced for viticulture and food production. The Cinque Terra are part of a National Park and boast some of the most spectacular views around.

Granadilla flower, I think.

An abundance of fresh fruit, herbs and vegetables are growing in the village.

We walked the two miles along the coastline to the next town. Along the way were people swimming and sunbathing on the beaches far below. By the time we made our way down to the water, there was no where else in the world I wanted to be.

We came around the corner to the most beautiful fishing village.

Sunbathing is a national pastime.

These twins were keeping themselves busy the whole afternoon catching small fish. Judging from their crazy tans, this was something they did most afternoons.

Gelato eating and watching the ladies go by are also pretty popular activities.

Back in the main square of Corniglia that evening we came across the World Championships for Pesto Making. I am now certain that I would like to live in a place which bestows such prestige in making fine pesto.

The whole town came out to watch, and we all enjoyed a range of fresh pastries and delights with some local wine.

It was an adventure of note and one of my best weekends, ever.

PS: Sara & Charlie have been travelling around Italy for the past few weeks. Sara is an exceptionally talented photographer and her images are just incredible - check out her blog!

Firenze

We headed into Florence for the day and browsed the markets and shops that are still a rich part of the city's merchant culture. It was a fun day of bargain hunting, admiring the incredible architecture and ice cream eating!

Heaven found.

Escaping to the hills of Tuscany sounded like a great idea, but only when we arrived at the exquisite Agritourisme of Fattoria Lavacchio did it become apparent that we had journeyed into a valley quite unlike anything I had experienced before. The rolling green hills lying just beyond the small town of Rufina have a gentle character of their own that is better felt than described. There are so many amazing things happening at Lavacchio, from organic vineyards and olive groves to local food procurement and cheese making. Everyone was so genuinely friendly, and organic seemed like more of a way of life than a label. I was in heaven, even if just for a day.

The old white farm house to the left is one of the buildings on the farm, and where we stayed for the night.

A view to the vineyards through our window.

Charming yet spacious accommodation.

Can you spell T-O-U-R-I-ST? Karl finally gave in to buy a t-shirt in Rome during the sweltering heat ("I love Roma" no less). Little did he know it almost got him into some serious trouble a day later in Milan when Rome and Milan played off for a major football match and nothing short of army troops where on the streets keeping on eye on the Milano fans.

The heavenly pool where we spent most of the first afternoon soaking up the sun.

The agriculture is the region is rich and diverse.

A small forest on my walk through the countryside.

Olive groves with rich soils building up beneath the old trees. I was reminded of one of my favourite pieces by Wendell Berry - Manifesto: the mad farmer liberation front.

The main farm house where we had an unbelievable dinner with all local and organic produce.

Early the next morning we explored more of the farm, including the olive groves, vegetable gardens, cellar, pottery studio and horse stables.

Happiness is.... a warm chocolate croissant for breakfast.

There is so much more going on then we were able to see in our short stay and definitely a place to dissapear to for a while... a long, soul restoring while.

When in Roma...

So they say that Rome wasn't built in a day, but that is about as much time as we had to see the sites of this great city! Karl and I were on a whirlwind tour of Italy in just four days and by the end of day one we were entirely exhausted and positively overwhelmed by the many wonders of Rome. Generous portions of Gelato saw us through the heat and helped us cover the distances to see the Roman Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vatican City and everything inbetween.

We arrived in Rome late Monday evening and had the most amazing dinner - simple but delicious pizzas and great local wine bottled for the restaurant.

The cool and inviting residence we stayed at off Via Manzoni.

Early the next morning our first stop was the Colosseum (which we headed back to later to avoid the long queues) but did manage to snap a shot of the morning sun sliding gently over the top.

Italy is awesome - vespas, great ice cream and some seriously old buildings.

The now emerald green doors hint to the once rich and opulent past.

Life blossoming through the ruins of the Roman Forum.

It was really good to be a visitor in Rome again.

Food in Italy is a celebration of local, fresh and organic produce

- as it should be.

A heated discussion over the delivery of zucchinis across the way from the Pantheon.

Nothing is taken too seriously in Italy, as I would later also find out about public transport systems.

The most beautiful ride.

Even more fascinating than the Trevi Fountain was the horde of tourists presenting themselves before it.

By the time we reached the Vatican City in the afternoon we were pretty finished from all the walking, and the insane heat.

The Colosseum was as impressive as ever, although difficult to comprehend all the insane things that went down there back in the day.

Thank you Rome for a wonderful visit.