Week 7 of this year's road trip. Discovering Syvota and Parga. midnight ferry from Igoumenitsa, Greece, to Bari, Italy. Challenging drive to Vieste on the Adriatic Coast, discovering Peschici and Vasto and on to Rimini, San Marino, Ravenna and Bologna.

Bologna, Sunday, 23rd June 2024

In Syvota last Saturday on the Epirus coast on the Ionian Sea in Greece. What a beautiful place

Ciao from Bologna.

We are now at the end of week 7 of this year's road trip which will soon  be over. By next Sunday we should be home. Our touring and sightseeing finishes here in Bologna, the food capital of Italy. From here we shall cross the country towards Genova and probably stay a night on the Italian Riviera before heading over to France. The idea is to spend one night probably in Nimes and then drive to Gerona, Spain and from there, home, sweet home.  We've had an amazing time but all good things come to an end, as they usually do.  To quote Eladio this has been a road trip with a special emphasis on Italy. We love Italy but I must say I wish we had stayed just a bit longer in Greece where we only really touched its surface. In order to remember our trip better, I created a map on the My Maps app and this is what it looks like on Google Earth. Pretty cool I think, don't you? Ah, and here is the link. 

Map of our road trip as far as Bologna, from May 4th to Sunday 23rd June. 

I still haven't worked out the number of kilometres this amounts to but it's definitely around 9.000, less than last year (over 13.000) as we didn't go so far. 

I left off last Saturday on our last day there before sailing back to Italy. We were going to spend the whole day at our marvelous accommodation at the Blue Bay Apartments, but decided we should really use the morning to explore the area and  see the famed coastal villages of Syvota and Parga.  I had no idea of their existence until I looked for accommodation near the ferry port in Igoumenitsa. It was Helen, our Airbnb owner in Thessalonika who told me we must visit them. Later I fell in love with the area and only wished we could have stayed longer and gone to some of the Ionian islands, including Corfu. But that couldn't be as I had already bought our ferry tickets to Bari. But one day we shall come back to the Epirus coastline, being compared to the Amalfi Coast in Italy. There are similarities but honestly the Greek counterpart is far less crowded and more laid back. 

We saw enough of this area to want to come back.  As we stepped out of our apartment in a beautiful Greek style villa, I needed two more photos, one of the villa and one of me with the view of the blue bay which is a bit like a fjord on this beautiful peninsula.

Our pad at Blue Bay Apartments near Syvota last Saturday

Worth staying there just for the views

It was a short drive to Syvota which has 900 inhabitants and is a quiet harbour village. There were tourists and locals around but nothing like in Italy. Before exploring the village, we went to a chemist to get more seasickness tablets for the ferry. Somehow we lost the ones we bought for the crossing to Durres. From there we walked towards the port and felt good vibes immediately. I told Eladio no one could be unhappy there it's just so pretty and special. It is clean and stylish in a very Greek way with enticing taverns we wouldn't eat at but loved. This is where a very kind young waiter from Plataria took this week's feature photo. Epharisto. When my dear friend Sandra saw it on social media she made me laugh when she wrote: "You guys look quite the Onassis couple! Jet set life suits you! You both look fabulous especially the lady in red". Oh, Sandy, Onassis was ugly and Eladio is handsome and Onassis was rich and Eladio isn't. And as to the jet set life, that is not ours. We are on a low to medium budget road trip not staying anywhere luxurious.  Even my red dress is low budget as I got it at a street market in Ostune. My friend did make me laugh though. I suppose we are quite a handsome couple for our age, in our 60's and 70's even if I say so myself. That, my friends is on the outside. 

But back to pretty Syvota (also spelled Sivota)  here is a photo of the bay.

Pretty and quiet Syvota

We bought some provisions at a small supermarket and Eladio was delighted to find Weetabix. I wondered who buys them there. But that's what he likes most for breakfast. Years ago my parents used to bring them to Madrid from Bradford for him and once my Father wrote to Weetabix to encourage them to sell their cereals in Spain. I remember that as if it were yesterday. 

We were walking back to our car when we saw the typical touristy sign with the name of the village and had to have more photos. Here is one. We shall not forget Syvota.

Doing the touristy thing in Sivota last Saturday

From Syvota we drove up the mountains along the peninsula to Parga about 25km away. It was a beautiful road and we enjoyed the drive. Parga is better known and larger with over 3000 inhabitants. It has a town beach supposed to be one of the best in Greece but I was not impressed. I was more impressed with the promenade and views of the castle and island of the Virgin Mary. There is lots going for Parga and again I wished we had stayed longer. Here are some pictures for you to get an idea if you haven't been there before. I can really recommend it.

Parga is stunning

We had an expensive coffee on the seafront, double what it would cost in Spain which surprised me as Greece is supposed to be cheaper. Maybe it is for some things but not others. We then went to check out the pretty narrow streets with enticing shops which I should add sell wares at a much cheaper price than in Italy. We bought two lovely summer outfits for Juliet and Elliot. As we  continued our walk along the main street we heard singing. We stopped to listen and were offered a veritable concert. Honestly it was the highlight of the week. I'm afraid I deleted the video I took (boohoo) but what a moment.  A Greek lady sat down with me on the kerb, listening and watching because they danced too. She told me they were the choir singers of a local Orthodox monastery and insisted on introducing me to their priest. I was wearing my gold cross so they assumed I was Christian and wanted to know if I was Orthodox. I am, of course, with my heritage and was baptised at the Russian Orthodox church in Paris. I had to tell the long bearded priest my grandfather was also an Orthodox priest and we immediately connected. I asked him to bless me and it was a wonderful moment. I then joined in the dancing in the middle of the street. I never dance but I just had to that day. It was a very special and emotional moment. As I told the singers and dancers, "only in Greece" which they loved. 

We walked back to our car by the beach feeling energised and happy and delighted with the morning we had spent exploring Syvota and Parga. 

We came "home" to our apartment to have lunch - Friday's leftovers from the Kokosis restaurant in Plataria. Then we had free time until it was time to leave and drive to Igoumenitsa to catch the midnight ferry to Bari. I had to pack 2 bags with all the stuff we would need on board, including our breakfast so as not to carry heavy luggage onto the ferry. 

I spent my free time writing this blog and as soon as I was finished, I donned my swimming costume and was soon sitting by the amazing infinity pool that blended with the sea. It's one of the best pools I have ever been in and reminded me of our time at the Dead Sea in  Jordan where there was a similar one, not that the Dead Sea can be compared to the Ionian Sea.  Eladio joined me later and totally agreed. The wonderful thing is that we had the place to ourselves. What luxury.

While we were enjoying the last few hours of our stay at Blue Bay apartments, Olivia, our youngest daughter was enjoying freedom in Bordeaux. She had gone with her French class for a long weekend. Her French classes which she attended last year at the Official School of Languages is one of the joys of her life and she finished this year's studies with flying colours. She had been looking forward to the class trip, to being in France which she loves, but also for some freedom from motherhood, something I completely understand. Here is a photo with her class and teacher.

Olivia (at the front) in Bordeaux last week

Her kids, meanwhile didn't seem to be missing her or if they did they were too busy to think about it. Our daughter sent us some photos of them having their faces painted at school for some event or other. Aren't they lovely? - when they behave; I should add, hahaha. They seem to have grown since we left in May.

Juliet and Elliot last week having their faces painted at school. 

They were also at a pool on Saturday 15th, the opening day of all community or public pools in Spain. Here they are kitted out, ready to take the plunge in the pool belonging to their group of apartments. 

Our grandchildren, Elliot and Juliet about to take the plunge in their community pool which opened on Saturday 15th June. 

Our pool time ended at around 6pm and we sadly walked up the hill to our lovely villa to get ready to go. The most boring part of a road trip is packing to leave. We travel like gypsies and have so much luggage, a lot of it in supermarket bags from different supermarkets in Europe. When I use them in Spain I shall remember this tripm 

We drove to Igoumenitsa which seems to be just a port city. Our ferry to Bari was leaving at 11.45 and we had to be there 3 hours before. The whole place was chaos, compared to when we crossed from Bari to Durres (Albania) a few weeks ago. There were no signs or any indication as to what we had to do after check in. To top that, they separated the drivers from the passengers which we were not happy about. We finally ended up in a queue of traffic with vehicles from all over the world. We would have a very long wait as the ferry, coming from Patras, did not arrive until 12.45. Here is the Mini waiting.

Waiting patiently for the ferry to arrive on Saturday

While we were waiting, Spain was playing Croatia in their opening match of the Euro Cup. In their group they have Italy and Croatia which is not an easy group. But they beat them 3-0 which was a great start. In the queue of cars, ours was the only one with a Spanish registration plate so no one else was in the least interested. Most vehicles came from Turkey but also Greece, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland and a few other countries. We got talking to a young Turk, Fatih, from Istanbul who was travelling with his father to Rome. Fatih spoke good English, unlike most Turks. When I told him that a young Turkish teacher of English told me that's because Erdogan invests more in religion than he does in education or language learning, he sadly agreed with me. We are now friends on Instagram. One of the things we love about our travels is meeting people from other countries. The funny thing is that they are equally interested in meeting us. 

Back to the supposed Super Fast ferry whose name I never knew. It finally arrived and took quite a while to fill up all the vehicles. We were in our berth by 1 am which was acceptable. I have to say the ferry and our berth were much better than on the crossing to Durres. I was pleasantly surprised to find a big cabin with 2 single beds and a full bathroom with a shower, as well as sockets that worked.  However, I only slept 4.5h. 

On Sunday morning I was awake at 6.30 which was 7.30 in Greece. Soon I was on deck with my coffee and happy to find TIM (Italian operator) had coverage an hour away from land. We had breakfast in our berth, washed and packed and were soon on deck again watching the ferry arrive in Bari, a huge port in Puglia. But OMG, our wait was long. The arrival was around 10 am but we didn't get out of Bari until at least 11.30 - what a boring wait.  Before leaving, I took a photo of Eladio outside our very nice berth. This is it. 

Our berth on the ferry to Bari - really good

Eladio also took a photo of me just before the ferry arrived at the port. You can see how windy it is judging by my hair, hahahah

Just before we arrived in Bari 

Our destination in Puglia was towards the north this time and on the Adriatic Coast. We were driving to Vieste on the supposedly pretty Gargano National Park (a peninsula on the knob of the heel of Italy). Leaving Bari, we spied a huge Lidl. We made a beeline for it and got lots of provisions to last us a few days including my favourite; porchetta.

The distance to Vieste was only about 168km but would take nearly 3h as there isn't a motorway. We took turns driving as we were both absolutely bushed, exhausted from the ferry experience and lack of sleep. The drive was long and difficult on very narrow and mountainous roads. Our GPS seemed to take us off piste at times which was stressful. 

As we were driving I remembered it was Olivia and Miguel's first anniversary. They got married on 16th June 2023 and what a wonderful day that was. We sent them both hearty congratulations. So happy for you darling and for Miguel. 

We probably got to our accommodation, Villa Cappitella,  just above Vieste, at around 3pm. We liked the place but all we wanted to do was to settle in, have some lunch and rest. However, the receptionist insisted on explaining all the things to do and see in Vieste, a pretty town with a centro storico in the heart of the Gargano area. Finally we were in our new villa and we liked it. Thankfully, it wasn't too hot with the temperature being about 26c, a lot better than in Turkey. Here are some photos of the views and the apartment, a place I think we will definitely remember. 

Villa Cappitella, Vieste, Puglia, Adriatic Coast - Italy

We had lunch on the terrace and then went straight to bed. Normally I am unable to sleep a siesta but on Sunday I slept from about 4pm to 8.30pm - 4.5 hours. I woke up feeling like a zombie. Eladio was on the terrace looking at possibilities for our next move but my mental faculties were just not up to it. I couldn't even make dinner I was exhausted both mentally and physically. In the end we had wine (Prosecco) with pistachios and some fruit and that was it. I was soon in bed again, making up for so much lost sleep.

I woke up at 6.30 Italian time on Monday morning with my mental and physical faculties totally restored. I felt so much better. Here I am ready to go

With my batteries fully charged and ready to go

Vieste is mainly a beach town  but its origins are medieval. The old town,  "Vieste Vecchia" has a dramatic location on coastal cliffs overlooking the Adriatic Sea and we were keen to see it. We parked in the centre and walked all the way up to the Duomo, passing through the main gate. Here is Eladio posing for me.

Entrance to the centro storico in Vieste

On our way up we came across the Scala dell'amore - stairway of love. A young waitress told us that walking along it with a loved one will ensure being united and in love forever, something we didn't need to do (haha). There is a long story behind this legend but suffice it to say the locals think their city is the city of love. 

Vieste the City of Love

We were more interested in reaching the top of the city to see the famed views, the view of the town on a rock, a picture my friend Sandra had sent me when she recommended visiting Vieste. Our morning was complete when we saw the views.  We were happy to see there were hardly any tourists. It seems Vieste has not been affected by "over tourism",  unlike many famous Italian towns and villages. That, for example is one of the reasons we have not included Rome on our itinerary. Florence, Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast  were bad enough. 

Vieste the City on a rock - so beautiful

On the other side, the view was of the small beach in the town where I posed for another photo. 

The view of the new city from Vieste Vecchia

Notice I am wearing my lovely blue and white Turkish frock I got for 10 euros near Pamukkale. I love both this frock and the red and white one I bought at a market in Ostuni. I have been wearing the blue and white one nearly every day since I bought it but don't dare wash it as the colours may run. I noticed that when I tried to take a food stain out. Once home, it will be washed by hand and in cold water. 

We then walked down to the modern part of the rather white town - nearly all the buildings are white which makes for a pretty contrast with the sea. After a much needed cappuccino and latte macchiato we visited another market where plenty of locals were buying fruit and veg. We spied some huge black and juicy cherries and bought half a kilo. I then noticed they were from Murcia, Spain. Really? There was lots of olive oil on sale and it looked good but, like everywhere else we have been, it is more expensive than in Spain. In any case buying oil in Italy to take home would be like taking coals to Newcastle. So no, we didn't buy any.

We were back at our magnificent accommodation at about 12.30 with plenty of time to spend by the pool which that morning I had almost to myself. It was a marvellous infinity pool which seemed to blend in with the view of Vieste from a mountain top. Like the pool at Blue Bay Apartments in Greece, it is one I shall always remember. 

The infinity pool at Villa Cappitella 

It felt very luxurious to be there. I could have stayed all day but lunch was beckoning and I had to make it. But after a short siesta I was back again and spent the whole afternoon there. Eladio joined me towards the end of the afternoon and we bathed together marveling at the view of Vieste. Thanks Sandra for the tip as otherwise we would never have come.

Dinner was on our beautiful and spacious balcony, also with views of Vieste.  I sat nursing my glass of Prosecco after the sun had gone down feeling happy and at peace with the world.

Vieste by night - view from our balcony

We were in bed early as usual and I was up at 5.45 after nearly 7 hours sleep on Tuesday morning. Tuesday was the end of our stay in Vieste and in Puglia which we will always remember. Our next destination was just 150km north on the Adriatic Coast to another interesting town; Vasto in Abruzzo.  We didn't have a long drive and wanted to stop in Peschici on the way as it looked charming and has a lot of history. 

We did the right thing. It is absolutely stunning, prettier than Vieste and smaller. It's another typical Italian medieval village perched on a cliff and being on the Adriatic, overlooking the sea. What could be prettier? It is located at  the northernmost point of the region and is of Slavic origins. Legend has it a group of Slavs were sent by monks from the Tremiti islands to set up an abbey but the opposite happened. The people of Pescia gave their church and castle to the island abbey in exchange for protection from Saracen (Moorish) pirates. 

Peschici, what a find on the Adriatic Sea in the Gargano Peninsula

We parked our car right next to the centro storico and walked through one of the main stone gates into a maze of cobbled streets where it would be easy to get lost. We loved every street we saw and could spy the sea from many corners.  From the 10th century castle there is a great viewing point of the sea.  And I just loved the old houses, most of them white and some white and blue in a sort of oriental style. Here are some pictures of this delightful village, a jewel on the Adriatic Coast and in Gargano. 

Beautiful Peschici (pronounced Péskichi)

Before we left for Vasto we had our customary cappuccino and latte macchiato at a very friendly bar - Celestino, outside the city walls. We didn't have a long drive to Vasto but oh my God the roads are frightening on the Gargano Peninsula and it took ages until we were on the Bari to Bologna autostrada. Driving in the Gargano region is not for the weak hearted. Distances look small on the map but the roads are so narrow and steep it's very challenging. That's why we didn't go further afield from Vieste to lots of recommended places nearby. Just a 20km drive could take up to nearly an hour!

Finally we were on the motorway and arrived in Vasto at around 2pm. Vasto is not on the tourist map but it has a lot going for it - a nice beach and another medieval town on a cliff - we have seen so many. We chose it because its on our route and because it has a bit of history. Researching the place I came across an article from The Telegraph singing its praises. One good thing going for it is that it does not suffer from "over tourism" like so many parts of Italy. 

 Before checking into our new accommodation (not my favourite) we went to have lunch at Trattoria Toscana which was a bit disappointing although it came recommended by our host and on Trip Advisor.

My okayish lunch at Trattoria Toscana

Our new new accommodation was the top floor of a whole house - very large but rather dated. 

Our "house" in Vasto - not the best place we have stayed at - missing an infinity pool (hahaha)

It was like stepping into a 60's home. I reckon it is the former house of the owner's grandmother. I could  tell by the bathroom fixtures and tiles.  I honestly wondered why it had a 9.8 out of 10 on Booking. Goes to show people's opinions differ. The location was so-so, about 900 metres to the beach (Marina di Vasto) and 2km from the old town. But it was large and had everything we needed. We soon settled in and spent the rest of the afternoon doing bits and bobs, including putting on a washing machine. My main job was to find accommodation for our next destination, San Marino  I have always been curious about this country which is basically a small city on a rock in Italy. I didn't find anything  in the city within our budget so went for the seaside Marina Centro next to Rimini from where San Marino is very near. 

As always, we were up early on Wednesday morning and keen to visit the historic centre of Vasto. It lies on a hill, like so many Italian towns for defense against invaders who eventually captured them anyway. We had seen it from the Marina di Vasto - the beach part of the town and it looked enticing.

Vasto old town skyline

We were in the beautiful Piazza Rossetti by 9 am where one of the main landmarks is located, the Bassano Tower.  I later read that the old town's layout was mostly built in the 15th century but partially destroyed by the Turks in 1566. Later it was under Spanish rule and it thrived which was good to hear, until the Unification of Italy. Its favourite son was the poet Gabriele Rossetti whose name is everywhere.

Piazza Rossetti in the heart of the old town of Vasto

From there we walked to the Caldoresque Castle built in the 1490's. Unfortunately it wasn't open to visitors but looked stunning from the outside. 

The castle in old town Vasto

We stopped at St. Joseph's Cathedral and my husband remarked it was the first cathedral dedicated to St. Joseph that he has ever heard of. Me too. Poor St. Joseph. From there we went in search of one of the main landmarks, the Palazzo d'Avalos which unfortunately was being renovated. However, we later saw it from behind as we walked to the Belvedere San Michele where we were met by breathtaking views of the Marina di Vasto. Wow. This is leading up to it,

The path leading to the Belvedere San Michele in Vasto

And this is the view from the Belvedere (viewing point). Pretty wow I thought. I loved this spot in old town Vasto. 

The view from old town Vasto of the new town and beach below

It's right next to the Palazzo d'Abalos and for me was the most beautiful part of Vastos which surprised me with what it had to offer in terms of monuments and history. 

Palazzo d'Abalos as seen from the viewing point of St. Michele

As we walked down we came across another important monument, the Church of St. Mary Maggiore- or Chiesa de Santa Maria Maggiore with its very high tower. 

Church of St. Mary Maggiore in old town Vasto

And that is where our tour of the old town of Vasto ended. We loved it and were surprised and not surprised to see there were very few tourists; just the odd Italian couple and ourselves. We both concluded that Vasto had been a good choice to include in our road trip. 

It was only 11 am when we had finished our walking tour and I was determined that the next item on that morning's agenda would be time on the beach. Eladio wasn't so keen but went along with me. Marina di Vasto beach is enormous but what I liked best was the view of old town Vasto from below. Just look. This is a photo I took from our beach chairs which have travelled in the Mini with us all the way from Madrid.

The Marina di Vasto beach below the old town 

We both bathed, our first time in the Adriatic. The water was a bit green compared to "our beach" near Santa Pola, but it seemed clean enough. We had a coffee on the beach too, sitting in the shade. We are both very brown or rather I am tanned and Eladio is as dark as an Indian and looking gorgeous. 

We spent about 2h on the beach including coffee time.  We then went in search of a supermarket but got lost in the process and ended up driving 10km to a local Lidl -not my favourite supermarket. We came home to shower and make lunch and then spend a lazy afternoon in the flat.

Thursday came and that day we drove to Rimini, also famous for its history and beach. That's the good thing about the Adriatic coast - there is both history and culture as well as sunny beaches; the best of two worlds (for some). 

The drive was all motorway which cost a bomb but was worth it. We were staying at a hotel with apartments a couple of blocks from the enormous Marina Centro Beach which we would see later. We had an argument with the manager about paying for parking our car on the premises which they had told me in advance was free so we did not get off to a good start. The place was good enough but a bit jaded. Eladio never criticises any of the places we stay at. He doesn't care about the decor and never sees the grout but I do. It ticked all the boxes though and we were quite happy there for 2 nights. 

Thursday 20th June was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. In Rimini the sunset was at 9.30, whereas in Spain it was at 10.30. Thursday was also the day Spain played Italy in the qualifying rounds of this year's Euro Cup. It felt like being in the enemy camp. Spain has a good team but has always been spooked by Italy so my hopes were not very high. 

We went out in the early evening to walk along the beach. It was very hazy with  no sun which made the solstice a bit disappointing. It's so different to the beaches I know in Spain which are mostly wild with only the odd "chirringuito" (beach bar), sun beds and parasols and maybe surfing but not much more. Marina Centro beach seems so built up and consists of lots of different businesses practically owning parts of the beach. From the promenade you couldn't see the sea itself because of so much beach paraphernalia. 

Rimini's Marina Centro beach is all built up you can hardly see the sea

Many of them are associated to many of the hotels in the area.  To me it looked like one big beach party. I also got the impression that Rimini Marina Centro is Italy's equivalent to Ibiza  -in terms of partying. Not my thing. I far prefer the Playa de Póo in Asturias or our own beach near Santa Pola. But, each to their own and Rimini is a very popular holiday location. 

We walked a long way but did not get to the end of the promenade. i later read it is 15km long. It was hot, hazy and sticky and after a while we came back to our strangely air conditioned apartment. I say "strangely" because it only worked if you had all the doors closed, including the bathroom and kitchen doors. 

Eladio watched the end of the Denmark England match which resulted in a 1-1 draw. I read that England didn't give their all but I didn't see it so can't judge. After a simple dinner, Eladio watched the Spain Italy match which was perhaps the most anticipated match of the qualifying rounds. Spain have never played well against Italy but they did that night, winning 1-0 after an own goal from the Italians. In my humble opinion that's not the best way to win. Poor Eladio had to watch the match on my PC (thanks to my Express VPN), alone and with his headphones on. I was not interested and continued watching my current favourite series, Our Girl on BBC iPlayer.

Friday dawned and it was hot, hazy and sticky again. In Madrid, our home town, however, it was a lot cooler and had even rained which is good for the garden. It was an important day for our grandchildren, Elliot and Juliet aged nearly 3 and 5. That day Elliot received his first judo belt, the yellow and white one. Olivia sent us a photo of that moment, next to his judo instructor who has a black belt. I later found out the meanings of the colour of belts in this oriental sport; white means a new slate and yellow a progressive stage of learning and skill. Elliot loves his judo classes. I loved the photo. What a lovely family

Our grandson receiving his yellow and white judo belt, an important milestone for him. 

To top that Juliet, not yet aged 3, "graduated" from her nursery class. Here she is smiling with her teachers. 

Juliet "graduating"

Their school is very good at putting on events that stimulate and motivate the children. I only ever graduated from University hahahaha. Elliot always looks the same, very handsome, I must add, but Juliet changes all the time. She is so big now and I can't work out who she resembles in our families. What a lovely family and I miss them so. It will be fantastic to see them again when we are home. 

But back to our Road Trip and Rimini. The city where Federico Felini was born and whose film La Dolce Vita has gone down in history, is one of the most famous seaside resorts in Europe. But it also has a lot of history, mainly from Roman times which figures. 

I was almost grateful the sun was behind the clouds as we visited the old town of Rimini which for us, at least, was much more interesting than the beach. As experienced sightseers, we were there at 9 am, early enough to beat any crowds and not yet too hot. I was the guide that day and my tools were basically either the Italian tourist page Italy.It  or Wikipedia and Google Maps. I read that the history of the city dates back to 268 BC thanks to the foresight of the emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Hadrian who saw the city as the perfect meeting point between two of the most important Roman roads, Flaminia and Emilia. It soon became a key economic and cultural centre until the Middle Ages.  Its growth continued during the Renaissance, mainly thanks to the Malatesta family when it became an important hub for art, literature and science. 

We started off at the famous Roman Arch dedicated to Augustus, the first Roman Emperor.  Built in 27 BC in honour of Augustus, it is the oldest of its kind and best preserved in Italy.  Commissioned in 27BC it marked the entrance to Rimini for travellers on the Flaminian Way which linked Rimini and Rome. Sadly, the walls it was joined to are no longer there, mostly because of bombing during WWII I presume. Here I am pulling on a silly face in front of the Arch of Augustus, the main entrance into the old town.

In front of the Arch of Augustus in Rimini on Friday

From there we continued along Corso d'Augusto to the Church of the same name.

Just a peek of the Church of Augustine in Rimini

Its late Romanesque style and is one of the city's oldest churches. 

From there we walked to one of the main squares, the Malatesta square where the Castle Sigismondo is located and built by the Malatesta family. 

The 15th century Sigismondo Castle located on Malatesta square

But I far preferred the Piazza Cavour, the city's commercial and political centre in the Middle Ages  There you have three Venetian style palaces Palazzo dell'Arengo, Palazzo del Podestà and Palazzo Garampi, a statue of Pople Paul V as well as a famous fountain, the Fontana della Pigna (pine cone) which apparently Leonardo da Vinci loved. I was not that impressed as it seemed quite small and there was no water coming out. I wonder why he loved it so much.

The palaces, the statue of the Pope and the Pine cone fountain on Piazza Cavour, my favourite square in Rimini

We then walked towards the cathedral and came upon the Piazza Tre Martiri, the Square of the three martyrs. Originally this was the heart of the town, the ancient Roman forum where Julius Caesar stopped after crossing the Rubincon. Later it became a market square and was then renamed after three young partisans who were executed there in 1944. There is also another important symbol of the city, the Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower). Oh, how the Italians love their clock towers. Because Eladio is so interested in the history of the Roman Empire, he had to pose next to one its most important representatives, the one and only Julius Caeser.

The statue of Julius Caeser and the Clock Tower in the Piazza  Trei Martiri

This unfinished Romanesque cathedral was round the corner and I rather liked it. It is called the Templo Malestiano and was built in the 14th century by the Renaissance theorist and architect Leon Battista Alberti. The funny thing is San Francesco (its proper name) was once a 13th century Gothic church belonging to the Franciscan Order. The all powerful Malatesta family changed it to what we saw on Friday. 

The unfinished Cathedral in Rimini

We have seen our fair share of the remains of Greek and Roman history, of churches, cathedrals,  medieval towns or villages by the sea and mostly on mountain tops, as well as monuments of all kinds on this trip. Thus I wasn't surprised when Eladio mumbled to me while I was enthusiastically doing my guided tour, that he was suffering a bit from the Stendhal Syndrome. I totally understood and felt a bit the same myself, but couldn't ignore all there was to see in Rimini, after we had come so far to see it. Thus we made a halt and walked back to the attractive Piazza Cavour to have a delicious cappuccino and latte machiato. The waiter asked if we were from Argentina or Spain. When we said the latter, he mentioned the all important UEFA Euro Cup match Spain had won the night before. But he also said he kept Alvaro Morato, the Spanish Squad captain, in his heart. I wondered why. The answer was simple, he married an Italian girl and plays for the "Juve" (Juventus team). It's so funny how football is always a  wonderful ice breaker.

A nice break from so much culture and history

Our last stop in Rimini was visiting and crossing the Tiberius Bridge over the River Marecchia once called the Ariminus River from where the town gets its name. Erected by Tiberius but decreed by Emperor Augustus, it was built in 14 AD. This five arch Doric bridge is covered in Istria limestone rock and is "one of the most remarkable Roman bridges as well as an important example of the Romans' technical skill" so I read on Internet while doing my guided tour (hahahah). And here are some pictures to remember this beautiful bridge, one of the few monuments to have survived Roman times.

The Ponte di Tiberio - our last stop in old town Rimini last Friday

By then we had had our fill of sightseeing and our stomachs were grumbling. We didn't have much to make lunch with and needed some bread. We found bread and much more in a wonderful little gourmet store on our way to the Augustus Arch to get our car. There we bought all sorts of fancy food to make a delicious lunch in our apartment where we headed afterwards. 

The afternoon was spent quietly. We woke up very early on Saturday morning. We had a long day ahead of us. We were leaving Rimini for Bologna (115km) but stopping on the way in the Republic of San Marino and beautiful Ravenna.

We arrived in San Marino at 8.30. We had beat all the tourists to it. It was  quite a drive up to the mountain where the main city lies perched on rocks with amazing views. This is what we saw as we approached the oldest Republic in the world. 

Approaching San Marino

This was another country to add to the list of countries we have visited on this road trip. It is tiny with just 35.000 inhabitants. We parked at one of the main entrances to the fortified city with three amazing towers perched on a mountain which we would climb.  I think this was the first.

One of the three symbolic towers of St. Marino.

As we approached the second, a kind tourist took a photo of us. What a view behind us. Beautiful. We were very impressed with just how picturesque the place is.

With one of the towers behind us

We then walked down and admired the views from some hotel gardens. What a beautiful place to stay I thought. 

View from the top of San Marino

We then walked down to the cathedral which looked pretty modern. 

San Marino cathedral

Our last stop was at the Piazza della Libertà. This we really liked. The Palazzo del Populo in the square looked  Venetian. 

In the Piazza della Libertà in San Marino

Here we had one of our last cappuccinos and latte macchiatos in Italy which we enjoyed much earlier than usual. 

We then walked down to the car park to drive on to Ravenna. I had wanted to stay there rather than in Rimini but didn't find anything suitable. 

Ravenna is important in history. It was once the capital of the Western Roman Empire and then was taken over by the Goths and became the Ostrogothic Kingdom and finally was ruled by the Papacy until it became part of Italy. There is so much to see you don't know where to start. Just Ravenna has 8 Unesco World Heritage sites.  We were in the Piazza del Populo by about 12. This is what I saw of it. 

Piazza del Populo in Ravenna

To use a pun, I was ravenous and all I wanted was to eat something before we did more sightseeing. Plus, it was so hot, we needed fortifiying. I found an expensive rip off place where we had a tiny dish of pasta each and it came to over 50 euros. I haven't learned my lesson have I?

Only then could we concentrate on seeing the sights. Our first stop was the Basilica San Vitale. There we had to buy tickets which could be also be used to see the Galla Placida Mauseleum, the Neonian Baptistery, the Bishops' palace which is now a museum and the other famous Basilica di Sant'Apollinare. They all have some fantastic mosaics. I read that the city has the finest collection of Byzantine mosaics in Italy. It was craftsmen who were brought to Italy from Constantinople when Justinian was the Roman Emperor. They created some amazing scenes, that have been preserved and can be seen in the main sights of the city. 

I have had some PC issues (long story) so none of the photos below are in the right order. But I will still post them and if you are interested you can see what is what thanks to the captions. 

We first visited the Mauseleum which, although tiny, impressed me most because it's just full of mosaics. The funny thing is the buildings themselves are not that special. It's the inside that really makes an impact. When we walked into the Basilica de San Vitale, Eladio whispered to me it was the most beautiful building he had ever seen. I whispered back that the Taj Mahal still beats it, hahaha. 

Ah, and we also visited Dante Alighieri's tomb which is another top sight in beautiful Ravenna.

The Basilica di San Apolinare from the outside

Just look at those mosaics which all tell a story inside the Basilica di San Apolinare

The outside of the Basilica di San Vitale

The Mauseleum of Galla Placida

The inside of the Mauseleum of Galla Placida

The altar inside the Basilica di San Vitale

The unimposing Neonian Baptistery

Inside the Baptistery

Our last but one stop was Dante's tomb. 

We didn't find that imposing but of course we had to see it. I wondered why he was buried there. Turns out he wandered for many years from town to town until the Lord of Ravenna invited him to make his him home there in 1318. That is where he wrote his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy and it was there that he died and was buried in 1321.

I have to say I have learned so much on this trip and am so thankful that we have the means to travel and learn so late in life. It's never too late is it? But it's wonderful to be able to see and touch history. That's what we did in Ravenna yesterday.

When we had had our fill of this wonderful city, we set off for Bologna where we are staying for two nights. Before leaving I spied an Essalunga supermarket - the best in Italy and we headed there to get provisions and also to buy pasta, pesto and prosecco to take back home. It was only an hour's drive from there to our new pad, this time booked on Airbnb and I am loving it. It's cute and clean and in a lovely area. 

Today is Sunday and we shall explore Bologna at our leisure before beginning the journey back on Monday to Spain. 

And that's all from me for this week folks.

Ciao and buona giornata from Bologna, Masha and Eladio