Road Trip 2024. We are off, first stop Huesca (Aragon, Spain), an adventure crossing the Pyrenees from Spain to France, medieval city of Carcassonne, a one night stop in Aix-en-Provence, and a long journey to Italy. Beautiful but overcrowded Cinque Terre, visiting Portofino - a dream come true - and so to Tuscany. Stop off in Lucca and arrival in San Gimignano. Wow, I love Italy!

San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy, Sunday 12th May, 2024

In Portofino on Friday, the highlight of our trip so far in my opinion

Good morning from San Gimignano, one of the prettiest towns in Tuscany where we arrived yesterday from La Spezia, our base to visit Cinque Terre and Portofino in Liguria, the Italian Riviera - now doesn't that sound fancy? 

We have  been on the road for just over a week since we left Madrid on Saturday 4th May.  This year we set off with a far less planned schedule and, if all works out as it should, we do not have a return date.

Tana saw us off and I asked her to take a photo of that important moment. This is it.

Setting off on Saturday 4th May, 2024

Instead of driving to France through La Junquera in the north east or Hendaya, near San Sebastián, we had decided to go another route, through the Pyrenees. That's because our first important destination in France was Carcassonne. Besides, that road has no tolls.  Little did I know how difficult it is to cross that treacherous mountain range.

We set off at 10.15, stopped at the bank for me to pay the Inland Revenue a nasty fine and get some cash and soon we were on the A2, the road to Zaragoza. We aim not to drive more than 400km a day, so I had booked a night in a small hotel in Huesca which is the halfway mark between Madrid and Carcassonne, in kilometres, not time wise, as I would find out later.  Huesca with a population of around just 50.000, is in the region of Aragon and is the gateway to the Spanish Pyrenees. We had never been there, so this was our chance. It turned out to be a thriving and quite a beautiful provincial town. 

We stopped twice, once for coffee and another time to stretch our legs. Here is a particularly good photo of my husband somewhere in the middle of nowhere that day. I think there are vineyards in the distance. 

A stop on the way to Huesca

We were both in a great mood, feeling excited and happy and looking forward to more adventures. It's our prize for all the work we put in during the year.  Besides, we have to make the most of life in this final chapter of our own lives. In my posts on social media, some of my hashtags are "2oldies in a Mini" and "oldies but goldies". The latter was how a young Nabatean bedouin referred to me when he helped me into one of the caves in Petra some years ago.  We have always laughed about that. 

We arrived just after 3 pm at our rather modest but decent hotel, El Punto Chic 300 metres or so from the centre. Obviously we can't stay at expensive hotels every night, so we go for the cheap and cheerful and only splash out occasionally.  We particularly liked our room because it had a large terrace. It was on that terrace that we ate the packed lunch I had made. Here's a video of our quarters in Huesca. 

Our room at El Punto Chic in Huesca

After a short rest on an incredibly comfortable mattress, we set off on foot to explore Huesca. Our first visit was to the Cathedral which is the city's most famous landmark.

Huesca Cathedral

From there we walked towards the main squares. We passed a convent, El Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. There was a sign saying it's a cloistered convent - they still exist - but visitors were welcome to visit the beautiful chapel. So in we went. Some of the nuns were visible to us from  behind a glass wall. I only saw 3; one young black girl and 2 very old ladies  who call themselves Servants of God. Eladio was particularly interested in the fact that the Holy Sacrament for communion was on display and lit up. His guess is that the Convent was bestowed with special privileges from the Catholic Church. Oh my. 

Once outside, we soon stumbled across  the Plaza Luis López Allue which looked beautiful with lots of coloured façades on the magnificent buildings. This is where La Confianza is located. Founded in 1871, it claims to be the oldest grocery shop not just in Spain but in Europe. We had to see it and were impressed.

Eladio in La Confianza

There was a sign on the door saying photos are only permitted if you purchase something. I read somewhere that it is so popular, crowds come and of course don't buy anything. So we bought something - no sweets or chocolate but honey for my husband who adores it and some salami (longaniza). Here is the video which I posted on my You Tube channel once inside the store. 

We both fell in love with this oldie worldie shop which is pretty unique and a feast for both the eyes and the stomach.

Our walking tour of the city of Huesca which we found very clean, then took us to a bar by the Porches de Galicia. There I had a glass of wine and enjoyed some people watching and chatting contentedly with my husband. We later continued our walk towards a charming square where an ornate casino is located; Plaza de Navarra which also has a beautiful fountain.  It seemed pretty similar to the one we saw in Kutaisi in Georgia last year. 

In one of the main squares in Huesca- Plaza de Navarra with the casino behind me.

We were tired by then as we had walked over 10.000 steps, so headed back to our hotel. That night we had a tasty meal on the terrace. We heated up a delicious stew I had brought from home. To do that we used our little gas stove. Here is a picture for you to imagine the moment.

Dinner on the terrace at our hotel in Huesca 

I later told my daughter Suzy that this is like camping without the caravan, hahahaha.

That night I slept relatively well and woke up at 7.30 on Sunday morning. Last Sunday was both Mothers' Day in Spain and Russian Easter. Knowing that, I wrote to Sister Serafima from my Aunt Olga's convent in Sofia whom we met a year ago. Last year she sent us a Guardian Angel. We had no major mishaps and often thought someone or something was guiding us. Thus, I asked her to send us another Guardian Angel for this year's road trip. She very sweetly wrote that the nuns would pray for us and  added: "May God bless you and may your Guardian angels accompany you always wherever you go and in every decision you make!". Thank you dear Sister. 

That day we were heading to the medieval town of Carcassonne, supposed to be one of the most beautiful in France. It is famous for its links with the Cathars.  In the 12th to 14th century this was one of the most important religious groups in medieval Europe. 

What I didn't know was just what a long and difficult journey it would be. We left quite late, owing to the lift not working and to the garage door being closed at our hotel in Huesca. We dutifully followed Google Maps indications which would take us across the Spanish Pyrenees to the French Pyrenees  via the Bielsa-Aragnout cross border tunnel.

Everything was beautiful and green and we appreciated driving along country roads at the feet of the Pyrenees rather than driving on some boring motorway. We stopped for coffee in a pretty little town called Boltaña, about 60km from the French border. Here is Eladio poring over our map while I enjoyed an amazing cappuccino. 

 A pit stop in the pretty town of Boltaña on our way to France across the Pyrenees

I took the wheel when we got back in the car but soon regretted it as the road was very steep and windy. We were literally driving through ravines with high mountains. I was interested to know what peaks were near us. It turns out we drove very near the highest mountain in the Pyrenees, the 
Aneto which is 3.404 m high. We also drove near the Pico de Monte Perdido which is the third highest in this mountain range. I was curious to find out the highest peaks are in Spain, not France, but only by a few metres. As I drove, I thought of all those people who crossed the Pyrenees during WW2 and how they were helped by French and Spanish locals. That made me also very curious to find out just how many official border crossings there are between the two countries but I couldn't get a straight answer on internet. What I did find out though is that the Franco-Spanish border is 656km long between north eastern Spain and south western France. No doubt those escaping the Nazis during the War were led across the mountains far from any official border. 

When we finally got to the Bielsa-Aragnout tunnel, it was raining and there was a queue of traffic as it was only operating on one side.

Entering France from Bielsa in Aragon in the Spanish Pyrenees

Then began my adventure. What a scary road I had to drive on; thousands of sharp bends, some seeming impossible to drive around and often no traffic barriers. I read later the crossing has an elevation of 1820m above sea level. No wonder it's so scary. I imagine in the winter it must be often closed because of the snow. Dealing with rain was difficult enough, I can tell you.

After leaving the tunnel it was all downhill and even more scary. I drove as carefully as I could and quite slowly at times, at an average speed of 40km. I wasn't scared so much as tense and kept saying to myself; "you can do it, you can do it" and I did. Once on lower ground we stopped for a breather and to take photos as we were surrounded by amazing mountain scenery. Here is Eladio posing for me.

In the French Pyrenees after crossing the Bielsa-Aragnouet tunnel

We were then officially in the Hautes Pyrénées and it was quite an experience to be there. We will never drive on that road again but we shall never ever forget it either. 

From the crossing, it was all downhill afterwards and we looked for somewhere to stop and have a picnic lunch. We found a lovely spot in the pretty town of Arreau. We have packed a lot in our Mini; not just our suitcase, pcs and food but also two chairs and a table as well as a camping stove which runs on gas. Eladio took a photo of me frying some "cinta de lomo ibérico" - which is thin pork loin fillets  daubed with paprika. We had them with some left over veg and rice, gazpacho and then mango with raspberries.

Making our picnic lunch last Sunday in the pretty town of Arreau in the French Pyrenees. 

When I posted the picture on my social media accounts, my dear friend Sandra commented that I was quite the camper. Well, I am but without the van. However, I was a girl guide and ranger so camping comes naturally to me. I love the outdoors. I also love fine dining at fancy restaurants but am completely at home making a picnic in the countryside on a road trip. Others said I looked happy and relaxed. I did. It was a happy moment.

But we couldn't stop for long as we still had quite a way to go: 238km or 2h 28 min. We drove towards Toulouse and then on the A61 autoroute that leads to Barcelona.  Once on the motorway, it was a fast drive. Even so, we only got to Carcassonne at about 6.30 pm. We soon found our apartment in the Bastide San Louis, just 1.8km to the medieval part of the city. We also found a free parking space right round the corner. This is the apartment I booked for two nights in that most beautiful town in France that I had been aching to visit for years. 

We loved it as soon as we walked in. It's very spacious and is part of  a beautiful old house on a main road next to the station.  The only downside was that there is no lift but we forgave the owner for that as soon as we stepped in, we just loved it.  It really was splendid. Once we had unpacked and settled in, I grabbed a space on the terrace to read up about the beautiful medieval city of Carcassonne, the 3rd most visited town after Paris and the Mont Saint Michel in Normandy. 

On the terrace of our lovely apartment in La Bastide - Carcassonne

We were soon relaxing in the beautiful kitchen/lounge with a glass of wine and some pistachios. This was followed by dinner which was easier to make than lunch (hahaha).

We both slept well that night on a huge and comfortable mattress. I was up early on Monday morning and we took things at a leisurely pace. We stepped out of our building in the Bastide side of the town and went on foot in search of La Cité de Carcassonne, the real reason people come here.

The walled medieval city of Carcassonne

Eladio's main interest in visiting the fortified medieval city was because of its links with the Cathars. The city became famous for its role in the Albigensian Crusades when the city was a stronghold of the Occitan Cathars - considered rivals and heretics to the Papal rule. In 1209, the Pope's army, under Arnaud Amalric forced the Cathars to surrender, killing them all. The French Inquisition's main target were the Cathars and oh my God, how they delighted in torturing them in the cruelest manner imaginable to man. We would witness this at the Inquisition Museum. 

The history of Carcassonne could fill many volume of books. It was conquered by the Visigoths, the Romans and even the Moors and at one stage belonged to Aragon (now part of Spain.  More recently in WW2, the French resistance there were murdered by the Nazis as they left France. But it is the legend of the Dame Carcas that I loved best; a Moorish, Sarecen fairy princess who ruled the knights of the city after her husband was killed. 

Dame Carcas, the symbol of Carcassonne

When the city was besieged by Charlemagne's army in the 8th century, this lady fed a pig, stuffed it with wheat and threw it over the city walls. This was meant to fool Charlemagne into thinking the city had enough food. Thus he lifted the siege and in celebration, the princess rang the city bells. Legend has it one of the soldiers said Carcas Sonne (Carcas rings) as he was leaving. 

There were no bells ringing as we left our apartment and set off on foot towards the citadel which was quite a walk. It took us across the Pont-Vieux over the Aude River from where there are great views of the walled city. 

View of the walled city of Carcassonne from the Pont-Vieux. 

Pont Vieux Carcassonne

Notice how we were wearing coats last week. This week the weather is far warmer. It's quite a steep climb up to the citadel but well worth the walk as we came away very impressed with our visit. Here is Eladio at the entrance. 

The entrance to La Cité de Carcassonne

We have seen many medieval walled cities but Carcassonne beats them all for its history and the absolute magnificence of the castle and its walls as well as its sheer size. If you want to walk all the way round the walls, it's 3 kilometres. 

Entering the narrow streets the first thing we saw was the Inquisition Museum or museum of Torture which is what it should be called,  and of course we had to go in. I had only heard of the Spanish Inquisition which happened later than its French counterpart. In the 12th century, under Pope Innocent III, who was anything but innocent, the Inquisition was aimed at combating religious heresy, particularly among the Cathars,as well as the Waldensians. This nasty Pope also worked tirelessly in the Crusades to recover the Holy Land, but he will remain known for the cruelty with which the Inquisition combated heresy, especially in Italy and southern France. 

The instruments we saw as well as the models of heretics being tortured or burned at the stake, were absolutely sickening, even more so than what I saw many years ago in the Tower of London. Many of these instruments came from Spain, such as the garrote vil. I won't go into the details as I don't want to upset your breakfast if you are reading this this morning. 

Some photos from the Inquisition Museum in the city of Carcassonne

The museum houses instruments used for torture from the 12th century to the Revolution in 1798. A nasty man called Simon de Monfort wrote an Inquisition guide book for torturers. Imagine!

I felt quite sick when I came out and in desperate need of a café au lait which we had in the sun on one of the quaint streets of Carcassonne. Only after this did we visit the castle itself. 

A very partial view of the castle in the Cité de Carcassonne

The castle dates back at least 2.500 years and was founded during the Gallo-Roman period. Not only is it 3 kilometres long, it has double surrounding walls and 52 towers. Countless battles were fought from there, including the siege imposed by Charlemagne in the 8th century.

We could have spent a whole day there but soon we were hungry. We found a lovely place right next to the castle, the L'Ostal des Troubadours, housed in a 13th century house, or so the restaurant claims. It was pretty touristy but frankly rather beautiful. Here is Eladio choosing from the menu.

At L'Ostal des Troubadours where we had lunch in Carcassonne on Monday

We both went for the menu of the day which included "cuisse de canard confite". Who can resist duck in France? I could not resist ordering a crêpe Suzette, either for desert. Elado went for the "fromage". I mean, when in France, do as the French. They know a bit about gastronomy don't they?

We had a delicious meal after which we wandered the quaint streets and squares in the medieval city. We also walked part of the walls of the castle, until our feet were worn out. 

We walked back the same way we had come, over the Pont Vieux. A lovely Belgian woman from Charleroi took the only photo of the two of us in Carcassonne for which I was very grateful.

On the Pont Vieux after our visit to the walled city

Soon we were in La Bastide, where most people live in Carcassonne. On our way to the apartment we went past some gardens in  Gambetta Square. We were drawn to some interesting statues by a Catalan artist, Marta Solsona who I had never heard of. But I loved her statues, especially this one of a   child on a swing. I had to have a photo of Eladio pushing the swing, or pretending to.

A delightful statue we came across in Carcassonne by the Catalan artist Marta Solsona.

The last photo of the day was of the entrance to the building of our apartment which I want to remember as we really liked it. We were on the first floor with the wide terrace. 

The entrance to the building of our apartment in Carcassonne

We loved our time in Carcassonne and the spacious apartment we stayed at. But it was time to move on to our next destination; Aix-en-Provence, on our way to our next important stay in La Spezia on the Ligurian coast of Italy, .just north of Genova and then, of course, Tuscany. This is quite the Tour of Italy, which, by the way,  coincides with the Giro d'Italia that began, like us, on 4th May. 

We left Carcassonne on Tuesday at around 9.45, very early for us. Our journey was only 300km that day and as it was all on the good French Autoroutes, we were in Aix quite soon. I chose Aix-en-Provence on route to La Spezia (Cinque Terre) as the alternatives were Marseilles (too big) or the Côte D'Azure again which I know quite well. We weren't so happy with our choice of accommodation just 2km outside the old city. The building was ugly and jaded and there was no lift to our 2nd floor tiny apartment. On the plus side, the apartment was bright, clean and well equipped and had both a washing machine (important) and a small terrace overlooking a pleasant garden.

At around 4 pm, we drove into town and parked near the famous fountain called La Rotonde on a huge square of the same name. And here I am posing in front of it. 

Fontaine de la Rotonde

I wondered if the sculptures of three women represented, egalité, fraternité and liberté, but I was wrong. They represent Justice, Agriculture and Fine Arts- There you go. 

I knew very little about Aix-en-Provence until Tuesday, only that it was the birthplace of Paul Cezanne and that it has pretty streets and sells a lot of soap and lavander. Later I saw it was full of fountains. I also read it's name comes from Roman times when it was called Aquae Sextiae. 

The Rotonde Square leads to the most famous street in town; Cours Mirabeau, a beautiful and long boulevard full of more fountains like this one made of moss.

A moss fountain on the Cours de Mirabeua in Aix

At the end of the boulevard we walked blindly along pretty little streets with beautiful art deco and Baroque houses. We stumbled upon the Place des Prêcheurs with yet another fountain with what looked like a Roman type column.

By the Fontaine des Prêcheurs in Aix

A bit stuck for what else to do in the old city, I rang my dear friend Julio who goes there nearly every summer. Thanks to him we later saw the beautiful Hôtel de la Ville and the Cathedral which looked like a mini Notre Dame to me. I took some photos to send him and to share here. 

The Hôtel de la Ville and the Cathedral in Aix

We took Julio's advice and sat and had a drink in the square by the Town Hall. There too we saw the old corn exchange - wheat being important in this area - as well as the beautiful clock tower. It is obvious that Aix has a lot going for it and had we had more time, no doubt we would have seen more. But it was really only a stop on our way to La Spezia.

By the time we had seen the Cathedral, our feet were aching and we decided to walk back to our car. On the way we stopped at Monoprix to get some good French provisions at their food store which I love. I got my favourte paté - Rillettes du Mans: We also got some non French food such as pop in the microwave tikka masala which is what we had for dinner that night together with a glass of Rioja. 

We had to leave the apartment by before 10 am on Wednesday morning. We were out by 9.30 and thought we had a 5 or 6 hour journey maximum to La Spezia (Cinque Terre territory). But oh my the traffic on the cross frontier motorway, the A10 from the French Riviera all the way to Genova was horrendous. There were times the traffic jams were over 1.5h. It took us 12 hours to reach our Agroturismo near Spezia.   l learned the word for traffic jam in both French and Italian: "bouchon" and "coda"- there you go. I only found out why there was so much traffic days later. We should have arrived at around 3 pm but didn't get there till nearly 10 at night.  We took turns driving, or rather sitting at the wheel, and the only highlight was  a stop at the last "Aire" in France before entering Italy. We had stopped there last year and remembered the wonderful views of Monaco. Here we had our mid morning coffee. What a wonderful location.

The only highlight of our 12 hour journey from Aix to La Spezia - here overlooking Monaco

We stopped and started the whole way. Lunch was a very quick affair at a roadside cafe. We managed a packet of Spanish ham, some gazpacho and a yoghurt which we wolfed down as we were starving. 

Only when we turned off onto the motorway to Livorno (towards Rome) did the road become clear. We arrived in the dark which was pretty scary as the road up to the top of the hill where our apartment in a farm stay was located. When I booked the place I only read the comments about the windy mountain road after about comment number 10. 

Daniela, the owner, was there to greet us and Arturo, her handyman from Ecuador, helped us with our luggage. I counted that all in all we have  8 pieces, 4 of them being food and utensils. But we loved our apartment  an "agriturismo", as soon as we saw it. We settled in as fast as possible as were starving again. I rustled up a quick dinner we had on the amazing terrace - the absolute highlight of the accommodation with views of the Bay of La Spezia - called The Bay of Poets (Golfo dei poeti). The place is just 4km from the centre and the views are great but the road is dreadful.

I, at least, slept like a log that night and woke up at 6 am on Thursday morning. My first coffee was on the terrace where I read the news - US halting some arms supplies if Israel invades Rafah as well as Real Madrid's victory against Bayern Munich. They now face Dortmund in the final of this year's Champions League. They have already won the Liga so another Champions League would be a feather in their cap.

Here are photos of the view and of the terrace at the apartment. 

View from our apartment and our terrace - spectacular

The main reason for staying near La Spezia was to be near Cinque Terre (five lands). Really it makes up five villages Monterroso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore  - a string of beautiful old fishing villages perched on the mountains high above the Italian Riviera. Cinque Terre has to be in the top 20 of the most visited places in Italy. That's what it seemed to me as we struggled to get there and see them properly as all the world and his mother had decided to go the same day we did. I would find out later why it was so crowded. 

Impossible to go by car, we took the Cinque Terre Express train from La Spezia station. The other option is by boat but my husband is not a good sailor. We thought we could just buy the tickets at the station, but the queues were ginormous. In the end I got them online at the station. The distances are very short and you can get on and off the train and visit whichever village takes your fancy in any order. We hadn't done our homework so just got off at the first station, Riomaggiore. It turned out to be our favourite.  Later I read it is the most scenic with its lovely harbour and atmosphere. Here are some photos.

Riomaggiore, our favourite of the 5 "lands" in Cinque Terre

We skipped Corniglia, the most remote, which has over 400 steps to get to from the station and got off at Vernazza.  A mature couple form Boston US, told us it was their favourite. They, by the way, hiked from one village to the next. A lot of people do that but my knee and Eladio's sciatica were our excuse to take the train. In any case, by the end of the day we had done more than 16000 steps.

Vernazza is tiny and we took our new friends' advice and just walked down the only street to the harbour which was stunning. 

The square and harbour in Vernazza

That is where we had lunch at "Luca" right by the harbour

When in Italy eat spaghetti

We went for the spaghetti with fruti di mari. I mean, when in Italy ordering pasta or pizza is a must, isn't it? We loved it and drowned it down with a generous glass of Prosecco. We got talking to a young couple sitting very near us. They were Greek and  both of them had both studied Philosophy, the boy at St. Andrews and the girl at York. It was such a coincidence as Eladio was a teacher of philosophy. I told them he doesn't know modern Greek but can recite Ancient Greek and of course knows Latin and Hebrew - ancient too. I spurred him on to recite something in Ancient Greek for them to hear and they were amazed. Me too, at his memory. For the record it was an extract from the Anabasis by Jenofonte. I was so proud of him. We had such an interesting conversation.  But it was time to go; we had just paid and they were being served.

Our next village on the list was Monterosso - the largest with its beaches (grey I have to say), shops and restaurants but also beautiful Ligurian houses with their trademark dark green shutters. On the train there we got talking to another person, this time a Romanian. Gheorghe is a tour guide but had been in the Romanian army for many years. He seemed to know a lot about Spanish military history and even knew the name of El Cid's sword as well as his full name. I don't think all Spaniards know he was known as Rodrigo Dìaz de Vivar. He was such a charming man and a pleasure to meet. While exchanging cards, he gave Eladio his tour flag to hold and I had to have a photo. Here it is.

Making friends with Gheorghe a Romanian tour guide, in Monterosso

Gheorghe told us where to go to see the old town of Monterosso which he has no doubt seen a hundred times. Maybe I was tired but this village/town was my least favourite. That doesn't mean to say it isn't beautiful because it is but I think by then I had a bit of the Stendhal syndrome and my feet were tired. We walked along the beach towards the centro storico and lots of people were bathing. The coast is beautiful but the beaches I saw did not impress me so much

Monterosso

Again the hordes were to be seen in Monterosso. I wonder if the name comes because of the colour red of so many of the houses (and yellow too). I saw a lovely little red house and had to have a photo. No doubt it's an Airbnb these days. But I did wonder who would have lived there when it was built.

A little red house in Monteosso

We still had one more village to visit before we called it a day and that was Manarolo - could never remember if it was Manorola, Monarolo or whatever. Seeing so many similar villages becomes confusing, especially looking at the photos later. 

We walked to the train station under a tunnel, as usual. Italy is full of tunnels we have noticed. There we had a little wait until our Cinque Terre shuttle train arrived. Thankfully it was just three short stops and out we were. It's another picturesque village with a sweet little harbour. People were swimming and you could walk up a very steep hill to get better views but I had done enough climbing for one day.

The harbour in Manarola

Again the place was packed. I didn't get why there are so many people in Cinque Terre at the beginning of May from all corners of the world. I had imagined lots of retired people like us, but there were people of all ages. Don't they work I wondered? I love Italy but don't like crowds.  On the other hand I want to see the pretty places too, so that's the price to pay, sometimes. I later  heard from a former colleague, Kaisu and my cousin Marie that the beginning of our road trip had coincided with a very long bank holiday in many parts of Europe because of  Armistice Day and the Ascension. Neither are celebrated in Spain; just May Day. If only we had known, we would have left later. 

But we did have some quiet time at the end of the day before heading back to La Spezia and then to our Agriturismo. We had a drink at a simple little bar near the harbour and I had an Aperol Spritz, all the rage in the UK, unheard of in Spain but apparently comes from Italy. I say, while in Italy, do as the Italians. It was delicious. Just look at my happy face (not my new teeth).

Content, enjoying an aperol spritz in Manarolo in Cinque Terre on Thursday

Eladio, who is nearly tee total, went for an alcohol free fruit cocktail drink, specifically without  ice (hahaha). I took a photo of him and immediately entitled it "la dolce vita". 

My husband enjoying la dolce vita in Manarola Cinque Terre

He then went on to explain the origin of the term and it's not from the Federico Fellini film. My husband is so cultured and that's one of the things I most admire in him. 

The drink and people watching in Manorola was a wonderful way to end our day in Cinque Terre, a beautiful place, very unique and certainly worth a visit, crowded or not crowded. 

Like many other visitors, we took the train back and soon picked up our car at the station and drove up the winding hill to our wonderful apartment which has fabulous views. There we unwound, relaxed and had a delicious cold dinner on that amazing terrace. A good day was had by us both.

On Friday we had planned to spend the day in Portofino, just 70km from La Spezia and we took the train for the same reason as we took the train to Cinque Terre - both places are impossible to park in. It was very easy to buy our tickets online and just turn up at the station.  All the trains we have taken so far have been very punctual. 

Portofino has been on my bucket list for such a long time and I was not disappointed. It was less crowded than I expected too so made for a wonderful day trip.   It's an hour by train to Santa Margherita Ligure - a beautiful town in itself on the Ligurian coast. Then we took a bus to Portofino which is actually quite small. So what is so special about this famous port? Well, it's been made popular by the famous and rich but it also combines Mediterranean nature with one of the most picturesque landscapes on the Italian coast. Stunningly picturesque is how I would describe it .  Here is just one photo I took from the top of the Castello Brown for anyone reading this who hasn't been. 

Beautiful Portofino as seen from the Castello Brown high above the town

Everyone heads to the main square of Portofino, right in front of the port. It is commonly known as the Small Square but it does have a name; Piazza Martiri Dell'Olivetta. It is considered the heart of Portofino. As soon as we got there we sat and had a coffee. I was awed by the sights my eyes were treated to. We took tons of photos that day. This is one of me in the famous square. 

Piazza Martiri Dell'Olivetta

From there we walked along the port admiring the boats and the views. We were lucky that day to get a photo of the two of us together there. So that's the one I have chosen as this week's feature photo. I mean it's not every day you go to Portofino and we will probably never go back.

The beautiful port in Portofino

If we did go back, I would choose the same restaurant we went to that day; Trattoria Tripoli. I found it on Trip Advisor and at midday ordered a table for 2 for 1 o'clock. That's how we shall proceed from now on rather than taking pot luck and queuing up for a table. We had hoped for a pizza - that will have to wait till we get to the land of pizza in Napoli. But we had the most delicious sea food risotto. Wow!

Risotto for lunch in Portofino at Trattoria Tripoli in the main square. It didn't disappoint. 

Our train back wasn't until 17.15, so we had plenty of time after lunch to see more than just the harbour, yacht port and the main square. The other main sites are the Castello Brown and the lighthouse at the top of the cliffs. I wondered why a castle in Italy was called Brown. Apparently it was the name of the English consul in Genoa, Montague Yeats Brown, who owned it from 1867 to 1905, probably long before the town became famous. However its history goes back to the Middle Ages when the Genoese built it to defend the gulf of Portofino.

Here I am climbing the steep walk up to the castle. 

Walking up to the Castello Brown in Portofino on Friday

The views up there are to die for, literally. Amazing, stunning, I don't have the words to describe the sight that meets your eyes.

The view from the Castle in Portofino

Our climb did not finish there. It continued to the top, to the lighthouse and then, as a reward  a sit down at  the lighthouse bar where we had a glass of water - no more Prosecco or aperol spritz for a while.

By the lighthouse at the top of a very long and steep climb from the harbour in Portofino.

The walk down was quite easy and although it was a very warm day, we enjoyed the shade as we made our way back to the harbour.

Once there we joined the queue for the ferry to Santa Margherita Ligure, rather than taking the bus. Eladio said it had felt like being in a sardine tin. Our ferry was splendid and we were able to get seats on the prow. Lucky us.

The ferry which took us back to Santa Margherita de Ligure

We were there well on time to catch our train back to La Spezia. Before returning to our wonderful Agriturismo, we went in search of a supermarket called Esselunga, recommended to me by Sandra who is half Italian and has given me so many tips for this trip. But we got lost and the Satnav played tricks on us. When we finally found it,  we were very impressed with the variety of products and quality. Oh how civilised this country is I have to say and how friendly are its countrymen. I just love Italy. We got lots of fruit and veg, milk, eggs, some meat, fish and I couldn't resist the local focaccia. It was a bit easier coming "home". We were exhausted and have both commented just what hard work tourism is, hahahahah. We also commented that day, how fortunate we were to have been able to visit Portofino, if only for one day.

We loved our time in Liguria but on Saturday it was time to move on to nearby Tuscany, the land of my dreams. I had booked an apartment in the old town of San Gimignano where we will be staying for 5 whole nights. As we planned our route, I saw that it would make sense to stop and visit the beautiful city of Lucca which was not far off the route. And I'm really glad I did as it is stunning.

We left our agritursimo at just before 9 am and got to Lucca by 10 am. That gave us plenty of time to see the main sights before continuting to San Gimignano. Lucca is knows as the city of 100 towers and a 100 churches; all within the medieval walls surrounded by fresh grass. It is also the birthplace of the Italian musician, Puccini, so the city of music too. 

The medieval walled city of Lucca. 

I looked up the top 10 sights and we saw them all in just 2.5h. Thankfully it was not crowded. First we saw the walls as we drove into the old city. From there we walked a short distance to the main attraction, the old Roman Amphitheatre. I was a bit disappointed as I had expected a sort of coliseum but it was empty and its beauty spoiled by a large food market.

In the old Roman Amphitheatre in Lucca on Saturday morning

Our next stop, with a bit of help from Google Maps was the San Frediano Basilica. It has a beautiful and colourful 13th century mosaic on the facade.

Outside the San Frediano Basilica

From there we made our way to the Clock Tower (Torre delle Ore) but it is so high, I couldn't get a good photo. 

I was more impressed with the San Michele in Foro church. It has been there since the 10th century. It is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel with a 4 metre high statue of him at the top. But first things first. It was coffee time as we arrived (any time between 11 am and 12.15) and where better to have that morning's cappuccino than in the Piazza San Michelo in front of this stunning church? Here I am getting my second dose of caffeine that morning.

Only when I had had my caffeine fix, did we visit this magnificent church built in the 11th century. This is about the best photo I could get. I loved the facade and the statues at the top. 

San Michele in Foro church in Lucca

In we went and as most medieval churches go, it was stunning. But what intrigued me most was to learn who the relic of the body buried just below the altar belonged to. No other than an Armenian pilgrim, Saint Davino. He left his homeland on a pilgrimage to Santiago in Spain which took him through Jerusalem and Rome. But he was attacked many times, especially on his head and lived on with pain. He became the patron saint of headaches! He died in Lucca near this church where he is now buried. San Davino  has gone down in history as a very famous pilgrim. Wow! What a story.

No doubt Giacomo Puccini, the famous opera composer who was born in Lucca, knew the story of San Davino very well. We were lucky enough to see the house where he was born and which is now a museum. We also had our photo taken next to his statue by two kind ladies from Valencia. 

By Puccini's statue in Lucca where he was born

Puccini's house

That is where our short tour of the city ended. We are not intense type tourists who have to see every sight and go into every museum. We prefer to visit those sights that most interest us, of course. But, above all, we like to meet people, try out the local language (loving practicing Italian which I studied 40 years ago) and take in the history and culture as well as the gastronomy and the countryside  when it is as picturesque as in Tuscany or as breathtaking as in the Pyrenees.  We always refer to ourselves as "country mice". We wouldn't want to live in a city but like visiting them if they are of cultural or historic interest.  

After a quick stop in that beautiful city, we walked up the main street, Via Fillungo which I loved, until we found our car. From there it was only 76km to San Gimignano but as it was across the countryside and on rural roads, it would take 1.5h approximately. We didn't mind as it was delightful to drive through the Tuscan countryside, full of vineyards I should add. 

We arrived safe and sound in the old city of San Gimignano at around 2 pm and were able to park in the Santo Agostino square, right in front of the apartment we had booked called after the square. This was something the owner managed as normally you can't park in the old centre. 

Arriving at our apartment in San Gimignano. Just look at all our luggage!

This is the link  to our apartment which I found on Booking, if you are interested. It had some great reviews and I knew we would love it even before we crossed the door. We were met by Carlo and his wife Chiara who showed us in. It is beautiful and I'm so glad we chose this place in the heart of the prettiest town in the area; even if it is touristy, to quote my friend Sandra. But we are tourists aren't we?

We soon settled in, had  lunch and rested for a while. I had done some homework about this unique medieval town famous for its incredibly high towers of which there are now only 14 left. Surrounded by vineyards, this walled city, 56km, south of Florence, was once an important stopping place for pilgrims traveling on the Via Francigena. It is obviously a World Heritage sight and is one of the most iconic destinations in Tuscany. 

That was all very well and I was dying to see the town, but while resting in our apartment, a friend - Gerard - told me that San Gimignano boasts the best ice cream in the world and that we had to have a gelato at Gelateria Dondoli. The Master Gelato Maker, Sergio Dondoli, has won many prizes for his ice cream which claims to be the best in the world. This might be an exaggeration, but I am an ice cream lover, so that is where we headed first. It is just 450m from our apartment and is located in the beautiful Piazza della Cisterna, right next to the Piazza del Duomo, both in the heart of the town. I was lucky the queue wasn't too long and soon came out with a cone of this delicious ice  cream. I chose two flavours, amarena (typical Italian cherry) and coconut (yes, I'm a coconut freak too). Wow it was great. Here I am coming out of Gelateria Dondoli.

Gelateria Dondoli which claims to make the best ice cream in Italy. 

We sat and ate it by the old well in Piazza della cisterna. My surroundings were spectacular; so many palaces, towers, churches and stone houses, all in an impeccable state.

We then walked back to the Piazza del Duomo. We didn't go in as there was a mass going on. Here, so awed by what I was seeing, I took a video for my YouTube channel and to share with you. If you have been, you will know what I am talking about. If you haven't, you will want to come one day and I urge you to. 

In that same square apart from Il Duomo, perhaps the other most important building is the Palazzo Comunale - which I think was or is the Town Hall. It has an amazing tower, the Torre Grossa. 

Il Duomo in San Gimignano

Palazzo Comunale and the Torre Grossa

That afternoon, all we wanted was to get our bearings and drink in the atmosphere as well as feast our eyes on the beautiful buildings and scenery. We soon found ourselves at what was called a Viewing Point - the best place to see the skyline of the town, but the sun was on the wrong side for photos. Thus we concentrated on the countryside, all green fields and vineyards where the famous Vernaccia white wine comes from. 

Enjoying the views of the countryside surrounding San Giminagno on our first day there

Our walk saw us back at the pretty Piazza della Cisterna where we decided to stop and have a drink. I was keen to try  a Bellini - which, although, more Venetian than from Tuscany, is served everywhere in Italy. It was my friend Geraldine who told me about it. I loved it. Here I am saying cheers and thanking my lucky stars for being able to do such a wonderful road trip taking me to so many amazing places. 

Having a bellini (that is Prosecco with peach juice) in Piazza della Cisterna

We then walked back to our place of dwelling on the beautiful Sant'Agostino Square. We went into the church and from there I got this wonderful view of the square, where our car and apartment can be seen, as well as a few of the famous towers of San Gimignano. 

Sant'Agostino Square where our apartment was in San Gimignano

After the ice cream and bellini, I was not hungry for dinner. Eladio was and enjoyed some pumpkin soup from Essalunga. I just had fruit and yoghurt.

That night we slept well. We woke up to more sunshine and the temperature will reach about 24ºc again today. Aren't we lucky? Today we just plan to hang around the town to enjoy it properly and take a rest from driving. 

Wishing you all a happy Sunday, cheers till next time, 

Masha

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