2023 Italy Part 5
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- Sun 5th FebDidn’t do much today. Another fine sunny day, although with a decidedly chilly breeze. Cleaned the inside of the motorhome, read a lot, Sue did a load of cooking, including the last of the mammoth crop of squash, and a loaf of bread. Freezer now full of squash.
Went for a walk this afternoon, everywhere very crowded. Found a nicely situated table, intending to have a glass of wine. The waiter informed us all tables have to pre booked, waiting time about 20 minutes. We didn’t wait.
Later this afternoon, almost everyone left. Clearly a weekend retreat for many people. - Mon 6th FebBad start to the day. A grounching noise from the vehicle as we moved. Found a garage quite easily, they were apologetic, but too busy to help. They suggested another garage down the road – after a short wait, they came over, and found the handbrake cable was loose, and could be the culprit. They tied it up, and all seemed well. We drove off, not all well, so we went back. Went for a drive with one of their mechanics, grounching still there. Turned out to be loose wheel nuts. Hmmm. I changed the wheels before we left Brighton. But that is about 800 miles ago. Road surface in Italy is dreadful……..that’s my excuse.
Whilst this was going on, had an email from Rosie, she cannot start our car, which she needs to move in order to get her motorhome out for an MOT, prior to selling it. And, she had to take a day off work to do it. Wish we could help……been a few emails flying around, no update as yet.
Wheels tightly secured, drove to Caprarola, to visit Palazzo Farnese. Now, this is really odd. All the info I could find said opening time Mon Wed Thur 3pm until 4pm. Strange hours, we turned up a little before 3pm. A note on the door said open all day 9.30 until 18.30. Except….you’ve guessed it……except Mondays.
So, did the washing instead, as we are parked opposite a launderette. Palazzos are more fun. Will try again tomorrow. - Tue 7th FebWoken up to activity outside – a market was being set up! We were asked to move, Sue in the middle of breakfast. Actually, wasn’t too much of a problem, we were able to find somewhere to park just round the corner in a residential side street.
Toiled back to Palazzo Farnese, and, Lo!, it was open.
The light coloured building just to the left of centre is the Palazzo.
Very pleased we made the effort, there were loads of rooms, all painted.
This is the entrance hall, which leads to……
An open space, which the palace is built round. Thence, it goes on and on….
And, a stunning staircase leading to the upper floor.
- More rooms, more ceilings
A fountain (not working) in one of the rooms, that was originally open to the outside, but was “quickly glassed in” according to the room blurb.
- And some moreA small connecting corridor, painted with branches, with rope intertwined round them, no information, and really difficult to photograph. This is the best I could manage.
More rooms, more ceilings.
With maps of the world, not entirely accurate!
And, in the grounds, was a flamboyant fountain surrounded by statues leading to a two story lodge.
- A busy day (Cont’d)We then drove to Tuscania, according to the guide book has two interesting churches. After parking up, walked through the old town, narrow cobbled streets, to the churches the other side of town. Involved much going up and down. The notice clearly said opens at 3.00pm, so back to the vehicle we went. Later, as there was a car park, we decided to drive there. Arrived about 3.10. Waited until 3.30. Gates solidly locked. Checked the other church, just down the hill, just as locked.
So, back to our parking, and I went to a museum, just a few minutes walk away. It was entirely given over to Etruscan tomb finds. The Etruscans were a civilisation prior to the Romans, and who traded with Ancient Greece, but were assimilated, or conquered, by the Romans. We saw the astonishing round tombs when we visited in 2011, but had not seen the finds. Actually proved to be very samey, sarcophagie , pots, plates, jars, and some bronze objects.
A close up of a pair of handles, very delicate detailing.
And, all about 400bc.
- Wed 8th FebA lazy day. Drove the short way to Abbadia San Salvatore. Not far laterally, and lot vertically, now at 2,600 feet. Some vestiges of snow around, really cold, even in the sun.
The abbey was not interesting.
This is the crypt.
Going to try another abbey tomorrow. - Cont’dYesterday, we filled up with autogas. Haven’t been mentioning it for quite a while now, because it hasn’t been a problem, seems the problem is confined to Northern Italy. But yesterday was unusual, a “garage”, quite a distance from any habitation, and the only thing it sold was autogas, no petrol, no diesel, no shop, just a bloke with a lonely pump.
Weather for quite a while now has been sunny (mostly), at low level quite warm in the sun, provided out of an often decidedly chilly breeze. Mornings have been just a few degrees above freezing.
As we are now finding out, a couple of thousand feet up…… - Thu 9th FebA cold but bright start, temperature minus 5C. Had a scenic drive, up and down over a range of hills with stunning views over the surrounding country, to Abb di Sant’Antimo, which proved to be very disappointing. A huge and impressive very plain church.
Not much else, a shop and signposts pointing to locked gates.
Huge car park, so they must expect lots of visitors. Not sure why.
So, we drove off to Siena, and a Sosta camper at the foot of the old city. Used Google maps to find bus route into the city. Google maps seems to be very good for bus information, but is astonishingly pathetically bad at showing how to get to the bus stop.
We found the bus stop, buy tickets from various outlets, and on the bus. Bus came, cannot buy ticket on the bus, but we were let on. Bus going the wrong way, so we got off at the next stop, another stop opposite. And a tabachi, that sells tickets. Except Siesta time, closed. As was the small supermarket next door. Fortunately, when the bus came, we were let on again.
With some difficulty, found our way to the TIC. Closed and boarded up. We were now in the main square of Siena, been here before on our previous Italy trip in 2011.
The tower, apparently the second highest medieval tower in Italy, closed. I had climbed it on our previous trip.
In the sun, now mid afternoon, quite pleasant so had a glass of wine. Which again came with goody bowls, peanuts crisps and small biscuity things.
Thence to the Duomo.
A truly staggering facade. All fenced off. Duomo solidly shut. Despite the opening times displayed. By now, in the narrow streets, shielded from the sun, and with a vicious cold wind whistling round, we tried to find our way to the bus stop. Round and round in circles. Found the wrong bus stop.
But, we are not still looking!
Eventually found it, bus waiting, tickets bought, uneventful end to an uneventful and unsatisfactory day.
Will hope for better tomorrow. - Fri 10th FebAnother cold bright day. Caught the bus into Siena, no dramas this time. Went to the Duomo – still closed. Saw a tourist office, door slightly ajar, so forced my way in, and a bloke came running up saying they were closed. When I asked when they would open, he explained that everything is closed as a precaution because Siena experienced an earth tremor yesterday. We certainly didn’t feel anything. Actually, yesterday I asked a lady about everything being closed, she said “earthquake” (she didn’t speak English), and I didn’t understand it was local to Siena, and assumed something to do with the huge earthquake in Turkey/ Syria, which didn’t make much sense.
Not sure when things might open in Siena, so decided to move on to Arezzo.
This is another gem. Unfortunately, Sue has a bad cold/cough and is feeling crock.
Afternoon, I went round Arezzo. First stop, Casa di Vasari, the home of the artist, appointed by Cosomo I, and built and decorated by him in 1540. A fairly modest, comfortable sized house, with every room decorated, mostly by him.
The numerous room attendants then insisted I go into the garden. OK, into the garden.
The modest, and not very interesting, garden, with his house at the back.
And, a painting, added later and not by Vasari, of a scene building the colosseum in Rome.
- San FrancescoA 13th century church, decorated in the mid 1400 by Piero Della Francesca. Restored in 1901, after it had been plastered over and whitewashed. Not clear who by, or why, but if done now, possibly more would have survived with modern techniques.
And, I came upon this poster, an imaginative instruction during covid.
- Sat 11th FebSue was well crock yesterday afternoon, so she went round the Vasari house and San Francesco church this morning. We set off to an attractive looking fish restaurant, but when Google maps had me going in circles (again), she decided she couldn’t take any more, so we went back to the motorhome. She rested this afternoon, so I went to the archeological museum. Mostly Etruscan, but some Roman and some prehistoric.
An odd Etruscan urn.
A tray of offerings or funerary goods found in a tomb.
A skull of an auroch, forerunner of the modern cow, now extinct. (The auroch, not the cow….). Heard many times about them in many documentaries, but never seen fossilised remains before. It was huge.
Just so you know. Pity about the light blotting out the middle paragraph.
The museum was housed in a converted building, built on the remains of a Roman teatro. This is all that is left of the teatro.
- Sun 12th FebDrove the short distance to Ansepolcro, a small place, the birthplace and home town of Piero Della Francesca. We missed his Casa (house), closed when we arrived. It’s not mentioned in the guide books, and the notice board outside doesn’t sound like there is much to see inside, especially as his only secular painting (Of Hercules) has been removed, and is in the national gallery in London! We did however visit the museum, which is actually an art gallery, sundry renaissance artists. Have never been overly excited by by these paintings, with the endless repetition of the same biblical stories.
I took a picture in the gallery. Cos I was there.
Sue’s cold is no better. I have now been to two chemists, armed with a translation of “cold relief anti congestion “. Had stuff for blocked nose, period pains, arthritis, really do not seem to be able to get anywhere. All because we failed to bring the Lemsip. Looked round the hypochondria section in a supermarket. All sorts of weird stuff. Was most taken with a sea water concoction for clearing blocked sinus. Four different makes available.
- Mon 13th FebSue selected two places to go, by looking at a map. The first was Vallombrosa, which boasts a monastery. No information about it.
A very slow journey, twisting roads, steep hills through (the very attractive) Tuscan countryside, many stunning views. Clearly on a minor road, the crash barrier installers haven’t found it yet. And then, up and up, through a dense pine forest, increasing amounts of snow by the side of the road, until we reached Vallombrosa. Just over 3,000 feet up. The Sosta camper was a building site, apparently having a makeover. A short but steep walk to the monastery, which Sue just didn’t have the energy to tackle, her cold and cough if anything worse.
Only the church was open, no one around, although it was a big place.
The interior. Sue didn’t miss anything.
Decided (by Sue), far too cold to stay there. Probably a very nice place to visit in the summer, when it opens up, plenty of walks through the pine forest.
However, we weaved our circuitous way onwards to her second destination, Fiesole. Lower at 800 feet. By the time we arrived, Sue was so crock, all she wanted to do was sleep, so I wandered round the town, actually thoroughly enjoyed myself on a warm windless sunny day. The guide book mentioned a steep walk, with stunning views. I can attest to the steepness, and to the views.
Looking south, Florence the other side of the distant hills.
Looking back over Fiesole.
A nice red glow from the setting sun.
- Tue 14th Feb.Some debate and research about what to do. Rejected Florence, really difficult, and we spent an excellent week there some years ago. Rejected Bologna for the same reason, too difficult. Decided on Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo. All that is there is a museum with a collection of his drawings and other stuff, which sounds fascinating, I was really looking forward to it. However, on checking the opening time this morning, it is open on Mondays. And Wednesdays Thursdays…..but not on Tuesdays. Just when I thought we had Italy under control. Oh! Bugger!
So, change of plan, drove to Parma. The route is via Bologna, and the journey to there was more wonderful twisting scenic roads. Cannot last of course, Bologna to Parma busy, flat, uninteresting, but still slow. (We are still avoiding toll roads, in fact haven’t been on one all holiday so far)