Best coffee bars in Roma

Before we came away we printed off a list of the 15 best coffee bars in Roma and we have been on a wonderful mission to sample as many of them as we could. The good thing about the list was that it also suggested the type of coffee that was each place's speciality.  I think we have been to ten of them and each one has had wonderful coffee and have welcomed us. So here we are -

Number 15

Number 14

Number 4

Number 1

Number 6

Our favourite number 3

Our local, one of the best known in Rome, number 13, Tazzo D'Oro.

Won't put all the pictures up.  We are getting ready to leave Italy this morning. We have had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed it immensely.  

So ciao.  Hope you have enjoyed following our little adventure.  We are looking forward to being home and seeing our precious little bundle, Matilda.

And of course our kids and families too.  Our nephew Greg and his lovely fiancé are getting married in Maleny on Sunday so we are extra excited to be coming home to that event as well.  See you all soon.

Wonderful Roma

Can't believe we have been here for four days and not one post.  Oops. The end is getting near.  From Arezzo we drove down to Rome to Ostia Antica near the airport. We dropped our little Fiat 500 back with nearly 7000 extra kilometres on the clock that night and in the morning John visited the extensive archeological park there.

We have accumulated a bit of stuff so caught a cab into our wonderful apartment in Rome which is about a one minute walk from the Pantheon and then spent a lot of the afternoon discovering how close we are to everything. It is fantastic.  In the evening we wandered along the river and over to Trastevere for dinner 

John has done a bit of exploring by himself here while I fight off some dreaded disease.  He went out to the aquaduct a park the next morning.

When he returned we again wandered up to the Piazza di Popolo and the Borghese Gardens. We are trying to see places we haven't been before.  We are constantly in awe of places we see and churches we pop into and ruins built into buildings as we walk around Rome.  We came back via the Spanish Steps 

Thursday we got up early and went for a walk to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona so as we could get a look at these glories without any tourists in them.  It was wonderful. 

After breakfast we went for a walk to the nearby Jewish ghetto area.  We had a coffee on the way at one of the 15 best coffee shops in Rome and wandered around this area quite close to us.  It was fascinating even though our visit was interrupted by a storm.

We explored this area bordered by the Tiber and the Theatre of Marcellus and ended up walking to the Piazza Venezia where we caught the lift up to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monstrosity for the most fabulous view of Rome.  That night we meet our friends Helena and Mark Glindemann for dinner and had a wonderful night catching up on their news and sharing our stories.

Mark had told us of the long queues at St Peters when they were there so we went early and after a half hour walk were walking into St Peters at about 7.45 am.  It was great with no crowds. We both wanted to revisit this important church.  John then went to the Museum of Rome while I wandered down the Via Nazionale looking at the shops.  In the afternoon we went to the Capotiline Museum which was fantastic.  Some shots from there.

And finally today my dear husband who never stops went to the Forum for a few hours by himself which he thoroughly enjoyed.  I meet him and we actually did a tour of the underground sections and the third tier of the Colesseum. Really worth it if you are in Rome.  

John has just gone to Mass at the Pantheon but I am confined to bed.  What a waste. Still can't complain because as we come to the end of our holiday we have had exceptionally good health and great weather - all very important to have a magnificent time.

Buona sera.

Great day in Arezzo.

Oh wow and oh wow.  Extra special day today at the Joust of the Saracens in Arezzo.  It all started off with the town crier announcing the Challenge and the bands and the players marching out of the Town Hall at around 11. All these events are accompanied by the firing of a canon as well as the church bells ringing loud and long.  

The historical parade marched down through the town.  At about 2 at each of the gates of the town the various quarteres held their blessing of their cavaliers and their horses and then marched up to the cathedral where on the steps of the cathedral came lords and ladies, drummers and buglers, crossbow men and knights on foot and horseback and the priests in their red gowns and black.  Here they had the archbishop's blessing of the horses and cavaliers. It was quite a sight and one that cannot easily be captured by a camera.

This photo just doesn't capture it at all.  It was fabulous.  While the grand parade processed to

Brought the town we went the Il Piazza Grande as we had booked seats in the square to watch the joust.  We had the best seats!!!!!  All the supporters of the quarters were there, chanting and singing.  It was a very competitive atmosphere.  The grand parade entered with the accompanying bands 

And then of course the wonderful colourful flag throwers.

After a perfect day a storm brewed but never eventuates into much and then the joust began.  The horses would gallop up the dirt strip and hit the Saracen with his lance. If they missed, dropped their lance, fell off they got no points. Each quarter had two joists and depending on where they hit the board they got points.  The blue and yellows won on the last joust with a perfect five - right in the centre of the board.

The team and supporters went nuts and were awarded the Lance d'Oro - the Golden Lance and with true Italian passion chanted and roared for quite a while afterwards.  

What a day.

On the road

Since we left Aosta we have been moving most nights. A bit daunting at first but we have enjoyed our little road trip which has been full of wonderful surprises.  Had a couple of nights at Lake Como in a little place called Nesso, just south of Bellagio but situated right on the Lake.  It was an interesting little place and our host gave us a guided tour around.  Love airbnb as you get lots of local knowledge from those who host you.  We went to Bellagio on our day there and then caught the ferry over to Varenna.  It was all OK but not somewhere we would come back too.  As Rick Steves says, it's a place you come to see how slow you can get your pulse.

From Como, Giovanni had picked two castles he wanted to see so we drove to Parma

and saw this little beauty and then drove over to the delightful town of Ferrara where they had wrapped their's up in glad wrap.  

We really enjoyed our time in Ferrara though John is a bit fluey.  Still we had wonderful digs and it enabled him to have a good rest.  Nothing worse than being sick when you are on the road.

Our next stop was in Ravenna. This was one of those jaw dropping experiences.  We love mosaics and have seen some pretty well preserved beautiful ones especially in the Middle East but nothing like this.  They were so well preserved and in such a beautiful setting. We loved it here.  Some things pictures just don't reveal but here are a couple.

From Ravenna we headed down the east coast to Riccione. Can even say that with a great Italian accent.  John is still not well but we managed to walk along the umbrella studded beach.  Actually the water looked and felt great - a few little waves and not too cold.  There were loads of people on the beach which was good to see.  I think Europeans in general seem to love the outdoors and spend lots of time on beaches, on bicycles, on walking tracks etc.  

So today we are heading back into Tuscany to Arezzo for a couple of nights as their big jousting festival is on and we have tickets.  Can't wait!!!  

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful Dad for tomorrow and of course, to my much loved son on his first Father's Day.  xxx

The Aosta Valley

We drove via the lovely little town of Portofino, touristy but oh so quaint, along to coast to Genova and then north to our home for three days at Morgex in the Aosta Valley.

What can I say!!!  We both love being in the mountains and this valley in the north of Italy on the border of France and Switzerland, was just wonderful.  As we were driving up the valley, there was a huge mountain at the end which we finally realised was Monte Bianco or Mont Blanc.

Had a pretty good look at it.  Both days we were there it looked like this.  Our apartment in Morgex was sweet and very alpine. It was one of those geranium clad alpine houses and was wonderfully comfortable with extraordinary views of the mountains and the little town of Morgex.

The main town in the valley is Aosta which is an old Roman town with the appropriate ruins. It was a great little place and we enjoyed quite a few visits here.  This is the Roman theatre there.

John found the beer aisle in the local supermarket and wished he lived here.

On our first day we drove up the spectacular Grand St Bernard Pass which starts in Italy just behind Aosta and of course goes over the Alps to Switzerland.  There is a hospice at the top built by St Bernard and which still,operates for travellers and skiers and cyclists etc today.  I will let the pictures do the talking.

We had both looked forward to doing this drive and it didn't disappoint.

Another fantastic drive and walk was up to La Thuile and onto the Colle San Carlo where we did a good walk into Lake Arpy.  The scenery along the way was above average.

John has been thrilled because scattered along the Aosta Valley is a string of castles which he has grown to know and love.  This is his favourite at St Pierre.

We had two very full days here and thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful part of the world.  We both determined we would be very happy to return here.  Lots of walking, spectacular alpine scenery, good eating and drinking, castles to discover, what more could one want!!!!!