Category Archives: Travel

Diary of a Slow Traveller – 13 December, Santa Lucia Celebration

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We arrived in Siracusa just a few days before the major religious celebration of the city – the Santa Lucia procession. I’d read so much about Santa Lucia a Christian martyr who was killed in the Fourth Century and was genuinely excited that we would be in Siracusa to witness it. As I tweeted, sitting watching the people outside the Cathederal, I did feel the excitement building.

Street vendors

Street vendors

All morning the street vendors had been setting up to sell their wares – sweets, balloons, souvenirs of the festival, toys and mobile phone covers. There were also craft markets and special food stores where we bought some locally produced mandarin marmalade and thyme flavored honey.

Late morning outside the Cathederal

Late morning outside the Cathederal

Our wonderful Airbnb hosts invited us as their guests to join them for lunch Continue reading →

Day One – Sicily

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So after an early start and a last trip down the stairs in our Airbnb apartment in Florence, it was time to head to Syracusa, Sicily. Our taxi arrived a minute or so after we got our luggage downstairs and it was a short trip to a very foggy Florence airport. Our plane left on time.

One last time!

One last time!

After about 40 minutes we were in Rome and then onto Catania. We had been concerned that the recent eruption of Mt Etna might have caused problems in getting to Catania but the eruption had settled down making it a spectacular fly past. Shortly after we were on the ground at Catania airport and greeted by our next Airbnb host, who also provided the transfer to our apartment in Syracuse where will be our based for the next 7 weeks!

The views from the bedrooms and kitchen were amazing as was the weather a very balmy 19C – what a difference from the low teens and below temperatures we had experienced in the previous two weeks. Even better news, it looks like the weather will be like this for another week or so at least.

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Our Airbnb hosts then took us to Ortigia and the street market which was wrapping up for the day. Evenso we were still able to stock up on some fruit and vegetables. Continue reading →

Florence – A touch of nostalgia

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Florence from Pzzale Michaelangelo

Florence from Pzzale Michaelangelo

As with Venice, we had previously visited Florence with our children in early 1999. My memories of our previous visit are good ones and have kept coming back as we walked around Florence going past many of the places we visited with our children.

That said, one of the first things we noticed was how much shorter the distance between the Duomo and Piazza Della Republica seemed. So to the distance to the Pitti Palace. Perhaps not having a five year old in tow had something to do with it!

Duomo - Florence

Duomo – Florence

We had stayed in Via Strozzi, adjacent to the Piazza Della Republica previously, this time we are near the Duomo. How the Piazza Della Republica has changed, where the post office was on our last visit, there was the Apple Store. Via Strozzi is now the fashion hub and definitely not the cheap seats as it seemed in 1999! We walked into the foyer where the pensione we had stayed in was located only to see that it was no longer necessary to take the luggage up,for flights of stairs as there was a lift in a completely modernized hotel.

Piazza Della Republicca

Piazza Della Republica

Our visit coincided with the first weekend of the month. In Florence this means that on the Sunday museum entrance is free. Maybe so but I’m not sure that it’s worth quuing for hours to get in if you can afford to pay the entrance fee. I’m glad we opted to visit the Pitti Palace on the Saturday albeit at 10€ each rather than queing for what looked to be a couple of hours to get in for free.

Entrance Pitti Palace -Saturday

Entrance Pitti Palace -Saturday

Pitti Palace - Sunday!

Pitti Palace – Sunday!

On our last visit we spent a day in the gardens of the Pitti Palace watching our youngest chasing the numerous cats who seemed to inhabit the quite spectacular gardens. This time we went inside.

Ornate Ceiling -Pitti Palace

Ornate Ceiling -Pitti Palace

We wondered whether it might be possible to go back to the Uffizi but one look at the crowds made the obvious!

Outside the Uffizi - there are cars in there somewhere!

Outside the
Uffizi!

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As a result and consistent with our decision to stay out of museums Continue reading →

Verona – A student for a day

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I arranged to have a day with a contact that I’d established at the University of Verona. It was an opportunity for me to discuss my research interests and increase my academic contacts.

Verona is just over an hour by train from Venice. I was met at the station by hosts from the University of Verona, so parted company with my favourite person so she could visit Cos (I think her mission is to visit every Cos store in Italy on this trip!) and site seeing while I went to the University.

My very generous hosts arranged a short discussion with a couple of other research fellows before we departed for a visit to a local business actively involved in the wine making process. In this region grapes are dried before processing.

Drying racks

Drying racks

From there it was an opportunity to discuss the life of a researcher in Italy and then onto a family wine company where I was able to learn about a local family business. It was interesting to hear the story given this is my particular areas of research.

It was a very worthwhile day made the better for the opportunity to meet both senior staff and fellow students. I’m quite envious of the study program that they are undertaking but on reflection perhaps not suited to a fifty something as he contemplates “what’s next”.

This is what I missed in Verona, but I’m not complaining as I had a very interesting day.

Garibaldi

Garibaldi

Roman Arena - Verona

Roman Arena – Verona

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Alone at Lake Como

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How can it be that a place like this actually shuts?

Even the trees were closed!

Even the trees are shut - Bellagio

A closed tree – Bellagio

The signs of how quiet it would be were evident when we got on the bus to our hotel. We were the only ones with suitcases.

The town we stayed in had only one restaurant open on the day we arrived, a Wednesday, and it wasn’t full for dinner!

Lake Como is truly idyllic and being able to have it largely to ourselves more than made up for the fact that pretty much everything was closed.

Our hotel

Our hotel

We took largely empty ferries between Tremzzo, Bellagio and Varenna. There were just 5 of us on the ferry to Bellagio, so it wasn’t surprising that the town was close to empty. It’s hard to imagine that only a couple of months ago it would have barely been possible to get a table at the lakeside restaurants or a room in Bellagio. During our visit they were pretty much all closed, a ghost town, just a chilling wind whipping down the narrow streets. We travelled onto Varenna, where there was a little more activity, including a delightful little bar, where we were able to shelter from the biting wind and have a pizza and a glass of red.

Bellagio

Bellagio

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We decided on a day trip to Como on our third day, Friday. Unless we wanted a dawn start, Continue reading →