The Via Francigena

In medieval times there were three main Christian pilgrimage destinations: Santiago de Compostella, Rome and Jerusalem.  Many will know of the ‘Camino’, the route across Spain from southern France to Santiago de Compostella. The route to Rome from the north was served by the Via Francigena (the road that comes from France) also known as the Via Romea Francigena (the road to Rome that comes from France).  Despite the name the route is generally considered to have a starting point in Canterbury.

The route was first documented in 725 as the Lombard way.  It was never a single road but rather it comprised several possible routes that changed over the centuries with the changes in trade and pilgrimage, the political situation and the popularity of shrines to saints on the route. 

With the increased popularity of the Spanish Camino in recent years came a desire to restore the Italian leg of the Via Francigena.  With this aim the Italian government launched an initiative in 2009 which was strongly promoted by Tuscany which has 250 miles of the route passing through it.  The route passes through Lucca and down to Rome via Siena.  We aim to walk the 120 km leg from Lucca to Siena at some point in the next week or two, depending upon the weather.  

26 April - Suffering

Yesterday evening we headed out to enjoy the Liberation Day atmosphere - although it was much quieter than during the day - and to meet with friends.  One cocktail bar and one wine bar later we find ourselves suffering a little this morning.  Now, here is an interesting linguistic fact (or so we were told at the school):  the Italians, who enjoy a drink but do not drink to excess in general, have no word for ‘hangover’.  Consequently, as we are in Italy, we have decided it must have been the oysters….

Tomorrow is Santa Zita day and in the last few days flowers have been appearing around the city (the oval Piazza Anfiteatro currently looks like a garden centre) and the mummified body of Santa Zita has been moved to a position of prominence in the Basilica where she is preserved.  Lorraine had visited yesterday and we went again today to witness the reverential crowds that go there to see her.

On walking into the large church you are immediately confronted with the gold and glass casket in which her body is kept, at head height in the central aisle.  Yesterday the people praying at the wooden altar across the front of the casket were three deep but today there are somewhat fewer.  They cross themselves, they kneel and pray, quietly reciting the prayer to the Saint that is attached at intervals on the top rail of the altar, and then line up to file past the casket.  Some have small bunches of flowers from flower sellers in the church which the brush against the glass as they file past.  Others just lay their hand gently upon the casket.  It is all very deferential but, to my non-Catholic upbringing, somewhat strange to see the apparent awe that people hold for this splendidly dressed, long dead and desiccated grey corpse laid out for all to see.

The Story of Santa Zita

St Zita, the patron saint of domestic servants, is also the patron saint of Lucca.  She was born in around 1212 in a village near the city and from an early age worked in Lucca as a housemaid for a large family here.  The house she worked in was pointed out to us on our guided walk of the city after our first day at school.  Zita was mistreated by the family and her fellow servants but it seems she was always forgiving and respectful.  She was also kind to the poor of the town and would secretly gather up the leftovers from her master’s table to provide them with food.  The story goes that one day she gathered left over bread in her apron and headed out to distribute it but she was seen by her master who stopped her.  When asked what she had gathered in her apron she replied it was only flowers and, when she opened her apron, the bread had indeed been transformed by a miracle into flowers thereby preventing her from getting into trouble and allowing her to continue helping the needy.

St Zita’s body mummified body is on display in one of the local Lucca churches and her Saint’s Day is 27 April at which time Lucca will be decked in flowers, a little seen relic will be on display in the church and the town should be partying hard.  We are looking forward to it…….

The Miracle of S. Zita by Bernardo Strozzi

25 April - National Holiday

Liberation Day.  The streets are heaving and clearly much of Lucca is open.  Lorraine headed into the crowds by bike with the girlfriend of one of her friend’s sons who has popped over for the day while staying in Florence.  I on the other hand have been asked by a couple of people to show them how to make the Limoncello truffles that we took into the school on our last day so am staying at home and doing a cooking masterclass!  It also allows me to practise my Spanish as they are from Madrid and Venezuela.  

Liberation Day

April 25^th, is a national holiday here in Italy.  The day is Italy’s ‘Liberation Day’ (Festa della Liberazione) and commemorates the fall of Mussolini and the end of Nazi occupation of the country during World War II and honours those who served in the Italian resistance. We were told that everywhere is shut today although we can hear the restaurant below setting out tables in the street below.

And I am sure you will be pleased to know that it is not only Britain that has wet Bank Holidays: we have had pouring rain and thunderstorms for two days.

24 April

Study, lunch, walk, study. And thunderstorms.

23 April - Studying Day

A major hurdle in learning a language (at least for us) is that we measure what is correct in English by whether things sounds right, not because we are considering any grammatical rules.  However, it is these rules that provide a framework into which you can plug your foreign language learning; if you can’t sort your indirect object pronouns from your direct object pronouns and you’re vexed by reflexive and transitive verbs then you are not making life easy for yourself. 

After two weeks of school we knew we would want a change of pace in our studies so this week we start working with a private tutor who will visit the flat.  This keeps us engaged in some formal learning. But we are also trying to be disciplined about daily private home study.  We have been learning a set number of new verbs every day and practise these in our Italian with each other.  We pick on some aspect of that grammar we so poorly understand so that those pronouns, whether possessive or direct or indirect or personal or… (I think you get the point), become clearer.  Sad to say that in exploring this area we are learning as much about how we use English incorrectly as we are about Italian.  And we also try and spend an hour in the day watching television to help get our ears tuned to the language.  The news is good as the pictures help you follow the story but any mindless daytime telly is helpful.  The other day it was ‘Cronache Animale’ (which is Animal Chronicles in English - a bit like Animal Magic back home but without the magic). 

It’s a slow business but and it does seem that we are understanding more when we speak to people even if that understanding falls dramatically short when they are in full flow….

22 April - (Another) quiet day

Today we had planned to take the car to a nearby car wash and then to the supermarket for a big shop but as we walked out of the walls and up the cul de sac in which it was parked it was clear that even late on a Friday morning there were people prowling around looking for those elusive free parking spaces.  We think it might have something to do with the forthcoming weekend which is a Bank Holiday here in Italy.

We agreed to leave the car in place, walked home and went shopping on our bikes.  After a somewhat precarious ride back laden with shopping we walked across to see Lucca Cathedral and spent a relaxing evening while the population of Lucca hustled and bustled in the street outside.

21 April - Relaxing

Today was a quiet time after all the running around of the last few days, although we did manage to squeeze in a drink to say farewell to a couple of Australians we had met at the school and investigate a new restaurant

The Legend of the Black Rooster

A Black Rooster on a Gold field is the symbol of Chianti Classico Wine.  It is a symbol adopted from a medieval legend which we learned about during our tour.

At the time the Republics of Florence and Sienna were in constant conflict, each seeking to dominate.  The Chianti region, lying between the two republics, was the area of dispute and the cause of many battles.  In order to put a stop to the continual fighting it was agreed that an alternative means was needed to definitively define the border.  It was therefore decided that at dawn on a predetermined day, as defined by the crowing of the rooster, a rider would set out from both Florence and Sienna.  Where these riders met would be the border line between the two republics. 

The Florentines chose a black rooster while Sienna chose a white one.  However, the Florentines starved theirs and kept it in a darkened box so that, on the morning of the race, it started crowing as soon as it was released even though it was some time before dawn.  Consequently the Florentine rider set off far earlier than that from Sienna with the result that most of the Chianti region fell into the hands of Florence.

As a result of this race the bird became the symbol of the region of Chianti within the Florentine Republic and, having been adopted by Chianti Classico, a black cock is now seen as a sign of quality within Italy.

20 April – Florence

We left early to catch the train to Florence and meet Fiona, a cousin of Lorraine’s, who lives there and had promised us a personal tour before we then headed back to Lucca.  It was a morning of  Medici churches and houses and plenty of precious religious artefacts.  In the afternoon we drove out to enjoy the Tuscan countryside and visit a Chianti vineyard for a tour in Italian and a little of wine tasting.  We reckon we understood about half of what we were told (and not always the most important part…) but that is a lot more than we would have understood three weeks ago. 

Many thanks to Fiona and Giuseppe for taking the time to host us for the day.

19 April - More Rome

Today we finished the '19 Century Brits Abroad' tour with a visit to the house in which Keats died, now a museum to the British Romantic poets and a haven of peace amid the madness of Plaza Espagna, adjacent to the Spanish steps.  It was then a walk through the high class shopping streets to the banks of the Tiber and the small but interesting museum to Augustus's Altar of Peace. We had then planned to go to the museum below the Piazza Navona that tells the story of the arena that this square used to be in Roman times. However, we headed back towards the hotel and a nearby church which we thought had an exhibition of icons. Not quite correct but interesting nonetheless.  We finished the day off with a visit to St Paul's basilica in the south of the city.  Somewhat off the tourist trail but an absolutely massive church (the third largest in the world it seems) and richly adorned.

The broken key is still in the door.

St Paul's Basilica

18 April - Around Rome

I like to try and be punctual. If possible I like to be early. So it wasn't completely unexpected that yesterday we arrived at the B and B earlier than we had advised. But a whole week early, that was a little extreme. After lots of ringing on doorbells and ringing on telephones and getting no answers we realised our (my!) error and as we headed back to the tube down graffiti strewn streets we were grateful for mobile internet on iPads and the ability to make new plans at short notice.  Dinner opposite the pantheon and a wander through quiet Roman streets to a not so quiet Trevi Fountain did a little to help redeem myself in Lorraine's eyes....

And so to today's itinerary. A bus to south of the city then walk along part of the peaceful old Appian Way to the Roman walls. Unfortunately the visitor's centre was shut but the walls are still impressive.  Then another mile along the Appian Way (a few more cars this time) to the Catacombs.  It was then a walk and underground train to the non-Catholic cemetery to see the graves of Shelley and Keats (a beautifully peaceful place with the amazing backdrop of a pyramid tomb - outside the cemetery – that was built in 12BC). And finally another short underground ride to see the Circo Massimo before walking back to the hotel via an impressive church (St Peter in Chains) with an amazing marble carving of Moses by Michelangelo. 

Today's little adventure, as if learning Italian wasn't challenging enough. On returning back to the hotel/B and B/hostel Lorraine broke the key off in the lock to the massive wooden door that gave access from the street to the inner courtyard that served the building. The other residents of flats, owners of businesses and guests at the various hotels that all featured on the bells outside in the street would not be able to gain access if the door were to shut, which it did, automatically and most solidly.  An hour spent trying to find emergency numbers in our room and in the various drawers of the deserted reception and ringing any numbers we came across all achieved nothing, although we eventually found someone who seemed to be the administrator for the building and managed to leave the problem with him.  

17 April - To Rome

Today we head off to Rome for three days.  It is a short walk to the station just outside the city wall and then a slow train to Florence (normally a 40 minute train ride but today is Sunday) and then it's only one and a half hours to Rome.  We then find out what exactly what sort of room you get for three nights for 100 euros

16 April – La Dolce Vita (again)

This afternoon, after a slow Saturday morning, we headed out on our bikes to check the car.  Parking in this city is at a premium and you can only park inside the city walls if you pay (blue parking spaces) or if you have a resident’s permit (yellow parking spaces).  Both are hard to come by, especially at weekends.  Outside the city walls you also have white parking spaces which are free for all but as you can imagine these are few and far between.  We found one the day we arrived and have been worried about moving the car since!  But it’s only a short bike ride to make sure everything is ok.

There has been a lot of activity in the streets in the last 12 hours here in Lucca and as we cycled out towards the wall the reason became clear.  It is the third weekend in the month and Lucca holds a big antiques fair in the streets and piazzas around the centre where we live.  It is apparently the biggest antiques fair in Italy and as we dodged between the crowds and stalls on our bikes it was easy to see why. So after checking the car we spent an afternoon wandering the market before settling down to people watch and sip wine at a nearby piazza.  

15 April - Venerdi

Our last day at school!  After our farewells at the school (and sharing out some limoncello truffles that we made last night at home) we headed off to eat with some of our classmates at the same restaurant we lunched in yesterday.  The afternoon was spent riding around the streets that marked the site of the old Roman walls as we thought that we had missed out on parts during our walk earlier in the week.  As it turned out there are simply areas where you just can not follow the route but we did have the opportunity to stop off at cafes and churches that we had not previously so we did cover some new ground.  

In the evening Lucca began to come alive for Friday night although tonight with the added attraction of a small dance festival taking place in the city.  There were a couple of 'pop up' acts in the street outside the flat as we got home where we found out that the theatre was putting on a showcase of up and coming dance talent that night.  We had an early dinner in the restaurant below the flat (We felt we should. We won't again.) followed by an excellent night of watching young people on the verge of breaking into professional dance putting on a mixture of classical and contemporary pieces.  

  

14 April - Giovedi

Today after school we headed to a small restaurant for lunch.  Lorraine ate with some classmates and I sat down for lunch with two Spaniards to practise my Spanish; my brain has become a mash of languages in the last two weeks and it seems at times I slip into some sort of 'hispitaliano' in my lessons.  I was hoping time spent on Spanish might 'reset' my brain.  Vamos a ver.  Or is that vamos a vederlo?

13 April - Mercoledi

After studies today we joined a guided walk arranged by the school to explore Roman Lucca.  We have previously come across the fact that evidence of the Roman city can be seen in the layout of modern Lucca but hopefully today we would learn a little more. 

The teacher leading us clearly knew her stuff and explained a lot to us.  We understood somewhat less.  We saw a part of the wall that had been discovered when some sort of building had been refurbished so it had been rebuilt in the road nearby although we did not quite catch why.  We then went into a lovely old church that had used part of the original Roman structure in situ as one of its main walls and were told about where the stone came from and how it had been moved to the area.  It might have had something to do with the river or maybe that part was to do with floods and why the city wall was not exactly square, it’s hard to be sure.  It was interesting to walk the route of the original wall (although the only evidence is in the way the current streets run) and the location of the eastern gate is just up the road from our flat, which as it turns out is on one of the original Roman roads than ran through the city.  There was an interesting bit to do with spears and swords in the west of Roman Lucca.  It was either an investment in manufacturing to boost the economy of the city or maybe there had been a battle there; that bit was confusing too.  Finally we ended up at the piazza that was built on the location of the old amphitheatre and saw one of the original entrances.  The whole thing lay just outside the old city walls (we know this for sure because it was in the picture we were given of the old Roman city) but why was another mystery of translation.  Anyway, for sure, the Romans were here at some time in the past and have left us the evidence of that fact; we did manage to work that much out.

The old Roman Theatre built into a church

12 April - Martedi

Today’s after school activity was a drawing class.  Our efforts reflect our lack of artistic skills rather than our lack of understanding of the teacher.....

In the evening as we were cooking our neighbour across the landing came to our door with a plate of food: a very kind gesture.  We have agreed to get them round sometime in order to practise our Italian.

11 April - Lunedi

Back to school.  New classmates.  New grammar.  New headaches.

In the afternoon we visited one of the better known churches with a crypt that delved down into archaeological history of the city and a tower that looked out on good views of Lucca.  Afterwards we walked to a restaurant that had been recommended to make a booking for the evening.

Culinary customs in Italy was the subject of one of our lessons last week.  We covered the idea that drinking a cappuccino coffee for anything other than breakfast is seen as strange behaviour (verging on the illegal from what we can make out).  The reason, it seems, is that it is seen as too rich a drink to have at any time other than breakfast and certainly not after a main meal.  We also discussed the extensive Italian menu of ‘antipasto’, ‘primo piatto’, and ‘secondo piatto’ (with of course ‘il dolce’ to finish) and that most people would not sit down to eat all courses but select only a couple.  Of note is that pasta will never be seen as a choice within the ‘secondo’, which is reserved for more expensive and substantial options such meat dishes. 

Traditional Lucchese cuisine is what the Italians term ‘poor kitchen’ food.  Traditionally menus would have extensive ‘primo’ and ‘dolces’ with only a small selection of the more substantial ‘secondo’.  In Lucca this would be largely rabbit and pork based dishes or offal, all cooked with extensive use of herbs to add to the flavour.  Of course such limitations are historic and within the city there is a wide variety of foods available (except for kebabs: it seems there was a clamp down on a growing number of kebab houses, seen as ruining the tastes of the Lucchese youth!).  We are doing our best to explore this aspect of Lucchese culture……

10 April - Domenica....

A late lunch in a nearby Trattoria and then sitting in the sunshine at the piazza, Italian style, watching the families promenading and the kids playing. What more to say....?

9 April - Il Fine Settimana

It is Saturday morning and we are conflicted.  Outside lie yet to be explored parts of Lucca yet inside is the homely sound of British radio and a sense of calm after the last week of intensive Italian.  Looking down on the street everybody is wrapped up for the cold and we can try and convince ourselves that this is reason to stay in a little longer but of course, as we know after my run earlier in the week, their attire is probably no indication of the cold to us British. 

In the afternoon we wandered round the corner to the nearby Piazza and see the church of St Michael in the Forum, so called because it is built on the site of the Forum in the old Roman city of Lucca.  In fact, if you were to look at a map of the old city you would see the main streets following a distinct grid pattern; these follow the lines of the old Roman streets.  Of course the Roman history is now heavily masked and the Piazza with the church of St Michael is now a picture of white marble and 13^th century architecture.  Walk just north of us you would find the Piazza del Antifero, once a market square and now a classic Italian piazza of cafes and restaurants aimed at tourists with prices (high) and quality (low) to match.  But the striking thing about the piazza is its shape.  It is oval rather than square as it has been built directly upon the site of the old Roman amphitheatre:  the Roman history of this city is here to see if you only know what to look for.

Each year at this time Lucca runs a major film festival and last night selected bars around town were decorated in the style of different films: James Bond, Frozen, Grease, Shrek and many others.  We headed out early into buzzing streets to see a few prior to a night at the opera with the school to see ‘Mephistopheles’ by Italian composer Arrigo Boito.  The cultural link is that he wrote the lyrics for two of Verdi’s operas and Verdi is a son of Lucca but we were as much attracted by the 7 Euro ticket price…..

8 April - One week in......

It is the end of the week and we will soon be able to let the brain slow down for a day or so.  There is definitely an intensity to learning a language in the manner we have chosen that is on the one hand effective but which on the other most definitely takes its toll on your brain.  A momentary lapse of concentration in class is the difference between understanding what is being said and taking in nothing whatsoever, an issue that is magnified by the range of accents and abilities within your fellow students.  At times we have wondered what progress we are making for the effort; it is quite hard to get a sense of where you have got to in the last few days.  Sometimes you feel you have learned nothing, frustrating yourself by not communicating effectively with a shop owner or in a restaurant.  But the reality is you at least feel you can try, you know if you're going wrong and you understand the gist of the replies that you get: there must be some progress somewhere....

Having the flat allowed us to host a dinner for some of our school colleagues in the evening, in part to say farewell to classmates who were leaving this week.  A good time was had by all and the selection of English, Australian and Danish guests allowed us to stick to English all night.  

7 April - The Weekend Approaches....

Another ride to school through the wonderful streets of Lucca; right for quarter of a mile along the shaded and slabbed Via Roma dodging pedestrians and bikes from every direction; through the old medieval gate and into the sun before turning left up to the small Piazza San Francesco.  It's then a short ride the wrong way up a one way street into the face of oncoming cars and we are there.  It is fascinating how understanding everybody is here about traffic: cyclists cut up pedestrians, pedestrians walk out in front of cyclists and both potter along holding up the few cars that are permitted in Lucca’s narrow streets.  The bike and the pedestrian seem to be king and everyone here seems very relaxed about it all with no shouting or gesticulating and no sense of impatience; it is nothing like you imagine the Italian temperament to be.  They say that northern Italy views the people of Lucca as extremely polite and it would seem there is some truth in that.

After another morning of total focus on what is being said for fear of losing the thread and of trying to get your mouth around Italian pronunciation we cycled back to the flat, heads full and aching. It was another quick turnaround for us as we had elected to join a school trip to the nearby thermal spa town of Montecasini.  A group of about 15 met up at the station and with the guide (need I say anything about the language spoken…?) caught the train for a twenty minutes ride west. 

Our visit did not include the thermal spa itself (we will save that for another trip and we have been advised by friends at home that it is worth the effort) but we wandered through the lower town and caught a funicular rail up the steep hillside to the original town.  Small and old and compact, it did not take long to wander around and we spent a quiet and relaxed afternoon enjoying the hilltop view, relaxing in the square and wandering around the old church whose size and decoration belies the size of the population it supports.

We arrived home early evening avoiding any social distractions, wondering where the time is going and looking forward to a break as the weekend approaches.  

6 April - Italiano, Italiano, Italiano......

Cycling to school is like a scene from a Fellini movie; the sun shines, the backdrop is timelessly classical and the Latin atmosphere is tangible.  We are blessed.

It was another day of Italian from the moment you entered the school to the moment you left with only the occasional snatched conversation at break time with other English speakers, although even here Italian is often used.  The afternoon's optional 'cultural' activity was a walk along the path of an old aqueduct that used to feed this city so it was a quick turnaround at lunch for both of us in order to meet up with our guide and others from the school.

Of course the guide spoke only in Italian.  However, it is strange how it dawns upon you that you are understanding the sense of what is being said, if not indeed a large part of it in some detail.  Granted, it is not without a lot of mental effort and a small lapse in concentration will leave you completely lost.  But it is a sobering thought that three days ago you would have heard nothing but a foreign and incomprehensible language and now you are measuring yourself by just how well you have grasped the meaning.

We walked for a couple of hours in the sunshine, following the line of the aqueduct into the Tuscan countryside, before resting in the shade of some trees prior to returning.  It was a real mixed bag of people: English, Australian, Argentinian, Spanish, American.  One of the latter is in Lorraine's class, a semi-retired lawyer and a quiet and gentle man, who is so determined to try and learn he will speak only Italian, whoever he is speaking with.  He insisted on buying us a drink on our return to Lucca and although desperate to take a break from Italian it was hard to be frustrated with an octogenarian American so determined to learn a foreign language that, even when with two Brits, he insisted on using it.  We spent an hour or so in a bar near the station with our basic appreciation of the language often using words that to our common Anglo Saxon ear sounded Italian but probably no local would recognise.  Nevertheless we managed to have some form of conversation; a conversation that took us an hour but would have lasted less than 15 minutes had we chosen to use our native dialect.  After having walked Bill back to his guest house and then being side-tracked on the way back to our flat by a cocktail bar, Lorraine and I failed again to do any home study.  Once again we are going to be well prepared for the morning....

5 April - Italiano, Italiano.....

As we cycled through shaded alleys and across sunlit piazzas on the 5 minute ride to school we could not believe our luck that this was our life for the next two weeks.  The pressure cooker that is 'il curso intensivo' and the brain ache that this entails on a daily basis is undoubtedly compensated by the 'dulce vita' of good food, great surroundings and good company.  Life could definitely be worse....

After we finished today's classes we returned (again with throbbing heads) to the flat for lunch.  I had elected to go to the additional 'cultural' session that afternoon on the language of gestures in Italy so a quick turnaround saw me back at the school while Lorraine did some home study.  As ever, only Italian was spoken and explanations of the meaning of gestures that you could not understand with a language that you were not too sure of is surely a road to total misunderstanding.  I will let you know if I get beaten up in the next few weeks for being rude when I thought I was being complementary.....

4 April - Italiano....

I started the day with a run around the city wall on a bright and pleasantly mild day.  As I plodded round in my shorts and t-shirt it became clear that I would never pass as a local.  The occasional runner that passed me in the opposite direction was dressed up as if for a winter run with hats and puffer jackets to keep out what to them must have been the cold of the spring morning.

School was the usual eclectic mix of nationals: we met Americans a Mexican, Germans and a Dane as we sat in a small group in one of the classrooms waiting to be called out for an individual 'chat' to determine our level.  After this Lorraine and I headed off for a coffee with one of our foreign colleagues in the hour or so we had while the school worked out who would go where.  When we returned we were unsurprised to hear that we were not in the same class but Lorraine's hard work has paid off because she is not in the beginner's class either.

The Lucca school, like other language schools, uses Italian from the moment you walk in the door.  The teachers are good at making themselves understood but if you don't understand, an explanation will made in Italian of the thing you failed to grasp and if that too escapes you then the explanation of the explanation of the thing you can't understand will also be made in the same Italian you are having trouble with.  Jesting aside, this intensive approach does help you learn but when Lorraine and met up at the end of the school day we both had throbbing heads.  Nevertheless we had agreed we would go back later for a guided walk of the city with one of the teachers and we knew this too would be in Italian.  Even on day one it felt as if our brains were being pumped to the point of bursting.

Basilica of Saint Frediano

The walk was informative and helped add to our growing awareness of this lovely city and the Italian was not as challenging as it could have been.  Conveniently we finished up right beneath our flat.  A drink in the nearby piazza with one of our English classmates and then Lorraine and I headed off for our
first pizza in a quiet restaurant where the waitress took great delight in our efforts to speak Italian and chatted to us at length about learning languages.  It was surprising just how much of it we both understood and we have promised to go back there in two weeks’ time to show her how much we have improved!

3 April - Exploring Lucca

We made the most of the Sunday before school to investigate the city.  The very thing that made yesterday so challenging - the narrow paved streets, pedestrianised piazzas and inaccessible roads - made the city a joy to discover without the car.  We were grateful therefore to have brought our bikes - they are everywhere here and nobody seems to worry about one way streets or the occasional 'no bikes' sign on the busier lanes and alleyways. We followed our noses without reference to our map to start with and every street corner and piazza seemed to be a place worth stopping to admire and photograph; it seems that everything within the walls is the best that Italy has to offer in terms of architectural style.  We happened upon uncrowded 

St Francis' Church

alleyways, quiet squares and old churches as we cycled the old stone slabbed streets and if we got lost (and it is easy to do before you get to know the city) we just headed in the one direction until we came to the old wall that surrounds the historic centre in order to get our bearings.  After working out a route to the school for the following morning we lunched in the sunshine on a quiet piazza and then finished our exploration by cycling up onto the paved promenade on top of the old wall and doing a full circuit of the city before returning to the flat.  We finished the day with some light study in readiness for whatever school may offer and marking up a map of Italy with the places we hope to visit. Tomorrow the next part of the adventure begins!

2 April - Lucca!

Lucca was a 4 hour drive from Treviso so it was another long day on the road.  And that was to be only the beginning.

Old Lucca is a walled town and large parts are pedestrianised.  That is part of its charm.  But for us, on arrival, it was also part of the problem.  Those parts that are not pedestrianised are generally very narrow and accessible to locals only.  On top of this it is a mass of one way streets that intersect and diverge in manner that defies logic.  Our flat is in the centre of it all.

We arrived on the ring road around the city wall and the first concern was whether we would get through the wall entrance with our bikes on the roof.  On seeing the height of the gates this was obviously not an issue but we had missed the road to that particular entrance by the time we realised.  Not to worry, there were four others.  So we carried on following the wall to the next gate and entered; it was simply a case of driving back to the previous gate which was near where we had been told to park. Or so we thought.  It turned out that the road we wanted to take was accessible to locals only and we were forced by the one way system back to the gate by which we had entered.  Fortunately, before being forced back out through the city wall, we noticed a small parking area and swung across into it.  From here we walked off, slightly further than planned, in the direction of the flat to pick up the keys.

Keys in hand we headed back to the car to shuttle our bags to the flat and then it was off to a supermarket just outside the walls to stock up with essentials.  We would then park the car in a more convenient place within the walls.  Or so we thought.  

Shopping done we headed back into the city with the aim of parking as near the flat as possible.  We entered through what promised to be a convenient gate only to find that a one way street again prevented us heading to where we had hoped.  We were forced into an erratic series of twists and turns on narrow paved roads, losing all sense of direction until thankfully we saw one of the city gates ahead.  We tried to exit with a view to re-entering and trying again only to find that again the road system prevented it. So again we followed a narrow one way system until we saw a small ‘exit city’ sign which took us on a convoluted route until we managed to exit by a completely different gate on the opposite side of the city to that by which we had entered.  Round the ring road again, a deep breath, and once again back into the maze that is Lucca.

Despite the use of Google Maps on the tablet (which purportedly showed the one way streets) we found we could not go where we wanted: roads limited to locals forced us to try a different route but the left turn we wanted was one way and so we were forced right and then once again found ourselves lost in the city’s streets.  Worse still the battery on the tablet was running out and the few parking places that we had previously seen on the edge of the city within the walls seemed now to be full owing to some mass entrance of people into Lucca.  We felt lost in a maze with no clear way out. 

Eventually we managed to find a way out of the city again and resolved that, despite the shopping we had to carry, we would park outside the walls and walk in.  It still took another loop of the city and a little more going round in circles before we found what seemed to be the one remaining parking slot that night.  Frustrated but now happy we parked and in the course of a couple of trips got shopping bags and bikes into the flat.

We felt we deserved the wine we had that evening, looking down on the street below to the people busying themselves for Saturday night.  Our flat is roomy (albeit strangely decorated) and is superbly positioned right in the pedestrian heart of the city with piazzas a very short walk in both directions and plenty of small local restaurants and bars.  Unsurprisingly though we had no desire to go out that night: exploring Lucca would have to wait until tomorrow.

1 April - Vicenza (The Hunt Continues....)

Having driven across to the other side of Italy from where we will be staying for the next two months it felt important to make the most of the area before we drove back west.  Venice, Padua and Vicenza are all an easy train ride away from Treviso so we decided upon Vicenza for a day trip.  An hour on the train and we were in the city of the architect Palladio with all the classical buildings that this entails.  Unfortunately the two places we wanted to visit were shut that day (the museum and an old Palladio theatre) but just wandering through the streets and lunching on great food at good prices, with a trip to another church (more interesting than it might sound - great paintings and a superb mosaic high altar) was a good way to pass the day before we headed back to Treviso.  We did of course pop into a couple of wine merchants but again to no avail....

Tomorrow we head to Lucca!

                

31 March - The Hunt for Wine.....

Today we headed east, away from Lucca, but with purpose.  Our aim was to visit the area in which the Aleandri wine is grown (albeit miles out of our way) in order to stock up for the forthcoming few weeks.  There are three vineyards in the Veneto area northeast of Venice so our plan was to visit the nearby town of Treviso – ‘an overlooked jewel in the area’ according to the Rough Guide - and seek some there; it is after all right in the centre of the small area that contains the vineyards.  A two day stop here would give us a well needed break from driving and provide the opportunity to see the town, buy some wine and to take a day trip by train to nearby Verona, Vicenza or Padua before a Saturday morning drive to Lucca.

This little town has some lovely old buildings contained in a small area bounded by river and canals but so far does not seem to live up to the Rough Guide’s promise.  Nevertheless it is a perfect base for our plans for the next two days.  Our first port of call was the tourist information office to ask about accommodation.  The Aleandri name caused a stir with the lady there: she recognised it as Italian - from the area she said - and told us of the fine wine of the same name produced locally.  This all looked very promising and after lunch we went off to look for the many wine shops that we were told we would find around the town.  After over an hour with no wine shops but plenty of very trendy clothes and accessory stores and the very serious risk that we might be departing with a crate's worth of leather handbags but nothing to drink, we happened across the cathedral.  A short break here to do the touristy bit and to allow Lorraine to salve her Catholic conscience and we were off again on the hunt for our wine. Eventually a local pointed us off in the direction of narrow side streets to a promising looking deli.  Lots of nice cheeses and meat and some nice looking bottles but no Aleandri and lots of blank looks at the name.  A few doors down was a specialist wine shop but again lots of blank looks from the helpful owner and despite the language barrier it became clear he had never heard of it.  A third shop and the same result.  Even worse I keep having to repeat the name Aleandri and the locals seem to have trouble pronouncing it; maybe some of those people who seem to think the name is Greek may be correct....

We retired that evening having failed to find our Aleandri wine, but we did manage to sample some alternatives instead….

Has anybody seen any full bottles of this wine..?

             

30 March - Italia!

Our plan today we decided was to get across Switzerland (expensive) and into Italy (cheaper).  It was a long and tiring day of tunnels and rain and motorway and fog and winding alpine roads. Oh, and let’s not forget the idiotic drivers taking their lives in their hands overtaking on blind bends in poor visibility.  This, and rush hour delays at town junctions and at the border meant we crossed into Italy far later in the day than planned.  The first town in Italy was Como but we decided to drive on despite our tiredness so we could come back here when we would have the time to enjoy the place more fully.  And so -twenty minutes later- we took the next turn off the main road that we came across, headed into a small unremarkable town and drove around aimlessly for a while despite GPS and local signs supposedly pointing us towards local accommodation.  Eventually, on a road that was clearly heading out of town, we decided to fall back on old technology and - notwithstanding the language barrier - ask a local. And in this way we were introduced to the joys of Italian driving.  I asked a woman for the directions to a local hotel that had proved to be elusive to find and once we had actually understood each other she kindly said that if we followed her in the car she would lead us to it.  Off we went, across roundabouts, up narrow roads and eventually arrived at a short queue at a level crossing waiting for the local train to pass.  Well, clearly being behind a couple of cars was too much for this lady, especially as the one in the front had stopped as far away as five feet from the barrier so off she went, on the wrong side of the road and nosed herself in, ahead of the car at the front, bonnet just under the barrier.  For fear of losing our guide we had no choice but to follow.  And yet nobody seemed to bother.

Our hotel is cheap and spartan but clean and, given the long and tiring day, we are happy just to find somewhere to rest our heads – but after dinner of course!  A nice sushi meal in a nearby restaurant had to fit the bill for our first night in Italy as I had clearly failed to understand the directions to the nearby Italian restaurant given to us by the receptionist.  

29 March - Heidelberg to Rotweil

The tiny town of Rotweil north of the Swiss border is the complete antithesis of any image that might be conjured up by the dog of the same name.  Its calm, peaceful and largely pedestrianised (apart from when we tried to drive down it….) high street is a bright collection of baroque style buildings, colourful, decorated and supposedly little changed since the 1700s.  From the top of the wide high street you have good views across the surrounding hills.  It is quite charming and almost Swiss in its appearance and it is where we are spending tonight.

Rotweil was a two hour drive south towards Italy on a route that we had again chosen for speed rather than scenery and which was spent - at least in part - with an Italian language CD playing and the two of us trying to prepare for the weeks ahead.  We had chosen it as a destination before breakfast because it lay on our route, seemed small, and a quick internet search suggested it was pleasant enough.  The same search gave no clues about links to the dog but we are assuming there is one from the small and friendly black statues of Rotweillers that are dotted around the town - some wearing scarves and the like - seemingly attempting a makeover of the animal's reputation.

Our hotel is a characterful and wonderfully 16th century building of creaky stairs and dark wooded rambling corridors.  We ate in a local restaurant recommended by the hotel receptionist and night capped on coffee and cognac in a small and homely (some might say dingy) bar in a narrow street behind a church.  The men hunched individually and silent over their drinks along the bar and the one toilet at the rear marked 'transvestites' said all that needed to be said about the social mix of the usual clientele but it was charming in its way and we were only driven out by the cigarette smoke that engulfed the place once the television had been turned on for the evening's football.

28 March - Heidelberg

Today was a quiet day.  We wandered around the town with the throngs of other tourists, this time with a guide map from the local tourist office in hand and a little more purpose.  The views from a walk high up on the valley on the opposite side of the river give a great sense of this town.  It's a route that apparently the academics from the town's university used to take in order to clear their heads and come up with great thoughts.

Heidleberg Main Square

I had concerns for the evening's entertainment when Lorraine suggested - or so it sounded to me - that we go to a 'fest lickers organ concert' and I wondered whether I had somehow unknowingly ended up in Hamburg and not Heidelberg but it turned out to be a concert of Bach music in the beautifully bright and airy 16th century church in the main square of the old town.  That, a light dinner and then cocktails brought the day to an end. We awake tomorrow and the first thing to do is to decide where the next leg of our journey will take us.....

27 March - Zell to Heidelberg

Despite the grey and dull of the morning in Zell there was one beacon of light today; one of the shops had decided to open (and I do mean one) and so I had the pleasure of breaking my annual Lent fast by sampling a couple of those Black Cat wines and achieving that aim of buying a selection of bottles.  Along with the wine we also bought a bottle of grape oil that we were assured was good for cooking.  It sounds like another form of wine to me but we will see...

  

We headed off in the rain to today's destination: Heidelberg.  It looks nice in the photos on the Internet and it lives up to those images: an old 18th Century town stretched thinly along the banks of the Neckar river and contained within the steep valley of that river.  Our hotel it turns out is quite funky with all rooms decorated differently and representing different cities.  We are in Nairobi, should anybody be wondering, with a selection of wooden and leopard print furniture (more tasteful than it may sound) and a somewhat scary witch doctor mask above the bed.

Heidleberg

After a beer to celebrate the end of Lent, and then lunch with wine, the two of us were fit for very little and so wandered around the old town enjoying the atmosphere and what had now turned out to be a nice day.  Germanic authority reared its head when I was told off by an old lady for walking in the wrong direction for my side of the road (oh yes, it seems that like driving the pavement on one side of the road is for one direction and the opposite side for the other direction).  I dare not imagine the rigid Metropolis like dystopia that might be that woman’s idea of a well ordered town.  After weeks of not drinking our lunchtime wine had also left us both with fits of the giggles which had me wondering whether we were breaking yet another bye law by laughing in the street and generally enjoying ourselves.  We managed to end the day without being locked up (despite more wine and yet more laughter).  We are spending another night here and it is nice to think we don't have to drive tomorrow.