Off to Florence

I leave for Florence tomorrow. Spending the weekend there with some friends. Looking forward to getting back to Firenze, I have very fond memories of the place! Photos to follow on Monday evening...

The Italian Alpine Club

A day in the Dolomiti...

The Dolomiti is the range of mountains to the north of Verona. We actually crossed over into the next province of Trentino to get there. The views were absolutely breathtaking! There is also a huge Austrian influence up there, and I was explained as to why this is the case, but it was all in Italian and it had something to do with a war, a goat and a unicycle (although that could be my rusty Italian). Nevertheless, what a beautiful part of the world!

It was my first time in snow! I was like a little kid for the afternoon!

Wind vane in the Dolomiti...

Row boats in the Dolomiti...

Sandro, my father's friend, took for a trip into the montains on Monday. I've practically known this man my entire life, as he flew out from Italy especially for my baptism back in 1988. He's a great man, and even though our conversation remains broken and involves a lot of hand movements, we get on incredibly well. Monday was a day that I will never forget. This is a small lake that we came across up in the mountains.

Verona at night...

In the background is Ponte Scaligero and Castelvecchio.

Porta Borsari

Peschiera with Alma

Harold, Marie-Carmen and Alma in Peschiera at Lago di Garda.

On Sunday afternoon I went with Alma across to Peschiera, a small town next to the lake. We picked up a friend of Alma's who she studied with at Stellenbosch, Harold. Harold is the winemaker at Val de Vie in Paarl. Apparently there is a massive market for South African wines in the Scandinavian countries, so he was en route to Denmark, Sweden and Norway to do some marketing with his distributor over here. We were also met by Alma's friend Marie-Carmen. She is Spanish, originally from Barcelona, and is an oenologist working at the cantina Bolla. It was a great afternoon full of spritz and red wine!

When we were in Montmartre, France

The artist's section of Montmartre.

Montmartre district is situated on top of a hill in Paris, and is home to the spectacular  Basilica of the Sacré Cœur, one of the more incredible basilicas I have seen whilst in Europe on my travels.  The view of sprawling Paris from the hill is a must. Montmartre has also become the gathering place for all of the artists of Paris, and so you are spoilt for choice when choosing who will paint your portrait. But there is a fantastic vibe up on the hill, and whilst watching old men smoke their pipes in old cloth caps and create their masterpieces with water colours, you can't help but feel very French in the midst of it all.

My family at Montmartre.

Copies of old advertisements for performances in Paris. In the top right you can see the famous advertisement for the tour of Le Chat Noir cabaret by Théophile Steinlen.

A Trip to Bologna

The trip down to Bologna was such a breath of fresh air. I love hopping on trains in Europe and heading off on an adventure. It always reminds me that I am travelling and experiencing special times. I find that I always end up doing so much thinking on these trips that I do, especially because of the fact that I am on my own. At times the loneliness gets to me, but I think this is what travelling is all about. It is about being out of your comfort zone,  and it is about learning and growing. And with Bologna being in the province of Emilia-Romagna, I could immediately pick up a change in the food and people. I had travelled to Bologna 6 years ago, but this time I really appreciated it for what it was.

The fountain of Neptune.

The fountain of Neptune.

Tomatoes at the food market off Piazza Maggiore.

Looking into Piazza Maggiore.

Libreria Veronese, Bologna

The entrance to Libreria Veronese

On my trip to Bologna I came across this old bookshop just off Piazza Maggiore with the great Basilica di San Petronio. There was a very kind woman inside that showed me around and explained that the original shop was opened in 1885 and was used as an early library. Bologna, being the oldest university in the world, treasures institutions such as the Libreria Veronese.

The old stained glass window of the Libreria Veronese with the date of its founding.

Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna

Whilst in Bologna this week I popped into the Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna (The Bologna Civic Archaeological Musuem) and was lucky enough to watch two women working on an old sarcophogus. They had just uncovered the skull as I arrived, and it was incredible to watch them working with the instruments in such a professional manner. It was always my boyhood dream to become an archaeologist, so to watch two at work was magnificent. I have no idea who the skull or sarcophogus belonged to, but nevertheless, it was a amazing to behold.

Lago di Garda, Veneto

Lago di Garda is the biggest lake in Italy, and I spent the day here with Andrea my cousin there last week. Andrea is a chef, so I was also treated to an incredible lunch at the restaurant where he works at. The home made pasta here is pretty spectacular.

One of the narrow corridors leading off Lake Garda.

The many moored yachts on the lake.

The coast of the lake is littered with old castles and towers.

Looking south.

Eataly, Bologna

Eataly is a participating restaurant in the "Slow Food" movement. It is all about going back to healthy, organic eating, and shifting away from the fast food, processed products that we seem to indulge in all too often. I thought the empty "tazza" from the cafe was a great snapshot...

An old photo from France...

Gulliver's Travels



Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, one of my favourite novels.



Honey collecting...

On Saturday I was treated to something pretty special. We drove up into the surrounding hills of Valpolicella and went collecting honey. It seems like its a hobby of the Ceradini family, as we were met by Franco's brother and nephew as well. I was explained the process of the honey making, the role the queen bee plays in the hive and the general operation of the entire hive. It was a fascinating morning, besides the two stings I received (the only person to get stung).

Leonardo (Franco's brother) has a small stone cottage up in the hills. Built in 1896, it is made from old granite rock and because it is wedged into the side of the hill, it is three storeys high. Before lunch we chopped and prepared wood for the winter season, and afterwards I was treated to a phenomenal meal of grilled salsiccia, gorgonzola and fresh salad from the small vegetable patch. Once again I was taken through an entire tasting of the Veronese wines, and then explained the importance of them in the Italy itself. I also was lucky enough to taste a prize bottle of Recioto, the local "sweet wine" from here. It is amazing how passionate the Italians are about where they are from within the country, it really is a big deal. Hence Recioto, being typical of the Veneto area, was poured with great pride!

When we were about to leave, Leonardo pulled me aside, kissed me on both cheeks and then said something to me in Italian which I will probably never forget.

"Sei uno di noi!"

You are one of us.

Claudio with the first hive.

The door to the old stone cottage.

The lunch spread.

From left to right: Matteo, Leonardo, Claudio and Franco.