Venice: Santa M and Santa L and sun

On second day in venice, (sat), we went to San Marco which is an amazing square with another of those beautiful churches/cathedrals. They were selling strange coverups for bare shoulders and legs to allow barely clad women into the church.
We climbed a huge number of steps(happily) to see some great views of Venice. The amazing vista of ocean and canals makes this place stunningly beautiful.
Took the vaporetto to get around which seems to be free. Getting better at this travel stuff but reading maps and finding our way still a challenge. We found the Santa Lucia church that one of us kept talking (and singing) about. Santa Lucia's body has not decomposed apparently and one of us hoped to confirm this. Fortunately she has a mask on and is well covered so bit hard to tell. Great church however. ABC.

Tired of all the bridges and stairs up and over them. Nightmare for tourists and locals with prams. One of us has helped a number of women hoist their prams up stairs. Good for fitness said one of us. Have we mentioned that it is hot, damn hot, in Venice.

Ciao

On our last day, Cousin Gianfranco and Patrizia and Samuelo, their 12 year old son (result of a pizza festa 12 years ago) take us to Assissi and insist on driving us to Rome. We see lots of holy things in Assissi where mum particularly wanted us to go to bring her back something of St Frances.  We have lunch at a beautiful trout farm with lake,ducks and swans. Like a canal. Water, water everywhere.......


Gianfranco drives us to Rome to  Cousin Tiziana's apartment. Her husband Carmino, who speaks reasonable English will drive us to our hotel in Rome and we are all to meet for dinner later that night with Tiziana's sister Laura, her husband and everyone in the car. Slight drama with a car catching fire ahead of us and causing a massive traffic snarl.  Rome traffic is horrendous even when you know where you are going. We are eventually dropped off near the hotel and walk the rest of the way, about 1 km, pulling our luggage behind us. (We needed lots of clothes for the cruise etc, remember?)

Our hotel is right on Via Del Corso in the centre of Rome, between the Fontana di Trevi and the Pantheon. Great location but unfortunately they have no idea where our passports are.(Were to have been couriered there from Hotel in Florence)  Eventually after producing copies of our emails etc , it seems another reception person has placed them in his own safe but he has left for the day. They will be retrieved tomorrow. Who needs them?

Dinner is in a 'real' Roman restaurant, owned by a friend of Allessandro, Laura's husband.   Laura and Tiziana were our guides around Rome 20 years ago so it is wonderful to see them 20 years later. (They say I look the same which is not  particularly flattering as I was 5 months pregnant at the time.)

A wonderful authentic Roman meal and then we have to say our final goodbyes to Gianfranco, Patricia and Samuelo, who has become like our own child, more like Ben than Samantha..  And to Laura and Tiziana and their husbands. They all want to come to Australia and we encourage them to do so and promise great food and accommodation..... at Mum's place.

Really sad but we promise to return.

Bon voyage

Saturday, and after 5 weeks of travel, today we head home.    From Rome to Dubai to Sydney, to Newcastle.  Home. 

Where's Wallet

A funny thing happened on the way to the Colosseum on Friday for our guided tour. Paul was pick-pocketed. We took a bus but had to walk through a train station to get to the meeting place for the tour. It was our last full day and Paul had carried his wallet in the side pockets of his cargo shorts most of the 5 weeks but on the last day, probably in the train station, they got him.

Panic ensued. We had no cash at that point and needed to cancel our cards.

It was decided that Paul, sans wallet, would return to the hotel and do what one does when one loses wallet, credit card and driver's licence while the other one would do the Colosseum tour for which we had paid. (of course, one really felt like doing this tour when one was concerned about one's life savings being drained from one's bank account at that very moment.)  However, the one who stayed (and was still in possession of a wallet with credit card etc) had time to walk to the nearest ATM, (1 km away at least) and withdraw some cash so feeling somewhat less destitute.  Money for rest rooms at least if required.

The Colosseum was big, old and very impressive as were the stairs.  The guide helpfully asked whether anyone would prefer to take the lift up the two floors but yet again, this active little group said no, stairs are good.  Great.  More stairs, more hot sun, more ruins, more statues, more churches and ancient stuff. Perhaps one of us was not really in the mood.  Took photos of the Colosseum, the Forum and other stuff.

After 3 hours, returned to hotel by taxi.  Great news that someone had found the credit card and driver's  licence on the ground.  The passerby had  also seen the name of the hotel chain and returned the cards to another hotel in the chain and they returned the cards to our hotel, all before Paul got back to the hotel.  It seemed that only cash and the wallet were lost. Phew.  Paul had spent a couple of hours trying to get into the Colosseum to be reunited but no go.

Tough morning for both of us.


That afternoon, we finally found Uncle Bill's church which he 'received' when he became a cardinal. A lovely  tradition when you become a cardinal.  It was a minute from our hotel and one of the most beautiful churches we had seen (and we had seen many).   

Roman Holiday

Our first full day in Rome and the organised one has booked a tour of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. A booked guided tour means no lining up.Just a bit early in the morning after our big, emotional night.  Sadness leads to wine which makes you more emotional requiring more wine etc etc.


The guided tour experience is easy to get back into and the little VOX headset things are comforting. The Vatican is amazing as is the Sistine Chapel. One of us is just pleased the Sistine Chapel is open as was closed last time. For the other one of us, being in the Sistine Chapel with lots of other people is strange. St Peter's is spectacular and we even manage to go to Mass in one of its chapels. One of us was again interested in the  bodies of saints which had not decomposed. An odd fascination.  We took photos.

Cannot believe that 20 years ago, Mum had arranged to meet a nun whom she had not seen for 30 years in St Peter's Square and found her immediately. With all those people. Help from above perhaps (not a helicopter.)

After our now customary afternoon rest, we found and photographed the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish steps, (more steps, as if we had not climbed enough) and the Pantheon. All beautiful and amazing. So many churches. I cant help wondering what we would have to look at if there were no religion. 

On top of the world

The cousins, their wives, their children and partners and the whole village has been wonderful to us.  On the last night, they have a farewell icecream and cake party after dinner,  which meant it started about 10pm.
They have a relaxed attitude to time here. Hard for one of us. Really hard to say goodbye to family we may never see again but they make us promise to return. After spending  time on top of the mountain behind Sefro, a mere 2500 metres above sea level, we know we want to and will return.  And some of them will hopefully come to Australia and see ocean and coast. 

Home at last

We spent 5 days in Sefro and were wonderfully well taken care of.  They even put on a Pizza Festa (Festival of Pizza) for us on the Saturday and Sunday nights. People came from far and wide for the festa which had not only food and wine (homemade/grown/bottled) but also a rock band for the ragazzi (young people) on the Saturday night and a more traditional Italian band on the Sunday night for the people (how do you say old people in Italian). Anyway while there was a crowd for the rock band, the more traditional Italian band with the piano accordian player really brought in crowds and the dancing went off.  One of us still has bad dreams about piano accordians from their childhood and found it all a bit difficult. Still, pizza and home made wine was a big help. Language barriers and piano accordians were forgotten.
There was even an Australian couple from Melbourne there visiting with their Aunt.  Their Aunt is a Scottish immigrant to Australia who married Othello , an Italian immigrant from Sefro. After more than 20 years in Australia, they decided to return to Sefro and were there when one of us was there 20 years ago. They were the only English speaking people in Sefro 20 years ago. Since then they have been backward and forwards a  few times but have decided to finally make Sefro their home. Mary's nephew and his wife from Melbourne were visiting and we spent time with them speaking in English and talking sport and other things Australian.

On the Sunday we also visited Montelago, a touristy picnic/cafe area in the mountains owned by cousin Lamberto's friend. More beautiful scenery and good food.
Have we mentioned that Sefro has a river/stream running through the village? You guessed it, looks a lot like a canal.

There are even two waterfalls, beautiful.