18. Dubrovnik Sunsets

Dubrovnik was the city of incredibly friendly people and we discovered this as soon as we landed. We were clearly on the last flight of the evening and when we got back to the terminal we were literally the last to leave! Arriving on the Dash 8 a squad a five big Croatian men arrived with a tiny metal chair with straps rather that seat and back! Dickey transferred on to it with a little apprehension and without a word three of them picked the chair and him up carried him down the stairs and secured him in a waiting Ambulance. Along with a lovely assistance man we were taken to the terminal, assisted with our baggage and escorted out the front where they had a cab waiting. It was five star service, and we felt awful not yet having any Croatian money to tip with. Our helper assured us it was part of his job and we were fair-welled and sent on our way with Mateo the cabbie.

Over the 25 min journey from the airport to our hotel Adria just north of the old town of Dubrovnik Mateo told us about the amazing Croatian sites and did his best to upsell us to a day trip to Montenegro and Bosnia but we politely declined his 'special price of just 400 Euro's'. 

We were finally checked in to our hotel by 10.30 pm after a mammoth day. The night view was stunning out over the harbour, we couldn't wait to see it in the morning.

Our first day in Dubrovnik had always been planned as a chill day (hilarious I know that I even need to schedule these when on holidays!). Lucky this was the case because it was time to start sharing our secret and this turned out to be a lengthy process! There were Facebook calls made to our families and the story repeated over and over. It was so amazing to have everyone share in our excitement and to hear the genuine happiness expressed from home. That done it was lunch and vino on the balcony taking in the view and sunshine. Not surprisingly, but of course frustratingly the pool was inaccessible for Dickey so the bars balcony was set to become 'our spot' for the week. Subsequently we got to know the head barman quite well!

Dubrovnik was a stunning city and Hotel Adria was positioned directly above the 'new town' up on the hill. Making our way down to explore we found the most epic winding road that Dickey had great fun trying to descend with control. When I tackled this road on a run later in the week, this time going up, I discovered the 25% gradient sign. No wonder it felt steep! The hills and stairs in Dubrovnik provided awesome running that week and I would have loved to spend a month training there, between cocktails and beach time of course! 

New town was a quieter part of Dubrovnik but very 'cruise ship terminal'. The layout, laundromats, souvenir shops and restaurant prices all brought back memories of my few years working on ships. The shops know how to cash in on the tourists, but equally provide the important little things for the crew, like an internet cafe and laundry! Apparently it was a quiet week for ships, but the passengers still seemed to be flooding the streets headed straight for Old Town with their tour guides. 

One of our fave finds in New Town was SKAR the uber cool winery/ bar shop front. We were lucky to meet the owner and hear the story of their traditional wine production techniques and that they still celebrate and harvest together as a family over a weekend, prior to bringing the grapes back to the small shop front to produce. It was very cool. 

Old town Dubrovnik was polished and pristine. Very beautiful but almost too clean we felt, all care of HBO and the money they have paid to have a big portion of Game of Thrones filmed within the walled village. Pushing the chair around Dickey's hands get filthy and on European cobbles they had been getting trashed. He had even given in and been wearing gloves to help protect his palms. In Dubrovnik Old Town his hands stayed clean. They must spend some serious time and effort keeping those stones spotless! 

The walls and the lines of shops really are stunning and coming in via the old draw bridge adds to the experience. We jumped on to a hour long walking tour and had a great time as our guide pointed out the sites. The 'Placa' or Main Street was once a channel but was later filled in to help make the city safer. The intact walls are 2km around, amongst the best preserved in the world and some of the most attractive on the planet. The really are pretty awesome! Further proof that I read the tourist brochure... They were built between the 8th and 16th Century, were strengthened with myriad towers and bastions and were almost 6m thick. They were a successful means of defense for the city and were never breached. The two fortresses just outside the gates are still in use one being Revelin a famous club and concert venue and host to some of the best European Dance parties. Unfortunately we missed one by a week! The old Quarantine building from the times of plague is also now a club, Lazareti. Croatians do love to party!

St Blaise is strongly featured throughout Dubrovnik and there are statues of him everywhere, apparently about 17 in total. The locals worship him and daily we would see people laying flowers at the feet of the statues around town. I had no recollection of what he was famous for, but google tells me he is the "Protector of Dubrovnik and Patron Saint of Throat Illness". Its true, I read it on the inter web....

Another statue that was famous was Orlando's column outside the church near Ploce. Orlando, aka Roland (?!!) has stood in position since 1418. The story goes that he used to be used as a flag pole given his position at the main entrance to the city. His right forearm was also put to good use and for hundreds of years it was used used as the official unit of measurement in Dubrovnik. People supposedly used arrive and measure their goods by his arm length only. Today his is little more that a meeting point and prop for a good story. The force of the winds caused so much pressure on the flag pole that Roland's base now features a large crack and the pole and flag have been released from his hold. His forearm has also been retired from use as Dubrovnik over time discovered and graduated to the more widely accepted metric system!

There is so much Game of Thrones through the city that it does become a bit to much. Merchandise stores where everywhere and they are either certainly cashing in. You really cant blame them as it is keeping their city alive and has helped in making the entire city an official UNESCO protected site. The locals really do seem truly grateful and were so happy to welcome tourists to show off their city. I'm pretty sure most people have now seen Game of Thrones, now at six seasons of grim brutality and medieval porn. Walking through Dubrovnik it was a bizarre seeing some of the famed backdrops with 21st century tourists, as opposed to medieval dress. In particular the Jesuit steps that Cersei Lannister was forced to descend in her walk of atonement. Walking the streets really highlighted how incredible the cinematography is in the series and why Dubrovnik was so perfect for the role.

We loved spending time around the old port and looking back over the city walls. The best view is most definitely from the water and we were able to get a great view from the ferry when we headed over to Lokrum island for an afternoon. I had emailed ahead to confirm accessibility and was assured that the ferry would be no problem, that most of the paths were accessible but they were sorry there was no access to water, but a chair lift was on the agenda for installation in 2017. No problem. The ferry guys were fab and it was 2 for 1 for us, bonus! The island was lovely and we enjoyed the bit we saw but the paths proved to be a fair challenge. They were mostly rough gravel and the further you went from the ferry terminal the worse they got. In the end we wandered what we could access, enjoyed watching the 100's of lyrebird's and the fact they can actually fly when they want to, found the famed 'dead sea' pool (Game of thrones again) and then propped ourselves in the cafe bar with a wine overlooking the monastery & Maximilian gardens. It was a quiet and relaxing place, also UNESCO protected and largely untouched. It was good to be surrounded by trees and water and the sound of birds rather than squawking tourists!

The Dead Sea Pool

The beaches around Dubrovnik were also very cool and are more like the beach clubs that I had seen around Mexico when I was working on ships. Unlike Australia where we pick a patch of sand and settle in, there is no sand, just rocks and man made decking and bars. You hire your own area, chose your seating buy comfort (and price), hire an umbrella and get waited on all day. It is the ultimate lazy beach experience! For us finding an accessible beach was a priority and we spent some time doing reccy's to find the right one. This involved some extensive pushing around the point from New Town and getting off the beaten track on to some more rough trails but we got to see another party of the city in doing so. Copacabana Beach Club ended up being our choice and it actually had a chair lift in to the water. It was the ultimate and we were beside ourselves with excitement! Not only did we get to lie back on our lounge chairs in the sun all day reading our books and drinking Rosato, we could pop off for a swim in the Adriatic Sea anytime we liked, just like everyone else could. It was bliss!! 

Hotel Adria had proved to be a brilliant find and we loved our time here. Being propped up on the hill overlooking the harbour and the headlands behind it also offered the most magical sunset view. We soon discovered the dining room food was great and our days became a race to make it back to see the sunset from the balcony. By total coincidence friends of Dickeys happened to be staying at Adria the week after us and he received a funny message from him telling us how little we had missed them by. In the bar on his first night he barman at Adria told him ... 'we had Aussies here last week, a young happy couple and the guy was in a chair. They were great people'. Steve realised pretty quick it was Dickey and the connection was made. It was nice to know we were leaving a good impression behind us!  

Dubrovnik was sunshine and bliss but it was now time for Spanish culture.... and more wine! Barcelona next stop

Dubrovnik 29th May - 4th June

17. Venice and the challenge of the canals

From Como we were off to Verona bright and early to drop off the hire car. Being early on a Sunday morning the roads were quiet and we zoomed along the autobahn blissfully happy sitting on around 130km/hr! We were still buzzing with our new secret and had a blast discussing our ideas and options. I had never thought Dickey would propose, let alone had given a thought to being married, but how wrong I was! He had kept so many good secrets and actually had lots of ideas of what we should do. Thankfully pretty similar to mine!

With the hire car successfully returned to the depot we were on the shuttle from the Airport depot to Verona Railway station to catch the train to Venice. The shuttle had an accessibility lift installed and we were excited that this driver was able to use it! At the Verona station the 'Saila Blu' assistance personnel were fantastic as well as hilarious and we were on the train without an issue. 

Arriving in Venice I was totally blown away. Dickey had been years ago when on his contiki tour so had a bit of an idea of what we were in for but for me it was my first experience. We had given ourselves just an afternoon to explore prior to our flight to Dubrovnik and had expected there would be some accessibility limitations. The reality was he had forgotten some key points about the layout and the limitations were actually pretty excessive....

From the main Santa Lucia station we were out the doors and face to face with the Grand Canal. I couldn't comprehend that it was right there! The airport shuttle terminal was just over the canal, around 400m away so we decided to take our bags over there and store them at on of the bag drops - at 6 euro a piece to make it an easier transition later in the day. This main bridge was beautiful marble .... and stairs, no ramp, but we spotted a 'wheelchair accessible pod' that looked set up to get us across the river. Winning we thought! 

Venice is famous for the haggling porters and as we made our way down to the pod we had one of them in hot pursuit, desperately trying to gain our business. Quoting 20 Euro to carry 2 cases we weren't so keen. We persisted in brushing him off and as we got to the pod he continued to call out to us until we eventually realised he was genuinely trying to tell us the lift was out of order. It was indeed not operational and looked to have been so for a long period of time, but minus any signage. Other than by boat down and back this bridge was the only access across the canal from the station to the bus terminal. As the drizzly rain started to fall we rearranged our bags and got everything into two cases and as Dickey stayed minding one bag I headed off over the bridge carrying the other. Stubborn and sweating over two trips I got our 50kg of luggage over the Grand Canal, checked in to the storage locker for a few hours, confirmed which shuttle was wheelchair accessible (ACTV is, ACTO isnt!) and was back with Dickey in 40 minutes. Apparently the porter had watched this all unfold and when I headed off with the 2nd bag had offered to Dickey to carry it for free! I think his reply was something to the affect of 'you try and stop her'.

With 3 1/2 hours left to explore we headed to the tourist office. My only request had been to see St Marks square and to take a ferry down the Grand Canal. Fortunately my aim had been set quite low, because it was almost all we were able to do. The reality of Venice is that every single bridge we saw had stairs! At the tourist office we were able to get a ferry ticket for 1.50 euro each (discounted price likely due to how little you can do if in a chair maybe?!) and boarded the ferry up to the square. Despite the constant drizzling rain we had a great time watching the gondolas, speed boats, water taxis, ferry's and magnificent building that were somehow still occupied and no doubt expensive despite the obvious water damage. The traffic on the water has to be seen to be believed and despite constant close calls we didn't see any carnage. Similarly, even though I had seen plenty of pics of Venice I don't think I had actually comprehended that the only transport is by boat and that the entire city is a series of canals and buildings built on the water. It truly does have to be seen before it sinks below the rising water for good. 

St Marks was of course stunning and we took some time in the square and surrounding streets. We grabbed a last Italian coffee, which was unfortunately almost undrinkable and headed back to the ferry. We worked out that at least this one would get us to the right side of the canal to access the airport shuttle. Turns out we cut our trip a little fine, underestimating 'Italian time' and got ourselves a little stressed when the return trip took 20 minutes longer than the original. As the ferry docked we flew off, Dickey headed to the ACTV bus office to get our tickets and me to get our bags. We made it to the crowd of people waiting for the bus with 5 minutes to spare and thankfully a lovely Swedish couple jumped in to assist with getting our bags on the bus as people insisted on pushing past. The bus probably did have a ramp as advertised but it was so overcrowded it was easiest just to help pop Dickey up the step and in to the bus before it went roaring off. We weren't even sure the driver was aware we were on until he saw Dickey bounce off the bus at the airport. 

Since leaving Melbourne on April 22nd these were our first flights and part of why we had been pretty conscious of our luggage weight and not buying too much along the way. That and the fact that we were dragging it around with us every few days! Croatian Airlines were fab and despite each of our bags being 7.5kg over the limit we had no issues and our bags, complete with a few bottles of Italian wine were checked in. Boarding was also super easy and we were taken up a special lift that took Dickey, in his aisle chair, right to the front door of the little Dash 8. The aerial view of Venice as we left was amazing and really put it is perspective. I was glad to have seen it, ticked it off the list so to say, but not somewhere we would need to come back to. As far as accessibility, it really was about as inaccessible as you can get!

Our three week Italian adventure had come to an end, with our final two destinations ahead of us - Dubrovnik and Spain.

Venice - Sunday 29th May

16. The beauty of the Italian Lakes and one very big surprise

Not our hotel!

From Tuscany we journeyed North, stopping first in Brescia to see stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia. It was a last minute decision to head off a day earlier than planned to see a stage ridden in the mountains and we were a bit excited being able to make a quick change to our otherwise quite structured itinerary. According to the race guide Stage 17 was a Category 4 climb. What we failed to realize was that this was the easiest grading, not the hardest and was going to be merely a bump in the road for these seasoned riders! None-the-less we were excited and with our Aussie kit and Hawthorn Footy club jumper we hit the road at 7.30am to beat the expected road closures. We were set up, post coffee stop by 10am and for the next five hours of waiting we enjoyed the sunshine and a book, while watching the many recreational cyclist roll by. Within six minutes the peloton had been and gone, but it was worth it for a final glimpse of the 99th Giro d'italia!

From our posi on the hill we had a long slow journey down, headed for Lake Como via Bergamo. We had heard Bergamo was lovely but it was out of this world. Perched upon the hill the old town was stunning and the views beyond comprehension. We were so lucky to have seen it, if only for a short time and we enjoyed just wandering for the last part of the day. We drove right in to the old town and found a parking space not far from the funicular. This proved to be another slight parking error as some months later a sum of Euros was deducted from my credit card by the hire car company. Eventually the explanation arrived in the post, a parking ticket for parking within 'a local zone'. Oops!!

The funicular was super steep and great fun, only around 3 Euros return and wheelchair accessible! We rode it down to the town, past the vine covered homesteads and opulent back yards. Through the cobbled old town we wandered seeing Piazza Vecchia and the in tact old Venetian walls. Being late in the day we skipped going up the Torre del Campone in the Piazza, but evidently there is accessibility to the roof top. The main street of Bergamo was old and gorgeous and I (more so than Dickey!) loved taking my time exploring the little boutiques. Of all of Italy, Bergamo took the prize for the most challenging cobbles and despite loving our couple of hours there it was super hard work for Dickey to navigate.

Piazza Vecchie & the Torre del Campone

Bergamo beauty

From Bergamo we hit the road to Como at 8pm, driving straight in to the most stunning, but equally challenging sunset. After our typical navigational hiccups we found our hotel the B & B Como and checked in just on 10pm. We had single beds but it was accessible, once we were able to get a shower chair delivered. Apparently in Como the mobility restricted only bath from the naval down, as the shower rose height was hilarious and it quickly became apparent that I was best off sitting on the floor to shower. I'm pretty sure Dickey managed only very clean legs those few days!


Lake Como is just as stunning as it looks in the movies and we were so excited to be there ! We wondered the paths around the foreshore, taking in the sheer grandeur of the lake houses and the surrounding mountains. On day one we wandered the West Bank almost up to Tavernola, seeing Villa Olmo, and the private boat parking underneath the Villas. The architecture and gardens along the banks of the lake are stunning. The original township of Como was behind its city walls and

 they are still very grand. Amongst the original buildings there was also the odd hilariously random communist building, it seemed that every place we visited there was at least one to find. The Duomo was huge and the 6th Century San Fedele Church was accessible. Just outside the main city gates we found a traditional Italian milliner and had the most awesome time with the assistance of two lovely ladies who spoke limited English. Dickey had some birthday money that his grandmother had left him and wanted a traditional peaked beret cap. With so many to chose from he ended up with 2 - a summer and a winter version!

A Como sunset in the new hat! 

Not surprisingly its the outdoors that are most popular in Como and there were fantastic green areas around the lake, a large kids park right on the banks of the lake complete with water jet features and the main soccer stadium sits right on the water front also. It is obvious that life in Como is designed around the water and boats as the main mode of transport! The East bank was also lovely and from here we found another funicular which took us from Como up to Bruate. It was a huge highlight and we managed to time our trip right on sunset. Fully accessible and only 5.50 euro each it was awesome and set on a 51% gradient!! Up at Brunate we were 715 mt above sea level and despite the haze could still make out Monte Bisbine at 1325m and the Swiss Alps to the West of the lake. The haze blocked out a lot of the sunset but it was still a fantastic trip and we saw a few of the even more grand homes located up on the hill. Unfortunately there was little else we could get to in Brunate due to stairs, but it was worth the trip just to experience 51% gradient.

The ferries are a great system in the Lakes and we had confirmed that every 2nd or 3rd ferry through the day offered accessibility so on our final day, Saturday 28th May we decided to head over to see the famed Bellagio. We hadn't seen Daniel Craig or George Clooney in Como, so perhaps they were hiding in Bellagio?!! We chose the two hour, zig zag trip across and the 1 hour express back. It was magical and actually difficult to find enough adjectives to describe the old villas, the peaks of the mountains and the dark, beautiful lake. The ferry crossed its way back and forwards and we adored taking it all in. We spotted a gorgeous picnic spot for that evening in Cernobbio and promised each other we would return one day and stay in the Grand Hotel in Tremezzo. It looked breath taking!
Bellagio itself was pretty and had a lovely waterfront stretch, but sadly due to accessibility we really couldn't experience much. All the towns shops were up incredible narrow steep stairs and although I did a quick up and back I felt for Dickey have to stay at the bottom and miss it. While we were glad to have seem Bellagio we agreed that the ferry ride over had been the highlight for us! In saying that, there is obviously a lot more that can be enjoyed there given it is described at the 'Pearl of Lake Como'.

The Grand Hotel, Tremezzo! 

Bellagio's Waterfront

We were determined to spend our last night having a picnic by the banks for the lake and thankfully managed to talk our way on to the 5pm ferry, rather than wait for the next accessible one at 8.30pm. For some odd reason they weren't allowing you to pre-book a return ticket and the tourists were practically stampeding for the 5pm ferry and the line was forming just after 4pm. Maybe others agreed with us and didn't see Bellagio as the Pearl of the Lake?!! Back in Como we stocked up on picnic provisions and the shops best bottle of Prosecco (7 euros!!) and headed out to find Cernobbio and the lake side spot who had picked out from the ferry. Attempting to navigate our way I headed down a one way street and when Dickey shrieked, I hit the breaks causing the prosecco to roll through the car. I was only trying to drive like a local! Around 7.30pm we had a possy on a park bench with the most spectacular view of the lake and I managed to score a bag of ice from a little bar nearby without using English! Pre-chilled wine is hard to find in Como! The slamming of the car breaks combined with the non chilled bottle caused a great combination and when Dickey went to open the bottle it literally exploded as soon as the wire was loosened, shooting the cork into the lake after brushing past the side of his face. Prosecco was bubbling, his lap was soaking wet with bubbles, he was checking he still had his eye in tact and all I could do was sit back and giggle and watch the prosecco cork bob along the surface of Lake Como! Sharing our single glass and chatting over our chicken rolls and fresh olives at around 8.55pm life changed forever. Most definitely for the better! Wheeling around to be right beside me Dickey proceeded to give a little speech thanking me for the trip, the last few years together, the laughter and the fun we continued to share. I am sure for the first part I had a look of confusion on my face and I was genuinely oblivious to where he was going with it and why he was being so serious. Slowly the penny started to drop and I watched him pull a little green velvet box from his pocket as he told me "I think i'd be crazy if I didn't ask you to be my wife, so hun will you marry me?". Trembling, laughing and spilling more prosecco over his lap I asked "can you say that again?", he did. I asked my question again, he asked his again. Then he prompted me, "I think you're supposed to say yes now!". "Yes, yes, yes" I laughed and as we grinned ear to ear at each other, totally in our own moment. It was truly the most epic experience and burst of feelings and love! What a place and what a guy. He had totally surprised me with the biggest gift ever!

Our Lake Como view

The moment!! 

As the planning stories started to spill out it became apparent just how long he had planned this out and the thought he had put in. It hadn't happened where or how he had imagined initially, but it was perfect and just as it should have been - the two of us in a fit of laughter! After a couple of poorly attempted selfies in the dark we headed back to the car just as the fireworks started to go off in the nearby park. Months on now and Dickey is still claiming they were all part of his plan! Back to our hotel for the last night in Lake Como we were completely in our own bubble of happiness and bliss and so grateful that we could keep our secret to ourselves for a few days! Before eventually falling into our single beds for a few hours sleep we had to pack up, ready for a 4am alarm to get us us for our biggest travel day yet -> Lake Como - Verona - Venice - Dubrovnik!!


Lake Como was a total charm and holds an incredibly special place in our hearts, obviously. Another place on our list of must return to!

Lake Como 25/5 - 29/5

15. Tuscan vineyards and day trips

Tuscan sunset, La Pressura

While the main reason we had come to Italy was to follow the Giro D'Italia cycling it was followed a close second by our goal to enjoy local winery's and visit many of Tuscany's incredible villages.

San Gimignano was one of our day trips and quite possibly one of the top 10 days on our European trip! Seeing the village up on the hill was incredible and as we parked the car we realized the way in to the walled old town was via a lift built on to the old city wall. Getting in was accessible, moving around inside a bit more of a challenge! Like Sienna, San G was cobbled streets and hills but it was worth every bit of the pushing Dickey up hills and him bouncing across the cobble stones. A small village, it pretty beyond imagination. To us, more spectacular that Siena, but on par with Verona perhaps. We also loved the beautiful views of the Tuscan hills and surrounding vineyards from the city walls. We had read that the "worlds best gelato" was at Gelateria Dondoli, in the main piazza. It was seriously out of this world delicious and the 100m long line was definitely warranted! We were also lucky enough to meet the owner who makes a point of coming out to greet his customers when he is in town!

San Gimignano love

Gelateria Dondoli, line up. Best in the world!

Lucca was a town I had been lucky to visit twice in the past and I was determined to get Dickey there to see it. Distance wise it was a good day trip from our Tuscan base. Lucca is most famous for its well-preserved Renaissance walls encircling the city center and completely intact, as well as its gorgeous circular Piazza. It is the perfect little town for wandering and taking in the ancient sites. The botanical gardens are divine and the fable of the vane princess worth finding at the lily and tortoise pond. There is the 'del fosso' channel, the Atifeatro, the bell tower, Basilica Frediano with its uber high ceilings and marble columns, the frescos and the monuments. When travelling the first time I was amazed by the interior of the San Martino Cathedral and made sure I took Dickey to see it. He was given free entry as an added bonus and got to see the octagonal temple built in 1484 containing the Volto Santo of Lucca on a wooden crucifix, the sarcophagus and marble carving of its inhabitant, the many incredible art works, including the famous Last Supper depiction and the huge marble alter. It was another grand church in Italy. The perfect finish to our day in Lucca was to roll the 4 km circumference on top of the walls and then on the way back to our car to discover the tunnels within. It was a brilliant day in an Italian village.

Lucca's circular Piazza

Cinque Terre was unfortunately not such a successful day trip, with the only saving grace being that we had both been in the past, having completed the famed 14 km 'lovers lane' hike 8 years apart. We were so excited to go back to the villages and knew it would be a big day, but hopefully worth it. We had both used the trains between the villages so we took off early heading for Riomaggiore where we would leave the car and then spend the day going between the towns. It had been a morning of great excitement and little sleep as our race horse, Divine Chills had raced at Flemington, Melbourne and had won! She was not expected to given it was only her third race and we were beside ourselves with excitement especially after talking to the other syndicate owners in the Flemington owners bar! Battling our way through the north bound traffic on a sunny Saturday we found what appeared to be the last park in Riomaggiore, right beside the tourist information building. Perfect. In we went only to be greeted by the assistant shaking her head at us in dismay. "Cinque Terre fabulous, but not for a wheelchair". Thinking she meant the challenge of the hills we smiled assuring her we would be fine. Allowing her to explain we were informed that in the five villages there were only two stations with lifts and they were both out of order. All of them had many steps. We were stunned as she went on to explain we could drive to Manarola. It was flat, but had little to see or do and that she wouldn't recommend driving any further due to the narrow and dangerous roads. Apparently most of the locals even avoid them! We were pretty shattered to say the least and rolled down the newly constructed pathways to the lookout. We sat and looked out over the Mediterranean sea toward the villages we could no longer get to. We talked and reminisced and did our best to selvage the day. In a bizarre coincidence we also worked out that we had both stayed in the same private hostel in Riomaggiore 8 years apart. There had been plenty of works done to improve the main pathways and access to the train station, but the steep main street of Rio' was just as we both remembered. Over a stunning seafood lunch we cheered our girl Divine Chills on her win and tried to laugh away the disappointment. On the way up and out of the village we must have been a site as I pushed Dickey up the steep hill and back to the car. On recommendation of the Tourist Office clerk we stopped in at Porto Veneria on the way back to Tuscany. It was a flat and lovely village near La Spezia with a castle and fort out on the point and a lovely marina. The day had not been totally lost!

Riomaggiores' main street

Ponte Veneria

Ponte Vecchio brilliance

Our final day trip, on our last day in Tuscany was Florence. We took off in the morning to find the bus from the nearest village only to find ourselves in a huge storm and unable to find the main bus station! 10 days earlier I had freaked out at the thought of having to drive in Florence, but today I was over the nerves and we pushed on through the rain and drove the remaining 10 km. It was actually that close! After trawling the streets we found a vacant disabled parking space and took off to find a map and see the sites. At the spectacular Duomo we were granted free entry and didn't even need to wait in the huge lines. We wandered the Mercato and then meet the hilarious Michelangelo at 'Michelangelo's Leather'. Going on reviews it is the best place to get quality jackets, bags and leather goods. He is an incredible character, total flirt and very good salesman. We resisted his charms and left feeling almost guilty not to have bought that jacket that he assured us, suited me better than anyone he had ever seen! With kisses goodbye he invited us to return and stay at his apartment and have our honeymoon with him. Italians!  The Ponte Vecchio is always a favorite and we found a wine bar with perfect views and sheltered from the windy and cold day. Finishing the day via the Uffizzi Piazza we headed back to the car. It was our last night at the villa and we were off to Brescia the next morning. Back to our car spot we found the hire car gone. Our first guess was that it had been towed, but of course we worried it was stolen. Thank goodness the key tag had the registration details on it because I had left all the hire documents in the glove box, for safe keeping! With sheer luck a couple approached their car right beside us and we appealed to them for help in English. We were in luck, not only did they speak perfect English but the girl had the phone number for car tows in her phone! For those of us in Australia we know that having your car towed is a lengthy and challenging process. Tow depots are usually out of town and it is a costly process. My mind was racing and I was instantly trying to work out how we could get to the car in a cab, and find our way through Florence at night and I was also very grateful I hadn't splurged on that leather jacket at Michelangelo's as I was sure I was about to need that money to pay our fine. It was 7.45 pm when our savior dialed the number and judging by her conversation the office was still open and she was speaking to real perso, rather than a machine. This was our first surprise in the next series of many. From my limited Italian I gathered she was explaining our situation, the space we had parked in and gave our registration number. Thanking the respondent in 3 different ways, as Italians so uniquely do she turned to us to deliver the outcome. First she apologized that she couldn't get us out of the fine. Second, that we had actually parked in a personally allocated disabled space. We had not noticed the number on the sign and evidently this was a personal spot for a disabled resident in the street. Oops. Finally she informed us that our car was just around the corner and they walked us the 400m to find it!! We could not believe it and thanked them as best we possibly could for their kindness and support. Taking the fine slip from the windscreen we were in the car and now back on the road to our villa by 8.10pm. The final part to the story... the fine was 28.70 euros. But if you have seen the way Italians park, it makes more sense!

The second half of our European Adventure definitely involved a lot of wine, and it was total bliss. Not only is wine very cheap and often cheaper than bottled water, it is also very very good!

Of the winery's we enjoyed the following are certainly worth a mention. Capezzano, near Prato is just fantastic. Situated up on a hill you could look down towards Florence and make out the Duomo in the distance. They have been producing wine and olive oil for more than 1200 years, and their experience showed! The view from the terrace was stunning and the DOCG Reserva and Rosato was divine. In Australia cellar doors are a drop in and bookings rarely required. In Europe it is apparently the opposite. True to our form we never booked, but mostly got lucky being able to do the tastings and even get on to our tour at one of our favorite vineyards! At Capezzano they allowed us to do a full, impromptu testing and then enjoy a glass out on the terrace. It was fantastic.

Antorini nel Chianti, Bond wonderment!

An architectural wonder Antorini nel Chianti was out of this world! We had read up on its creation and were aware that the new modern building was getting mixed reviews. Over seven years it was literally re-built in to the hill, all weathered steel, curves and lines looking like they are naturally a part of the Tuscan hills. The front was all glass and the spiral staircase leading up to the restaurant was stunning. It really does feel like something out of a James Bond movie as you drive towards it and we took it a step further driving up to the main gates to inquire if we could park on site, instead of in the car park on the opposite side of the road. We were granted entry and literally drove in to the building, parking underneath. It was far from just a winery; it housed a museum, cellar door and tasting bar. Reserved for the tours was access to the barrel rooms and views of the glass floored private tasting rooms. We asked about tours, and while they were fully wheelchair accessible they were booked out for the day. After wandering the vast interior we asked if we could go up to the restaurant terrace and enjoy a wine. Other than the spiral stairs the only only access was via a staff lift at the back of house. We were escorted through the big old doors and suddenly we were on an elevated walkway overlooking the barrel rooms, vats and the famous tasting rooms . It was incredible and due to sheer luck we were seeing it all free of charge. We were even allowed to stop for photos! It was a sensory explosion with the temperate rooms, the smell of the fermenting wines, the architectural design and sheer size of it. We couldn't get the smiles off our faces! And then up at the restaurant those smiles got even bigger. It was incredible. A glass enclosed space surrounded by young vines, lawns and a rose arbor and trellis. The restaurant was actually on the roof, but the roof was the top of the hill! To add to the beauty there was the most epic storm brewing and the clouds were incredible. It was one of those experiences that was just perfect and with a wine in hand we sat out enjoying the view and watched the storm get closer until we had to shelter at the last minute. A most fantastic day.

Antorini terrace

Antorini terrace

The suspended tasting room & barrel views

While there were many afternoon storms and the weather was unseasonably cold during our two weeks in Tuscany we were lucky to make the most of the poolside view of the sunset at La Pressura. Looking out over the olive groves and vineyards we watched the sun slowly melt into the hills. The sunsets and dusk were slow and lingering in Italy, perfectly matched to the good wine and so very different to Australia. Our Tuscan adventure had been total bliss.

Tuscany Wed 11/5 - Tue 24/5