We moved further along the Istria coastline and stayed in a lovely coastline area within walking distance of Poreč.  The campsite was much larger than we were used to however to our surprised we really liked it and settled quickly into our new location.  

The site we were on had many facilities and spacious pitches. Our chosen pitch had a sea view and was on the edge of the camp, so it was quiet. The site had a central bar and restaurant busy with a good atmosphere also catering for good quality takeaway food, essentially the restaurant menu and a wide range of other pastry snacks. On our side of the camp there was a small café bar overlooking the sea. On the other side there was a small but more vibrant bar with decking overlooking the sea, offering stunning sunset views of an evening. Many a night was spent sipping cocktails relaxing on deck chairs just taking in the sea and sunset views and listening to soul and theatre music.

You could either walk along the coastline into Poreč, taking about 50 minutes or take a cute little train that stopped just outside of the campsite boundary and took approximately 20 minutes to the centre of Poreč.  Along the way was also a port called Funtana which is worth a visit.  

If you wanted a quicker way back from Poreč you could take a water taxi and zip along the sea directly to a mooring in the campsite.  A bit more costly, especially if only the two of you however well worth it.

There are two bays south of the town Poreč called Zelena (Green) and Plava (Blue) Laguna the size of small towns.  Plenty of hotels, campsites, marinas, and shopping.

Interesting history of Poreč

Pre-historic times around 800BC the largest settlement was called Picugi which was home to an Illyrian tribe called the Histri which is where Istria gets its name.  The Romans succeeded in capturing Istria and the Roman settlement of Parentium the present day Poreč emerged and evolved and grow in strength and importance.

After the fall of Rome Poreč came under the rule of various empires, the Venetian Empire in 1267 and remained until 1797.  Poreč suffered considerably from Plague over the centuries and the population fell from a healthy 3000 to 100 by 1646.  The Venetians brought in people from Dalmatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania to bolster the population of the town.

When the Venetian Empire fell Poreč came under the control of the Austrian Empire until 1918 when once again it became Italian and the Slavic population were oppressed to Yugoslavia. 

Poreč suffered during World War II with 75% of the houses destroyed by heavy bombing.  Poreč was assigned to Yugoslavia in 1947 and in 1991 became part of Croatia when independence declared.

Given the long history there is plenty to see and visit 

Before you leave Italy, you must purchase and display a vignette, this is available at petrol stations in Italy prior to you crossing the border and is 15 euros and lasts a week.  It is a tolling sticker that enables the usage of Slovenian motorways and expressways, it is advisable to do this as the penalties for not having one are severe with the fine being 300-800 euros.

We left Italy and crossed the border into Slovenia, travelled only a short distance approx. 30 mins, across Slovenia before we arrived at the Croatian border. Border control was quick, even now having to go down the customs route of a non-EU citizen. Make sure you get your passport stamped, as evidence of the date you left Schengen, as this was not automatically done, and we needed to request it.

We entered Istria, the largest peninsula of the Adriatic Sea and located northwest at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and Kvarner Gulf shared by three countries Croatia, Slovenia and Italy.  It is a green oasis of pine woods and rustic coastline. There is a string of small picturesque medieval towns along the coastline, Umag, Novigrad, Porec, Vrsar, Rovinj, Pula and Rabac. The Istria region offers rocky beaches, ports with a lively fishing boats vibe, crystal clear seas and secluded spots are plentiful.

UMAG  

Our first stop was 7 km north of Umag a small town and port, only 20 minutes from the border.  We had chosen a lovely small campsite call the Lighthouse, offering only a few well-kept spacious pitches overlooking the Adriatic Sea. 

There is a Lighthouse, and it was built in 1818 and is the oldest along the Adriatic sea. An amazing sight along this part of the coastline are the numerous characteristic boat lifts call Grues.  These wooden constructions use ropes and pulleys to lift boats to safe mooring.  The boats were flat bottom wooden boats called Batana, intended for individual coastal fishing rowed in a standing position.  

We spent a couple of days exploring the start of our Coastal adventure along the Istria shores.  We hiked, had coffee, played with the dogs off the rocks, took many photos, visited restaurants, drank cocktails, and watched the amazing sunsets.

Prior to us leaving our first stopover Graham came down with a bug that rendered him to his bed for a few days.  Firstly, thinking this was food poisoning we later discovered it wasn’t after I came down with it the first day of our next stopover in Camping Finida nearer Umag.

Camping Finida was another sea view pitch where we could watch the world go by and admire more amazing sunset views from our van.  The campsite was an 1 hr walk into Umag.  Most mornings we would hike along the coastal path that bordered the pine forests and discovered some quaint beach bars where we would relax and drink coffee.  Alfie enjoyed jumping, Jerry carefully negotiating, the rocks whilst chasing and retrieving balls from the sea.

We unloaded our mountain bikes from the van and set off on several rides along the coastline.  Although the terrain is so much easier than Tuscany and nowhere near the challenge, I still enjoyed cycling the routes.  Croatia caters exceptionally well for cyclists with maps outlining a variety of routes ranging in difficulty and distance and all areas have separate cycle paths.  Also, if you have an electric bike there are many a charging point along the way.  

NOVIGRAB

Next stop was Novigrab in a campsite called Aminess, a much larger site than we are used to however spotless and clean with atmosphere and lovely beach bars.  We had a good pitch on the edge in a quiet secluded area, providing us with a sea view, all the facilities, without any noise or hassle.  

Novigrad was approximately a 45-minute walk or as an alternative there was a cute little road train that takes you into the centre.  It was a lovely coastal walk into Novigrab where we would stroll through the narrow streets of the town, have a meal, or just sit at a sea front bar drinking cocktails and then have the choice of walking or catching the train back to our site.

We have both started sea swimming and aim on improving our time and distance each week.  There are quite a few jelly fish which makes it a little interesting swimming whilst scooping jelly fish out the way, good thing is they don’t seem to sting! I am also keeping up my Yoga and Hiit and have entered the 600-minute September challenge on my Fiit application.  

More hiking, swimming, dog playing, eating, and drinking.  I just love the beach bars and the relaxed evening atmospheres; we can’t get enough of the sea views and stunning sunsets.  Next stop over is Poreč.

UMAG

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NOVIGRAB

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We found a lovely campsite, literally opposite Venice.  We settled into our water facing pitch with a clear view of the city of Venice over the lagoon.  The ferry port was only a 1 minute walk and the crossing took 20 minutes straight into the centre of Venice’s waterfront.

The romantic city was originally built on over 100 islands in the Adriatic Sea. Instead of roads it uses an array of 170 waterways and canals with 400 bridges as its transport network.   The Rialto bridge is the most famous of the bridges that crosses the renowned Grand Canal, and this area initially housed the food market. The other significant bridge is the Bridge of Sighs accommodating two corridors serving a link between the prisons and the Doge’s Palace and the legend is you can hear the sighs of the condemned as they are being led to prison.

The central square is called the Piazza San Marco which houses the stunning St. Mark’s Basilica a composition of columns, domes, arches and spires, the Gothic masterpiece Doge’s Palace a pink and white marble building and the bell tower St. Mark’s Campanile which houses 5 bells, to chime the hr, to mark the beginning and end of the day, to announce those condemned to death and finally the bell to call judges and senators to their seats.

There are only 3 or 4 new gondolier licenses granted each year. The art of manning a gondola is a historic Venetian tradition, previously passed down from father to son, and now regulated by a strict training protocol. Applicants must complete over 400 hours of training, undertake an apprenticeship with a master gondolier, and pass an exam.

We spent a full day in Venice, firstly walking the length of the waterfront stopping for a caffe on the way whilst taking in the ambiance of the city.  We then headed towards Piazza San Marco admiring the striking sight of the Gondolas as they were skilfully manoeuvred through the waterways by the Gondoliers weaving under the mass of incredible bridges.  You couldn’t help but take many a photo of these spectacular sights.

I must say the food is expensive in Venice even if you seek out a little restaurant in one of the narrow winding streets adjoining the Piazza.  We are in Venice so what should be expect however it is significantly more expensive than we found in Florence and Sienna.  Despite the cost we did have a lovely meal and later enjoyed a few drinks alongside the canals, people watching and admiring the activities of the Gondoliers. We were delighted to see a family all smartly dressed in black and white wearing boaters, joyfully boarding a Gondola all excited to see the sights of Venice via the waterways, a very traditional scene this was. 

After a delightful day we caught the ferry back to our campsite, had a lovely evening drink outside the van whilst admiring our view. We are now extremely eager for our trip over the boarders to Croatia.

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As we leave Tuscany, heading towards Croatia we stopped on the way in a seaside town, south of Venice, known for its historic canals and narrow waterways called Chioggia.  A fishing port that has preserved its authentic ambiance, the old part of the town has narrow streets and architecture much like Venice but much quieter and calmer.  

We stayed in a lovely campsite the lagoon end of Chioggia, home to one of the oldest clocks originally made in 1386.  The beach is stunning with areas of rocky outcrops.

In Chioggia you can take it slowly, watching the locals fishing, making local produce, eating and cooking.  Being one of the biggest and oldest fishing ports in Italy you can observe the unloading of the crates of fish from the moored boats, under the attentive glare of many seagulls.  

The retail fish market called the Pescheria is centrally located and has around 30 large stalls, with its beautifully sculpted main entrance and huge red awning. Waiting patiently outside on the canal posts are a regimented line-up of seagulls expectantly anticipating the occasional offering of seafood scraps thrown out by the stall owners. 

We had a lovely wonder around the town, admiring the Vena canal with its 9 bridges where small boats are moored.  We stopped at a restaurant had a couple of beers and lunch before returning to our campsite.

At night we walked the dogs down to the beach, strolling along the rocky jetties, playing with the dogs in the sea whilst observing the majestic sunset with its array of colours.  There are a number of beach bars along the front, obviously stopping for a drink or two, and we found a lovely restaurant offering exquisite seafood.  The first night Graham was pleased as there was a beauty contest with many beautiful girls strutting the catwalk in their dresses, moving on to bathing costumes and ending up in bikinis.  We had a quick debate about beauty competitions but ended up agreeing it is the girls who decide to enter so they do have a choice!

Lovely stay before moving on to Venice.

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As our stay in Tuscany comes to an end, I will sum up a few things we have done since my last blog.

We have made some incredible friendships along the way, from all nationalities.  Friends we have spent many an evening eating and drinking with, visiting amazing places and attending villas and street parties.

I just love the locals and the fact we started to become and accepted as part of their wonderful community. I enjoyed how the children, of all ages, come out at night to play so seamlessly together, kids just being kids. It was also wonderful to be part of The Passiggiata, where residence of all ages come together and chat the evening away, what an experience.

The historic villages and towns around Tuscany are just stunning and so unspoilt by the progress of time.  I just love the medieval history and architecture and how it is still so vibrantly present for us to appreciate today.

The scenery in Tuscany is just spectacular.  I often just stared in wonder taking in the beauty of my surroundings.  The views are panoramic of undulating terrain perfectly stripped with vineyards, an abundance of olive groves, orchards, nature reserves, winding streams and agriculture land.  It just defines Tuscany like no other landscape can. 

Our life at the Podere La Fonte farmhouse was unforgettable.  Our hosts Emanuala and Marco were wonderful and made us feel at home as soon as we arrived.  The property was traditionally quintessential Italian, with a lovely garden terrace situated under a walnut tree overlooking the Tuscan hills.  There was a welcome breeze that waltzed up the hillside providing us relief from the summer Tuscan heat. Each night we would sit in awe of the glorious sunset offering us variants of colour every evening.

I embraced the challenge of the Tuscan terrain whilst exercising with gradients of between 7% -25% and elevations between 2500ft – 3500 ft. Although difficult at first it became a mission with me stepping up the challenge to complete my rides and hikes with extreme determination to improve my distance, time, speed, heart rate and power and each time. Strava making this easy to track with personal records to exceed and legend awards to achieve.

We revisited several places just to take in one final memory of these beautiful villages, towns, cities, and restaurants.  I imprinted the Tuscan views day and night into my memory just standing and appreciating the landscape.

On our last day Emanuala and Marco had invited us and our friend Tracy to a cookery lesson, to learn how to make ravioli. They have an incredible kitchen, commercial in layout. The day started with a Café, figs from the orchard and grapes. We then moved onto the preparation. Starting with the tomato sauce made from ingredients from the farm. We then moved onto prepping the garlic bread which may I say was delicious finished off with sea salt, garlic, and rosemary. We were making two types of ravioli, one with potatoes seasoned with mint and the other with ricotta and spinach seasoned with parsley. After making the pasta we rolled and made the ravioli using cutters, we were extremely proud of our efforts. All made and cooked, we sat down together to eat our meal along with some wild boar liver Marco had made earlier and La Fonte wine. What a lovely final day with our hosts and Tracy chatting away and admiring the food we had cooked from scratch.

Radicondoli we will never forget you and your community, and we may just return one day.

Below are some of my favourite photos of our time in Tuscany.

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Chatting to our new local friend Alessandra we were interested in the fact she, along with her friend Francesca, were truffle hunters, selling their finds to local restaurants and conduct truffle hunting tours.  As Graham (and to an extent me) is a great fan of truffles and the restaurants around this area serve many interesting meals which include generous helpings of truffle, we were interested and booked onto a tour.  

A few days later, off we went with Alessandra, Francesca, and her dog Olivia on a hunt.  The truffles we looked for were the summer black ones.  We were at the end of the season, which mainly runs from July to end of August, however Olivia did us proud and found us a number of truffles we were all proud of. 

Below are some of the facts we picked up from our tour: 

There are over 185 species of truffles with the white ones being the rarest most valuable species of truffle in the market. Truffles are expensive due to their rarity and short shelf life.  Truffles are fungi and grow in harmony with a host tree and grow about 2 – 10 cm below the ground on the root of certain varieties of trees mainly Oak and Hazelnut.  White truffles can be up to 1 metre below the ground! Truffles require and only thrive in highly specific environmental conditions therefore it is extremely difficult to re-create and establish this environment on a commercial basis and can take up to 7 years! The truffle aroma is deep earthly and musky and is a one-of-a-kind smell due to their being hundreds of aromatic compounds in a fresh truffle.   

As truffles grow under the ground truffle hunters need to use dogs. Hunters need to obtain licenses as it is illegal to hunt without one.  Since the reign of the Roman empire hunters used female pigs as the pigs are naturally attracted to the scent of a truffle because the fungi emit a scent similar to the sex pheromone of a male pig.  However, the pigs love to eat the truffles they find and is the main reason why Italy banned the use of truffle pigs in 1985 and dogs are now only used.  

Francesca took 3 years to train her dog and she has another one in training.  Working dogs in the past used to be kennelled and only let out when working, this is not the case as the younger generation are coming through and the dogs are treated so much better and are friends of their masters, although concentrate and are obedient when working.    

Truffles need to reproduce therefore it is a fine balance between the hunter and nature. As the truffles grow underground, they cannot use the rain and wind to spread their spores, therefore they rely on animals to reproduce.  Truffles produce odours to attract animals such as wild boar, are eaten, and the spores scattered through the faeces.  The hunter is careful not to disturb the earth around the truffle and if a truffle has spored will leave it in the ground.  

As I mentioned above, the shelf life of a truffle is short and at their best should be consumed within 4-5 days and at most 2 weeks if stored correctly although the aroma and flavour will half in 5 days!  They are 70% water and loose 2-3% moisture per day.  We were advised to keep them in an airtight container wrapped in kitchen towel and kept in the fridge, checking daily, and replacing the kitchen towel.  Alternatively, thinly slice and dry out in a dark place or use rock salt (useful as the rock salt will absorb the flavour of the truffle) or make a truffle paste which can then be stored and used over a few days.  We were advised not to make truffle oil due to bacteria from the truffles fermenting (highly dangerous) but can make truffle butter and freeze it or store the truffles in a freezer, they will not be as fresh but can be stored for several months. 

Recipes at the ready and 3 meals eaten, yum, some truffles finely sliced and drying out and a truffle paste made and needs eating over the next few days.  

Altogether an enjoyable day, gaining knowledge, hunting, and now tasting the results of our efforts.

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The boring bit first …. If driving, a must do is parking at the Villa Cotanza, it is the best option for anyone visiting Florence for just the day or if you are staying for several nights.  You can park and catch a tram that takes you directly to the centre of Florence in less than half an hour.  The trams depart every 3-4 minutes throughout the day.  Camper vans can also park at the Villa Costanza where you can take advantage of the security and toilet facilities.  

Once you get into Florence the skyline is dominated by the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore or simply known as The Duomo.  It is the most striking and beautiful array of buildings I have ever seen.  I would say a must see, however, you really can’t miss it as this awesome renaissance-era structure is in the centre of the city and all roads lead to this busy piazza.

Construction on the dome started at the end of the 13^th century and took 2 centuries to be deemed finished! The exterior is covered in a mixture of pink, green and white marble.  The interior has mosaic floors, painted ceilings and an abundance of art and statues.  Entrance is free, however the queues are lengthy, you have to have the patience to wait your turn.  There are several elements to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Our Lady of the Flower) the Cathedral, Baptistery, Dome, Giottos’s Bell Tower, Opera del Duomo Museum, and the Duomo Terraces.   

Lose yourself among the labyrinth of narrow streets harbouring a mix of traditional and designer shops, restaurants, and cafes.  You will discover buildings, structures, art, and statues everywhere, as you walk or alternatively you can hire a scooter or bike or even take a horse and cart.  

A visit to the Arno River is certainly a must, this is where you will see the Ponte Vecchio (the old bridge), one of the most famous bridges in Europe.  It was built in 1218 and was rebuilt in 1345 after being destroyed by floods.  It is the only bridge to survive World War II with the Germans blowing up all other bridges whilst retreating, instead they blocked the Ponte Vecchio by demolishing the historic buildings either side.

Housed along the bridge are shops, initially these were all types including butchers, fishmongers, however, in 1593 it was decreed that only goldsmiths and jewellers were allowed to have their shops on the bridge. This is still the case today. Each shop has wooden shutters which creates a look like a suitcase or a wooden chest making an interesting sight.  Although busy, it is well worth a stroll across and often musicians will play to a gathering audience.

Walk along the river side, especially at night, and you can look back at the Ponte Vecchio bridge which presents quite a view. Stunning as you see the interesting contours of bridge against the skyline and the array of lights reflecting across the river below. 

Altogether a wonderful visit to Florence, with lots of culture, exquisite food, drinks and even a lovely American couple we met and spent the evening chatting to.

The less interesting bit! …… Having chosen a week the temperature was cooler, we rented an apartment with a garden and air conditioning as we had the dogs with us.  Apart from the apartment being a little neglected and sparsely decorated it was centrally located making it easy for us to take the dogs out, when it was cooler in the mornings and at night, and leave them in the apartment in the day when the temperature was too hot for them.

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Every year Radicondoli hold an intense festival for culture lovers, with this year being the 35^th edition.  From July 17 to 31 there was a packed programme of events all set within the backdrop of the historical villages within the region.  We have been so lucky to have been part of this fantastic festival and witnessed several events all surrounded by traditional Tuscan life and community.

One of the events we attended was a jazz concert, performed with the backdrop of Radicondoli’s Collegiate Church with its majestic bell tower, which was dramatically lit up for the event. The talented musicians consisted of a pianist playing a grand Piano, a guitarist, drummer, saxophonist, and the singer Greta Panettieri.  Greta was announced in 2016 and 2018 as one of the ten most fascinating voices on the Italian and International jazz scene. She is a musician, singer, composer, and author of lyrics.

Jazz is a beautiful genre of music which displays a dynamic emotional expression behind the playing.  Individual musicians have the freedom to express themselves on their instruments whilst maintaining their responsibility to the other musicians and the framework of the tune. Therefore, throughout the concert we witnessed the seamless display of improvisation where the musicians perform their interpretation of a tune with their own music dialogue.  A jazz tune is rarely played the same and as the musicians have a freedom of expression to themselves and their instruments, communicating the emotion of the moment (the emotion they are felling whist they are performing, this being spontaneous). 

A wonderful evening.

About me 🙂

My mother was a classical piano teacher with me following in her footsteps and learning to play the piano the classical way.  Classical music is written with fixed compositions and whilst learning and playing you focus on the technique, the structure and timing of the piece, reading the sheet music and playing what you see on the page.  Personally, I like composers that have emotion moving from aggressive to slow, loud to quiet, my favourite being Mozart.

In my 20’s I started to listen and appreciate the freedom and excitement of Jazz music.  After witnessing the joy of improvision and the individual interpretation driven by the performer, I gave it a go.  Having learnt classical which requires good finger dexterity, I found this to help, however, soon realised it is hard to switch from classical theory to jazz theory.  Jazz is extremely complex with the introduction of complex chords and scales and feels entirely foreign as classical piano never calls for a bar to be improvised (although I often did to my mother’s annoyance) with jazz requiring the pianist to be thinking 10 steps ahead of the music. I never really accomplished the skill but at least I gave it a go! My desire is to learn the saxophone (learning the clarinet first) and have promised myself I will start soon…….

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Third time lucky and Graham’s son Luke was finally marrying his fiancé, Kayleigh.  

Our first hurdle was finding a dog sitter as driving all the way back in a camper van with the dogs was not an option.  We looked at dog kennels however found in Italy these were still outside kennels with only 20 mins field exercise twice a day.  Not what the dogs are used to and as Jerry is an older dog would not have been good for him.  We then lined up two dog sitter who nearer the date changed their minds.  However, we ended up with a fantastic lady called Alessandra, her husband Leo, dog Nina and several cats who kindly stepped in and did a wonderful job of looking after them for the duration.  The dogs now have new friends, and we couldn’t thank them enough as we sooooo appreciated their help.

Preparation to return to the Italy during a pandemic was tedious and frustrating due to ever changing rules and restraints.  Luckily the UK removed the need for us to quarantine upon our return.  In the end we needed one test to leave Italy, a day 2 test after our return to the UK, a test before departing back to Italy, 5 days isolation upon our return and a test upon day 5 of our isolation and release back into Italian civilisation upon a negative test. Phew nearly done as on day 4 of isolation when writing this.

Leading up to the wedding all was very stressful with restrictions still in place that impacted upon the arrangements for stag and hen events.  Once restrictions were lifted it was only a couple of weeks before the wedding with many people having already planned conflicting get togethers as everyone had not been out or seen people for a long-time during lockdowns.  The other issue was people getting covid prior to the wedding.  Kayleigh’s brother being one where the family had to lockdown with Charlie staying in his bedroom and sanitising to the bathroom and back.  He came out of isolation 1 day before the wedding – just in time!  A few guests last minute were caught up in track and trace isolation and were unable to attend the day and evening.  

The weather forecast was 80% rain on the day and as it was planned to be an outdoor wedding this was a concern.  It rained heavy on the night before and up until 9:30 on the day.  Then, the sun came out, all was dry, and the wedding went ahead outdoors – yip yip.  The weather could not have been better, temperature just right and completing dry.

All was worthwhile as the wedding was a fantastic event. Everything was just perfect.  I have never seen a groom so relaxed and a bride so full of joy and smiles.  Kayleigh loved every minute of her fairy-tale wedding.  

What a relaxed venue.  The ceremony took place in the beautiful courtyard garden under a historic impressive tower.  We sat on cute wooden chairs all waiting in anticipation for the wedding party to make their entrance across the lawn.  Luke and his group of groom’s men along with his mother Tracy and his Father Graham were relaxed and chatted whilst eagerly waiting for the events to begin.  A quick slug of whiskey for the boys and the music started.

It was spectacular, with the bridesmaids coming out in pairs followed by the maid of honour, all looking stunning in their navy-blue dresses and bouquets of flowers.  Rose petals were scattered down the aisle making a surreal scene.  The music continued and the bride and her mother Kelly dramatically appeared through the ancient medieval gates of the Priory.  Wedding vail and dress train all adjusted and ready, Kayleigh made her elegant walk towards the group of eager guests and Luke.  All eyes turned, observed, and marvelled at the beautiful bride gracefully walking towards her husband to be.  Kayleigh’s smile radiating all the emotion and joy of finally after 3 years of waiting to marry her true love and soul mate Luke.  Words were said from the heart and an expression of the commitment to each other and married they be.  Congratulations Mr and Mrs Venn.

The rest of the day whisked past in a blur and flowed so seamlessly.  With band playing, canapés eaten, cocktails drank, guests socialising, children playing and the weather and ambiance perfect.  Photographs to catch the memories of the day were taken, guest traditionally welcomed to the wedding breakfast, fantastic emotional speeches professional presented and then the dancing began with the evening guests arriving.  

What a band, they were just brilliant, everyone dancing everywhere with a crescendo of merriment until the very end.  Smiles on everyone’s faces, children joyfully enjoying the day, guests relaxing and socialising effortlessly in the beautiful courtyard garden and priory house until unfortunately the end came, and we all needed to go to our beds.

Mr and Mrs Venn you could not have wish or received a more perfect day.

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Yes, another Tuscan historic town, what do you expect as we are in Tuscany.  This walled top town will enchant you as it offers, like many of the towns, its own special charm and fascination.  A larger town, however, it has kept its identity with its Etruscan past as one of 12 power centres from the 4^th through to the 6^th centuries as well as its Roman history.  Starting with the walls which go back to the Etruscan era and were modified through the Middle Ages.

Volterra’s Medici Fortress looks over the surrounding countryside and due to its size and commanding hilltop position is visible from miles away and characterises the skyline.  The town has a central Piazza dei Priori, home to the Palazzo dei Pirori the oldest town hall in Tuscany and is locally known as the ‘Tower of the Piglet’ as it has a small stone form of a wild boar.  It is the seat of the town’s Mayor.  Also in the Piazza is the Duomo of Santa Maria Assunta and Baptistry which dates back to 1120 although heavily modified in the Renaissance era in 1584.  It is impressive and richly decorated and is home to many works of art belonging to renowned Italian artists.

There are 6 gates along the Etruscan walls of the city and the oldest and only one that remains mostly intact being the Porta all-Arco and is decorated with 3 heads.  Volterra has a number of museums and a park at the top of the hill which has evidence of buildings of various ages from Etruscan to Roman to Medieval.

Volterra was subject to a fierce battle with Florence, over the control of alum mines which was an important mineral used in the production of textiles.  The fortress was built shortly after to protect the city but also to keep the city under tight control and to prevent revolts against the new masters of the city.

Just outside the walls is the Roman theater built in the 1^st century AD.  Behind the amphitheater there are remains of Roman baths from the 4^th century, interestingly during the Middle Ages the baths were used as a garbage bump and it was only in 1951 the excavations began.

The Twilight series, New Moon was supposedly based in Volterra however it was actually filmed 70 miles away in Montepulciano.

There is a main event in Volterra during August on the 3^rd and 4^th Sundays where the citizens roll back time 600 years and celebrate in period costume and hold a medieval fair, an event we will go to.

Phew that was a lot of facts about Volterra.  

We had a lovely visit to Volterra wondering the narrow streets, eating ice cream, visiting the traditional shops and taking in the panoramic views from the town’s walls.  After our walk around the town, we lunched in the Piazza, there was only one to choose from in the square, but many more delightful restaurants in the surrounding narrow streets. The restaurant in the Piazza was probably not the best due to extremely slow service however it was well positioned for people watching. 

We will explore a little more next time we visit for the medieval fair, as we didn’t venture to the theatre or romans baths as we have saved these for when we return.

That evening we met friends, we have made locally, in Radicondoli Piazza at Agriteca for Aperol Spritz as they were heading back to the UK the next day.  That evening the trip made more difficult due to the change in quarantine rules in the UK coming into effect Monday if crossing from the French border.  A 5 day quarantine coming into play, even if equipped with double vaccine and a negative Covid test! 

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