So... 2015. Weddings, History, and Future.....

So... 2015.

Its been an amazing year. 2 trips to Italy so far and 2 to go....

I spent a long weekend in April in Rome as I had the wonderful experience of seeing my Roman friends getting married. I was so absolutely over the moon for them. They are so in love so it is amazing to see them marry. It was a wondeful few days that allowed me to disover even more new places that I somehow feel astonished that I didnt see when I was there last year.... and yet I feel glad that there is still so much for me to see and discover.

After Rome, I spent a glorious week in Naples with the whole family that involved a trip to Herculaneum and to the island of Capri. Capri was without a doubt one of the most beautful islands I have ever been to. There were so many moments in Naples that were fabulous that I cant count them... From the moment we went to a trattoria and were asked whether we wanted pasta with or without meat for lunch and we were given what we got whether we liked it or not... right through to the moment we were on the hydrofoil skimming the waters past Mount Vesuvius towards Capri for the best lunch and views I have had in years.... only matching closely to the swordfish served over the Napoli harbour as the hazy sun settled in the distance over the volcano that is so respected by the Neapolitans.

This year has already been so crowded by Italy and yet I feel so distant from it somehow. I had such a huge comedown after my travels, I found it very difficult to pick myself back up. Coming back to a November England.... dark, dreary, cold. It was such a stark contrast to the luminous life I had had for the previous 3 months. All I had had was sunshine, history and culture alongside food and drink.... also topped by wonderous gardens, sights, churches, and moments that cannot be matched. I had no idea how to move on from my travels. I knew that I wanted to get back to Italy, and yet the thought of taking a job and sitting behind a desk was something that I almost couldn't comprehend. I knew that I had to pull myself out of this and decide what I wanted to do. I was lucky that Christmas was a welcome distraction and somehow it was allowed to be cold and dereary as it was that time of year. It seemed ok not to go out walking for 6 hours a day and ok to sit inside watching bad films and repeats of programmes rather than seeking out monuments and places of interest.

Christmas came and went. It was a wonderful Christmas. A warm home, family, love, food, thanks for life. Everything we could imagine....

And then January came. Cold. Grey. Imposing. It was time to make decisions. I had to decide whether I wanted to do some more serious travelling around Italy, whether I wanted to go somewhere else, whether I wanted to travel further afield or whether I wanted to go back. Quite frankly I had no idea and I felt rather lost. I knew I wanted to go back, but I had no idea how to. And then it happened. A phonecall.

Whilst I was saving for my trip, I sold a lot of old clothes etc on eBay to supplement some spending money. This in turn meant my wonderful mum trapsing up to the local post office a couple of times a week to post my parcels for me. It was then she got friendly with the local post mistress Jo. I hadn't thought much about it, but just before Christmas, I had posted a parcel to my Roman friends for Christmas as a thank you and mum and I made our way to the post office. We got there and we all got chatting and it turns out both my mum and Jo like a chat and she knew about my travels. Mum happened to drop into the conversation that I was looking for work. Jo took my number and I though no more about it. This was mid December. The 5th January, a Monday, I made the resolution that I was to start looking for work. My parents had gone to see family and I had a lie in. I say that, I slept until noon like a lazy so and so. I woke to 5 missed calls from a number I didnt know. I had an inkling... I googled the number and it revealed an advert Jo had placed for staff so I knew it was her. I called. I started at 9am the next day. My mum nearly screamed when I called her to tell her that I had found a job, and not only found a job, I had been asleep when I found it hahaha!!!

So I have currently been working at the local PO for 6 months. I dont want to say it, but it has changed me a lot. It has brought me back out of the dark place that I dropped into when I got home. The people are fabulous. There is such a varied dynamic... from the people I am working with right through to the people that come in. I absolutely adore it. It has also allowed me the flexibilty. It originally started with part time hours over a few days but has grown to full time with different shifts. But that has given me freedom.

When I received the email from Tiziana saying that her and Federico were to be married I was ecstatic... and so incrediably humbled that they would want me to be part of their wedding. When I told Jo, she just told me to mark it on the calendar and we would work shifts around it. So generous...

And so in April... I went to Rome. Tiziana and Federico were officially married on the Wednesday and I flew out on the Thursday as their wedding party that I was to attend was on the Saturday. I only expected to see them on the Saturday night but no.... I was greeted at Rome airport, the day after their official wedding..... can you even begin to imagine a kinder couple!!! They drove me to my apartment, the same wonderful apartment I had stayed in when I returned to Rome for the second half of my travels which I have never posted... Thats a challenge.... but I feel I need to... anyhooooooo. We then went to a local pub to have food and beer. Mutton kebabs, amazing pizza, beer and an amazing catch up as I had missed them so so much. Its amazing how you think you dont remember the language until you are back in that place... the words came, the laughter came, I could understand conversations with waiters and I knew what I wanted to say in Italian. I felt a fire in my belly light again.

The wedding party was amazing. I met T&F through my parents friends. My parents have known Alan and Diane since I was probably about 5... I'm now 28... Ok I am 33 but shhhh....!? We used to spend Bank Holidays, Boxing Days, Summer evenings together. It involved tablecloths, Vol au vents with various fillings and board games between us 'kids'. The make up was my mum and dad, Diane and Alan, myself and my older brother James and their two daughters Stephanie and Hannah. Although now things have changes and the visits involve bringing slippers to each others houses for comfort!!!.... (Don't kill me Di!) When they knew my love for Rome had gone beyond a weekend here and there and become more serious, they put me in touch with T&F. T&F had stayed with them many moons ago whilst they were in the UK learning English. Alan and Di began as their host family and then became their english family. This led on to a firm friendship and a very strange situation of myself, Alan and Di all being in Rome together with T&F. Alongside that were the friends that I had met in Rome along the way. Memories of travel, Villa Adriana, nights in pubs, pizza in Tivoli.

And so the wedding evening continued.... limoncello, prosecco, vino bianco e rosso..... A perfect wedding.

It was absolutely stunning, and I feel so grateful to friends that I have been part of this life.

Long may this continue.

I feel tomorrow I may need to write about Naples and my new Roman discoveries.... That plus future travels to Florence and Rome that are hot on our heels...

That fire in my belly is alight again....

xxxxx

Siena... And a thunderstorm ⚡️

So I made my way to train station and bought my ticket to Siena. It was an hour and a half journey but I knew it would be worth it. 

I arrived in Siena around 1pm and as you come out of the station you have to walk through a shopping centre and take the escalator several flights up. As you come out to the top I saw the bus stops so went into the tobacconists to buy a ticket and asked which bus would take me to the centre. I got on the bus after buying a cheap guidebook with a map and made my way to the centre. Whilst I was on the bus a Spanish girl who lived in London started talking to me and we ended up wandering through Siena together and having some lunch. 

When we arrived and first walked into Piazza del Campo it was breathtaking... The colour of the stone used to creat the square, the way the half moon sloped down towards the palazzo, it was gorgeous. 

In the middle of the square is Fonte Gaia. The colour of the water, coupled with the colour of the stones makes this fountain so bright.

I had no real plan for Siena as I knew it was really small, so the only thing I knew I was going to do, was wander. So wander I did, and this town has some of the most beautiful streets I have ever seen.

 

We stumbled across a school of music where you could hear someone playing the piano beautifully. It was a gorgeous courtyard with a wonderful wishing well in the middle.

We continued to wander and we headed towards the Duomo. It is in a similar design to the Duomo of Florence however although stunning cannot be compared. 

As we continued to wander we found a play park that had stunning views out over the hillside.

By this point I was officially starving so we went back to the Piazza del Campo and found a reasonable restaurant and had some food and wine. It was such a wonderful setting and the food was fabulous. 

We made our way back to the train station and said our goodbyes and I made my way back to Florence...

Which just happened to be in the middle of the BIGGEST thunderstorm I have ever seen in my life. Because Florence is in a valley once the storm gets in, it can't get out. As I came out the station, the clap of thunder was so loud everyone made a gasping noise and ducked... I ran through the rain with my umbrella and found a small restaurant near my bus stop and had an evening meal. I was so hungry again by this point. I washed some more pasta down with some white wine and then made my way back to the apartment. 

So tomorrow... As they say... All roads lead to Rome...

Florence... What a fabulous city...

Well the next leg of my journey was to get to Florence from Milan. I made my way on the tram towards the Piazza Duomo and grabbed a taxi. I got onto the train which luckily enough the cheapest seats available when I booked were in the executive carriage... Well... Free papers, free drinks, leather seats.. All very posh... A very nice train ride down to Florence.

I got off the train in Firenze and instantly the heat hit me... Wow!!! Milan really had been cold and rainy... It was glorious here... I grabbed a taxi to meet the girl waiting for me to show me my apartment. I settled in and then got to organising going to have some food :) 

I made my way down to the nearest bus stop and found a tobacconists to buy my bus tickets. I spoke to the chap and he told me I take bus 17 to the centre as that was the best one... I promptly took myself to the bus stop and awaited the next bus. Bus stops in Florence are really good as the majority show you how many minutes until the next bus... I made my way successfully to the centre and of course the first major view to greet me was the Duomo. It's such an arresting sight. You are literally stopped in your tracks when you first spy it... 

I started wandering around the back streets around the duomo to find somewhere small to eat and found a great restaurant near the central market. 

Once I had eaten I made my way to the supermarket to stock up on supplies for the apartment and then wandered back to the square where i knew I had to get my bus. I noted a small place on the corner that charged €8 for unlimited buffet and a cocktail... Must remember that!!! 

The following day I decided to wander around the historical centre, no map, and just see where I ended up. I wandered through the florentine streets and just kept finding beautiful side streets with gorgeous little restaurants and shops. Everything is so beautiful in Florence. As I was walking, I came across the fountain used in 'Hannibal'. It's a wild boar, and you are supposed to rub it's nose which brings you luck, and you place a coin in its mouth, and if it falls into the grate first time, it's twice the luck... Surprisingly mine didn't! I kept walking and just kept finding beautiful places :) 

The following day I wandered down the the Ponte Vecchio and for a walk along the river. The Ponte Vecchio means 'old bridge' and it's probably one of the most photographed bridges in the world. As you wander accross the jumbled cobbles you come to a break half way over and the railings are absolutely covered in padlocks - love locks. It's a lovely sight. The walls are also covered in love graffitti although this is highly illegal!!! The bridge is lined with jewellery shops selling the most exquisite gold jewellery but unless you have a fortune, I'd stick to the markets! 

I then made my way back to the bus but not before I stopped to have the €8 buffet and cocktail! Well.. It was the strongest cosmopolitan I have ever had... And that includes ones I have made! I then helped myself to a couple of platefuls of great food... (Small plates!) there was everything from pasta to pizza to rice to salad... It was great :) 

So the next day took me to Piazzale Michelangelo. This is a hill that overlooks Florence and has a replica of Micelangelo's David. The views are simply stunning. 

I then took a slow wander down the hill through a beautiful rose garden in search for some food... 

I then was lucky enough to stumble across which possibly could be the cheapest restaurant in Florence. I had Bruschetta, a mixed salad, 2 glasses of wine and an espresso and it was €10!! I couldn't believe how cheap it was.. And it tastes good! 

So after 4 days in Florence, wandering the small city it was time to visit somewhere different... 

Siena... 

Bergamo

Well Bergamo was my main reason for staying in Milan, so I got to setting about making my way there. I was originally going to go on the day that had the best weather, well every day it drizzled so that wasn't really an option!!! I chose the Tuesday and I set my alarm :)

So I made my way to the station... Tram then tube and the into the main station and I bought my ticket... 45 minutes later and I was in Bergamo. I made my way through the station, knowing that I needed to get the bus to the upper city which is the historical part. I then boarded the Funicular which takes you up the steep hillside town.. You step out and are instantly in the beautiful old town... 

It is such a stunning place and the weather had no effect at all... The buildings stunned and the winding streets looked so appetising you couldn't help but want to wander for hours and hours... 

Unfortunately my timings were not great and I arrived just as the Duomo and the Santa Maria Di Maggiore were closing for their siesta... So lunch it was then... I found a nice little restaurant that hadseating inside as it was starting to rain outside, so in I went and settled down. I ordered salmon tagliatelle and some wine. I was presented with a complimentary starter of polenta which cheese and salami.. It was lovely... I had tried baked polenta in Verona and hadn't been a fan.. This however was stunning :)   With the pasta to follow and the an espresso I was comfortably warm and fuzzy and full to continue to explore Bergamo..

The streets were stunning... Wonderful coloured bricks, stone pathways, stunning displays of food... There are literally not enough superlatives to describe how great this place is so I'm going to let the photographs do the talking....

I made my way towards the main square and made my way inside the Santa Maria Maggiore... It took my breath away... It was so beautiful... I had been told by a friend that this church upstaged the duomo... And boy she was right! It was absolutely stunning inside and took my breath away... 

I then went into the duomo which although beautiful, did lack the grandeur of its competitor...! 

The only thing for it after that was to make my way home... 

I definitely need a return trip to be able to sample all of the delights it has to offer... Such a beautiful town... If ever you are in the north of Italy, please visit, it's worth every single second..

And just as I was leaving I spotted something that made my day perfect... Enjoy :)