A touch of class

Saturday 7th September

Pausing in front of Ancona's port.

 Leaving Luisella's behind we headed for some sun and sea on the Adriatic coast. We stopped at a classy holiday village just south of Ancona in a place called Numana. Everything about it was good - and the beach was just five minutes' walk up the road.

The sanctuary in the basilica at Loreto containing (it is claimed) the original house that Mary lived in Nazareth.

Checking the map on Saturday evening I realised we were very close to the town of Loreto, a place of longstanding pilgrimage for devotees of the Blessed Virgin. So we determined to attend mass there next day; and it turned out to be a very busy mass indeed; the basilica was packed with people and the militiary. Marilena managed to get a seat (but I had to stand).

The bishop welcomes Italian airforce people.

Our Lady of Loreto is the patroness of pilots and those who fly,  which is why the basilica was so packed with Italian air force uniforms. After the mass we took a stroll through the lively market in the town, just in time to see a helicopter fly-past skim over our heads.

Emergergy action

Wednesday 4th September

Local birds take off just a mile or two along the beach from us.

Early morning after a stroll along the seashore, breakfast and tidying up around our awning my back starting to give me warning signs of trouble ahead. Immediately I retreated to the van's passenger seat (!) and Marilena went into action. Singlehandedly she organised all our stuff and packed it into the luggage crates. Then she rolled up the awning and transferred it into the rear of the van. Talk about efficiency - it was all done in less than an hour! I guess prior experience helps in these situations. :-)

Fortunately we were not too far from Luisella's place - so like last year, I arrived an invalid at her door. And was again installed in a comfortable armchair; this time thankfully only for 24 hours. The back cleared up quickly and I was soon out and about. As ever, Luisella's hospitality was splendid and it was great to see everyone and get their news.

St Anthony's basilica on a miserable day. A great visit if you have a strong interest in looking at relics of the human body!

On the Friday we went for the day to Padua; I wanted to see the Basilica of St Anthony and walk around the city's famous university - one of the oldest in Europe. Sadly the weather was vile; it lashed rain. So we ended up visiting the Basilica but then, after a kebab, we headed back without taking in any other sights.

Over the Alps to Venice

Sunday 1st September

Mr Casual props up a lamp post in St Mark's Square.

Another drive with wonderful views. We took the Brenner Pass and skirted the Dolomites. Our van is pretty slow on the hills but to be fair, like Barkis, it's willing. So we arrived in the Veneto - in  a seaside village called Cavallino - late in the evening. Our timing was a tactical error because as we went about setting up the awning we were continually attacked and bitten by a veritable horde of mosquitoes! In the end Marilena had to hide in the camper to escape them.

John strolls along the main 'street' on the island of Burano.

Nonetheless we persevered and next day we got to see the city and a couple of its outlying islands. We purchased a couple of all day 'travelcards' which allowed us to travel on any boat. And you may be sure we employed them to the full.
Our seaside camp site had a little shop selling the basics; for me the best of it was the wine they sold on tap. One brought along an empty litre bottle and they filled it up for you (for peanuts) with local wine. The white wine iwas great; not fancy, just light and simple. As an accompaniment to a Marilena's seafood salad, it was excellent.

Traversing Germany . . .

Saturday 31st August

We loved the old caravan at Natterer - but reckoned we'd need to be away for a year at least if we were to tour Italy in it!

We travelled through Germany using their excellent motorways and crossed into Austria and began the climb into the Alps. Heavy rain accompanied us now but fortunately after we crossed the first set of mountains the weather took a better turn and we ended up at our campsite with dry ground around us. We arrived very tired at a place called Nattere - it was a holiday venue surrounded by high mountains and lakes and was kept impeccably.

We both had a fish meal in the restaurant there (I took the opportunity to eat fish species I used to catch as a child) and fell into bed exhausted.

Back on the road - for part 2 of the road trip of Italy

Friday 30th August
Simon and Candy's wedding went off brilliantly last weekend, so with that behind us we headed off for the second part of our Italian tour. I spent a day or so cleaning and loading up the van ready for a few weeks on the road. Not a trivial task since we've only got limited space; it's a case of balancing what you need with what you'd like.
 We crossed the channel on the ferry and first overnight stop was Germany - a neat site at Siersburg in a very pretty valley setting.

Siersburg campsite.

Facilities were impeccable although I couldn't help but notice the plethora of printed instructions and signs around the place; commands appeared to be the order of the day. The administration folk were efficient but didn't engage in friendly chit-chat. Despite it's obvious advantages, we were pleased to leave the place behind us.

Heading home

Toulon port

We were now almost three months into our tour and we were feeling the need to go home. We loaded up the van with lots of good Italian delicacies, including plenty of the local wine and olive oil. Then, taking the ferry to Toulon in southern France, we boxed and coxed our way up through France arriving in Calais late that night.

Dover harbour

. . . and just in time to catch the ferry and then arrive home in Ewell by five in the morning. A tiring finish but a satisfying one to a very special holiday indeed.

Island terminus

Island Terminus

Leaving Rome we caught the overnight ferry to Sardinia - Marilena's home. Here we spent three weeks with her mum. Marilena was frequently busy helping her mum with administrative affairs. For my part I would take off for the nearest beach and spend a couple of hours strolling by the edge of the sea and reading. The beaches in Italy begin to empty in September and so by October I had the place pretty well to myself. It was fabulous!

Blue sky, sunshine and clear water; a walker's paradise.

Whilst we were on the island there was a cultural festival in the village for a weekend. This was most interesting and we were able to see traditional crafts and visit old houses in the village to see how people used to live years ago. I made a short sideshow of the event.