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This is my last post for a blog describing a really wonderful adventure shared with a wonderful friend. I am sitting in Chiangi Airport with still another two hours to wait.  Arrive home tomorrow morning around 6:30.

So many times during the last four weeks I have thought, "I don't want this moment to end" so I guess they would have
 to be classed as "highlights"- Listening to a tenor and soprano sing Puccini in a 1000 year old church, sitting on a terrace in Bagni di Lucca drinking fabulous local white wine, standing in front of David in Florence, standing in front of the Duomo in Florence (in fact everthing about Florence!), reaching the end of the walk to Porte Venere and looking out at a beautiful green sea and on and on! Met some lovely people - Rosela in Florence, the Austrian couple in Manarola amd of course, Maurizio. But most of all sharing it all with Karen.Thank you for all the laughs, for liking the things I like and for liking to have quiet days just watching Italy go by!

To finish up, lots of love to two great fellas, Michael and Ross for having faith in us.

Gelato of the day

walnut

Palazzo Pfanner

Now he meets in graceful woods, to whom

The industrious shears rounded the 

Evergreen ruffled locks, and

Under whose shade shelter spirant

Marble statues, sharing beautywith each other,
When in the midst of this
Green shine rises elegant with engraved boulders,
Statues and balustrades a sweet shelter,
Where often Satyrs and Nymphs
Residents of this place love the day,
The night or the fleeting sun or the ray
Lovingly seeking the moon
And play and merrymake and feast...

Poem by CristofanoMartelli Leonardi to descrbe the gardens of Palazzo Controni - Pfanner in 1794

Sunday April 7

The day started with a very impressive parade down our street, Via Fillungo to Lucca Cathedral. Drum band and flag tossing was very impressive in 15thC costume. Subsequent marches throughout the day saw different periods in Lucca's history represented.

Today's gelato

I know you are waiting anxiously to hear what today's flavours are...coffee and banana!

 

Train trip into the country

My holiday to Italy is rapidly coming to an end so Karen and I decided to catch the train up in to the mountains to visit a village called Bagni di Lucca.  It is known for its hot springs and as the holiday destination of Elizabeth Barrett Browning.It is a picturesque village on a fasg flosing stream. We topped the day off with a swim in a thermal pool. Just a wonderful day all round.

Lucca Cathedral

Lucca Cathedral (San Martino) was consecrated in 1070 by Pope Alexander 11 and contains the Temple of Volto Santo (holy face). The large wooden crucifix is said to be carved by Nicodemis a contemporary of Jesus Christ. The crucifix miraculously made its way to Lucca where it is housed in a "temple" / shrine in the cathedral. Every September 13 Luccans celebrate thd Volto Santo and dress the statue of Christ in a beautiful gold crown, gold collar and breast plate and rich medieval vestments. The city is decorated by thousands of candles on the front of buildings. It must be a wonderful sight.

Wednesday's Gelati

Pistacio

Lucca

Arrived in Lucca on Tuesday. Totally different than both Flornce and Cinque Terre.Lovely roomy 2 bedroom apartment so I don't have to listen to Karen snore!!Easy flat walking so absolutely nothing like Manarola.
Puccini statue and birthplace in the background.

Lucca Cathedral San Martino

Goodbye Manarola

Wanted to say "goodbye" to Manarola with a post to describe the climb to the apartment from the train station and consequently the reverse when we have to lug our bags to leave to go to Lucca!From the train platform there is a set of steps down, then a set of teps up, a walk through a 200m tunnel under the mountain then...

up the street

the apartment

Admire a lovely door to catch our breath!

Today's gelatos

1.lemon and pineapple
2pistacio and hazelnut
(yes, two today!)

Easter Sunday

All lights on tonight with the risrn Lord in the top right hand corner flanked by two 'angels'?

Vernassa

tt Too tired tonight to recount the whole day - enough to say that it was another great day and that we have just one day left and one more walk to do from Caniglia to Vernassa.  Hope there won't be as many people around as today!

Riomaggori

Church bells called us to Easter Sunday mass and it was beautiful despite only picking up the odd 'Christo', 'anno', 'espiritu', 'domini'. Italian is such a musical language it was delightful to hear and the church was ornately decorated with marble and paintings. We had not been to Riomaggorie yet so headed there today. Sunny weather but very busy with lots of holiday visitors.

Easter Saturday

Stations of the Cross

Since we got here in Manarola we have been intreged by the figures up the hill representing the ststions of the cross. We did ask some locals what was going to happen with themz and received a variety of responses, none of which made any sense. However tonight all was revealed  - a magical display of lights.

Todays gelato

Tropical passion (pineapple, coconut, cinnamon, rum and caramel) and caramel and nuts!

Genova

Lazy day yesterday with both Karen and I with colds so with Maurizios advice today we caught the train to Genova (Geonoa) with not a great deal of information about what we might see. We were delighted, despite the rain to find a beautiful city. It's Good Friday today so each church was open with a variety of activities. Mostly they were just magnificent to look at inside and out. The San Donato Church had an elaborate display of priest's robes.All of the information was in Italian so we could not work out the significance but they were lovely and we guess quite old and greatly cherished by this church. Interesting to note that although today id Good Friday it was not a pulic holday - business as usual for the Genovese and no hot cross buns to be found! Genova is the biggest seaport in Italy and is the birth place of Christopher Columbus.c

Today's Gelato

Banana and Pistacio

Porto Venere

The walk to Porto Venere

After a more relaxed day yesterday we set off this morning at 9 with Maurizio,mour host and two other guests who are from Austria to walk to Porto Venere. Maurizio drove us part of the way and we then walked for 4 hours through pine forests and along rocky paths with stunning views to both the Gulf of La Specia and the Ligurian Sea. Once again it took me to the limits of my fitness. My legs felt like jelly by the time we walked down, down, down the hill into Porte Venere. By then the sun was shining on the water looking over to La Specia. Maurizio arrived to take us back to Manarola to watch the sun go down over another perfect day.