How Time Flies – 4 years and counting

How Time Flies – 4 years and counting

Time Flies
Time Flies

Time really does fly when you’re having fun!

Just like that, Our Italian Romance turns 4 years old today! From the beginning, this blog site was created to share our love of Italy and to honor our late sister in law.

We have enjoyed posting stories of our time spent travelling throughout this wonderful country. Our posts are created to inspire our readers to visit Italy for themselves. We truly hope to encourage you all to make plans to visit Italy for yourself and discover new hidden gems. Why? Because Italy’s unique beauty and culture is extraordinary…

The current world health crisis of Covid-19 dominates the world news as we all know. Unfortunately, this has forced the cancellation of all trips to Italy for so many of us.

As disappointing as this is, we take solace in knowing that when the time comes for Italia to open its doors to visitors once again… we will be there!

But for now…..

We will have to make due with reliving the happy times of past trips to get us through this period of isolation. Stay tuned for upcoming posts and keep dreaming of Italy.

Thank you for supporting us and please stay safe

T & P

Abbracci virtuali a tutti (Virtual hugs to everyone)

Chianti

Chianti in Tuscany – Postcards from Italy

Chianti

Chianti is a great place to relax

The Chianti region in Tuscany is not only a visual treat, but a perfect place to relax and recharge after spending time in the bigger cities.  You can jump into your car and travel down winding, scenic roads.  Trust me when I say there are a lot of these roads to choose from when you’re in the Chianti Classico region.  Don’t forget your Gravol if you’re one that falls victim to motion sickness…

We toured through several towns in the 4 days we were in this area.  The ones that left the biggest impressions were Castellina, Greve, Panzano, Volpaia, Radda, Gaiole and Vertine

Colle di Val d’Elsa is slightly out of the Chianti region, but we missed it the last 2 times and it was well worth the trip.

It’s been painfully hard for us to minimize the number of photos we wanted to share with you in this post.  You can probably tell we are not minimalists…

Umbria… Just a Memory Now – Postcards from Italy

Umbria… Just a Memory Now – Postcards from Italy

The day has come to leave Umbria

Our 11 days here have come to a sad conclusion and now we have to go.  However, before you start feeling too bad for us, you should know that we hopped into our Alfa Romeo and 2 hours later… Hello Chianti region in Tuscany!

Before we totally leave the Green Heart of Italy, we need to wrap up a few loose ends. Because wi-fi can be a bit sketchy while travelling and we have been out enjoying Italy, we find ourselves behind on our posts.

To catch you up, we will treat you to a 5 in 1 post that highlights the last few days. This includes the towns of Spello, Montefalco, Numana and Castelfidardo.  All of these were day trips from our home base in Perugia.  Let’s get started.

Spello, Umbria

Spello was high on the list of must see towns this time around. With its flowers cascading color from it’s ancient stone walls, buildings and steps, it was going to be a photographers dream day.

As it turns out we were about a week or so early for Spello’s famous flower art festival. We knew this going in, however, what we didn’t expect was the lack of flowers on display before the show.  We were imagining the explosion of flowers you see on Instagram and Facebook.  Nope.

Montefalco, Umbria

Montefalco on the other hand, was a very pleasant surprise.  We had dropped this town off our must see list, only to add it back on after hearing such positive reviews from other travellers we met.  Montefalco is a great place to visit.  It has a nice layout and great views of the countryside.  Two thumbs up.

Numana, Marche

Numana is a town on the Adriatic coast of Italy and is popular with beach lovers.  A little over 2 hours from Perugia, it was nice, but we prefer the smaller, quieter beaches as a rule.

Castelfidardo, Marche

Another nice hilltop town with something a little special.  Yes, it has great views, but it happens to be the Guinness world record holder for the largest handmade playable accordion.  Thank you Gino D’Acampo for the tip!

We found the shop in the town’s main piazza with the help from Guinness World Records signage, pointing to the shop as an official record holder.  What we didn’t find, was a door that was unlocked, to allow us in to see this marvel. 

Turns out that from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm the accordion shop is closed.  We were there at 1:30 pm and we were starting to feel the effects of heat exhaustion.  No standing next to greatness taking selfies this day amici.  An air-conditioned ride back to the apartment seemed more appealing than hanging out another couple hours in +33 C temps.

Perugia, Umbria

Perugia is a great Italian city.  It has a lively main corso that leads to the fountain in the Piazza IV Novembre. The corso is pedestrian friendly, steeped in history and has lots of outdoor ristorante tables under large umbrellas.  If you want a more medieval experience on your visit, you’re in luck. Just turn off the main corridor and there you have it, instant Medieval architecture.

The piazza is an excellent spot to sit and relax on the steps of the Cathedral of San Lorenzo.  This is especially true in the evening, when the heat of the day diminishes.

From the open windows of our apartment, we had the most incredible view of the valley below.   Possibly the best view we have ever had from a temporary home in Italy.

arrivederci Orvieto

Arrivederci Orvieto – Postcards from Italy

Arrivederci Orvieto

Saying arrivederci gets harder every time

Orvieto has imprinted itself on us.  From the good friends we have made, the spectacular cathedral, stunning vistas and many yet to be discovered restaurants this charming old town has us hooked.  It really is hard to say arrivederci Orvieto.

This little gem in Umbria has us dreaming of one day extending our stay here by months, because 7 days just aren’t enough

Arrivederci Orvieto… it’s time to say goodbye, but we know we will be back.

Day Trips in Italia – Postcards from Italy

Day Trips in Italia – Postcards from Italy

Day trips through the Italian countryside are a must!

Some of the most enjoyable times we have in Italy are when we’re on day trips in the Italian countryside. Over the last few days we’ve visited 4 such places and now we’ll showcase them for you.

Vitorchiano, Lazio

Vitorchiano is a medieval village that hangs on the cliffs it was build upon. It has an easy layout with great views. We are not fans of big crowds so we were lucky, we had the streets to ourselves for the most part. Cool place!

Bomarzo, Lazio

We thought Vitorchiano was quiet until we stopped in Bomarzo. This well preserved village was ours to explore mostly alone… other than a six toed cat, two construction guys and a restaurant owner. I think we would have taken pics of any tourists had we seen one! Nice visit nonetheless.

On a previous visit we went to il Parco dei Mostri di Bomarzo (the Monster Park). It is an interesting and worthwhile stop if you get the chance.

Montefiascone, Lazio

Montefiascone is a located high above the southern end of Lago di Bolsena giving it a fantastic view from it’s highest point in the public garden. This was the biggest of the 4 communities we visited on our day trip from Orvieto. The walk up from the parking area to the public garden (Park) is steep but manageable.

Bolsena, Lazio

Bolsena is located on the north end of Lago di Bolsena, 25 minutes from Orvieto. The lake is the largest volcanic lake in Europe. Of the 4 places we explored over the past couple days, I would confidently say, Bolsena was our favorite. It has a lively old city which has great character and a beautiful, people friendly marina and beach to walk along.

Normally the multi-colored hydrangeas are in full bloom when we visit in June, but not this year. Spring came late and now the hydrangeas are late too! All’s not lost, the roses were great!

Day trips from Orvieto are a fantastic thing to do if you rent a car

Not only are the medieval cities worth the trip, the roads getting to them are ultra scenic. I should mention, all of these trips were under an hour from our home base in Orvieto.

Orvieto – Postcards from Italy

Orvieto – Postcards from Italy

That settles it… Orvieto is still our favorite hill town!

When a parent is asked which child of theirs is their favorite, they tend to say they’re all loved equally. We realize this is mostly true, but some are just a tad more loved than others…

Orvieto is our favorite child so to speak. Like the parent of a large brood, we say we love all of the places we’ve been to in Italy. However, it is the place we would come to live, if it were at all possible. As it is, we try to return every time we make the trip to Italia. So by default it’s our favorite!

Orvieto is a classic Umbrian hill town

As hill towns go, Orvieto has so much going for it. It has stunning Umbrian views to offer as well as excellent people friendly streets to explore. The atmosphere is laid back and the food is great.

What’s great about Orvieto is that it’s a place that’s still alive with locals that live here, work here and send their kids to school here. It has a feel of community that other places don’t.

Is it bad that I kind of want to keep it a secret?

I would hate to see this town overrun with tour buses like many others are. Honestly, we just love it here. It is a perfect place to relax in with photo ops at every turn. When you are tired of walking, rent an E-bike like we did today and explore it’s wonderful streets. It was great fun!

Arrivederci Roma – Postcards from Italy

Arrivederci Roma – Postcards from Italy

And there it is, time to say Arrivederci Roma

It’s been 4 very busy, wonderful days in the Eternal City. The highlights from today were the Campo de’ Fiore and the Quartiere Coppede. This quirky, secret neighborhood is the reason we choose to stay in this area. It was the brainchild of architect Gino Coppede and was built between 1913 – 1927.

Tomorrow morning we hop on a train to our beloved Orvieto (in Umbria) for 7 nights.

We leave you with a few pics from our last day

Another Fine Day in Rome – Postcards from Italy

Another Fine Day in Rome – Postcards from Italy

As days go in Rome, it was a fine one to be sure

Let’s start by saying, matching our previous days total of 24,000+ FitBit steps was just too much to duplicate. We had a slow start to the day and our website was having issues that needed immediate attention. Without the fix, there would be no new Posts. All good now!

As it was, our early morning start turned into an early afternoon getaway. Oh well, stuff happens and we didn’t let it hold us back from having another memorable day in Rome.

A tram ride to the Colosseum was just what we needed

There’s nothing like jumping on a tram, steps from your apartment, then jumping off some 30 minutes later at the foot of the Colosseo. It really is an awesome experience standing in front of this iconic Italian monument.

I say this even after multiple trips to the Colosseum. Sharing the moment with scads of people can be overwhelming, but who am I to begrudge them of their own special moment?

Doing things a bit different

While strolling around the Colosseum and Forum, you can’t help but be drawn to the huge white stone monument erected to honor King Vittorio Emanuele II.

Normally, we walk around the perimeter, getting sore necks from looking up at this imposing structure. Not this time. We made the walk up to the second level and got great views of the surrounding area. Good news, it is free! What a perfect place to snap loads of pictures.

Now, if you want even better views for even more spectacular photos then here’s our Tip of the day! Fork out ten euro each and wait in line for an elevator ride to the upper deck for truly remarkable views.

The nearly 360 degree vistas are stunning, as well as a great way to get perspective of where all the major attractions are located in relation to one another.

Time to share some images of our day with you

Click on an image to enlarge and scroll.