Lazy Days in Italy ~ August 2013 (Part Two)

Lazy Days in Sestri Levanti ..... Last night's restaurant choice of Ristorante Rezzano  proved to be rather expensive with very poor service ..... Oh well win some, loose some!  But oh those Gelato's, there is an abundance of Gelato shops and I can tell this may become a problem for me.  I haven't mentioned the Cappuccinos - absolutely delicious! Perfeto!

We have been in Sestri Levanti several days now and I feel so comfortable and happy here. There is something heartwarming about the love the locals have for their dogs.  They bring their doggies to sit next to them in restaurants and the restaurant owners bring little bowls of water for them ..... such  civility! Afterwards the doggies stroll around with their owners and I'm beginning to recognize  them ( the doggies I mean.) Tonight we saw little To-To again, a wee white Poodle mix. There's Lilly the Pomeranian mix, who's owner never uses a leash and sweet Lilly always stays faithfully next to her owner. Then there is Jock, a white Labrador and his lovely owner, Gabriella.  The other familiar doggies are not known to me be by name yet, but they provide so much to the lovely vibe of this town.  

Today we planned to go by boat around Cinque Terre, but the trip was cancelled due to rainy weather. Instead we hopped on the train and visited Camogli, a beautiful place on the coast about twenty minutes away by train.  We ate lunch and walked around admiring it all in the rain.  Lovely!

I'm overflowing with beautiful romantic memories of Sestri Levanti. I will always remember the kindness of the people here, the beautiful bay, the doggies, the view from our hotel window, our morning bike rides around the harbor, the Gelato's, the Cappuccino's and the lovely sound of the church bells. We said goodbye to all the staff at Hotel Helvetia, they were all so lovely. I gathered rocks from the beach as my keepsake and we drove on to our next destination in Tuscany.

My friends, from Guernsey have invited my sister, Kathy, Alain and I to be their guests for one week at Villa Valle which sits between Palaia and Villa Salleta.   Such excitement, my heart was beating with excitement as we entered the village of Palaia, three hours later and we saw my beautiful sister waving to us, surrounded by our friends, Charles, Vera and lovely Rachael and Julia.

The villa is extraordinary, surrounded by beautiful flowers, trees and a beautiful pool. It's ever so peaceful during the day, but as soon as the first round of gin and tonics is served each evening, it turns into a gourmet restaurant with fourteen Brits sitting around an outside table, sharing stories, jokes and much laughter.  

This morning my Sis, Alain and I were sitting enjoying Cappuccinos in the village, while Alain was sharing photos from his IPad. Several of the locals were rather intrigued and they started to gather around us one by one.  Alain asked if they would pose for a photograph to add to our collection and then they started to give us photographic background suggestions.  The sweet old lady wanted us to pose next to her pot of red geraniums, which she was obviously was very proud of. Afterwards she pointed to her Romeo and Julliette balcony on her second floor apartment and asked if we would like to use it for our next photo. 

The information manual in the villa tells us that there are two common type of snakes in the area. One is a harmless grass snake, but the other is a Viper and apparently poison's.    So far we have seen three snakes and only one of those was a Grass Snake, yikes! We are surrounded by a forest which apparently is part of a Hunting Lodge and periodically I hear gun shots which shake me to my core.  It makes me feel sad and my heart goes out to the poor innocent creatures. 

It's six in the evening and it's all very peaceful.  I do believe it's time for Gin and Tonics and we are off to Pecciola for dinner (all fourteen of us.) I will surely gather a few more stories to share! 

Ah yes and a good time was had by all! We arrived in Pecciola just as the sun was going down and we all gathered at La Greppia Restaurant.  It was a wonderful evening with lots of laughter, delicious food and wine.  A fine memory! 

We all got used to lazy days around the villa, lounging around the pool, some drifting off on adventures to discover neighboring villages.  Each quite day suddenly changed as soon we gathered around the table with the sounds of Vueve Clicquot Champagne being popped and wonderfully delicious meals being served. Stories were shared and once again another evening filled with more laughter.

Alain and I arranged to meet his sister, Carole and her daughter, Yael in Florence one day.  We boarded the train in a wee town close by called Pontederra and forty five minutes later found ourselves surrounded by the beauty of Florence.  It was all rather dreamy and how good it felt to be with Carole again and to meet Yael for the first time in such extraordinary surroundings.  We all wondered around absorbing the breathtaking beauty of the city and eventually wondered away from the crowds and made our way to Boboli Gardens, which sit high on a hill overlooking the city.  It was so peaceful and beautiful and we all sat on a bench absorbing the moment. I will return to Florence one day, perhaps one Christmas in Florence should be added to my dream list.

We returned to the Villa and I was missing my beautiful Sis, who flew back to England a few hours earlier.  The next day I spent a few hours in Lucca with Richard and Anne, who were also staying at the villa.  I'm so glad I didn't miss seeing this town, which is surrounded by a fortress, it was not very crowded and most of the streets were only open to pedestrians which gave it a feeling of calmness.  Our time was limited and I would have loved to have more time there, but once again I will return to Lucca one day!

Back at the villa everyone was preparing to leave the next day and of course it was time for our last dinner together.  The last bottle of Champagne was popped and once again another gourmet meal was enjoyed.  Alain and I left the villa at four in the morning and drove back to Milan.  I was sad to say goodbye to Italy and I will miss the beautiful kind Italian people, the fields of Sunflowers, the sounds of church bells, delicious food and wine.  We have been at home in Austin Texas now for one week, but a part of my heart is still in Italy.  I drift off  during the day and wonder if it was all a dream, but then I look at the rocks sitting on my desk from the beach of Sestri Levanti and they remind me that it was there.

So now my entry on my dream list which said "go to Italy one day." It has been checked, but replaced with another entry saying "return to Italy very soon." 

Two for Milan Please ~ August 17, 2013 (Part One)

"Two for Milan please" Alain said to the lady at the American Airlines check in counter.  Suddenly it all felt real and we were on our way..... eighteen hours later we were chatting to Alberto at the Avis counter in Milan airport, a very friendly chap who sent us off in a snazzy cute wee blue car.  Our destination, Sestri Levanti, four plus hours drive from Milan.

Feeling rather apprehensive about this driving plan, I had in advance suggested to Alain that I should drive while he navigates with one of his many GPS devices, giving me clear verbal instructions. Off we went and immediately outside of the Avis car park, I said "okay Alain tell me where to go. " He replied "I can't until the GPS starts working - lets get away from the airport by driving through those gates on the left." I pulled into the lane with an automated gate.  Alain shouted "no this is the entry gate back into the airport, you must reverse." This became rather complicated as I had a barrier in front of me and several cars in the line behind me. So while in Rome, do as the Romans do - I got out of the car and waved my arms in a dramatic way and all the cars got in reverse and we were free and on our way! Glad I couldn't hear what those other drivers had to say!

Finally we are heading in the correct direction on the Autostrada, zipping along like the locals.  "Prepare for the next exit" said Alain along with the nice lady living within the GPS box.  Sadly a terrible accident had just happened and we were now being diverted through a very busy town with many roundabouts.

Trish: "Alain Darling, do give me clear exit directions as we go around the roundabouts.

Alain: "No problem"

Alain: " Okay exit here"

Trish: "Where?"

Alain:" There"

Trish: "Alain please be more specific."

Alain: "Just watch my signals."

Trish: "Alain I'm watching the road, please use your words."

 Alain: "Okay, this one, now, now, now!"

Trish:"Oh my God I need a drink!"

Back on the Autostrada after several more anxious roundabout moments of miscommunication,  we are still in one piece and moving along confidently again.  Lots of traffic around us and behind a Tanker Truck, which for some reason needed to brake suddenly and the truck fish-tailed across the three lanes of busy traffic. It's miraculous that nobody crashed into it, but at that moment I did feel my world go into slow motion, as I was sure the cars following us may crash in a domino effect behind us.  The Italian Gods must have been with us, as it didn't happen and Alain and I looked at each other in a state of shock knowing it was a reminder of how fragile life can be!

Alain had reminded me several times that when entering the automated toll booths on the Autostrada, do not enter the one called Telepass. It is reserved for Italians with prepaid passes, be sure to enter the blue lanes only! "No worries Darling" I replied. Shortly afterwards, as we approached one I could hear Alain's words of advice in my head, but like a Lemming jumping off a cliff, I managed to enter it anyway. As we both stared at the barrier preventing us from moving forward, I looked at Alain with a blank expression on my face and he said "so now what are we going to do?"  I replied "I'm experienced in this kind of problem, I'll take care of it." I jumped out of the car again and waved my arms at the line of cars now gathered behind us. A few arms waved back and soon they all started to go in reverse! I noticed a button, bright red in color saying help in English. I found this comforting knowing others have found themselves in the same position. A mans voice came over a speaker in Italian and I said " I'm ever so sorry, but I'm in your Telepass Lane with no pass."  He said something else in Italian and I repeated myself in English.  He repeated something else in Italian and I once again repeated myself in English.  Although I couldn't see this person, I'm sure he too was waving his arms. Of course there was the option of joining the others and attempting the Autostrada in reverse, but I decided going forward was difficult enough! Finally I heard an Italian word coming from the speaker, which I recognized "Andiamo."  The barrier, raised up and once again we were free and on our way!

Suddenly the scenery changed as we got our first glimpse of the ocean ...... oh so beautiful! We drove through a series of tunnels which had been carved into mountains. In between we captured the beauty of the pastel colored homes scattered over the hills. Exotic Palm Trees blowing in the breeze and the roads became more narrow and curved with every turn. But with each of those turns, another breathtaking view lay ahead of us.

Finally there was the sign welcoming us to Sestri Levanti.  Our lady friend inside the magical GPS asked us to drive along the sea front and then into a wee cobbled winding street, which was so narrow we felt the need to breathe in.  There was Hotel Hevetia, looking so very inviting with flowers flowing all around it, and a swimming pool perched on the hill overlooking the entire bay.  Alain took care of the car and I went into the hotel,  the lovely Receptionist said "Welcome Pat-Reez-Ah, would you like a drink-ah? I'm not sure if she had taken one look at me and thought this poor women is in desperate need of a drink, or if it was standard procedure. But regardless and without hesitation, I replied "oh yes please." I so enjoyed that Campari-Orange!

Our room is a calming yellow with French doors opening up over the ocean. Boats fill the bay and people stroll along the beach. It's all so heavenly!  But while in Rome, do as the Romans do.....it's time for Siesta! Actually we have just learned that the Italians refer to it as riposo, oh such a civilized tradition!


We awoke feeling ever so refreshed and ready to explore our new surroundings. We strolled into the town through the cobbled streets and observed the lively Italians in their special surroundings.  We found a nice restaurant by the waterfront and sat outside next to a couple of Italian fellows, along with their wee doggy, Lilly. We chatted and gathered valuable information about the area, and it was a good memory of our first evening in Italy.

Slept like babies and awoke refreshed and raring to go. Enjoyed Buffett Breakfast on the balcony of the hotel as we absorbed the view.  Later we both walked around the town and then I lounged around the pool.  Alain on the other hand will not relax until all his gadgets are in order, so purchasing an Italian phone along with some more wires and gadgets, became top priority for him!  It's like going on holiday with a CIA Agent and already one half of our room has been take over with wires, lap tops and various other gadgets, such as remote control helicopters. I do wonder what the maid thinks when she comes into our room!