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."